Madison News Roundup

Madison Surf Club

Jesse Effron of Guilford won the 18th Annual Leprechaun 5-Miler race Sunday in Madison, CT. The 26-year-old completed the course in 25:50.

Maureen Terwilliger, 42, of Guilford was the first woman to finish the race. She completed the distance in 29:44.

The race, conducted by the Madison Exchange Club, was sponsored by Sound Runner and Shore Publishing. The race starts at the Madison Surf Club and continues along Middle Beach Road. The event also includes a half-mile Kids Fun Run.

View complete race results here.

The Friends of Scranton Library are seeking gently used books, DVDs and audio books for this summer’s annual book sale. Collection begins Monday, April 5, at the white house located at 24 Wall Street, Madison, CT. The facility will be staffed Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and there is a storage bin available 24/7. The organization requests that you not include any magazines, VHS tapes, or encyclopedias.

FRIDAY:

• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.



• Five Lenten Concert Series, 12:15-12:45 p.m., First Congregational Church of Madison, 26 Meetinghouse Lane: “Music at the Meetinghouse” presents the third of five concerts in the Friday Lenten Concert Series: Half-hour organ concerts during the last five Fridays in Lent. This Friday will feature Paul Jordan, organist at the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Madison.
• Pajama Storytime – Ages 5 – 7, 7 p.m., RJ Julia: Wear your jammies and bring your stuffed friend. We’re popping popcorn, reading stories and learning about some fun activities for your next sleepover! Play Bingo and win “Smencils”! Space is limited and parents are expected to stay on site. Call early to reserve a spot for your pillow!

SATURDAY:

• Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting, 9 a.m., Memorial Hall – Route 1 on the Green Madison Center: Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting Saturdays 9AM at the Memorial Hall, Route 1 on the Green, Madison 1-800-824-8650 www.oa.org
• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.
• Tea Tasting – Oolongs, Savvy Tea Gourmet, 4-5:30 p.m., 28 Durham Rd: Learn about the artisan oolongs in this partially oxidized range.  Taste a wide variety of teas.  Join Phil Parda at the tea bar.  Reservations suggested. $15. per person.

SUNDAY:

The Kerry Boys

• Brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Savvy Tea Gourmet – 28 Durham Rd.
• The Kerry Boys Celtic Music Program, 1:30 p.m., Scranton Memorial Library: Friends of Scranton Library are thrilled to host Pierce Campbell and the Kerry Boys who have been Connecticut’s Favorite Irish Balladeers for over 20 years.  Treat yourself and your family to sit back, warm up and enjoy traditional Irish ballads and pub songs that’ll get ya singing and clapping.  Refreshments will be served.

Jeffrey Hamburg

The ex-husband of Madison murder victim Barbara Hamburg reportedly gave police DNA samples on Wednesday. Defense attorney Hugh Keefe told the New Haven Register that Jeffrey Hamburg, 61, provided the DNA samples in response to a search warrant. Keefe said no arrest warrant has been issued for his client.

The body of Barbara Hamburg, 48, was discovered late on the morning of March 3 on the lawn of a home on Middle Beach Road West. She had been scheduled to appear in court earlier that morning for a hearing in connection with her 2002 divorce. Jeffrey Hamburg was present for that hearing.

Madison police have said they are looking for Jeffrey Hamburg to question him about the case. They have gone so far as to release his photograph and post signs asking for information about his whereabouts.

Hamburg was not present Wednesday in New Haven Family Court for a child support hearing. He did, however, file for bankruptcy Wednesday morning, the Register reported. An attorney representing Barbara Hamburg questioned how, considering Jeffrey Hamburg’s financial situation, he could afford Hugh Keefe as his defense lawyer.

Officers from the Madison Police Department and state police were in the courtroom Wednesday morning. Some met behind closed doors with Keefe after the hearing’s conclusion, according to Amanda Pinto’s account in the Register. Numerous agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have been working with Madison police to complete their investigation into the slaying, Police Chief Jack Drumm has said.

