December 2009 • Volume 10, Issue 122

Get Happy With It!www.peoplespressnews.com

By the People . . . For the People Serving Central Connecticut

Wallingford Flower& Gift Shoppe

190 Center Street. 203.265.1514

Photo by Ernie Larsen

STRESSES OF CHRISTMAS SEASON ARE WELL WORTHIT ON BALANCEBy Phyllis S. Donovan

With Thanksgiving now behind us, still warmed by memories of that special family day of con-viviality and thanks hosted this year by our daughter and son-in-law, we reluctantly turn our atten-tion to the next fast approaching holiday season.

Looking at it from this prospective, we wonder if we will ever get through the next few weeksof stressful activities. I'm telling you right up front I am definitely NOT a shopper, never was. Iwould be the last person you'd find camping out from the wee hours in front of a store where I'dhave to risk being trampled by a madding crowd just to get in the door and race around searchingfor bargains.

In the first place, technology has long since bypassed me. I see my grandchildren immersed inhand-held video games, texting their friends on their phones (what ever happened to just dialing anumber and talking in person?) and dancing around with a wii wand in front of a television set. (Atleast in the latter instance, they are getting some exercise!)

Frankly, that's all beyond my ken. I will leave the purchase of electronic gadgets to their parentsand opt to keep them supplied with more old fashion pleasures….like BOOKS, for instance.

Always a voracious reader myself, I am still delighted that, in the face of all those modern-daydistractions, all of my grandchildren love books. They actually seem pleased to unwrap the booksthey know they'll be getting from me each Christmas. It's become a family tradition. My greatestpleasure is picking out the perfect book for every one of the 22 people in our immediatefamily…including "the middle generation" as my daughter suddenly realized at Thanksgiving andreminded her siblings.

At the moment, I am having the seasonal argument with myself as to whether I really want totake on the chore of sending out 100 Christmas cards again this year. It's one of those tasks thathas become an obligation from which I derive little pleasure on my "Bah, Humbug" days. And yet,we are always pleased to hear from distant friends we've met along the way in our seven decadesplus lifetime.

Our very first Christmas card this year came from a Welsh gentleman and his wife whom wemet on our trip to the Galapagos several years ago. A Barry Fitzgerald lookalike with a personalityto match, he has become a favorite email correspondent ever since, giving us a candid look intohow the US is viewed by citizens of the UK. Not sending Christmas cards is a good way of ending

cherished friendships like his…and so we get out the list, check it twice and settle down to thechore at hand.

On a mild day last week, my husband decided we should get the outdoor lights down from theattic and put them up while it was still warm enough that our fingers didn't freeze doing the job.Reluctantly, feeling that we were rushing the season, I agreed and we spent a whole day hangingicicle lights from the back deck and fastening web lights to our front shrubbery. That meant I hadto put the candle lights in the front windows and the artificial wreath between the garage doors. Istill have to get a live wreath for the front door and we must remember not to wait too long beforepicking out a live tree. Last year we were late and there weren't many great specimens to choosefrom.

There is nothing messier than a live Christmas tree dropping needles all over the place and it isan enormous chore to put it up, decorate it and take it down again in two weeks. And yet, weabsolutely MUST have a live tree. One year we were going on a trip shortly after the holiday sosprung for an artificial tree. It was a really handsome (and expensive) tree but lacked the presenceand scent of a real tree. We never put it up again. Our daughter now uses it as a second tree in herhome, placed where it can be seen in its glory from the street on which they live while their "real"tree is in their cozy back family room. And I have to admit, once we put the undecorated live treeout on the back deck with treats for the birds, it is the center of feathered activity all through thewinter.

And let's not forget the parties! So far we have four marked into our appointment calendars…alltaking place in the course of two weeks. I don't care how good my intentions are for notoverindulging in empty calories during the holidays, I can not resist new and unusually delicacieslaid out in front of me at these festive gatherings. Why can't it be as easy to lose those excesspounds as it is to gain them? It usually takes me to late spring to shed what I gain in those twoweeks. Oh well, the camaraderie of those parties is priceless.

All in all, I guess I can psych myself up to enjoying the holiday season. It's not the same aswhen we were kids and everything about it was simpler and geared to the real reason forChristmas. In those Depression times, it wasn't all about parties and gifts. It was about the birth ofChrist. Our public school Christmas pageants revolved around the coming of the Christ Child. Oursongs were all the classic Christmas carols about silent nights, angels and Bethlehem…noRudolph, no Frosty the Snowman. Our only party was put on by the church and when we were oldenough, we stayed up to attend midnight Mass. Christmas was a quietly holy and happy time offamily love and devotion.

Times have changed, and reluctantly, so must we. But I still want to wish everyone…A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Page 2 December 2009

81 So. Elm Street, Wallingford 203-269-4497 www.wallingfordymca.org

The Wallingford Family YMCA wishes you and yours HappyHolidays and a New Year filled with Health & Happiness!

WALLINGFORDFAMILY

Winter Program RegistrationsDecember 7th- Current participants in swim lessonswho are facility membersDecember 14th- Facility Members December 21st- Community ParticipantsThe Wallingford YMCA All Day Kindergarten

in Now Accepting 2010 Applications!

Health and Wellness

Coming by January 1st: brand new Life Fitnessand Precor cardio equipment and some seriousHammer Strength free weight equipment!

Israeli Krav Maga training will be offered onFriday evenings from 6:00pm to 7:30pm startingJanuary 8, 2010. Get in wicked shape, learn howto defend yourself, make new friends, have fun!Purchase a punch card at the Welcome Centerand come as often as you choose.

Want to get the new year off to a great start?Join the Wallingford Family YMCA by January31, 2010 and receive a free 2 session Get MeStarted program with a trainer (normally$129). Inthis program you'll assess your fitness level forcardio vascular fitness, flexibility, muscularendurance and strength relative to your agegroup. Your trainer will provide you with a writtenreport on your fitness level and will use this todevelop a personalized fitness program base onyour needs and goals. On the second session,your trainer will walk you through your programto make sure you are comfortable with eachexercise technique.

New Teen ProgramsArt Club--Monday nights at 6:30pm. Teens willexplore different styles and artists each week,then try their hand at that particular style. Artthat is created will be shared with the group, andmay be displayed at the YMCA. Art Club is free,and you don't have to be great at art to have agreat time.

Private Tutoring--Tutoring is now available at theYMCA! Our tutor has over 8 years experiencetutoring subjects in both private and group ses-

sions. Subjects range from Math to English,from History to Science, and almost everythingin between. Contact Cassandra Bromley at 284-7448 for more information.

New Youth Sports ProgramsLacrosse--(ages 6-8)This program is designed togive your youngster an introduction to the won-derful game of lacrosse. Participants will learnproper stick handling techniques with emphasison throwing and catching. Thursdays at 4:45pmor Fridays at 5:30pm.

Little Kicks Karate--(ages 5-9)Introduces kids toShotokan Karate, a traditional Japanese karate,in a fun and supportive way. Focus will be onbalance, coordination, endurance, and buildingself-esteem. Wednesdays at 4:45pm.

New Adult LeaguesAdult Racquetball League--Begins January 11th,2010Adult Co-ed Volleyball League--Wednesdaysbeginning January 13th, 2010For more information regarding Adult Leagues,please contact Mike Cristaldi atmcristaldi@wallingfordymca.org.

AquaticsWallingford Family YMCA- Swim Lessons for allages and skill levels! New classes beginJanuary 4th. Small class sizes.

Also Water Exercise classes Monday throughFriday at 10:30AM, also Monday & Wednesdayat 5:30PM. Try one! A great way to stretch andexercise with less pressure on your joints. Call 203 269 4497 to register. Checkwww.wallingfordymca.org for class times andfees.

What’s New At The Wallingford Family Y!New Cardio Equipment * New Programs * New Promotions * New YOU!

Don’t Go Over Empty Handed!

Torrone, Christmas Stollen, Struffuli, Panettone, Cookie Baskets, Miniature Pastries,Cannolis - Freshly Filled to order! Christmas Cookies, Pies and so much more!

Call to place your order today! Open till 4pm on Christmas Eve!

Marianna’s BBelltop BBakery212 West Main Street in Meriden 203-238-0159Hours: Monday.- Friday. 7-6; Sat 7-4; Sun. 7-2

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all your friends at

Chanel and PJ have been waiting and waiting for a long time to find theirforever homes. They can't understand why no one has come to adopt them.Both of PJ's sisters have gone to live in a nice home together and now it ishis turn. He is only 6 months old and is still considered a kitten. Chanel isabout a year old and would love a quiet place of her own. Both are alteredmup-to-date on vaccinations, tested for feline aids and feline leukemia andhave been treated for fleas, mites, worms and ticks! Please call Friends ofFeral Cheshire Cats at 1-866-811-CATS for more information!

You Can Help!

Celebrations ofLife and Home

Jonathan,I can't believe how fast you have

grown. You are so amazing, creative,funny, and caring. Happy birthday to

our wonderful son and terrific bigbrother.

Love, Mom, Dad, and Joshua

MAYOR'S CORNER WALLINGFORD

Dear Friends:

We thank the Public Celebrations Committee and the Parks and RecreationDepartment for the wonderful Season of Celebration planned for December5th. The Town is so fortunate that these organizations and employees areable to host and plan a fun filled time for all. We also thank WallingfordCenter Inc. for the wonderful holiday decorations throughout the downtownarea and our Public Works Department for all their help. Just think, out of169 cities, towns and villages, we have Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Frosty,Rudolph, and Toy Soldiers all in Wallingford! Think of all the places theycould be and we have them here with us. Incredible!

This is a special time of year. We have so much to be thankful for that it isimportant to share our good fortunes with others. Whether in the forum ofa gift or a smile, sharing is the key for everyone. To qualify as nice, youmust share. So when the list of who is naughty or nice is completed, youcan really add points for nice by sharing.

Please have a very healthy holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Sincerely,William W. Dickinson, Jr.Mayor

MAYOR'S CORNER MERIDEN

As the Holiday Season approaches, we are reminded of our own experiences ofpast holidays. Being the eldest of 4 children, I remember the excitement andsuspense of all of us awaiting Christmas morning. Would Santa find us thisyear? Would we get our special wish? We were fortunate that in our household,we were never left disappointed. We were always blessed with an abundanceof gifts and treats. That's why my siblings and I carry such fond memories ofour past Christmases as children.

But, there are many children and families today who will not experience joy butrather sadness and disappointment. They are not in the fortunate circumstancesto be recipients of gifts they have longed for. Unless...generous individuals stepup to put a smile on a child's face by donating a toy or gift to a needy child andfamily. Please consider donating to your favorite charity this Holiday Season orcontributing to the Meriden Spirit of Giving Program, c/o Hunter's Ambulance,450 West Main St., Meriden CT 06451.

Thank you and may you and your family have peaceful, satisfying, and healthy Holiday.

Also, please take the time to visit the spectacular Holiday Lights display at Hubbard Park featuring over 300,000 lightsand wondrous animal displays and other high"lights" throughout the park.

Mike Rohde, Mayor

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman VincentPeale

Barbara Bruce Wins a Blue RibbonBarbara Bruce, Vice President of the Wallingford Garden Club won a FirstPlace Blue Ribbon for her floral design at the Madison Garden Club flowershow. Her design was entitled "Trick or Treat" and used bright orange Bird ofParadise flowers as well as black spider web and a treat bag. The show, enti-tled "Autumn in the Air", was held on Saturday, October 17, 2009.

Bruce's primary interest lies in design and she has entered many flowershows. She is also the chairwoman of Flower Show School for the FederatedGarden Clubs of Connecticut and teaches design classes at the WallingfordGarden Club. Bruce plans on having a flower show in Wallingford in the fallof 2010.

The Wallingford Garden Club is a member of the Federated Garden Clubsof CT and National Garden Clubs Inc.

Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year - and yet, forall that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. ~W.J. Cameron

Page 4 December 2009

Christmas - what has it become?By Ernie Larsen

Every year the 'Christmas Season' begins earlier and earlier - this year I was in a CVS pharmacythe day after Halloween and lo and behold, a display of Christmas chotzkie. I thought that wasearly and suddenly remembered a display of some holiday items at one of the big box stores -almost a month earlier - just after school started.

And then the mystical "they" are predicting a less than bountiful retail sales forecast for the holi-day period. You know 'they' say that it is going to be a flat season for retailers. Didn't 'they' say thatlast year, also?? And now it seems that 'Black Friday' soon will become a recognized holiday. I'veactually seen ads for the day and heard of people already planning to get out early to garner someof the 'bargains' offered by certain retail outlets. This week, in which falls Thanksgiving there havebeen TV and print ads touting the sales on the 27th. I think I saw mentioned that Radio Shackwould be open at 4:00 A.M. WHY????????Here it is a couple of days after turkey day and all that has been on the tube are reports and whatseems to be critiques of how 'good' Black Friday was, well, no one is reporting on sales figures indollars, just that everything went smoothly and some got a lot of bargains and some didn't. Therewere some eye-opening stories - a person claimed a place in line at a retail outlet at 10:15 AM onThanksgiving Day. Let's see, right about then the Macy's parade was an hour old and I was prep-ping some turnips for dinner. The fellow in line would be the first one allowed in the store at 4:00AM, well, whoop-de-do. Then again I guess we all have our own agendas.

I had to work on Black Friday, took a few hours vacation in the morning and came in for noon.The person I was relieving was also up at 4:00 AM but didn't stay up all night for the privilege.She did get some good deals, purchased a major appliance and some things that were only on salefor a limited time that morning. And then my supervisor was another 4:00 AM shopper, must run inthe department - she hosted a houseful of guests for T' Day dinner and said after clean up it wasquite late so she just stayed up and met her shopping partner at the store and got her fill of bar-gains.

Then there were the downsides of the whole B.F. experience, line cutters - people not gettingdiscount fliers and an outright 'mugging' where some lowlifes driving by a line waiting to get intoa store were relieved of their wallets and cash. But the good news was no one got killed - last yeara retail worker was trampled by people rushing the doors of the store to get their bargains. And stilltoday in between all the football games and other news - Black Friday still is being mentioned. Imyself went shopping on Friday evening - when I was leaving work at 5:00 PM, I mentioned tothe boss that I was going to be a Grey Friday shopper, well at that time of day - wouldn't it besomewhat grey? And even today, Saturday, a store where I was purchasing an item for my grand-daughter has 50% off coupons from noon til closing - can't beat that, eh?

So, is shopping and getting a "deal" the real 'meaning' of Christmas - not really! To save you thetime and trouble of doing your own research I pulled out the 3rd Edition of the American HeritageCollege dictionary which offers this definition:Christmas (kris'mes) n. 1. A Christian feastcommemorating the birth of Jesus,usu. celebrated on December 25.

How many of those people in line waiting to buy that Wii could give this definition or reallycare about the same? If you watch Jay Leno and you see him on the street asking common ques-tions about general information it would amaze you how uninformed people are and that's puttingit mildly. Christmas has become and is getting more commercial - let's face it organized religion in

this country is not what it used to be. I really believe if you are a good person, have a good familylife - do your best at what you do, are willing to help others in any way you can - that's what reallycounts. And I know I share these views with some of my family - and let's leave it at that.

The religious aspect of Christmas exists in our in house via several Nativity scenes; all havespecial meaning; the oldest is carved from wood, purchased in Oberammergau, Germany duringour honeymoon trip in 1969. We were looking for a certain sized scene and found a woodcarver'sworkshop, among the many in town, saw the set we wanted, talked with him for a while and madeour purchase. The next set is by M.J. Hummel the figurine artists; it too is special and both of thesesets are displayed in wooden stables hand-crafted by my father who was a whiz with wood. It isalso quite striking. And the last scene is from Ireland is Waterford crystal; I remember the day Ibought it at the Waterford factory store - while my wife was shopping I made my way to the mail-order desk and placed the order - it was a surprise Christmas gift that year. These three scenes rep-resent our religious link to Christmas.

As for the holiday itself we'll spend Christmas Eve at my brother's with my wife's side of thefamily - then Christmas Day at my daughter's with my son-in-laws parents and again my brotherand sister-in-law, who by the way is my wife's sister. And maybe some unannounced guests - younever know who might show up.

Did you ever notice how long the prelude to Christmas seems and then it's over in a flash? So, however you celebrate your December 25th - if you can, be with your family - remember

we're not here on this earth for that long of a time and every moment spent with loved ones is pre-cious (for the most part). If there are young ones about it makes it even more special - my grand-daughter is 6 and some of her reactions during the season are priceless.

If you are a shopper, churchgoer or just plain folk celebrating the holiday season, do it with asmile on your face with a good word for all.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

'Season's Eatings''Season's Eatings' - 4 Sweet Holiday Ideas Few people can resist the decadent temptation of chocolate. Because this treat has universal appeal,it can be used as a cornerstone in your holiday theme this season - whether in baking, gifting orentertaining.While you may need no added excuses for indulging in chocolate heaven, here are a few others tosatisfy your sweet tooth.1. Season's Eatings. Express your holiday sentiments in more than words. Chocolate bars can becustomized with stylish wrapping, embossed with a greeting of your choice, and shipped to eagerrecipients.2. Take a dip. You may have seen champagne and punch fountains that add panache to social gath-erings. However, a new trend is the chocolate fountain, where warm chocolate cascades ready fordipping. Cubed pound cake, cookies, fresh fruit, and scores of other treats can be enhanced with acoating of chocolate.4. Snack for Santa. Santa may be a little bored with the milk-and-cookie routine. Why not leaveout a dish of chocolate-laden brownies and a warm mug of hot chocolate with fresh-whippedcream? Who knows ... you just might find more gifts placed under the tree as a result.

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recallto the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousandsof miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home! ~Charles Dickens, The PickwickPapers, 1836

Page 5 December 2009

$25 Off Any Remote Starter or

Combo Package!Seat Heaters only $225per seat - Save $35.00.

*With This Coupon - Can not be combined with any other offer - Expires 12/31/09

584 West Main St.Meriden CT 06451Tel: (203) 639-8168Fax: (203) 639-8178

105 Hanover Street in Meriden 203.634.3500 1.800.624.3516

Email: ktwinc@aol.com www.kingtravelways.com

Wherever you spend your holiday,know that our best wishes are

on the way!

With warm and glad tidings fromall of us this holiday season.

Thank you for allowing us to serveall of your travel needs in 2009.

Celebrations ofLife and Home

Junie:I can’t quite see.

Is it Christmas yet?

Message: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Your Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Phone # _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Signature: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _If you would like the photo returned to you, please enclose a self addressed stamped envelope! We do not publishthe last names of any photo submissions. Send to:The People’s Press, P.O. Box 4459, Yalesville CT 06492

DDeeaaddll iinnee ffoorr oouurr JJaannuuaarryy iissssuuee iiss DDeecceemmbbeerr 3300tthh..

FFoorr SSppeecciiaall DDaayyss,, BBiirrtthhddaayyss aanndd HHooll iiddaayyss

FFFFrrrreeeeeeee PPPPhhhhoooottttoooo FFFFoooorrrrmmmmHappy

Holidays

Happy Holidaysto my Grandma, Grandpa,

Mommy, Daddy andBootsie too!!!

Love, Alyssa

Send One to a loved one!

MAX E. MURAVNICKMERIDEN SENIOR CITIZENS' CENTERThe Max E. Muravnick Meriden Senior Citizens' Center is open to all Meriden residents age 55 and over. Membershipis free of charge and new members may sign-up any weekday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. by presenting a driver'slicense or other proof of age. New members receive an information package about senior services and a coupon enti-tling them to one complimentary lunch in our Senior Community Café. Sign-up today and find out about all that isoffered for Meriden seniors at the Max E. Muravnick Senior Center!

Our 2009 Senior Center Holiday Fair and Bake Sale will be held on Wednesday, December 9 from 10:00 AM to 1:00PM in the main hallway of the Senior Center. Handmade items will be available for sale by the knitting, sewing andceramics classes and bake sales and raffles will also be held. The fair is open to the public and people of all ages areinvited to attend!

Be sure not to miss the Red Hat Follies Holiday Show on Monday, December 7 at 1:30 PM in Willene's Place. Enjoyholiday music, variety acts and a salute to Pearl Harbor Day all rolled into one! The Silver City Red Hatters haveworked hard to put the show together so please join us for the 5th annual Red Hat Follies!

On Wednesday, December 16 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM ProShred will have their paper shredding truck parked in theHanover Street Parking Lot for a free paper shredding event open to the public. Protect your identity and the securityof your old records by disposing of old bank statements, bills, financial documents and other personal papers at thisfree paper shredding courtesy of ProShred. It is not necessary to remove clips or staples, the heavy duty shreddingtruck can handle it all! Just drive into the Hanover Street Parking Lot and look for the big truck to safely dispose ofthose unwanted papers you no longer need!

On Thursday, December 10 at 10:30 AM we will offer a "Home Adaptations Workshop" designed to give you tips andsuggestions for making your home safer and more user friendly as you age. The Rockfall Company will be here in thefirst floor meeting room to provide information to help you continue to live at home as long as possible with a fewmodifications. Learn how to improve your home with a few simple changes to make your life easier, safer and moresecure and stay in your own home as long as possible! The program is open to all interested people and refreshmentswill be served.

The Meriden Triad will sponsor another mini-bus to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Wethersfield for people whoneed a Non-Driver's License Photo ID on Friday, December 11 at 10:15 AM. The cost of the ID card is $22.50 in cashand you must bring a certified birth certificate or valid passport plus one additional form of identification like a SocialSecurity card. Triad members Sgt. Darrin McKay and Sgt. Glen Milslagle will accompany the mini-bus and provideassistance at the DMV. The first 12 people to sign-up with Mini-Bus Coordinator Becky Racine in the Mini-BusOffice or by calling (203) 237-3338 will be able to take this trip to get the Photo ID card so sign-up today!

