On Saturday, March 29th, Literacy Volunteers Valley Shore (LVVS) will hold its "Annual Backward Mile and 5K Run/Walk". Registration for the races begins at 7:30 AM at the Essex Town Hall, on West Avenue. The Backward Mile race, open to runners older than 18, begins at 8:30 AM; the 5K race begins at 9AM. T-shirts will be given to the first 100 runners.

April Fools hats will be given to the winners of the Backward Mile and 5K races. In addition, the top two winners in each 10-year age bracket will receive hats.

The Haddam-Killingworth Cougar Aquatic Team is currently accepting swimmer registrations for the Long Course season, which will run from April through early August, 2009. The team offers practices at the Haddam-Killingworth High School pool 6 days per week for 1 ½ - 2 hours, including 1 hour per week of strength training outside of the water ("dryland" workout). Children of all ages who are able to swim at least 100 yards without stopping are encouraged to join the CAT team for excellence in swim training and camaraderie.

The fee for Long Course is $700, plus an additional meet fee of $150, and a USA Registration fee of $55. CAT offers a limited number of need-based scholarships. For more information or to register online, please visit www.catswim.com, or contact Robin Gibbons, President, at (860) 345-7711 or r4peace@comcast.net.

CAT is a U.S. Swimming team offering children in Haddam, Killingworth, and surrounding towns a high level of swim training with a professional coaching staff. The program offers athletes the opportunity to succeed at the highest achievable level in the sport of swimming. In addition to individualized and group training, CAT offers challenges, competitive opportunities, support and encouragement for every swimmer. CAT swimmers compete in USA meets at the state, regional, and national levels. The focus of the Cougar Aquatic Team is to progress swimmers to a superior level in their training and performance through proper technique development and hard work.

Sign-up for the Killingworth Library Spring kid's programs begins Monday, March 2 by phone or in person. Space is limited and residents will be given a priority. Please call Gayle at 663-2000 with questions.

STORYTIME: Especially for all children ages 3 + 4 every Wednesday morning 10:00 - 10:30 during the month of May (May. 6,13,20,27)

TERRIFIC TWOS: Especially for children between the ages of 24 and 36 months. Parents and caregivers are invited to enjoy some rhyme time fun with their child every Wednesday morning 10:00-10:30 during the month of April (APRIL 1,8,15,22,29)

MUSIC WITH MARGIE: 2½ year olds + older Tuesdays 10:30 - 11:00 March. 3 - May 19.

LOVE 2 SIGN with JAYE: A "signing" preschool program 6 months to 6 years. This program enhances fine motor skills and language development, promotes creativity, builds confidence and self-esteem. Thursdays 11:00 - 11:30 March 5- April 9.

HK Sports: HKHS Girls Basketball team defeated Prince Tech, 70-43, on Senior Night at the fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. Each of the 3 senior tri-captains scored in double figures led by Shelby Van Huysen with 18, Allie Rand with 11, and Deanna Loso with 10. Lauren Muise and Jordan Shultz also hit double digits with 12 and 10 respectively. Rounding out the HK scoring were Emily Anderson with 5, Carley Mooney with 3 and Shaina Rowley with 1. The Cougars wrapped up the regular season with an overall record of 16-4. In the Shoreline Conference, the team won the Large Division with a conference record of 15-2. On Saturday evening at 7 pm at the fieldhouse the 2nd seeded Cougars will host the 7th seeded Portland Highlanders in the first round of the Shoreline Conference tournament.

