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.

A Spotlight On Southington Authors: Part I

FILE PHOTO - CREATIVE COMMONS

The Southington Outsider recently put out an invitation for authors in our community to tell us about books they have written or are working on. We received an impressive response, with more than twenty people replying. Our first batch of answers are given below. All photos were provided by the authors.

Crystal Sullivan – life lessons

Phil Hall – true crime, and film history

Kerry & Adam Del Giudice – children’s

Chuck Miceli – Southington life & stories

Chelsea French – memoir, children’s

1. Crystal Sullivan

What is the title of your most recent book, and what was it about? It has been a creative year, one in which I've self-published two books. For me, it makes sense to start with the first one, A Toolbox for Eva (Practical Life Lessons and Stuff I Wish Someone Had Said to Me.) Knowing full well that I may or may not be around for my granddaughter's adult years, I decided to write a love letter to her that included wisdom and strategies for navigating this beautiful and confounding life. Once I got started, I kept going, and ultimately this letter became the book I always knew I would write. With gratitude and humility, I have worn a lot of hats across my years including physical therapist, bead jewelry artisan, choir director, yoga teacher, yoga therapist and yoga teacher trainer (to name a few.) I've learned much along the way mined from years in the medical, artistic, spiritual and yoga communities. I believe I have said something powerful, yet simple and straightforward in this missive. I am so honored to share it with the world, or anyone willing to take a chance on it.

In writing A Toolbox for Eva, I chose not to infuse too much yoga philosophy into it, as I respect that yoga is not everyone's path and may not be Eva's. Upon completion, I knew there was more to say in a very specific, yogic way. I immediately went to work on A Toolbox for the Light-keepers (A Practical Guide to Living Your Yoga off the Mat and Teaching Yoga with Integrity). It is a book of wisdom and practical application of yoga philosophy for those who are drawn into the conversation and for those who teach yoga. I have a fascination with the Maine coastline and a particular lighthouse that we frequent. In this book, I draw a parallel between the work of the nineteenth and twentieth century light-keepers of the lighthouse and the work of being a yogi in this often weary world. Light-keepers, indeed.

Both books are intended to help the reader connect the dots between the philosophical and spiritual tenets they espouse and the lives they lead. They are relatable and rich with humor and wisdom.

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the hardest part? The best part of being a writer is the way writing becomes a form of therapy. As much as I have done this thing for Eva and everyone, I have also done this for me. I don't take that lightly. It is a humbling process to put your words to print knowing there are so many others out there doing the very same thing. And yet, there is no other choice than to add your unique brand of beauty to the mix. The drawback to writing is all the sitting. I love moving my body but when you are in the flow of writing, you become very sedentary. I am enjoying moving again!

If people want to purchase your books, where should they go? A Toolbox for Eva A Toolbox for the Light-keepers

*****

2. Phil Hall

What is the title of your most recent book, and what was it about? 100 Years of Wall Street Crooks (published in 2022). From the Amazon page: "From the dapper and charismatic Charles Ponzi of the 1920s to the dapper and charismatic Elizabeth Holmes of the 2020s, America has been intrigued and outraged by a parade of audacious personalities who sought to line their pockets by breaking the law."

Where did you get the idea for it? From a series of articles that I wrote for a financial news site.

What is your target audience? I write for people who enjoy good books.

Is there another book of yours that you would like people to know about? In Search of Lost Films, a 2016 book about historically significantly films that have either completely disappeared or only exist in fragments.

Are you working on another book? What is it about? Yes, but I am not at liberty to say.

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the hardest part? The best part is creating original work that people will enjoy. The worst part is the time, money, and energy that goes into creating those works.

If people want to purchase your books, where should they go? BearManor Media is the publisher of most of my books, so go to bearmanormedia.com.

*****

3. Kerry & Adam Del Giudice

What is the title of your most recent book, and what was it about? Our debut book is titled Too Many Socks. Our story is about a young boy named Junior. Junior has been given the task of cleaning up his room, but he has a BIG problem! His room has been completely overrun with Too Many Socks! At first, Junior is overwhelmed. With a little guidance from Dad, and his helpful dog, Cloud, Junior becomes more confident. The trio race against the clock to get the job done! Too Many Socks is a lighthearted story for toddlers and early readers to enjoy. With delightful rhyming text, and vibrant illustrations, this wholesome tale is a must-read for the entire family!

Where did you get the idea for it? Kerry often kicks off her socks under the covers at night time. One day many years ago I took the comforter off to change the sheets and was aghast at how many socks there were! I said that this seems like something that would happen in a book! Before we knew it, we were rhyming away and coming up with the (unofficial) greatest children's book ever written. The theme of the book is loosely based on our house, where the number of miscellaneous socks has only grown since we added our two boys to our family.  