Holiday entertainment at the Senior Center will include performances by Middi & the Country Gentlemen on Tuesday,December 22 at 10:30 AM for our Holiday Celebration Luncheon and Jill Riggles for a Holiday Sing-a-Long onWednesday, December 23 at 11:00 AM. The Holiday Celebration Luncheon will feature roast turkey and stuffing withgravy, cranapple juice, cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables, dinner roll and holiday ice cream for dessert. To sign-up forthe Holiday Celebration Luncheon please call our Senior Community Café at 235-8052 by December 17.

Our Holiday Dinner Dance will be held on Thursday, December 17 from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Entertainment will be pro-vided by the Vinnie Carr Band. The dinner menu, served from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, will be fresh fruit cup, chickenmarsala, baked potato with sour cream and chives, peas, dinner roll and strawberry layer cake. Tickets are availablenow at the Senior Center for $6 per person for Meriden residents. Get your ticket today and join us for our HolidayDinner Dance!

Our friends at the Meriden Kiwanis Club generously donated 100 free tickets for senior citizens for this year's KiwanisKapers Show at Maloney High School on November 6 & 7. We distributed the tickets to Senior Center members and,on their behalf, I would like to thank the Meriden Kiwanis Club for this outstanding donation - we appreciate your sup-port!

During December please consider being An Angel for a Needy Child by providing a Christmas Gift for a child throughthe Meriden Salvation Army. We have 15 cards with boys and girls names, ages and wish lists for Christmas gifts. Ifyou would like to help out see me in the front office, pick a card of your choice, buy a gift by December 15, return it tothe Senior Center and you will make a child happy this holiday season!

Save the date for our next Weather Show with meteorologist Art Horn, "Weather Dominates our World" on Wednesday,January 13 at 10:30 AM in the First Floor Meeting Room at the Senior Center. Art will discuss how everything we dois affected by the weather. He always has terrific slides to go along with his informative presentation so don't miss ArtHorn in January!

Best wishes for a happy holiday season from the members and staff of the Max E. Muravnick Senior Citizens' Center!

John F. HogarthSenior Center Director

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round,as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time Iknow of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and womenseem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and tothink of people below them as if they really were fellow passen-gers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound onother journeys. ~Charles Dickens

Page 6 December 2009

ACROSS1. "The _____ the limit!"5. To the same extent or degree;equally7. Made a map showing coastlines,water depths, and navigational info13. Close by14. Shipboard greetings16. Astonishing, breathtaking,extravagant, greatest: slang17. Most famous Boston Bruinsplayer19. An index reflecting Wall Streetactivity20. Large, broad, endless21. December 21st , the shortest dayof the year: 2 wds.25. An elevated railway26. In or near the position of27. Pallid, colorless29. Totaled32. Denver is the capital of this state 33. International Falls, Minnesota,USA (Airport Code)34. ____ Temelkovski, Canadianmember of Parliament first elected in200435. An African-American culturalfestival, celebrated from Dec. 26 toJan. 1.37. A long narrow inlet of the sea inScotland40. Actor who received "best actor"Academy Award in 1996 for"Leaving Las Vegas"41. To glide on ice43. A large commercial ship45. Gambino crime family boss, hewas known as the "Teflon Don"46. She was married to John Lennon48. A series of motions and steps,usually performed to music50. A wild, shaggy-haired ox of themountains of central Asia52. Opposite of off53. Abdominal muscles: slang54. Broccoli ____ , a vegetable plantrelated to the turnip and grown for itspungent leafy shoots; also called rap-ini56. Section of hospital containingspecialized equipment, medical staff,and monitoring devices to provideconcentrated care58. Goes with Boo to make a crying

sound59. Iwo ____, site of famous WW IIAmerican flag raising60. To place in a grave62. Small units of weight64. Top officer of a Corp. 66. City located in Andrew County,Missouri, total population of 56.67. Direction on a compass68. Jewish Festival of Lights cele-brated during 8 days in DecemberDown1. To grow rapidly in significance,importance, or size

2. ____ Lewis is the husband ofToni Braxton3. A tall tale4. Not a Jr.6. A cartoon soldier characterinvented by George Baker in 1942: 2wds.7. Simon ____ , seen on "AmericanIdol"8. ___ Averback, director of the1960's & 70's, directed many MASHepisodes9. To the same extent or degree;equally10. An extremely small amount.11. A state of rest, relaxation, orleisure12. The widely used pesticide whichwas banned in the U.S. in the early1970's15. Large nocturnal predatory birdfound in Eastern United States andCanada18. Term for displays of playerscards in Pinochle20. Dec. 5th South Meriden willhold it's annual, "Christmas In The_______", a celebration which is freeand open to all!22. A small peg used in golf23. Actor Michael J. Fox starredwith Barry Bostwick and others inthis ABC TV sitcom24. A republic in eastern Africa 28. All the copies of a specifiedissue of a newspaper30. Twosomes31. Mayor of Wallingford36. Air, atmosphere: prefix38. Word to express surprise or tri-umph39. Note on musical scale42. Digit on a foot43. Police officer one rank below aCapt.44. Boise is the capital of this state.45. A metric unit of mass equal toone thousandth of a kilogram47. Capital city of New Caledonia49. Approximately; nearly51. A packaged set of related materi-als54. To get out of bed55. German composer, JohannSebastian ______57. Largest county in Ireland59. Prior to Brad & Angelina, it wasBrad & _____60. An indefinitely long period oftime61. Part of Scrooge's favorite phrase63. Initials of American tennis playerwho won women's singles titles atthe U.S. Open (1975-1978, 1980, and1982) and Wimbledon (1974, 1976,and 1981).65. Being one of two or more consid-ered individually: abbreviation

People’s Press Crossword by Ruth Gordon Look for the answers in this issue.

The Haberli family wishesall of our friends and

customers a very, merrychristmas & Happy new year

South Meriden Car Washproudly oowned & ooperated

by tthe HHaberli FFamily.Protect yyour ccar tthis wwinter wwith oonly tthe

best iin sservice aand qquality.1107 HHanover AAvenue 2203.634.9811

203-235-5653

MERIDEN SOUP KITCHEN FUNDRAISERTwenty-six years ago, the Meriden Soup Kitchen was founded by Jane Goodstein, the organist at the Main StreetBaptist Church on Crown Street, in downtown Meriden. She made the suggestion to the pastor of the church that asoup kitchen be started at his church. He gave her $200 to start the MSK. At first, soup and sandwiches were servedtwo days a week.

Today the MSK serves a principle meal at the mid-day, five days a week. No longer is soup and sandwiches themenu. An entrée is served along with soup and a salad, dessert and a beverage.In 1983 7,030 meals were served. In 2008 35,897 meals were served and for the first ten months of 2009 29,527 mealshave been served.

During the 26 years the MSK has been constantly growing and evolving into the institution it is today, In 1999 theMSK finally had all five days of the week covered by a group. Currently groups based in St Rose, St Joseph, StAndrew, Holy Angels and First United Methodist Churches as well as an ecumenical group and Bonnie's Angels coverthe five days of the week.

The original MSK was housed in the Main Street Baptist Church in downtown Meriden. It is now the guest of theFirst Baptist Church on Broad Street, its home for over seven years.Twenty-six years ago there were a handful of volunteers making the soup and sandwiches. Today there are over 150volunteers who show up faithfully to mix, chop, stir, clean, wipe, serve, bake, dry and cut following a philosophy tomake a meal "that you would serve your family".

Financing the MSK is called "wing and a prayer". The financing has also evolved. For the year 2009, there has beenfunding from the federal government (EFSP), a bonus from the stimulus package, the city of Meriden (CDBG), theNapier and Farid Foundations, a small group of citizens, organizations and churches who send us a check monthly andrandom contributions from the generous citizens of Meriden.

The MSK benefits from "in kind" donations from both Stop and Shops in Meriden, Panera Bread in Meriden, BJ'sin Wallingford, the Middlesex Fruitery in Middletown and, of course, the First Baptist Church.

For our silver anniversary the MSK missed a great opportunity for a fundraiser. It was missed because we didn'trealize it was our 25th. So the MSK is going to have a 26th year fundraiser in tribute to Jane Goodstein.

The MSK is asking for donations of 26. Make a contribution to the MSK in categories-------- 26 cents for a cookie,$2.60 for a bowl of soup, $26 for an entrée, $260 to pay for a day. Or a $2,600 corporate sponsor can buy new tablesand chairs. Checks can be made to the Meriden Soup Kitchen, PO Box 2138, Meriden, CT, 06450.

Page 7 December 2009

SS ee aa rr cc hh aa ll ll hh oo mm ee ss ff oo rr ss aa ll ee ii nn CC TT @@

www.GuerraRealtors.comCall Toll Free 1-866-281-4956Customercare@GuerraRealtors.com

New Haven$329,000 Morris Cove across the street from water. Lovely waterviews, newer windows and furnace, updated 1.5 baths, refin. HW

floors, and updated kitchen. Rear yard offers space for garden and 2car garage. Make this house your home. Call John Guerra 466-7653

x301. www.GuerraRealtors.com

New Haven$140,000. Enjoy water views from this 1 BR condo with C/A, patio,

master bedroom with walk-in closet, security system. Close to shop-ping and minutes from Yale. Jean@ 466-7653 x306

www.GuerraRealtors.com

Hamden$238,900. Lovely 2 BR Bi-Level, just ad your own personal touches to

make this house your home. Features spacious FR with skylightsand tile flooring, MBR w/carpeting and more! Not a drive by. Calltoday for your own private showing. Call Carol 466-7653 x310

www.GuerraRealtors.com

East Haven$234,900. Gorgeous 2BR Twnhse in impeccable condition in desir-

able Morgan Pt. area. Gleaming HW flrs in LR/DR combo. LR w/gasFP and SGD to Exp deck w/awning. Large MBR, form DR, CAIR, 1

car gar rear of complex. Call Chuck @ 466-7653 Ext. 302.www.GuerraRealtors.com

"Maggie's Corner"Words from my Mother are words well taught. By: Maggie GriffinThere are places I remember through my life, although some memories havebeen lost and other memories live in my heart and mind forever. But all thoseplaces and those moments I have lived, heard, spoke and seen with family andfriends, I reflect on them all. Through the years, I have lived to see some of myfriends and family pass away and grateful to be a part of the friends and familythat are still living. But regardless, if living or dead, I love them all.

One especially of all the family and friends I have, nobody compares to myMother. She makes sure special memories never lose their meaning. And when Ithink of my Mother, I think of love as something new every day. She is one per-son that will never lose love and affection for people and things that became apart of her life.

When I often stop and think about so many, in my life I grew to appreciate thelove and affection my Mother gave to me even more. A woman of strength anddignity, morals and faith; she taught me well. She taught me life becomes cleareras time brings us to one solitary life. That is, being a mother is a gift. And the greatest gift of all is life.

As I reflected on memories and moments, I reflected on a true story my Mom told me, a story that I am now goingto share with all Mothers who are new, old or expecting. In short of 5 minutes, this is a true story that my Mother toldme when I was 22 expecting my first child:

There was a baby who was born in an obscure village. As he grew, he worked in a carpenter shop and was an itiner-ant preacher. He never wrote a book, he never held and office. He did none of the things one usually associates withgreatness. Several years have come and gone and today he is the central figure of the Human Race. But my Mother didnot tell me the name of this baby; she said I knew the baby's name and to use the brain God gave me to figure out thename of this baby that I know.My mother is a very smart and wise woman. She knew I was going to figure out the name of the baby in this true storyin a short time. Just like she knew I made copies of all her famous Italian recipe's before I moved out of my parentshouse (how she found that out, I'll never know).

You see, I can understand why my parents worried so much about me. Maybe it had something to do with me beinglike the kids I complain about today when I was in my late teens and early 20's. Now that I think about it, it's no won-der my Dad took my driver's license away one time, then in my wedding video he just had to say to my husband "GoodLuck Tom, you are going to need it". Those were good memories. Dad always had a way to make everyone laugh. Andwhen I drive his Formula that was given to my son after my Dad passed away, I still hear him tell me "Don't drive onthe sidewalk" like I did with the Camero. There is more, but I won't dare write anything I don't want my kids to see.After all, no matter how old my kids get, I want them to know I was raised with the help of Nuns.

Getting back to my Mother, I look back at all the advice she gave to me since I was a kid myself. But being theyoungest, when I announced I was pregnant, my Mother wanted to make sure I changed my ways. And she knewexactly what to say to get me thinking when she told me this true story. Therefore out of all the advice and true storiesshe gave me through my life, this is the one I treasure the most.Following this story, My Mother kept me seated and said to me; "Margaret Mary, you are about to become a mothernow, it's not about you anymore, it's about the life God is putting His trust in you to care for. And being a mother is alifelong job that comes with love, attention and affection. Appreciate and thank God for this child. Protect this child.Care for this child. A child is a gift, a gift that comes with NO conditions.

As I was in labor with my first child, thinking about that true story my Mother told me, I suddenly knew the name ofthe baby my Mother was telling me about that was born in an obscure village. His name is Jesus. As I was in laborwith my second child, remembering that same true story, got me through the pain of labor with a smile, knowing I wasblessed with another gift of life, another miracle.You see, Christmas is a day that we celebrate God's greatest gift of all, the birth of Jesus, the gift of Life. And if someof you think I am "crazy" for writing this TRUE story, may I suggest you pick up a Bible and remain off the glue youare sniffing?

Having God in your life WILL bring you peace, happiness and joy. If you don't go to God, He can't help you. Sort oflike if you don't go to your hair dresser, you can't get your hair done and you may feel like blah. What I am saying isunderstand the importance of God, Life and Family.

And don't talk dirt about anyone; that is pathetic and only makes you look like a fool. Eventually talking about oth-ers for NO reason in a bad way WILL come back to you in a full circle. When that happens, then you can ask yourselfwhy?

Please remember the unfortunate; donate to your local Food Drives, Toys for Tots, Clothing Drives, and families ofour Military; remember the poor and the homeless. Every County has a list online where you can find where you canmake a donation. Giving is a lot better than receiving, even if it's a simple hug or a hello, how are you?Happy Holidays.

Our Christmas TraditionBy Bonnie Kent

Every year my daughters and I spend Christmas Eve at the Wallingford Emergency Shelter and watch Christmas hap-pen from a different perspective. It seem that with everyone having family events that night someone is always lookingfor coverage and my daughter and I never have said no except last year and let me tell you we missed it. There was atime when a group used to make shoe boxes filled with everyday needs and a little something fun thrown in and wewould hand them out to the clients and watch their faces as they open their gifts. For some this was the only gift theywould get for this season of giving and their eyes have always expressed their gratitude.

We love opening the door that evening because you are welcomed in and it is always festive inside and kind of likefamily. Those who came to drop off food, gifts, and cookies or just to wish everyone Merry Christmas are welcomedand wished a Happy Holiday as they arrive and leave. Some years we baked or brought in a Christmas movie to watchand one year we had caroler's come to sing with us. One of my fondest memories is of a family who came in to dropoff a donation and asked what the clients were to be served for breakfast and I told them cereal, coffee, toast. Well thisfamily asked if the overnight staff would cook breakfast it there were food to cook and the volunteer said yes. Thisfamily went to about three little corner markets and brought us eggs, bread, juice, bacon, sausage and about anythingelse you could think of for breakfast. I was amazed at the giving of this family and they have continued this traditionsince that year and every Christmas Eve delivers breakfast to our Shelter.

It seems that this time of year the giving spirit is upon everyone but we all need to remember that giving and caring foreach other needs to be year round. We need to remember that everyday some family is deciding between electricity,heat, food and shelter. What can I live without and the decision should be none but as we all know that is not the case.A majority of our society is only a paycheck away from homelessness that can result from an illness, loss of a job orother life events. Please remember to give of yourself whether it is time, food, money, or one of the many other waysthat you can help others.

I hope this year my family will be at the shelter on Christmas Eve but if we are not they will be in out hearts and wewill be stopping in to wish everyone a happy holiday

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having,in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! ~Author Unknown

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, TheMerry Book of Christmas

Page 8 December 2009

COMMERCIAL * RESIDENTIAL * INDUSTRIAL

ELECTRICAL SERVICES* New and Existing Construction* Service Upgrade Repair* Phone and TV Wiring* Fire Damage Repairs* 45’ Bucket Truck Service* Emergency Service“No Job too Big or Too Small”

Fully Insured and Licensed CT Lic. #104727203-235-5653

Congratulations to the Meriden Raiders Cheerleadering Squad (Small Red10 and under) for a Spectular Season and advancing all the way toRegionals. We love and are very proud of you!!!

Celebrations

Peoples Press December 2009South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department is its 101th year of service to the Village of South Meriden and the City ofMeriden. The Officers and Members wish all of our friends and family member's health and prosperity this holidayseason. We thank you all for your continual financial support over this past year. We look forward if necessary to serveyou any way we can this up coming year.

Now its time for a several safety tips for our neighbors. We hope you all have working smoke detectors in yourhome. Working Smoke detectors save lives. Please make sure that you changed your batteries in the detectors. The besttime to remember to change the batteries is when day light saving time comes. When you change your clocks back orforth change the batteries for safety.

Also if you do not have carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in your home please purchase them. CO is a colorless,odorless, highly poisonous gas that is produced by inefficient burning and incomplete combustion of fuel products inheating appliances, furnace, hot water heaters, and stoves. If you do not have efficient burning appliances in the home,over a period of time CO could be building up in the home which if unchecked could lead to medical conditions andeven Death. Having your furnace cleaned and serviced each year will help keep the units running more efficiently. COis the silent killer, please protect your family and yourself and purchase CO detectors for your home. CO is also pro-duced by normal operation of your vehicles and comes out of the vehicles exhaust systems. Running your vehicle inthe garage could cause CO to seep directly into the home.

With winter right around the corner we are asking for your assistance with a little maintenance item. If you have afire hydrant near the front of your property we need your help. When it snows it would be helpful; if you could clearthe snow and ice away from the hydrant. In a fire emergency it is very important that we can hook our hoses to thehydrant as quickly as possible in case we need additional water to extinguish a fire. During and after snow storms wedo try to get out and clear hydrants, but we do not always have time to get to them all. It would be very beneficial to allour neighbor to have clean and clear fire hydrants. If you can help us out with this maintenance item we would appreci-ate your assistance.

Another health Tip. We urge all our residence to be careful during the winter months with shoveling snow. (That's ifwe ever get any) Take it easy do not over do it. Use a good shovel and do not over load it when you lift it. Also forthose of you that have snow blowers please be extremely careful not to put your hands near the blades of the blowerunit while it is running. You might say who would do that, but each year Meriden's emergency service respondersrespond to several of these calls each year and it isn't a pretty sight so please take precautions.

If you can and have the time and the energy may be you can help a neighbor who is a little older or might be ill,give them a hand clearing away the snow from their walkways or driveway. It feels real good to be able to help themout during the winter months. Each year we lose friends and neighbors to heart attacks during the winter months fromover exerting themselves shoveling snow.

And one more health tip. If you are under a doctor's care and take certain medications keep a list of these medica-tions handy just in case you have the need to call 911 for during a medical emergency. Also with this list you mightwant to give a little history of any medical conditions that you also might have. These are important things for emer-gency responders to have just in case you are unable to respond to our questions when we arrive at your home. A goodplace to keep this information is in an envelope on you refrigerator and note that it is Medical Info. Information about Membership Application Process: We are currently accepting applications for membership for individuals who live in Meriden over the age of 18 in goodhealth and have a clean police records and can pass the application process.

We are also accepting application for those individuals who might all ready be certified as a State of CTFirefighter/EMT and do not live in Meriden but are willing to fill night crew positions at our station. These individualswill need to meet our by-law requirements for drills, weekly night crew and duty crew assignments.

We are one of the only Volunteer fire stations in the State that have sleep-in crews at our fire station we presentlycover 6 out of 7 nights. Our nightly in-house status allows us to service our customers you our neighbors quicker.

Being a volunteer fire fighter takes a lot of commitment and time. Our members make a lot of personal sacrifices to belong to our department, but they get great satisfaction of being

part of terrific tradition of saving lives and property. We train and work hard but we love serving and protecting ourfriends and visitors.

Applications can be picked up at our station at 31 Camp Street, South Meriden in the evenings. We are a DRUGFREE Department and we TEST all applicants. Good-bye for now, talk to you soonStay Safe and healthy Keith Gordon, Chief South Meriden Fire

GIFT CERTIFICATES NOW AVAILABLE ATHELPING HANDS THRIFT STORE!Stop by at 22 No. Turnpike Road in Wallingford. Our regular hours are Tues.- Sat. 9a.m.- 5p.m.. Pay with cash, debit,m.c. or visa for all your shopping needs.New gift items, Christmas decorations for your home or tree, artificial Christmas trees are available for your Holidayneeds. Kids bring in your Christmas list and place it in Santas special mailbox at the store and watch at the store forwhen Santa will be there to pick up your lists! Pick up a picture to color for ages up to 10 years old and return it beforeDec. 15th to enter our coloring contest. Winner will be notified by phone on Dec.22.Remember Seniors ages 55+ get 20% off their total purchase EVERY TUESDAY!$5.00 BAG DAY IS EVERY WEDNESDAY(fill a bag we provide with CLOTHING ONLY!)EVERY THURSDAY THERE IS A "IN STORE SPECIAL SALE" such as Half off prices or a per centage off certainitems,or Buy 1 get 1 Free.SPECIAL SALE GOING ON RIGHT NOW- ALL COATS HALF PRICE!!A VERY SPECIAL SALE DAY TO THANK ALL OUR CUSTOMERS WILL BE DEC.18TH WHICH WILL BE 20%OFF ANY 1 ITEM IN THE STORE(1 DISCOUNT PER ADULT).DEC. 22 ALL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AND TREES WILL BE 50% OFF.PLEASE NOTE THAT THE STORE WILL BE CLOSING AT 3 P.M. ON DEC. 24TH AND WILL NOT REOPENUNTIL DEC. 29TH.THE STORE WILL AGAIN CLOSE AT 3P.M. ON DEC. 31ST AND WILL NOT REOPEN UNTIL SAT. JAN. 2ND.COME CHECK OUT OUR CLOTHING, SHOES, LINENS, HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, KNICK KNACKS, JEWELRY,NEW PORCELAIN DOLLS, NEW GIFT ITEMS, TOYS AND SO MUCH MORE TO HELP YOU SAVE MONEY!THE STAFF AT HELPING HANDS THRIFT STORE WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A MERRY CHRIST-MAS AND A SAFE, HEALTHY HAPPY NEW YEAR. OUR THANKS TO ALL THAT SHOP, DONATE ANDOFFER THEIR HELP SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO HELP VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ANDFAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY.

