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Danbury’s Irish-Americans Kick Off 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations with Parades & More
DANBURY, CT—After two years of cancellations due to the global pandemic, Danbury’s Irish-Americans are glad to celebrate their Silver Anniversary at the 25th Annual Danbury St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The month-long celebrations kicked off on Sunday, Feb. 20th with their St. Patrick’s Day Parade fundraiser at Molly Darcy’s, followed by the St. Patrick’s Day Ball on Saturday, March 5th. Not even a “bomb cyclone” could stop Danbury and New Fairfield area Irish-Americans from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New Fairfield (Danbury’s parade will be held on 3/20/22). New Fairfield resident Peter Hearty was presented with a proclamation from State Senator Julie Kushner for his contributions to the town by organizing the 52nd annual New Fairfield St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Danbury’s Ancient Order of Hibernians and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians hold the St. Patrick’s Day Ball annually the first Saturday in March at the Amber Room where they honor the man and woman of the year. This year, Richard Hawley, of Danbury, and Wendy Mitchell, of Brookfield, were named the Hibernians of the Year. Hawley was recognized for his years of fundraising at the annual golf classic and for starting the setback league. Mitchell was recognized for her efforts to raise funds for the club at last year’s “SHAMROCKAPALOOZA” benefit concert, serving as co-chair of the parade for the last five years, and serving as state recording secretary and webmaster, division Catholic Action and publicity officer.
The Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Foundation and the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center kicked off their month-long St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with the annual Irish Ball on March 5, 2016. Danbury’s new Mayor Dean Esposito presented Mitchell and Hawley with a proclamation from the City of Danbury for their dedication the mission and helping to preserve Irish culture in the greater Danbury area. Senator Julie Kushner presented a proclamation to both from the State of Connecticut.
The duo will have the distinct honor of leading the City of Danbury’s parade on Sunday, March 20th at 2:00 p.m., along with their fellow Hibernians, Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums Corps, Newtown Horse Guard, Girl Scout and Boy Scout Troops, local politicians and officials, Danbury and surrounding town’s fire departments, Danbury police, and other marching units. The Danbury St. Patrick’s Day Parade is co-chaired this year by Kevin Hearty and Catherine Bach.
The following events are planned for St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday, March 17, 2022:
- 9 a.m. Bethel flag raising, 1 P.T. Barnum Square, Bethel
- 11 a.m. – Mass at St Peter Church, Main St. Danbury with prayers in English and Gaelic
- 12 p.m. – Irish flag raising at Danbury City Hall, Deer Hill Ave. followed by refreshments
- 12:30 p.m. on – Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center (GDICC), 6 Lake Ave., Danbury, corned beef, cabbage, Shepherd’s pie, Irish soda bread, and refreshments. The GDICC has Guinness and Harp on tap as well as a wide variety of other libations. Local Irish dance schools will perform and live bands Fiddlesuice and Steve O’Tree & Friends will play traditional Irish favorites.
On Saturday, March 19th, Two Roads Brewery is sponsoring a “Tap Takeover” with Tipperary Knights, $5 Two Roads specials, raffles, and more!
The 25th Annual Danbury St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held this year on Sunday, March 20, 2022. It is being sponsored by Title Sponsor, Townsquare Media Danbury, Platinum Sponsor Mercedes-Benz of Danbury, Gold Sponsor UK Gourmet and Dream Home Realty of CT. The parade steps off at 2 p.m. at Center and Main Street, Danbury in front of St. Peter Church.
Parade Day is Sunday, March 20, 2022:
- 2 p.m. Greater Danbury St. Patrick’s Day parade begins in front of St. Peter Church, Main and Center Streets
- Shuttle buses will begin at 12 p.m. at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, 6 Lake Ave., Danbury
- Corned beef & cabbage, Shepherd’s pie, Irish soda bread, and refreshments will be sold at the Danbury Irish Club, 6 Lake Ave., Danbury. Local Irish dance schools and live bands will perform traditional Irish favorites.
Questions? Call the club at (203) 739-0010 or email DanburyIrish@gmail.com.
Photo: Wendy Mitchell, 2022 Danbury Lady Hibernian of the Year, Richard Hawley, 2022 Danbury Mens Hibernian of the Year
Photo Credit: Marion Lynott, Irish Flare Photography
CLA Removes New Fairfield Dock That Played Host To Invasive Zebra Mussels
NEW FAIRFIELD, CT—The shoreline of Candlewood Lake in New Fairfield is one dock less after the Candlewood Lake Authority (CLA) removed it due to a harmful invader—zebra mussels.
