Children, Cocoa, and Community Spirit Mark Green Lighting

PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTOS

In the middle of the afternoon on Friday, downtown Southington suddenly lost power. A few moments later, Sandy Guay, co-owner of Southington Coffee House, stepped through the doorway of her darkened café carrying a large box of paper cups; she joked to her employees and customers that the Town must have blown out the grid while testing the lights for the evening’s Bright Lights Christmas Festival.

As it turned out, the electrical demands of the two-dozen or so light sculptures on the green were not to blame for the outage. (A utility pole damaged by a car was at fault.) Within a few minutes the power came back on, and the staff at Southington Coffee went back to preparing a hot chocolate bar for the evening’s festival attendees.

At 5pm, as the event opened, plunging temperatures and early darkness made it easy to sympathize with the elves who work the night shift at the North Pole. Right on cue, the Polar Express Children’s Train Ride pulled up to the Green and began boarding passengers for an imaginary journey. A small crowd of children gathered at the United Way’s table to compose letters to Santa, who, it is said, never checks his email.

The cold made the three bonfires maintained by Eric Korp an attractive place to gather. Mike Fasulo manned a table with supplies for s’mores, handing out three-foot long wooden spits to anyone who wanted to toast a marshmallow. One elderly resident remarked that this was the first time in her life she had ever made a s’more; she succeeded under the tutelage of some of the children present, who appeared to be old hands at the art.

When the time came to light the display, event organizer Dawn Miceli joined Town Councilors Chris Palmieri, Dave Zoni, Kristen Guida, Joshua Serafino, and Jen Clock up on the mobile stage. They all led the crowd in cheering on young Sophia Heller, who won this year’s contest to be the switch-flipper. Once the countdown reached zero, Heller pounded with all her might, and light came to the green.

To the accompaniment of carols sung by the Southington Festival Chorale, people went wandering – shopping for crafts at SoCCA, visiting the Barnes Museum on one of the rare occasions when it is open at night, meeting the Grinch at the Freemasons or Santa next door at the American Legion. Cocoa afficianados faced a choice between free hot chocolate at First Congregational’s tag sale, or Southington Coffee’s no-charge cocoa bar.

It was an evening of holiday fun and calm. Even on-call, members of the Southington Fire Department were able to relax and share in the good vibes as marshmallows browned nearby in the firepit's gentle flames.

An Unexpected Discovery At The Barnes Museum – 5,000 Years Of Connecticut Prehistory

A Native American toolkit from the Barnes Museum NADIA DILLON PHOTOS

The passion that Bradley Barnes, last owner of the Barnes homestead, had for historical artifacts explains why the Barnes Museum is so full of treasures today. In June 2021, while exploring the attic at the Barnes, I found one of these treasures. My eye was caught by what I thought at first was jewelry. I rushed over to discover a case containing over 70 Native American projectile points. The glimmer came from quartz, the mineral from which projectile points are made. Drawing on my recently completed degree in Anthropology/Archaeology, I made it my mission to identify every single point and tell the story of its origins and its place in Connecticut’s Native American prehistory.

The find was a surprise because, as far as we know, the Barnes family of Southington had no Native American ties. However, Bradley Barnes did have a summer home in the Indian Cove neighborhood of Guilford called ‘Rock Edge.’ It is believed that he found many of those projectile points along the beach there.

How To Date The Points

I first needed to date these artifacts. There are two types of dating methods; absolute dating  and relative dating. People might think that getting an absolute date from radiocarbon dating would be the method I used.

However, radiocarbon dating can only identify the time period of a living organism. All living things contain carbon 14 when they take in air. When they die, they stop absorbing it. Radiocarbon dating measures the decay of this carbon, and from it, the time that has passed since the living thing died. You can use this method for soil, plants, seeds, shells, textiles, and the remains of both humans and animals. But you cannot use it for projectile points because the stone they are made from was never alive.