Wallingford Junior Woman's ClubWALLINGFORD JUNIOR WOMAN'S CLUB ANNOUNCES DECEMBER HOLIDAY MEETINGThe Wallingford Junior Woman's Club will hold its monthly meeting on December 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the home of LisaRyan, WJWC Publicity Chairwoman. This is the club's holiday meeting, and members are reminded to bring an appe-tizer, dessert and/or drinks to share, and a grab bag gift. In addition, all toys, clothes, and other items for theWallingford Youth & Social Services Adopt-a-Family and the Covenant to Care for Children, Inc., stockings are duethat evening to WJWC members Lisa Hoover and Ann Whitman.

WJWC is open to women with a desire to improve the Wallingford community through volunteering their time andtalents, and provides opportunities for personal enrichment, and improve leadership skills and form new and lastingfriendships. For more information, please call Jaime Bowen, Membership Chairwoman, at 294-0017.

Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey theirnatural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, inshort, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. ~Francis C. Farley

Comfort Keepers celebrates the season of giving….While interviewing prospective caregivers our agency discovered a local ladylooking for a job, who stated to us, that she would take any hours availablebecause with her husband out of work she could barely afford food for her 5children. Then another employee expressed a great concern about her abilityto by Christmas gifts for her children. Carol Carbutti, the owner of ComfortKeepers (which is an agency in Wallingford that provides homemakers andcompanions for the elderly) wanted to show the spirit of giving by adoptingthese local families for the holidays.

Carol then enlisted the help of her children who also own local businesses inWallingford. Attorney Mark Carbutti, of Carbutti Law Firm, JonathanCarbutti, of Carbutti & Co Realtors, and Peter Carbutti of RCI PropertyAppraisal Company. After the gang was all here we discussed the situationand decided to adopt these two families who are in need of some holidayhelp. Our offices pooled our resources and went out to purchase groceriesand a Thanksgiving dinner for the family of 7. When our car arrived in frontof their apartment the whole family came down to greet us to help carry upthe grocery bags. Their smiles, tears and hugs reinforced our efforts. As wedeparted we promised to be back for Christmas which will include these com-panies buying and wrapping toys for eight children and also providing a won-derful holiday meal for the families.

We all are thankful for our blessings that we experience in our daily lives. Byjoining together to help others we are given an opportunity to share our bless-ings with others who are less fortunate …..

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went tosynagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each otheron the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to theatheists) 'Look out for the wall!' ~Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: ASurvivor's Guide"

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.~Janice Maeditere

Page 9 December 2009

GEREMIA FFARMLOCAL FFARM FFRESH

Open Daily Till Christmas Eve 9am-5pm413 Barnes Road

Wallingford

Support Your Local Farmers!Eat Local - Shop Local

Native Apples & PearsGeremia’s FamousFresh Baked Pies

All of your favorites! Order now for the holidays!

Call 203-269-3817

All of your holiday needs!

PoinsettiasCemetaryBoxesChristmasTreesWreaths

People’s Press Crossword December 2009Answers. Puzzle by Ruth Gordon.

DECEMBER EVENTS AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARYMERIDEN-GIVE THE GIFT OF READINGBring In Your New Or Gently Used Books To Help Children Who Are Less Fortunate For The Holidays At TheMeriden Public Library. The Meriden Public Library will be sponsoring our "Story Book Tree" which was established more than 20 years ago.These books will be given to various agencies that will be distrubuted to needy families.Drop off location will be the Meriden Public Library Children's Library by December 11th.For more information call us at 203 630-6347.WINTER WINE, CHOCOLATE, AND FOOD PAIRING SEMINAR DECEMBER 2 AT MERIDEN LIBRARYJoin Klassic Kreations Gourmet on Wednesday, December 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Griffin Room of Meriden PublicLibrary as they focus on wine, chocolate and food pairings to enhance our holiday table. They will highlight the histo-ry of chocolate, conduct a fun trivia quiz, have samples of a wide variety of Belgian chocolates to taste, and discussfruit, cheese and food pairings.

This program is free and all are invited. Reservations are requested. Contact the Community Services Department at(203) 630-6349 to reserve your seat. "FOOD FOR FINES" MONTH AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARYMeriden Public Library will hold its annual "Food for Fines" month beginning Friday, November 27 through Thursday,December 31. You may "pay" for your overdue fines by contributing one non-perishable food item for each dollar youowe in fines. For example, if you owe $3.00 in overdues, you must bring in 3 items. Food donations do not cover lostor damaged library materials. Bring in those long overdue DVD's cd's, books, etc. and clear up those fines. Borrowersmust visit the Circulation Desk in person to take advantage of this opportunity. Please do not donate out-dated fooditems. All food collected will be delivered to local food pantries. Food items most needed are tuna and other cannedmeat, dry milk, canned vegetables and fruit, rice, dry and canned beans, canned soups and stews, boxed pasta products,tomato items, juices and cereals. Contact the Meriden Public Library at (203) 238-2344 or (203) 630-6349 if you havequestions.WANTED: LEGOS FOR MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARYMeriden Public Library is looking for donations of new and used Legos to start a Lego club this winter for children ofall ages and their families. We would like to have enough Legos for everyone who wants to join, so if you have Legosyour children no longer use, drop them off at the library. Donations can be brought to the Children's Room of theMeriden Public Library. Your generosity will help ensure the success of this new program. If you have any questionsabout this program, contact Melissa in the Children's Room at (203) 630-6347.CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CIVIC YOUTH ORCHESTRA DECEMBER 12 AT MERIDEN LIBRARYThe Meriden Public Library presents the Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra (CCCYO) on Saturday, December12 at 2:00 p.m. in the Griffin Room. The CCCYO is comprised of young musicians in grades 5 through 12 from townsin the central Connecticut area including Meriden, Southington, Wallingford, and Cheshire. Students meet weekly torehearse mostly classical repertoire. This group, now in its seventh season, is a project of the Meriden Arts Trust. Thisconcert will include works by Beethoven, Bach, Greig, and Offenbach. In addition, anyone who is interested in joiningthe musicians to play in the final number, which is a compilation of holiday favorites by composer Leroy Anderson, isencouraged to do so. Copies of the music are available for free at J.C. Music on West Main Street. Please join us for awonderful afternoon of community music making. Contact Katrina Axelrod at (203) 235-7445 or see the CCCYO web-site at www.teacherweb.com/ct/cccyo/online for further details. We hope to see you there!FREE COMPUTER CLASSES IN DECEMBER AT MERIDEN LIBRARYThe following free computer classes will be held in December at Meriden Public Library. Learn Microsoft Word on Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. - December 5Email Class on Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. -December 12Internet Class on Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. -December 19Class size is limited. Contact the library at (203) 238-2346 or (203) 630-6349 to register for any class.JOB SEEKER PROGRAM AT MERIDEN LIBRARYMeriden Public Library has a drop-in program to assist those who are out of work and need help using the internet forjob searching and creating resumes. A skilled volunteer will assist library patrons on a first come, first serve basis eachTuesday from 1:00 to 5:00 pm in the Seminar Room. A sign-up sheet will be provided on Tuesdays - no pre-registra-tion required. Depending on the need, a computer will be available for use by the volunteer and patron. Knowledge ofa computer is required. The library offers separate computer classes to take prior to the job seeker program. Contactthe Community Services Department at (203) 630-6349 if you have questions about the library programs.WRITERS NETWORK MEETS IN DECEMBER AT MERIDEN LIBRARYMeriden Public Library will host a Writers Network group on Wednesday, December 16 and December 30 at 7:00 p.m.in the Friends Room. We invite anyone who is serious about writing fiction or nonfiction, wants to learn the process ofgetting published, or needs support for writing a book proposal or query letter to attend. The Writers Network is foranyone who is looking for a support network to keep the motivation going, is interested in sharing their writing withothers and is longing for the camaraderie of others who share a passion for writing.

The group will be run by Roberta Dolan, a Meriden resident who is trained in group facilitation and is in the processof writing her first book. The Writers Network group will meet twice a month and will occasionally invite editors, pub-lished authors and people versed in the publishing process to speak to the group.

If you are interested in joining the Writers Network, contact the Community Services Department at (203) 630-6349or email us comsvc@hotmail.com.FREE SCRAPBOOKING WORKSHOP CONTINUES AT MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARYMeriden Public Library will host the final part of the free scrapbooking workshop series on Monday, December 14from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Griffin Room. Come have fun and learn about an exclusive page demo, organizing yourphotos, digital, and work on creating an album to share with your family and friends. Preserve your photos and get them out of the attic, out of boxes, display them and ENJOY them. They make greatgifts for any occasion and Christmas will be here soon. There will be free handouts and demonstrations. Gather yoursupplies and come use some of ours. Please call or email to reserve your table at 203 630-6349 or comsvc@hot-mail.com.ONCE BANNED, NOW CLASSIC BOOK DISCUSSION SERIES AT MERIDEN LIBRARY

Meriden Public Library and Connecticut Humanities Council will begin the book discussion series "Once banned, nowclassic" in January 2010. A book, it is often said, reflects the society in which it was written. This may be especiallytrue when the society denies the reflection and censures the book. The four works in this series, all banned at the timeof publication, are now accepted as classics of American literature. Join moderator Marsha Bansavage on Tuesdays inthe Griffin Room from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.. to examine questions about changes in attitude, what led the authors to createthese works, censorship, rights and creativity. The schedule will be:

January 26, 2010 - "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. SalingerFebruary 23, 2010 - "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark TwainMarch 23, 2010 - "Native Son" by Richard WrightApril 27, 2010 - "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

The books will be available at the library. The program is free and all are invited. Contact the Community ServicesDepartment at (203) 630-6349 or email comsvc@hotmail.com to sign up for participation in the book discussionseries.SCRABBLE AT MERIDEN LIBRARYThe Meriden Public Library will be holding Scrabble sessions on the following Mondays at 2:00 pm in the FriendsRoom: December 14 December 28

January 11 and 25February 8 and 22

Come to practice or learn the game. Everyone is invited. If you have any questions about this or other programs at thelibrary, contact the Community Services Department at (203) 630-6349, email us at comsvc@hotmail.com or stop byat any session.

ST. ROSE HISPANIC CHOIR TO PRESENT "THREE KINGS PRO-GRAM" JANUARY 9The Meriden Public Library will host a Three Kings Day Program onSaturday, January 9 at 2:00 pm in the Griffin Room. The St. Rose HispanicChoir will present a holiday concert for people of all ages.

The St. Rose Hispanic Choir will present traditional Puerto Rican "aguisnal-dos" or Christmas carols, followed by a visit from the Three Wise Men.

Donations of unwrapped gifts, suitable for boys and girls up to the age of10, will be collected at a specially marked box inside the library during themonth of December.

The event is free, but seating is limited. Contact the Community ServicesDepartment at 203 634-0524, email comsvc@hotmail.com, or log onto ourhomepage at www.meridenlibrary.org and click on "Adult events" to reserve aseat.

Page 10 December 2009

...You Bend It!

Barillaro Collision1040 Broad Street • MeridenCall (203) 237-8806

Visit us at www.barillaro.com

We Mend It!Quality... Service... Devotion!

Christopher Michael Farrell, of Wallingford, recently received his EagleScout Award. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in Boy Scouts. Hewas recognized for this achievement at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor atSt Paul's Episcopal Church in Wallingford on Saturday, November 7th.Chris is the son of Michael and JoAnn Farrell, and is a member of Troop 4in Wallingford.

His Eagle service project was the restoration of Lyman Hall Memoriallocated on Elm Street across from Pat Wall Field. Lyman Hall was a sign-er of the Declaration of Independence. Chris, his family, friends, and fel-low Boy Scouts landscaped the memorial area making many improvementssuch as scraping and painting the fence and flagpole, installing a new sign,bench, flag, and brick walkway plus planting new shrubs and grass.

Chris Farrell, a junior at Lyman Hall High School, began his scoutingadventure as a Tiger Cub with Pack 26 at Highland Elementary School. Onhis way to Eagle Scout, Chris earned 29 merit badges and held leadershippositions in Troop 4 including Den Chief, Historian, Patrol Leader, andAssistant Senior Patrol Leader. Through Chris's scouting life, he has camped numerous times at Deer Lake

and Camp Sequassen as well as other Connecticut State parks. In addition,he has been recognized with the Paruvei Dei Religious Award and theHometown USA Award for the beautification of the YMCA Teen Center inWallingford.Chris and his family would like to thank the members of Boy Scout Troop

4 and all those who helped support him throughout his years in scouting.Congratulations, Chris, on your advancement to Eagle Scout!

Celebrations

The deadline for our Januaryissue is Dec. 29th! Don’t forgetto send a story about your holi-

days or winter.If you have an upcoming eventin the months ahead send it in -

it would be our honor to helpyou AND we will send out each

week’s events in our weeklyemail newsletter to our on-line

subscribers to give you evenmore exposure. Sign up - it’s

free! Go to www.peoplespressnews.com

and click subsribe!There are several ways to submit:

Email: andy@peoplespressnews.comWeb: www.peoplespressnews.com Mail: The People’s Press

P.O. Box 4459, Yalesville CT 06492For Advertising call

203.235.9333The People’s Press is now available to down-load in PDF form. Save it, Read it and Printit. We are always finding new ways to serveyour needs because YOU matter most to us!

Dear Housewives - Central Connecticut's Know It All GalsDear Readers, Do you have a question regarding family life, budget-ing, customer service issues, DVD or book reviews, or home organiza-tion? We will give you our candid advise from a family perspective.Contact The Peoples Press by e-mail andy@peoplespressnews.com orphone with your confidential question and we will answer it in thenext issue.Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New YearSincerely,June and Flora

Dear Housewives, Holidays are here again. My husband is Jewishand I am Catholic. This is the first year we are married and Iwant a Christmas tree and he does not. How can we make a deci-sion and stop fighting? Signed, "Oy Christmas Tree" in Cheshire. JUNE: Dear OY, I can't believe two people from different faiths did not discuss these types of issues before you gotmarried. If and when you have children it will only get worse. I don't see why you can't do both. I think you can cele-brate Hanukkah as well as Christmas in your house. Everyone is so uptight about offending other faiths this time ofyear that we incorporate all so I think you can do the same in your household. As far as I know, it is not against anyreligions to be near items of other faiths. Good luck when it comes time to raise babies. FLORA: My friend grew up with a Hanukkah Bush. See if that idea will fly with your Jewish husband. If not, let himhave his way. You may be pleasantly surprised....

Dear Housewives, I have so many presents to wrap for family members. My nine year old daughter want tohelp me but I don't like the way she wraps. I feel like a bad mother to tell her I don't want her help but I wantthe gifts to look nice. What can I do? It's a wrap in Meriden FLORA: If you asked me five years ago, I would have her do another task. Today, I say, let her wrap and who careshow uneven or odd it looks; it was wrapped with love. JUNE: You don't have to let her wrap adult presents but if you want to let her help you can have her wrap the otherkids' presents. If she had cousins you buy for or her friends she can wrap theirs. You can give her a different job likefinding matching ribbons and bows too. It is okay to want your packages to look nice but at the same time she canhelp with other things to feel like she is contributing. Merry Christmas!

JUNE: Hi Flora, I hope you have a Merry Christmas (dare I say it?). As always I recommend watching all of theChristmas favorites: "The Grinch", "Frosty", "Rudolph". Also, you should go to the movies to see "Scrooge" with JimCarey, I hear it is great. FLORA: Hi June. I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I will see "Holiday Inn", "Elf", and "It's a Wonderful Life".The plan was to see It's a Wonderful Life on Thanksgiving but it never happened. This month I will see "The BestChristmas Pageant Ever" at the Thomaston Opera House.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to our Dear Readers. We love receiving your questions andanswering them. Thank you for another year. Thank you Andy, Dawn and the most wonderful People's Press.

Winter Session at theMeriden YMCAThe Meriden YMCA's winter sessionbegins January 4th and continuesuntil February 21st. Registrationbegins December 14th for swimlessons, swim team, gymnasticslessons and team, basketball, karate,racquetball, children's dance, hip hopdance, ballroom dancing, youth the-atre, golf, adaptive sports, middleschool strength training, hatha yoga,pilates, parent and child yoga, aquaaerobics, and more. For more infor-mation please call (203) 235-6386 orvisit www.meridenymca.orgAbout the Meriden YMCASince1866 the Meriden YMCA hashelped build strong kids, strong fam-ilies, and a strong community. TheMeriden YMCA is located at 110West Main Street in Meriden.

Wallingford RotaryClub Making ADifferenceWallingford Rotary President CraigFishbein and other Rotarians present-ed a check to Nancy Freyberg, orga-nizer of the CommunityThanksgiving Day Dinner. A total of$6,887 was raised through theRotary Wine Tasting Fundraiser onNovember 18th at GouveiaVineyards, and Liberty Bank con-tributed to our proceeds, for a totalof $9,182! The check was distrib-uted to several worthy organizationsin addition to the Community DayDinner - United Way for Wallingfordfamilies, Holiday for Giving,Chrysalis for Wallingford families,Wallingford Emergency Shelter,Wallingford Day Care, and theWallingford Emergency Fuel fund.

Rotary President Craig Fishbeinacknowledges the real need of someWallingford residents, and hasvowed to step up Rotary fundraisingso that we can assist those that needit most.

Craft FairCurves of Meriden will be holding a Holiday Craft Fair & Open House onSaturday December 12th 9am-4pm 477 South Broad Street Meriden, Blockbuster Plaza

Our members amaze themselves everyday, come and let us amaze you withour hand-made items. Wreaths, Country Crafts, Cards & Magnets, Scarfs,Hats, Children's Sweaters, Rice Warmers, Jewelry,and more....

PLUS refreshments, raffles & a free gift just for stopping by! See youthere!

Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. ~AuthorUnknown

Page 11 December 2009

Holiday SaleGreat selection of gifts

for the SPORTS FANin your life!

1371 East Main Street in Meriden203-440-2377

Stop by and view our incredible selection!

Dart Teams Receive 10% OFF!

Order Now For The Holidays!Layaway Available!

COUNTRY STOREMeriden’s Agway Dealer

Located 2 Miles Down Paddock Ave. from Burger King

Meriden Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-5:30; Sat. 8:30-5; Sun. 10-4

(203) 238-2516

$5.00 offany Bird

Feeder over$20.00

20% offany John

DeereToys

20% off anyBreyer

Horses orAccessories

20% offany in

stock SnowShovels

Holiday Savings Event!

