Another closed road in Forestville

A freak autumn nor’easter ripped through Forestville Saturday and Sunday leaving most residents without power.  Power lines are down all over Forestville resulting impassable road ways.  Due to the lack of lights and heat, long lines have resulted at gas stations and eateries.  According to some estimates it could be a week before power is returned to the ville.

Schools canceled classes M

What a mess

Schools canceled classes Monday and Tuesday and the mayor, while declaring a state of emergency, urged trick or treaters to stay home.

So in the last six months we have experienced a blizzard, a hurricane, an earthquake, flooding and a crippling nor’easter.  Check the boundaries is this really Forestville?  Nothing happens here, ever.  What’s next locusts?  A volcano?  Tsunami?

Forestville Little League to close?

Forestville Little League is on the verge of collapse.  As a result, an emergency meeting will be this Thursday at 6:30 PM at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Center on Mix Street to advise parents and players alike of its peril.

The league is in need of volunteers to maintain its survival including a president, a safety coordinator and a group dedicated to running the auxiliary (Snack Shack).

This past season was a difficult year for the league.  Temporarily reduced to one playing field, parents complained of transporting their children to play and practice at other facilities all over town.

FLL has been plagued with problems and bad luck in recent years.  Last year league officials discovered funds were stolen from the Snack Shack, and two fields were taken away to make room for the expansion of Green Hills School.  Town officials claim the league will have access to a full compliment of fields once construction is completed.

This season saw their Accounts Receivable take a hit due to the elimination of the two fields and a lack of volunteers to maintain the shack, which sells food and drinks during games.  The money raised from the auxiliary is used to purchase new equipment, uniforms, and maintain the fields.  Unlike McCabe Waters across town, which has a dedicated set of volunteers in place to run the Snack Shack, Forestville has no luxury.

The incoming president will be need to be deal with host of problems and be a visionary, a problem solver and a cheerleader for the league to continue.

In the 60s and70s when baseball was king, FLL was flush with 600 players in the program.  This past season they had less than 200.  Why is it so difficult for the league to recruit players?  Computers?  Video games?  Soccer?  There are a variety of factors but the truth is Little League’s popularity in the United States has been eroding for years.

So, residents of Forestville, come out and be a volunteer or the league which was founded in 1954 will fade away just like the Forestville Boys Club, the Forestville Manufacturing Company, and the Forestville Train Station.

Looking south on Center Street

The Pequabuck River overflowed its banks yesterday during Hurricane Irene leaving one man  missing when his canoe capsized in the river.  Rescue workers began searching the river area near Nuchie’s for the canoeist after 4PM.

Normally a sedate tributary of the Farmington River, the Pequabuck raged as water pounded the center of the Ville causing damage to businesses and homes to be evacuated.

Forestville Center

As word spread about deteriorating conditions in Forestville’s flood zone, hundreds gathered throughout the day to take pictures and video of the historic flood.

Memorial Boulevard

While the destruction of Forestville seemed imminent, news from the mothership (Bristol) was not much better.  The Coppermine Brook on Route 6 overflowed flooding Staples and nearby parking lots, and Memorial Boulevard looked like a disaster zone with tree branches, tree stumps, sand, dirt and mud scattered everywhere along the roadway.  Stately Floors appeared to be teetering on the brink of collapse into the Pequabuck and employees from Bristol Auto Parts (NAPA) were feverishly removing water from the store front, which rests atop the normally quiet river.

Stately Floors

Staples and Coppermine Brook

Forestville residents gassing up

Hurricane Irene will arrive in Forestville after midnight Sunday.  As a result, residents of the Ville have been busying themselves with various preperations.  The Pine Street Plaza has seen longer than expected gas lines since Friday.  Several gas stations located at the mothership (Bristol) ran out of gas yesterday prompting many to come to the Pine Street Plaza to fulfill their petro needs.

Deavers' 4th of July

Saturday was John and Barbara (Babs) Deavers annual 4^th of July party.  The party had the usual assortment of cocktails, scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and an actual dinner menu! However, the highlight of the evening was not the food, or the Forestville Orchestra playing various patriotic songs, or the fashion show for charity or even the inspiring fireworks display, it was, by far, Barbara Deavers.  With her shoulder length hair and summer tan showing off her shapely leg, Babs was easily all the rage.

Moving quickly through Forestville’s various social classes that were in attendance, I sensed everyone had a spectacular time.  Those lucky enough to be there included Larson Canover, Maria Malvado, Solomon Weeks, Mitchell Luby, Dan Blazjowski, Rene Dubois, Zack Flanders, Trever Canby, Clovis and Kletis Denim, Virgilio Gonzales, Harley Pritchert, Mike Hill and Beth Hill, Ted and Nancy Tanner, Cookie Genison, Rob Halford, Betty Boukus, Howard and Phoebe Faris, Joe Kapperstein, Silas Minutia, Norbert Pendleton and Toby Jacks.

