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Champs

Members of the championship Putnam Co-Ed Volleyball League, the Jolie Netters celebrate the title, left to right: Brent Leveille, Dillon Roberts, Shawn Jolie, Kayla Jolie and Ashley Hayes.  Courtesy photo

 

 

 

 

By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to Crystal DiZazzo and members of the Putnam Rotoract Club.  Last week they threw a party a J.D. Cooper’s to raise money for a scholarship.  It turned out to be one of the best attended “guest bartender” events the area has witnessed in many moons.

Dan Gagnon, who starred at Pomfret School in basketball and baseball, is enjoying success in baseball on the collegiate level with the Lasell College Lasers.  The sophomore standout starts at shortstop for the Lasers who are 16-9 overall and in second place in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference with a league record of 10-4.

Gagnon, who also played summer baseball for the Danielson American Legion, is having an outstanding year with the bat as he leads Lasell in many offensive categories.  He currently sports a .341 batting average and a .408 slugging percentage, while having the most hits, doubles, walks, extra base hits and stolen bases.

In the classroom Gagnon is majoring in Athletic Training.  Lasell, which is located in Newton, Mass., is a Division III school.

Putnam Volleyball League Concludes Successful Season

Putnam Co-Ed Volleyball League Commissioner Gordie Mauer sends word that the fall to spring competition recently concluded its season by crowning the Jolie Netters league champs.  According to Mauer, the league which is run under the auspices of the Putnam Recreation Department and plays every Tuesday evening at the Putnam Middle School featured six teams this season.

Thanks to the solid net play of Dillon Roberts and Ashley Hayes and the serves of Kayla Jolie the Netters persevered over the rest of the competition.  Mauer noted that Shawn Jolie and Brent Leveille were outstanding setting up their teammates and digging out a number of tough slams.

Rumblings From Orono, Maine

The University of Maine in Orono athletic teams is known as the Black Bears.  It seems that the Black Bears were running this past week as there were some strong rumblings emanating from the Pine Tree State.

The first bit of earth shaking news was the firing of head basketball coach Ted Woodward, who had been at the helm of the hoop fortunes for 10 years.  Woodward’s departure started a domino effect that eventually reached a former member of the Putnam Science Academy Mustangs.

Shortly following the announcement of Woodward’s firing, former Mustang Shaun Lawton announced he was planning to transfer.  Lawton, a sophomore, played in 28 of the Black Bears 29 games as the team posted a disappointing 6-23 overall record and a 4-12 America East Conference log.  He led the team in assists, averaging 4.2 per game to go along with an 8.1 points per game average based on 227 points scored.  He also led the team in steals with two per contest.  Lawton, who played his high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran, was a valuable member of UMaine on both ends of the court.  

While at Putnam Science Academy under coach Tom Espinosa, Lawton was one of the main cogs in a 20-9 season.  He averaged 15.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.  As he did in college, Lawton led the team in assist 4.4 per game and 3.3 steals a contest.  Lawton posted a total of 442 points in his one season on campus, placing him 8th overall on the career scoring ladder.

The Black Bears also have another area product on the roster, 6-foot, 9-inch freshman Christian Ejiga, who played at Hyde-Woodstock.  As of press time there is no news regarding his intentions.  There was also no further news where Lawton planned to transfer.  While at PSA, he was also pursued by Norfolk State University, where current Mustang Jordan Butler will play next season.

 Former Centaur Helping Pointers Roll

Chris Mayhew, who is coming off a stellar freshman season at the UConn- Avery Point, continues his hot hitting in his second season with the Pointers.  In a recent doubleheader sweep of Lackawanna Community College, Mayhew was instrumental in keying the second game win.  He contributed a pair of hits including an RBI double in the 6-5 victory.

Against Monroe Community College of New York, in another doubleheader sweep, Mayhew had four hits and drove in four runs in leading UCAP to a 12-1 win.  The Pointers of Coach Roger Bidwell are 33-6 in the NJCAA Division II heading toward Regional competition. In his latest contest, Mayhew helped the Pointers to a 12-7 win over Holyoke Community College with two hits including a double.

Florida Report

Avon Park, Fla., is the winter home of many folks from northeastern Connecticut, most who are longtime members of Quinnatisset Country Club.  A recent call from former Tourtellotte Memorial High School baseball coach Tom Auclair indicates that the snowbirds are enjoying some great golfing weather in the Sunshine State.

