The Orange Democratic Party will host its annual Meet The Candidates Picnic at the High Plains Pavilion on the Orange Fairgrounds, Orange Center Road, on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Tickets are $25 each and available by calling Jody at 203-314-9975 or Polly at 203-494-5976.
For more information visit the Facebook page or the Democrats website.
T
he Orange Congregational Church will host its annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 8 at the Orange Fairgrounds, 525 Orange Center Road, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Orange Conservation Commission hosted a hike at The Ewen Preserve on Saturday, June 1.
This hike was part of Connecticut Trails Day where hosted hikes were held throughout Connecticut on the same day.
Pictured are the intrepid hikers who came out on a beautiful Saturday morning for a hike led by Travis Ewen who grew up on this land.
Highlights included a new walkway over wet sections and work done to restore fish movement on the Indian River, which flows through the Ewen Preserve.
The Orange Economic Development Corporation will host the 17th Annual Orange Business and Community Expo on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year the Expo will take place at the University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Road, West Haven. The move will allow for a larger audience and more vendors. OEDC Executive Director Annemarie Sliby said, “We are excited with the change. The move will allow all vendors to be in one area, with a separate space for workshops and activities. There will be plenty of parking, as students have completed their semester.”
As always, the Expo is free and open to the public. Business owners, their employees, and local residents can look forward to product demonstrations, activities, raffles, and food; while networking with more than 60 business vendors.
Activities and events are still being organized. Some activities currently scheduled are: the Annual Spring Brochure Swap presented by Visit New Haven; Morning Jolt provided by the Orange Chamber of Commerce; Professional headshots provided by Lyon Photography, and returning this year is One-on-One Speed Networking with Rob Thomas. One-on-One Speed Networking is a fun, effective way to make connections. Rob Thomas, of Rob Thomas CT, professional networking coach, will be the moderator. Seating is limited and registration is required. Cost is $15 per person and includes a goodie bag, refreshments and raffle entry. All activities are free with the exception of the One-on-One Speed Networking. Check the OEDC website for updates and descriptions.
Forty vendors have registered to date and space is still available but will sell out quickly. Exhibitors can showcase their business, products or service, sell products on site, and network with business vendors and attendees. Exhibitor space is reasonably priced at $300 for an 8-foot booth, which includes pipe and drape, linen topped-skirted table and 2 chairs. In addition, all vendors receive their business information listed in the Event Program, business marketing materials included in Event Welcome Bags, company name listed in OrangeLife Magazine, an entry into the Vendor/Sponsor appreciation raffle, and exhibitor lanyards. Booths with electricity are limited but may be provided for an additional $100. Registration for a booth is available online at the OEDC website, OrangeEDC.com/events_activities.
Any business that is unable to participate as a vendor can still have a presence. For just $75, company marketing materials will be included in the Event Welcome Bags. Another option is to place an ad in the Event Program; sizes and prices vary. All visitors and attendees will receive Event Bags and Programs.
The event is sponsored by All American Waste; Connex Credit Union; Eagle Leasing Company; Hurwitz, Sagarin, Slossberg and Knuff; NORTHEAST Electronics Corporation; Orange Economic Development Commission; StateFarm Insurance; Taylor Rental Party Plus; UIL Holdings Corporation, and the University of New Haven. For more information, call the Orange Economic Development Corporation at 203-891-1045 or visit the website at OrangeEDC.com/events_activities.
Orange resident Denise Mirto and her faithful companion Franco.
Pet owners have known for a long time that a dog, cat, bird, fish, livestock, or reptile can teach a family valuable lessons on responsibility and caring.
Those of us with pets also know about the unconditional love we share with them and the joy that they bring into our lives.
Ten years ago, in the summer of 2009, Bob and Denise Mirto decided it was time to adopt a shelter dog.
Their son and Bob’s secretary at his law office went to the West Haven animal shelter and brought home a small, 26-pound, longhaired adult male dog.
The Mirto’s instantly fell in love with him and named him Franco — after the Pittsburg Steelers’ running back, Franco Harris.
Just two weeks later, Denise learned that “The View” was doing a feature on rescue dogs. She sent in his photo and he was chosen to appear on the show.
Franco and his new family were treated like celebrities. They were put up in a luxury hotel in New York City and Franco slept in the window and kept watch over the city that never sleeps from the 50th floor.
“The people at the studio told us that Franco was their favorite,” Bob said.
Sometime later, the family learned that Franco had an underactive thyroid, and started him on medication that mellowed him out.
