Rotary installs more ‘Trail’ music
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Simple fact: You can’t have too much creativity.
Members of the Putnam Rotary Club last week added four more instruments to the River Trail near Simonzi Park.
Three or four years ago the club put a colorful set of musical instruments on the trail. This year, using Rotary grant funds, the club’s budget and about $5,000 left over from former President Amanda Kelly’s year, four more delightful metal instruments joined the original ones.
Rotarian Karen Osbrey, who has spearheaded the effort for several years, said ordering the Musical Gardens pieces required patience. It took a couple months of checking, but finally the four she had picked out went on special — no shipping.
That wait turned out to be a good thing because one of the instruments, in the form of a dragonfly, wasn’t even available originally.
This spot was chosen by Kelly, right next to the original set. A set has already been installed by the club at Pomfret Community School and at the public schools playground area in Thompson. The intent is to put one in each of the club’s five service area towns. Incoming President Martha Paquette would like to put one in Roseland Park in Woodstock next year, if all the renovations are finished there. That would leave Eastford.
Rotarians Doug Porter and Woody Durst helped install the instruments. Whatever challenge presented itself, they worked through as a team to get it done.
Passers-by were trying them out, even before all four of the instruments were finished.
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Top, from left: Rotarians Karen Osbrey, Doug Porter and Woody Durst. Above: Assembling the flowersExpanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photos.