Auclair and his wife Jan are enjoying their first full winter in Avon Park.  He reports that local golfers Cliff Aubin, John Smutnick, Dave and Anne Kelly, Tom Morway and many others continue to enjoy Florida’s rays, although most will be heading North sometime in May.

RPC’s Closing thought For The Day: When you think you’re really important, try giving orders to your cat.

(If you have sports items worthy of publication please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 

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Woodstock Elementary/Middle

Monday: Baked chicken, fruit. Tuesday: Macaroni and cheese, carrots, fruit. Wednesday: General Tsao Chicken, snow peas, fruit. Thursday: Penne, meatballs, green beans, fruit. Friday: pizza, fruit.

Putnam Elementary/Middle

Monday: Soft-shell tacos, black beans. Tuesday: Honey crisp chicken salad. Wednesday: Steak-n-cheese pockets (middle: Philly style steak and cheese subs). Thursday - Brunch at Lunch: French toast sticks, scrambled eggs, hash browns. Friday: Putnam Special Pizza.

Putnam High

Monday: Nachos Grande. Tuesday: Stir-fry fajita chicken and squash and corn dish. Wednesday: Macaroni and cheese, broccoli. Thursday: Cobb salad. Friday: Lasagna.

Pomfret Community

Monday: Hamburgers, beans, apple slices. Tuesday: Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, peas or butternut squash, fruit tray. Wednesday: American Chop Suey, green beans, applesauce. Thursday: Pizza, salad or zucchini, peach cups. Friday: Ham sandwiches, orange slices.

 

Anne R. Hayes

BROOKLYN — Anne R. Hayes, 82, of Day Street, died  April 27, 2014, in Matulaitis Nursing Home.  She was the wife of the late Richard LaRoche.  Born in 1932 in Fall River, Mass., she was the daughter of the late John and Margaret (Joyce) Hayes.

Mrs. Hayes worked as an administrative assistant for UConn Cooperative Extension in Brooklyn.  She was a member of AFSCME, St. James Church in Brooklyn, and St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale.

She leaves  her sons, John LaRoche of Killingly and Brian LaRoche of Putnam; her daughters, Margaret “Peggy” LaRoche of Killingly, and JoAnne LaRoche of Putnam; 10 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and one great-great granddaughter.  She was predeceased by her sister, Alma Masley.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:30 a.m. May 2 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale. Donations: Alzheimer’s Association CT Chapter, 2075 Silas Deane Hwy #100, Rocky Hill, CT 06067.  Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes.

 

Rene Bennett

WOODSTOCK — Rene Bennett, 88, of Woodstock, died April 20, 2014, at Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam. 

He was the husband of Helen (Szych) Bennett. She died Oct. 21, 2011 . 

He was born July 23, 1925, in Stafford Springs, son of the late Rene F. and Gladys Bennett. 

He moved to Woodstock in 1968 from West Willington, and purchased a dairy farm, known as The Coatney Hill Farm. Rene was employed at UConn from 1954 to 1980 in the Agriculture Departments. 

He was a dairy farmer and operated the Coatney Hill Farm with his family. He enjoyed trips to Newport, N.Y. 

He leaves his sons, Donald R. Bennett (Selene) of Woodstock, Ronald W. Bennett (Elizabeth) of Corpus Christi, Texas, Peter F. Bennett (Constance) of Woodstock;  siblings Dorothy Jackopsic of Willington, William Bennett of Newport, Carol Ellis of Briny Breezes, Fla.; his grandchildren Ben, Pamela, Mathew, Scott, Lori, Kristopher, Amy, Peter, Jr., Eric, Emilie, Samantha and 18 great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter Khloey.  He was predeceased by his daughter Janice Bennett in 2008 and his sister Shirley Mitchell-Desso.

The Funeral was April 24 at Smith &Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in Elmvale Cemetery, Woodstock. Donations: Matulaitis Nursing Home, 10 Thurber Road, Putnam, CT 06260. 

 

Douglas Chouinard

THOMPSON —  Douglas H. Chouinard, 64, of 116 Porter Plain Rd., died Saturday April 19, 2014, at home. Born in 1949 in Palmer, Mass., he was the son of the late Richard N. and Shirley Mae (Griswald) Chouinard.

