Portland... On the Move

Issue 67 ~ News from your Town Hall ~ August 1999

The Future of Portland – is a matter of P.R.I.D.E. Auction Chairperson Brian Gouin announced today that the Second Annual P.R.I.D.E. Auction will be held on Wednesday, October 6th, at 5:30 PM at St. Clement's Estate, 1931 Portland-Cobalt Road. According to Gouin, the auction will follow the format of the highly successful 1998 auction: a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction and a live auction. Food will be included in the price of the auction ticket. 1998 live auction items included a wide variety of choices. There were weekend getaways at Stratton, Vermont; Snug Harbor, Rhode Island; and Latimer Point, Connecticut. There was a stay at the Equinox Inn & Spa in Manchester, Vermont. There were tickets to shows at the Bushnell, Hartford Stage and Goodspeed Opera House. There were tickets to a UCONN men's basketball game and the Boston Red Sox, many gift certificates and gift baskets. Other donations included professional photographs, fuel oil, business cards, automobile alignments and a security system. Silent auction items in 1998 included dinner at the Tuscany Grill, rounds of golf, oil changes, a portable television set, wine, maple syrup and a wide assortment of gift certificates and gift baskets. "Auction proceeds support P.R.I.D.E. projects," Gouin said, with 1998 auction proceeds being used for the Portland town sign next to the Arrigoni bridge and for Memorial Day flags that lined Main Street. Gouin added that P.R.I.D.E. plans to use the money raised at the October 6th auction to fund work on a town green, a pocket park near the Middle School, development of the quarry as a tourist site and to study ways to improve traffic flow and parking on Main Street. P.R.I.D.E. President James Truesdell pointed out that many of P.R.I.D.E.'s projects are long term, and while the organization will begin work on them immediately, some projects will take well over a year to complete. Gouin asked that anyone wishing to donate items or volunteer to help with the auction should call him at 342-0046. All donated items must be new. Going... Going... GONE!!! There are many different types of auctions besides the standard American version in which the auctioneer starts with a low price and takes increasingly higher bids. Here's how other auctions work: Dutch auction: the auctioneer starts the bidding at a very high price and progressively lowers it; the first bidder to say "mine" buys the item at the last price the auctioneer called out. English (also called silent) auction: Potential buyers sign their names on a sheet of paper beside the item they're interested in and write down a bid. Throughout the auction, buyers can readjust their bids according to others' bids. Chinese auction: Tickets are sold for a set price (10 for $1.00, for example). Purchasers then place as many tickets (with their names on them) as they choose into a container beside the item they want. At the end of the auction, there's a drawing to see who "won" the item.

Safety First! Disease Defense Before your children head off to school this year, they should receive the appropriate vaccinations. Not only do most schools require them, but vaccines are an effective defense against a number of serious diseases. State regulations vary, but many require the following vaccinations by the time a child enters kindergarten: · Three doses of polio vaccine, including one received after the fourth birthday. · Four doses of DTP/DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis/diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis), including one received after the fourth birthday. · One dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) received after the first birthday. · Two doses of measles vaccine (one dose at 15 months, then another at four to six years). · Three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine (one dose at birth, one at one to two months, one at six to 18 months). See your pediatrician and your local school system for details. Sunburn Relief Been out in the sun too long? Rub full-strength vinegar (white or cider) on your skin, and you'll feel immediate relief from sunburn pain. "But Mom, I Don't Feel Good…" How do you know if you're child is sick enough to keep home from school and needs to see a doctor? According to the Merck Manual of Medical Information, here are some of the symptoms that warrant such concern: · repeated diarrhea and/or vomiting · severe cold with fever, sneezing, and thickened nasal discharge · sore throat, especially combined with fever or swollen neck glands · severe cough · fever of more than 100 degrees (oral) or 101 degrees (rectal) · borderline fever (100 degrees) in a child who is also pale, achy, and tired · severe or persistent earache · redness in the whites of the eye, yellow eye discharge, and matted eyelashes - all signs of conjunctivitis · rashes that are blistering, oozing, or sore

 

Please Note: A Medicare Insurance & Benefits Counselor is available at the Center on the first Thursday of each month. Please call the Center to make an appointment if you have any insurance questions or concerns.

 

Portland History Carved in Stone By: Doris Sherrow John Concklin, an elderly bachelor living on Indian Hill Avenue, died of dysentery on July 30, 1879. He had been sick for five days with this rather common summer ailment, and the paper mentioned "much sickness" around Portland and Middletown. In his probate papers are bills from his August 1st interment by the undertaker and coffin maker W.G. Spencer. Not only are these bills gracefully designed and handwritten, they offer a window into the funeral industry of the later 19th century. Concklin had been one of several children of Dr. Isaac Concklin. He was a carpenter, as were two of his brothers. The houses at 57 and 67 Indian Hill Avenue (the latter gone) were built in the late 1840s by his brothers. John inherited his grandfather's house, which formerly stood at 51 Indian Hill Avenue (known to older residents as the Hanford house, it was dismantled around 1979, and reassembled in Ohio). Wellington G. Spencer was the local mortician. He conducted his business from a long gable-to-street commercial building next to and south of the present day Café 66. This building is pictured in the January, 1992 Portland Historical Society calendar. It is white with a small, fancy ell to the south under the sign of "Undertaker." This building, still in use as a funeral parlor, burned in 1936 under the ownership of Spencer's son-in-law, Arthur Emmons, and was then rebuilt in its present form. Café 66 survived that fire only because it was stucco. Spencer's flowery letterhead on the bill reads: "W.G. Spencer, Undertaker, and Manufacturer of Caskets and Coffins. Dealer in House Furnishing Goods, Paints, Varnishes, Glass, &c., &c. Terms." An outlined box to the left offers: "Merino shrouds, caps, &c., On hand and made to order. Carriages and Hearse Furnished." Spencer billed the estate as follows: Imitation Rosewood Casket: $22.00 Outside Box: 3.00 Cashmere Robe 4.00 Preserving body in ice: 5.00 (it was midsummer) Attending funeral 4.00 Total: $38.00

