Catching Up (Again)

Sort of a bizarre winter – a good friend of mine died just before Xmas and the seasonal greys sort of overcame me. But spring is back, the flowers are about to bloom in the Borough. So here's a little bit of this and that around Stonington.

First of all, go to the Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, which is ending a wildly successful national tour with a last two performances at Stonington High School on Sunday, 18 May 2008 at 1 pm and 4 pm. Jeff Brown, the author, lived in Stonington Borough and asked before his death to have this live theatre event end in his town – and all proceeds are going to benefit the Stonington Free Library and two other local non-for-profits (I heard their names but forgot to write them down, it's my fault!). ALL the profits of the Stonington shows, so it's both a fun event and terrifically worthwhile for local institutions like the Library. The tickets are only $15 for children, $20 for adults and it's live theatre, which is great and unpredictable (both good things).

Well-known Stonington painter David Black is having a New York gallery show entitled "New York Paintings" which opens on Thursday the 8th of May, 2008, at Denise Bibro Fine Art, 529 WEst 20th St, 4W, New York 10011. If you're in the Big Apple, you can stop by from 6 to 9 and have a drink and admire Mr Black's work.

The Stonington Players putting on "Anatomy of a Murder" at the COMO, from Thursday, 8 May through Saturday, 10 May 2008, all performances start at 8 pm. The Stonington Players are really a wonderful local troupe that puts on excellent and fun productions (I loved last year's "Our Town") so everyone should support them. I can't remember what tickets cost, but I know they're quite reasonable. And you all know where the COMO is.

The La Grua Center ribbon-cutting ceremony on 19 April was a great success. Mrs La Grua herself did the honors, and quite excellently. State Senator Andrew Maynard, Burgess Jeff Callahan, Regan Morse, Annamaria Palmer, Cormac O'Malley, Bill and Shelly White, Sandy Fromson, Diana Leslie and lots of other friends were there to congratulate her. Dorothy Papp spoke and introduced her. Work has already begun on rehabilitating the Old Foundry as a living memorial to the late Maurice La Grua.

More anon. Sorry for the long delay.

Catching Up

Sorry for the delay, folks - some sad personal business kept me from giving my full attention to Beside the Point. I won't be coy: a good friend of mine, who, by the way, very much liked Stonington and visited the Borough often, finally lost her battle with cancer. So, again, my apologies for not having updated the sites for a while.

Better late than never: Four Starr Gallery, in the Velvet Mill, will have an opening for its new exhibition "Works on Paper" on Friday, 26 October, 2007, from 5 to 8 pm. This show will feature works on paper (one of my personal favorite types of work) by Sheila Barbone, Tod Johnstone, Yves Parent, Rieta Park, among others. Four Starr Gallery is located at 22 Bayview Avenue. For more info, call 860-535-1844.

Do you how to prepare johnnycakes? Do you even know what a johnnycake is? Well, if you answered no to either of those questions, now's your chance to fill in those gaps, by attending a "Breakfast Party" on Saturday, 3 November 2007, at 10 am, at the Captain Nathanael Palmer House, 40 Palmer Street, Stonington. This "breakfast party" is being held in honor of the new, and quite attractive, hard-cover edition of The Davis Homestead, a memoir of fifty years on a farm in Lower Pawcatuck, written by John Lawrence Davis and edited by Borough resident Emily Lynch, and now reissued by the Stonington Historical Society. Health permitting, John Whitman Davis, whom we all know from the Stonington Farmers Market and who is the son of the author, will demonstrate, with his wife Velora, "johnnycake cuisine", using cornmeal from the farm itself. Sounds terribly macrobiotic, doesn't it? Wonder if Alice Waters will hear of it? Anyway, anyone interested in learning more about johnnycakes and buying a copy of the new Davis Homestead book, please let the Stonington Historical Society Executive Director Mary Beth Baker know, on 860-535-8445.

Boom Out - Is Kanabis In?

Jean Fuller Gest, attractive owner of Boom, now in Westbrook and Old Lyme, seems to have given up her restaurant space at Dodson's Boatyard in Stonington and rumor has it that Azu, Bravo Bravo and Olio entrepreneur Carol Kanabis is taking over. When and with what name, I have no idea – yet. Or even if it's going to happen. But of course it would be great if it did. Cross your fingers.

Word also has it that the owners of Zavala Authentic Mexican in New London are opening a new restaurant/branch in the former Nonie's Deli across Water Street from the ever-popular Water Street Café run with celebrated panache by Stephanie and Walter Houlihan. Let's hope this branch of Zavala accepts credit cards, though!

Query

Anyone remember Sy's Dock at 25 Hancox Street, right at the corner of Diving? Was it a fish factory for a time or just a dock where you could buy fish? I know the Henry family owned a lobster business just to the north, on the other side of Diving Street, where the dock has been turned into a flourishing garden (!) but I'm curious to find out what happened to the business at Sy's Dock. And who was Sy? Thanks for any information.

The Return of The Stonington Mirror

The Stonington Mirror is back! It re-inaugural issue is dated Friday, 7 September 2007, and featured a review of Sue Scala's art opening at Noah's Restaurant, a reprint of an article on the Holy Ghost Festival, a great old photograph of Stonington sailors from the 1950s, and reprints of pages from 1850 and 1950, as well as an article on the "Borough Clock Tower". Word has it that The Stonington Mirror will appear every two weeks now, and I know I'm looking forward to the next issue. Welcome back, Mirror!

Weekend Reminders

The St Mary Church annual picnic is this Sunday, 30 September, from 3 to 6 pm on the Rectory lawn in the Borough, and there's lots to do (races, games, bingo and pie-eating – after which I'd recommend a spin class at I Can Fitness) and it will also offer a chance to meet and welcome the new pastor for St Mary, Monsignor Richard P. LaRocque, who was the pastor of Christ the King in Old Lyme for 14 years. It's free and open to the public.

And before that, you can swing by the United Church of Stonington, 67 Main Street, Stonington Borough, to see its Members Art Show (2-5 pm) – entry is $5 and goes towards the church's Piano Fund.

There's a more complete listing of things to do in and around the Borough (but mostly in) at Coming Events & Things to Do at The Stonington Intelligencer.

Apologies

A few troubles with the Intelligencer server today. Don't know why as yet or when it will be back up. Sorry to all for the inconvenience.