Does it have a target audience? Too Many Socks is a lighthearted, rhyming story that is perfect for toddlers and early readers to enjoy. Parents will enjoy the vibrant colors & wonderful illustrations, as well as the fact it is only about a 5 minute read, perfect for bedtime!  

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the hardest part? The best part of our experience has definitely been sharing our joy of reading with our two young boys. They love reading "Mommy and Daddy's book" and love reading all different genres. We were also lucky enough to partner with a NYC-based organization, Knock, Knock Give a Sock, who helps people struggling with homelessness in NYC. 50% of net profits from Too Many Socks are donated directly to this amazing organization – so readers can enjoy a great story AND feel great about helping out people in need. 

If people want to purchase your books, where should they go? Too Many Socks is available here on Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle! 

*****

4. Charles Miceli (but I write everything under my pen name, Chuck Miceli)

What is the title of your most recent book, and what is it about? My latest book, GOD is Watching the Apples, is really "our” latest book, because I co-authored it with the owners of Tops Marketplace, John Salerno and Betsy Tooker. When John first approached me about writing a book centered on the store, I initially said no. It was partially because I had “burned out” on writing, but also because I thought, "How much of a story could there be about a grocery store?" I could not have been more wrong. GOD is Watching the Apples provides a deeply intimate look into people who devoted their lives, their fortunes, and their relationships to making this small business succeed. Their story is often heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, but always inspiring.

In unflinchingly honest first-person accounts, John and Betsy share their individual life stories intermingled with their faith and that of many others. They also review the surprising and sometimes incredible History of Tops Marketplace, including the people they loved and lost, the fire that completely destroyed the business, and the rallying of the community to salvage this much-loved town fixture. The book will make you laugh, and cry, and will inspire you with the power of its story of faith, hope, and love. For me, personally and as an author, it rekindled my own love of writing.

Where did you get the idea for it? The impetuous for the book came from the December 22, 2012 death of John's beloved wife, Nancylee. After a holiday shopping outing with their daughter, Nancylee entered the highway to return home when a drunk driver going the wrong way on I-84 struck her head-on. For John, that incident surfaced the years of struggle they and Betsy had endured, the sacrifices they had made, the losses they had suffered, and the memories of others who had journeyed with them. While John desperately wanted and needed to get the store out, he didn't know how to go about writing it. That was when he and Betsy approached me, and I will be forever grateful that they did. 

What is your target audience? Anyone who has ever started or run a small business will relate to the trials and triumphs involved, and any person of faith will be inspired by how this business was intentionally dedicated to being a instrument of good in the community.

Is there another book of yours that you would like people to know about? I am currently in the process of re-writing Wounded Angels for re-release in 2026. Like GOD is Watching the Apples, much of Wounded Angels takes place in the greater Bristol / Southington area. Originally released as a novel, the book is actual based on real people, places and events, and is similarly a story of faith overcoming doubt, hope overcoming fear, and love overcoming despair. It is also a unique saga about how damaged people can manage to support, sustain and help heal each other, not despite their brokenness, but because of it.   

Are you working on another book? What is it about? I have just started a book about the Pepper Pot mural. Anyone who has been to the Pepper Pot has seen the giant mural that takes up the entire length of one long wall and a portion of another. At the same time, many patrons wonder why some of the images repeat themselves differently in different panels and why some of the buildings and businesses are out of place from where they originally stood. There are also images of people that a casual observer might assume were simply random figures that were added to fill in space, but they were actually carefully chosen to depict real and unique individuals and accomplishments. I was there when the mural was being created. I took photos of the work in progress, and I know many of the principal players involved. Because of its history, composition and hidden meanings, I believe the story of the Pepper Pot mural could be of interest to virtually anyone, anywhere.   

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the hardest part? This is a particularly meaningful question for me because of my personal writing journey. Certainly, one of the best parts of being a writer is creating that near perfect phrase, sentence, paragraph or chapter, which, in turn, creates a worthwhile book. It's a lot like a carpenter admiring his perfectly fashioned piece of furniture, or a painter taking pride in her artfully finished canvas. Then there are the reader reactions, especially groups like book clubs. It is immeasurably satisfying to have readers say that something I wrote gave them joy, caused them to ponder something, or moved them to tears. More than anything else, that is why I write.

For a long time, the hardest part of my being a writer was self-imposed. For too long, I felt like I needed to be famous, to receive nothing but rave reviews, or to be making a fortune from my latest best seller. That kind of thinking also created a feeling of competitiveness with fellow authors, as though someone buying one of their books meant that they wouldn’t be buying one of mine.  Actually, my "burning out" for a time turned out to be a blessing. It gave me time to rethink my priorities, and to return to gaining my greatest satisfaction from writing something that gave readers pleasure, or insight or wonder, and thankfully, as I’ve mentioned above, writing GOD is Watching the Apples, has rekindled that love of writing.

