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The topics covered are as follows

• Legislative Updates
• Today in CT History
• CT Foodshare
• Manchester Community Events 
• East Hartford Community Events

• Requires the Connecticut Department of Public Health to oversee the licensing of birth centers
• Prohibits anyone from establishing or operating a birth center unless it obtains a license
• Establishes a doula certification program administered by the Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Directs the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to design a statewide program for universal nurse home visiting, building on a pilot program in the Greater Bridgeport area that provides a population-level solution to offer care and services early in an infant’s life.

In recent years, overall pregnancy-associated deaths have consistently increased among all race and age groups. The situation is even more dire among Black populations, which consistently sees higher rates of maternal mortality at national and state levels. Between 2015 and 2017, people of color made up 44.9% of those giving birth and 63.6% of all pregnancy-related deaths. This can be attributed to lack of equitable access to health care resources, including providers.

The idea of being “woke” to the dimensions of racial injustice in America entered mainstream public awareness with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. But more than 150 years earlier, a group of young Abraham Lincoln supporters in Hartford declared themselves “Wide Awakes” in the effort to stop the expansion of slavery in America and get Lincoln elected President. They did so in a way that sparked a national response.

1860 proved to be one of the most intense election years in American history, with political tensions over slavery and secession reaching a breaking point. Connecticut’s hotly contested race for the governor’s seat, pitting Democrat Thomas Seymour against Republican William Buckingham, was viewed as a bellwether for the national presidential election that would take place later in the year.

In March, presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln stopped in Hartford to give a speech denouncing the spread of slavery in the western territories and advocating for the right of workers to go on strikes. A handful of store clerks who had just organized a local pro-Republican political group attended the speech and volunteered to escort Lincoln back to his hotel room by torchlight, sparking the birth of a new political movement called the Wide Awakes. Sporting military caps and wearing heavy black capes specially coated to protect their clothes from errant torch oil, they also canvassed neighborhoods in hopes of rallying disaffected voters — especially younger men — to the Republican party. Best known for their torchlight parades, the group’s intimidating form of dress belied the nonviolent, grassroots approach they took to gathering new members and Republican voters

In only a few months’ time, the Wide Awakes movement spread from Hartford to cities across the country; rallies in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia routinely attracted several thousand people. Lincoln, impressed with the enthusiasm of his Hartford escorts and delighted with the dramatic spectacle of a torch-lit parade, encouraged his campaign managers to partner with local Wide Awakes chapters to drum up support for voter registration drives.

On July 26, 1860, not even five months after the political movement was founded, the Hartford Wide Awakes hosted one of their biggest gatherings to date, inviting fellow members from across Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey to a huge banquet near City Hall. Nearly 5,000 Wide Awakes were in attendance to celebrate political solidarity and, of course, to organize a massive torchlight rally held the following evening. Locally, the Wide Awakes played a key role in securing William Buckingham’s electoral victory in Connecticut. Nationally, with their members numbering in the hundreds of thousands, what began as a humble group in Hartford became a powerful political force that was instrumental in drumming up enough support to get Abraham Lincoln elected to the presidency.

Further Reading

“The Hartford Wide-Awakes,” connecticuthistory.org

“The Torchlight Parade,” National Museum of American History

• Tuesday, August 1^st,2023 9:00AM- 9:30AM

https://www.manchesterct.gov/Activities-Events/Town-Calendar-of-Events/Squire-Village-Mobile-Foodshare-2023
 
Get mobile pantry updates in your area by texting the word Foodshare to 85511.

Cruisin’ is a one-day cruise and show for antique and classic cars, trucks, sports cars, and street rods 1987 and prior. An almost one-mile portion of Main Street in Downtown Manchester closes to create a plaza-like viewing area where spectators can stroll, view, and swap memories of our shared automotive history.
Click here for more details.

