Chaplin Pride Month
April, 2012
We live in a wonderful town, that's filled with the natural beauty of forests, fields, rivers, streams, ponds and wildlife—as well as historic buildings and cemeteries. All too often, many of us forget just how interesting and beautiful our town is, and don't do all that we can to help preserve that beauty. This is an initiative, sponsored by the Chaplin Conservation Commission, to use the month of April to focus on manifesting pride in our town. We hope that you will participate, and encourage your friends and neighbors to participate, to help renew this sense of pride and make our town an even better place to live.
This is the schedule so far—check back here for additional events that may be added later. There is also a printable flyer (PDF).
Chaplin Clean-Up Day
April 21, 2012 (Saturday)
If you're like me, you feel disgusted when you're walking or driving down a road in our town and see trash littering the sides of the road, or in our cemeteries, Diana's Pool, or other public spaces. Here's a chance to do something about it!
The Chaplin Conservation Commission sponsors an annual Chaplin Cleanup Day, which takes place on the 3rd Saturday of April each year, which is the first Saturday after income tax returns are due. This is usually just the right time of year. It is late enough that the weather is usually tolerably warm, the spring thaw mud is drying, and all the greenery is just on the verge of popping out. It is also just early enough that the foliage isn't quite out yet, including poison ivy leaves. And it's the same week as Earth Day.
The goal is to have as many households as possible each agree to clean up a section of road or other public area (like Diana's Pool, a cemetery, etc.) within Chaplin.
Here's how it works:
- Look at the list of cleanup commitments below, and choose an area not yet taken that you or your family/household/organization are willing to take responsibility for cleaning.
- Email a note to cleanup@chaplinct.org with a description of the area you'll be cleaning up (area of road or place), and who you are.
- On or before April 21st, perform the cleanup. Plastic trash bags and gloves will be available during the month of April at the Chaplin Town Hall if you need them. If you come across anything on roads or public land that's too large for you to manage, please let us know, and we'll ask the town to deal with it, if that's appropriate.
- For the weekend of April 21st, Bill Rose has agreed to park a town dump truck at the Town Hall parking lot, into which you can deposit trash from the cleanup (please do NOT bring any personal trash there).
- After the cleanup, send any comments, reports, or photos that you want to share about what you found to cleanup@chaplinct.org. These will be published on this cleanup web page.
You can also post any questions or comments to the Chaplin Town Forum (email to chaplin-forum@googlegroups.com or signup below), that you would like to share with other people in the town. For any general questions or comments, please contact Chris Komuves at cleanup@chaplinct.org or (860) 455-9839 [cell]. You can also view information on previous cleanup days.
2012 Chaplin Cleanup Commitments (View Map)
| Area | Responsible Party |
| Bates Rd. | Burnham Family |
| Bedlam Rd. from Rt.198 to #100 | Paul & Sue Peifer |
| Bedlam Rd. from #100 to 4 corners (juntion with North & South Bedlam) | Chris Komuves & Alycia Sanders |
| Bedlam Rd. from 4 Corners (juntion with North & South Bedlam) to town line (Atwoodville Rd.) | Ginny Walton |
| Bedlam Rd. Cemetery | Chris Komuves & Alycia Sanders |
| Chaplin St, from Tower Hill Rd. to Palmer Rd. | CharterOak Grove |
| Diana's Pool | Boy Scout Troop 440 |
| England Rd. | Juan Sanchez & grandchildren |
| Goddell Rd. | Rusty & Anne Lanzit |
| Lynch Rd. | PHHS Students & Rick Radlo |
| Marcy Rd. | Ann Lewis & David Raczkowski |
| Miller Rd. from Rt. 6 to #90 | Marian Hanyckyj |
| Morey Rd. | Rusty & Anne Lanzit |
| Nauchaug St. | Barry & Laurie Howard, Jaden & Nicolette |
| Nollett Rd. | The Roberts Family |
| North Bedlam Rd., from 4 Corners to #66 | Liz Marsden & Steve Laume |
| North Bedlam Rd., from #66 to #202 | Pat & Bob Dubos |
| Palmer Rd., From North Bedlam to Garrison sand bank entrance | Liz Marsden & Steve Laume |
| Palmer Rd., From Garrison sand bank entrance to Ridge Rd. | John, Shari, Mary, & Will Smith |
| Palmer Rd., From Ridge Rd. to Chaplin St. | CharterOak Grove |
| Parish Hill Rd. | PHHS Students & Rick Radlo |
| Ridge Rd., From Palmer Rd. to Tower Hill Rd. | CharterOak Grove |
| Route 6, From Old Hamton Rd. (east) to Miller Rd. | Cindy Hodis |
| Singleton Rd., from North Bear Hil Rd. to Nutmeg Ln. | Sharyn, Nicole & Philip Rusch |
| Singleton Rd., from Nutmeg Ln. to Marcy Rd. | Ann Lewis & David Raczkowski |
| South Bear Hill Rd., from England Rd. to Cross Rd. | Jessica Texera & Family |
| Tower Hill Rd., from Federal Rd. to Davis Rd. | Bill & Lisa Rose |
| Tower Hill Rd., from Davis Rd. to Ridge Rd. | Kathi Williamson & daughter |
| Tower Hill Rd., from Ridge Rd. to Chaplin St. | CharterOak Grove |
| Tower Hill Rd., from Bolduc Ln. to Bujak Rd. | Warren Church & Family |
| Tower Hill Rd., from Bujak Rd. to Harakaly Rd. | Jones Family (Mike, Jen, Wade, & Karagan) |
Photos and Post-Cleanup Comments
We had great weather for the cleanup, if a little on the hot side. It was heartening to see the great level of participation this year, as well as the random people who stopped on the roads to thank many of the participants. There was the usual preponderance of cigarette butts and packages, alcoholic beverage cans and bottles, coffee cups and fast food packaging, along with tires and larger items. There was also a substantial amount of litter that appeared to be the sort of stuff put out for recycling, such as milk cartons, etc. It's troubling to think that part of our recycling stream is becoming road litter instead of being handled properly. I even found a live 12-gauge shotgun round in the cemetary.
Here are some photos from the cleanup day this year (click to view full size, feel free to submit additional ones to be included here):
Historic Chaplin Street with Jean Givens
April 28, 2012 (Saturday) 9:30am - 10:30am
Walk along Chaplin street with Jean to learn about the history of the neighborhood and of the older homes on the street. Meet at the Chaplin Congregational Church at 34 Chaplin Street. The walk will end at the Chaplin Street Cemetery where refreshments (coffee, cider and donuts) will be provided before the next walk begins.
Chaplin Street Graveyard with Rusty Lanzit
April 28, 2012 (Saturday) 11:00am - 12:00pm
Come learn about some of Chaplin's most famous past inhabitants and see their final resting spots. We'll also learn about the stone carvers of the 1700's and 1800's in this area, including Beza Soule, one of the areas most prolific stone carvers, buried right here in Chaplin. This one hour walk is for all ages, and is on easy terrain. Meet at the Chaplin Street Cemetery for refreshments (coffee, cider and donuts) before the walk begins. For more information contact Rusty Lanzit at rlanzit@hotmail.com.
Natural History of Garrison Field with Juan Sanchez
April 28, 2012 (Saturday) 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Join naturalist Juan Sanchez for a walk around Garrison Field park and Hubbard Sanctuary to learn about the ecology of vernal pools.