OLD LYME — Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church in Old Lyme, Conn., will hold a community-wide discussion group on the book Waking Up White by Debby Irving on Thursday, March 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
In this book, Irving describes her “aha!” moment regarding the racial tensions she sensed in her life and in society. This moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan.
All are invited to join this discussion group, as these highly topical issues are explored. Share, listen, gain new insights, and make new friends.
The discussion will take place via Zoom. The Zoom link is on the home page of Saint Ann’s website at www.saintannsoldlyme.org.
Registration is not required.
For further information about this program, call 860-434-1621.
Saint Ann’s is an Episcopal parish in Old Lyme, CT that invites and welcomes visitors to this program. The church’s mission is to enrich the community and introduce visitors to the parish.
Saint Ann’s is located at 82 Shore Rd. (Rte. 156), two miles off I-95, Exit 70. Parking is adjacent to the church.
For information about the parish, contact Kathy Rowe at 860-434-1621, via email at [email protected], or visit Saint Ann’s online at www.saintannsoldlyme.org.
Saint Ann’s is a Level 2 Green House of Worship. This recognition is awarded by the CT Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN), a program of environmental stewardship that grants certificates of achievement for implementing eco-friendly measures in buildings and within congregations.
OLD LYME — Duck River Garden Club (DRGC) presents Spring Backyard Birding at 7 p.m., a virtual program about how to attract and support eastern bluebirds, ruby-throated hummingbirds and Baltimore orioles by Jessica Penfield of Wild Birds Unlimited, Old Saybrook.
This DRGC presentation is open to the public and requires advance registration.
Virtual socials take place at 6:30 p.m., presentations at 7 p.m., followed by a business meeting for members.
To register for this free program, call or email Karen Geisler, DRGC president, 860-434-5321, karen
Check DRGC’s website and the club’s public Duck River Garden Club of Old Lyme Facebook page for any changes to planned programs.
DRGC welcomes new members, who can join via the membership form on the website. For further information on membership, contact Karen Geisler. Attendance at DRGC virtual programs counts toward the required two meetings for prospective club members.
OLD LYME — Old Lyme Historical Society opens its Spring Lecture Series Wednesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. with a presentation by Markham Starr titled, In History’s Wake: The Last Trap Fishermen of Rhode Island.
This slideshow covers the last of the four floating trap fishing companies in Rhode Island. This fishery, going back over 150 years, once dominated the coastline, but was quickly abandoned with the advent of the modern trawler.
The presentation follows the four companies as they build and fish their unique floating traps, which were over 1,500’ long.
This is a free, virtual event. All are welcome.
Register at [email protected] to obtain the Zoom link.
Wednesday, April 7, 6:30 p.m.
“Share the Beach” is a free webinar hosted by the OL-PGN Library and presented by Shaun Roche, US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Sign up for the Zoom link at http://oldlymelibrary.org.
Winter scene by Joe Standart.
LYME — Join award-winning photographer Joe Standart on Wednesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. for a Zoom presentation featuring his photography of the natural world, and to celebrate the submissions and announce the winners for fall/winter season in the Lyme Land Trust’s photography program, Imagining Lyme.
Focusing first on his own luminous photographs, Standart will explain how site selection, composition, time of day, and light influence his creative process. His presentation will include landscape examples and highlights from his many years of experience photographing in Lyme and in remote landscapes in other parts of the world.
After his slideshow, Standart will announce the three photographs for the fall/winter season that best express a mood using light and the category for the spring season of Imaging Lyme will be announced and explained.
Sue Cope, Environmental Director of the Lyme Land Trust will moderate the program.
Standart is a Lyme Land Trust board member and an internationally-recognized photographer, who is well-known for his series of public art exhibits featuring monumental portraits of the diverse residents of New London, Litchfield, New Haven, Hartford, and other communities. His provocative exhibit, WE ARE-A Nation of Immigrants, was installed on the New Haven Green and surrounding buildings to act as a catalyst for honest dialog.
To register for the program, email [email protected]. You will be sent a link a few days before the Zoom event.
To see the showcase of all submitted photos go to: http://imagininglyme.org/galleries/
As part of the Imagining Lyme program, a walk with Joe Standart has been scheduled for May 1, 2021.
Local Community-Building Graphic Designers Share Tips with Youth
In a heavily visual and virtual world, good design and curation is key to making an impact.
On April 8, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library in partnership with Region 18 is offering Designing to Share, a panel for Youth audiences discussing the ins and outs of graphic design – particularly in the fields of arts, culture, and independent media.
The program features Juanita Austin, founder of Cultured AF, New London, CT and Andre Salkin, founder of @leftnortheast, Lyme-Old Lyme High School ’20. They will share how they got started, their current projects, and how their design skills have helped them accomplish their goals. The panel, Designing to Share, will be moderated by Nike Desis, Young Adult Librarian, Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library.