Expires 12/31/09 Expires 12/31/09

Expires 12/31/09 Expires 12/31/09

NEWS FROM WALLINGFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY:LIBRARY HOURSMonday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.Saturday 9:30 to 5:00 p.m.Holiday Closings: December 24, 25, 26, January 1Early closing on December 31st203-265-6754JOANNIE'S FOOD DRIVE In honor of "Joannie from Pringle," Joan Lewis, former WPL staff member, WallingfordPublic Library employees have organized a food drive to benefit Master's Manna. You may bring your donations ofnon-perishable food items to the library through December. Please place them on the table at the top of the back stair-way.HOLIDAY SHOPPING?YOUR AMAZON.COM PURCHASES CAN BENEFIT THE LIBRARY The holiday season is rapidly approaching.By entering Amazon.com through the Library's website: www.wallingford.lioninc.org, the Library will receive a per-centage of your total purchase. Your support is greatly appreciated. Happy Shopping!HOLIDAY GIVING You can make the holidays special for a child in Wallingford by bringing new, or barely used,children's books to the Children's Library for the town's Holiday for Giving program. Please bring unwrapped books tothe library by December 10.NEW BOOK SELLER The Library's used bookstore, the Book Seller has moved to a new, much larger, location.Look for the green striped awning behind the Library and stop by to browse the shelves full of hundreds of bargains:children's books, videos, cds, fiction, nonfiction, and books for teens. Pick up a gift for a friend or a popular paperbackfor your next vacation read!Book Seller Fall Hours are:Monday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.CAN YOU HELP US? The library is in need of two high school yearbooks for our collection. We are looking for theMark T. Sheehan High School 2007 and the Lyman Hall 1949 yearbooks. The nostalgic resources are great fun tobrowse through, as well as to mine for reunion information. The library keeps the yearbooks in our ConnecticutCollection and may be used in the library. If should discover one of these volumes in your attic or closet, pleae bring itin to the library's Information Desk. Thanks! NEW HELP FOR JOB SEEKERS JOB NOW: Live Job Assistance Wallingford Public Library announces an excit-ing new service for job seekers and career changers: JobNow. This unique online service gives job seekers on-demandaccess to trained career coaches and job resources. JobNow's free professional services are available on any of our pub-lic Internet computers; ask for more information at the Information Desk. Wallingford Library cardholders can alsoaccess JobNow from home by linking to http://main.wallingford.clc.jobnow.brainfuse.com. Job seekers should registerfor an account after using their Wallingford Library card to enter the site. JobNow is the first service of its kind to pro-vide live career coaching from any computer with Internet access. Services available are live interview coaching, withinterview tips and resources; a resume lab with sample templates, along with resume analysis within 24 hours by aJobNow expert; assistance with writing cover letters; and a career resource library that includes links to current jobopenings locally and nationally, as well as career and personality assessment instruments.ON DISPLAY! You may have noticed that there are several new book display units near the Information Desk. We aredelighted that now we can create pleasing displays of material we hope you will enjoy browsing through and checkingout. One of those displays is devoted to "Staff Picks". Here you will find books of all kinds that various staff membershave enjoyed and recommend. Take a look next time you are looking for something to read and are feeling adventur-ous!ADAPTIVE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY The Library now offers adaptive technology for our patrons with visionimpairment. If you are interested in learning more, ask about the trackball mouse, large print keyboard, and iZoomscreen magnifier/reader. They are available in the Adult Computer area. We also have an Optelec video magnifier foranyone wishing to manipulate the size of print while reading books, magazines, and newspapers. It is located by thePeriodicals Area of the adult section.CELL PHONE RECYCLING AND DON'T FORGET THE EYEGLASSES! Remember that you can bring in yourold cell phones for recycling. Drop them in the box near the copier across from the Circulation Desk. The Libraryreceives a percentage for each phone. Thanks! Eyeglasses can be recycled too. The Lions Club collects all the eyeglass-es collected at the library.JUST FAX IT! In response to popular demand, we have installed a self-service public fax machine nextto the photocopier by the Circulation Desk. It transmits faxes for $1.50 per page witha credit or debit card, but does not receive faxes. Librarians at the Information Desk can help you get started.DECEMBER COMPUTER CLASSES: Excel 2007Wednesday, December 16 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Board RoomJoin us to expand your spreadsheet knowledge with Excel 2007 Formulas & Functions. This hands-on class will covercommon business calculations and conditional formatting. Register in advance by calling 203-265-6754 or online atwww.wallingford.lioninc.orgPowerPointThursday, December 17 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Board RoomBuild your digital presentation skills. You will create and modify a slideshow, as well as add graphics and automation atthis hands-on class. Register in advance by calling 203-265-6754 or online at www.wallingford.lioninc.orgCOMPUTER TUTORING SESSIONSThursday evenings: 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.Computer novices are encouraged to sign up to learn keyboard or mouse skills, word processing, Internet searching,online job applications, or e-mail at these 1-on-1 sessions. Please contact the library to register or for more information.WALLINGFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY FREE MOVIE EVENTSFRIDAY NIGHT FLICS: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCEFriday, December 11 6:30 p.m. Community Room Rated PGFRIDAY NIGHT FLICS: JULIE AND JULIAFriday, December 18 6:30 p.m. Community Room Rated PG-13SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND EVENTS AT WALLINGORD PUBLIC LIBRARY: All of our programs are free, allof the time!Join the Discussion! Read the Book! Meet the Author!Please join us for any or all of our Book Discussion Programs and Author Events (and remember, a book signed by theauthor makes a perfect holiday gift!)* Book Discussion: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, part of the Range of Realism: The Novel in the 19th and20th Centuries book discussion series.All are welcome to any or all of this four-part book discussion series co-sponsored by the Connecticut HumanitiesCouncil. Beginning in the 19th Century, the novel emerged as the pre-eminent literary form for portraying the widerange of human possibilities to which we give the name realism. Using four different novels from the 19th and 20thCenturies, we will explore how realism is defined and treated within the different context of each story. Discussionswill be led by Marsha Bonsavage, a discussion facilitator for the Connecticut Humanities Council. Books are availablefrom the Library's Information Desk. All discussions begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Collins Room. Select books will be dis-cussed on the following dates:December 9 A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving January 13 The House of Mirth by Edith WhartonFebruary 10 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley This program is made possible by the Faustman Fund.The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.

Thursday Night Book Club Discussion:Thursday, December 17 7:00 p.m. Collins RoomWhen Queen Elizabeth's corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty boundto borrow a book. This novella is a funny and superbly observed commentary on the Queen of England and the subver-sive power of reading. Copies of the book are available from the library's Information Desk. Please join us for conver-sation and refreshments. Our informal book discussion group meets on the third Thursday of each month. All are wel-come, no registration is necessary. Library News Continued on Page 12

CALLING ALL WWE FANS: WrestleMania Reading Challenge Nowthrough January 19, 2010Contest gives Teens a Chance to Win a Trip to Wrestlemania XXVI inPhoenix, Arizona!"Reading prepares you for being a successful adult in the real world. I would-n't be here today had it not been for reading." That's what ECW championMatt Hardy, MVP, said when asked why World Wrestling Entertainment(WWE) is co-sponsoring the WrestleMania Reading Challenge. Here's how the Challenge works:* Teens in grades 5-12 sign up for the program at the library and receive aWWE mini poster.* Read 10 items, whether they're books, graphic novels, or manga.* Turn in a completed reading log.* Then design a bookmark which includes a slogan that promotes reading.

Wallingford Public Library staff will choose the best bookmark submittedfrom each age group: grades 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Winners will receive a WWEDVD. A panel of national judges will choose 21 finalists to go to Phoenix.Once at WrestleMania the finalists will compete for the grand championshipby answering questions from Will Weaver (guest judge) and Jerri Spinellibooks. Sign up now at the library's Information Desk. For more informationplease visit the library's web site at www.wallingford.lioninc.org or come infor a visit.

Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the mean-ing of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer.... Who'd have everguessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spiritualitywould mix so harmoniously? ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

Page 12 December 2009

WWaall ll iinnggffoorrddFFlloowweerr ooffffeerrss

TTaasstteeffuull FFrruuiitt &&GGoouurrmmeett BBaasskkeettss !! !!

Wall ingford Flower and Gi ft Shoppe

Wallingford Flower and Gift Shoppe190 Center Street, Wallingford

203.265.1514

Place your ordertoday and don’tforget - we can

deliver a suprisegift after

Christmas too.

Send a FestiveHoliday Gift

Fall Work PartiesThe Wallingford Land Trust had work party at Shookies Pond in October toplant shrubs along the border area near Blossom Lane. The work partyincluded David Ellis, Matt Caruso, Joe McLaughlin and Ellie Tessmer whobrought the plants.

Plantings were done at the Orchard Glen Sign and Kiosk in Novemberwith David Ellis, Ellie Tessmer, Matt Caruso, Robert Page, Ken and CarylRyan, Chris Zacarelli, Carole Borsari and Rich Daniels with plants provid-ed by Ellie Tessmer and Caryl Ryan.For more information please contact David Ellis at 203-269-9779. Or

check the website at: www.wallingfordlandtrust.org. Photo by Ellie Tessmer of Ken and Caryl Ryan planting at the kiosk with

president David Ellis

What you need to know.

Julian Padowicz, author of Mother and Me: Escape from Warsaw 1939 andthe sequel, A Ship in the Harbor spoke at Wallingford Public Library onDecember 3. Mr Padowicz spoke of his excape from Nazi occupied Polandand his perilous journeys and adventures that finally brought his mother andhim to the United States.

What you need to know.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: ELDER LAW Thursday, December 10 2:00 p.m. Collins RoomElder law includes living trusts, Medicaid, health care agents, powers of attorney and general estate planning. It can getconfusing and clarification is needed to plan responsibly for your future and the future of your family. Please join usfor an informative program presented by the local attorneys from Farrell Leslie & Grochowski.SATURDAY MORNINGS WITH POETRY* Saturday, December 12 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.*Note special location: Paul Mellon Art Center at Choate Rosemary HallThis month our poetry group will gather at the Paul Mellon Art Center to reflect on the art showcased in the FirstAnnual Wallingford Artist Exhibition. Usually this group meets twice a month in the library's Board Room where fansof poetry are welcome to read original poems and share their writing experiences with fellow poets. All teen and adultpoets and poetry lovers are welcome.WOMEN ARTISTS Monday, December 14 6:30 p.m. Community RoomJoin Maureen O'Shea and Linda Maier from the New Britain Museum of American Art for a program on prominentAmerican women artists from the 19th century through the present. This program features the lives and works of artistsLily Martin Spencer, Harriet Frishmuth, Georgia O'Keeffe, Lee Krasner and Cindy Sherman, and more. All are wel-come, advance registration is appreciated. Refreshments will be served. This program is co-sponsored by the AmericanAssociation of University Women.GARDEN CLUB HOLIDAY TEA Tuesday, December 15 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Community RoomJoin us to celebrate the spirit of the season at a Holiday Tea, presented by the Wallingford Garden Club in cooperationwith the Wallingford Public Library. Enjoy delicious homemade treats as you marvel at the splendid display of holidaydecorations that adorn the walls of the Community Rooom. All of the decorations are designed and made by GardenClub members. Bring your neighbors, family and friends to share the warmth and beauty of this traditional holiday teaand learn more about the Garden Club from members of this 79-year-old community organization.BEAUTIFUL VOICES, BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY MUSIC Wednesday, December 16 7:00 p.m. Community RoomThe library is delighted to present a special holiday celebration featuring some beautiful voices from Choate RosemaryHall's a cappella groups and Chamber Chorus. Program selections will be presented by the Maiyeros and theKaprophones (boys' groups), Lilith and the Whimawehs (girls' groups), and Stonatos, a coed student-faculty ensemble.In addition to these student-run groups, Choate's select Chamber Chorus, directed by Ralph Valentine, will round outthe program. The Choate students and faculty are eager to share their voices and good cheer with all who attend andall are welcome to this free program!WALLINGFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY: TEEN ZONEMOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUBWednesday, January 6: All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall 7:30 p.m. Board RoomThe Mother-Daughter Book Club is a great way to meet new people, read the hottest new books, and spend some quali-ty time together. The Wallingford group is the state's oldest; it has been in existence for almost 20 years! All teen girlsin grades 6 - 12 are invited to bring their mother or other adult female friend to read and discuss the book.Refreshments are served and a great time is had by all. Sign up today!HARRY POTTER WEEK FOR TEENS DECEMBER 7 - 12Celebrate the magic of Harry Potter at the library! Look for the display in the Teen Area. Come to any or all of theHarry Potter themed events.

* Trivia Fun - Do you have a ton of HP factoids rattling around in your brain?Well then, pick up some Harry Potter trivia questions in the Teen Area of thelibrary for your chance to win a prize!*Harry Potter Wii Tournament Wednesday, December 9 6:30 p.m.Community RoomAll teens in grades 6 - 12 are welcome to participate in a Harry Potter and theHalf Blood Prince duel. Cast spells on enemies with your want (Wii remote).Choose among Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Ginny & Malfoy. Advance regis-tration is required. Sign up in person, by phone, or online(www.wallingford.lioninc.org)*Harry Potter Movie Night: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (seeFriday Night Flicks) December 11 6:30 p.m. Community Room*Life-Sized Chess Tournament Saturday, December 12 10:00 a.m. Community RoomThe Wallingford Chess Club, directed by Wayne Aguiar, is a great way tolearn how to play chess and meet new friends. The library's Community Roomwill be transformed into a huge chess board just like the wizards use in HarryPotter. Beginners are always welcome at any session. Open to all students ingrades K - 12. You may sign up online (www.wallingford.lioninc.org), in per-son, or by phone.

STAR2 (Science, Space, Technology, Telescopes, Astronomy, Aviation,Robotics, Rocketry) Saturday, December 12 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.Community Room - The Wallingford STAR² Club, directed by Wayne Aguiar,is a community-based and family-oriented organization open to the youth ofWallingford. The purpose of STAR² is to excite students about science, math-ematics, and technology. The club is divided into age appropriate groups andthemed stations. The special interest areas are: Robotics & Technology,Rockets & Aviation, and Space & Astronomy. Students in grades K-3, 4-8,and 9-12 work at each station for one hour. STAR² meets on the secondSaturday of each month in the Library's Community Room from 1:00-4:00.Registration for each meeting is encouraged in order to assure that there areenough materials. This free program is offered with the support of theWallingford Department of Youth and Social Services. A full schedule anddescription of the club's activities are available on our web site. You may signup in person, by phone, or online. Please contact the Information Desk formore details.

Page 13 December 2009

Need a great holiday gift for your Sportsman?

Hunting and FishingLicenses are now available atthe Wallingford Town Clerk’sOffice. Surprise that some-one special in your life. Topurchase a license stop by

Room 108 in the WallingfordTown Hall located at 45

South Main Street. We areopen Monday-Friday from9am-5pm. If you have any

questions please call203.294.2145.

Expert Custom Picture Framing101 NORTH PLAINS INDUSTRIAL ROAD

WALLINGFORD * CTNOW OPEN SUNDAYS NOON TILL 3 P.M.

till the holidays.

203-265-6643www.wallingfordframenart.com

Hours: Mon.-Fri 10-6 Sat. 10-4 Sun. 12-3

The Wallingford Family YMCA Dolphins Swim Team would like to con-gratulate 4 of their swimmers who attained a National Top 16 Time in thewomen's 11-12 year old Medley Relay. The relay team's time of 4:55.46earned the team a 16th place postion out of all the YMCAs in the U.S.Pictured from L to R are Claire Anderson, Brittany Driscoll, Amber Albe,and Holly Driscoll.

Celebrations

Take Time to Thank OthersThis time of year the Wallingford Health Dept. office is very busy, especially with the added responsibility of theH1N1 flu, seasonal flu, health surveys, grants, and not to mention our routine work load! I don't want to sound nega-tive, it's just the opposite. I really want to focus on the incredible knowledgeable and patient folks who make it allwork and they do it with a positive attitude, the Staff of the Wallingford Health Dept.

Thank you Lucille for being flexible in your work hours to cover when no one else is here and for being truly awonderful resource for our residents; George and Wendy for investigating complaints and making sure our restaurantsare clean, safe and following the "rules"; Steve for accommodating our weekend and evening health dept needs (thereare many), Dr. Smith for your medical expertise; and last but not least Mary who is unfortunately home due to an acci-dent but still in good spirits.

These are very busy times, be it at work or at home. It's important that we take a moment to rest now and then andmost important to be appreciative of all we have, including family, friends, co-workers and our military memberswhere ever they are serving. As we enter into the holiday rush, stop to say "Thank you", "Please" and "You'reWelcome". Kind words last longer than store bought gifts. Have a healthy and happy season.Eloise Hazelwood - Wallingford Director of Health

H1N1 Flu Vaccine Available at the Meriden Health DepartmentThe Meriden Health Department is now offering both the injectable and nasal spray forms of the H1N1 flu vaccine atno cost to Meriden residents.

Due to the limited supply of H1N1 flu vaccine, at this time the following vaccine formulations are restricted for thefollowing priority populations:

The nasal spray version (LAIV) of the vaccine contains a live, weakened influenza virus and should only be used forhealthy individuals 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant and those who fall into one of the current priority popula-tions:* Healthy children aged 2 years through 24 years of age* Healthy household contacts and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of ageThe inactivated, injectable H1N1 vaccine is available to:* Pregnant women* Household contacts and caregivers of infants less than 6 months of age* All children ages 6 months through 6 years of age* Children between the ages of 7 and 24 with high risk medical conditions

Please note that the injectable form of H1N1 vaccine is in short supply and should not be used in healthy personsaged 2 years through 24 years if the nasal spray is available.

All children under the age of 10 will need two doses of the vaccine scheduled 4 weeks apart. The H1N1 vaccine isonly effective against the H1N1 virus and does not protect against seasonal influenza. Residents are encouraged to gettheir seasonal flu shot, as well as the H1N1 vaccination as it becomes available for them.

H1N1 vaccines are given at the Meriden Health Department, 165 Miller Street. Please contact the Clinic office at630-4234 if you have any questions. Residents can also call the H1N1 influenza hotline operated by the ConnecticutDepartment of Public Health at 1-800-830-9426 or view information on the Meriden Health Department's website,www.meridenhealth.com.

MERIDEN-PRESCHOOL CLASSES WILL Be STARTING OUR WINTERSESSION AT THE MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARYAttention All Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers: Get Out Of The House This Winter And Give Your Children TheGift Of Early Literacy.The Meriden Public Library's preschool classes teach creative expression, social skills, listening comprehension, andthe foundation for reading through letter and number recognition and vocabulary building. Registration for these FREEprograms begin the week of December 21st. All first time participants must show proof of age. Our winter session willbe starting the week of January 11th.Programs will be as follows: On Mondays at 6:30 pm. we will be having a program for children in Kindergartenthrough Grade 2 with stories and crafts.Tuesdays at 10:30 am. is for children 2 years old-learning independence (with or without an adult), 11:15 am. for chil-dren 3-4 years old, 1:15 pm. for children 3-4 years old, and at 6:30 pm. for children 3-4 years old.Wednesdays at 10:30 am. for 2-3 years with a parent or caregiver, 11:15 am. for children 3-4 years old, and at 6:30 pm.2 years with parent or caregiver.We will also be featuring Early Literacy Programs for children under the age of 2 and their parent/caregiver onThursday mornings at 10:30 am. Join us for stories, finger plays, music and abundant social interaction. These pro-grams will be on the following dates: January 7 & 21, February 4 & 18, March 5 & 18. For more information please call us at (203) 630-6347.

Wallingford issues reminder on clearing walksProperty owners, tenants or occupants responsible for the care of propertieswith sidewalks, are required by Municipal Ordinance to protect and maintainthe sidewalk in a safe and convenient condition for use by the public.

This Municipal Ordinance also requires that snow and ice be removedfrom the sidewalk following the end of the storm. In the event that the icecan not be removed, the sidewalk shall be made as safe as possible, includingthe placement of sand or other suitable deicing materials. Sidewalks must becleared of any snow or ice, within eighteen hours after the end of the storm.If the storm ends at night, the deadline for cleaning the sidewalks is 18 hoursafter sunrise. The cleared path must be a minimum of three feet wide.

Failure to comply with the provisions of this Ordinance can result in a fineand also the actual costs for the Town to clear the sidewalk.

The Mayor has aked for everyone's cooperation on this important issue.For the spirit of Christmas fulfils the greatest hunger of mankind.

~Loring A. Schuler

Page 14 December 2009

The Kids Press!Send in a Story!Send in a Picture!Send in a Poem!Send in a Drawing!

Send to:The People’s PressKids Press P.O. Box 4459Yalesville CT 06492sierra@peoplespressnews.com

EASEL WORKSCreative Art Studio & Gallery

294-1548294-15482 Quinnipiac Street, Wallingford

Winter Registration Now Taking Place!!

Adult, Young Artist AndKinderartist Classes.

Give the Gift of Art thisChristmas!

Gift Certificates Available

Now is the time to book Ruth for all ofyour 2010 Events.

Hey Kids - have fun with the games in this issue.For our January issue tell us all about your holi-days and what made them special. Tell Mom andDad the deadline is December 28th. Email tosierra@peoplespressnews.com.

Page 15 December 2009

8th Annual ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! Community CelebrationA Huge Success….Over 225 young women ages 9 – 18, their mothers/caregivers, and otherattendees participated in the eighth annual ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! (I amUnique! I am Latina!) Community Celebration on Saturday, October 17that Washington Middle School. The event presented education and infor-mation on developing and maintaining healthy lifestyles while also build-ing self-esteem. Guest speakers included Meriden Mayor Mike Rhode,Assistant Vice Principal, Lincoln Middle School, Lysette Torres and StateRepresentative Cathy Abercrombie. The keynote speaker Ana Alfaroencouraged the group to seek role models and to network with people. Shealso challenged the young women to get an education.

The celebration also featured 12 community agencies as part of the well-ness expo that distributed information to the attendees.

After lunch the girls and mothers/caregivers were treated to entertainmentby five-year-old Miguel Cardona, Jr. and his three-year-old sister Celine.Other performances included local groups Xtreme Impact, Young Stars andUnique Stylez. These dancers also taught their moves to participants of allages!

The day ended with door prizes from a large number of area businessesand individuals. Special thanks to Matthew Fiderio for setting up his soundsystem.

One participant wrote on her evaluation, “I think Soy Unica! Soy Latina!is a really great program for all girls because they can come together andjust talk about anything. I’m looking forward to coming NEXT YEAR!!THANKS.”

Major sponsorship for Soy Unica! Soy Latina! was provided by CoxCommunications and the James H. Napier Foundation. Other sponsorsincluded the Patricia Aubé Memorial Foundation, Cuno Foundation,Rushford, Inc., and MidState Medical Center. The Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council organized theevent, along with an organizing committee from various agencies. The Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council is a regional actioncouncil that provides community-based education and information to chil-dren and adults on substance abuse, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and otheraddictive behaviors. For more information, contact Christelle Aubé atMAWSAC at 203-294-3591or go to our website at www.mawsac.org

What you need to know.

A Cup of Christmas TeaBy Barbara SherburnePhoto by Vikram Nath

There is a simply wonderful book with that title written by Tom Hegg andillustrated by Warren Hanson, published in 1982. It is actually a poem withillustrations on almost every page, and although I cannot reproduce it here, Iam going to share some of what it is about. I was so taken by this poem thatone year I made audio cassettes for many friends and family members forChristmas, and I got quite good at reciting it. The poem begins, "The log wasin the fireplace, all spiced and set to burn. At last, the yearly Christmas racewas in the clubhouse turn."

