Submitted by Haddam Historical Society
(August 2, 2024) — Thank You! The Haddam Shad Museum was recently painted by local Higganum resident Jason Potter, who volunteered his time and talent to brighten up the former Maynard’s Fish Shack.
Jason is a professional large-scale sign painter with expertise in roof advertising on very large buildings including stadiums, arenas and business complexes. He recently completed an enormous job on the Key Bank Center in downtown Buffalo.
The 18 x 18 Shad Museum must have seemed like a very small job indeed. Also, a big thank-you to Dale DeCarli for helping Shad Museum project coordinator Jack Calhoun with moving some pretty impressive large paving stones. Shout out to Mark Aldieri, Lenny Kochanowski and Dave Lougee for their assistance as well. It does take a village and progress is being made toward a reopening.
Candle Making
We had a very successful Kids Membership candle-making workshop on July 14, 2024 at the museum. We used the traditional “dipping” method, which uses a wick repeatedly dipped in hot wax over a forty-minute period. In Thankful Arnold’s time, her family would traditionally have made candles in the fall using tallow (animal fat). They were then stored in mouse-proof containers for protection. Sometimes candle molds were used, but the dipping method was the most popular, and families made up to twenty-four dozen of candles for the season.
Volunteers Needed at for HHS Booth at Haddam Neck Fair
The Haddam Historical Society has a booth at the Haddam Neck Fair over Labor Day Weekend and is looking for volunteers to spend a couple of hours promoting the organization, selling tee shirts and meeting interesting people. Shifts are two hours long and start at 10:00 a.m.
Slots are available as follows:
Saturday, August 31, 2024: 10:00 a.m.to Noon· Noon to 2:00 p.m.· 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.· 4:00 p.m.to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 1, 2024: 10:00 am to Noon· Noon to 2:00 p.m.· 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.· 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Monday, September 2, 2024 10:00 a.m. to Noon· Noon to 2:00 p.m.· 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.· 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Email Lisa Malloy at director@haddamhistory.org or call 860-345-2400 if you can help.
Kids Membership Tour of Haddam Jail
Our August 18, 2024 Kids Membership Tour of the Haddam Jail is sold out, but we are working on scheduling another one for the fall. Stay tuned.
Annual Appeal
Please donate today! Our annual appeal was sent out in early June to every household in Haddam, Higganum and Haddam Neck. Unfortunately, 1296 letters that were to be delivered to Haddam residents were lost at the Weston Street facility in Hartford.
After seven weeks of emails, phone calls, in-person meetings and even a “sit-in” at the Deep River Post Office, we negotiated a modest reimbursement with the USPS and the letters for Haddam were reprinted and mailed this week. It is now, more than ever, important to send in your support. Thank you to those who have already sent in their donations.