These pesky creatures may look cool, but they can damage ecosystems by harming native species, according to Professor Pierce of the University of Wisconsin who stated, “In order for a zebra mussel to live, it must attach itself to a hard object. Not only do zebra mussels attach themselves to things like rocks, logs, and the hulls of ships, they also attach themselves to native species. Many native mollusk species are at risk of becoming extinct or endangered because of zebra mussels.” In addition, they can lower water quality and clarity.
The dock that was removed on Thursday, November 12 by the CLA, had about 6-12 live zebra mussels attached to it and were solitary mussels that were not yet forming colonies.
“This is the first time in over 8 years that this dock has been removed from the lake so we are unsure how long these mussels have been in the water, and when they attached to the dock,” a representative from the CLA said.
No other zebra mussels were found on neighboring docks and the CLA will continue to monitor the situation by combing the shoreline during the deep drawdown this winter.
The CLA is asking the public to clean, drain and dry their boats, kayaks and other nautical equipment before dropping them into the lake to help stop any potential invaders.
If you see any mussels that look similar to the one pictured, report the finding with a photo to science@candlewoodlakeauthority.org. Fore more information, visit the Candlewood Lake Authority online at candlewoodlakeauthority.org/invasivespecies.
Photo credit: Candlewood Lake Authority
13th Annual #NewFairfieldCT Relay for Life Goes Virtual on Saturday, June 6th
NEW FAIRFIELD, CT—For the first time ever in its thirteen-year history, the New Fairfield Relay for Life will be held online due to social distancing guidelines set by the State of Connecticut in response to the coronavirus. Teams from New Fairfield, New Milford, Sherman, Danbury, Bethel, and surrounding towns will participate in the annual fundraiser to help find a cure for cancer.
The organizers of this year’s New Fairfield Relay For Life of New Fairfield are hoping that this year will be their “Lucky 13″ and that they will raise more money than ever to help cancer patients. Co-Chair Amber St. Hilaire has been participating in the New Fairfield Relay for Life for 10 years with her team “The Heavenly Hippies” which was born out of the New Fairfield Congregational Church.
“Normally, we walk for 15 hours at the New Fairfield High School Track from 3 p.m. on Saturday until 5 a.m. on Sunday morning,” St. Hilaire said, continuing, “Unfortunately, Covid-19 has changed a lot of things for us but we are determined to do our best to fight despite it!”
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life event is held in over 20 countries worldwide. The event gives people a chance to fight back against cancer and honor those who are fighting or have lost their lives to the disease through a moving silent Luminaria ceremony.
This year’s event is entirely virtual and their theme is “Small Town, Big Heart” which she said represents her community and their fight. St. Hilaire said participants will be relaying (walking) from home from 1:00 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th, and then they will “light the night” at 9 p.m. with a Luminaria/porch light-up event in honor of their loved ones who are fighting or who have passed away. Details can be found on their Facebook page: Relay for Life New Fairfield, Twitter @relayforlifenf, and Instagram @relay4lifenf . They are also on Youtube as “ACS Lower Hudson Valley.”
The opening ceremony begins with a video of guest speaker Wendy Mitchell, a survivor of a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer called Triple Negative Metaplastic Carcinoma, who shares her survivor story. Mitchell began an advocacy campaign for breast cancer awareness from day one of her diagnosis in 2015 under the hashtag #MyLeftBoob for early detection. Her blog, Wendipoprock’s Wild Ride, serves as a guide to help newly diagnosed cancer patients. Her story/video can be viewed here.
The Knights of Columbus 12968 will be leading their virtual survivor lap to kick off the opening ceremony. There will be online games, a telethon, a music jam hour, stories of hope, opportunities to donate and win prizes, a touching luminaria ceremony, a senior spotlight, Zumba with Tim, and a touching closing ceremony.
“We tried to be as close to our true Relay event as we could by encouraging walking, socially distanced, of course, scavenger hunts, Zumba, and more,” St. Hilaire said.