HKHS Girls' Basketball team seniors pose with Coach Jim Bombaci on Senior Night Wednesday. L-R: Shelby Van Huysen, Allie Rand, Coach Bombaci, Deanna Loso, and Lindsay Gorman. Photo courtesy E. Anderson

Affordable luxury at Liv's Oyster Bar
166 Main, Old Saybrook
860-395-5577
www.livsoysterbar.com

Cuisine: *** Service: ** Ambiance: ** Price Range : $$ Wine Menu: Reasonably priced largely non-vintage domestic and foreign, many by the glass (glass $ 7-14) ; carefully selected to compliment the cuisine. Fashion Martinis $ 11. Hours: Mo, We & Th 5-10 pm; Fr & Sat 5-11 pm; Sun 5-9 pm; Closed Tuesday

You don't need to board the Metro North to New York City to satisfy your craving for oysters. Enjoy them year around at Liv's Oyster Bar! So you won't be dining beneath the vaulted ceilings at Grand Central Station's famed landmark; so what! You don't look towards heaven while being seduced by the gems of the ocean in your plate. While oysters typically are offered at market price, right now you can take advantage of "Wednesday's $1.00 per Oyster Special" during winter season, duration at the owner's discretion.

Doric columns frame the entrance portico's summery river-scene fresco. During the warm season the columns are dressed in cascading flowers while protecting a charming sidewalk cafê. A walk-through room with red banquettes leads past the enticing sparkle of oysters on their icy bed into the inner dining room.

Wood-framed mirrors against antiqued brick reflect Ansel Adams style scene-shots of a child on the beach. Tables dressed 'bistro' in butcher paper atop linen cloths set with white porcelain make crisp, clean table sets against the warmth of butter yellow walls. Read more

Help keep our valley green by donating your used ink & toner cartridges to the library.

Bring in cartridges from printers, copiers, and fax machines, particularly from the following companies:...and receive a "Greening Our Valley" reusable tote bag! (one per family, while supplies last) By recycling the cartridges listed above, the library receives credit on their Staples supply account. For more Greening Our Valley events, visit www.greeningourvalley.org.

Greening Our Valley is supported by the Middlesex County Community Foundation, Connecticut Library Consortium, and your local library.

David George Sparks, 83, of Killingworth, passed away Sunday, Feb. 15, at his home. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., he was the son of the late Charles Franklin and Emily Love (Vogel) Sparks.

David grew up in Baltimore, Md., and moved to Middletown, where he raised his family. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, where he was honored with a Purple Heart. He went on to receive a graduate degree from Northwestern University in Illinois. He was an editor for several publishing companies, a grants writer for the city of Middletown and the Community Health Center. He was a prolific writer and frequent contributor to The Middletown Press.

David is survived by two sons, Bradley H. Sparks and his wife, Paula, of Woodstock Valley and Timothy R. Sparks of Portland; two daughters, Valerie Bozzi and her husband, Paul, of East Hampton and Jennifer Knight and her husband, William, of Rocky Hill; a sister, Patricia Williams of Maryland; his former wife, Jean Sparks of Middletown and 10 grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, Feb. 19, at 11 a.m., at Doolittle Funeral Home, 14 Old Church St., Middletown, with the President L. C. Maxfield officiating; interment will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery in Middletown.

Haddam-Killingworth High School Principal Charles Macunas has announced the Second Quarter Honor Roll for the 2008-2009 school year. Find the complete list here.

The HK Recreation Department is sponsoring the Enchanted Sleeping Beauty TODAY, Wednesday, February 18th from 1:00 - 2:45pm at the HK High School Auditorium. The fee is $7 Adults / $6 children (ages 2 - 12) payable at the door. The show is presented and produced by the Newington Children's Theater, a traveling group of talented young people committed to the goal of presenting quality children's theatre.

SLEEPING BEAUTY, is a bewitching musical with enough pageantry, romance, swordplay, and magical fun to entertain every member of the family. The bright and youthful cast is made of 27 area children ranging in age from 10 to 15. They've come together from 14 Connecticut towns.

Based on the familiar Brothers Grimm fairy tale, this musical adaptation is sure to wake you up on a chilly winter's day. A delightful treat for elementary school- aged children and their families, SLEEPING BEAUTY's cast of colorful characters includes the sweet (and drowsy) Briar Rose, a brave Prince, the hilariously twisted Evilina, three Good Witches, a neurotic Chef, dueling Dark Knights, a loveable King and Queen, and more. For more information, please call the HK Recreation Dept. at 345-8334.