I don't know how many years ago I started saying to people on September1st, "And now begins the race to Christmas." It seems to me that onceSeptember comes, Christmas arrives shortly thereafter. The author of the poemspeaks about cards being in the mail and he has a month's reprieve before his

credit card bills catch up with him. I guess even in 1982 that was the case. He received a letter from his great aunt aweek before, and she invited him to visit her. "But if you find you have some time, how wonderful if we Could have alittle chat and share a cup of Christmas tea." He didn't want to go. She had had a mild stroke that had crippled her leftside, and he wanted to remember her as she once had been, vigorous and funny, and not crippled and old. He felt itwould be depressing to see her, but he was also feeling guilty, so he put his excuses aside, and headed out the door.How many of us have put off visiting someone because it just seemed like too much of a bother, and boy, how boring itwould be? I've done it. There are times I have dreaded something so much that I could have convinced myself not togo, and then wind up having a really good time.

So he drives from the suburbs to the older part of town, parks his car, and doesn't know how he got up to her door."I watched my hand rise up and press the button of the bell." And as he was waiting for her to come to the door, hethinks about leaving. And then, "I heard the rattle of the china in the hutch against the wall. The triple beat of two feetand a crutch came down the hall." She immediately took away his fears and invited him in with an upbeat sound to hervoice. Then he steps into her house decorated for Christmas and smelling of oranges, cinnamon, and pine. She evenhad old Christmas cards displayed that he and his siblings had made as kids. They sat and talked about many things,and she was positive and encouraging and still had a sense of humor. And then she went to brew the tea.

"I sat alone with feelings that I hadn't felt in years. I looked around at Christmas through a thick, hot blur of tears."He looks around at all the things she arranged on the shelves, the candles, the holly, the ornaments on the tree, a plateof homemade cookies on a table, and in thinking about his very real memories, he realizes that his great aunt, despiteher stroke and frailty, had kept Christmas deep within, and she embodied "the triumph of a soul."

This is the essence of this poem, I believe, keeping Christmas within, and not just on December 25th. I am sure thatyou see the same things I see: People who are angry, unhappy, stressed out, bitter, and just generally miserable. When Isee a person with any of these traits in my job at the convenience store or elsewhere, I at least smile at them and try tofind something to compliment them about and get them to smile also, but it doesn't always work. Some people are justdetermined to be miserable, such as Ebenezer Scrooge. I think we would have an almost ideal world if we were able tocarry Christmas in our hearts all the yearlong.

The more or less inevitable rush to Christmas is upon us, but wouldn't it be nice to slow it down, take time to visitan elderly relative or friend, and just be kinder than necessary? Remember that quote? "Be kinder than necessary, foreveryone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." I wish people would carry that quote around with them, especiallyin the car.

"She poured two cups. She smiled, and then she handed one to me, And then, we settled back and had a cup ofChristmas tea."

May you all be blessed with great health, a good job, much joy and happiness, and may you also share a cup ofChristmas tea with someone you love.Barbara Sherburne barndt49@yahoo.com

Page 16 December 2009

Pumpkin, Apple, Apple Crumb, Cherry, Blueberry, Peach,Pecan, Lemon Merangue,Chocolate Cream, Pumpkin CheeseCake, Cheese Cake with your choice of toppings. Also Italian

Pastries from Milani’s!

Rosa’s Italian Deli, LLCimported and domestic foods

party platters • hot and cold subs to go

Open Monday-Saturday 830-6 closed SundayTel: 203-265-1487 • 57 North Colony Street,

Wallingford, CT 06492 •

It’s ttime tto ccelebrate tthe ggoodtastes oof tthe HHoliday SSeason!

VV ii ss ii tt ww ww ww .. rr oo ss aa ss dd ee ll ii .. cc oo mmPlease visit our website for all of the services Rosa’s cannow offer you including our expanded Catering Menu,Full Daily Menu and so much more! It’s easy to see, whyso many people enjoy the taste and service at Rosa’s

NOW is the time to call Rosa’sfor your Company or Family

Holiday Party!!!

Rosa’s offers the best piesand treats for Christmas

and New Years! Call now to place

your order!

AVANTIRestaurant & Lounge

34 River Road * South Meriden203-4440-99990

AVANTIRestaurant && LLounge

Open for Lunch and Dinner Featuring:

*Southern and Northern Italian Cuisine * Veal, Chicken & Seafood Specialties * Large Selection of Salads * Pizza *

Grinders * Homemade Burgers * Specialty Wraps

Plan your next party with us! Partiesfor up to 60 people are our specialty. Wealso offer off premises catering andparty platters to go.“Come visit and enjoy one of our finely prepared meals

in the comfort of our new dining and lounge areas”

We Make Holiday Events Special!

*Custom Window Treatments*Residential & Commercial*Expert Advice*Expert Measuring*Expert Installation

Now Celebrating 23 Years of Exceptional Service with GREAT SAVINGS!

Eileen C. HortonCall for an appointment

203.237.8469

Wishing you all a joyfulholiday season & a great

new year filled with hope.

WE BUY HOUSES CASH!Any condition. Quick Closings. NoHassles. 203-271-1122www.cthomesalesolutions.com

NATURE AS A MIRRORBy Dorothy GonickCRANBERRIESRooted in swampy bogs,Uniquely growing vinesBearing cranberries.

The gleaming red of cranberries met my eyes as Ientered the local grocery last week. Thoughts ofThanksgiving and Christmas feasts cheered me, andtempered the chilly weather outside. Visions ofsauces, relishes, and varied cranberry desserts swamthrough my thoughts. The glossy berries soon winkedup at me from the cart, ready to fulfill their destiny.

These cranberries have had a unique growth period.Growing in sand-covered peat bogs, the woody vines may have been growing for over 100years, yet still produce berries. The low-lying vinesform a thick mat over the sandy bed, which may be flooded for harvesting. The berries will rise to the surface, then bescooped into bags and shipped for processing into beverages, sauces or other tempting treats. Other cranberries willnot be flooded but harvested with scoops, then bagged and shipped for packaging, destined to supply grocery stores forus, the consumers.

After harvesting, new flower buds form on the upright branches and lie dormant through the winter. Bogs are usual-ly flooded to protect the buds from fluctuations of temperature. By late April or May, new leaves appear and theflower buds begin to grow and will open during the month of June. While blooming the petals open and twist back,revealing a part of the flower that looks like the head and bill of a crane; from which the berry received its name ofcranberry. The bogs soon resemble a pink carpet at which time the growers introduce bees to pollinate the flowers.Tiny fruits form and the cranberries are on the way toward maturity.

The uniqueness of growth and harvesting of cranberries leads me to reflecton the many different forms of plant life and their pattern of maturation. Thepine tree, the radish, the rose bush and grape vine each follows its set way ofgrowth; each different yet each characteristic of its own species. God musthave had fun creating all that surrounds us. Among our friends and associateswe are aware that their life experiences have influenced their growth and out-look on life. We each have developed out own individual characteristics andoutlook on life; weathering the chilly times and expanding in the sunny sea-sons, thus creating a diverse blend of humanity.

Our lives are enriched by our friends, family and the daily events that fillour lives.

SANTA ON THE TROLLEYRide the trolley to visit with Santa! Each child receives a gift. Toy train lay-outs to see and refreshments for all. Weekends starting November 28 throughDecember 20 at The Shore Line Trolley Museum. Santa hours: Sat and Sun10:30 am to 4:30 pm. The Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St, EastHaven. Adults $8, Seniors $6, Children (2-15) $4.

Page 17 December 2009

Family Owned...Family Friendly!WE LOVE KIDS!

All meals made from scratch - onceyou try us you will LOVE us!Discover the great tastes and

atmosphere of Bubba’s!Open 24 hours a day -

7 days a week.Full Line of Catering!

2730 Berlin Turnpike in BerlinJust across the Meriden line

860-505-8320

The Wallingford Family YMCA Dolphin Swim Team recently held a two-week long food drive in conjunction with Governor Rell's Connecticut Dayof Caring and Compassion. The team brought in 268 non-perishable fooditems that were delivered to a local food pantry. Pictured is the Purple Onepractice group who managed to bring in 92 items!

What you need to know.

WALLINGFORD SENIOR CENTERSOCIAL SINGLES Thursday, December 3, 6:00 PMSocial Singles is an independent group of single men and women aged 60 to 74, who meet socially to enjoy a varietyof activities. Senior Center members are welcome to bring non-member friends. Social Singles meets on the firstThursday of the month at 6:00 P.M., at the Senior Center, to plan activities. This month's meeting will have a holidayflair! Please call for additional information and to make your reservation.COPING WITH THE HOLIDAYS Monday, December 14, 10:30 AMDo the holidays make you feel blue? Are you sad about losses in your life or do you have financial or other worries?Irene O'Brien, Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Visiting Nurse Association of Wallingford will offer ways tocope with the stresses that holiday time can bring. Please sign up if you plan to attend.CHRISTMAS PARTY with the LHHS CHORUS Tuesday, December 22, 10:30 AMCome listen to the wonderful sounds of the Lyman Hall High School Chorus at our Christmas Party on December 22.The students will perform selections from their winter concert and lead us in a carol-sing. You can also expect a fewChristmas surprises! Make plans to enjoy a special holiday meal following the celebration.NEW YEAR'S PARTY @ ZANDRI'S STILLWOOD INN Wednesday, December 30, 1:00 - 4:00 PMLet's dress up and go out to welcome in the New Year! A delicious dinner (featuring your choice of Roast Beef,Stuffed Filet of Sole, or Stuffed Breast of Chicken), dancing music provided by the Stan Scott Band, and a cash barwill ensure a wonderful celebration. Tickets, which are $25.00 for members and $28.00 for non-members, are on salethrough December 21. All are welcome - invite your friends!MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHY VAN Monday, December 28A mammogram is a vital step in a woman's overall preventive health care. Early detection is key in the fight againstbreast cancer. The Yale Digital Mobile Mammography Van will be at the Wallingford Senior Center on December 28from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. If you have not had your annual mammogram, call 688-6800 to schedule your appoint-ment. WSC GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE - Looking for that perfect holiday gift? Consider purchasing aWallingford Senior Center Gift Certificate for a family member or friend. Our gift certificates, which are available atthe front desk, may be used toward senior center classes, trips, special events, and Lake View Café meals.Computer Learning Center of WallingfordRegistration Date: Tuesday, December 8, 9:30 AM-11:30 AMWALLINGFORD SENIOR CENTER HOLIDAY HOURS OF OPERATION*December 24, Christmas Eve Day, Close at 1:00 PM* December 25, Christmas Day, Closed* December 30, New Year's Party at Stillwood Inn, 1:00 to 4:00 PM (Center closes 1:00 p.m.)* December 31, New Year's Eve Day, Close at 1:00 PM*January 1, New Year's Eve Day, ClosedSOCIAL SERVICES IN ORDER TO SERVE YOU BETTER, PLEASE CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINT-MENT WITH THE SOCIAL WORKER, EILEEN FLYNN, AT 265 7753. THANK YOU.LOW VISION SUPPORT GROUP- THERE WILLBE NO LOW VISION SUPPORT GROUPIN DECEMBER.VETERANS SERVICES Tuesday, December 22, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pmGeorge Messier, Veterans Services Officer for the Town of Wallingford, will be available to answer questions and assistwith benefit information. An appointment is required. Please call 265 7753.ASK AN ATTORNEY Thursday, December 10, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.Attorney Daniel O. Tully of Kilbourne & Tully, PC will be available to give free legal advice to those who have ques-tions or need some direction with legal issues. To schedule an appointment, please call 265-7753.WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? INTERFAITH VOLUNTEER CAREGIVERS TRAININGTUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.Do you have some time and would like to make a difference in a person's life? Many seniors have no family in thearea and are unable to get to doctors or shopping without someone to provide transportation. Other seniors who livealone are isolated and would appreciate someone to visit with and provide some socialization. You could make a bigdifference in their life just by offering a few hours to meet some of these needs. A training session will be provided byBarbara Barlok, from Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, on Tuesday, December 3. Please consider attending by register-ing at 265 7753.BENEFITS SCREENING Tuesday, December 15, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noonDo you often wonder if you might be eligible for any State or Federal programs? Benefits QuickLINK is a free andconfidential program which can quickly screen for eligibility. Supporting Documents are not required, but please bringthe following information with you to your appointment: 1. Monthly income (social security, pension, dividends andinterest). 2. Monthly expenses (heating, fuel, gas, electricity, water, telephone, rent or mortgage payments and medicalexpenses not covered by health insurance). 3. Asset information (savings, estimated value of home and car, life insur-ance benefits). 4. A list of all current prescriptions. Registration required. Call 265 7753 now to schedule an appoint-ment.DO YOU RECEIVE A PENSION? IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT PENSION WITHHOLDINGPensioners do not qualify for the Making Work Pay Credit unless they have earned income. However, the new with-holding tables apply to all taxpayers, including pensioners. The withholding tables decreased Federal Tax withholdingson pensions, too. If you receive a pension, you may want to contact your accountant, tax preparer, go to your localIRS Office or use the IRS.Gov for help. The IRS has a withholding calculator that pensioners and others can use tomake sure enough tax is being withheld from their pay.HELP WITH SNOW REMOVAL - Need assistance with snow removal? The YOUTH JOB BANK of Wallingford'sYouth & Social Services Department can help. They will find a student from Wallingford to shovel snow for a fee younegotiate directly with the student. You can call the JOB BANK to request assistance before it snows, this way a stu-dent will be assigned to assist you prior to a snowfall. Please call 294 2175 to request a student or to get additionalinformation.FOOD STAMP PROGRAM (SNAP) - The State Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly the Food StampProgram) has changed its eligibility criteria effective July 1, 2009. Income limits have been increased and there is noasset limit when applying for this program.oSingle Income: $1,669.00 month oCouple Income: $2,246.00 monthFor more information or to schedule an appointment to apply for this program, please call Eileen Flynn, Social Workerat 265 7753.MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAM - IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THE MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAMThe Medicare Savings Program assists individuals who meet the income and asset guidelines to pay their MedicarePart B premium. Effective October l, 2009 income limits greatly increased and there is no longer an asset limit for anyof the programs. This change is especially important since there will not be any COLA in Social Security for 2010.Many individuals who did not qualify for this program in the past can now qualify. The income guidelines are as fol-lows:

INCOMEASSETSQualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMB)

Single $1,778.91 NO CAPCouple $2,393.55 NO CAP

Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB)Single $1,959.51 NO CAPCouple $2,636.55 NO CAP

Additional Low Income Medicare Beneficiary (ALMB/QI)Single $2,091.67 NO CAPCouple $2,816.67 NO CAP

If you fall within these guidelines, the State may be able to pay the Medicare Part B premium. Please call EileenFlynn, Social Worker, at 265-7753 to schedule an appointment or to receive additional information.

Continued on Page 18

The submission deadline for the January issue of THE PEOPLES PRESS isDecember 29th. Don't forget to send your holiday greeting. Email your sto-ries, news, celebrations and photos to andy@peoplespressnews.com. Sign upto be a subscriber at www.peoplespressnews.com for updates, reminders andspecial offers. If we can help in any way please call 203-235-9333.

Page 18 December 2009

A Tradition that Suits you...There is something special

about DiFranco’s.Maybe it’s the service. Maybe it’s the quality.Maybe it’s the fact that we are family owned

and your satisfaction always comes first.Looking for a Special Gift?

Come to Difranco’s• Great variety of 3 button & 2 button suits• 47 years of expert tailoring• The Finest Cashmere Blended Top Coats & Sport Coats,

Pleated Pants by Glen Fitch, Vast Assortment!• Murino Wool Tops, Polo Style & Crew Neck• Sizes for all Sizes including the Big Man in your life!

We will help you match & coordinate a Beautiful Outfit

TUXEDO RENTALS AVAILABLE

78 Center St., Wallingford269-2555

Hours: Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri 9:30- 5:30pmSaturday 9:30-4:00pm Closed Sun. & Wed.

DDiiFFrraannccoo’’ss

Continued from Page 17CT ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 2009-2010 HEATING SEASON**IMPORTANT: Please note New Opportunities of Greater Meriden has 45 days from the date of application to send aletter of certification to the individual. Please keep this in mind when considering when to schedule your appointment.

The Wallingford Senior Center is an intake site for Wallingford residents, age 60 and over. The program providesfinancial assistance to income-eligible households to pay for a portion of their heating costs. Applications for deliver-able fuel (oil and kerosene only) began Tuesday, September 8 and are ongoing. First day for fuel deliveries which canbe paid for by CEAP is November 1. Gas and electric customers can call beginning November 10 for an appointment.Income limits are presently $30,485 for a single person and $39,865 for a couple. Asset limits also apply. Applicationsare by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 265-7753.DAILY ACTIVITIES FOR INDEPENDENCE PROGRAMDo you have a loved one in need of socialization and guidance throughout the day? The Daily Activities forIndependence program is a small, structured, social-model day program designed for seniors age 60 and over. Withadditional support of this type seniors can be highly active and independent. Program is open Monday through Fridayfrom 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. with transportation available for Wallingford residents. Contact Melinda Welch, DAICoordinator at 203-265-7753 Ext. 205 or e-mail mwelch@wlfdseniorctr.com.VISIT our website at www.WLFDSENIORCTR.COM!

Wallingford Powder PuffWhere did the 2009 Wallingford's Powder Puff Senior Girls come from? By: Maggie GriffinThe year was 1992, a year to remember. It was a year of tumult, a year ofchange, a year in which we could rejoice…1992!

Washington beat Michigan 34-14 in the Rose Bowl; jockey Pat Day rode LilE. Tee to the winner's circle in the Kentucky Derby, and the Pittsburg Penguinspirated home the Stanley Cup. The Toronto Blue Jays snatched the World Seriesfrom the Atlanta Braves 4-2. The Washington Redskins won Super Bowl XXVIover the Buffalo Bills.

In 1992, it was a year of dramatic change, a year of endurance, a year that the Class of 2010's Wallingford's LymanHall High School and Sheehan High School Powder Puff Girls were born to play the 38th Annual Samaha Bowl onNovember 25th, 2009.

A Wallingford Town tradition during the Thanksgiving Holiday since 1972, like all the events that took place theyear the Powder Puff Girls were born, this event is not only a tradition, but an event that grew throughout the yearswhere it brought unity between the two Wallingford High Schools, playing the all time American Sport of Football; andthe Boys get to Cheerlead.Both teams from both High Schools in Wallingford, ready to play in a traditional rival game, learned the value of goodsportsmanship. As quoted from many of the team players, they all said the same; "It doesn't matter if we win or lose,what's important is how we play the game and live to remember an experience that will last a life time".

Just imagine this all began in 1972. 20 years later these players were born in 1992 to play the 38th Annual PowderPuff game in November of 2009, the year that the New York Yankees won the World Series for the 27th time.

Congratulations on a year to remember to Sheehan and Lyman Hall Powder Puff Teams, Class of 2010!

The Meriden Fire Department Local 1148The Meriden Fire Department Local 1148 would like to wish everyone a SAFE and HAPPY Holiday Season. We knowthis can be a difficult time for many people and that's why we want you to know there's help available to all who needit. The United Way has an outreach program to assist those in need of food, shelter, child care, energy assistance, sui-cide prevention, senior and veteran services and more. Your Meriden Firefighters' Local 1148 urges anyone in need ofhelp to dial 2-1-1, a toll free, multilingual, confidential, 24-hour hotline. You can also visit their website,www.211ct.org, for more information.

December Events at the Augusta:The Augusta Curtis Cultural Center is located on 175 East Main Street in Meriden.Holiday Tree & Item Display Silent Auction will continue through and including Monday, Dec. 14th. Viewing times

are as follows: Dec. 4th(11-3), 5th(5-9), 7th(6-9), 8th(2-7), 9th(10-4), 10th(2-7),11th(11-3), 12th(6-9), 14th(10-8).There is no admission to view the Holiday Display.

Carabase Training's Fit Body Boot Camp Every Tue. & Thursday through Dec. in the Community RoomIf you are interested in joining this fitness training group phone Joe Carabase at 860-918-3057. Workout is taylored to

each individuals needs.Casino Trip to Foxwoods/MGM Grand Trip to see Daniel Taylor perform in the finals of Talent show to be held at

the MGM Grand. Departing the Center at 10:00am, Tickets are $40.00 and include $10 in food coupons, busdrivertip, busride, and $15 in gambling coupons. Bus will depart Casino at 5:45.

August Curtis Concert Band Holiday Concert will be held on Monday, Dec. 14th at 7:00pm. Tickets will be $5.00and they will be performing their annual Holiday Program of many Holiday favorites. Join us the ACCB for a wonder-ful Holiday event! This will also be the last opportunity to see the Holiday display at the Center and to bid on yourfavorite item!

For more information on any of the above listed events or the ACCC's upcoming events visit the website atwww.curtisculturalcenter.org or call 203-639-2856. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Reindeer Facts While these animals may not be able to soar through the skies (without the help of the jolly fellow in red that is), thereare some interesting facts about reindeer to enjoy.· Reindeer reside in the Arctic north. They can be found in North America, Asia and Europe.· These animals are cousins of the caribou, which are larger than reindeer.· Reindeer can pull a full sleigh at a speed of 12 to 15 miles per hour.

Sheehan Hockey Vs. Lyman Hall HockeyALUMNI HOCKEY GAME SATURDAY, JANUARY 2nd - 5:30 PM ATCHOATE ROSEMARY HALLProceeds to benefit ex-Sheehan Hockey Coach & Wallingford FirefighterRick Garrison's Fight Against Cancer

Monetary Donations Will Be Accepted at the Door --If you cannot attendbut would like to make a donation, contact Bill Capozzi at wcapozzi@com-cast.net.

Sheehan vs. Lyman Hall High School Game immediately following at 7PM. Tickets for this event are: $6.00/Adults & $4.00/Students to be pur-chased at the door.

If you are interested in playing, please contact:Vin DiGioia at sheehan@sheehanhockey.com for Sheehan Brian Weir at

brianweir16@comcast.net for Lyman Hall

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a goodtime; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the longcalendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to opentheir shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they reallywere fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures boundon other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.~Carol Nelson

Page 19 December 2009

We have the BEST Birthday Parties!

