connecticut

Whether you’ve lived here a short time or half a century, Cheshire can seem like a sleepy, quiet little town, without much going for it beyond being close to most of the state’s highways. Settled in 1694 as part of Wallingford, Cheshire broke away to become a separate town in 1780 – eight years before Connecticut would ratify the Constitution to become the fifth state of a brand-new nation. Between the Grange Fair, Strawberry Festival, and the annual Memorial Day Parade, sometimes it feels like we haven’t changed much since then. We’re a small town that doesn’t attract a lot of attention.

Or do we? Little Cheshire seems to be a hotbed for creating artists, writers, actors, athletes, celebrities, and more.

If you read the signs as you pass in and out of town, you’ll know that we’re the “Bedding Plant Capital of Connecticut” – our multiple large farms and greenhouses grow and distribute flower-bed plants to stores and markets throughout the state. You’ve probably passed by the Foote House on West Main Street – Samuel Foote was the 28th Governor of Connecticut, born the year Cheshire became a town. In 1823, Amos B. Alcott, born in Wolcott, became a teacher in Cheshire – his daughter Louisa May would go on to find greater fame.

Yeah, yeah, but those aren’t people *I* would know.

Then let’s look at some of our locals and graduates whose names are known not just in town. You have certainly heard of some of them! I know I’ve gone to school with a few, or their siblings.

Emily Arsenault, author, The Broken Teaglass.
Brad Asmus , Major League baseball player and manager for the LA Angels.
C.E. Bauer, children’s author.
Chris Berman, ESPN broadcaster.
Jay Bontatibus, actor on several major soap operas.
Paul Bussan, poet, Rage of Intelligence.
Ev Cassagneres, biographer of Charles Lindberg
Stephen L. Carter, author, New England White.
James Conroy, author, Plucking the Eagle and others.
J.M. Dattilo, award-winning author team of Joseph and Mary Dattilo, Time’s Edge series.
Julia Denos, author and illustrator of children’s books, Swatch and others.
Pat DePaolo, author, The Beijing Games.
Dorothy MacNeill Dupont, painter, author, Selfsame Moon and Stars, and others.
Ron Gagliardi, historian and author.
Matt Generous, pro hockey player.
Sunil Gulati, former President of the United States Soccer Federation.
John Holmstrom, co-founder of Punk magazine.
Pablo Iannone, short story writer.
Mary Elizabeth Lang, poet.
Brian Leetch, US Hockey Hall of Famer.
Joy McHugh, children’s author, The Most Beautiful Tree in the Forest.
Roderick Edward “Legs” McNeil – co-founder of Punk magazine.
Stephen Melcalfe, playwright.
Carmine Montalto, copywriter, marketer, product reviewer, Carmine Montalto Ink.
Anjul Nigam, actor/producer, including the series Grey’s Anatomy and film Growing Up Smith.
Susan Staneslow Olesen, author, Prisoner of the Mind series and others.
Ron Palillo, actor, Welcome Back Kotter.
Paul Pasqualoni, former Cheshire gym teacher, defense coordinator for the NFL (yes, he was my gym teacher for a year).
Lonnie Quinn, actor, TV meteorologist for CBS NY (you’ve seen him covering the Macy’s Parade).
Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, correspondent for The Economist.
James Van der Beek, actor, Dawson’s Creek, Varsity Blues, and others.
Wendy Xu, graphic novel author and artist (her book Mooncakes will be released in October).

– as well as several scientists and economists and inventors. With such a rich, diverse list of accomplished graduates and residents, remember to support educational opportunities in town, especially arts and sports! Even if all you do is look at a school art show, or check a book out from the library. Take an art class. Take a writing class. Check out the wide range of programs at the library or Adult Education. It’s never too late to start. You never know when the next star will appear!

If I’ve missed you, I apologize, our space is limited, and there are MULTITUDE of artists and authors in Cheshire!

It’s no secret that our country has seen a surge in political awareness and activism after the last election, and we’ve been getting reference questions about how to get more involved on national, state, and local issues. Some of the biggest rumblings lately deal with Governor Dannel Malloy’s state budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, which is under review right now and contains millions of dollars’ worth of cuts for many municipalities, local and state agencies, and state-funded programs. If you’d like to get informed and take some action on the proposed budget, read on!

GET INFORMED

Governor Malloy’s Legislative Proposals – Including FY 2018-2019 proposed documents and press releases.
CT News Junkie: State Budget – All recent articles on the budget, in reverse chronological order, written by CT News Junkie staff.
CT Mirror: Connecticut state budget – All recent articles, in reverse chronological order, tagged as concerning the proposed budget written by CT Mirror staff.
Hartford Courant: State Budget – Articles from the Hartford Courant newspaper dealing with the state budget. Note that these articles appear by relevance to the search terms “state budget,” and not by the date they were published.

If you only have time to read one article on the new budget, though, the CT Mirror wrote an informative overview last month that hits some of the big parts of the budget.

TAKE ACTION

Find Your Legislators – Type your street address into this tool to find all your local representatives.
Connecticut General Assembly Appropriations Committee Members – An alphabetical list of senators and representatives who are reviewing the proposed budget, with links to their contact information.
CT Places Coalition – If the humanities, libraries, history and preservation are your thing, #CTPlaces provides avenues for you to have your voice heard.

You can also send letters to the editors of local newspapers like the New Haven Register, Cheshire Herald, Hartford Courant, and Meriden’s Record-Journal.