The Kiwanis Club of Fairfield is selling poinsettia plants for its major fundraiser to help further its mission.
The plants are florist-fresh and each 8-inch, foil wrapped pot has three 18- to 20-inch tall plants with 12 to 15 blooms. They are available in red, white or pink. The pick-up date, at the Spear-Miller Funeral Home on South Benson Road, is December 10. Free delivery in the Fairfield area is available with the purchase of five or more plants.
Orders may be placed with Kiwanis Club members; via the club’s website, www.fairfieldkiwanis.org; or through Brian Baker at 203-259-5254 or brian.baker@reefchirocare.com.
In 2010, the club donated more than $25,000 to local organizations, including $15,000 in scholarships to graduating high school students.
Here’s a bit of history on the poinsettia, according to The Learning Channel. The plant arrived in the United States in the 19th century, and is named after the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced America to the poinsettia in 1828, after discovering it in the wilderness in southern Mexico. Poinsett, apparently an amateur botanist, sent cuttings of the plant back to his South Carolina home. By the 20th century the poinsettia became a holiday mainstay. National Poinsettia Day is celebrated on Dec. 12, which honors the plant and the man who brought it to America.

The 21st annual Tree of Light ceremony will take place on Dec. 8 in several locations in Fairfield County, including Fairfield and Southport.
Sponsored by and to benefit the Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut, the program allows you to remember someone who has been inspirational in your life. You can purchase a light and dedicate it in memory of your loved one, whose name will be listed on the memorial roll and read aloud during the ceremony. According to the VNS, the ceremony promotes fellowship and also includes a candle and tree lighting celebration with music, spiritual readings and an informal reception.
The ceremony in Fairfield will take place at 6:30 p.m. at First Church Congregational, 148 Beach Road, and at 6 p.m. in Southport at Chase Bank, 292 Pequot Ave.
To purchase a light, reservations for which must be made by Wednesday, Nov. 30, to ensure inclusion, visit http://vnsct.com or click here for a link to the order form.

The extended family always gathered for Thanksgiving Day at my paternal grandparents’ house when I was a child, as evidenced in the photo included in this blog. Their front porch, which was the width of the home in Norwalk, served as our dining room. There wasn’t much room to move, and we had to file in according to where our assigned seats were. I’m third from the bottom right, probably somewhere around 7 or 8 years old, seated next to my great aunt, Jennie. Aside than my immediate family (my father was behind the camera), the others in this photo all traveled from New York, especially Queens and from out on Long Island. Grandma’s feast was huge, always starting out with her scrumptious chicken soup and ending with an assortment of pies. Afterwards, the family adjourned to the living room where we caught up on all the news. I remember there always was a lot of laughter. I also remember two or more of the relatives went for a walk around the neighborhood, including Uncle Harry, who was banned from smoking his cigars inside the house. Uncle Harry is seated at the end of the long table, which, if I remember correctly, was made from sheets of plywood placed on wooden horses.

I hope your memories of Thanksgiving Day are as warm as this one for me. As we get together today for our holiday repast, let’s remember those among us who are not as fortunate and make a promise to ourselves to help them in any way we can.

Connecticut Food Bank is short about 1,800 turkeys for its Thanksgiving for All campaign.
In 2010, Connecticut Food Bank distributed 24,000 turkeys and trimmings to provide an estimated 790,000 meals for people in need during the holiday season. This year, Connecticut Food Bank needs to distribute more food because of the economy.
“Connecticut Food Bank needs to collect as many frozen turkeys and other food items as possible this Thanksgiving season so thousands of our neighbors won’t go without a holiday meal this Thursday,” said Nancy L. Carrington, Connecticut Food Bank’s President & CEO on its website. “The people of Connecticut have always been generous and we are confident this generosity will continue through the holiday season.”
The Connecticut Food Bank warehouse at 74 Linwood Avenue in Fairfield will accept food and monetary donations until 5 p.m. today (Tuesday). Also, donations can be made via the Connecticut Food Bank’s Virtual Food Drive at www.ctfoodbank.org.

The annual Christmas Tree Lighting will take place on Dec. 2 on the green in front of Old Town Hall. The music will begin at 6 p.m. and Santa arrives at 7 p.m.
The 90-foot tall Norway spruce, one of three trees donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution in December 1918, will be ablaze with color. Among those performing in the event are the Bridgeport Theatre Company; the Fairfield Woods, Roger Ludlowe and Tomlinson middle schools’ Chamber Choir; and the Fairfield Warde Choral Group. The Town Youth Council will be offering hot chocolate and glow necklaces, and First Selectman Mike Tetreau will do the countdown to light the tree at 7 p.m., after which Santa arrives via fire truck.
The Parks and Recreation Department, the Fairfield Fire Fighters Association Local 1426 and the Fire Department are the event sponsors, with the assistance of Police Department and Public Works.

Other than going to one of your local pharmacies or your doctor’s office for a flu shot, the town’s Health Department Nursing Office is available for the yearly vaccination.
For times and appointments, call 203-256-3150 for times and an appointment. The nursing office is located in the building behind the Fairfield Senior Center at 100 Mona Terrace. The vaccine is available for everyone – from infants who are 6 months old and up. Pregnant women will need to bring a note from their doctor to receive the vaccine. You are advised to wear short sleeves or sleeves that can be rolled up easily. FluMist also is available. Pneumonia vaccine is also available for those 65 and older and for younger people with certain long-term health conditions. The pneumonia vaccine is normally given only once. Call 203-256-3150 if you have any questions about the pneumonia vaccine.
Insurance plans accepted for flu shots and/or pneumonia shots include Aetna, Medicare Part B; Connecticare – commercial plans and Medicare Advantage plans; and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield – commercial plans and Medicare Advantage Plans. Without these specific insurance plans, the cost for the flu shot is $25 and for the pneumonia vaccine $45. Bring your insurance card with you.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for everyone as the first and most important step in protecting the flu. Basic questions and answers about the flu and the importance of getting the shot can be obtained here.

Chip’s Family Restaurant, which only opened a few months ago at 525 Tunxis Hill Cutoff, already has made quite an impact in our town. Not only has it been busy day and night serving customers – just drive by the Tunxis Hill Shopping Center and you’ll see the parking lot is fuller than it has been in years – but it has chipped in to help local charities.

A Pancake Breakfast to benefit Operation Hope will be served Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 24, from 6:30 to 11 a.m. For $10 (preferably paid in cash), customers will get a selection of a short stack of buttermilk pancakes, eggs, bacon or sausage and tea and coffee. For those who want to sponsor a group table, call 203-809-2392. For more information about Chip’s, visit www.chipsrestaurants.com. One hundred percent of the proceeds, including waitstaff tips, will go to Operation Hope, which provides homeless shelters and related services.

On Dec. 12, Chip’s will sponsor a Pancake Dinner to benefit the Lebo-DeSantie Center for Liver and Pancreatic Disease at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. The center is named after two Fairfielders and brothers-in-law, Keith Lebo and Jim DeSantie, both of whom died of pancreatic cancer. For $12 per person, customers will be served, pancakes, eggs, bacon or sausage and coffee. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go toward helping patients and their families in their fight against liver and pancreatic disease through St. Vincent’s SWIM Across the Sound. The dinner will be served at 5, 6, 7 and 8 p.m. For tickets, cfall 203-209-7014 or 203-209-2922.

It ain’t over ’til it’s over. Well, at least it is for the top of the ticket in this week’s municipal election.
By now, you all know that Democrat Michael Tetreau bested Republican Rob Bellitto Jr. and Independent Hugh Dolan to assume the office of first selectman for the next four years. Joining Tetreau on the Board of Selectmen are Democratic running mate Christin McCarthy Vahey, most recently a member of the Representative Town Meeting, and Republican James Walsh, who was the incumbent.
Re-elected to a third term was Town Clerk Betsy Browne, who just happened to be the top vote-getter with 9,558 votes. Congratulations to my friend.
But a number of candidates still don’t know their fate as recounts are required in four contests – those for RTM Districts 4, 6, 8 and 10. The race for constable was close too but the losing candidate apparently has waived his right for a recount. Statutes require an automatic recount when the margin in less than one-half of 1 percent of the total number votes casts for the office. The recount will take place on Monday at 9 a.m.
In the meantime, let’s look at the outcome of the other races. The Fairfield Citizen reported that the Republicans have maintained control on the Board of Finance and the RTM, although the Democrats picked up a few seats on the legislative body. With Finance and the RTM, the two most powerful entities in town government, controlled by the Republicans and with Tetreau being a Democrat, a spirit of bipartisan is certainly called for over the next few years. Nothing meaningful will get done if the two sides bicker instead of working together. For the Board of Education, the Democrats still hold sway.
Once all the races are decided and all the winners are sworn in at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at Fairfield Warde High School, it’s time to get down to business and chart the next course for our town. I, for one, would like to see a clear and comprehensive plan for our fiscal situation. What will we spend money on and why? Our newly elected leaders must answer that question for the good of everyone.