Fortunately, relative dating can be just as accurate. This is the method I used. It involved matching the projectile points with similar artifacts from others sites whose absolute dates are known. Through this process, the collection was show to contain projectile points belonging to cultures that were around up to 5,000 years ago.

Late Archaic Projectile Points

The oldest artifacts belonged to the Late Archaic Period, which ran from 5000 BC to 3000 BC. During that time, Native Americans in Connecticut sustained themselves by foraging for nuts, fruits, and wild plants, as well as hunting deer and other small mammals and fishing. They processed their food by baking, roasting, and drying it. They lived in seasonal base camps with smaller temporary campsites along the Connecticut and Farmington Rivers.

There were two distinct populations at the time. The first, the Laurentian people, settled near rivers and lakes. They resided in base camps with man-made pole structures, but also occupied seasonal rock shelters and temporary open-air camps. These rock shelters can still be found across Connecticut at sites such as Chatfield Hollow State Park in Killingworth and Peoples State Forest in Barkhamsted.

The projectile points from this time are called Brewerton Notched Points. They are identified by notches on their stems, a slightly concave base, and an expanded stem. They were primarily used as spear points for hunting large mammals, though some were also used as knives. Most of the projectile points from Connecticut were made of quartz and chert. They are also commonly found in New England, New York, and the Ohio Valley.

Brewerton Notched Points from the Barnes Museum

The other population from this time, the Narrow Point people, settled in various micro-environments – open-air camps, quarries, highlands, shell middens, and rock shelters. Their lithics include Lamoka and Squibnocket points made of local quartz and quartzite. Lamoka points are small, with an expanding stem and straight base. Like the Laurentian points, they are found in New England and the Ohio Valley and were used as dart points attached to a spear. Squibnocket points can be either stemmed or triangular. The stemmed points are thin with a long stem and a base that curves outward. The triangular points can be equilateral or isosceles, with a concave base. Both types were used as dart points attached to spears.

Lamoka Points from the Barnes

Points From The Terminal Archaic

During the Terminal Archaic period, which ran from 3000 BC to 1000 BC, Native Americans expanded trading along the rivers and coasts of Connecticut to obtain exotic materials from distant regions. The two main traditions were the Narrow Point Tradition and the Susquehanna/Broad Spear Tradition. Although they belong to the same time period, archaeologists continue to debate whether the two traditions were truly separate, as they had been in the Late Archaic.

The Narrow Point people were descendants of the Late Archaic, living in similar dwellings and areas as their predecessors, with their camps organized by labor. They continued to use Squibnocket and Lamoka points with spears launched by an atlatl.

Squibnocket Points from the Barnes

The Susquehanna/Broad Spear tradition evolved from the Laurentian tradition. Peoples from this tradition settled near rivers and lakes, which made trading easier. They were known for their Snook Kill and Orient points, which were used as knives, scrapers, and spears.

Snook Kill Projectile Points from the Barnes

The Late Woodland Era

A few projectile points were also found dating to the Late Woodland period, which spans the years 1000 BC to 1500 AD. During this time, the indigenous people settled in permanent, year-round settlements where they grew crops and hunted small mammals. They often lived near marshlands and estuaries, and developed extensive trade networks with European settlers that spanned most of North America. Their main crops were corn, beans, and squash, also known as the “three sisters.” Food was cooked in clay vessels.

This is the period when projectile points began to be used as true arrowheads. The Levanna point, one of the earliest examples of this, was attached to an arrow shot by a bow. These points can be recognized by their straight edges and concave bases:

Levana Points from the Barnes

We also found drill points, knives, and scrapers in the Barnes Museum collection. Drill points and awls had many uses. Traditionally they were employed to burr holes in wood for furniture. They were also used to make holes in clothing and for sewing. They were often reworked from projectile points that had became dull and no longer had enough material to sharpen.

