Harold Webster Smith Awards 2012

The Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Small Business Council has announced the 2012 Harold Webster Smith Award recipients:

Quassy Amusement Park for small business of the year; Lori Greene, principal of Elizabeth Richards Gifts in Waterbury for entrepreneur of the year; James Behuniak, president and CEO of The Platt Brothers & Company in Waterbury, manufacturer of the year.

The award presentation event will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26, starting at 8 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Southbury. To reserve a seat call (203) 757-0701, or e-mail info@waterburychamber.com.

Mystic Outdoor Art Festival On The Weekend

The Mystic Outdoor Art Festival is Saturday, Aug. 14, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Meet some of America's finest artisans along downtown Mystic during New England's premier professionally juried outdoor art show.

More than 250 fine artists will exhibit oils, watercolors, photography, pastels, sculpture and acrylics, plus more than 60 fine crafters works.

Children's art activities and a great array of food and beverage items.

For details, contact the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce.

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce began the festival in 1957 when Milton Baline, cousin of Irving Berlin, and several other art lovers proposed the idea that Mystic pattern a festival after the famous Washington Square Festival in New York. Today it is one of the few remaining shows of its kind with two miles of exhibits featuring oils, watercolors, photography, sculpture, fine crafts and other media.

Notable End-of-Summer Auction

Mark the date for a Northeast Auctions event, Thursday, Aug. 27, at Dover Elks Lodge, 282 Durham Rd., Dover, NH.


The end of the summer auction includes 350 lots of American, European and Oriental antiques, including property from a Cambridge professor’s estate, two coastal Connecticut homes, residual property from an old-time collector, and other sources.
Preview from 11 a.m.; sale at 4 p.m.

Northeast Auctions are scheduled five times a year and include quality American, English and Continental furniture, paintings, ceramics, silver and other fine and decorative arts. The company's annual sales approach $25 million, and is ranked among the largest auction houses in the United States.

Ronald Bourgeault is owner and auctioneer.

Pilots Sought, Fly Dogs Home

During the week of Sept. 12-20, 2009, Pilots N Paws, which is an online forum for animal rescue groups and pilots to coordinate animal transports around the country, has set a goal to fly 5,000 dogs from high-kill shelters to new homes.

"The goal of The Pilots N Paws 5000 is to increase awareness among pilots and aircraft owners across the country of the dire need for animal transports," says Jon Wehrenberg, co-founder of Pilots N Paws. "Pilot's involvement can help to save thousands of animals from euthanasia. We are committed to increasing the number of pilots and plane owners involved in Pilots N Paws so that no request for transport goes unanswered."

If a shelter or rescue is from an area that has high rates of euthanasia, Pilots N Paws (PNP) would like that shelter or rescue to pencil in Sept. 12-20 for making an animal or multiple animals available to an animal shelter or rescue in an area where these animals can be placed in forever homes.

Rescues and fosters will need to locate their counterparts in areas of the country where high kill rates are not the rule, and have them find fosters and make space available for the animals that will be rescued.

Ideally the distance between the sending and receiving parties should be approximately 300 miles, which is an average distance for general aviation pilots.

The sending and receiving pair will then team up with a pilot volunteer who will provide the transportation during this special rescue week. The process is made easy through the use of the PNP site which is designed to bring the parties together and facilitate the making of all necessary transport arrangements.

Pilots, plane owners, animal rescues and shelters are currently being sought out to be a part of this humanitarian event in September.

Pilots N Paws is a 501c3 organization; pilot expenses relating to transports are tax deductible.

For more information the PNP Web site; or Debi Boies at pilotsnpaws@gmail.com.

Photo, Pilots N Paws rescue.

The Business of Baseball

Brian Cashman, general manager of the New York Yankees, will speak at Southern Connecticut State University, Wednesday, April 22.

ESPN sports reporter Peter Gammons will also be on hand to discuss "The Yankees and the Business of Baseball" at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts.

Cashman began as a 19-year-old intern in 1986 working for the Yankees' scouting department, and in 1998, rose to become the second youngest general manager in baseball history at age 31.

During the last 11 years, the team has won three World Series championships, five American League titles and nine AL East crowns.
Tickets are $23; $10 for students and children. They may be purchased at the Lyman box office: (203) 392-6154, or at http://tickets.southernct.edu.

A premium seating and reception package is also available for $125 per person. (Purchase includes private reception, premium seating, photo opportunity with Cashman and an autographed book.) Contact Betsy Galian at (203) 392-5598 for information or to purchase the "Friends" premium package. To purchase the premium package online, visit http://dlspremium.southernct.edu/

A portion of the proceeds support Southern's Endowed Awards of Excellence, a merit-based scholarship program.

Image courtesy SCSU.

Get There. How. Where. Why.

Each January, more than 10,000 transportation professionals from around the world (representatives of federal, state, and local government agencies; universities; and industry) get together in Washington, D.C., and talk about ways to move people and goods.

This year, all those who register in advance for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting, Jan. 11 to 15 can access some 1,900 papers online.

Representatives from more than 65 countries attend the annual event, the single largest gathering of transportation practitioners and researchers in the world.