The Fairfield Museum and History Center invites you to the historic Rising Sun Tavern for a lighthearted evening of “tales and ales”. The landmark tavern, which burned to the ground during the American Revolution and was rebuilt in the early 1780s, was once host to George Washington and is now restored and ready to welcome visitors on Saturday, July 11, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. The tavern’s grand re-opening on the Historic Town Green is only one cause for the celebration. The Fairfield Museum and History Center is also proud to honor Fire Chief Richard Felner for his 50 years of service to the community. The honored guest and resident will arrive with firetruck in tow, along with friends and colleagues from the Fairfield Fire Department and Fairfield Police Department.

Simultaneously (and yes, we see the irony), Fairfield commemorates the 230th anniversary of the legendary fire set by British troops. While a devastating fire is nothing to celebrate, the Museum sees this date as one of Fairfield’s finest moments. “The town’s efforts to rebuild and retain its position as the county’s epicenter set a tone that resonates to the present day. Whether the obstacles are physical or economic, Fairfielders are famous for their determination. The museum is a perfect example!” notes Executive Director, Michael Jehle. Toast to the Chief and to the town with a mug full of “Rising Sun Ale”, created by The Southport Brewing Company for the occasion. Learn a colonial tavern song from strolling 18th century musician Tom Hanford, or swap war stories with General “George Washington”. Although possum pie didn’t make the menu, light refreshments from Ash Creek Saloon and The Fairfield Cheese Company will satisfy contemporary palettes. The title sponsor for this memorable evening is Domus Constructors, with additional sponsorship provided by The Bank of Fairfield, David Scott Parker Architects, Southport Brewing Company and the Fairfield Sun.

“Tavern Night on the Historic Town Green” is one in a series of special events developed by the Fairfield Museum and History Center revolving around the anniversary of the Fire of 1779. A new exhibition entitled, Reduced to Ashes: the 1779 Burning of Fairfield, opened at the Fairfield Museum on June 21, exploring events leading up to the British invasion, the burning of the town, the devastating aftermath and Fairfield’s ultimate transformation. Other events offered in the museum’s summer burning series include special walking tours, harbor cruises, spy camps, a lecture on Connecticut’s role in the American Revolution, an interactive cemetery tour at Greenfield Hill Cemetery, as well as the Museum’s annual Fall Festival in September. The culminating event will be “A Night at the Museum”, held on Saturday, September 26, a progressive dinner and themed event to follow at the museum. To register for Tavern Night, which is $30 in advance and $35 at the door, please contact The Fairfield Museum and History Center at 203-259-1598. For further details on all the exciting upcoming events at the museum, please visit www.fairfieldhs.org.

I am a big fan of berries. Strawberries. Blueberries. Raspberries, red and black. So, when the summer picking season comes around, you’ll likely find me in a berry patch, kneeling in the dirt, determined to find the biggest, juiciest strawberries. Blueberry picking isn’t so back-breaking, but sometimes the best and brightest blues are nestled deep within the bush, shielded by a tangle of branches that have a tendency to poke at eyes and scratch faces indiscriminately. And if you want to pick raspberries, you’ll have to deal with the thorns!

For anyone who hasn’t gone berry picking, I’m making it sound much more hazardous than it is. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to have to share my plot of fruit-bearing plants with other enthusiastic pickers: The berries always seem bigger and better on the other side of the row.

As I said, I’m a big fan of berries: I got up early to pick blueberries the day before I was scheduled to give birth. People had been advising me to walk, walk, walk the baby out. I figured I would do one better, and “pick” the baby out. If reaching and craning wouldn’t get him or her to budge, then nothing would. I had grown bold; the kid was 10 days late. Much to the relief of anyone in the patch that day, the baby berry-lover decided to give it a few more days.

Did I mention I was a big fan of berries?!

