Firefighter Protests May Branch Out to Other Town Officials

Going back to my first column of this week, we heard that members of the Fairfield Fire Department have been allegedly stalking RTM Majority Leader Jamie Millington in protest of the RTM vote that shot down the department's contract.

Well, now we're hearing that a high-ranking Republican member of the Board of Finance is the next target. Brad Sherman, who has spearheaded the protest of Republican town officials, said in a Patch posting this week that Millington did not orchestrate the voting down, but claims rather finance board Chairman Tom Flynn did - and appears ready and armed with protest signs against Flynn as well, and more will follow.

Sherman's post said: "Flynn voted in subcommittee for the contract and then in caucaus told everyone to vote against it. We got a sign for him too. Millington is first to be signed as he is the majority leader. But not to worry all the vote changers will get their signs too. Hey Sid what you ya think, does H Tuttle watch to much Keith Olbermann?? "You beclown yourself, Sir" What da ya make of that? Olbermann right?"

The Fairfield Museum and History Center says it expects about 4,000 people for its annual "Fall Festival" on Sunday. That seems like a lot of people (almost reminds me of the Live 8 Concert in Philadelphia a few years ago, but I was never good at estimating crowds.)

But 4,000 really doesn't seem that high when you consider what the museum's offering - two vintage baseball games (played by 19th-century rules and with replica uniforms and equipment from that era); pony rides; a replica of a plane that some believe Gustave Whitehead, a Bridgeport resident, flew before the Wright brothers - Andy Kosch, who flies a replica of Whitehead's plane every year over Long Island Sound to prove it was airworthy is a fascinating guy to talk to; demonstrations by a weaver, soap maker and rug maker; and potentially a jazz band too.

You can even check out The Fairfield Academy, where 19th-century Fairfield kids attended school, and the Sun Tavern, where George Washington slept after the British burned Fairfield to the ground in 1779 (if memory serves, Washington slept in the rebuilt tavern about 10 years later.)

4,000 people on the Town Green also isn't hard to imagine when you consider all that entertainment is free and it was listed in the New York Times.

Of course a lot is going on in Fairfield on Sunday, but if you have time, it sounds like stopping by the museum's Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. is worth the trip (baseball games are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

The only question that comes to mind is, Where are all those people going to park? (Andy Brophy)

Are you an adult who loves to read young adult fiction?

The Fairfield Public Library knows you're out there and wants you to know it's Ok.

The library has just created a new book club aimed specifically at adults who like to read young adult fiction.

The Going on 16 Book Club will meet the second Tuesday of the month, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the library's Memorial Room. The inaugural meeting is next Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and the group will read "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff. The library says future selections will be determined by the group. If you'd like to join the new club, register online at www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org. (Andy Brophy)

We all know Fairfield Public Library is on the Old Post Road, but something I've always wondered, and maybe a town historian, or someone who's wondered this too, may have an answer. How did Fairfield end up with two Old Post Roads? There's an Old Post Road downtown (the road where the library is located) but there's another Old Post Road off Pequot Avenue in Fairfield's Southport neighborhood. I know at least one person mistook the Old Post Road off Pequot Avenue, where the Gray Goose restaurant is located, for the Old Post Road in downtown.

Google maps is able to differentiate them because one's in Fairfield and one's in Southport, but Southport's a part of Fairfield. (Andy Brophy)

If you have the time and inclination on Sunday, please consider stopping by Ye Yacht Yard in Southport around 1:30 p.m. to welcome back kayakers who are paddling from Port Jefferson, N.Y. to raise money for a hospital in Cincinnati that treats people with epidermolysis bullosa, an extremely rare and painful genetic skin disease that afflicts Shane DiGiovanna, 12, of Southport. The disease is so rare that the DiGiovanna family is moving back to Cincinnati because they aren't able to find doctors who know enough about the disease on the East Coast.

Thomas Lawlor, the Southport man who organizes the annual kayak trip - Sunday's will be the third one - welcomes anyone who wants to kayak (chase boats will follow the kayakers) or make a donation to the hospital. The levels of donation on a flyer for the event are Commodore ($250), First Mate ($100), Galley Mate ($50) and Bilge Pump ($25.) Lawlor is known for his sense of humor, as any who have read his columns in the Fairfield Citizen-News can attest.

If you miss the kayakers coming home, you can always visit them at the Pequot Library in Southport, which is hosting a post-armada reception for them from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday in the library's auditorium.

Lawlor recently told Fairfield Patch that it may be difficult to kayak 15 to 16 miles across Long Island Sound, but the discomfort pales in comparison to the discomfort Shane experiences every day. (Andy Brophy)