Summer Concert Series at Center Memorial Park

• Thursday, August 03, 2023 | 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
• Thursday, August 10, 2023 | 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM

The East Hartford Public Library is looking for local artists to participate in an art show to be held at the Selden Brewer House on Saturday, September 16 from 1 - 3 PM.

Entry information:

This exhibit is open to all artists, in all mediums. Works must be signed by the artist, and suitably framed and wired for hanging. Wrapped canvases are acceptable. Works on paper must be under plexiglass. Sculptures may not weigh more than 50 pounds. Each artist may show a maximum of three pieces. Artists should plan to stay with their work for the duration of the show.

Click here to fill out an entry form, or pick one up in hard copy at the East Hartford Public Library reference desk. There is no fee for entry. Entry deadline is Friday, August 25 at 5 PM. Confirmation will be sent within 48 hours of receipt of your entry. No last-minute entries will be accepted. Participating artists will be announced by press release on Wednesday, September 6.

Event details:

The art show will be held outdoors in the Buena Crawford Brewer Memorial Garden, located behind the Selden Brewer House at the intersection of Main and Naubuc Avenues in East Hartford. Concurrent with the art show, members of the Historical Society of East Hartford will offer free tours of the Brewer House. Prizes for the art show will be awarded at 2:45 PM.

Awards:

The Best of Show award winner will receive a $500 Purchase Award, traditionally sponsored by the East Hartford Commission on Culture and Fine Arts. The Purchase Award winner will become part of the East Hartford Public Library art collection.  

What makes a good purchase award? The library is looking for art that:

·        Reflects the diversity of the community

·        Has visual impact when exhibited in a large public space

·        Grabs its space and attracts the eye

·        Is more than merely decorative

·        Engages the imagination

·        Invites exploration or interaction of some kind

·        Asks or answers questions, or both!

·        Has potential as a learning tool

·        Can be the impetus for, or part of, a future exhibition with a community focus

Additional awards will be announced at the art show.

The Town of East Hartford Invites You
to the Latin Festival

Free Meal Sites Open to Connecticut’s Children

Summer Meals Locator Map  
For more information click here

• Survey for East Hartford Seniors (English)
• Encuesta de personas mayores de East Hartford Survey (Espanol)

Seniors can also pickup hard copies of the survey at the following locations:

• Augie & Ray’s Restaurant at 314 Main Street
• Cultural Center at 50 Chapman Place – 2 Survey box locations (The Front Lobby and the Assessor’s office)
• Fire Stations
  • Station 1 – 726 Main Street by the Town Hall (Park on the North end of the ramp - closest to the Town Clerk trailer. The survey box is the front watch room).
  • Station 2 – 1692 Main Street by McAuliffe Park (Park in front of the kitchen door. The survey box is in the kitchen/watch room).
  • Station 3 – 31 School Street - Public Safety Complex (survey box is inside the front lobby)
  • Station 5 – 141 Brewer Street (Park on the front. The survey box is in the front foyer).
  • Station 6 – 1050 Forbes by Brewer Street (Park on the North Driveway-Brewer Street side. The survey box is in the front foyer).

NOTE: If the fire personnel are on a call, the station will be locked and you will have to return later or use another drop off location. Also, NEVER park in front of the garage doors even for a moment, as an emergency call could come in and you would be blocking their path. See the details for where each survey box is within the various Fire Stations.

• East Hartford Golf Club at 130 Long Hill Street
• Hartford East senior housing complex – 886 Main Street East Hartford
• Library - Raymond Library at 840 Main Street
• Library - Wickham Memorial Library at 656 Burnside Avenue
• Public Safety Complex at 31 School Street (survey box is inside the front lobby)
• Riverside Health Care & Rehabilitation at 745 Main Street
• Senior Center at 15 Milbrook Drive 

Please answer all of the survey questions to provide us with important information that is crucial to interpreting your survey. YOUR RESPONSES ARE STRICTLY ANONYMOUS! Only statistical results will be reported, and anonymous write-in comments.