This year, there is no other hazard than the possibility that I will be overcome by heat stroke or a berry-induced food coma. I picked at Glendale Farms last week, and though it was a bit more work than usual because of all the rain this season, it was well worth it. The berries are tart-sweet and juicy. Don’t care so much for strawberries? Blueberry season is just around the corner. Just try not to pick in my row, OK?

For farms in nearby counties, visit ctpickyourown.org. Call ahead for conditions, crops and hours.

Fairfield County Farms

• Jones Family Farms, 110 and Walnut Tree Hill Road (266 Israel Hill Road), Shelton 

(203) 929-8425. Ripe for the Pickin’: 

strawberries, blueberries
• Glendale Farms, 203 Herbert Street, Milford (203) 874-7203. Ripe for the Pickin’: strawberries
• Candee Farm, 456 Morehouse Road, Easton (203) 268-5623. Ripe for the Pickin’: raspberries
• White Silo Farm and Winery, 32 Route 37 East, Sherman

 (860) 355-0271. Ripe for the Pickin’: 
red and yellow raspberries, blackberries (special 
blackberry bushes without thorns)

My second Open House in my career as a Realtor was here in the neighborhood of Stratfield, where I live.  It was before I had any listings of my own and I was helping the listing agent.  The day before the Open House, I visited the home and found that the grass was up to my knees.  Yikes, I thought to myself.  This won’t exactly bring in the potential buyers, so I drove home and got my lawn mower.   I also printed out some fliers inviting people to the Open House the next day and I knocked on doors up and down the street.   When I knocked on the door across the street from the place whose lawn I  cut, a woman came to the door and very politely said, before I could invite her to my Open House, ‘I’ve already got someone to cut my lawn.’

If it’s Sunday, you’re probably going to see Open House signs all over the neighborhood.   If you’re thinking of buying, I strongly suggest you bang out a few of these every weekend.  They’re necessary if you wish to buy in an educated manner.  They may seem tedius and you may meet some odd characters along the way, but it’s worth it.  As I say to everybody that gets a chance to hear it, the purpose of buyers going to Open Houses is three fold:

1. Develop a list of MUST HAVES as you look.  These are things you need to have in a home for you to give it serious consideration.

2. Get a list of NICE TO HAVES.  This is a list of things that you’re like to have but don’t need.

3.  Get to the point where, when you walk into a home, you know whether it’s priced to sell or if the price is still high for the market.

Maybe you’re thinking of selling.  If you’re even thinking of selling, you should visit Open Houses.  You need to know what your competition is.  You need to track the homes that are selling, the homes that are not selling and you need to know the ‘why’ behind it all.  You also need people in the Real Estate field that you can develop relationships with.  When you meet ‘us’ at Open Houses, you have a chance to interview us.  You get to test our market knowledge and , maybe most importantly, you get to find out if you’re comfortable sitting in the same room with us.

So if you’re not in either of these categories it still isn’t a bad thing to visit an Open House from time to time.  Especially places in your neighborhood.  You should know what’s selling in your neighborhood and what’s not selling.  It may have an impact on when you sell your home.  Neighbors come to my Open Houses all the time.  I don’t necessarily think they’re nosey.  Sometimes, people come by to get ideas for decorating.  The bottom line is this.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a Realtor that’s not happy to see you.

A few questions come up when I”ve held Open Houses that may cross your mind as you read this or see a sign in the neighborhood today. I’d like to cover them.

1. Do people REALLY sell homes by having Open Houses?

I consider Open Houses another iron on the fire, so to speak. Some say that Open Houses are just for the Realtor to develop their name.   That’s true. We meet potential buyers and sellers and we develop our businesses, but we also sell homes this way. How do I know? I’ve done it. And, before I got into this business, our home was sold from someone who came in through an Open House.