Forestville's Memorial Park

Images of Forestville honoring Veterans Day

Jellybean's cure all

I hope this is the last Jellybean story for awhile.

Dan Blazjowski, forty year old snow plow driver, rolled over in his bed early Tuesday morning, but suddenly awoke to sounds of yelling and banging.  “Get up! Get up! Get up!”  His colleague Jellybean was pounding on his front door. Blazjowski struggled to get to his feet and make it downstairs. As Dan reached the final step Jellybean burst through the front door.  Jelly sat down in Blazjowki’s living room and began to eat the little chocolate donut he brought with him. “Your kid is sick,” Jelly said taking a bite.  “Do yourself a favor and call in sick today.”

Dan thought this was nuts.  “Don’t ask me how I know, I just know,” the disheveled Jellybean said as he began to nervously pace about the room now frantically smoking a cigarette.

Jellybean then opened his gym bag and gave Blazjowski some Nyquil and a bottle of unmarked medicine. “This will help trust me,” Jellybean said as he jumped to his feet. “I have to go but don’t tell anyone I was here. You never saw me, the medicine or the bag.” He then darted out the door to a waiting rental car leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

Jellybean drove off into the morning darkness leaving Blazjowski standing alone in his doorway shaking his head in wonderment.

A view from Field 1 to the old Field 2 Field 3 and the batting cages

Forestville Little League’s (FLL) Fields 2 and 3 are officially gone.

The sounds of batted balls, cheering fans and excited kids have been replaced by the rumble of bulldozers and dump trucks.  The fields, located on Board of Education property on Pine Street, were leveled so Green Hills School could expand to K-8.  Rising from the ruins will be a soccer field and a regulation baseball diamond, which will convert to a Little League field when needed.

The batting cages, formally located between Fields 2 and 3, will be moved to a location near Field 1.

In a related matter, a group of volunteers from FLL were preparing their remaining field for play this past Saturday.

According to sources Forestville Little League’s season is begin the week of April 10.

A Kenneth Snipps letter

I have been delaying this post for awhile but I feel now is the time to address the Kenneth Snipps question because I every few weeks I receive e-mails asking the following: Who is Kenneth Snipps?

I do not profess to know Kenneth but I live in Forestville and so does he so that makes me an expert. To the best of my knowledge I have met him at various village functions or parties thrown by John and Barbara Deavers. So, for all you Snipps devotees, here is what I do know:

Kenneth Snipps is a short, timid and neatly dressed thirty something year old man with no family to speak of that I am aware. He is well mannered but he is shy and gullible. I don’t know where he works or his educational background.

According to his friend Toby Jacks, in the last year he had an accident requiring medical attention and a fire in his home. Kenneth also had or has a serious health issue the extent of which I do not know. Kenneth’s friends such as Norbert Pendleton will only say it is being treated and he is improving. Kenneth’s friends and associates tend to be very protective of him.

As for his letters, he sends them all over the world. I know this for a fact because I have received e-mail inquiries from Germany, England, Spain, Australia and Japan seeking information.

I do not know why he writes his letters but his friends tell me he does not own a telephone or have regular access to the internet so he must write letters and cards to communicate.

I have read his letters because his recipients send me scans, and in my opinion I believe that he believes everything he writes about.

I know this won’t answer everyone’s questions but I hope it helps.

Pine Lake Jellybean's last known whereabouts

Forestville’s favorite son has more problems.

According to sources about sunset last Friday, the man known only as “Jellybean” turned off of Pine Street and drove his road weary min-van to the home of his boss and employer Solomon Weeks.

Weeks rarely permits visitors to his modest home which is built in the shadows of the ESPN campus just off Birch street, but by 7PM, he had a full house of co-workers including Dan Blazjowski celebrating a new large snow plowing and landscaping contract.

Jellybean entered Solomon’s living room and after acknowledging the gathered guests he picked up the guitar that was on display above the fireplace.  Unable to find the sound he was looking he dropped the autographed six string Fender on the floor, and went to the kitchen in search of a drink.

Jellybean opened various beverages and drank from each one until he found a suitable cocktail.

Leaving the opened containers behind, he then took a bath and returned to the kitchen wearing just a bandanna around his head.

“Hey Blaz,” Jellybean eagerly said acknowledging his snow plowing partner. Grabbing Blazjowski affectionately Jellybean said it was good to see him but did he have any beer.  Blazjowski motioned with his head to the garage. Raising an eyebrow Jellybean darted to the garage to find an ale of his liking.

“I can’t believe it,” Solomon Weeks said to Blazjowski near the foyer. “Jelly came by just after Jeopardy and he’s been on fire since he got here.”

After returning from the garage and playing an impassioned game of Pictionary with Al Tunis, Bob Kneeper and several others, Jellybean began making long distance phone calls from the Week’s land line and ordered pizzas from several area establishments because he, Tunis and Kneeper were hungry.

After the pizzas arrived and Jellybean could not find anything suitable to drink he left the party.  He was last seen parked near Pine Lake early Saturday morning but has not been seensince.