TAGSALE

INDOOR - RAIN OR SHINE

Every Fri., Sat., and Sun. from8:30am to 3pm.

DVD’s, CD’s, PC’s, laptops, toys,furniture, glassware, householditems, stereo equipment, memorabilia and more.

Oldies and Goodies70 Quinnipiac Street in Wallingford

203-317-0677

Need Holiday Cash???RICK’S

Always Buying Gold, Silver, Coins, Antiques, Collectibles,Broken or Unwanted Jewelry - Anything of Value!

“New or Old”“INSTANT CASH”-“TOP PRICES PAID”

Rick’s AAntiques && CCoins428 North Colony St. (Rt. 5) Wallingford - 203-269-9888

*** Over 30 Years In Business! ***

Before you call I will answer-Janet Althouse

At the age of 52, I became a widow. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. It seemed it was easier to beaway from home than it was to be at home. I could pretend that my husband was just waiting for my return. So, Idecided to travel. I had never done a lot of long distance driving, especially by my self, but from the beginning, I knewGod was with me. I never had a mishap, never hit a deer or any other animal. Never got a ticket. I always felt safe. Iwould play my Christian tapes and the miles would fly by.

I had a friend who lived in South Carolina and it was about a 12 hour drive. Being summer it stayed day light tillaround 9:00 in the evening, so I left home one Sunday morning about 9:00 a.m. headed for my friend's house. I wasabout an hour from her place and my car started to lose speed. I was low on gas and decided to get off and get the tankfilled up. I stopped at the end of the off ramp and my car would not start. Of course, when the car started to act up, Istarted to pray. I asked God to help me and to ask my friends at home to pray for me.

As I sat there not having any idea what to do, cars started going around me and some stopped and asked me if Ineeded help. One was a woman in her mid thirties, I would guess, and she was alone. She pulled off the road andasked if she could help me. Then this guy stopped and he said he would take a look under the hood. He pushed me offto the side of the road and checked under the hood. He said he was a mechanic and that I would need a tow. He pushedme across the street into a gas station and called a few tow trucks to see if someone could come get me. It was Sundaynight and he had to call a couple before someone agreed.

In the meantime, this lady stayed with me. The mechanic said he would have the tow truck tow my car to the garagewhere he worked. I said okay and the lady asked where I would stay. I said probably a motel. She helped me get myluggage out of my car and put it in hers. Then we followed the tow truck in her car.

When we reached the garage, the tow truck driver wanted his money. I tried to give him a credit card, but he wantedcash. Fortunately, I had enough to pay him, but was left with about $5 in cash.

The lady then decided I should go home with her and spend the night with her and her daughter. She took me to herapartment and fixed me a sandwich. I was going to sleep on her couch, but she decided that since her young daughterwas out and would be coming home later, that I should sleep in her bed so her daughter would not be frightened to seea strange woman sleeping on the couch. She put clean linens on her bed and I slept in her bed.

In the morning she had to leave early to go to work, but first took me to the garage where my car had been towed. Ithanked her so much and got her name and address. Before she left, she gave me $5 to get myself some breakfast.

Like the title of this story states, "Before you call, I will answer." God knew I would need an angel and he had acouple of them all primed to help me. The lady had been on her way home from church and felt God's nudge to giveme a helping hand. The guy, too, was definitely an angel to give me all that help.

I sat in that garage all day while they tried to find out what was wrong with my car. They did not want it to be thefuel pump because they would have to take off the gas tank to get at it, but eventually that's what they had to do. Ienjoyed telling everyone there waiting for their cars, about my angels. One older man was a little upset because theybroke down on the highway, too, and his son had to walk quite a distance to get them some help. I just smiled and kepton giving God all the credit.

"Sheltering an Animal's Perspective"by Gregory M. SimpsonIt was a banner first year for Connecticut Votes for Animals (CVA), for which I am proud to say I am a member of theadvisory board. Under the leadership of ASPCA attorney Debora Bresch and Our Companions Animal Sanctuary CEOSusan Linker, CVA saw one of the first bills it lobbied passed and signed into law by Governor Jodi Rell on July 8th,the Puppy Lemon Law Bill.

The Puppy Lemon Law Bill will provide greater protection for consumers and animals sold in pet stores. This newlaw encourages the sale of healthy animals in several key ways. It increases the potential veterinary reimbursementfrom $200 to $500 and allows this reimbursement for congenital defects without the need to return the animal. Thelaw also increases the window for this reimbursement from 15 to 20 days.

Critically, pet stores will now be required to purchase out-of-state animals only from USDA and state licensedbreeders. As an important consumer measure, pet stores will be required to provide consumers with breeder/dealerinformation to fully disclose the source of the animals.

Connecticut Votes for Animals is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(4) organization, whose aim is to mobilize the pub-lic to support animals through their political choices. It serves as the political arm of the state's animal protectionmovement by advocating pro-animal policies and engaging public support for the passage of animal friendly laws andopposition to proposals harmful to animals. CVA is Connecticut's only grass roots organization that gives animals avoice in the Legislature. Members are provided with political "scorecards" so that they can make a difference at thepolls by electing animal friendly legislators.

Connecticut Votes for Animals educates the public regarding animal protection issues and safeguards the interests ofanimals by making their well-being a priority for elected leaders. During this past legislative session, CVA trackedover 20 bills, ranging from acts concerning humane education and the treatment of elephants to an act requiring courtordered counseling for juveniles charged or convicted of animal cruelty. Most proposed bills do not become law, espe-cially the first time they are raised.

In the last legislative session, CVA also lobbied to pass a bill to prevent the constant tethering of dogs, i.e., chainingor confinement. The current law is vague and animal control officers are not able to enforce it. As a result, dogs inConnecticut can be chained or confined day and night. This is not only cruel to the dogs but also poses a public safetythreat as chained dogs are three times more likely to bite people. Unfortunately, the draft Tethering and ConfinementBill required additional work.

With your assistance as a CVA member, a Tethering and Confinement Bill can be passed in the next legislative ses-sion, ensuring that the outcome of cases like the one in Hartford, where dogs were found stacked in crates in a shed,are very different. Currently, excessive confinement alone is not sufficient to warrant charges under Connecticut's ani-mal cruelty law.

Next session, Connecticut Votes for Animals, with animal control officers and the ASPCA, will work to get theTethering and Confinement Bill passed. But it cannot be done without grass roots power. As the anthropologistMargaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,it is the only thing that ever has."

Animals don't vote, people do, so share your support by becoming a member of Connecticut Votes for Animals. A$25 non-tax deductible donation can be mailed to Connecticut Votes for Animals, P.O. Box 266 Cheshire, CT 06410.Or you may sign up on-line at: www.ctvotesforanimals.orgFor the animals,Gregory M. SimpsonGregory Simpson's animal welfare involvement spans over 25 years, having provided leadership for severalConnecticut organizations, as well as having served as state advisor to the national Friends of Animals. Currently aBoard member of Protectors of Animals, Inc., he was chosen by CAT FANCY magazine as one of the ultimate catlovers in the U.S. He is also a member of the Cat Writers' Association.

The Yalesville Volunteer Fire Department is hosting Our 8th Annual

FILL A FIRE TRUCK WITH TOYS EventAll toys and proceeds will be donated to and distributed by the Wallingford Holiday For Giving Committee.

Please bring new unwrapped toys to the Yalesville Volunteer Fire Station at

143 Hope Hill Road, Yalesville.

Friday December 11 from 4-8PM

Saturday December 12 from 8AM-4PM

To advertise with Wallingford and Meridens Community NewsMagazine, ThePeople's Press - Call Andy Reynolds at 203.235.9333 or email him atandy@peoplespressnews.com. Experience the power of positive for the read-ers and writers you will sponsor as well as the return on your investment.Check out the paper in its many forms at www.peoplespressnews.com! Thedeadline for our January issue is December 29th..

Page 20 December 2009

208 Center St., Wallingford * (203)269-2500

Peace, joy, happiness, love…May the holiday season shower you andyour loved ones with many blessings!

We deeply appreciate your support as customers and friends.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

694 Old Colony Rd.,

Meriden203-237-4379

Rousseau’sHome Comfort Fuel

203-235-2561Quality Service...Affordable Price

WALLINGFORD SELECTED FOR STATEWIDE POLICY CHANGE INITIATIVE TO REVERESE CHILDHOOD OBESITY EPIDEMICOne of 16 Communities to join YMCA of the USA's Statewide Pioneering Healthier CommunitiesThe Wallingford Family YMCA Joins a national movement to promote healthier options statewideYMCA of the USA, the national resource office for the nation's 2,686 YMCAs, announced that Wallingford, CT hasbeen selected as one of 16 communities in three states to build a statewide network for reducing childhood obesitythrough its Activate America®: Statewide Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) initiative. Y-USA will draw on itssuccessful community-level PHC model, applying its experiences and existing networks of State Alliances to supportpolicy, environmental and systems changes statewide.

Through Pioneering Healthier Communities, launched six years ago, local YMCAs serve as "convenors," bringingtogether high-level representatives from the government, non-profit, and private sectors to drive meaningful change ineach of their communities. PHC focuses on collaborative engagement with community leaders, how environmentsinfluence health and well-being, and the role that public policy plays in sustaining change. The Wallingford FamilyYMCA applied for this program, and was selected after competitive review process. As of this summer, there are 138communities participating in Y-USA's Healthier Communities Initiatives.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) recently committed $6.8 million over five years to support theexpansion of Y-USA's PHC initiative. Sixteen communities in Connecticut, Kentucky and Tennessee are the first groupfunded by RWJF, with communities in three more states to be selected in 2010. The Activate Wallingford team willreceive funding over a two year period to cover training and seed the implementation of a community action plan.

"The Pioneering Healthier Communities' team-based approach allows communities to provide a cohesive response tothe lifestyle challenges facing our nation," said Neil Nicoll, president and chief executive officer, YMCA of the USA."By connecting the leaders who can affect change, communities are helping to make healthy behaviors an easierchoice, not just the healthier choice. These improved opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating are laying afoundation to help reduce the risk of chronic diseases that have taken such a serious toll on our community members."

According to Nicoll, reducing childhood obesity will require the combination of policy and environmental changes.Therefore, the impetus is enormous for organizing at the local and state levels to develop policy strategies that willaffect communities that are heaviest burdened by the epidemic.

The Activate Wallingford team consists of community partners John Gawlak, Director of Parks and Recreation,Craig Turner, Director of Youth and Social Services, Mayor William Dickinson, Superintendant of Schools SalvatoreMenzo, State Representative Mary Muchinsky, Jim Ieronimo, Executive Director of the United Way ofMeriden/Wallingford, Lynn Faria, Community Relations for Midstate Hospital, Elouise Hazelwood, Director of Health,Larry Wood, Executive Director of Benhaven School, Blanca Santana, Executive Director of the Spanish Communityof Wallingford, Peter Struble, Town of Wallingford Fire Chief, Mark Graham, YMCA Health & Wellness Director, andSean Doherty, Executive Director of the Wallingford Family YMCA.

The effective transition of the local PHC model into statewide policy impact will require the coordination and coop-eration of many agencies and groups. At the state level, the State of Connecticut Alliance will engage a team of statepolicy-makers and leaders to examine existing policies and practices regarding childhood obesity, and to propose astate action plan to respond to the public health challenges of obesity, physical inactivity and poor nutrition. Thestatewide stakeholder team will work in partnership with the community leadership teams in Connecticut to ensure thateach community action plan supports statewide efforts.

Locally, Wallingford has sent its lead members from its PHC team, called coaches, to attend a Coaches Meeting inSeptember 2009 in Washington, D.C., learning methods and strategies for building and facilitating community leader-ship teams. The complete leadership will return to Washington, D.C. in February 2010 for a conference at which it willlearn strategies for policy and environmental change from the nation's leading experts in physical activity, nutrition andbuilding healthy environments.

For more information about this initiative please contact Sean Doherty, Wallingford Family YMCA, 269-4497 orsdoherty@wallingfordymca.org. You can also find more information about Pioneering Healthier Communities bygoing to www.ymca.net/activateamerica.

SANTA CLAUS AND THE LITTLE JEWISH GIRL UPSTAIRSHer name was Veronica O'Rourke. We were children together, long ago. And anything that is reminiscent of

Christmas, from a paper napkin with his nibs, Santa Claus, on it, a popcorn ball, a package tied with red ribbon, thesmell of pine needles, the merest suggestion of the season, brings back the whole lovely memory of the days when Iwas five years old and Veronica and her family reminded Santa Claus not to forget the little Jewish girl upstairs. Yes,Veronica and her entire family, her mother and father, her aunts, her uncle with the motorcycle, very kind elderly ladieswho loved children, who spent a long time helping them make their selections.

What fun we had when Veronica came upstairs with her mother during Hannukah, which occurred around theChristmas season. My mom served potato pancakes wiith confectionary sugar and apple sauce and sour cream. Ourmothers had coffee but Veronica and I had tea and milk. Oh, how grown-up we felt! Then we played the dreidelgames (Dreidel means top.) There were wonderful prizes. Veronica won a fake fur coat and muff for Big Doll whichmy mother had made. My prize was a quilted carriage cover for my yellow wicker doll carriage. I remember shiveringwith excitement and jumping up and down with my little friend.

Before our guests went home, mother lighted the Hanukah candles--the menorah, she carefully explained, containedeight little Hanukah candles, and the shamas, and the holiday of Hanukah.

Some Jewish children received a little present each of the eight days of Hanukah. But in my house, Mom promisedto do special things, such as baking chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, stopping at Loft's for an ice cream soda,where I had my hair cut in the big department store down town. Or getting a nickel for five little penny dolls sold bythe Behrendt sisters, for that was so impressive. All of the O'Rourkes, bless their hearts, put in a good word for mewith Santa. And do you know, he never forgot me.

One year I got my iron. What an unforgettable present. Just like mother's, only I could carry it all by myself.Another year it was a little painted metal tea set. Veronica and I played together many happy hours in our specialplace. Our piano had been delivered in a wooden box, shaped exactly like an upright piano. This was an ideal play-room for two very little girls.

I remember the daily tea parties we had there, with water for tea, served in my little metal Christmas tea set, thecups holding a thimble full, but so good with the Johnny cake Veronica contributed. Veronica brought several dolls andmine were always present. And we talked to them as if they were human. To us, they were.

My little brown baby doll was a favorite. She sat in the little high chair, a present from Santa Claus who was tippedoff by the O'Rourkes. My Indian doll in full costume sat on a shoe box turned upside down. The little sailor doll was adarling, too. And just as cuddly as the others. Veronica had a smaller family, in numbers, that is, but her big doll woreclothes about size four. There were probably others in Veronica's family, but Big Doll is the only one that my memorycan project.

Our utensils, or silverware, consisted of toothpicks. And our serving dishes, little enameled pans, given to us byMr. Halper, who lived on the third floor. He sold them in larger sizes but used these as samples. We got the obsolete.

I don't suppose I could enter it at this stage of my life, but what wouldn't I give for a glimpse of our special place,Veronica's and mine, with all our furnishings in tact--the shoe box sofa, the little high chair that Santa Claus deliveredhimself while I was sleeping, the enamel pans, the toothpicks, the johnny cake, the gorgeous tea set. They're all gonenow, of course, but in my memory they're as vivid as can be. And vivid also, is the memory of Veronica and all myO'Rourkes, who never forgot at Christmastime, to remind Santa Claus about the little Jewish girl upstairs.

Selma PanthauerNov. 27, 1912--Oct, 31, 1992

Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don't know what exactly, but it's something thatyou don't mind so much not having at other times. ~Kate L. BosherI sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness andhumanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus Idrift along into the holidays - let them overtake me unexpectedly - waking up some find morning and suddenly sayingto myself: "Why, this is Christmas Day!" ~David Grayson

There is a remarkable breakdown of taste and intelligence at Christmastime.Mature, responsible grown men wear neckties made of holly leaves and drinkalcoholic beverages with raw egg yolks and cottage cheese in them.

Page 21 December 2009

COMFORT KEEPERSWALLINGFORD

Carol Carbutti - Owner157 So. Orchard St., Wallingford

203-697-1030

carolcarbutti@comfortkeepers.comwww.comfortkeepers.com

Now Available Personal Emergency Response SystemThis wireless, house-wide monitoring system offers hands-free, two-wayvoice connection in the event of an emergency. Press “HELP” on the con-sole, or neck or wrist pendant, to contact the monitoring station. Seven daysa week, 24 hours a day, someone is always available when you need help.Comfort Keepers will install the system in your home and educate you on itsuse.

We are an in-home, non-medical care giving, staffing agency.262 Elm St., Meriden

203-237-3488

Filipek’s KielbasaMakes The Holidays Special!You can taste the difference!

*Smoked & Hot Kielbasa*Pierogies*Kellies*Summer Sausage*American BreakfastSausage

*Italian Sausage - Mild,Sweet and Hot*Horseradish*Golomki*Old Style Dried ItalianSausage

Try Chiropractic!North ColonyChiropractic &

Rehabilitation Center

Dr. Timothy S. PepinChiropractic Physician

See How Chiropractic Can Help You!

1245 S. Broad StreetWallingford

203-949-2225

Don’t Suffer withPain, We Can

Help You!

*Tension / Pain Neck Shoulders Lower Back Arms or Legs

*Sleeping Problems *Irritability / Mood Swings *Digestive Troubles*Headaches *Fatigue *Allergies / Sinus Problems

Do You Suffer From...

$ CASH PAID FOR $Toyotas, Hondas, Nissan, Suzukis,Subarus, Geo - Any Condition.Running or not crashed and burned.Other makes and models -Motorcycles, ATVs and more.

Call 203-600-4431

Healthy Eating Tips for Holiday Parties & Dinners 'Tis the season for holiday parties, fruit cake, and eggnog! We all tend to overindulge during the holidays, hoping ourNew Year's Resolutions last long enough to wipe out all the overeating and lack of physical activity that happened overthe last month or so. Follow these tips from the Meriden Health Department to enjoy the holidays and still button yourpants come January 1, 2010!1. Focus on weight maintenance vs. weight loss during the holidays. If you are currently overweight and want to loseweight, this is not the best time to do it. Maintenance of your present weight is a big enough challenge during the holi-day season. 2. Plan on NOT dieting after the New Year. Anticipation of food restriction sets you up for binge-type eating over theholidays ("after all, if I'm never going let myself eat this again after Jan. 1st, I might as well eat as much as possiblenow!") Besides, restrictive diets don't work in the long run. They increase your loss of lean body mass vs. fat, slowdown your metabolism, increase anxiety, depression, food preoccupation, and binge eating, and make weight re-gainmore likely. 3. Be physically active every day. Often, our busy holiday schedules bump us off our exercise routines. Physical activi-ty, especially aerobic activities (like brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, and swimming) can help relieve stress, regulateappetite, and burn up extra calories from holiday eating. The Meriden Health Department has a limited number ofpedometers to help you keep up (or start) your walking routine during the holiday months. Please call the CommunityHealth Education office at 203-630-4238 for more information.4. Eat a light snack before going to holiday parties. It is not a good idea to arrive at a party famished. Not only are youmore likely to overeat, but you are also less likely to resist the temptation of eating the higher fat and higher caloriefoods. Eating off of a small plate, or even a napkin, can help control portion sizes.5. Make a plan. Think about where you will be, who you will be with, what foods will be available, what foods arereally special to you (that you really want to eat) versus those that you could probably do without, what are your per-sonal triggers to overeat and how can you minimize them. Once you've thought about all of these things, make a planof action. It's much easier to deal with a difficult social eating situation if you've already planned for it.6. Take steps to avoid recreational eating. While some foods are more calorie-dense than others, no food will make yougain weight unless you eat too much of it. At parties and holiday dinners, we tend to eat (or keep eating) beyond ourbody's physical hunger simply because food is there and eating is a "social thing." To avoid recreational eating, con-sciously make one plate of the foods you really want. Eat it slowly--enjoying and savoring every tasty bite. Then, whenyou're done, pop a mint or stick of gum in your mouth, get a tall glass of water and sip on it throughout the night, orposition yourself away from the buffet table or food trays to keep yourself from overeating. 7. Reduce the fat in holiday recipes. There are plenty of low fat and low calorie substitutes that are amazingly tasty. Tryusing applesauce in place of oil in your favorite holiday breads; use egg substitutes in place of whole eggs; try plainnonfat yogurt in place of sour cream. Magazines and the internet are great resources for reduced calorie and reduced fatholiday recipes. Give them a try, and share your cooking creations with friends and family.8. Choose your beverages wisely. Alcohol is high in calories. Liquors, sweet wines and sweet mixed drinks contain150-450 calories per glass. By contrast, water and diet sodas are calorie-free. If you choose to drink, select light winesand beers, and use non-alcoholic mixers such as water and diet soda. Limit your intake to 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks peroccasion, and alternate them with a glass of water.9. Enjoy good friends and family. Although food can be a big part of the season, it doesn't have to be the focus.Holidays are a time to reunite with good friends and family, to share laughter and cheer, to celebrate and to give thanks.Focus more on these other holiday pleasures, in addition to the tastes of holiday foods. The important thing to remem-ber is balance and moderation. It's OK to eat too much once in a while. Just relax, enjoy the holidays, and rememberwhat the season is all about.10. Maintain perspective: Overeating one day won't make or break your eating plan. And it certainly won't make yougain weight! It takes days and days of overeating to gain weight. If you over-indulge at a holiday meal, put it behindyou. Return to your usual eating plan the next day without guilt or despair.

