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Whats Happening
Rocky Hill & Cromwell?
The Cromwell Womens Club is cur-
rently seeking nominations for the 2015
Cromwell Woman of the Year Award. The
award is intended to recognize a female
citizen of Cromwell who has distinguished
herself through contributions to the com-
munity. Nominees should display character-
istics which include but are not limited to:
supporting and leading community projects,
aiding those persons less fortunate and liv-
ing in a manner which inspires respect and
admiration.
In the spirit of acknowledging service
to the Cromwell community, the Cromwell
Junior Womans Club initiated the award in
1982. Cromwell citizens and organizations
are asked to submit nominations for the
2015 Woman of the Year by Dec. 1. Nomi-
nation forms may be obtained at Town Hall
at the Town Clerks Ofce, or by visiting
www.cromwelljuniorwomen.org. Questions
can be directed to Agnie Mena at 860-613-
2921
Founded in 1965, The Cromwell Ju-
nior Womens Club is part of the Connecti-
cut State Junior Womens Club. The club
strives to improve the quality of its commu-
nity through the efforts of a vibrant and dy-
namic group of women. The Club organizes
service projects and fund raising events, dis-
bursing the proceeds to local and national
charities and organizations.
Cromwell Womens Club Seeks
Nominations for Woman of the Year
Friday, Oct. 24 will
see Main Street and Pier-
son Park in Cromwell come
alive with the third annual
Halloween On Main event!
Starting at 4 p.m., the
merchants of Main Street
will be doing their part to
create a fun-lled fam-
ily experience for all ages
in safe, festive, traditional
Halloween style, complete
with store-to-store trick-or-
treating, pumpkin painting
and a haunted hayride, all
in support of the Crom-
well Downtown Merchants
Association. Then, at 5:30
p.m., Trick-R-Trunk, to
benet the Edna C. Stevens
& Woodside Intermediate
Schools PTO, will invade
Pierson Park! Whos got the
spookiest, most awesome
Halloween-themed ve-
hicles? Great prizes for the
winners! Oh, we cant forget
about the Haunted rehouse
walk-through or carved
pumpkin contest or bonre.
Food, music, more! Things
begin wrapping up at 8 p.m.
For more information
on the happenings on Main
Street, including how to
volunteer and sponsor, con-
tact Rodney Bitgood at 860-
670 -1620 or Cara Ehlers at
860-790-0532. For info on
Trick-R-Trunk, including
how to volunteer and spon-
sor, email Heather Polke at
hpolke@comcast.net.
Check us out at www.
halloweenonmain.com!
Downtown Cromwell Gears
Up for Halloween on Main!
Rocky Hill Food Pantry Benets from Annual Car Show
by Kathleen Pulek
If Old Mother Hubbard
had gone to the Rocky Hill
Food Pantry last weekend,
she would have found the
shelves bare.
We recently bought
some basics but theres not
much on the shelves, said
Melissa Hicks, who became
Human Services Direc-
tor when retirement ended
Mark Williams tenure earli-
er this year. The summer is
the hardest part of the year
for us, so we have to supple-
ment with some nancial
donations to put the basics
on our shelves. Our supply
gets very low, Hicks said of
the food pantry, inaugurated
by Williams 32 years ago.
We have bins located
in our Human Services De-
partment in the lobby at
699 Old Main St. if people
want to drop off donations.
Were open 8:30 a.m. 4:30
p.m., Monday-Friday and
theres always someone at
the desk.
The food pantry, which
assists the homeless, the el-
derly who are on xed in-
comes and low and middle-
income singles and families,
got a major boost Sunday,
Sept. 28, from the Connecti-
cut Street Legends ninth
annual Benet Car Show,
held in the plaza at 825
Cromwell Ave.
I got to know Mark
Williams, the former food
pantry director, and he said
that especially in the sum-
mer, the food pantry is in
great need. I told him I
was in the car club and we
would love to do something
to help, said Rick Camil-
leri, who, along with fellow
town resident/club member
Kevin Matthews, took own-
ership of the event at its in-
ception.
Nine years ago, Kevin
and I brought up the idea
of a car show to benet the
food pantry for a club vote
and now each year when the
vote comes up, its unani-
mous to put on the show.
Thats the great thing about
the Street Legends. We do
about eight car shows a year
and half of them are strictly
benets to help the commu-
nities out.
We reached out to the
owner of Michel Angelos,
and to other local merchants
in this plaza, like Elizabeths
Restaurant and Platinum
Hair Studio, and they were
not only gracious enough to
let us use the parking lot, but
they also donated prizes for
the rafe.