2. When I sign in, you’re just trying to get my information to haunt me, aren’t you?

When people admit to me that they’re afraid they’re going to be hunted down, chased down the aisle of the produce section of Stop and Shop, I remind them that I live in the same neighborhood and wish for the same peaceful shopping experience that they do.  I’ve seen the look; that wrinkled brow from people that know I’m a Realtor as they take a sudden and intense interest in that box of cereal or steak.   It’s ok.  I have a life, too.   If you ever have any questions or wish to chat, though, I’m here for you.

So if you’re driving around today and see an Open House sign, drop in! I sincerely believe that everybody that owns or is THINKING about owning a home or buying or selling should have someone in my business that they can call or email if they ever have any questions. If you don’t have somoene you can do this with, maybe you’ll meet someone today.

By the way, the Open House I started this post with?  I didn’t have a single visitor.  The good news is, the lawn looked great, the home eventually sold, and I’ve stayed in touch with the woman across the street who thought I was cutting lawns for a living.  She’s a great lady and just one more reason why I love this business.  You never know where you’re going to meet the next very interesting person!

The Fairfield Public Library’s Jobs 2009 series has concluded for the summer, but the networking will continue on.

Join a summer networking group at the Library.

The meetings will be unstructured, providing members the opportunity to exchange job search tips and strategies while expanding their network of contacts in a supportive environment. Each group of 15 will be led by 1 or 2 member volunteer leaders who will attend each meeting, be the liaison between the networking group and the Library staff, and email the membership as necessary. Bring your business cards!

They will have 3 weekly groups that meet in the Jennings Room, 2nd floor. Please sign up for each date that you plan on attending. Registration is at www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org and click on “EVENTS/REGISTRATION. Seating is limited to 15 attendees per session You may switch between the M-W-F groups each week, or attend the same group each week……You decide! Mondays, 1-2 pm. June 22, 29, July 6, 13, 20, 27, Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Wednesdays, 7-8 pm. June 24, July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26 Fridays, 9:30-10:30 am. June 19, 26, July 10, 17, 31, Aug.14, 28

Listen to all the Jobs 2009 presentations.

If you missed any of the Jobs 2009 presentations (there were 25 of them from January-June), you may listen to the podcast recordings from each event by visiting our website http://www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org/podcasts-jobs2009.htm and clicking on the program name. No ipod is required; these mp3 files will open through Windows media player (or similar program you probably have on your computer) and play automatically.

Visit the Library’s Job and Career Resources webpage for links to job listings, tips on writing resume and cover letters, local and national company research, and more. Click here: http://www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org/job.htm

The students of Ms. Diana Webb’s third grade class looked on intently as Kevin Demshak, a Regional Consultant with Fidelity Brokerage Services, handed checks to several students in exchange for cash. These students were the “bankers” in Mr. Demshak’s activity “You Can Bank On It”, the last activity of five in Junior Achievement’s Elementary School Program at McKinley School.

The goal of the program is to teach students about financial literacy and the history of entrepreneurship. Children in this class were learning about common financial transactions such as writing checks, balancing a check book and ATM card usage. Other sessions included marketing, small business operations, community relations and zoning matters.

Junior Achievement of Western Connecticut is providing programs to more than 1704 students in 87 elementary and high school classes largely through the generosity of 80 corporate, foundation and individual donors. Classes were held at five of the town’s elementary schools, one of the parochial schools and Fairfield Ludlowe High School. Fidelity Investments’ partnership included 7 business volunteers including Kevin Demshak and Caroline Marshall. Additional classes were sponsored by Bigelow Tea and The Bank of Fairfield.

“It’s an excellent program that allows children to understand business and communities,” Ms. Webb said. “The activities make this learning experience more exciting.”

All sessions are created by the JA Central Office and each of the volunteers is provided with a kit from JA to facilitate the sessions. Today’s kit included demonstration checks, registers and play money.

Student Sam Stalling said “Junior Achievement is very fun, especially with Mr. Demshak.”

According to Demshak, a 6-year veteran of the program, once the business leaders are in the classroom and leading the program, they are hooked. “There is nothing better to inspire kids in America, to learn about business. I get more out of it than the students.”

