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Local Creations: Quilts gone wild
NAUGATUCK — Terri Takacs’ studio is crammed with color-coded thread, hand-dyed ribbon, and beads, all arranged in neat little holders along the wall, drawers, and cubby-holes. Takacs uses the materials to stitch together scraps of fabric with intricate designs into pillows, purses, and quilts. This style of “crazy quilting” with irregular shapes and embellishments... »
Local Creations: The call of the wild backpacks
NAUGATUCK — What do a lady bug, a penguin, and a purple monster have in common? Local artist Jackie Fretz has tamed these wild animals into plush backpacks for children. Fretz said she started out making animal figurines for her son, Corbin, 3, and friends’ children when one friend suggested she make backpacks. Now... »
Woodland students cook up tasty program
BEACON FALLS — Woodland Regional High School culinary students served up plates of hot hors d’oeuvres and bite-sized desserts Monday morning despite weather-related delays. About 25 students from Culinary 1 and Bakeshop 2 classes demonstrated their skills for parents and teachers at the event in the culinary room at the high school. “It was... »
Stage company eases writer’s cramp with laughs
NAUGATUCK — The old bard’s at it again. The Phoenix Stage Company is poised to take its audience on a rollicking journey through pseudo-history with its latest play, “Writer’s Cramp (Or How Will Shakespeare Got Into Show Biz.” The play reimagines the “lost years” of Shakespeare’s life, when he disappeared from public records and... »
Beacon Falls actress pieces together broken dreams
Growing up, Erin Moffat’s dreams of becoming an actress were shattered. “I wanted to be an actress as a kid, and it didn’t work out,” Moffet said. This weekend, those broken pieces will be put back together on stage at the Strand Theater in Seymour. “Bucket List of Unbroken Dreams: Erin K. Moffat the... »
Pompei takes on new role at NHS
NAUGATUCK — As athletic director at Naugatuck High School, Tom Pompei has led the Greyhounds to numerous sports championships over the past six years. He is currently in his first year as president of the Naugatuck Valley League. And this year, he is responsible for the discipline and general well-being of about half the... »
Prospect woman receives lesson in primary politics
PROSPECT — Three months ago, the political scene in Manchester, N.H., offered a more tranquil setting. Now just days from the New Hampshire primary, the place is buzzing. And Tara McMahon of Prospect, a political science senior at Quinnipiac University, is in the thick of it with a group of 27 fellow students. “It’s... »
NHS students hope to tackle bullying
NAUGATUCK — With several high-profile cases of suicide among teens who were victims of bullying in recent years, bullying has been a hot topic among school districts and legislators trying to figure out how to prevent it. In July, the Connecticut General Assembly approved legislation that attempts to address the situation by requiring all... »
Running to beat cancer
Just a few short months after Beacon Falls resident Dino Verrelli pledged to run 13 half-marathons (13.1 miles) in 13 months to raise money for pancreatic cancer research, his father succumbed to the disease. “The sad thing is, I knew my dad was going to die, I just didn’t know when,” Verrelli said. Verrelli... »
Woodland students embrace ‘Love is Louder’ campaign
Woodland Regional High School senior Caitlyn Sousa knows that love is louder than the pressure to be perfect. It’s a lesson she learned after struggling with body image and coming to terms with the unrealistic expectations of beauty perpetrated by the media. Now, she is taking that message to her peers as part of... »