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Box 212 Monroe, CT 06468
Our last newsletter was sent to you in April. So we want to let you know what we've been busy with since the spring mailing. In June, Ed Coffey chaired the annual tag sale at the schoolhouse and we sold about $1000 worth of items donated by members. A special thanks to John and Carol Babina who cleaned out their basement and attic and delivered several car loads of items for us to sell. Nancy has presented talks about the one room schoolhouse to Fawn Hollow Cub Scouts from Den #5 and she is helping a Secondary Education Major (who attended our Hands on History programs as a child) with a hands on history project for her class at UCONN. Criteria for nomination include ten or more years of diverse volunteer service in which significant change or growth occurred. We will use this money to help develop our Trolley Through Time program. We will plan a tour of old Monroe and Stepney and offer it to the community in the spring. For over 50 years the Warrens have painstakingly investigated the realm of the supernatural throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Their intensive research on over 5000 cases of reported phenomena throughout the world has convinced them beyond a shadow of a doubt of the existence of ghosts, demons, witches, Satanists, vampires and werewolves. They have delved into such areas as voodoo, exorcisms and possessions, Satanism, curses, reincarnation, human combustion, psychic photography, séances, telepathy and many other "occult" sciences. As a result of this extensive research the Warrens have become "America's Top Ghost Hunters." Married at age 18, Ed and Lorraine Warren toured the United States as professional artists. Ed's childhood experiences living in a haunted house in Bridgeport, Connecticut fueled his desire to investigate purported haunted locations encountered in their travels. After such visits, Ed would paint his impressions of the haunting phenomena. In 1969 Ed and Lorraine launched their public life as a result of Ed's paintings from their Barn Door studio next to their house in Stepney , CT. Although Lorraine accompanied Ed on many of these adventures, for a long time she refused to tap into her powers of clairvoyance, first discovered as a young child, which could prove or disprove the reality of these hauntings. It was only after repeated confrontations with "spiritual entities" while accompanying Ed on investigations that she finally decided to tap into, and develop her latent psychic abilities. Today she is recognized as one of the country's leading light trance mediums. The Warrens have been involved in numerous Exorcisms conducted in Stepney. Two of the most notable were Maurice Theriault, a farmer from Warren, Massachusetts whose exorcism inspired a book entitled Satin's Harvest. And the exorcism of Bill Ramsey from London, England who was diagnosed with having Lycanthropy (a werewolf condition). This is the only case of a Lycanthropy exorcism ever documented in the United States. In the 1960's Lorraine Warren was tested at UCLA, by Doctor Thelma Moss and Doctor Johnson, and was found to have psychic abilities well above average. Lorraine Warren also has the ability to see and interpret the human aura, which is the supernatural glow that surrounds every living thing that God has created. Ed Warren has been ill since March 2001, after suffering a heart arrhythmia. Lorraine still remains extremely active in research of the supernatural realm, maintains a full schedule of personal speaking appearances and works extensively via phone and email with persons affected by haunting and supernatural phenomena. Recently she has worked with numerous media with respect to the 30th anniversary of the Amityville Horror, which she and her husband had personally investigated, and in fact were the chief investigators of that famous case. The Warren's have published 10 books, their most recent entitled, "Ghost tracks." Their life story is still under option with a major Hollywood studio. Advanced ticket s sales are $15.00 or tickets purchased at the door are $20. Tickets may be purchased in advanced at Taylor Rental, 517 Main Street, Monroe or Century 21 Green Garden Realty, 241 Monroe Turnpike. Order tickets by mail no later than October 21, 2005 by sending a check payable to the "Save Our Stepney Task Force" to Lee Hossler, 272 Stanley Road, Monroe, CT 06468 or call Lee at 203.261.5702 for more information. The Stepney Volunteer Fire Company, Stepney Baptist Church, Sippin Energy Products, Andrew J. Nunn, First Selectman, Masuk High School Chorus, Frosty the Snowman, and individual members of Save Our Stepney Task Force are contributing to making the event possible. The event is co-sponsored by Save Our Stepney (SOS) Task Force and the Town of Monroe. The Stepney Volunteer Fire Company will trim the tree on the green in advance of the December 2nd lighting. First Selectman Nunn will welcome the community to the annual event on the Stepney Green. The students of the Masuk High School Chorus will provide music along with a special appearance by an acappella chorus. Refreshments of hot cocoa and baked goods will be available. All will be treated to a reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Stepney residents Greg and Amy Loehr. Frosty the Snowman will make a special appearance aboard a Stepney Volunteer Fire Company truck at the invitation of SOS to flip the tree light switch ushering in the holiday season. Attendees are asked to bring a food item for the food pantry. Barrels will be provided for the contributions. Bernard J. Sippin makes parking for the event at 435 Main Street possible. Save Our Stepney welcomes donations from all members of the Monroe community for the lighting program. Currently, the Town of Newtown enjoys such sponsorship of its tree lighting event. Residents and businesses can "Buy a bulb" or contribute donations of Strings of Light in memory of loved ones, living or deceased. For information about the "Buy a Bulb" sponsorship program for the Tree Lighting on the Stepney Green, call Joel Leneker at 268-0247. The contest began April 29, Arbor Day and will end on October 31, 2005. The contest will award prizes for discovering the greatest trees in Monroe in the following categories: the most colorful, the most personality, the largest (in circumference), the oldest and the best over all tree. The best over all tree entry will receive a weekend in the Berkshire or Adirondack mountains. A panel of arborists and photography professionals has been selected to judge the photographs. A traveling "Great Trees of Monroe" photography display will feature the photographs submitted. Photographs will not be returned and become the property of the Save Our Stepney Task Force. Winners will be notified by telephone within a week of the contest's end. The contest is open to all Monroe residents. Photo entry drop-off boxes are located at the Monroe Town Hall, Stepney Hardware, Century 21 GreenGarden Realty (Route111), and Seven Maples Nursery. Entry forms are available at the drop-off locations, or can be downloaded from www.munic.state.ct.us/MONROE/monroe.htm or monroerec.org websites. Each photograph must be accompanied with an entry form. You need not be a professional photographer or have an expensive camera; all you need is an eye to spot a fantastic tree. Pull out your camera, put it in your car or backpack and go shoot a picture of a great tree. For more information about the "Great Trees of Monroe" contest please contact Joel Leneker at 203.375-0830 or the Monroe Parks and Recreation department at 203.452-5416. For more information about the Scenic Road ordinance please contact Marsha Motter, Monroe Town Clerk at 203.452-5417. In the Beardsley House keeping room high school student Abigail Schultz and the campers made applejack and hobnail cookies and orange scones. Other teenagers who helped with a variety of hands on history activities including braiding, toy construction, and candle making were Carly Wolfe, Jennifer Coffey, Ashley Dunkin, Whitney Wildman, Maria DiCamillo, Rob Honrath, Allison Prion, Kate Gutelius, and Kelsey Fontineau. Brian Zorena was back again to help the kids make ice cream in the old fashioned ice cream freezer.
The Christmas Fair has long been one of our biggest fundraisers. Please support us with your donations and by doing some of your Christmas shopping on one of our Fair days. We will be offering another David Merrill print as a door prize. The Society is strictly a volunteer organization and we try to do as much as we can ourselves, but many times we must hire professional help to do repairs and receiving grants like this one from the Carstensen Memorial Foundation makes necessary maintenance possible. We would like to thank Bernie Sippin for his generous gift to pay for the restoration of the wheels. We appreciate his reaching out to the Society to defray the cost of this important project. Hopefully the mail wagon will also be back in the Memorial Day Parade in May. |