OLD LYME — Play Beach Blanket Bingo Wednesday evening, Aug. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at White Sand Beach.
This event is hosted by Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB).
Bring your beach blanket, chairs and bug spray. No food will be served.
This event is open to all Lyme and Old Lyme families.
Check LymeLine.com or the LYSB website after 5 p.m. on the day of the event for possible weather postponement.
Spring is here and the birds are very busy building nests, changing color and visiting bird feeders! Do you every wonder where they nest and how the new birds get here every year? Are you interested in learning how to use binoculars? Or a field guide? Then join us for this exciting program at the Lyme Public Library from Saturday, August 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The Roger Tory Peterson CT Audubon Society’s Estuary Center will present a Birding Basics program on August 14th at 10:30 am. In this family-friendly program, participants will learn how to practice bird identification skills using sound, field guides and phone apps. Then we will take a walk and put those skills into practice!
The program will be outdoors rain or shine! We’ll have a limited number of binoculars but feel free to bring your own. Each participant will receive a copy of the bird guide, Backyard Birds, A Field Guide for Young Naturalists, to help identify birds we see while we are birding.
The program is suitable for ages 6 and up and is limited to 12 children, each child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (for a total of 24 participants).
The program will be led by one of CT Audubon Society’s trained teacher-naturalists. Common Connecticut Birds to be on the lookout for in your backyard are: American Goldfinch, American Robin, Baltimore Oriole, Barn Swallow, Black-Capped Chickadee, and the Cardinal just to name a few.
Contact: Theresa Conley : 860-434-2272 or [email protected] []
On Sunday, Aug. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m., the Old Lyme Town Band will present a free concert on the Old Lyme South Town Green in front of Christ the King Catholic Church Rectory.
Co-sponsored by the Old Lyme Historical Society, the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Old Lyme Library, the Florence Griswold Museum, the Old Lyme Historic District Commission, and the Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce, this concert has become a eagerly-awaited summer tradition.
Bring a chair, sit down and listen to the music!
Free ice cream from the Old Lyme Ice Cream Shoppe will be served at intermission, courtesy of the sponsors.
This year the Band marks its 46th anniversary. Concert-goers will be treated to selections from Harry James, Dixieland Front and Center, I Dreamed a Dream, Classical Rondo, and other arrangements.
The rain-date for the concert is Aug. 22.
Parking is available in the Church parking lot.
Come enjoy a Sunday afternoon musical event guaranteed to appeal to all ages.
LYME — A very large patch of invasive European water chestnut was discovered last week in a remote location in Whalebone Cove in Lyme that can only be reached by canoe or kayak at high tide.
On Sunday, Aug. 15, the Friends of Whalebone Cove (FOWC) are organizing a ‘Paddle & Pull’ volunteer work party to remove the water chestnut starting at 3:30 p.m. Anyone who has a kayak, canoe or boat is welcome to join the work party. Bring a water bottle, life jacket/PFD and sun block.
The Paddle & Pull will last about two hours. Meet at the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry Boat Launch (east shore), Ferry Rd. (Rte. 148), Lyme, CT 06371.
In the past several years, FOWC has managed to control the spread of European water chestnut in Whalebone Cove and seeks to prevent it from becoming established, because if that should happen, it will change the Cove’s ecology and destroy its natural habitat eco-systems on which species that live in the area rely to survive.
This invasive creates a canopy on the water surface that crowds out native plants and destroys habitat for turtles, fish, birds and other animals. It decreases the oxygen in the water that fish need to survive. Its rosettes cover entire coves and ponds impeding fishing, hunting, swimming and boating, while also killing native plants that birds and marine wildlife need for survival.
Once established, European water chestnut is difficult to control. It can, however, be eradicated and prevented from spreading by removing plants before they have a chance to drop their seeds, which usually starts in late August.
This type of water chestnut has invaded and taken over many other locations in the Connecticut River.
There will be additional “paddle & pull” work parties scheduled later in the summer.
For more details, email [email protected]
Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) is partnering with Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) and Griffin Hospital to hold pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout the summer.
The Towns of Lyme and Old Lyme are both members of LLHD.