All together there are 118 volunteers, mostly parents and local business people. “The success of the program depends on the volunteers” says Ms. Rago.

To volunteer with the Western Connecticut Junior Achievement, please contact Harriet Rago at 203-382-0180 ext.11

Summer officially started over the weekend although this weather doesn’t feel like it. This is the perfect season to reassess your life before the start of the new school year. I always felt that even if you do not have children that right after Labor Day is a time for a new beginning versus New Year’s. So get out your new yellow #2 pencil and let’s start planning.
When I work with my coaching clients one on one, I ask three key questions that I want them to write down answers for. The reason is that it is proven that there will be a greater chance of success if your goals are written down. Such questions include:
What is a key wish/dream that I can accomplish within the next year? Be specific as possible (i.e. I will lose 5 lbs. in the next month by exercising three times a week and reduce my calorie intake by 200 calories).
Who do I need to discuss this with (family, boss, friend, colleague) so they can provide support so that I can succeed in reaching my goal?
What action step can I take in the next 48 hours so as to start to make progress?
Of course, there are many other questions but the idea is to keep it simple and manageable. Many people get overwhelmed with goal setting so it is better to start with “baby steps” to have a feeling for a sense of accomplishment. Good luck!

Route 58 in Fairfield was closed for a period of time yesterday as crews worked to remove this tree

This was submitted by one of our regular readers, Paul.

Ed,

My neighbor, Todd Jones, just sent a few photos to you of a huge tree which fell across upper Black Rock Turnpike just South of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield. It smashed a windshield on a Subaru and, amazingly, nobody seems to have been hurt. Traffic is being diverted onto Old Black Rock Turnpike, as Black Rock Turnpike is closed in both directions.

Paul

Amazing photo Todd!

I’m a Realtor, and this is my first blog. I love what I do for a living. I also like to write so this seemed like it was worth a shot. I’d like to spend my time writing to you about Real Estate. Don’t worry. I won’t overwhelm you with mind numbing stats though numbers are important in my business. I will resist using the word fabulous. I never used it much, anyway. I will attempt to NOT state the obvious, like writing about how putting on a coat of paint will increase the value of your home. I will talk about what’s REALLY happening, though. There is quite a bit of fear out there. Some of it is justified. Much of it is based on hysteria because we had an economic dip punctuated by an economic earth quake toward the end of 2008.

Let me get some factual things out of the way. I have been predicting that, in June, we’d see a leveling off of sorts in the market here in the Fairfield area. I’m not usually good at predicitions. I leave that up to Kreskin and Nostradamus, but I think I actually got it right this time. Things are getting busier. Buyers are making offers and offers are being accepted. Homes are beginning to sell again. Are we in recovery mode? Not yet, in my humble opinion. I predict that things will stay flat for about a year. The good news is, though, that I don’t think it’s going to get any worse.

The sale of a home is, without a doubt, the most emotional sale on the planet. It’s something that we dream about. When we decide to look for a home to buy, we’re making those dreams a reality.

When we sell, we’re still dealing with dreams. Maybe we are selling the first place that we knew was a short termer and we’re trading up, getting closer to the dream home or actually reaching for it. Or maybe we’ve raised a family in our home and we’re thinking of moving on. I love this sale, but I approach it with a heavy heart. Sometimes, it inspires me, too. A friend called me up last year. Her kids were growing up. She wanted to talk to me about selling her home. Why, I asked. Because, she said, she wanted to move on to the next exciting stage in her life.

So welcome to my blog. I got into Real Estate because of Fairfield,CT, the town I live in. I love all that it has to offer, from the different types of neighborhoods, the beaches, the restaurants and stores and gyms and dry cleaners, to all the different types of people that I connect with during my day. When you buy a home here, you buy all of these things.   I don’t just like to share stats.  I like to share what I see.  Most of it’s good.  Some of it is inspiring.  There’s plenty that is funny.  I hope you enjoy reading it and look forward to hearing from you.