Howard Frank Mosher, co-presented with the Madison Historical Society, will be at RJ Julia at 7 p.m. Monday to discuss his latest book, Walking to Gatlinburg. “Mosher calls to mind the best of Mark Twain – mischievous, touching, and very funny.” -Carl Hiaasen. Tickets for this event are $5, which may be used toward the purchase of the book.

We realize we have been asking a lot of questions in recent headlines, but we have to ask at least one more: What’s up with Nixle?

Nixle, as you may or may not know, is a free subscription service that provides updates about happenings in various communities. More specifically, according to the company’s website:

“Nixle is a Community Information Service dedicated to helping you stay connected to the information that matters most to you, depending on your physical location. You stay connected to your local police department, your children’s schools, your local community agencies and organizations, and the important information from other locations throughout the country that are relevant to you. Our service is built on the most secure, reliable, and high-speed distribution platform, ensuring that you receive trusted and immediate, geographically relevant information. Information is immediately available over your cell phone by text message, by email, and over the web.”

Sounds great, right? We certainly thought so, and when the Madison police department joined the service in September and invited residents to register, we signed right up. At first, it seemed promising. We got a couple of community updates, advisories, and traffic notices about things like the Citizens Police Academy registration and holiday parade schedules. A couple of months ago, we started receiving alerts about residential burglaries and thefts from cars in the northern part of town. And that was all good.

But where was the Nixle service when townspeople were full of questions about the arrests of area juveniles in connection with an alleged rape at a New Year’s Eve house party? Or the discovery of a murder victim on Middle Beach Road West? Or the report of gunshots and the closing of Wall Street on Saturday?

The only Nixle communication we received in connection with the alleged sexual assault was about the arrest of the fifth boy charged in the case. And regarding last week’s murder and Saturday’s report of gunshots, not a peep.

We realize this is not a fault of the Nixle service itself, which is only as good as the information it receives. But for the service to have any real value for Madison residents, Nixle updates have to become part of the Madison police department’s standard operating procedure.

The closing of Wall Street Saturday afternoon following a report of possible gunshots being fired may show just how on edge this town is following the recent murder on Middle Beach Road West and the arrest of area juveniles on sexual assault charges.

The Hartford Courant reports that police evacuated four apartments on Wall Street and some neighboring buildings Saturday afternoon while investigating a complaint of gunshots being fired in the area. Officers went to 64 Wall St. just after noon, where they had responded earlier to a dispute between neighbors, according to a press release from the Madison Police Department. Residents of the apartment building told police the gunshots came from an upper level apartment. While trying to contact the residents of that apartment, police made the evacuations, the Courant reported. Once inside the apartment, police did not find a weapon or “any indications that a weapon had been fired. Officers checked all the apartments in the building and no weapon was discovered,” the press release said.

The police response was not appreciated by at least one resident, who commented on our report yesterday that a “police department SWAT team converged on, took over and bullied and violated the constitutional rights of home owners in the area with nazi like tactics including searching private property for absolutely no reason. Over reactions and civil rights violations like this havent been seen since the 1960s. What the hell is happening in Madison and who authorized such behavior? Blumenthal loves to investigate things he ought to investigate these outrageous tactics.”

InsideMadison.com received an email from “Matt” telling us that there was a shooting Saturday in downtown Madison. He writes: “We have a friend who is a state cop and he is down on the Scene. 64 Wall Street, there was a shooting. Swat Team is blocking off the road as of now.” We don’t have any confirmation of this as yet, but many of you must have seen that Wall Street was blocked off this afternoon with police and emergency vehicles. We will update this story as we receive more details.