If people want to purchase your books, where should they go? The best places to get discounted copies of GOD is Watching the Apples is locally, directly from Tops Market in Plantsville, or at the Southington Community Cultural Arts center, downtown Southington. John, Betsy and I are also doing a book reading, discussion, sale and signing at 6 pm on Wednesday, January 14 at the Southington Library. We would love to see everyone who has read or is interested in the book there. My other books, Wounded Angels, and my paranormal thriller, Amanda’s Room, are, or soon will be, available online at places like Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

*****

5. Chelsea French

What is the title of your most recent book, and what was it about? My first publication is called A Tumor Named Tiffany. It is my story about my battle with cancer when I was a child. It eventually left me paralyzed from the waist down for three years. I underwent chemo and radiation, physical therapies and a miraculous recovery. I owe a lot of my successful outcome to the people of Southington, who have supported myself and my family for years and across numerous issues, allowing me to come out of it stronger, more positive, and more determined than ever.

Where did you get the idea for it? The idea for the book came from my lived experiences with loss of a parent, my own battle with cancer, my paralysis from the waist down, loosing my brother, and how it made me who I am today. People always told me how miraculous my story was, that it should be made into a movie. I’m not sure if I have the face for the big screen, so I settled for a book!

Does it have a target audience? I wrote the book in my teens and early twenties but I think people across ages can find something in it to relate to. 

Is there another book beside your most recent one that you would like people to know about? Yes I published a children’s book about a magical burrito a few years ago on behalf of my nephew, who I was babysitting. I tucked him into bed, and read him his bedtime story. When I finished, he asked me to tell him one more story. Of course I obliged, but when I went to take another book off his shelf he stopped me and said, oh no auntie Chelsea, I want a new story, one I’ve never even heard before. That, coupled with the fact that I was very hungry, led to my making up a story about a magical burrito!

Are you working on another book? What is it about? My children’s book is the first in a series of short stories and fable about real-life phenomena that are tied to valuable life lessons: a tree that gets sad when its leaves fall out, a porcupine that just wants a hug, and river that learns to go with the flow.

What is the best part of being a writer? What is the hardest part? The best part is creating your own words that you have full control over; you can make it whatever you want with no limits or restrictions. The worst part is writer’s block; you have an idea but get stuck on how to execute it.  

If people want to purchase your books, where should they go? Both of my books are available on Amazon, Barnes and noble, and other major retailers.

Beavers’ Return Brings Delight And Challenges

A beaver couple in the Eight Mile River KEVIN AND RENEE HASTINGS PHOTOS & VIDEOS

It was in the summer of 2024, on a quiet stretch of the Eight Mile River off Churchill Street in Southington, that the first dam was spotted. There was no doubt about its origins – only beavers would have taken the trouble to weave branches into a water-tight barrier there. On occasion locals would hear the thwack beavers make when they slap their tails on water.

During their first year of residence, the beavers kept a low profile. That changed this past summer when they began constructing a dam up against the roadway. Kevin and Renee Hastings were among those who would come out to watch the animals. At the start of the summer they saw two beavers, dubbed ‘Bucky’ and ‘Penny’ by their daughter. The two were not always visible, but when they were, they put on a show for onlookers as they collected branches for their dam or played in the stream.

Their return was not just a source of delight for nature-watchers; it also marked a historical turning-point. There is, at the moment, a healthy population of beavers in Connecticut. Yet for many years, our state had no beavers at all. In the case of Southington, none have lived here for a very long time – certainly for decades, quite possibly for over two hundred years.

A Long Absence

When European settlers first reached this part of the world in the 1600’s, they were eager to find things they could ship home for profit. One of the most abundant and valuable products they identified were furs – the pelts of bears, foxes, deer, muskrats, beavers, and other mammals. The colonists relied on Native Americans to do most of the trapping, exchanging wampum, metal, and other goods for furs. Four centuries ago, cities like Hartford and Springfield were basically trading posts that received thousands of pelts each year and sent them down the Connecticut river to be shipped abroad for sale.

The trade in beaver furs was not destined to last long. European demand was insatiable; meanwhile, beavers reproduce slowly, and they are easy to catch. Before long, the species had been completely eliminated from our area. In his classic history of the New England landscape, Changes in the Land, William Cronon cites a Connecticut historian, Benjamin Trumbull, who wrote in 1797 that otters, foxes, martens, raccoons, minks, muskrats, and beavers could no longer be found in the state.