Discussion will also cover topics such as free design software, establishing an audience and a “look,” using and citing credible sources, with time for Q&A with the presenters.
Juanita Austin is a curator and cultural producer, born and raised in New London, Conn. A graduate from the University of Connecticut, with a B.A. in Digital Media & Design, she has served as a leader on many grassroots community arts initiatives and now runs her own arts collective, Cultured AF.
She’s passionate about building community and creating experiences that brings art into everyone’s lives. Cultured AF’s headquarters are located at Cultured Studios, a gallery, arts boutique, and community event space in downtown New London.
Austin notes, “My work centers on supporting underrepresented artists and creating safe and equitable spaces for those artists to thrive.”
Andre Salkin is a co-admin of the grassroots, journalistic, justice-centered resource for young people known as @leftnortheast on Instagram. Attracting 52K followers in less than a year, @leftnortheast is “committed to discourse, education, and solidarity.”
Currently studying journalism at Boston University since matriculating from L-OL High School in 2020, Salkin’s academic studies inform his social media output, and the rigorousness and success of his social media platform help inspire his studies.
Commenting on corporate ownership of media he says ”I think sources of alternative media … can have a huge impact on how people see the world.”
Desis comments, “Youth who are at all curious about the creation of helpful and inspiring graphics seen on social media – especially as a tool for grassroots community building- will have a unique opportunity to get behind the scenes with the founders of impactful arts and media platforms.” –
To attend or find about more about the program, contact Nike Desis at [email protected]
Thursday, April 8, 6:30pm:
“Butterflies: Monarchs, Migrations and Conservation” with Robert Pyle, Xerces Society Founder, interviewed by Evan Griswold.
Part of the free 2021 Connecticut River Lecture Series offered by the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center.
Register at https://www.ctaudubon.org/
Meeting ID: 882 1266 5835
Passcode: 838868
Membership of FOWC is: Single – $15; Household – $25. To renew or become a member, send payment to FOWC, PO Box 333, Hadlyme, CT 06439.For more information about membership, volunteering, or FOWC goals & mission, send email to: [email protected]
LOL Partnership for Social Justice & FCCOL Sponsor Zoom Presentation by Nationally Recognized Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE)™ Program Developed by Civil Rights Activists & Law Enforcement at Georgetown Law Center
LYME/OLD LYME – On Sunday, Apr. 11, at 5 p.m., residents from across Connecticut are invited to participate in a conversation via Zoom on creating stronger police department cultures through the Georgetown Law Center’s nationally recognized Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE)™ program.
The conversation, which will take place on Zoom, is being sponsored by the Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice and the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme (FCCOL).
All are welcome to register for this free program by sending an email to [email protected]. Zoom invitations will be sent out Saturday, April 10.
Building upon a training developed by Dr. Ervin Staub, the founding director of a program on the psychology of peace and violence at the University of Massachusetts, ABLE was developed by academics, civil rights activists and police officers working together to explore innovative and evidence-based ways to reduce harmful behavior.
The ABLE program leverages social science and real-world experience to teach practical skills to intervene in another officer’s conduct in order to prevent misconduct (be it an unlawful search or a knee on a neck), reduce mistakes, and promote officer-health and -wellness. In doing so, ABLE seeks to instill a culture within police departments where it becomes the norm to intervene before harm takes place.
Other professions, including the medical profession, already have benefited from similar training, but it has never been applied to law enforcement – until now.
In announcing the event, FCCOL Senior Minister Rev. Steve Jungkeit said, “As the murder of George Floyd once again enters the news cycle, there is renewed interest in measures to prevent police violence. One quite promising model for reform can be found in ABLE.”
While the program has been operational in New Orleans since 2016 under a different name, ABLE was given a national stage by Georgetown University Law Center and the global law firm Sheppard Mullin LLP in late 2020. The first national ABLE training took place in September 2020, and in the months that followed, more than 100 agencies have committed to the program, including Boston, the New York City Police Department and Old Lyme.
Panelists expected to speak during the presentation include:
- Jonathan Aronie, Partner, Sheppard Mullin; Chair, ABLE Project Board of Advisors
- Brett Parson, Lieutenant, DC Metropolitan Police Officer (retired); Lead Training Instructor, ABLE Project
- Greg Guiton, Director of Strategic Partnerships, FBI National Academy; Captain, Ocean City Police Department (retired)
- Greg Hanna, Captain, Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Police (retired)
- Deirdre Jones, Deputy Chief and LGBTQ Liaison, Cleveland Division of Police
- John Thomas, Deputy Chief, Field Operations, New Orleans Police Department
- Matt Weber, Resident State Trooper, Old Lyme
“The ABLE Project was created to ensure every police officer in the United States has the opportunity to receive meaningful, effective active bystandership training while helping law enforcement agencies transform their approach to policing,” said Professor Christy Lopez, co director of Georgetown Law’s Innovative Policing Program, which runs ABLE.