Another weekend with no shortage of things to do in Madison, CT. Many, not surprisingly, have a distinctly Irish flavor:

FRIDAY:

SATURDAY:

• Eagle Watches on the CT River, 7:45 a.m., meet at the Audubon Shop, 907 Boston Post Rd: Winter’s cold brings dozens of Bald Eagles down the Connecticut River from Canada in search of ice – free fishing. The Audubon Shop in Madison presents its Twenty-second Annual Eagle Watches on the Connecticut River. Leader Jerry Connolly of The Audubon Shop will help participants spot eagles from a variety of locations on the river, and will discuss the bird’s natural history on this land-based trip. Tickets are $20.00, and include a soup & sandwich lunch at Oliver’s Taverne in Essex. Pre-registration is required. Binoculars are recommended and available for rental. Call the shop at 203-245-9056 for tickets and information. Space is limited.
• Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting, 9 a.m., Memorial Hall – Route 1 on the Green Madison Center: Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting Saturdays 9AM at the Memorial Hall, Route 1 on the Green, Madison 1-800-824-8650 www.oa.org
• Tag Sale to Banefit ‘Nite in Hand’, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Madison Arts Barn: The Tag Sale will feature: Sporting Goods (baseball, lacrosse, golf club sets, hockey, soccer, tennis, ice skates, roller skates, basketballs, bikes, and a workout weight station); Video Games, Equipment and Movies; Musical Instruments (including a full CB Drum Set); Tools; Games, Books and more!! To learn more, visit www.DanielHand.org/NIH
• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.
• High Tea, Savvy Tea Gourmet, 2-4 p.m., 28 Durham Rd: Enjoy a variety of savory and sweet foods and of course, fabulous tea! It is served tableside with fine linens and ceramic ware. $25 per person with advance reservation.
• Tea Tasting – World, Savvy Tea Gourmet, 4-5:30 p.m., 28 Durham Rd: Explore the breath & variety of teas of the world. Join Phil Parda at the tea bar for a fascinating look & taste of many different teas. Learn how to “taste” and understand the differences in processing and the artisan craft of tea making. $15. per person. Reservations suggested.
• Annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner, 5-7 p.m., Madison VFW, Lovers Lane, Madison.
• St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance, 6-11 p.m., Saint Margaret Roman Catholic Church, 24 Academy Street, Madison: The Madison Knights of Columbus will host its 8th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance & Silent Auction Fundraiser. The $20 admission includes a corned beef and cabbage dinner, wine, beer, soft drinks, dessert from Madison Chocolates, and a DJ. Tickets WILL NOT be sold at the door.
• Stephen Emond, 7 p.m., RJ Julia: Connecticut native Stephen Emond will talk about his latest book, Happyface – a fresh and funny story of a boy trying to reinvent himself. Tickets for this event are free.

SUNDAY:

• Brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Savvy Tea Gourmet – 28 Durham Rd.
• Shoreline Hadassah Prospective Member Open House, 1:30 p.m., Scranton Memorial Library: Socialize, nosh, and learn about Shoreline Hadassah with members and friends. Enjoy a talk by Lurrae Lupone MEd, CFSC entitled “Organize Your Life – Feng Shui as a Therapeutic Solution”. Open and free to the public. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP recommended.

Madison, CT offers an unusually large number of literary events, and today and tomorrow are no exceptions.

From Himalayan Portfolios

• Book Buddies: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Scranton Memorial Library. This is a book discussion program for younger children (grades K through 2). A craft will also be included. Sign up online.
• Danielle Trussoni: 7 p.m. Wednesday, RJ Julia. Renowned author Danielle Trussoni will be here to discuss Angelology , a thrilling epic. Tickets for this event are $5, which may be used toward the purchase of the book.
• Gerri Hirshey: 7 p.m. Thursday, RJ Julia. Gerri Hirshey will bring along a service dog when she appears on behalf of the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation to talk about her new book, Trust the Dog , an exploration of the profound and inspiring relationships between humans and animals. Tickets for this event are $5.00, which may be used toward the purchase of the book.
• Himalayan Portfolios; Journeys of the Imagination with Kenneth Hanson: 7 p.m. Thursday, RJ Julia. Hanson will show slides of his travels and discuss the ideas that have shaped his magnificent book of black and white photographs. His dramatic photographs, taken over a 20-year period, are both a record of journeys taken and of an inquiry.  Why photograph the Himalayas?  Great Gamers and jingoists, surveyors and mountaineers have each had their Himalayan goals, but for the photographer, the view camera provides a means to examine afresh the majesty of this world. The Himalayas are emblem of the ultimate challenge and the ultimate passage between life and death.