The clubs rafe re-
ceived an outpouring of
close to 50 donated items
and gift cards from mer-
chants like West Side Pizza,
West Side Market, Bobs
Coffee Shop, Jakes Burgers
and Stop & Shop. Michael
Angelos, a sponsor of the
Connecticut Street Legends,
also donated sheet pizzas for
sale during the show, which
raised $160-$200 for the
food pantry.
Joseph Butch Surwi-
lo, owner of Mr. Trophy and
his wife Barbara, the former
mayor of Rocky Hill, have
been ardent Street Legends
and community supporters
over the years, again donat-
ing the 25 trophies present-
ed to the category winners.
Its not even 11 a.m.
and already half of the lot is
lled. This show has gotten
so big, growing from 30-40
cars to over 200, that weve
had to start using the lot
next door, said Camilleri.
Once we ll this lot, we
dont want to turn anyone
away so Subway was kind
enough to give us use of the
rst row of their parking lot.
People dont realize
that even in a community
like Rocky Hill, theres a
great need for the assistance
that the food pantrypro-
vides, said Camilleri, who
proudly announced that cash
donations from the rst sev-
en benet car shows raised
more than $10,000. Well
raise $2,000-$3,000 today
and a truckload of food.
Hicks noted that the
food pantry, which is funded
solely by donations, is run
on an as needed basis. We
have some residents who
have used the food pan-
try long-term, every three
weeks, while others who
have been laid off or are un-
employed may have a short-
term need for assistance.
Residents have access
to the food pantry every
three weeks, with a single
person allotted one bag,
while two or more people
in a family are allotted two
bags.
The demand for food
pantry assistance in Rocky
Hill has increases yearly
by about 25 families. In
2013, 186 families were
helped. Through Septem-
ber of 2014, over 200 town
families are actively using
the food pantry on a regular
basis.
We usually have non-
perishable staples like pea-
nut butter and jelly, soups,
crackers, juice boxes and
snacks for the kids, beans,
canned vegetables, canned
fruits and cereals on hand,
Hicks continued. The
Rocky Hill Youth Services
has a community garden in
the summer, so for a short
time, we get fresh produce.
We have a lot of el-
derly and disabled on xed
incomes who use the food
pantry. The state has cut
back on SNAP, which is the
food stamp program. We see
people who are unemployed
and parents who are doing
their best. We also see peo-
ple come in when someone
gets ill, is on disability or on
short-term workmans com-
pensation because things
become very difcult for
them.
I would like to see us
grow so that were able to
offer bread and perishable
items, but we dont have
refrigeration. I would like
to be able to stock loaves of
bread and other things that
would last a few weeks on
the shelves for families be-
cause we nd that they real-
ly need that. Paper products
like toilet paper and tissues
cant be purchased through
the SNAP program. Theres
always a high demand for
cereals and peanut butter
and jelly, as well as personal
care items like toothpaste,
toothbrushes, deodorant,
shampoos and conditioners.
A lot of the households with
kids have gluten or peanut
allergies so things to pack
lunches are always needed,
according to Hicks.
The Street Legends
and West Side Market are
probably our biggest bene-
factors. They are pretty
much what sustain us and
get us through to holiday
times. I dont know if we
could keep the food pantry
year round if it werent for
this event and West Side
Market.
We are so thankful
for the support from or-
ganizations like the Street
Legends, local merchants
and town residents. We do
our very best in the ongo-
ing process to get families
what they need for nutrition
and what they need in their
homes to make ends meet,
said a grateful Hicks.
Rocky Hill resident Rick Camilleri of the Connecticut Street Legends
car club. Photo: Dave Burnham.
Some of the many vehicles on display at the Connecticut Street Legends 9th Annual Rocky Hill Food Pantry
Benet Car Show. Photo: Dave Burnham.
Kids Helping Kids Kick Cancer is the goal at Cromwell
High School. On Thursday, Oct. 2, CHS will hold its annual
double header soccer game at Cromwell High School. Girls
play at 4:30 p.m. and boys will kick-off at 6:30 p.m.. Wear
pink and save $1 off the admission price. There will be a
50/50 rafe and Agave Canteen Mexican food truck. Pro-
ceeds will be donated to Connecticut Childrens Medical
Center.
Kicking Cancer Event
The annual meeting of the electors and citizens quali-
ed to vote in meetings of the Cromwell Fire District will
be held at the Cromwell Town Hall, 41 West St., Cromwell,
Monday, Oct. 6, at 5:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is
to elect three commissioners for a term of three years each.
Meeting schedule: 5:30 to 6 p.m., nominations will be
accepted. Polls open for voting from 6 to 8 p.m.
Cromwell Fire District Annual Meeting