She added, “Having duty-to intervene policies on the books isn’t enough. Building a police culture that supports and sustains the successful use of proven peer intervention strategies is key to preventing harm.”
During the community conversation, residents will be able to learn about the origin of the program, hear from civil rights activists, who shaped the program, and from police departments that have adopted it, and learn about ways to bring this important training to Connecticut communities.
Wednesday, April 14:
“Pollinator-Friendly Lawns”
Join a free webinar with garden author Tom Christopher, host of Growing Greener podcasts.
Sponsored by Pollinate Old Lyme!
Zoom link to be provided after April 10.
Sign up at [email protected]
OLD LYME — Zoom signups are now open for a free presentation on Pollinator-Friendly Lawns with Tom Christopher. All are welcome to the presentation, which begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14.
Email [email protected] to request the Zoom link.
Eileen Hunt Botting presents“The Politics of Epidemics, from Thucydides to Mary Shelley to COVID-19”
When: Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Registration required. The link to join us will be emailed with your registration confirmation. We will be using Zoom meetings. https://scwac.
If you are new to Zoom virtual meetings and would like to learn more about how to join us, visit zoom.us for more information. Also, feel free to call us at 860-912-5718 for technical advice prior to the event. We will not be able to resolve issues during the meeting. A link to the recording will be shared via email following the meeting.
Presenter: Eileen Hunt Botting, University of Notre Dame
The Topic: Eileen Hunt Botting will review our perceptions of pandemics through the writings of Greek historian and general Thucydides (of “The History of the Peloponnesian War” fame), Mary Shelley (of “Frankenstein” and “The Last Man” fame), and more contemporary writers like Mike Davis (“The Monster at Our Door” and “The Monster Enters”). In her recent essay in “Current History”, Professor Botting points out that plague has been “depicted as escalating within wider and deeper patterns of human social and political conflict”, arguing that “we ought to pause and consider the responses of past thinkers to the contagions that beset them”. In this way, perhaps, we may, to paraphrase Georges Santayana, avoid repeating past mistakes by learning from history, rather than being condemned to repeat it.
You can access her essay HERE.
Cost: Free for members, guests $20
OLD LYME — The Old Lyme Historical Society presents the second lecture in its Spring Series, Wednesday, April 14 at 7 p.m.
Markham Starr presents, “Down on the Farm: The Last Dairy Farms of North Stonington.’ At the end of WWII, there were over 4000 dairy farms in Connecticut. Currently there are less than 100 farms still making milk commercially. This talk follows the operation of four family-owned farms thoughout the course of a year.
For log in info email the OLHS.
Follow-up Work Party
Saturday, April 17
Join volunteers on the old bridge access road between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
(Rain date Saturday, April 24th)
Come help detangle the wooded lot next to the old bridge abutment off Halls Road. Bring gloves, clippers, loppers, rakes, and hand-saws and be ready to do some bush-whacking.
Wear your protective clothing, & use tick repellant, it’s a jungle in there!
In the fall of 2018, the Halls Road Improvements Committee began the work to remove trash and untangle the wooded lot leading to the old bridge abutment on the Lieutenant River. It’s time to finish the project near the river and collect up any litter in the lot.
This is a fun way to get to know your neighbors and contribute to the efforts of Halls Road improvements.
Work in small socially-distanced groups, with masks on, to pull all the dead wood, trash, and invasive plants out to the access road.
Later, Old Lyme Public Works crew will dispose of the piles and do any final chain-sawing needed.
Saturday, April 17,
10:30 am:
“Forest Bathing along the Artists’ Trail”
Enjoy an outdoor experience with certified forest bathing guide Regan Stacey at the Florence Griswold Museum, ($45, for on-site event).
Register at https://
Nip the Knotweed with Master Gardener, Suzanne Thompson
Join Gardener/Writer Suzanne Thompson in her Nip the Knotweed campaign – an organic method of starving back the encroaching plants and releasing and reintroducing desired native plants and ecosystems. Taking on Japanese Knotweed this way can be therapeutic exercise and a good reason to get out into nature.
“Nip the Knotweed” is a free webinar offered by the Old Lyme-PGN Library.
Sign up for the Zoom link at http://oldlymelibrary.org.
Thursday, April 22:
Earth Day!
Get in on the count with CT Audubon’s annual Backyard BioBlitz and help count nature’s species including birds, insects, fungi, and plants with iNaturalist ID app.
Learn more at www.ctaudubon.org
OLD LYME — This meeting will include the continuation of the Public Hearing regarding Big Y’s gas station/convenience store proposal at 99 Halls Rd. and 25 Neck Rd.,