HK Sports: The HKHS Girls Basketball team defeated Portland, 46-39, on Monday evening. The Cougars were led by Shelby Van Huysen with a game high 23 points. Rounding out the HK scoring were Allie Rand with 9, Deanna Loso and Jordan Shultz with 6 each and Lauren Muise with 2 points. Rand, Shultz and Muise each pulled down 6 rebounds and Emily Anderson contributed on the defensive end with 4 blocked shots, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Read more about the game in the Middletown Press

The Cougars will honor the Class of 2009 with Senior Night Festivities prior to their final regular season home game against Prince Tech on Wednesday evening at 7 pm at the fieldhouse.
HK sophomore Emily Anderson secures a rebound in the Cougars' victory over Portland. Photo courtesy E. Anderson

The HKHS Boys Basketball team fell to the Huskies of Morgan last night in Clinton,65-31. Steve Landell led the Cougars with 10, followed by John Webber with 6 and Andrew Bough with 5.

The Killingworth Lions Club will be hosting it's 12th Annual Mid-Winter Seniors Dinner at the St. Lawrence Church Hall on Saturday, February 21 at 6 PM. There is no charge for this annual event and Killingworth Seniors 65 and older are invited to attend. For more information call Ellie Becker at 663-1363.

Youth and Family Services of Haddam and Killingworth sponsors a single parent support group on Saturdays between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at its offices in Higganum. Children are welcome to join the fun group while the parents meet separately. Please call Youth & Family Services to Sign Up at 345-7498.

HK Sports: The Haddam-Killingworth Wrestling team put an exclamation point on the end of the regular season by winning the first ever Tournament of the Independents. Coach Korper rallied the independent schools of the state to a tournament hosted at the Middle School this past Saturday. This was a brand new venue for the state. The independent schools have never had the opportunity to wrestle in a post dual meet season, until Saturday. Although technically a scrimmage the format was identical to all the other conference tournaments through out the state. Haddam-Killingworth held off a talented group of six other schools to win with a score of 136.5 point followed by Seymour at 110 points, Old Saybrook-Westbrook took third with 101 points.

The Cougars success came from the team effort that place 12 of 14 wrestlers in the top for by the end of the day. The break down of the cougars efforts are as follows;

1st Place: Nick DiGioia (171lbs)

2nd Place: Garrett Bremer (112 lbs) Nick Adler (119 lbs) Justin Simmers (125 lbs) Tony LaRosa (140 lbs) Guy Hall (152 lbs) Bill Baklik (189 lbs)

3rd Place: Seth Regan (103 lbs) Mike Johnson (135 lbs) Stephen Polumbo (285 lbs)

4th Place: Julian Duque (145lbs) Eric Gambardella (215lbs)

The Cougars are headed to Saint Bernard High School this Friday and Saturday to the Class "S" meet to meet with the next phase of the season.

Photo courtesy G. Korper.

East Haddam Youth & Family Services Director Toni McCabe and area Resident State Troopers brought a grave message of increased heroin use in the community to the recent meeting of Haddam and Killingworth's Healthy Community-Healthy Kids Coalition.

East Haddam Trooper Jeff Rhoades said drug use is increasing, as are overdoses and the increase in residential larcenies is directly tied to the increase in drug use in our communities. He said "heroin is a drug that has definitely gotten a hold in our smaller towns". The area Youth and Family Service agencies are trying to get residents to open their eyes to the drug problem and not just look to law enforcement and schools to solve the problem. Killingworth Resident Trooper Matt Ward said he can gather 100 people for a neighborhood watch meeting, but programs on teen drug use are poorly attended. He said 90% of the suspects in the recent robberies have ties to heroin use.

Rhoades, Ward and RSD17 School Resource Officer Gary Ingalls spoke about the transition from high priced prescription drugs, like OxyContin that gets kids hooked, to the inexpensive yet highly addictive heroin. Rhoades said that heroin is now 70-80% pure and can be either snorted, smoked or injected. Studies show that the typical client seeking treatment for drug use in our area is a Caucasian male between the ages of 15-25, and the drug of choice is heroin. Rhoades said most of the arrests are 19-25 year-olds. HKYFS Board member Stephanie Warren commented that the use is trickling down into the high schools. She said each generation of high school parents has the same level of denial, that "it can't happen to my kid".