While she admits this year is a challenge by being completely online, St. Hilaire said “nothing can stop Relay For Life because our volunteers’ hearts are just too darn big and stubborn! “
She shared her motivation for why she relays on her fundraising website:
“Every year I walk for two specific people; a survivor and one who has passed. This year those two are my dearest cousin Michelle Gonzalez who is suffering for the second time in a year with cancer and for Sarah, a young woman who passed away last year from brain cancer. These women are prime examples of the reasons I am so passionate about fundraising. This year, for every donation I receive, I will walk one lap in honor of a loved one. Your donations matter and I want each and every person to be remembered and brought up at the event.”
For more information about New Fairfield Relay for Life 2020, or to donate, click the link below:
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/seeacure
Photo credit: New Fairfield Relay for Life
New Fairfield & Danbury Hibernians Host St. Patrick’s Day Event: Saturday, March 10, 2018
NEW FAIRFIELD, CT — The Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center (GDICC) is hosting a number of events in the Greater Danbury area leading up to, and beyond St. Patrick’s Day 2018 and invite you to join the fun.
On Saturday, March 10, 2018, the GDICC will host an event in New Fairfield, a 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. Edwards Church, followed by a procession to the Library for refreshments, led by Irish bagpiper, Peter Hearty.
On St. Patrick’s Day the GDICC will host several activities in Bethel and Danbury. There will be a flag raising in Bethel at P.T. Barnum Square at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, 2018. At 11 a.m. on the same day, there will be a Mass at St. Peter Church, Main St. in Danbury. Following the Mass, there will be a flag raising at Danbury City Hall on West St. at 12 p.m.
Following the Mass and flag raising on Saturday, March 17, the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center will serve corned beef and cabbage beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, 6 Lake Ave., Danbury. At 1:00 p. m., the Thorne School of Irish Dance will perform, followed by Newtown-based Ashurst Academy Of Irish Dance at 3:00 p.m. From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., a Bethel-based all-female Irish band, Chicks ‘n Sync will play, followed by Steve O’Tree from 8:00 – 11:00 p.m.
The 19th Annual Greater Danbury Parade will be held on Sunday, March 25, 2018 in downtown Danbury. Step off is at 3 p.m. in front of St. Peter Church on Main St. in Danbury. The parade route continues down Main, goes left of West St., on to Lake Ave. and ends at the Irish Club, 6 Lake Ave. in Danbury, where there will be Irish music, dance, corned beef, cabbage, Irish soda bread and refreshments.
For more information about any of these events, please visit www.gdicc.org or call the club at (203) 739-0010.
Photo: Peter Hearty, left, Dave Albright, right, taken at the Annual St Patrick’s Day Ball, Amber Room, Danbury, March 3, 2018. Photo credit: Wendy Ann Mitchell
What’s the Buzz, CT?
Hey there! Wendy Mitchell here— mom of three, writer, editor, musician, wife, rescue pup mama, breast cancer survivor. After battling the evil “C word” for the past three years, I’m happy to report that I’m now 100% cancer free and ready to announce the (re)launch of sorts of my CT Buzz family of news sites. Why is it a relaunch? Because I originally launched Bethel Buzz news site in June of 2011 and soon after added New Fairfield and Sherman Buzz. After several years, I went on to work as Regional Editor for a national news website from 2010-2012.
During 2012-2013, I stopped working in order to serve as a volunteer to help my hometown of Sandy Hook heal after the tragic Sandy Hook School shootings on Dec. 14, 2012. I founded the Sandy Hook Arts Center for Kids (The SHACK) in Sandy Hook Center as a creative way for kids and families to heal through the power of the arts through free music and art programs. We were happy to have the Newtown Strong Therapy Dogs as regular visitors.
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Each week expect to find news from the First Selectman’s office, the public schools, news from the Chamber of Commerce, the Library, nonprofits, Scouts, civic groups and other wonderful organizations.
Watch for stories of your neighbors who we think are The Bee’s Knees— outstanding citizens, volunteers and civic groups in our community. Read about Queen Bees— women run businesses, Yellow Jackets— Fire & EMT news, and The Fuzz Buzz— Police news.
We love to highlight our local sponsors and feature them weekly in our Small Business Spotlight. If you are a business owner who would like to be featured on our website and/or Facebook pages, contact me at ctbuzznews@gmail.com. Thanks and keep spreading the BUZZ!
Welcome To CT Buzz Media!
Welcome to your new hometown news and information website! We are your go-to source for the latest buzz around your town. With news from the First Selectman, school news and sideline photos, CT Buzz is sure to keep you interested, entertained and informed. Please email news, tips and information to ctbuzznews@gmail.com.
CT Buzz News 