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The topics covered are as follows

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

Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, is the eight-day holiday celebrating the re-dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem.

On each of the holiday's eight nights, a candle is lit in a menorah. A blessing to thank God is said before or after lighting the candles and a Jewish hymn is often sung.

If you are in any of the following scenarios while applying for a job, hang up immediately:

• You’re asked to pay a fee to apply or to be considered
• You’re asked for your social security number, bank account number, or credit card details to complete your application
• You’re told to give up valuable information or you’ll lose a job opportunity

Visit the CTDOL fraud watch page if you think you may be a victim of this or other scams.

Elihu Burritt, a self-educated lecturer who was arguably the most famous pacifist of the 19th century, was born in New Britain, Connecticut today in 1810. As the 10th child of a shoemaker, young Elihu (rhymes with “Tell-a-Few”) was unable to devote much time to schooling; as a teenager, he apprenticed himself to a local blacksmith in order to help make ends meet for his family. Following the advice of one of his older brothers, Elihu broke up the monotony of his daily manual labor at the forge by focusing on repetitive mental exercises like solving mathematical problems, though he soon found he preferred the study of linguistics. Burritt displayed an uncanny talent for learning and memorization, teaching himself to read nearly 50 different languages while working as a blacksmith in his teens and twenties.

While working as a blacksmith in the greater Boston area, Burritt heard about the extensive collections located at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, and often walked several miles a day in order to visit the library and further his study of languages, mathematics, and world history. He became known to area scholars as “The Learned Blacksmith,” and, after developing a reputation as an excellent writer and lecturer, Burritt decided to become a full-time advocate for education, abolition, and world peace — what he preferred to call “universal brotherhood.”

In the 1840s, Burritt began traveling around New England, lecturing against war and promoting the idea of “compensated emancipation,” which he considered the most peaceful way to bring about the end of slavery in the United States. He took up other popular moralist causes of the mid-19th century, including temperance and promoting the dignity of the working man. In 1846, Burritt traveled to England, where, while traveling extensively, he founded the League of Universal Brotherhood, an association of peace activists. Horrified at the deplorable conditions in Ireland following the potato famine, Burritt authored a pamphlet that was widely distributed in the United States and did much to raise American awareness of the crisis and increase relief efforts for the Irish. He was also instrumental in organizing international peace conferences in Europe in 1848 and 1849, when most of the continent was wracked by revolutions and internal strife.

Burritt returned to the United States to find it on the brink of civil war due to the increasingly polarizing issue of slavery. During the 1850s, Burritt traveled over 10,000 miles throughout the nation, tirelessly promoting his idea of compensated emancipation as a peaceful way to end American slavery. When war finally broke out in 1861, Burritt’s staunch pacifism led some northerners to accuse him of being a southern sympathizer — but President Abraham Lincoln never doubted Burritt’s patriotism, and appointed him ambassador to England during the later years of the war.

After the war ended, Burritt continued writing and lecturing about peace and universal brotherhood until his health caused him to retire to his hometown of New Britain. There, after a lifetime of writing and advocating for the betterment of all mankind, Elihu Burritt passed away in 1879 at the age of 69, and is buried in the city’s Fairview Cemetery.

Further Reading

Nancy Finlay, “Apostle of Peace: Elihu Burritt’s Quest for Universal Brotherhood,” connecticuthistory.org

“Biography: Elihu Burritt,” Central Connecticut State University

Town Resources
https://www.easthartfordct.gov/residents
 
Town Newsletters
Pulse of East Hartford     
East Hartford Public Schools
East Hartford Works

• Tuesday, December 19, 2023 | 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM

Get mobile pantry updates in your area by texting the word Foodshare to 85511.

• Monday, December 11^th, 2023 12:30 PM-1:15 PM
• Monday, December 25^th, 2023 12:30 PM-1:15 PM (Canceled)

  Get mobile pantry updates in your area by texting the word Foodshare to 85511.

The Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation Winter/Spring Program and Event Guide is here!

Resident registration began December 6, 2023.

Non-resident registration begins on December 8, 2023.

Parking Ban starts Dec. 1

Overnight parking is not allowed on public streets or municipal parking lots between the hours of 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM from December 1st to April 1st. Parked vehicles are one of the biggest obstacles to effective snow removal. Please support our efforts by parking your vehicle in conformance with the winter parking ban.

Anyone violating this ordinance shall be fined fifteen dollars ($15.00).

The Chief of Police may also declare a parking ban if a significant snow event is forecast or in progress. Residents are asked to remove vehicles from the street when a snowstorm is occurring.

Leaf Collection Program

• As part of the Town's continuing effort to improve efficiency and maintain the safest operation possible, it is possible that leaves on one side of a street will be collected up to two or three days in advance of the other side of the street.
• Residents are reminded that once vacuum collection has been completed on your street, leaf disposal must be either in paper yard waste bags set out at the curb on your normal trash collection day, or dropped off at the Manchester Transfer Station at 311 Olcott St.
• For more information on the collection schedule and to see which area your road is located in, follow link below:

• Purchase the items and mark them with only the name and number of your chosen gift recipient. Do not wrap the gift, the Commission will take care of that for you.
   
• Drop off the items at the collection box located at Riverside, 745 Main Street, East Hartford (across from the Town Hall) no later than FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2023.

