Is your front yard a beautiful "site" to see?

Seventh District Councilwoman Kimberly Meuse announced this week that the Stratford Beautification Committee is seeking nominations for the twelfth annual Stratford Beautification Awards Program. This is your chance to nominate properties you believe worthy of recognition, whether it's your own property or one you've admired around town.

This year, the focus will be on front yards and the curb appeal of local properties. The Committee is interested in homes and businesses that have attractive landscaping, flower beds or gardens -- or properties that feature unique fences, walkways, lighting fixtures or door treatments in Stratford. Nomination forms are available online. For more information, contact Town Planner Dave Killeen at 203.385.4017.

Want to add loads of "eye appeal" to your home and garden? Boost your chances of winning a Beautification Award with these books available at the Stratford Library:

Curb Appeal Idea Book by Mary Ellen Polson. Spruce up the front of your home and create a good first impression. You'll find hundreds of ideas for the front of the house, from the curb to the front door and every space in between
Hardscaping: How to Use Structures, Pathways, Patios & Ornaments in Your Garden, by Keith Davitt. "Hardscaping" is just what it sounds like: the elements of your yard made of brick, concrete, stone or lumber. This book has loads of photos and projects from a simple concrete birdbath to an elaborate masonry walkway.
The Well-Decorated Garden will take you step by step through projects to take your outdoor space from "okay" to "wow!". You can make pebble-covered flowerpots, butterfly boxes, tile plant markers, or adorable ladybug cottages.
Do you feel like your front yard is too dark, too small or too barren to create an attractive scene? In Paradise Found, Rebecca Cole presents simple and beautiful solutions to gardening in small, difficult, or awkward spaces.

Library Book Sale is center of town activity this Saturday

This Saturday, June 5, the Stratford Library will be at the center of a buzz of activity. Come on down, park in our huge lot behind the library, and take advantage of these opportunities for free and low-cost family fun. The Annual Stratford Library Book Sale runs from 5:30 pm Thursday, June 3 to Sunday afternoon June 6 at 4 pm. No admission charge. At this major library fundraiser you will find thousands of gently used books for all ages, movies, CDs, and LPs. Prices vary during the sale; see our Library website for details. Location: 2203 Main Street, Stratford, CT 06615. Healthy Stratford Council Walk through Stratford's Historic District. Leaves from the Perry House, on Broad Street adjacent to the Library's parking lot, 10 am on Saturday. Free. The 2.5 mile narraated walk will pass such landmarks as the Judson House, the Edward Curtis House, and the Old Episcopal Burying Ground. Please register in advance by calling 385-4090. Children's Carnival and Sidewalk Crafts Showcase at the Sterling House on Main Street, two doors down from the Library, Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm on Saturday. Free. Art Show sponsored by the Stratford Arts Guild, in front of the Library, Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm on Saturday. Free. Stratford Arts Guild members will show photography, jewelry, watercolors and other works of art. Rib Night sponsored by the Rotary Club, 6 pm at the Baldwin Center, next to the Library. Tickets are $30.00 each; proceeds benefit the Dictionary/Thesaurus Project for Stratford and other Rotary projects for the community. Call 385-4055 for tickets.

Corsairs Over Connecticut

Spotlight on: Vintage Aircraft and the Heroes who Flew Them

• What the first single-engine U.S. fighter to top 400 mph?
• What plane was called "The Angel of Okinawa" by US troops and "Whistling Death" by Japanese soldiers?
• What is the official aircraft of Connecticut?

The answer to all three questions is the Vought F4U Corsair. Not only was the F4U designed and built here in Stratford at Vought-Sikorsky, but the propellers and the engines were built in Connecticut too, at the Hamilton Standard Co. and Pratt and Whitney Aircraft. The Corsair F4U is an all-Connecticut fighter plane.

An event called "Wings and Wheels" will be celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Connecticut’s State Aircraft, The F4U Corsair, this Memorial day Weekend (May 29-30) at Sikorsky Memorial Airport.

Five different F4U Corsairs, a Sikorsky Seahorse, a Dehavilland Beaver Floatplane, and a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter will be among the many vintage and modern aircraft on display.

In addition, you can see vintage and collector cars, vintage trucks and military vehicles, meet NASA Astronaut Joe Edwards, participate in science demos, and have fun at the "Hangar Dance." The event will benefit the Discovery Museum.

For more information: (203) 372-3521 X124 or www.wingsandwheelsct.org/

At the Stratford Library, we have a better-than-average collection of books on the history of aviation, with an emphasis, of course, on the contributions of Ivan Sikorsky and the Sikorsky Aircraft corporation. If this weekend's "Wings and Wheels" event sparks your interest in these unusual bent-winged planes that flew from World War II to the 1960s, come on in and borrow one of these titles:

Corsair Aces of World War II by Mark Styling. Chock-full of excellent color illustrations, this book focuses mainly on 'I was there' first-hand accounts of flying the Corsair in battle.
Whistling Death: The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair by Boone T. Guyton. Told by Boone Guyton, an experimental test pilot at Chance Vought, this is the true story of the rush to produce the F4U Corsair, the Navy fighter that brought America air superiority over the Japanese Zero in World War II.
Corsair: The F4U in World War II and Korea, by Barrett Tillman. This fast-paced history begins with the nerve-wracking test flights of the 1940s and concludes with the F4Us that were active thirty-eight years later. Placed skillfully in between are the stories that gave birth to the legend, including the Medal of Honor recipient who shot down twenty-five enemy planes, and the details of the combat missions of Charles A. Lindbergh.

The Bridgeport Regional Business Council -- make them part of your support group

Spotlight on: The Bridgeport Regional Business Council

The "Navigating Opportunities" workshop originally scheduled for June 2, 2010 has been cancelled. The BRBC expects to reschedule it later in the fall. If you'd like to be notified about this or other BRBC events, please email Mary Dean at

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As you think about your business support group -- the friends and business acquaintances who can offer advice or lend a hand when you need it -- don't forget to include the Stratford Library!

These three new books -- all just published in 2010 -- can help steer the new entrepreneur towards success, or help an established small business owner "tune up" your business-building skills.

How to Build a Business and Sell it for Millions, by Jack Garson. Garson, a strategy and transaction consultant, has a unique perspective to getting your new business off the ground: he teaches you to think about the future "sellability" of your business from the very beginning. That's the secret, he believes, to creating a profitable, sustainable venture.
Start Your Own Business and Hire Yourself: Insider Tips for Successful Self-Employment in Any Economy, by Suzanne Caplan . This timely book shows how to get financing in hard times for small business loans, including up-to-date coverage on the implications of Obama's stimulus initiatives on SBA programs.
Making Money from Home: How to Run a Successful Home-Based Business by Donna Partow . Partow writes from the perspective of a married woman who wants to stay home with her children but also earn money. Still, her step-by-step advice can benefit anyone wants to develop their own business from home

Fun times in Connecticut... and special times at Boothe Park

One of our favorites Connecticut treasures, Boothe Memorial Park in Stratford opens Sunday, May 16, with a free antique car show, art, music, drama and hands-on demonstrations from 1 to 4 p.m. at the estate on Main St. Putney. Classic cars will be among the attractions during opening day. The car show opens at 9 a.m. Other actitivies will run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the former estate on Main Street Putney. There is no charge for admission on this special day.

Entries into a car show will begin arriving the park at 9 a.m. This is the first official car show to be held in conjunction with opening day at Boothe Park. Connecticut Cruise News is the official media sponsor for the event, and the Eastern Packard Club and Connecticut Seaport Car Club expect close to 200 vintage and special interest cars from all over Connecticut as well as street rods, trucks, customs, stock original restored cars and antiques.