Holiday Gift Fair At Temple B’nai AbrahamMeriden, CT—November 18, 2009—It’s time to shop for Chanukah gifts at Temple B’nai Abraham’s Holiday Gift FairSunday December 6th and Sunday December 13th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m, at 127 East Main Street, Meriden. Wehave everything you need for family and friends: cards, cd’s, candles, creative crafts, fun toys, kitchen items, cool mez-zuzahs for kids, menorahs, adorable stuffed chanukah bears, and much more. Gift wrapping is available. For more information, please call (203) 235-2581.

About Temple B’nai Abraham

Temple B'nai Abraham is a Conservative synagogue which provides religious, educational and social programming forall age groups in a warm, extended family atmosphere. Services are egalitarian, and feature congregational singing. Allare welcome.

COME AND JOIN US Bring an ornament to put on the tree.....Combined Service ( English & Hungarian) at 10am on December 20, 2009 atthe Evangelical & Reformed U.C.C. 105 So Cherry St. Wallingford, Decorating the Christmas Tree and singing Christmas Carols followed by a Delicious Luncheon at noon. Donation $10.00Call Esther for more information 203-269-2708

INTRODUCTION TO SPRING BOARD DIVING SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2009 SHEEHAN POOL 3-4:30PMThis 1 ½ hour workshop will present the basics of springboard diving. Therewill be demonstrations by current high school divers. Basic approach andentries will be taught and all participants will have the opportunity to practiceeach skill. The workshop will be conducted by Margie Rodgers, Cheshire H.S. DivingCoach. There will be a certified lifeguard on duty.

Participants must be able to swim at a Guppy level or Purple 1.Participants must be 7-13 years old and able to do a standing dive off thedeck. Registration is at the Wallingford Family YMCA or 203 269 4497.Space will be limited to 12 participants. YMCA Members: $20 Community Participants: $30 www.walling-fordymca.org 203 269 4497

Page 22 December 2009

Congratulations to Platt High School's Junior Varsity Volleyball Team on agreat season.They were 17-1 during regular season and undefeated champions during JVTournament play held at New Britain High School. Team members: KimArthur, Nicole Carbone, Louise Carroza, Vincenza DiDomnico, JessicaGaj, Sammy Garlock, Erin O'Neil, Jill Pascale, Rachael Riello, LindseySantiago, Jayme Standish, Mamisha Trimmier. JV Coach: Erica Priebe,Head Coach: Lou Gianacopolos, and Assistant Coach Emily LaBissoniere

Celebrations

The Most Amazing StoryBy Dorothy Gonick

Friends, I have the most amazing story to tell about what happened to us at our Inn recently while we were so rushedwith all the travelers coming to register for the census that Rome had ordered. One day I was so very weary because somany families filled our Inn to overflowing. I had given our last mat and blanket to a family to use in a corner of thecommon room and told Stephen we could not possibly take in anyone else, when a couple arrived with the woman rid-ing on a donkey. I saw that the young woman was almost ready to give birth and realized our noisy, crowded inn wascertainly no place for birthing, but we thought of the stable where it is quiet with hay to rest upon. I gave Stephen myshawl to spread over the hay and he led them to the stable. While he was attending their donkey, Joseph the husband,spread hay into a thick mat and my shawl became the coverlet for his wife, Mary, to rest upon. When I came into thestable, Mary gave me the sweetest smile and I was glad to serve them some fishcakes, bread, and a handful of dates.Joseph blessed the meal and thanked us for the food and a place to rest their weary bodies, so we left them with a smalloil lamp and went back to our Inn, for we too were very weary.

In the nighttime, singing voices and footsteps on the roadway awakened us. We ventured out as shepherds cametoward us asking us if we knew where the newborn babe in the manger was. At first we thought they were crazy butthen turned to look in our starlit stable and were astonished to see Mary's newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothsand cradled in her arms.

The shepherds went in, knelt down and worshipped this tiny infant. We watched and listened to them tell Josephand Mary about angels visiting with the news that our long-awaited Savior was born, and being told to search for himin a stable. They said a chorus of angels then sang, "Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will." Theglory of God in our stable was overpowering and we dropped to our knees in wonder that this prophecy was fulfilled inour village.

Stephen and I feel so blessed to have sheltered them in our humble stable. Blessed Mary and Joseph met our gazewith smiles of thankfulness for the kindness shown them in their hour of need. We felt that our simple gift of shelterand nourishment had become a most blessed gift, especially since it was done in our weariness. We asked God's bless-ing to be with them, with hope of seeing this long-awaited Savior again in days to come.

Wallingford Public Library Children's Library Presents December ProgramsHoliday for GivingYou can make the holidays special for a child in Wallingford by bringing new, or barely used, children's books to theLibrary for the town's Holiday for Giving Program. Please bring unwrapped books to the Library by December 10th.The Following is a list of FREE programs available at the Wallingford Public Library this December. In keeping withthe spirit of the season however, we ask that you try to bring a non-perishable food donation each time you attend aprogram if possible. The food will go to a local food pantry.Happy Hanukkah! Thursday, December 17th at 4:30 p.m. In the Children's Program RoomCome celebrate Hanukkah through story, song and craft at the Wallingford Public Library. This program will be pre-sented by Risa Walter of the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven. Sign up for this program begins onMonday, November 9th.Christmas by the Fire Wednesday, December 16th 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. In the Children's Library at the Wallingford PublicLibraryJoin us by the light of the fire in the Children's Library where we will share Christmas stories and songs.This is a drop-in program and all are welcome.Films for Kids Friday, December 18th at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.The following films will be shown in the Children's Program Room at the Wallingford Public Library.Great Joy Too Many Tamales In the Month of KisleveThis is a drop-in program and all are welcome.

Take Kwon Do Tournament WinnersThe tournament was held at the University of Mass: Lowell, on November8th. Richard Ans' 5th annual International Championship. Shown in thephoto are Joseph Gervasi (11) who won a Bonze medal in high jump 6ft2in. in boys ages 11-13 and a Silver medal in board breaking, boys ages 11-13. Also Daniel Gervasi (8) who won a Silver medal in Black/White formboys ages 8-10, a Gold medal in high jump 5ft. 8inc - boys 8-10 and 4thplace good sportsmen medal sparing boys ages 8-10.

They attend Cho's Champion Taekwondo, 970 N. Colony Road inWallingford.

I also want to congratulate Kyleigh Knoob of Meriden, Daniel Deberryand Katherine Kelly/ Watson both of Wallingford on their wins.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON THE TROLLEYEnjoy a cozy, heated trolley ride while viewing holiday light displays.. Weekends starting November 28 throughDecember 20 at The Shore Line Trolley Museum. Evening hours: Sat and Sun 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. . The Shore LineTrolley Museum, 17 River St, East Haven. Adults $8, Seniors $6, Children (2-15) $4.

For additional information contact The Shore Line Trolley Museum at 203-467-6927 or www.bera.org.

Mark T. Sheehan High SchoolWallingford, ConnecticutSheehan seniors, Leann Bickford, Janet Early, Elizabeth Kadow, Michael Kadow, Laura Kinkead, Seth Ravid, and ToriSheldon, have been named commended students in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. This honor is inrecognition for their exceptional academic promise as demonstrated by their performance on the PreliminarySAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Commended students represent the top five percent of more than 1.5million students who took the test.

The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmasmight be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating thebirth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected. ~Samuel Johnson

If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a Merry Christmas? ~Don Meredith

'Tis the Season for Health CareOn December 10th, Meriden Children First Initiative is hosting what it hopesto be the last ever pasta fundraiser needed to help a deserving person bank-rupted by astronomical health care bills and our broken health care system.

The pasta fundraiser will be held on Thursday December 10th, 6:00 p.m. atHanover Elementary School in South Meriden. Proceeds to benefit DebHunsinger, former owner of Deb's Deli in South Meriden. Deb has lost herhome and business due to astronomical health care bills for cancer treatmentand lack of insurance.

We'll talk about how through state and federal health care reform, peoplecan get affordable quality health care so no one needs fundraisers to help paymedical bills, and patients can focus on healing instead of bills.

Presenters will include Representative Christopher Donovan, Speaker ofthe Connecticut House of Representatives, and Juan Figueroa, President of theUniversal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut.There is no charge for the dinner, please make a donation instead. PleaseRSVP by calling Marissa Cardona at 203-815-5680, Joan Goodman at 203-815-0355, or Barbara Cockfield at 203-815-5758.

Mistletoe OriginsMistletoe is a plant that has a long history of use. It dates back to the ancientDruids who saw the plant as a sign of peace and goodwill. Warring partieswould actually temporarily cease battle upon seeing mistletoe. Perhaps mistle-toe is best known for love and fertility. In some European cultures, a kissunder mistletoe is a proposal of marriage.

Page 23 December 2009

Family Owned... Family Friendly Since 1954Find Out Why by Stopping Down Today!

369 Cook Ave., Meriden 235-2561

Rousseau’sAuto Repair

Complete Auto Repair

TThhaannkk YYOOUU ffoorr ggiivviinngg yyoouurr ccaarr tthhee sseerrvviiccee iittddeesseerrvveess aatt tthhee aaffffoorrddaabbllee pprriicceess yyoouu ddeesseerrvvee iinn

22000099.. DDoonn’’tt ffoorrggeett ttoo wwiinntteerriizzee ffoorr 22001100..

The Perfect Gift - $5.00 OFF POCKET Phones

Phones starting at $49.00The Perfect Plan

UNLIMITED Talk/Text/Pictures1st Month FREE - Only $30.00 per Month*

584 West Main St.Meriden CT 06451Tel: (203) 639-8168Fax: (203) 639-8178

*Certain Restrictions Apply. See store for details.

SAVE!

SILVER CITY COIN & STAMPSCOLLECTIBLES

STAMPS • COVERS • COINS • TOKENSPAPER MONEY • POSTCARDS • HOBBY SUPPLIESWE HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT SELECTION!41 COLONY STREET, MERIDEN, CT 06451

(203) 235-7634

Our Year of Living Dangerouslyby Katrina S. AxelrodIt all started so innocently. He was so cute and soft and cuddly. He did as you asked, most of the time. Then he gotbigger, next I knew, he was in school and then another school and yet another and then BLAM he is finishing it!Phase 1College thoughts, college thoughts, college thoughts. College sight-seeing trips-oh, heavens, there is no getting aroundit, he wants to go away to college. Away, like, really, away.

Steel yourself Mom, his older brother is fine at UCONN. ROTC Cadet, in the Neag school of Education, he'll gradu-ate as an Army Second Lieutenant with his Master's degree in teaching high school biology- that's a good place to be.But he's just a short ride away. I can have dinner with him or lunch, even. He went "Early Decision" to his onlychoice. That was over in a snap!

But this is my, well, younger one- aaaaaaaaaakkkk, he wants to go away to college. Oh, this is gonna hurt. I have tolearn all about "Putting On the Brave Face." Other Moms have done it for many, many years. It is new to me. ("I'll gethis room after he leaves, right?") Nope, even that doesn't help, I'm still "an outsider" to the process.

I have been living with two male teenagers- and gotten the "Mo-om!" that comes with frustration and/or embarrass-ment, or merely because it is Tuesday and he feels like it, but this is different. This is like walking on nuclear-tippedegg shells. NO Mom opinions needed, NONE wanted. OK, close the mouth, make no judgments, go along for the ride.Smile when you can.

We are on our way; Dad, Mom, and Student, to Washington D.C. to George Washington University and then toAmerican University, then to George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, then to Pennsylvania, (no not Transylvania,much closer than that) and Bucknell University.

What goes through a Mom's head during the five hours of car travel …"What really matters?" "What can I get awaywith saying? "What kind of advice can get slide in under the radar?" "I miss him already" strange, but true. "Why am Ialways sitting in the back seat?" Ah, so many questions. Your mind wanders again…

Daydream is over and we arrive at School Number One- we walk and then we walk some more and then we take atour and them we walk until I just have to sit down. Repeat this for each school. Lots of parents are sitting down, ateach school! Some are even breathing hard, ahhh my peeps, I am back in my old-geezer comfort-zone. Most of theparents are friendly enough to talk and compare college-sight-seeing tour stories. One family has visited 35, yes 35colleges in the last year. (I quietly make a note to thank my Student and remind him what a great human being he is.)Note to Self: "I need different shoes."

While Mom is on campus, the strain brings up "Issues" in Mom's life . This brings up issues-oh, dear, dear, I warnyou, this process brings up issues such as1) One's own education or lack thereof and what you have always wanted for your Student from the time before hehatched; 2) Your own likes and dislikes of the present institution of the moment, from school food to architecture, all of whichmust remain unspoken until the Student is ready to listen, which may be never or maybe at some really awkward timesuch as your favorite TV special you have been aching to watch and will now gladly sacrifice for the Student's benefitbecause you know you'll never get this moment back; see *Brave Face* above.3) Parent talking-to-each-other-time while on campus is limited. Talking becomes a 'code language-talking' togetherabout 'Parent Things' and has to be rammed into student tours and maybe, if you are lucky, while he is in the hotel pool,because you can't say 'certain things.'4) The unstoppable comparisons of how People, (Other People) "do" things these days, and how it was very different in'your' day and then fairly and with impartiality, being able to sift through the brave and brilliant things your Studentwill to do versus what the "others," will be doing and still not change your *Brave Face*. You eat the food and look atthe architecture. (see above.)Phase 2You start to think of the town you're in as a travel destination."This was a nice ride", "I would like to have dinner at that restaurant someday", "the hotel wasn't that expensive", "Icould take the train…" You are "making accommodations", you are "getting into the spirit of the thing", you are finallybeing a "mature adult" about this. No Brave Face needed any more, you LIKE this place". "What if he doesn't get in?I'll never get to that restaurant "dammit- work your butt off-I want to visit this city /(restaurant) again and I never willif you don't go to school here!"

You now have a stake (or a steak) in this process. You are "all in".And, as you return home, and sift through the five pounds of slippery, four-color, glossy magazine-like brochures

beckoning your Student, you think back, your mind wanders… "Leaving him 12 years ago fake-crying at day care inthe morning was 'a piece of cake' compared with this…" and you wait for that moment when the discussions begin.Next time: The Discussions!

WALLINGFORD COMMUNITY DINNERCome celebrate the holiday with us! Enjoy turkey and all the trimmings - with music, laughter, and a good time for all! WHEN: CHRISTMAS DAY NOON - 2PMWHERE: FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF WALLINGFORD 23 S. MAIN ST.TRANSPORTATION WILL BE PROVIDED MEALS WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE HOMEBOUNDDON'T SPEND THE HOLIDAY ALONE!!FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: Nancy Freyberg at 284-8299Sponsored by: Parents & Kids Foundation, Inc. and First Congregational Church of Wallingford

2009 Food Drive by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in Southington,Wallingford, Meriden, North Haven and Hamden Exceeds Previous Year'sTotalsCub Scouts and Boy Scouts from Sleeping Giant District (Southington, Wallingford, Meriden, North Haven and

Hamden) recently collected over 35,980 pounds of non-perishable food items as part of their 21st annual "Scouting forFood" program to collect food for the needy. This community service project is also part of the activities to celebratethe 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America.

"This was an incredible year!" said Garry Desjardins, chairperson for the event. "Last year the District total wasabout 26,343 pounds. Scouts in Meriden, Southington and Wallingford increased the amount collected by 3000 poundsin each of these towns."

Scouts distributed notices to homes in their area and then picked up the donations the following weekend. BoyScouts and their families sorted the food by categories at central collection sites. All food collected was donated to alocal town food bank. The receiving organizations are Southington - Bread for Life; Wallingford - Master's MannaFood Pantry; Meriden - Salvation Army; North Haven - North. Haven Food Pantry and Hamden - Hamden Food &Fuel Bank. Forty Cub Scout and Boy Scout units and over 540 people volunteered for this community service project.

Participating in this annual food drive is part of the Sleeping Giant District's commitment to the Good Turn forAmerica program. This program is a national call to service by the Boy Scouts of America to address the issues ofhunger, homelessness, and poor health in our country.

For more information about the food drive, please contact Garry Desjardins at desjardins1@comcast.net or 203-623-9601.

For more information on Scouting, please visit http://www.ctyankeecouncil.org or call the Connecticut YankeeCouncil, Boy Scouts of America at 1.800.333.7905.

Did You Know? Kwanzaa is an African holiday that is celebrated each year between December 26 and January 1. It was created byMaulana Ron Karenga in 1966.The term Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili words meaning, "fruits of the harvest."Celebrants of Kwanzaa are encouraged to decorate their homes in the colors of Kwanzaa, which are black, red andgreen. Traditional African decorations, such as baskets and harvest items, can also add to the festivities. DuringKwanzaa, gifts are mainly given only to children. What must be included in these gifts are books, which foster theKwanzaa tradition of education, and a heritage gift, which denotes the connection to African history and culture.

To advertise with Wallingford and Meridens Community NewsMagazine, ThePeople's Press - Call Andy Reynolds at 203.235.9333 or email him atandy@peoplespressnews.com. Experience the power of positive for the read-ers and writers you will sponsor as well as the return on your investment.

Page 24 December 2009

SS ee aa rr cc hh aa ll ll hh oo mm ee ss ff oo rr ss aa ll ee ii nn CC TT @@ w w w . G u e r r a R e a l t o r s . c o mCall Toll Free 1-866-281-4956

Customercare@GuerraRealtors.com

From Our Home To Yours...

wishing yyou aand yyour ffamilya ttruly ffestive sseason ffilledwith llots oof llove, llaughter

and ccelebration.

Happy Holidays to all of our friends & customers!

(203) 265-1541 58 Center St., Wallingford wallingfordoptical.com

WWaalllliinnggffoorrdd OOppttiiccaallDiane MintichLicensed Optician,A.B.O. & N.C.L.E.Certified

James ComeauLicensed Optician,A.B.O. & N.C.L.E.Certified

Eye exams provided by an Independent Doctor of Optometry

Kiwanis of Wallingford Installs New Officers & Recognizes Kiwanian of the YearCongratulations to Jan Donahue, President, Kiwanis Club! Joining herteam are:Diane DeLibero, Secretary; Toni Walker, Secretary; John O'Brien,Treasurer and Charlie Flynn Treasurer. In addition - board of directorsinclude: Cindy Semrau, Kelly Morrison, Bill Cook, Tim Wall.Congratulations to Kelly Morrison - Kiwanian of the Year! Kelly has been

instrumental with the organization and success of the Annual Turkey TrotRoad Race as well as the Kiwanis liaison to the Cook Hill K-Kids.

Kiwanis meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights from 6-7:30 at KTBaxter's Restaurant. For more information call Cindy @ 269-9891. Join us! Pictured left to right:Tim Gallogly; Past President, Jan Donahue, President, Kelly Morrison,Board member,. Cindy Semrau, Board member; Tim Wall, Board member;and Charlie Flynn, Treasurer.

What you need to know.

Charles Uznanski Trail at Orchard Glen The Wallingford Land Trust has named the main trail at Orchard Glen inhonor of Charlie

Uznanski who has been instrumental in many WLT projects at varioussites. He has been a Board member for many years and was steward ofmany Land Trust sites. Family members who came to the dedication werehis wife Helen, son Richie and his wife Sue, daughter Sue Zoni and herhusband David, grandsons Dan and Will Uznanski. Land Trust membersattending were president David Ellis, vice president Debby Voelker, Caryland Ken Ryan, Robert Page, Carol Borsari, Mary Heffernon, JoyceKowalczyk as well as Kathy Granucci of Quinnipiac River Linear Trail andvolunteer Matt Caruso. This trail includes a woodland walk with wildflow-ers, birds and streams. Orchard Glen can be accessed from Barnes RoadNorth at cul-de-sac.For more information on the Land Trust, please check out the website at

www.wallingfordlandtrust.org.Photo by Ellie Tessmer of Charles Uznanski putting up his sign.

What you need to know.

The Path of Self-TransformationBy Jennifer JenkinsWe all have the power to transform ourselves as the divine creative spirit is instilled within our souls. It is the aware-ness and belief of this power that helps set us free from the limitations we have imposed upon ourselves. Once webecome aware of these self-imposed thoughts, we can begin to transform our thoughts about ourselves and our lives ina more positive light. Of course, the hardest part is making the decision to do so and sticking with that decision, whichrequires effort and self-discipline. But, once made, your life will never be the same.

It may sound trite, but by changing our thoughts we do change our lives. It's amazing how the simplest affirmationswe can say and/or write down for our selves can work their power in our lives. For instance, by saying, "I am smartand capable," helps one to believe in one's self, which is one of the essential keys to self-transformation.

Listening to the divine voice within is another key to self-transformation. When we quiet our minds to meditate andlet go of all the chaotic and negative thoughts, we can tune into who we really are. We can pray for guidance and trueunderstanding of our potential and then stop and listen, which is the heart of meditation - heartfelt communion with thedivine.

Once we truly become aware of who we really are and what we want to create in our lives, we can set goals toaccomplish this. I often find that by setting realistic goals, and sometimes even small ones, helps to build confidencein myself and my dreams. By setting simple goals and realistic deadlines to accomplish them, we all can embark on afirm path to achieving these goals.

Remember when you embark on this transformational path that you are never alone. We all have Angels around usand who are there to help us. All we have to do is ask for their help, and it is given. You see, they, are in our corner towork toward fulfilling our highest potential. So, if, for instance, you feel it is your mission in life to become an inspi-rational speaker, you can ask your Angels for help in accomplishing this. Of course, the more specific you are in yourrequests, the easier it is for the Angels to help you, as set forth in the following example:

"My dear Angels, please help me to connect with individuals and organizations that will play an instrumental role onmy path to becoming a powerful inspirational speaker to help motivate people transform their lives for the better."

By applying these personal and spiritual tools, one can positively transform one's life. It begins with a simple deci-sion, a decision that can profoundly change your life and, by ripple effect, the lives of others.

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL!If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it

will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member ofthe armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our sol-

diers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to

pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.