No appointment, insurance, or ID is needed.
Get vaccinated and get a free $20 gift card as a thank you for doing your part to protect yourself and your community.
The list of currently scheduled clinics is available on the LLHD website; additional clinics will be added. Community members are encouraged to check the website and social media, and to look for the vaccination teams in their neighborhood.
Currently scheduled clinics include:
- Tue, Aug. 17:
3:30 to 6:30 p.m., New London Elks Club, 81 Washington Street, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+) - Wed, Aug. 18:
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., New London Senior Center, Corner of Brainard and Mercer Streets, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+) - Thu, Aug. 19:
5 to 7 p.m., Jennings School, 50 Mercer Street, New London Pfizer 12+, Moderna or J&J 18+) - Tues, Aug. 24:
3 to 6 p.m., City of Groton Farmers’ Market, corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets, Washington Park, Groton (Pfizer 12+, Moderna or J&J 18+) - Wed, Sept. 1:
5-7pm, Eat in the Streets, Bank Street, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+)
Visit www.llhd.org or follow LLHD on social media for additional clinic announcements.
LYME — On Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. Lyme Public Library hosts a Zoom presentation by David Handler on his latest novel titled, The Man Who Wasn’t All There.
This most recent installment of his Edgar Award-winning Stewart Hoag mystery series, set in 1990s’ New York, sees the ghostwriter-sleuth and his faithful basset hound Lulu inadvertently make a dangerous enemy.
Set in Lyme and Old Lyme in the 1990s, The Man Who Wasn’t All There will transport you to local landmarks like Joshuatown Rd, Lyme Public Library and the Old Lyme-PGN Library through the eyes of celebrity-ghostwriter ‘Hoagy’ and his faithful basset hound Lulu, as they set about solving a double murder.
‘Hoagy’ and Lulu firmly believed they had come to an idyllic Connecticut farmhouse for a few days’ rest and relaxation but nothing could have been further from the truth.
Soon they unwittingly find themselves caught up in a strange, complex mystery …
Email [email protected] to register for this program.
Handler has written 12 novels about the witty and dapper celebrity ghostwriter Stewart Hoag and his basset hound, and is also the author of the Berger & Mitry and the Benji Golden mystery series.
Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) is partnering with Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) and Griffin Hospital to hold pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout the summer.
The Towns of Lyme and Old Lyme are both members of LLHD.
No appointment, insurance, or ID is needed.
Get vaccinated and get a free $20 gift card as a thank you for doing your part to protect yourself and your community.
The list of currently scheduled clinics is available on the LLHD website; additional clinics will be added. Community members are encouraged to check the website and social media, and to look for the vaccination teams in their neighborhood.
Currently scheduled clinics include:
- Tue, Aug. 17:
3:30 to 6:30 p.m., New London Elks Club, 81 Washington Street, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+) - Wed, Aug. 18:
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., New London Senior Center, Corner of Brainard and Mercer Streets, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+) - Thu, Aug. 19:
5 to 7 p.m., Jennings School, 50 Mercer Street, New London Pfizer 12+, Moderna or J&J 18+) - Tues, Aug. 24:
3 to 6 p.m., City of Groton Farmers’ Market, corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets, Washington Park, Groton (Pfizer 12+, Moderna or J&J 18+) - Wed, Sept. 1:
5-7pm, Eat in the Streets, Bank Street, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+)
Visit www.llhd.org or follow LLHD on social media for additional clinic announcements.
Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) is partnering with Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) and Griffin Hospital to hold pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout the summer.
The Towns of Lyme and Old Lyme are both members of LLHD.
No appointment, insurance, or ID is needed.
Get vaccinated and get a free $20 gift card as a thank you for doing your part to protect yourself and your community.
The list of currently scheduled clinics is available on the LLHD website; additional clinics will be added. Community members are encouraged to check the website and social media, and to look for the vaccination teams in their neighborhood.
