OneManchester
Thursday, March 3, 2022
THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE has dominated the news of late, what with all the carnage, heartbreak and heroism and so by comparison, happenings here in Manchester (and everywhere else) might seem pretty trivial but, well, it's all a matter of perspective. So this week we have our usual collection of local news and notes but start out by calling attention to a fascinating story in the Journal Inquirer:
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In The News
ALSO:
- To see a replay of Monday's Board of Education meeting, which included a winter data update, click here.
- Speaking of statistics, there have been no COVID cases reported in the district this month. (OK that's just two days so far but as our case tracker archive shows the numbers have dropped dramatically.)
Red Hawk Sports
The MHS girls and boys basketball teams are both excited about their chances in the state tournament:
- The girls beat Newtown, 45-33, on the road Monday night in the first round of the LL tournament and will play at #9 Southington (17-3) tonight at 6:30 p.m.
- The boys are ranked 11th in the Division I tournament and are preparing to host #22 Glastonbury (4-16) Tuesday, March 8 at 6 p.m.
Budget Watch
The town budget process is underway and next week brings two important meetings that will help shape Manchester’s 2022-23 budget that is scheduled to be adopted on April 12.
- Tuesday, March 8 - Town Manager Stephen Stephanou makes his Budget Presentation to the Board of Directors at Town Hall at 7:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, March 9 - First of seven (if necessary) Board of Directors Budget Workshops, Lincoln Center. This one focuses on the Board of Education.
Click here for the complete budget season schedule.
The Week Ahead, Etc.
Thursday, March 3
1:30 - 6:30 p.m. -- Red Cross Blood Drive at North United Methodist Church, 300 Parker St.
Saturday, March 5
9 a.m. - noon -- Food Drive for MACC Pantry at St. James parking lot, 896 Main St.
12 p.m. -- Silk City Board Game Group at Mary Cheney Library.
1 p.m. -- Railroad Ramble: A south to north hike of the Cheney RR, starting at 146 Hartford Rd..
7 p.m. -- Beatles tribute band Ticket to Ride at Cheney Hall.
Sunday, March 6
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. -- Manchester Comic and Toy Convention at Army & Navy Club, 1090 Main St.
Monday, March 7
1:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- Odyssey Community School COVID Vaccine Clinic, 579 W. Middle Tpke.
6:30 p.m. -- Connecticut Wildlife Series: Beaver with Ginny Apple at Mary Cheney Library.7-8 p.m. -- Can and bottle redemption to benefit World-Wide Lighthouse Mission’s outreach program at 723 Main St.
Tuesday, March 8
7:30 a.m. -- Budget Presentation to the Board of Directors at in the Manchester Room at Town Hall
7 p.m. -- BOD meeting at Lincoln Center.
Wednesday, March 9
5:30 p.m. -- Budget Workshop at Lincoln Center.
6-8 p.m. -- Middle School Nights for 6 - 8 graders at Mary Cheney Library.
Down The Road
Join Paul Colburn for a Black Bears in Connecticut discussion next Thursday (March 10) at 5:30 p.m. at 153 Spruce St.
An evening of Designer Bags and More Bingo will be held Friday, March 11 at Cheney Hall to raise funds for the sculpture of Elisabeth Bennet. There will be 10 Bingo Games with over $1,800 in prizes. Click for more (and here you will find a brief history of the Sculpture Project).
On Sunday, March 20, there's a special day of activities for young people with autism through SOAR. Click here for details.
Rock Your Socks on Monday, March 21 for World Down Syndrome Day.
Kick off Autism Awareness month on Friday, April 1 by wearing your brightest and most colorful clothing.
National Prevention Week is May 8 - 14. Click here for an invitation for all K-12 students to participate in the NPW’s art contest.
Also
An eight session Virtual Parent Program with a focus on dads runs on Thursdays from 6 - 7:30 p.m. starting March 15. Click here for the schedule.
Curbside yard waste collection resumes on March 31 and the winter parking ban is in effect until April 1.
And Even More
- The Manchester Police Department has a new app to share real-time crime and incident information with the community and give residents easy access to important resources from the department. This Patch story has it covered.
- The town has embarked on a project to better understand the needs of older adults in Manchester and it includes a survey seeking opinions about their needs and priorities. Click here for more.
- In partnership with Journey Home and Center for Children’s Advocacy, the town is is working towards creating a useful, accessible and easy to navigate supportive system for unaccompanied homeless minors to access resources. Learn more here.
Other Newsletters
Manchester Matters: Safety Improvement Project update, Mini Grant Program for Downtown Arts and Culture Applications Due March 4th, Food Drive for MACC Pantry on Saturday.
Manchester Historical Society: North End churches in 1914, Then & Now exhibit opens in March, properties update.
Better Manchester Magazine: Food Sovereignty and the Spruce Street Community Garden, Senior Center Community Survey and Hunt for the Golden Egg.
OneManchester is compiled by Jim Farrell of the school district's communications office; he can be reached at b11jfarr@mpspride.org or 860-268-6377. OneManchester has been published since August 2017 and features the photography of Paul Ofria. Want to subscribe? Just click here.