It’s that time of year again. School’s opening.
As motorists begin to share the road again with schoolchildren and school buses, it’s a good idea to go over a few rules so everyone stays safe.
The AAA Motor Club notes that the afternoon hours are “particularly dangerous for walking children – over the last decade, nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7 p.m.”
In addition to the obvious one about stopping you see a school bus stop and put on its flashing lights and engages the stop sign, AAA offers six ways to keep kids safe this school year:
1. Slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.
2. Eliminate distractions. Children often cross the road unexpectedly and may emerge suddenly between two parked cars. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing.
3. Reverse responsibly. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for children on the sidewalk, driveway and around your vehicle before slowly backing up. Teach your children to never play in, under or around vehicles—even those that are parked.
4. Talk to your teen. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, and more than one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers occur during the after-school hours of 3 to 7 p.m.
5. Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.
6. Watch for bicycles. Children on bikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and the bicycle. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that they wear a properly-fitted bicycle helmet on every ride.
Archive for August, 2012
Safety for all
Well deserved
As Pat Pickens wrote in his article, the Fairfield American Little League team truly received a hero’s welcome on Thursday afternoon.
The New England champions were treated to all the pomp and circumstance they deserved upon returning from the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. The boys – 12 and 13 years old – handled the attention, wins and losses with poise, dignity and grace. They certainly make our community proud.
Their games in Williamsport were thrilling and fun to watch. Even my 86-year-old mother got caught up in the action over the weekend.
Team manager Bill Meury probably said it best about his players, many of whom have been together for three years and won titles and hearts along the way, when he told those assembled at Sherman Green, “They respected the game, their opponents and, most importantly, each other.”
Welcome home, and congratulations on all your accomplishments.
On the same page
Did you know that the 2012-13 school year starts in just over a week?
The first day of school is Thursday, Aug. 30. All teachers report for their first day on Monday, Aug. 27, there’s a professional development day on Tuesday, Aug. 28, and students in grade 6 and 9 get their orientation on Wednesday, Aug. 29.
How do I – who has no children – know all this? I found a handy little link on the school system’s website. It is called “A Family Guide to the Fairfield Public Schools 2012-2013″ and it is contained in something called “virtual paper.” Isn’t it amazing how far technology has come?
The electronic booklet is 63 pages and answers just about every question parents and students would have about the school system. The pages turn easily on the screen and they can be magnified for closer reading.
It’s actually pretty cool. And I suspect that with 10,000 students in the Fairfield Public Schools, it’s a money saver where paper and postage are concerned. (Who would have thought the school system knows how to save money? Sorry, I digress.)
Wth summer nearly over and school about to commence, it’s a good idea that parents and their children all get on the same page now.
Time to remove the hazards
Every time the town Solid Waste and Recycling Department sponsors its Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, I’m never prepared, so I miss it. I can’t say that I have a lot of hazardous waste in my house that I need to discard, but I do have two 1-gallon containers of gasoline; one of them has a gas and oil mixture.
The gasoline container is from the days when I used to mow my own lawn. Now I have a lawn service, so that gasoline is pretty old. The other container is for my garden rototiller, which I use once a year in the spring. I never use the whole gallon of the gas-oil mixture so it just sits there until the next year.
The fact that they sit in my garage scares me. On really hot days, I can smell them. I could have taken them to the Hazwaste Central place in New Haven, but the thought of driving on Interstate 95 with two gallons of gasoline in the back of my car scares me more than having them sit in my garage.
So this year I am ready for the collection day, which takes place on Saturday, Aug. 25, at Veterans Park on Reef Road from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. I plan on getting there early because from what I’ve seen from past reports, the line can be long. To save time, the town department has online the form to fill out prior to arriving at the collection site. You can access it here.
Also, the department is looking for volunteers to help from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers do not handle any of the hazardous waste. To volunteer, contact Michael Zembruski at 203-256-3023 or MZembruski@town.fairfield.ct.us. For more information about anything regarding solid waste or recycling, go here.