Currently scheduled clinics include:
- Tue, Aug. 17:
3:30 to 6:30 p.m., New London Elks Club, 81 Washington Street, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+) - Wed, Aug. 18:
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., New London Senior Center, Corner of Brainard and Mercer Streets, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+) - Thu, Aug. 19:
5 to 7 p.m., Jennings School, 50 Mercer Street, New London Pfizer 12+, Moderna or J&J 18+) - Tues, Aug. 24:
3 to 6 p.m., City of Groton Farmers’ Market, corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets, Washington Park, Groton (Pfizer 12+, Moderna or J&J 18+) - Wed, Sept. 1:
5-7pm, Eat in the Streets, Bank Street, New London (Moderna or J&J, 18+)
Visit www.llhd.org or follow LLHD on social media for additional clinic announcements.
LYME/OLD LYME — On Thursday, Aug. 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) and the Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition will be hosting a free Narcan and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training session.
NARCAN (naloxone) is an opiate antidote. Opioids include heroin and prescription pain pills such as oxycodone, codeine and morphine. NARCAN is a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose.
NARCAN® Nasal Spray may counteract the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose. Since most accidental overdoses occur in a home setting, it was developed for first responders, as well as family, friends, and caregivers—with no medical training required. Its characteristics are:
- Needle-free
- Designed for ease-of-use in the community setting
- Inhalation not required
The Narcan training from 6:30 to 7 p.m. will provide participants with knowledge about overdose prevention strategies, administering Narcan, and support information and resources. Each participant will go home with a free Narcan kit.
The QPR portion from 7 to 8 p.m. will help participants learn the three steps to help save a life, warning signs of a suicide crisis, how to respond, and where to go for resources and support.
These sessions will be held at Old Lyme’s Memorial Town Hall. Register for one or both training sessions at this link.
Data indicates that emergency personnel are seeing a slight uptick in overdose calls in our region with state and national data showing that the pandemic has contributed to this rise.
Every week in the US, an average of 20 people die from a drug overdose, and eight by suicide. Accidental overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, and suicide is the 10th leading cause of death.
This training is crucial if you ever find yourself in the position to save a life. It will be facilitated by staff from SERAC (Supporting and Engaging Resources for Action and Change).
For more information about the training sessions, visit this link.
OLD LYME — The Florence Griswold Museum hosts a special, free, online talk titled, Beyond The Mural: Political Art to Empower and Effect Change, tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. The talk will be given by Mary Kordak, Professor of Art History at the University of New Haven and followed by a Q & A facilitated by Jac Lahav, Secretary, PARJE (Public Art for Racial Justice Education) and Amy Kurtz Lansing, Curator of the Florence Griswold Museum.
Moving past the common misconception that public art is “all about murals”, Kordak will talk about more experimental public artworks. She will discuss cutting-edge art projects led by cultural leaders like Ai Weiwei, Kehinde Wiley as well as the Chicano Muralist Movement, and public/community art of young Yemeni Artists.
While these disparate artists/movements have racial or ethnic components, they also contain strong elements of social and economic disparity.
This talk will introduce audiences to contemporary public artists and how public art can be a springboard for effecting real change.
This lecture is part of a series “Arts & Advocacy: Methods to Spark Positive Change Through Art” and made possible by the State of Connecticut and the National Endowment for the Humanities, both of which provide significant support to Connecticut Humanities.
All are welcome to this virtual talk.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.c
Michela Wrong presents,
“Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad“
When: Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 4:00 p.m. (NOTE: earlier time than usual due to speaker’s location in England)
Where: Online on Zoom. Register in advance to receive the link via email.
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: Michela Wrong, author and journalist
The Topic: “Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad,” based on Wrong’s book of the same name, available for purchase from local bookstore Bank Square Books.
In the wake of the 1994 genocide, Rwanda under President Paul Kagame has been hailed as a model of a modern African state: spotlessly clean, well-run and scoring impressively on every development index. A new book by writer Michela Wrong challenges this portrayal, highlighting instead a long history of violence by Rwanda’s ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front and the extraordinary lengths to which it goes to hunt down perceived enemies abroad.
She tells the story through the men and women who have known Kagame since childhood, who befriended, fought, and worked alongside him only to eventually fall out and be dubbed enemies of the state. The picture she paints suggests a fundamental reassessment of Kagame’s legacy and the West’s relationship with authoritarian regimes in Africa is long overdue.