The end of the fur trade gave the mammals a chance to recover, but deforestation, hunting, and development hampered their return. It was only in the last century that deer, foxes, bears, and raccoons came back to Connecticut in significant numbers, spreading from the northern parts of New England.

The year beavers officially returned to Connecticut was 1914, when a breeding pair was released in the town of Union. Very slowly, they spread. The animal is now fairly common in the wetlands of eastern and western Connecticut, with a population estimated at around 6,000.

In the more densely populated center of the state, however, beavers are still relatively rare. Val Guarino of the Southington Conservation Land Trust recalled seeing a pond a few years ago in Berlin that had a beaver dam. But Guarino could not recall any sightings of beavers or dams in Southington prior to 2024. David Lapreay, the Town’s Superintendent of Highway, Parks, and Recreation, offered a similar assessment; he and his co-workers, who keep a close watch on Southington’s streams and roads, had not encountered any beaver dams in town before last year.

If these assessments are accurate, it would appear that Bucky and Penny are the first beavers to visit Southington in a very long time – possibly more than two centuries.

A Struggle To Co-exist

When beavers dam up a stream, a pond can quickly form where none had been before. In the summer of 2024, a neighbor whose property borders the Eight Mile River was alarmed to find such a pond forming near his house. According to his post on Facebook, he brought in a backhoe to remove the dam twice; twice, the beavers rebuilt.

This summer the beavers were back at work. Churchill Street crosses the Eight Mile on a short causeway that has a culvert in the middle to let the water through. Jeff O’Donnell and Jan Gatzuras, who live down the street, described how, in early summer, the beavers constructed a dam that blocked the upstream mouth of the culvert and caused the water behind it to rise to a point that the road would sometimes flood during a downpour.

Jeff O'Donnell pointing to mouth of culvert dammed by beavers PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTO

After a crew from the Town cleared the dam, the animals started building another one just south of the road:

Remnants of downstream dam KEVIN AND RENEE HASTINGS PHOTO

But then the beavers abruptly abandoned that effort in order to take a different approach. This time they plugged up the culvert from the inside, in effect turning the entire causeway into a dam. Once again a pond formed, and once again the Highway Department, concerned that nearby residents might be stranded by floodwaters during a storm, dispatched a team to clear out the pipe.

Beavers, though, are persistent; it is only a matter of time before they come back. So the question arose: what is the most effective way to deal with an animal that can change the landscape in a way that humans may find inconvenient?

The “Beaver Deceiver”

Like birds, bees, and other creatures that construct nests, beavers work primarily by instinct. They collect woody material by habit, and follow clues in the environment to determine where they should stack it. One of the strongest triggers for their building response is the sound of running water. Even a small leak in a dam will set them working until the leak is fixed. And despite the expression 'busy beaver,' beavers try to do as little work as they can get away with, in order to conserve energy.

In the 1990’s a Vermont native named Skip Lisle was brought on by the Penobscot Nation in Maine to solve the problem of beavers blocking up culverts on their land. Lisle figured out how the beaver’s instincts could be used against them. The device he patented is a large trapezoidal fence anchored to the stream bed that surrounds the upstream mouth of a culvert. He named his invention the Beaver Deceiver.

Lisle's Deceiver uses three tricks to discourage the animals from blocking a stream. First, its long perimeter presents beavers with a high-effort task. Second, beavers who are attempting to cover the mouth of the culvert will find themselves building away from rather than towards it, so they give up in frustration. Third, even if they do persist in building along the device’s flanks, the sound of rushing water grows fainter as the intake gets wider, which deactivatives their instinct. When properly installed and maintained, Beaver Deceivers have a near-perfect record of keeping the mouths of culverts clear.

At its meeting of November 6, the seven members of Southington’s Conservation Commission approved the purchase of a “Keystone fence sytem" for the Churchill Street culvert. The vendor, Beaver Solutions of Southampton, Massachusetts, promptly fulfilled the order, installing the system on November 18.

Installation of the fencing JAN GATZURAS PHOTO 

The 'Deceiver' at the mouth of the culvert PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTO

It remains to be seen what the beavers will do next – whether they will stay in the same area, or move upstream or downstream, to a site with less human interference. O’Donnell thought he had seen signs of new construction upstream in early November. “It wouldn’t surprise me,” he said, “if the beavers were smart enough to realize they’re better off building a dam well into the woods, away from where humans travel. That would be great; it wouldn’t affect the road, and it wouldn’t be a safety problem.”

With winter fast approaching, the beavers may not have time to construct a full dam. Whether they make it to next spring depends on the amount of food that they were able to store away this fall. Bucky and Penny may come back next year, or they may not; no one knows for sure.

There is only one thing we do know for certain beavers have finally returned to Southington, a piece of land that their species once called home for many thousands of years.

KEVIN AND RENEE HASTINGS VIDEO