Congratulations to the home team
As Fairfield Citizen Sports Editor Pat Pickens wrote in his article, “Fairfield American will be going back to Little League’s grandest stage.” What a terrific achievement for a group of young men who know what it means to be a team.
Our team triumphed over Bedford, N.H., 14-0 in the New England Regional final on Saturday, giving them a slot in the Little League World Series. Fairfield will open its series play against the West Regional champion, Petaluma, Calif., on Thursday at 3 p.m. at Lamade Field in South Williamsport, Pa.
Fairfield American is going to the World Series for the second time in three seasons.
Congratulations to Fairfield American. They’ve made a whole town proud.
For two great articles on the team’s winning game and a look at its talent, go here and here.
Classic car cruise night Saturday
If you are looking for something different to do this weekend, head over to the Brick Walk promenade, 1215 Post Road, on Saturday, Aug. 11, for the Classic Car Show, which will include a free live concert. The event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m.
Attendees are invited to bring their classic cars to the parking area behind the shops. Trophies, prizes and food also will be featured.
The event is hosted by the Connecticut Seaport Car Club and sponsored by Fairfield County Bank. More information can be found at www.klebanproperties.com or www.ctseaportcarclub.com.
The Connecticut Seaport Car Club is based in Fairfield County and formed in an effort to make owning and restoring classic cars fun, says its website. Most of its members own and restore vintage autos, street rods, trucks, customs, stock original cars & antiques. “The purpose of this club is to go to area car shows and cruise nights together,” states the website. The club hosts its own weekly cruise night on Thursdays from May to October from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Fresh Market store, 605 Post Road East, Westport.
A gardener’s lament
My garden has taken quite a hit. The heat and humidity, and long periods without rain, have just about taken the life of everything in the plot.
Even though I was diligent about keeping the plants watered, it wasn’t enough without regular steady rain. And then the hot temperatures just wilted all that looked so healthy back in the spring. Also, I have had a white fly infestation; a pesky woodchuck, which has eaten a zucchini and some tomatoes; and some other pest, probably beetles, that have decimated the basil. All that hard work and expense gone.
The only good news is that I have been able to pick some beans and cucumbers. I guess nothing kills them.
If your garden has been hit like mine, perhaps master gardener Diana Ringelheim can shed some light on what went wrong. She will be speaking at two session – 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 10, and Sept. 14, at Fairfield Woods Branch Library, 1147 Fairfield Woods Road. The August session will focus on recognizing symptoms of heat and water stress and dividing certain perennial plants. In September, she will discuss planting daffodils and tulips in the fall for spring flowers and sowing vegetable seeds until mid-December for early spring harvest. She graduated from the Connecticut Master Gardener program in 2000, and became an advanced master gardener in 2003. She also has a certificate in field botany from the New York Botanical Gardens.
The program is free. For information and to register, call 203-255-7308 or visit www.fairfieldpubliclibray.org.
Who doesn’t love a tag sale?
Last weekend, we had the much-anticipated and -attended Pequot Library Summer Book Sale. Thousands of people browsed and bought, all in an effort to find the right reading materials and at the same time raise money for the library.
This weekend, Operation Hope’s 23rd Community Tag Sale takes place on Aug. 4 and 5 at First Church Congregational, 148 Beach Road, in its parking lot and inside its auditorium. Operation Hope, which runs homeless shelters for men, women and families as well as associated services and programs such as a food pantry and community kitchen, has its offices right next door to the church.
Individuals, businesses, religious and civic organizations have donated numerous items to be sold to help raise money for the social service organization, which is so vital to our community. We all know that nonprofit groups always need an influx of money to keep their services and programs going, so the more you buy, the more people who are helped.
The tag sale hours are Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. For information, call (203)-292-5588 or visit Operation Hope’s website.