A second bill to the estate came from Laverty & Sarsfield, "Hack, Livery, and Feed Stable." This was the business carried on by James Laverty at 188 Main Street in addition to his thriving saloon business. Five years later a disastrous fire destroyed his saloon. Laverty scrambled to rebuild this moneymaker, producing the building we know today as Portland Restaurant. The August 1st rental of "2 Hacks Funeral" from Laverty and Sarsfield cost the estate $8.00. One of those "hacks" would have been the hearse. The type of hearse used by Spencer is pictured in the October, 1996 Portland Historical Society calendar. It is framed in shining black wood with glass sides allowing a view of the interior (a sort of sinister version of Cinderella's carriage). The undertaker and his assistant sit atop the wagon, grim and black-suited, with a pair of white horses yoked to their rig. The rules drawn up by the Center Cemetery Association in 1897 state that an assistant must remain in the wagon seat to control the horses during the funeral. One wonders what incident necessitated such a clear statement of policy! A third bill rests with the probate papers: John Strickland charged Conklin's estate $4.00 "for opening grave" on that 1st of August. Strickland was a 43 year old farmer who lived near the cemetery. Digging a 6 foot deep, 6 foot long hole in the August sun must not have been pleasant. The fourth and fifth bills in the estate supplied Conklin's grave marker. In May, 1880, George A. Shubert in New Haven, charged the estate $20.00 "To one head ston [sic] as agread [sic]." And the Boston and New York Air Line Railroad Company issued its narrow receipt: "For transportation of Merchandise from NH: 1 Grave Stone 7.86 [pounds?] $ .94" The ninety-four cents was paid by John's youngest brother George, who picked up the stone from the train station on Marlborough Street. John Concklin's gravestone, a simple, four foot rectangle of brownstone, was placed in Center Cemetery beside his parents' stones, and near his Sage relatives.

 

Getting Along with Neighbors Minimize problems with neighbors by getting to know them. Bill Adler, Jr., author of Outwitting the Neighbors, suggests these bond-builders: Welcome new neighbors with a plate of cookies or bottle of wine. Take time to chat when you see them. Introduce your kids to theirs. Offer to take in their newspapers and mail when they're away. Be considerate about noise, whether it's your dog barking or kids playing their boom-boxes.  Headphones are a good idea. If you're planning any construction or landscaping around your house, let your neighbors know before you start. There'sAlways Something New at the Portland Library What kind of things creep, grow, crawl and fly around Portland? Discover new things about your neighborhood on a nature walk, Thursday, August 15 at 10 AM. Registration for the program began Tuesday, July 20. The nature walk is for children entering first grade and older. Sue McDougall, a Gildersleeve School teacher, will take the children around the library’s grounds looking for anything that crawls, flies and creeps! The group will also be on the lookout for interesting plants. Get ready for the Human Toy! Garry Krinsky, otherwise known as the Human Toy, will be the featured performer at the Portland Library’s summer reading club grand finale. The party is planned for Monday, August 16 at 7 PM at the Portland Senior Center. Registration begins Monday, August 2 at the library by phone or in person. The party is for the families that participated in the reading club, Scoop Up a Good Book. More than 400 children registered to read for at least 10 minutes a day for one month. Krinsky has been described as "a living cartoon with non-stop energy." His program combines original music, mime, circus skills and audience involvement. Krinsky’s appearance is sponsored by the Friends of the Portland Library group. Pack a lunch and come to the Portland Library this summer. Two lunch programs are offered for children of various ages. There is no registration for either program.

Picnic Pals is for preschool-age children and accompanying adults. Held each Tuesday at noon, July 6 to August 10, the program includes stories and movies. Lunch Bunch is for children entering first grade and older. The program is at noon each Wednesday, July 7 through August 11. Adults do not need to accompany children. This program also features stories, movies, crafts and occasional guests There will be a special rocket program in August. The Friends of the Portland Library have purchased several Museum passes for public use by advance phone reservation. Passes may be reserved up to one month in advance. The passes allow for a set number of people to attend the museum for a reduced rate or free admission. A patron must abide by the conditions each museum sets forth. Passes available include Children’s Museum of Southeastern Connecticut, Lutz Children’s Museum, Nashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Science Center of Connecticut, Roaring Brook Nature Center, and Wadsworth Atheneum. Passes with restrictions are Maritime Aquarium and Imax, Mark Twain House, Mystic Acquarium, and Roger Williams Park and Zoo. For more information about any of our programs, call the library at 342-6770, or visit the Web Page: www.sclc,org/portland. (The following was taken from the newsletter of the Friends of the Roswell (NM) Public Library) The Value of One Vote How much is one vote worth? In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England. In 1649, one vote caused Charles I of England to be executed. In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German. In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union. In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment. In 1876, one vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic. In 1933, one vote made Adolph Hitler chancellor of Germany. In 1960, one vote in each precinct in Illinois would have denied John F. Kennedy the presidency. (thank you, Laurel Goodgion, for bringing this article to our attention -- Editor)

Words of Wisdom "The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they’re okay, then it’s you.." Rita Mae Brown "I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." Diane Ackerman "A friend is someone who sees through you and still enjoys the show." Wilma Askinas

Special Hours! The 1st Selectman’s Office, along with the Planning Department, Building Department, Environmental Health Department, Finance Office and Public Works will stay open on Tuesday evenings until 7 PM. They will close on Fridays at noon. Other offices at the Town Hall will remain open at their usual time.

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