This week, First Selectman David Denvir ponders his weekly column and the writer's block he has encountered. He says, "When the first of the New Year comes to call, a new dialogue may start about land use decisions and the future of our town. If there's one great thing the recent debate accomplished, it got many people thinking." Read David Denvir's complete remarks here.

The Haddam-Killingworth High School Concert Band held its Autumn Concert on Wednesday night. Under the direction of Director Timothy D'Amato, the Jazz Band performed 'Moment's Notice', 'Land of Make Believe', 'Take Five' and finished with 'Hot Sauce' and the Concert Band performed 'Tijuana Brass in Concert', Jingle Bells Fantasy', Chesford Portrait', selections from 'Chicago' and finished with the 'Valley Forge' Concert March.

The Killingworth Congregational Church Capital Campaign Committee is sponsoring a Holiday Fair from Saturday, Dec. 4 through Monday Dec. 6. The church will be selling Scholastic Books for all ages, wreaths, Christmas Decorations, and gifts. There will also be a raffle of Winterberry Farm's "cut your own" Christmas Trees. Coffee and refreshments will be provided by the Wednesday Eves. Hours for the sale are: Saturday from 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m.; Sunday from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and Monday from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The Church Capital Committee has undertaken the fund raising effort for the renovation and restoration of the Church's Historic Buildings.

Haddam-Killingworth High School Principal Charles Macunas has announced the First Quarter Honor Roll for the 2004-2005 school year. Find the complete list here.

On Monday night, the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company responded to a structure fire in town, apparently caused by the improper disposal of fireplace ashes. Thankfully the damage was minimal and no one was injured, but the KVFC would like to use the opportunity to remind residents of some important home safety practices and the proper way to dispose of fireplace ashes. The sleeping family was alerted to the fire by their fire alarm system, that notified them; then alerted 9-1-1 dispatch. The homeowner had used the fireplace in the morning and emptied the fireplace ashes into a cardboard box later in the afternoon. The box was placed in the garage and apparently smoldered for several hours before beginning to burn just before midnight.

Fireplace ashes can remain hot for several days. When cleaning out a fireplace or woodstove, the ashes should be placed into a metal bucket and/or a bucket of water. When using a metal bucket, be sure that the container is covered and placed on a non-combustible surface such as the garage floor or driveway, away from any combustible materials. When emptying the ash bucket outdoors, be sure to wet down the ashes to ensure there are no hot embers remaining.

The KVFC stresses the importance of having working smoke detectors in your homes. Smoke detectors should be tested at least monthly and the batteries changed every fall when you change your clocks for daylight saving time. Remember that even smoke detectors that are "hard-wired" have battery back-ups that need to be changed every year. The presence of a functioning fire alarm in this residence allowed the family to safely escape and limited the amount of damage to the home. For more information on fire safety, contact the KVFC at 663-1785 or visit its website at www.killingworth-fire.org.

The Killingworth Historical Society's Annual Christmas Fair will be held on Saturday, December 4 from 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Black Rock School on Recycle Way. The featured item is the 2004 Historic Women of Killingworth Christmas Doll Ornament. This year's doll features well-known local artist and author, Ruth Warner Robinson. Designed by Historical Society member and artist, Sandra Smith, this doll is surely to become a collectors' item. Fresh arrangements will be offered for sale along with handmade ornaments, jams, crafts and gifts. The one-room school is transformed into a Christmas boutique and shoppers can browse for unique gifts and decorations. Complimentary coffee and cookies will be served. Come enjoy the season in the cheerful and festive schoolhouse.

Three celebrated entertainers from The Connecticut Storytelling Center will appear at the Old Town Hall on Sunday, December 5 to share Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa tales. Tom Callinan, a prolific songwriter and Connecticut's first Official State Troubadour, will be joined by his wife, folk singer Ann Shapiro and storyteller Lot Therrio. There will also be several holiday-themed tables with food, crafts and exhibits to accompany the storytellers including holiday Origami folding with Arts Center Artist, Elizabeth Drzewinski, who teaches at The Guilford Handcraft Center and The Arts Center at Killingworth. There will also be Dreidel games, Hanukkah giveaways, Kwanzaa activities and a traditional fruit bowl for all to share.

Callinan has appeared on PBS's "Shining Time Station," ABC's "Good Morning America," CNN's "Earth Matters", and on public radio stations nationwide. Shapiro is the Director of the Connecticut Storytelling Center and is recognized by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts as a Master Teaching Artist. Therrio, a former minister, is a member of the Connecticut Storytelling Center and is on the board of The InterFaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut. Therrio will share tales about Kwanzaa, as well as stories from Japan, China, Europe, North America and Africa.

Storytelling for the Holidays will be held from 2:00-3:30 pm at the Old Town Hall on the grounds of the Congregational Church. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for children under 12. To order tickets please call 663-5593.

On Saturday, December 4, the Killingworth Nursery School Association will sponsor its Annual Christmas Craft Fair. The fair will feature high quality items handcrafted by local artisans. KNSA will be sponsoring a bake sale, silent auction, and a children's craft area where youngsters can make their own ornaments and gifts. The fair takes place at Killingworth Elementary School from 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Admission is $.50.

The Madison Arts Barn will present its first student theater production on Sunday, December 5. The play stars 7th and 8th grade students from Madison, Killingworth and Haddam.

Natalida Notebook - a play about middle school students and the stereotypes they make - will be performed at the Madison Arts Barn on Sunday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the door, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $5 for students/children and $7 for adults. Refreshments will also be sold after the event.