Mr. Chouinard worked as a mail sorter for the United States Postal Service in Worcester.

He was an avid gardener and also enjoyed hiking and kayaking.

He leaves a daughter Lisa Bernier (Mark) of Newalla, Okla.; six grandchildren Kyle, Camryn, Jacob, Annahliese, Zane, and Tattiannah.  Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Theresa Ormsby

PUTNAM — Theresa Ormsby, 94, formerly of South Prospect Street, died April 21, 2014, at the Matulaitis Nursing Home. She was the wife Clinton C. Ormsby. They were married in 1940. He died in 2003. 

She was born Aug. 27, 1919, in Thompson, daughter of the late Albert and Bertha (Chausse) Gendreau. 

Theresa had worked as a cloth inspector at the Cluett Peabody Mill, a waitress at the Vernon Styles. She had made her home in Putnam for more than  35 years, formerly of N.H Grosvenordale. She was a communicant of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale. Theresa enjoyed square dancing, counter cross stitch and was a member of several homemaking clubs. 

She leaves her son: David Ormsby (Pat) of Sturbridge, and Cathedral City, Calif.; grandchildren: Paula Guyette (Clifford) of Webster, Karen Bouret (Lawrence) of Millis, Mass., Laura Kenney (Eric) of Webster;  great-grandchildren: James Guyette, Jeremy Guyette, William Bouret, Joseph Bouret, Alexander Kenney, Kaitlyn Kenney; sister Cecile Puccio of Farmingdale, N.Y.. She was predeceased by her husband and three brothers, Lionel, Ovide and Rosario.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. May 3 at St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in West Thompson Cemetery. Donations: Charity of one’s choice. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.

 

Patricia Jedrzynski

WEBSTER —  Patricia L. (Wunsch) Jedrzynski, 46, died April 26, 2014, at home.

She was born in Marlborough, Mass., the daughter of the late Robert Earl Wunsch, and was raised in Webster. She lived in Florida for several years before moving back here in early 2013. She graduated from Bartlett High School in 1985.

Patricia was a loan manager at a bank in Florida before she retired due to illness. She was a former member of the United Church of Christ, Federated.

She leaves two sons, Andrew S. Jedrzynski of Riverview, Fla., and Nicholas A. Jedrzynski of Raleigh, N.C.; her mother and stepfather, Helen L. (Yassu) Jankowski and Victor J. Jankowski; a brother, Robert E. Wunsch of Webster; a sister, Dawn M. Grist of Merrimack, N.H.; five stepsisters, Melissa Jankowski of Columbia, S.C., Tina Jankowski of Webster, Tammy Goodwin of Fredericksburg, Va., and twins Amy Houle of Fredericksburg, Va. and Jamie Sinkus of Putnam.

The funeral will be at 5:30 p.m. May 5 in Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, 340 School St. Visitation is from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Donations: ALS Family Charitable Foundation, PO Box 229, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532.

 

 

Ongoing

Farmers Market

POMFRET --- The Pomfret Farmers Market is held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the Grill 37 on Rt. 44. New vendors always welcome. Call Sarah Green at 860-792-1104.

 

 

 

Thur. May 1

Prayer Day

National Day of Prayer events will be held at 6 a.m. at the Congregational Church parsonage on Bradley Street in Pomfret; at noon at Rotary Park in Putnam; at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo across from the Thompson Town Hall; and at 7 p.m. on the South Woodstock Common. All events are 30-45 minutes. All welcome.

 

Art Guild

POMFRET --- The Northeast CT Art Guild is will present Ellen Pratt explaining hand coloring photographs at 6:30 p.m. at the Audubon’s Grassland Center on Day Road. Free. All welcome..

 

Fri. May 2

'Lawn Fun'

PUTNAM --- The Congregational Church of Putnam on Main Street will present "Fun on the Lawn: A Kids' Fair" from 5 to 8 p.m. Free. 928-4405.

 

First Friday

PUTNAM --- The Putnam Business Associations invites you to explore cultural diversity with "Song" as the first First Friday offering. Events of all types take place around downtown Putnam this evening.