Rhoades said many of the parties they break up would never happen if one parent made a phone call to check up on their child. McCabe said the parents' excuse that alcohol use is a right of passage is a dangerous message in today's very different world. She said the educational programs they are promoting are meant to break the progression from alcohol and marijuana use to heroin.

The Healthy Communities-Healthy Kids Coalition is looking to increase awareness, educate parents and limit the access kids have to drugs and alcohol. Residents are encouraged to attend it monthly meetings and educational programs as well as support its programs through funding and personal involvement.

(l-r) State Trooper Jeff Rhoades, East Haddam YFS Director Toni McCabe, Killingworth Resident State Trooper Matt Ward and RSD17 Resource Officer Gary Ingalls address the HC-HK Coalition

Sunday: February 8:
• 09:02:17 Medical Call, Pleasant Trail.
Monday: February 9:
• 22:44:50 Medical Call, Burr Hill Road.
Tuesday: February 10:
• 17:03:47 Automatic Alarm, Kimberly Lane.
Thursday: February 12:
• 08:29:29 MVA, Route 81.
• 09:40:11 Medical Call, Dudley Towne Road.
• 12:19:19 Wires Down, Chestnut Hill Road.
• 12:58:19 Wires Down, Route 81.
• 15:27:13 Medical Call, Cow Pen Hill Road.
• 16:45:03 Chimney Fire, Green Hill Road.
Friday: February 13:
• 11:48:43 Medical Call, Route 81.
• 21:54:54 Public Service, Little City Road.

HK Sports: The HKMS Girls Basketball team, with coach Rich Riebold at the helm, concluded its successful 2008-2009 season on Friday at home vs. the Rams of Old Saybrook by the score of 59-29. Eleven HK players contributed to the offense, with Beth Riedy leading all scorers (19 points), followed by Anna Fetteroll (14 points). Maya Savino added 7 points, and Tori Peterson 6 points. The team compiled a record of 12-1. The JV squad also won its contest, 21-4. Congratulations to the girls and coach on a terrific season!

The Cougar Aquatic Team hosted a swim meet at the HKHS pool on February 7 and 8, 2009. The meet, entitled "CAT Roar for Special Olympics" was a fund raiser for Special Olympics Connecticut. CAT combined all of the entry fees paid by the meet's participating teams, a total of $900, and donated the full amount to Special Olympics Connecticut, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Kristy DeCosta, Global Messenger for Special Olympics Connecticut, opened the meet with a wonderful speech outlining her 11 years as a Special Olympian, explaining how being an athlete has influenced her life in many positive ways. DeCosta, accompanied by her mother, Bonnie DeCosta, and by Liza Nolan, Director of Grants for SOCT, accepted the check from CAT President Robin Gibbons and Head Coach Mike Krajewski.

CAT is open to all swimmers ages 7-21 interested in the sport of competitive swimming. A member of USA Swimming, CAT, under the leadership of Head Coach Michael Krajewski and Assistant Coaches Ralph Rienzo, Tom Merritt, and Jaimie Cannata, is dedicated to advancing the physical, social, and emotional development of each swimmer. The team's goal is to provide age- and ability-appropriate training that allows swimmers to reach their full potential, whether the swimmer competes locally, regionally, or nationally. More information and registration forms are available at www.catswim.com or from Robin Gibbons at r4peace@comcast.net.

The Leadership Committee of the Cougar Aquatic Team would like to extend its deepest thanks to five local businesses that donated items to the concessions stand at the CAT Roar for Special Olympics: RJ Gourmet, DaVinci Pizza, Teri's Package Store, Michelle Parmelee/William Raveis Real Estate, and Dunkin' Donuts. We are grateful for their support of the sport of swimming in our town.

Photos courtesy R. Generosa