The East Hartford Commission on Aging and Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center will distribute the gifts via Santa Claus to selected residents on December 21 at 10 AM.
Please email EHCOA@yahoo.com if you have questions.

East Hartford Parks and Recreation is offering two fun programs: Open Gym for East Hartford residents in Grades 7 through 12 and Adult Drop-In Basketball.

FREE-PLAY BASKETBALL

For Middle and High School students in grades 7 – 12

East Hartford residents or students attending East Hartford Middle or High School can participate in Basketball Open Gym on Mondays and Fridays. The program starts runs through Friday, March 8^th from 6:30 – 8:45pm at East Hartford Middle School.  Grade 7 and 8 will be in the Lower Gym and Grades 9 – 12 will be in the Upper Gym.  The program is FREE, but all participants must be registered at www.ehparks.org and have a Town ID or EHHS/EHMS ID at the program. There will be no program if there is no school or school is let out early due to inclement weather.

ADULT OPEN BASKETBALL

For adults ages 18 & up

East Hartford Parks and Recreation is offering Adult Open Basketball at Goodwin Elementary School. All participants must complete a registration form the first evening they attend or register at www.ehparks.org for a season membership. The program is Monday and Thursday nights and will run through Thursday, March 7^th. Residents can purchase a season pass for $20 or $2 an evening.  Non-residents can purchase a Season Pass for $40 or $4 an evening.  The program time is 6:30 to 9:30pm.  Basketball sneakers are mandatory.  There will be no program if there is no school or school is let out early due to inclement weather.

For more information, please call the Parks and Recreation office at 860-291-7160.

• Cabela's - 186 Brewer Street
• Webster Bank - 1085 Main Street
• Dollar General - 1380 Main Street
• Riverside Health Care - 745 Main Street
• Key Food Supermarket - 950 Main Street
• Raymond Library - 840 Main Street
• EH Senior Center - 70 Canterbury Street
• NEFCO - 411 Burnham Street
• EH Youth & Social Services office - 50 Chapman 1st Floor Rm 109
• Parks and Recreation , Basement - 50 Chapman Place
• Paul’s Auto Repair, LLC - 422 Tolland Street

We are asking residents to donate new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages. Additional options include hats, gloves, and scarves in children’s sizes.  To allow sufficient time for departments to distribute toys and other gifts to families for the Christmas Holiday, we are accepting donations through Monday, December 11, 2023.
Monetary donations are also welcome.

For checks donations, please drop off at the Youth and Social Services office and should be made payable to East Hartford Social Services Holiday Programs or mail them to Youth and social Services 50 Chapman Place, EH, CT 06108.

Please contact the Youth and Social Services office at (860) 291-7248 for any questions about the community toy drive, or for assistance with holiday program availability and resources.

Winter Programs at East Hartford Public Library

Please visit their online calendar for event listings:
http://easthartfordct.libcal.com/

The schedule for leaf pickup can be found on the Department of Public Works Weekly Advisory Map, and on the Facebook page. The map will show completed areas as well as the areas where leaf collection is anticipated the following week. Residents should note that the map is tentative and dependent on the weather and the speed of collection and should not be considered a set collection schedule. Progress of the collection is weather-dependent and will be affected by rain or snow. Snowfall before mid-December may cause a suspension or cancelation of leaf collection. The map will be updated with address-specific collection information, such as whether collection has been completed or is anticipated by close of business on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Residents, please look for leaf program lawn signs! Leaf collection lawn signs will be posted in neighborhoods to notify residents that curbside leaf pickup is coming, and to encourage raking to the curb and paper leaf bag collection.
This information will also be communicated via our EH Alert platform as a text, call or email to those subscribed to “town services.” To receive those notifications, please select "Town Services" during registration in the drop down menu.
Residents also have two (2) additional options for leaf disposal:
OPTION 1:  Curbside Brown Bag Collection for six (6) weeks

• Town crews will pick up leaves placed in biodegradable brown paper bags through December 9, 2023 on your regular waste collection day, weather permitting. Leaves, in biodegradable brown paper bags only. No grass clippings, branches or other waste items can be placed in the paper bags nor will the Town collect leaves in plastic bags. 

OPTION 2:  Resident Transport to The Transfer Station for FREE Disposal

• Residents may also bring their leaves to the Transfer Station on Ecology Drive between 8 AM to 1:45 PM on the following days:
  • Every Saturday in November
  • First three Saturdays in December
  • Transfer Station will be open on November 25 for leaves only.

Leaves in plastic bags will not be accepted.

Instructions for using the Weekly Advisory Map:
Enter your address in the search bar.
The Map will show your property- click on it to pull up the anticipated collection week.
To find out if the leaf collection has already been completed in your area, please click on the road centerline, which will indicate if the street has been completed.
For any additional information, please call Public Works Administration, 860-291-7374.

Senior Prom Dinner Dance

WHO: Anyone who is 55 or older and resides in the Town of East Hartford & their guests

WHAT: Senior Prom Dinner Dance

WHEN: Thursday January 25^th at 5:30 pm

WHERE: 15 Milbrook Drive, East Hartford

East Hartford, CT—The East Hartford Senior Center invites you to a Senior Prom Dinner Dance.  Dress to Impress for a Raffle Ticket to be named King & Queen of the Prom and receive a prize.

Menu:  Chicken Cordon Bleu, Baked Potato & