Chestnuts and Middletown

The Connecticut Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation [CT- TACF] is joining forces with the Middletown Urban Forestry Commission and the Middletown Garden Club to create a 1.5-acre American chestnut orchard on land near the city's Higby Reservoir.

North America east of the Mississippi used to be thick with chestnuts until an imported bark fungus decimated the species in the early twentieth century. It is estimated that before the blight, chestnuts accounted for up to 25% of the hardwood forest. [Image credit: CT- TACF]

For more information on this good news for chestnuts and Middletown, click here.

Jane Harris, who is a member of the three organizations involved in the project, notes that the orchard will be planted and tended by volunteers from the Middletown Garden Club, the Middletown High School Vocational-Agricultural program, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Alternative Incarceration Center of the Connection, Inc.

Last Friday Mayor Giuliano signed the documents authorizing the orchard.

North End Clean Up A Success

It was a great day in the North End on Saturday where 150 people volunteered to do some spring cleaning.

Here's a slideshow of some of the people that were out that day. I'm sorry I didn't make it to all corners of the neighborhood with my camera....there were some great scenes to be seen.

There were volunteers from the NEAT/Wesleyan Mentoring Program, Earth Ministries and the Jonah Center out of First Church, the Middletown Garden Club, and a group of youth doing a "30 Hour Famine" from East Hampton and Haddam. There were also other individuals from Middletown who came in to lend a hand as individuals. Residents got a chance to work alongside Dan Drew, who is running for Mayor this year, and Councilman Santangelo, who is a North End resident. Even the kids had fun working alongside the principal from Macdonough School, Jon Romeo, who spent hours helping out at the Erin Street Garden.

Most importantly, though, were the many residents who organized the day, spread the word to their neighbors, and went door to door, helping to clean the sidewalks and yards of their neighbors. It was a great event that helped the community, but more importantly, helped to build community.

A big thanks to Sherwin Williams Paint in Cromwell for donating supplies, to Kim O'Rourke and the City of Middletown for picking up the extra trash and helping with logistics, to Dominoes, Sammy's Pizza and Illiano's for donating Pizza for the Lunch, and to all of those who came out to help.