 

‘Peter Pan’

WOODSTOCK --- The Three C’s will present Theatreworks musical “Peter Pan” at 10 a.m. and noon at the at Hyde Cultural Center. $3 for groups or 10 or more. $6 for individuals.  Advance reservations at 860-928-2946 www.thethreecs.org

 

Tag Sale, Auction

PUTNAM --- The Windham Tolland 4-H's 60th annual 4-H Tag Sale and Auction will be held today and tomorrow. Tag sale opens at noon May 2 and runs until 6 p.m. Both days the auction preview at 5; auction starts at 6.  May 3 the tag sale opens at 9 a.m. and runs til 6. 

 

Sat. May 3

Tag Sale

POMFRET --- The Pomfret proprietors 8th Annual Town Wide Tag Sale tarts at 7 a.m. Purchase a map to guide you to the many participating residences, businesses and organizations spread throughout town. Maps will be sold for $1 at Pomfret Community School and Christ Church. Profits from map sales and registrations will be donated to Pomfret’s historic Congregational Church in order to help them rebuild after a devastating fire this winter.

 

Book, Bake Sale

N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Friends of the Thompson Public Library's Book & Bake sale will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A drawing will be held at noon for the "Thompson Common" oil painting by local artist Alecia Underhill.  Book donations accepted until noon May 2 in Room 3 at the library and individually wrapped baked good donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 2 and the morning of the sale.

 

Charity Performance

THOMPSON --- The Coachmen will hold a "Last Call" Reunion Performance from 7:30 to 11 p.m. May 3 and 10 at the Thompson Raceway Restaurant. Raises funds for nine charities. Tickets are limited. $25. Available at WINY Radio and the Trinket Shoppe in Danielson. 860-450-2245.

 

Auditions

PUTNAM --- Auditions for “Les Miserables” will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. May 3 and from 5 to 8 p.m. May 4 at the Bradley Playhouse. Come prepared to sing from the music of Les Miserables. Roles available for men and women ages 10-65. Les Miserables will be presented Aug. 1, 2 and 3 at the Hyde Cultural Center to benefit Day Kimball Healthcare, QVCC Foundation and TNECT at the Bradley Playhouse. 860-428-4592.

 

Marbles Program

KILLINGLY --- The Killingly Historical Society will present a program about marbles at 1:30 p.m. at the Killingly Historical Center on Main Street in Danielson. Refreshments. All welcome.

 

Book Sale

PUTNAM --- The Friends of Pomfret Public Library will hold a used book sale from 7 a.m. to noon at the Pomfret Community School cafeteria. There will also be a tag sale.

 

Beautify

PUTNAM --- The Putnam Business Association's annual Beautification Day will begin with assignments at 8 a.m. at Rotary Park. At 11:30 volunteers are welcome to an appreciation lunch. Rain date is May 10.

 

Sun. May 4

Palmer Birthday

WOODSTOCK --- The Palmer Arboretum in Woodstock begins its 100th anniversary celebration with a Family Day and Picnic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the arboretum on Rt. 169.

 

Doll Tea Party

ABINGTON --- The Abington Social Library will host an American Girl Doll Tea Party from 2 to 4 p.m. Reserve spot today by calling 974-1674.

 

Concert

CHEPACHET --- The Music at the Meeting House will present “An Afternoon with Glenn Miller” at 2:30 p.m. at the Chepachet Baptist Church on Rt. 44. Free. All welcome. Free will offering will be take. 

 

Spring Concert

WILLIMANTIC --- The Willimantic Orchestra will present its final concert of the season, “And the Trumpets Shall Sound!,” at 3 p.m. at Shafer Auditorium on the ECSU campus. Donations accepted.  860-429-0865.

 

Tues. May 6

Senior Lunch

POMFRET --- The Pomfret Senior Association will have a brown bag luncheon meeting at noon at the Pomfret Senior Center on Mashamoquet Road. All Pomfret seniors 50 and older are welcome.

 

Wed. May 7

Lunch Program

POMFRET --- The Pomfret Senior Center is having a Bistro Turkey Lunch at 12 noon followed by a presentation on the 1955 Flood given by Bill Pearsall from the Aspinock Historical Society.  Lunch is $7. 860-974-0494.

 

Thur. May 8

 Lecture/Presentation

N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Recreation Department will present “On The Wild Side: Exploring the Flora and Fauna of The Last Green Valley” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Louis P. Faucher Community Room. All welcome. Free. Preregister by calling 923-9440.