Beth Carter , a Personal and Business Coach, with Carter Consultants Ltd. and Melissa Ciotoli, a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney will be hosting a free Wish Planning Workshop on 6/25 at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s office in Westport. The workshop will cover life planning and financial planning to achieve your dreams and goals.

For more information please see the attached pdf

Wish Planning Workshop June 25, 2009

One thing became abundantly clear to me at last night’s Fairfield Board of Education meeting, the Board wastes a lot of time on redistricting. It’s the hand they are dealt. During the past few decades we’ve accepted that. However, as parents, the mere thought of redistricting gets the heart rate up. I can only imagine how the board feels. So why do we continue to accept this?

At last night’s BOE meeting three different proposals for the 2010-11 school year were presented by the Committee on Facilities, Information Technology and Long Range Planning. I’ve posted the Commitee’s Plan to Address Overcrowding in two parts.

The three proposals differ in the number of elementary schools impacted and number of children moved. Plan 6 would move about 300 students, Plan 7 would impact approximately 180 students and Plan 8 would shift 80+. These are based on current projections for school enrollment in the 2009-10 school year. The space available in the plans is based on 2009-10 information, including portables.

While Plan 6 was originally put forth by Board Member Sue Brand to “operate schools at the best utilization levels”, she seemed to waver in her support of the plan due to the widespread disruption in the school district.

Plan 7 was presented by Board Member Brenda Kupchik who referred to the 2006 BOE report for support. Back then, she said, it was determined additional space was needed at Holland Hill, Riverfield, Sherman and Mill Hill schools. Her proposal not only included the redistricting of students from Holland Hill to Sherman, and Mill Hill to Dwight, it also included accelerating the planned additions at Holland Hill and Riverfield schools.

Board Vice Chairman John Mitola presented Plan 8 which was less disruptive to the Town as a whole, and included phased in migration of students. A friendly approach that impacts few, but might cost the Town more due to bus routes and clerical issues in the central office.

After the presentations, the Board asked questions and ultimately opened the floor for public comments. The first to comment was First Selectman Kenneth Flatto. He quickly pointed out that the school space estimates the BOE was using in their proposals were inconsistent. My pen had long since run out of ink, so I didn’t capture his exact discrepancies, but nevertheless, why don’t the Board and the Selectmen have the same space figures? No wonder the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education are poles apart on the need for space. What a waste of time.

As I perused the paperwork, I noticed the entire school system’s projected enrollment for 2009-10 is 92.7% of capacity (including portables). Without the district’s 14 portables, the town has capacity for 4830 students. With projected enrollment at 4751 the district is at 98.4% in permanent facilities (bricks and mortar). Some schools are underutilized, and others are busting at the seams and teaching kids in the hallways and broom closests. This isn’t logical. If I were to open a bar, I would need a permit from the Fire Marshal that would limit the number of people in the establishment. This is for safety sake. If I go over that amount, I could be fined. Why isn’t this logic apparent to the Town Planning & Zoning Office? On the whole, the school district does not have the facilities to accommodate all the new homes the TP&Z has approved.

I heard that 42 condos are proposed (or approved, again inconsistent information) for the property where the VW dealer used to be. It was estimated, conservatively, that even if there are only 20 children in that development, McKinley school would be overcrowded. So why is this development getting approved? More to the point, does the TP&Z know of the Board of Ed’s woes? Why are we still approving additional dwellings in a town that cannot reasonably accommodate the occupants?

Ultimately the Board decided to take more time to study the issue, update their estimates and projections. They will discuss this again at the August BOE meeting.

This is a long-term problem. There is no student bubble in this town. Long range plans show student enrollment only increasing. If the Board of Selectmen does not want any more schools to be built, it’s up to the TP&Z to regulate accordingly. Otherwise, it’s just going to cause the BOE to waste more time and go through this exercise every few years.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts