Hot fun at Eisenhower Park

Shown in photo is this year's Muster's featured apparatus, owned by New Haven Firefighter Sean Reynolds. He boughtthe truck in 2004 and restored it to the original New Haven Specs of 1962.
Reynolds will receive the Key to the City at Milford City Hall from Mayor Richetelli at 2 p.m. Friday Sept. 5 at 2:00pm during a press conference.

MILFORD — Engine 260’s 35th annual Antique Fire Truck Show and Muster begins at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 6, at Eisenhower Park. There will be an estimated 100 shiny, red antique fire trucks, 25 firefighter muster teams, more than 30 firematic flea market vendors, and a special Children’s Fire Safety Play Area featuring an interactive fire education trailer that teaches children the best response to smoke conditions and other household hazards and a real working fire hose so that the junior firefighters can "knock down the flames," organizers said.
The day’s excitement begins with the opening of the Firematic Flea Market at 8:30 a.m. at Eisenhower Park on Route 121. You’ll find everything from old fire gear to toy fire trucks, books about fire fighting and authors to sign them, organizers said. This is "Search and Rescue for Shoppers," a great place to start your holiday shopping.
At 9:00 a.m., 75 bright red, meticulously maintained antique fire trucks participate in the traditional motorcade. The motorcade begins at the Liberty Rock (K-Mart Shopping Center) on Bridgeport Avenue. It roars through Milford center past the Green with lights flashing, bells ringing and sirens wailing and ends at the Muster site, Eisenhower Park.
Official Opening Ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. with the raising of the American Flag at the top of a Ladder Truck accompanied by the Connecticut Firefighters Pipes & Drum Corp.
Muster skills competition begins at 10:30 a.m. with the Save The Baby Ladder Climb and the Lakeside Draft for antique pumper trucks. As the day progresses, more than 25 muster teams will battle to see who’s the best in the Tug Of War, the Midnight Alarm, the Water Barrel Blast, Arena Pumping and the Bucket Brigade. More than 90 trophies will be awarded.
An extensive food service menu is available all day. All events are free and open to the public. Call Engine 260 for more information at (203) 874-2605, or e-mail engine260@aol.com.
All proceeds from the Muster benefit the Milford Recreation Department’s Camp Happiness program for special needs children.

Tricia and Rick Westfield and Gracie, shared No. 26 at Yappy Hour

MILFORD - Perfectly Spoiled Pets has been the site of many a happy interlude, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that it was the place Rick Westfield and his wife, Tricia, spent their 26th wedding anniversary. According to store owner Lisa Blanchard, spending the special evening at "Yappy Hour" was Tricia’s idea. The couple, and their Scottish Terrier "Gracie" had joined the gatherings at Perfectly Spoiled Pets in downtown Milford and made many friends there, both the human and canine kind, Blanchard said. For the anniversary, fellow "Yappy Hourer" and Justice of the Peace Karen Zanewski-Nettleton renewed the couple’s vows, saying "They are such a great couple and you can tell that they are still in love," Blanchard said.
The ceremony took place under a 200-year-old copper beach tree with Tricia holding dried hydrangeas as the couple recommitted their love, and "It was such a nice ceremony" Blanchard said. "Karen spoke about focusing on the positive things in a marriage and the importance of friends and family."
After a kiss to seal their renewal vows the happy couple enjoyed cake compliments of neighbor Rainbow Gardens Restaurant, Blnchard said.
Gracie wagged her tail.

The city is looking for ways to make the land-use permitting process more “user friendly” and has brought in a private consulting firm to help, to the tune of $48,000.

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Milford Performing Arts Center dance team shows team spirit

The Dancers Inc. and Nexstar Talent Competitions recently awarded its backstage performance award to the Milford Performing Arts Center dance team. The award goes to the dance studio that exhibits the most team spirit among themselves and with competing studios. It is the second year running that the MPAC dance team, shown at left, has received the award from the Nexstar Competition, team officials said in a statement.
Staci D’Andrea, 13, of Milford, a student of MPAC under direction of Heidi Goldbach for the past 10 years and the winner of numerous gold medals and high score awards, was most recently selected to attend the New York/Los Angeles Dance National Performance Project in New York city. officials said. Team members Camille Ross, of Milford; Sarah DeFeo, of Orange; and Kaitlyn Bruneau, Alisha Vollano and Jillian Fiedler, all of West Haven, also were selected to attend the performance project.
"You are proud as a parent for the recognition your child received for their dance performance, but it’s not just the success of winning. It’s more importantly learning about sportsmanship and discipline in team spirit," Staci’s mom, Robin D’Andrea, said in the statement.
Goldbach said she is extremely proud of all of the studios’ accomplishments but most proud to instill in her dancers the importance of team spirit and good sportsmanship, according to the statement.

The city is setting up a process for people who want to dedicate a park bench in someone’s memory or honor.

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Four local teenagers are facing criminal charges after police said they beat a 15-year-old and stole his iPod outside Harborside Middle School Thursday night.

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Mystery still surrounds why Samir Patel left his family in Milford behind.


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The following is a release by the Milford Chamber of Commerce


Nell Moll, director of Membership Opportunities and Enthusiasm for the Milford Chamber of Commerce, recently completed Institute for Organization Management, an intensive week-long nonprofit leadership training program held at Villanova University, the chamber said.
The industry leader in nonprofit education, the institute is a four-year program held at five sites each year, one in winter and four in summer, the chamber said in a statement. The sessions build "valuable relationships with others in the industry" and create "a network of idea sharing," the chamber said in the statement. Through required courses and electives, students enhance their organizational management skills and add new fuel to their organizations, making them run more efficiently and effectively, the statement said.
Institute graduates receive the IOM recognition, signifying completion of 96 hours of course instruction in association, chamber, and nonprofit management. In addition, participants can earn points toward the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) or Certified Association Executive (CAE) designations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.
For more information, call Institute for Organization Management at U.S. Chamber headquarters at (202)463-5570; write to1615 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20062-2000; or visit www.uschamber.com/institute.

When Mark Sabre said his “good-byes” to his sister and her friend at the Milford Oyster Festival Saturday and she hopped on the back of her friend’s motorcycle it was the last time he saw either of them alive.

The next day, Sabre saw Louis Loehn, 46, of 2178 Barnum Ave., and his passenger, Patricia Mikan, 45, of 87 St. Michaels Ave., both in Stratford, in this New Haven Register photo taken at the festival.

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The city Park, Beach and Recreation program this fall will begin offering a special needs program aimed at giving all youths a chance to partake in the performing arts.


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Milford mourns the loss of Joan Heybruck, shown, in a photo by S.M.Cooper.

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Oyster fest draws 50,000 over two days.

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By Mariana Stebbins
Special to the Register
NEW HAVEN — Yale Law School Human Rights scholarships and fellowships are about to be expanded with a $3 million gift from a Minnesota-based private grant making foundation.
With the funds, to be administered throughout the next three years, Yale will create the Robina Foundation Human Rights Fellowship Initiative at Yale Law School to support human rights leaders at all levels, from law school students to senior fellows. After three years, it is hoped the program will be self-sustaining, said Harold Hongju Koh, dean of Yale Law School.
The Robina Foundation was founded by a 1938 Yale alumnus, businessman and philanthropist James Binger, to provide financial support to transformative projects. Binger, who died in 2004 at age 88, selected Yale as one of Robina’s four partners, which include the University of Minnesota Law School, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
The initiative will provide support in several ways to students and professionals committed to human rights. Scholarships will offset students tuitions, summer fellowships will cover travel and living costs for students working in human rights-oriented summer jobs and postgraduate fellowships will fund alumni human rights practices immediately after they leave law school.
Finally, Fellows in Residence will provide opportunities for scholars, clinicians, government employees and practitioners to take time from their careers in international human rights to explore and contribute new ideas in the intellectual community of Yale Law School.
"Students need cradle-to-grave support to do human rights work and scholarships and fellowships make it possible for students to find work after law school," said Koh.
Yale had been experiencing a growing demand for human rights fellowships and the institution was pleased when the Robina Foundation expressed interest in creating the initiative, said Yale Law School spokeswoman Janet Conroy.
Koh credited the demand to a trend saying, "what the civil rights movement was for students of the 60s, the human rights movement is for those in the 21st century."
Each year, 30 to 50 students are expected to benefit from the scholarships and fellowships.
"Frankly, the pay is bad," said Koh. "So, many people are dissuaded in pursuing their hearts’ desires, but human rights work is rewarding. That’s what it is all about."
Mariana Stebbins is a Register Intern. Alexandra Sanders, also a Register intern, contributed to this story.

The East Haven man accused of soliciting a co-worker at a Milford company to assault his pregnant ex-girlfriend so she would lose her baby will avoid a prison sentence and have his record cleared if he stays out of further trouble.

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A former Milford prosecutor pleaded no contest to larceny and forgery charges Wednesday and faces up to three years in prison for embezzling $28,000 from his own union, and stealing more than $55,000 intended for charity and crime victims.


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Alleged pot grow light ignites, smell of burning stash leads police to what they say was drug factory. Check out the evidence at left

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Most needles wind up on beaches along Long Island Sound because they were not properly disposed of, officials said.

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Teachers team up to rescue woman in Sound


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Seemingly everyone has heard of a firefighter rescuing a cat from a tree, but it’s not every day the rescuers are forced into the sky to help a bird.

But in Milford, firefighters went for it, as can be seen at left.

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By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — The Milford Crossing project, which included relocating 200 Ryder Park mobile home residents and building a mall anchored by a Wal-Mart, has brought the city a prestigious regional award.
The Northeastern Economic Developers Association, which recognizes the best economic development achievements in the 11 Northeastern states for 2008, choose Milford Crossing to receive its Project-of-the-Year Award.
The Milford project beat out others from cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington.
"It’s significant," said Economic and Community Development Director Robert Gregory. "We’re talking New York and Boston. There were a lot of big cities. It wasn’t just the development."
The development included relocating the mobile home residents’ from the Boston Post Road to a new mobile home park on Cascade Boulevard. Developer Louis and John Ceruzzi Jr. then built the 400,000-square-foot mall, creating 600 jobs and adding $72 million to the city tax base, Gregory said.
Ceruzzi purchased the new mobile home park site and the previous Ryder site on the Boston Post Road in 2002 for $20 million.
But Gregory said it clearly wasn’t the actual scope of the project that landed the city the recognition.
"The way in which Ceruzzi dealt with the residents was the key," Gregory said. "Not only did they create a whole park for them, they financed the mobile homes."
He said Ceruzzi also offered the residents three years of living free at the new park, and Ceruzzi paid half of the costs for the new mobile homes, or $12,500.
According to Gregory, Ceruzzi only had to give the residents $8,000 and he "could have sent them on their way." In the mid-1990s, the former owner of Ryder Park tried to evict residents, but the community rallied around them and the residents were allowed to remain.
"Milford Crossing represents a true public/private partnership. John Ceruzzi worked with the residents of Ryder Park and the city for an outcome that benefited all," said Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. "He later became our partner with the former Milford Jai Alai site, resulting in another example of a quality development."
Ceruzzi paid the city $14 million in 2006 for the former fronton on Old Gate Lane. Ceruzzi has since constructed a Lowe’s and a Hilton Gardens hotel.
The award will be presented NEDA’s annual conference in Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 22.
Brian McCready can be reached at bmccready@nhregister.com or 401-3501.

Retired school administrator Ray Vitali, right, has been named chairman of the United Way of Milford's Community Impact Campaign for 2008-2009.

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The Fire Department may soon hire its first female firefighter.

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