Come and see this original play performed under the direction of Andrea Wilson, a teaching assistant from Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown. For further information, call the Arts Barn at 203-245-2689 or email: madisonartsbarn@comcast.net . The Arts Barn is located on the Town Campus in Madison.
The cast of Natalida Notebook: Mary Stom, Chrissy Harrington, Kelsey Rodman, Meg Monroe, Bessie Adams and Johanna Regan.

The Killingworth Library is the place to be on Saturday, December 4. Kick off the Holiday Season with a slew of fun events at the Library between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m, sponsored by the Killingworth Chamber of Commerce.
Have your picture taken with Santa Claus. Hear Holiday Stories in half hour sessions at 11:30 & 12:30 & 1:30. Create crafts at a table welcoming all ages: Beads, bells, bird feeders, reindeer, mittens, tree ornaments, and picture frames too! $2.50 per craft item. Places can be reserved at the crafts table, ASAP. Call 663-2000 or come in and sign up.
Use our Gift Wrapping Service: Drop off your items to be wrapped at the Library any time on or before December 4th. Wrapping of small and medium sized boxes will be $1.00. Large boxes will be $3.00. Let us make your job easier during this busy season.
Buy a $2.00 ticket for a Lucky Drawing to be held at 2:30 p.m. Prizes are pictured below.

The Haddam-Killingworth Girls Travel Team suffered its first loss of the season in a hard-fought game against Wallingford last Sunday. Alexis Bowen was the high-scorer in the, 22-26, loss. Also scoring were Emily Anderson, Ashley Cook, Anna Fetteroll, and Carley Mooney.

The Boys 11 Team also had a tough match-up against a much taller and experienced Wallingford team. The, 58-12, loss was the third straight for HK against "big city" teams. Jimmy Virgulto, Garrett Bremer and Gabriel Kumnick provided all the scoring while Chris Moriarty battled hard for inside position throughout the game. David Pucillo, Stephen Saunders and Nick Uihlein also had solid games. Coach Kumnick praised the team for "never giving up or letting up".

The Boys 13 Team had a lot of fun in a much closer game but was defeated by Wallingford, 59-32. All nine players scored with Brian Ludington, Matt Venuti and Zachary Kumnick leading the way. Alphonse Simeone was also a real force in clearing the glass for H-K under the basket. Coach Kumnick said he "was impressed with the team's man-to-man defense, fast break and movement on offense". He said the team played very well against its taller and more powerful opponent.

The 10-year-old Boys Team ran into a very strong and deep Wallingford team. Though the final score was a lopsided 72-24, all the players were able to log significant game time, and gain some good basketball experience. Point guards, Trevor Phelan and Thomas Day, worked effectively to distribute the ball against a tenacious defense. Erik Carlson led HK with 8 points. Eight of 11 players scored: Brendan Salka had 4 points, and Thomas Day, Ryan Jaccobucci, Dan Kovach, Austin Boulay, Liam Granucci, and Patrick Dougherty all scored 2 points each. The team also blocked 10 shots: Carlson had 7, Kovach had 2, and Tyler Shinn had 1.

The H-K U12 Boys Team lost to a very strong Wallingford team, 72-33. Despite the score, the H-K team received an outstanding offensive effort from Conor Brownell, who scored 17 points. Also having breakout games were Andrew Dougherty and Patrick Gilhuly who each scored 4 points from beyond the paint.

The HKTB teams play at KES this Saturday against Madison; games begin at 12 noon.

This week, Killingworth Democratic Town Committee Member, Hilary Kumnick writes about the issue of trusting public officials. He discusses the reasons the recreational complex may have failed and whether residents trusted the Land Use, Board of Finance, Planning & Zoning and Inland Wetlands Committees to do their "due diligence" in their investigations. Read his complete remarks here.

Unified Sports Comes to the High School
Five Connecticut elementary schools participated in the CIAC and Special Olympics Connecticut Unified Sports Day on Saturday, November 20 at the HK Fieldhouse. Thanks to student volunteers from the HK National Honor Society, the Student Council and the HK chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving, as well as student teachers from Central Connecticut State University, and HK administrators, over 50 children participated in a fun morning of volleyball, soccer and basketball non-competitive games.

Program Director Ann Malafronte and Asst. Director George Hall organized the morning's events that included an opening parade of athletes, a ceremonial lighting of the torch and an athlete's oath. Patricia Gaedeke brought several student teachers from her CCSU adaptive physical education class to instruct participants and learn in a real-world teaching environment. Participating schools were: Horace Porter, Elizabeth Green, Lincoln-Bassett, Vincent Mauro and Windham Center Elementary Schools.

Unified Sports® is a registered program of Special Olympics that combines approximately equal numbers of athletes with and without mental retardation on sports teams for training and competition. All Unified Sports® players, both athletes and special partners, are of similar age and matched sport skill ability. At the elementary level, students engage in non-competitive athletic activities designed to develop skills in a variety of sports.

The Bears' Autumn
by Keizaburo Tejima
ISBN: 0881380806

This gorgeous picture book, appropriate for children pre-school age through second grade, tells the story of a young bear and his mother as they search for salmon. The mother bear is teaching her cub to fish, and the book describes his many adventures as he learns this skill. The tale begins as the two are climbing trees and eating wild grapes to fatten up for the winter. In the distance the baby bear spots a river, and takes his mother to the river in search of salmon. They begin to fish at night, under the glow of the moon.

Set on the island of Okkaido, Japan, the dramatic and colorful autumn scenes are depicted in the form of woodblock prints. The author, Keizaburo Tejima is a member of the Japan Woodcut Society, and excels in this ancient style of illustration. Tejima has published seven children's books in Japan, and has won recognition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Susan Miller is the Associate Director of the Arnold Bernhard Library at Quinnipiac University. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Music from Ohio State University and a M.S. in Library Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Contact Susan at covertocover@killingworthtoday.com