Danbury students place in robotics competition, other community highlights

Budson was previously educated at the Haverford College in Haverford, Pa. and the Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass.

He is the chief of the cognitive and behavioral neurology department at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, the director of education at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, professor of the neurology department at the Boston University School of Medicine, and a lecturer in neurology at the Harvard Medical School.

Budson has also been featured on many podcasts and news outlets, including The New York Times. Budson has presented at various venues across the U.S.

More information about Budson and a calendar list of his presentations can be found on his website at andrewbudsonmd.com. His books are available on the Amazon online retailer, and at local book stores, and libraries.

Salvation Army to hold Thanksgiving distributions

The Salvation Army will hold Thanksgiving distributions for pre-registered families.

Distributions in Danbury will be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m Tuesday at the Salvation Army’s location at 15 Foster St.

Boy Scout earns rank of Eagle Scout

A local Boy Scout recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout by restoring a 1902 Rutland Railroad flatcar at the Danbury Railway Museum.

Sami El-Abid, who is a Norwalk resident, started the project in 2020, and worked with volunteers to complete it. He was recognized in his Eagle Court of Honor ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 24, at the Danbury Railway Museum. He is from Troop 15 in Redding.

The Danbury Railway Museum is located at 120 White St. in Danbury.

Student artists presenting holiday ceramics sale

Handcrafted ceramic works created by student artists at Western Connecticut State University will be available for purchase during a sale and open house at the Western Connecticut State Department of Art’s Ceramics Studio from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1, and Thursday, Dec. 2.

The department’s annual holiday ceramics sale, which is open to the public, will be in Room 017 in White Hall on the university’s midtown campus at 181 White St. in Danbury. The sale will feature functional and non-toxic ceramic wares including bowls, plates, platters and other pieces. Student artists have crafted the ceramic works as part of their course work this year, making items with pigmented clays or applying glazed finishes to their works. Prices for items on sale generally range from $5 to $25.

Funds raised from the sale will support the Art Department ceramics program. A tour of the Ceramics Studio and information about the ceramics process will be available to visitors during the sale.

For more information, contact the Western Connecticut State University Department of Art at 203-837-8403, or adjunct professor in the Western Connecticut State University graduate art appreciation program, Lori Robeau, at robeaul@wcsu.edu or the Western Connecticut State University Office of Public Relations at pr@wcsu.edu.

Robotics team places third, fifth

The Danbury High School robotics team 5150 recently competed in its third competition of the season on Saturday, Nov. 13, at Ridgefield High School, with two of its four robots placing third and fifth of 42 competing area teams.

Danbury’s team consists of a handful of students who are given control of the process of creating the robots for the competition. The learning style allows them to learn from each other as they are encouraged to help each other without a lot of input from the advisors of the team.

The students are given the opportunity to develop the robots for the competition by themselves and dedicate their time to perfecting perfecting the robots.

The Danbury High School Robotics Team is an afterschool program that is led by the Advisor of the Team, Erik Savoyski.

The team has successfully qualified robots for the VEX Robotics world championships for almost 10 years. The students, who are on team for the VEX Robotics world championships, culminate their seasons every spring.

At the Nov. 13 competition, DHS Team 5150D finished third, H team placed fifth and teams E and J finished 14 and 34, respectively. Team D was defeated in the final match and took home the tournament finalist award. The Team D robot was also awarded the Design award for the best engineering notebook for an unprecedent third time in a row.

Teams D, H and J currently hold fourth, seventh and 11th places, respectively in robot and programming skills in Southern New England, a separate competition for the most points scored in one minute on an open playing field.

The most recent robotics competition took place Nov. 20 at Weston High School.

Friends of Danbury Library hosting Thanksgiving weekend bag sale

The Friends of the Danbury Library are hosting a Thanksgiving weekend bag sale at the Friends Little Red House Book Store from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 27, Small Business Saturday.

Pre-owned children and adult books, CDs, and DVDs will be for sale at the Friends Little Red House Book Store, which is located at 15 Main St. in Danbury.

For $10, attendees will receive a Friends cloth bag to fill with items, excluding rare and collectibles.

Masks will be optional.

Woman’s Club supports Regional Hospice fundraiser

This holiday season, Regional Hospice is hosting fundraisers at its Center for Comfort Care & Healing in support of its mission.

The first fundraiser was held last Thursday, while the second one will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

The Holiday Open House and Trunk Shows features the sale of fine cashmere wear, including wraps, scarves, hats, ponchos and blankets.

Guests are invited to shop for holiday gift giving and enjoy good cheer and a selection of treats.

The members of the Woman’s Club of Danbury/New Fairfield were instrumental in supporting the holiday event.

Woman’s Club member Barbara Lobeck previously coordinated fellow members who worked over a period of several weeks hand sewing labels on 600 cashmere throw blankets, ponchos and scarves for the upcoming trunk shows.

Regional Hospice appreciates the efforts by the sewers, to make the clothing.

All funds raised during the events are put for offsetting almost $2 million in annual patient care costs that are not covered by health insurance.

Visit makingthebestofeveryday.org for more information.

Garden Club having Holiday Greens and Gift Sale

The members of the Garden Club of Newtown is holding its annual Holidays Greens, and Gift Sale in the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium from 9 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Dec. 4.

Items, which are handcrafted by the members of the Garden Club of Newtown, include: Decorated wreaths, kissing balls, boxwood trees, swags, candle centerpieces, and bags of fresh greens.

Money raised from the sale will be put toward supporting civic, and charitable organizations in the community.

Parking is available in the rear of Newtown Town Hall with direct access to the gym. Newtown Town Hall, is also a local government office, and municipal office that is located at 3 Primrose St. in Newtown.

The Edmond Town Hall gymnasium is located at 45 Main St. in Newtown. The gym is handicap accessible.

Items will be spaced for viewing. There are four doots for exit, and entry. COVID-19 rules with apply amid the pandemic from the new virus.

Local artists to participate in first open artists studio

Thirteen local Sherman artists are going to participate in a Sherman Open Studio Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 5 at the Sherman Artists Open Studio.

The Open Studio Tour is part of a Sherman Library Library Open Studio art show is display from through Wednesday, Jan. 5. The members of the Sherman Artists group are putting on the event.

The Open Studio will be located at various home art studios throughout Sherman.

Painters, mixed media, jewelers, fused glass and fabric artists will open their home studios or participate in pop-up studios for the event.

Guides will be available, along with signs to direct participants.

There will be six artists in the home studios and seven artists in the pop-up studios at the Sherman Senior Center, the Sherman Town Hall Meeting Room, the Sacred Grounds Coffee Roasters, and the Hair by Susi hair salon business.

A Sherman Town Hall Meeting Room brochure for the event contains a map, directions, contact information, an overview with images of each of the show’s participants artwork, and the members of the Sherman Artist Group’s sponsors for the happening.

The brochure will be available at various locations in Sherman, like, the Sherman Library, the Sherman Old Store, American Pie, the White Silo Winery, Happy Rainbows, and more.

Visit the website for the event at carondesigns.com/sherman-artists for more information about the happening.

The Sherman Artists Group had a first meeting on Friday, Oct. 22, via the Sherman Library Zoom account. The members of the group agreed to have the Open Studio Tour as their first activity, during the first weekend of December 2021.

The occasion will be an opportunity to meet some artists, and learn about their techniques, and their passions.