Michela Wrong has spent nearly three decades writing about Africa, first as a Reuters correspondent based in Cote d’Ivoire and former Zaire, and then as the Financial Times Africa correspondent, based in Kenya. From journalism, she moved into book-writing.
Previous books include “In the Footsteps of
Mr. Kurtz”, the story of Mobutu Sese Seko, “I Didn’t do it for You”, focussing on Eritrea, “It’s Our Turn to Eat”, an examination of Kenyan corruption, and “Borderlines”, a novel set in the Horn of Africa. Her latest book, “Do Not Disturb”, is a scathing assessment of the Rwandan Patriotic Front and President Paul Kagame. She is based in London.
OLD LYME — The Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center (RTPEC) invites you to ‘make a beeline’ to their new home at 100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme (the former Bee & Thistle Inn) for an event this Friday, Sept. 10, to benefit RTPEC.
The event will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and will include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres by Chef Ani, a silent auction and a live auction led by world renowned Senior Auctioneer C. Hugh Hildesley,
who has conducted some of Sotheby’s most prestigious sales, including the Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis Sale and the Property of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Click here to view live auction items.
Purchase tickets at $150 per person here
The event is being held outdoors and CDC Covid Protocols will apply.
Even with the event outside, it is requested that attendees be vaccinated.
OLD LYME — The Old Lyme Republican Town Committee’s (OLRTC) annual picnic returns this year Sunday, Sept. 12, with a festive and family-friendly barbecue from 3 to 6 p.m. at picturesque Griswold Point.
“Sunset on the Sound,” the committee’s annual picnic fundraiser, features a barbecue feast, live music provided by the String of Pearls band, and a silent auction.
Visit with your neighbors, meet the endorsed candidates for this November’s town elections, and hear from local and state officials and dignitaries.
Special invited guests include Mike France, Republican Congressional candidate for the 2nd District; Themis Klarides, former Connecticut House minority leader; Ben Proto, Connecticut GOP chair; and Bob Stefanowski, 2018 Republican gubernatorial candidate. It’s a delightful way to spend a late summer afternoon, with a view of the Sound.
Tickets for “Sunset on the Sound” are $50 per person, and may be purchased at the OLRTC website www.oldlymertc.org; or call Tammy Hinckley at 860-598-4375. Families are welcome — children 13 and under are admitted free.
This is a COVID-sensitive, outdoor event; the picnic will be held rain or shine.
For more information, visit www.oldlymertc.org.
OLD LYME — In March 2021, a group of interested residents of Lyme and Old Lyme met on Zoom to plan the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG), a garden dedicated to growing and donating all produce to local food pantries. As the end of summer draws near, the group is delighted to share their progress and invite readers to visit the site.
The LOLFSG will be holding two Open House/Work Sessions on two upcoming Saturdays, Sept. 18 and Sept. 25 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the garden, which is located behind the field house and playground at Town Woods Park. All are welcome.
Jim Ward, who conceived the original idea for the garden and has been the driving force behind its development, explained, “Board members are anxious and excited to share the progress we have made in establishing the garden and look forward to answering any questions concerning our vision.”
In the months following the inaugural meeting, the LOLGSF participated in a crowdsourcing fundraiser sponsored by Sustainable CT in which 82 donors helped raise $8350. With $7500 of those funds being matched, the LOLFSG was able to purchase fencing materials and broke ground at Town Woods Park in June.
Ward commented enthusiastically, “Through the dedicated efforts of volunteers, an eight-foot deer fence has been erected, the installation of an irrigation system is in progress, three raised beds have been built and additional in-ground beds have been prepared. We are on track to plant and harvest our first crops in Spring 2022!”
As the number of LOLFSG members increases, volunteers of all ages are invited to join the organization. Ward invites readers to consider volunteering, visiting the garden, or continuing to support the LOLFSG financially.
He notes, “Our next steps are to complete the installation of the irrigation system, install electricity, erect a storage shed and garden (plant, weed, water, harvest). Updates and additional photos are available through Facebook, Instagram or at the LOLFSG website.”