All 20 turn-of-the century buildings on the Boothe estate will be open to the public, many manned by tour guides, including the homestead, geological display, ice-house, out-house and chapel. Sheep shearing, spinning, weaving and turn-of-the century machines will be displayed. The Stratford Community Band will perform, and young artists will display their work. Visitors can also tour the elaborate model train collection and accessories; the blacksmith shop with working smithy; the observatory with its highly accurate telescope; the amateur radio clubhouse and equipment; and the genealogy library. The park was the estate of the Boothe family for many generations and was willed to the town in 1949. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes many buildings and attractions on the grounds. In the event of rain, the car show will be rescheduled to Sunday, May 23.

Opening day schedule 9 a.m.: Antique Car Show Opens, Main Street Putney, field 12:30 p.m.: “Arts in the Park” Student Art Exhibit, Coliseum 1:30 p.m.: Stratford Community Band, Band Shell 3 p.m.: Sheep Shearing Demonstration, pen east of Ice House Ongoing activities and exhibits (1-4 p.m.) • Museum tours of the buildings • Visit the sheep in their pens (behind the Carriage Barn) • Model Railroading (Railway Building) • Rug weaving demonstrations in the Americana Barn • Antique Car Show on the Main Street Putney open field • Demos in the Blacksmith Shop • Boothe photo exhibit in the Summer Cottage/Genealogy Library • Rose care talks in the Rose Garden • Astronomy talks in the Observatory • Amateur radio discussions in Clubhouse • Spinning demonstrations in the Homestead Refreshments will be served on the lawn outside of the Homestead and in the field with the antique auto show.

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More scenes and sights in Connecticut...

The library's extensive travel guide section has up-to-date travel guides on Shanghai, Latvia and Malaysia, but we also have a great selection of books on the hidden treasures and nearby adventures of Connecticut. 52 Weekends in Connecticut: Day Trips and Easy Getaways from the Litchfield Hills to Long Island Sound, by Andi Marie Cantele. Full of year-round activities and fun excursions for both first-time visitors and long-time residents, 52 Weekends in Connecticut traverses the entire state, from the bucolic Northwest Corner to the Quiet Corner in the northeast, along the shoreline facing Long Island Sound and dozens of points in between.

Connecticut: Off the Beaten Path, by Tom Bross.

Even if you've lived in Connecticut for many years, Connecticut Off the Beaten Path shows you a side of the Nutmeg State you never knew existed. Explore the beginnings of the American Impressionist art movement with a drive along the Connecticut Art Trail, tour one of Litchfield County’s little-known wineries, or answer the siren call of the bagpipes at the Annual Scottish Festival in Goshen.

One Book, One Stratford -- reaching Stratford and beyond

Stratford Library's recent "One Book, One Stratford" event brought an impressive number of people to the library for the first time, drawn by their interest in author Jennifer Baszile's memoir. Prof. Baszile's book is a candid look at growing up during the 1970s-- a transitional time in American race relations-- when school integration was the law of the land but informal barriers to social integration were still prevalent. Many people told us they appreciated these discussions as a chance to share their own stories and learn from the experiences of others. One of our library staff members, Ann Stockman, recently had the opportunity to tell Prof. Camille Cooper of Yale University's Comer School Development Program about the success of the "One book" program. The two women met at a public program on improving public schools, which Ann attended as part of her involvement with Stratford's C.A.R.E. group. After viewing pictures and receiving email about our program with author Jennifer Baszile, Prof. Cooper has expressed interest in being kept informed about about future happenings at the library.

Spotlight on: C.A.R.E. Ann is an active member of the Stratford group, Stratford Citizens Addressing Racial Equality. C.A.R.E. volunteers work to open communication among residents of all ages, socio-economic groups, races and ethnicities in non-confrontational ways to break down stereotypes, build trust and find ways to work together. For more information on how Stratford C.A.R.E., or to become a member, please contact Stratford Community Services at 203.385.4095 or send an e-mail to communityservices@townofstratford.com.