“In the ten years that we had him, Franco only barked once, — at the cat,” Bob said.
Franco became a fixture in the Mirto’s lives, they took him everywhere. Bob brought him to his West Haven Law Office, where he had a bed, greeted clients, and came to closings. West Haven High Students would come by at lunchtime and take him for a walk. He was very well behaved, and he loved visiting homes and the Orange Town Hall
Bob also was coaching the Orange Legion Baseball Team and Franco became the mascot, spending his time in the dugout during the games.
“He liked the attention that he got at the field, the boys loved him and high school girls would let him sit in their laps during the games,” Bob said. “He was well traveled, he’s gone to Muzzy Field in Bristol, Palmer Field in Middletown for tournament games, and the last trip he took was the Bark at the Park at Yale.”
He loved to ride in the car and even had his own car seat.
If you know the Mirto family or attended a Legion Game in Orange in the past 10 years, then you knew Franco.
Sadly, this love story ended recently when Franco was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Before anything could be done, he died peacefully at home on Thursday, May 23. He was 14 years old.
As the news spread, the Mirtos were showered with messages of sympathy — 150 e-mails, phone calls, and cards.
“He touched so many lives,” Bob said. “We thank everyone so much for all the support we received in this very difficult time.”
He added, ” This just proves that you can take a skittish 4-year-old dog, show it love and have a remarkable relationship for 10 years.”
This is the first in a series about pet adoption. Next Up Mi Sun, truly a rare find.
If you would like to be featured in the series, send a photo and your information, including phone number to Orangectlive01@gmail.com
A fire in an unattended self-cleaning oven Saturday night caused damage to an Orange home and led to three people being evaluated for smoke inhalation.
Orange volunteer firefighters were called to 832 Quarter Mile Road in Orange shortly before 9:30 p.m. Saturday for a report of an oven fire. Firefighters discovered that the family had set the self-cleaning oven to clean and then left the house. When they returned, they found the house full of smoke and items in the storage drawer under the stove burning.
According to the fire chief, “The family called 9-1-1 and they were able to put out the fire and remove the storage drawer from the home. In doing so, however, they inhaled a lot of smoke, causing some health concerns.”
While some firefighters cleared smoke from the home, others performed an initial medical evaluation of the people who were in the home. The residents were further evaluated by American Medical Response personnel but declined to go to the hospital.
“Operating between 800 and 1,000 degrees, self-cleaning ovens are a great convenience, but should not be left unattended,” the chief said. “While some ranges have storage drawers underneath the ovens, homeowners should be certain that the drawer is indeed a storage drawer rather than a warmer or broiler. It can be confusing. And, like any other appliance, ranges need to be maintained and used following instructions.”
He said the fire resulted in damage to the oven and smoke damage to the kitchen. The Fire Department does not issue damage estimates and because Orange firefighters were involved in the medical treatment of the homeowners, their names were protected under federal patient privacy rules. The Orange Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the incident.
The Orange Conservation Commission will be participating in Connecticut Trails Day on Saturday, June 1 at 10 a.m. (rain date: Sunday, June 2) by hosting a guided walk at the Ewen Preserve at 10 am (GPS Address: 648 St John’s Drive, Orange, CT).
This educational walk will be lead by Travis Ewen. We will walk along the new walkway and see the new Audubon Fish Restoration project and learn the history of this treasured Farmland.
There will be similar trail events being held throughout Connecticut on June 1. So shake off the winter chills and get outside to participate and mark your calendar to enjoy this activity set up by the OCC.
As many faithful readers know, we posted dozens of photos from the Memorial Day Ceremony on our Facebook page.
Here are a few photos from the parade. See if you can find yourself or a loved one in the background.
Students learning about the structural possibilities of a song.
Sixth graders in Bernadette Bober’s room at Race Brook School are participating in a songwriting workshop.
This program was made possible by a grant awarded to RBS from the Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation.
Students were asked to brainstorm freely as a whole and then broken into smaller groups to allow for the development of themes, lyrics, and melodies.
The groups were offered guidance as needed but encouraged to work as a team to flesh out their ideas. This gets them out of their comfort zone and fosters cooperation and team building.
This program is called “Write it Out” started by Guilford-based singer/songwriter Laura Clapp. She is a Berklee College of Music graduate, mother of two and performer who loves working with children through song.
More information can be found at www.writeitoutworkshops.com.
224 Orange residents decided on the proposed Town Budget last week.
The results are as follows:
YES 189 (182 were present plus 7 absentee ballots)
NO 35 (32 were present plus 3 absentee ballots)