Scrapers and knives had related purposes. A scraper would help cut the fatty tissue away from an animal hide so that the hide could be used as textiles. They were also employed for woodworking. Knives could also serve as scrapers, but unlike scrapers, they were used for hunting, skinning animals, and cutting meat:

Left to right: curated drill point (black flint), two drill points or awls (chert), scraper (red jasper), three knives/scrapers (chert)

This collection of projectile points not only reflects Bradley Barnes’s passion for preserving history but also provides a rare window into the lifeways of Connecticut’s earliest inhabitants. As tools used for hunting, farming, and daily survival they offer evidence of evolving trade networks and cultural traditions, and tell a story that stretches back thousands of years. By uncovering and studying them, we ensure that the voices of the region’s Native American past remain part of the broader history preserved within the Barnes Museum.

Blue Knights Marching Band Triumphs in States, Nationals

BKMB PUBLICITY PHOTOS

It has been an unforgettable past few weeks for the Southington Blue Knights Marching Band. First, they played host to 18 other bands from across the state for the Music of the Knight! competition on Saturday, October 25. At the end of a long day, the Knights performed their feature show “Steampunks” before an enthusiastic home crowd and honored the band’s graduating seniors.

Then, on November 1, the Blue Knights traveled to New Britain for a statewide band competition at Veterans Stadium. An inspired nighttime show put the Knights first in their class – Group IV, which includes Connecticut’s larger high schools. The judges awarded them a score, 93.800, that was second only to Norwalk’s among all the schools at the competition.

The Blue Knights Marching Band at New Britain

Everyone in the band was thrilled by the outcome. “It was electric,” said band director Sara Ossias. “You could tell immediately: as soon as they were done with that final note, you could see it in their faces. They were vibrating they were so excited. The energy coming off the field was so high, they just unleashed in the parking lot. They were screaming and hugging. They knew it was a great show.”

That exuberance was the reward for several days of intense practice. “For the whole week,” Ossias explained, “we ran very aggressive rehearsals. That was the one thing that had been lacking, having a little more energy in the show. We brought that energy to the States performance and it really paid off.”

The next step for the Blue Knights was Nationals. On Saturday, November 8, they loaded their equipment onto trucks and boarded buses for the trip to Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. After a long day of driving, unloading, practicing, and waiting, Southington’s turn in the spotlight came at 7:10:

The Blue Knights at Nationals

Once again, the Blue Knights put on a powerful performance. They won the silver award in their division with a score of 96.450, which was the fifth highest among the 57 schools in attendance. Just as exciting was the fact that the Blue Knights received awards for Best Color Guard and Best Overall Effect.

The BKMB leadership team with their awards. Starting third from left: Matthew Murdy (Brass Captain), Katie-Lynn Marks (Color Guard Captain), Josh Smailes (Drum Major), Cole Mangiafico (Color Guard Captain), Lily Tomko (Drum Major), Ivy Gucwa (Color Guard Captain), Greyson Humphrey (Drum Major), David Vendetti (Woodwind Captain)

The recognition represented the culmination of months of hard work. The band's decision to use ‘steampunk’ as the theme for this year’s show was made early in the spring. Performers and coaches worked all summer long perfecting the various areas on which the team is judged, including musical proficiency, musical effect, visual effect, color guard, and percussion.

Students and teachers were supported by a tight network of parents and volunteers who did everything from manage construction of the sets to sell snacks at events. They were constantly fundraising to help defray the costs associated with band participation.

Overseeing the whole operation are Ossias, the Director of Bands, and Harrison Stuppler, the Associate Director. ‘Sara and Harry’, as everyone linked to the band refers to them, have been working together since 2015.

Sara Ossias with trophy at Met Life Stadium

Harrison Stuppler (2nd from right)

During that time they have guided the band on a journey that has produced a display case full of banners, medals, and other awards – a case that now includes several new state and national honors.

The Southington Outsider would like to thank Jenn and Mike Miceli of Miceli Productions for their assistance in putting together this article.

The Blue Knights Marching Band graduating seniors