WALLINGFORD JUNIOR WOMAN'S CLUBANNOUNCES "LUNCH WITH SANTA"Santa Claus will make a special visit to town for lunch with families at theWallingford Junior Woman's Club's "Lunch with Santa" at the WallingfordParks and Recreation Department on Sunday, December 13, from 12 p.m. to2 p.m.

Lunch will include pizza, drinks, and doughnuts. There will be time forchildren to visit with Santa Claus. Families must bring their own cameras totake photos. Reservations for "Lunch with Santa" are required, and can bemade by contacting Jaime Bowen, Membership, at 203-294-0017.

The Wallingford Junior Woman's Club (WJWC) is a non-profit civic andcommunity service organization open to any Wallingford woman. WJWC'sdiverse membership includes single women, stay-at-home moms, profession-als, and retirees with a desire to improve the Wallingford community throughvolunteering their time and talents. The club provides members with oppor-tunities for personal enrichments, and to improve leadership skills and formnew and lasting friendships.WJWC was incorporated in 1954 and is a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization,and a member of the Connecticut Junior Women, Inc. www.cjw.org. WJWCprojects include the annual Townwide Spelling Bee; the Children's GameArea at Celebrate Wallingford; co-sponsoring Candidate's Forum with theLeague of Women Voters; adopting a local family during the holidays; CellPhones for Soldiers; the new Little Miss & Mister WJWC announces "Lunchwith Santa"

Page 25 December 2009

TTrraaddiittiioonn......SSttyyllee......CCllaassss

GIONFRIDDO’SFine CClothing ffor MMen

610 West Main Street, Meriden 203.238.3677Suits, Shirts, Sweaters, Custom Tailoring, Professional

Alterations & Imported Italian Sportswear

Amore’ PizzaOnly The

Best - WithFast Free

Delivery ToYour Door!203-265-2379

83 N. Turnpike Rd.Wallingford

The MaryheartCrusadersBookstore

Catholic Books * Religious ItemsGifts * Church Goods

531 West Main Street in Meriden 203-238-9735Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5 Sat 9-2

Old ManBy Chris Randolph"Old man look at my life, I'm a lot like you were." Just one simple line from the Neil Young song, "Old Man," from hisHarvest album. I look back at the seventies and the promise I made to myself that this would not be the case. It waswrong of me to think that, but such is the ignorance of youth. It was an interesting time with the Vietnam War and therebellion against past generations in full force.

My father was a good man. He cared about others. He befriended all those he met, and even if he disagreed withthem, he kept it to himself and focused on what they agreed on. Why he became a target for my rebellion is clear to menow - he was an easy target. He often hid from the world. The moments that he went out and showed his positive sidewere rare. It was almost as if he had to recover for a while, rebuild his confidence, and then he could face the worldagain. This cycle is what I promised myself I would not do. I never attacked him directly, except to push him out ofthese hiding periods he had.

He also was obsessive/compulsive. He would check the front door to the house 10 times before he could leave. Thiscompulsive checking and rechecking always happened while I was waiting frustrated in the car. The frustration grew 10fold as I got older and his OC increased, as well. I remember quite clearly how checking the front door became check-ing all the doors in until he could finally go to the car, and shortly after he would leave again to double check if thestove had been turned off. There are times I laugh about this. There are times I cry about this. What could I have donefor him? How could I have helped him more? Normal reactions I suppose. Ones that all of us go through when facedwith any type of problem a loved one faces or is challenged with. Now I realize that there is nothing I could have done.He had his demons as we all have.

Like him, I now focus on the positive that we shared. His love of people. His gregarious nature. His charity. Mostlyit was his ability to communicate with children that I strive for the most. Even in his darkest hours he was liberated byhis grandchildren, and it was so beautiful to see the smiles that he brought to their faces.

Our relationship grew much better over time. I began to understand both his problems and my own. I never stoppedpushing him, though. When he did not want to attend a family event, I sometimes would wait till I forced him to comewith me. Sometimes this worked and sometimes it didn't. I don't regret those efforts at the end of his life as he changedinto the gregarious man once he finally did arrive.

I am still traumatized by the very ending of his life, though. The pain and suffering he felt against a losing battlewith Melanoma. The anger I felt towards him for not getting it checked as recommended after he had a successfulsurgery to remove his first case of it. I thought that his obvious lack of care for his health was just another way of hid-ing again. Maybe death would be the best way to end the suffering he faced his whole life.

The time came when I had enough and forced him to go to the hospital. The disease had come back of course, just asI knew it would. It had spread far into his body. Again, when offered with the hope of an extensive program to fight thedisease, he refused. The trips became more frequent to the hospital, as his lungs would often fill with fluid. I stillremember the traumatizing moments for me. He was so ill and his lungs had filled again. I rented a wheelchair andinsisted on bringing him to the hospital - again. He refused to be seen in a wheelchair when he left the house. So hemade me check 5 times to be sure that no neighbors were out. He had become so week that I had to carry him to thecar. The anger that showed on his face was piercing. He made me stop the car before I drove off, he looked at thehouse for a moment and then said simply but with frustration, "Just Go, Chris." He knew that was the last time hewould ever see his home, where he had hoped to die instead of a hospital.The hospital knew as soon as he came in thatthe time was near. He was transferred to the Branford Hospice and was coherent for a few days more as he said good-bye and spoke with all our family with kindness and love. But he never spoke to me at the end. I know why, and Iunderstood. I stayed day and night as did most of my family, especially my Mom. Mom would climb into bed with himwhen night came and hold him close. He surprised even the staff of the Hospice as he clung onto life even when he nolonger spoke and was no longer coherent.

I knew he was afraid of death at the end. I remember my last words to him: "It's alright Dad. It's a beautiful placeyou are going to. Your loved ones are waiting for you. Just let go. Let go of the pain and find peace." I walked out ofhis area for a moment as the nurse came in to clean him and change his bedding. Seconds later came that last horriblerattling breath and he was gone. I know I am left to deal with those last months, and I try the best I can. It's funnythough, that I have become so much like him. There are many times that I hide from the outside world to recover andthen go out again. There are times I check the door a few times. I get a good laugh out of it, actually. I understand himso much more now.

So as I hear those words, "Old man, look at my life, I'm a lot like you were," I know that I am and that's o.k. withme.

Three Aunts, Eighteen Cousins, and One Very Special TraditionBy Bill Mercuri"Okay, everyone. Time to eat!" These are the much-anticipated words my cousins and I have looked forward to everyNew Year's Day for more than a quarter century. The words are clear and crisp, just like the January day on whichthey're spoken. They ring from the mouth of a small, silver-haired Italian woman who proclaims this good news stand-ing in the wood framed doorway that leads from the dining room to the kitchen of her Grove Street home. Her name isViolet; with her sisters Madeline and Rose, together they have always been known to us all as "the aunts."

The aunts gave birth to a family holiday tradition, which we have come to call the annual niece and nephew dinner.While I've never asked any of them why they decided that it would be a good idea for them to bring together 18 or soof their brothers' and sisters' children and their spouses once a year for an afternoon of family fellowship, I have a theo-ry.

There has always been a very strong and loving bond among the aunts and all of us cousins. I include the husbandsand wives as part of our direct relationship because this family is so close that there can be no distinction. The rela-tionship that the aunts have always had with us goes well beyond the obligatory birthday card or Christmas present.These extraordinary women immersed themselves into our lives and were active participants in our childhoods and aswe became young adults. They helped mold us into the people we are today. As we grew up and started lives and fam-ilies of our own, the cousins drifted a bit apart and didn't see each other as much, if at all, during the year. The aunts,in their usual selfless manner, wanted to see us all together at least once a year to catch up with one another and sharelife's ups and downs. And, while this certainly isn't their motivation, it provides us all a chance to express our thanksand love for these special ladies.

This mini family reunion is carried out in the usual aunts' fashion meaning that everything is carried out withextreme care right down to the smallest detail. There is no mistaking that this event is about the affection that theyhave for their family. There are handwritten invitations and individually wrapped favors at each place setting.Homemade ravioli and meatballs and wine served in a small carafe highlight the meal. Auntie Rose's world famousdessert and fresh perked coffee serves as a reminder for us to save room. "Come on, eat! We've got plenty. Bill, you'llhave more, right? Sure, you'll have more!" The wine flows much like the Sinatra and Bing Crosby coming from theold-style radio sitting on the shelf in the kitchen where it's always rested.

As the afternoon progresses, I become absorbed in the picture of which I'm very fortunate to be a part. I look aroundthe small but comfortable room and think of the many rich memories we all have of this house. I take in this scene withall of my senses. I see smiles and hear laughter. There's no bickering or hard feelings. I feel the warmth of what a gen-uinely loving and caring family is; and I can taste the wonderful food, not only that which is before us but all of themeals we've enjoyed here over the years. Most memorable are gramma's Sunday macaroni lunches after church, com-plete with fresh Bonazinga bread.

Much has changed over the years. We've lost loved ones in our lives, even auntie Rose. I can't believe that it's beenten years. I think of her often, not only on the day of our annual dinner but whenever I'm at the house with aunts Viand Mal. The three of them were inseparable, making it nearly impossible to see the two without my thoughts turningtoward the third. A fourth sister, and just as special of an aunt, Faith, now shares New Year's Day with us. She takes agood-natured ribbing from us as she tries to keep our "orders" straight while playing the part of waitress.

In the end, this dinner is so much more than a meal. It's a celebration of family and tradition in an age where thosetwo things are nearly extinct. It's about the remarkable giving spirit of these aunts who themselves live life to thefullest and in many ways are people for others, bringing light to the lives of the many they touch throughout the year.So from all of us to you, aunts Vi, Mal, Faith and Rose, much love and thanks for all that you have meant to us andcontinue to mean to us and our families, now and always. Boun Natale!

Announcing The Book SellerThe Book Seller is a wonderful new book store at the Wallingford PublicLibrary. Gently used books, CDs, DVDs, videos and other materials areavailable for children, young adults, and adults. For the month of December,all holiday items are two for the price of one. In January, we will be havingour "snow day special" offering paperback books at 3 for $1.00, a great timeto stock up for winter! The store is located in back of the library, look for thegreen awning. Hours are Mondays 10:00 to 6:00, Wednesdays 1:00 to 8:00and Saturdays 10:00 to 2:00. Book donations are taken upstairs duringlibrary hours, or large donations can be taken on Tuesdays and Thursdays.For information, call the library at 203-265-6754.

Page 26 December 2009

This edition of “The People’s Press, Your Town, Your News, YourViews” serves the needs of the communities of Wallingford and Meriden,Connecticut. For safety reasons we do not publish the last name ofartists/writers under the age of 15. 5% of all annual net proceeds aredonated in kind or in financial donation to local charities and organiza-tions.This newspaper is not affiliated with any other newspaper.

Publishers: Andrew& Dawn Reynoldspeoplespress@peoplespressnews.com

Managing Editor Dawn A. N.-Reynoldsdawnwork@peoplespressnews.com

Copy Editor Dawn A. N.-Reynoldsdawnwork@peoplespressnews.com

Advertising Andy Reynolds andy@peoplespressnews.com

Web Site Web Solutions, LLCWriters YOU WRITE IT....WE PRINT IT!!!

“The People’s Press, Your Town, Your News, Your Views”publications are published by:

DNA, LLCP.O. Box 4459, Yalesville CT 06492

peoplespress@peoplespressnews.comwww.peoplespressnews.com • Phone (203) 235-9333

Advertising (203) 235-9333 • Fax Number (203) 294.8808The People's Press,Your Town, Your News, Your Views and all versions

or portions of said name are ©Copyright DNA,LLC. 1999-2009 All Text,Logos, Images and other content in print, web or in any way or form are©Copyright DNA, LLC 1999-2009 All Rights Reserved

The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher andDNA, LLC. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisements orsubmissions. All items contained herein, including advertisements or portionsthereof, may not be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the writtenconsent of the publisher. All submissions whether by mail, fax, email or anyother means become the property of The People’s Press and DNA, LLC andmay be used in any media it so chooses. By submitting to this paper you agreeto these terms and release The People’s Press and DNA, LLC from any finan-cial obligations or notifications for any future use of any of said submissions.

The People’s Press will make every effort to see that all advertising copy iscorrectly printed. The publisher assumes no responsibility for typographicalerrors in advertising, advertising inadvertently left out; but will gladly reprint,without charge, that part of an advertisement is which any error may haveoccurred, provided that a claim is made within five days of publication. Thepublisher takes no responsibility for statements or claims made in any adver-tisement. Any copy or images designed or developed by The People’s Press are©Copyright DNA,LLC and may not be used in any other medium. All RightsReserved By advertising within The People’s Press, you agree to these terms.

SSTTOONNEE WWAALLLL BBOOUUNNDDAARRIIEESS,,LLLLCCSURVEYING & MAPPING

PPAAUULL BBUUCCKKLLEEYY RREEYYNNOOLLDDSSPROFESSIONAL LLAND SSURVEYOR

** Boundary SSurveys

** Historical DDeed RResearch

** Construction LLayouts

** Specialized MMapping

A Land Surveyor Dedicated To Fulfilling The Needs Of The Property Owner

203-889-8564P.O. BOX 4256 YALESVILLE, CT 06492

Good fences make goodneighbors...Surveys from

Stone Wall Boundaries, LLCmake even better ones.

PRAYER TO The Blessed Virgin: Neverknown to fail. Oh most beautiful power ofMt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor ofHeaven, Blessed Mother of the Son ofGod, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in mynecessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me andshow me that you are my mother. Oh HolyMary, Mother of God, Queen of Heavenand earth, I humbly seek you from the bot-tom of my heart to secure me in my neces-sity. (Make your request). There are nonethat can withstand your pwer. Oh Mary,conceived without sin, pray for us whohave recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary,I place this prayer in your hands (3 times).Say this prayer for three consecutive daysand then you must publish it and it will begranted to you. Grateful Thanks. S.B.

ROCK OUT! HAVE FUN!PLAY DRUMS!

DRUM LESSONSAttention Parents I give your

child focus & confidence!Students are welcome from beginner to advanced byJon Peckman, author of the nationally renownedbook “Picture Yourself Drumming.” Lessons areheld conviently in the center of Wallingford.

Call 203.537.4112 or visitwww.myspace.com/jonpeckman

For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmasmeans fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.~W.J. Ronald TuckerEven as an adult I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excite-ment is a potent caffeine, no matter your age. ~Carrie Latet

Does Anyone Have A Box Truck?All of us at Master's Manna continue to pray for a 10 - 14 foot box truck which is desperately needed for food pick upsat the Connecticut Food Bank. It is very difficult to coordinate these tasks as efficiently as we'd like to without a Truck.

Masters Manna serve's the Communities of Wallingford ,and 10 other Communities in the area.The Pantry is open 3days a week from 9- Noon Tuesdays, 9-noon Thursdays and on Fridays 4 PM-8PM. and for all other community busi-ness between 9 AM-4 PM Weekdays Serving over 300 families a week during Pantry hours and growing. Its one ofthe largest Food Pantry's in New Haven County.

So if you have a Box Truck that is a few years old and in good condition .This holiday season you can donate for agood community cause. Please contact Masters Manna Food Pantry at 203-678-3042 Monday Through Fridays .Orstop in at 45 North Plains Industrial Road here in Wallingford during our open hours 9 AM-4 PM Monday ThroughFriday's .You will be contributing in helping others in need in these hard times ahead.

MOCKTAILS & MOREWith the holidays quickly approaching, it's time to entertain. Are you looking for a special drink or appetizer thateveryone can enjoy? The Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council has their annual MOCKTAILS &MORE booklet ready with all new recipes to add to your holiday parties. All of the drink recipes are alcohol free andhave been contributed by local friends and colleagues of the Council.

For a free copy of the booklet you can call 203-294-3591 or email mawsac@aol.com. The recipes are on theMAWSAC website at www.mawsac.org. The Council reminds our friends that if you drink this holiday season, drinkresponsibly and make this a healthy and safe time for everyone.Here are a few recipes you can try:HOT CHICKEN SALAD3 cups cooked chicken, diced¾ tsp. salt1 ¼ cups mayonnaise2 ¼ tbsp. Onion, chopped3 tbsp. Lemon juice¾ cups almonds, sliced3 cups celery, diced1 cup cheese, grated2 cups potato chips, crushedMix all ingredients, except cheese and potato chips. Place in baking dish, top with cheese and potato chips. Bake for10 minutes or so in a 450 degree oven. This is a very flexible dish and amounts can be increased or decreased.NOTE: With a salad and hot rolls, it makes a very satisfying meal and can be made ahead and refrigerated and poppedinto the oven when needed.MOLDED CRANBERRY WALDORF SALAD2 cups hot water1 large pkg. Lemon Jello1 pint Cranberry Cocktail½ tsp. salt2 cups chopped apples1 cup chopped celery1/2 cup nuts, broken (Walnuts, Pecans)Mayonnaise for garnish, OptionalDissolve gelatin in water; add cranberry juice and salt; chill until partially set; stir in apples, celery and nuts; pour into2 quart mold. Chill until set.NOTE: For a fluffy dressing for fruit salad, blend 1 cup of softened vanilla ice cream with 3 tablespoons of mayon-naise.Elaine Murphy - MAWSAC B.A.B.E.S. Volunteer

Freshing Raspberry Daiquiri

2 ounces Sweet & Sour mix2 ounces Sierra Mist Soda4 ounces of Raspberry pureeWhipped cream.

Place ingredients in blender and addice Mix until desired thickness. Pour into a tall glass and top withwhipped cream.

Craig TurnerWallingford Youth and SocialServices

Page 27 December 2009

From All Of Your Friends At Hazelwood Excavating!

ScreenedTop Soil

Mulch &Colored

Mulch

BestSeptic

CleaningComplete Residential & Commercial ExcavationsSeptic Systems, Cleaned, Installed & RepairedWater & Sewer Connections - Installed & RepairedScreened Topsoil & Grading

Call 2203.269.0135

Santa’s got nothing on Grandma Rosebud! Yes, Roz Gallagher, we meanyou. Christmas besos to the best grandmother in Wallingford. Love you,Jameson and Charlotte. xoxo

Celebrations

New England Turkey with the best host ever! Donnie Porto

Celebrations

Photo by Amanda Kelley

To advertise with Wallingford and Meridens Community NewsMagazine, ThePeople's Press - Call Andy Reynolds at 203.235.9333 or email him atandy@peoplespressnews.com. Experience the power of positive for the read-ers and writers you will sponsor as well as the return on your investment.Check out the paper in its many forms at www.peoplespressnews.com!

Page 28 December 2009

MM EE RR II DD EE NN FF EE EE DDFARM • GARDEN • PET SUPPLIES

846 Old Colony Rd., Meriden 203-237-4414

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

$180400 Gallon Pond Kit

Includes pump, filter, foun-tain, and liner. Reg. $240

Buy One...Get One

5500%% OOFFFFDOG, CAT & BIRD TOYS

$$55 OOFFFFANY BIRD FEEDER

PURCHASE OF $30 ORMORE

$$55 OOFFFFANY DOG BED

PURCHASE OF $30 ORMORE

GGiiffttCerificatesfor tthe ppet

lover iin yyourlife.

$25.99BS ADULT DOG 40LBCOMPARE TO IAMS &

PURINA ONE!

$$4400FRONTLINE PLUS

ANY 3 MONTH PACK

$$4422..9999NUTRO LAMB & RICEORIG ADULT 35LBS

$$1155..9999SONGMAKER WILD BIRD

SEEDOR BLACK OIL 40LB

$$99..9999THISTLE SEED 10LB

$$88..9999ASPEN SONG

VALUE BLEND 30LB

$$1111..9999HEATH SUET CAKES

CASE OF 12EA(D4,15,14&18)

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

WITH COUPON, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. CAN-NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER.SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. EXPIRES 12/31/09

1107 Havover Avenue, South Meriden203.634.9811

Limit one coupon per customer. No other couponsor discounts apply. Coupon must be submitted for

this offer. Coupon expires 12/31/09

The Bronze Wash

$2.00 OFF!!Regular Price - $8.00

Includes: Exterior Wash and Towel Dry

AMAZING SAVINGS!

Limit one coupon per customer. No other couponsor discounts apply. Coupon must be submitted for

this offer. Coupon expires 12/31/09

The Gold Wash

$2.00 OFF!!Regular Price - $14.00 Includes:

Exterior Wash, Under Carriage Wash, Wheel Brite, SealerWax, Triple Foam and Towel Dry

HUGE SAVINGS!

Limit one coupon per customer. No other couponsor discounts apply. Coupon must be submitted for

this offer. Coupon expires 12/31/09

The Silver Wash

$2.00 OFF!!Regular Price - $9.00

Includes: Exterior Wash, Under Carriage Wash and Towel Dry

INCREDIBLE SAVINGS!

Limit one coupon per customer. No other couponsor discounts apply. Coupon must be submitted for

this offer. Coupon expires 12/31/09

The Wheel Deal

$2.00 OFF!!Regular Price - $11.00

Includes: Exterior Wash, Under Carriage Wash, WheelBrite, Sealer Wax and Towel Dry

FANTASTIC SAVINGS!

Limit one coupon per customer. No other couponsor discounts apply. Coupon must be submitted for

this offer. Coupon expires 12/31/09

Interior-Exterior Detail

$5.00 OFF!!Includes:

Vacuum, Vinyl Cleaning, Shampoo Carpets and Window Cleaning

CAN’T BEAT THESAVINGS!

Limit one coupon per customer. No other couponsor discounts apply. Coupon must be submitted for

this offer. Coupon expires 12/31/09

Bumper to Bumper Detail

$15.00 OFF!!Includes: Exterior Wash, Wax, Vacuum, Vinyl Cleaning,

Shampoo Carpets and Window Cleaning! Monday -Friday Only

THE WORKS AT THIS PRICE?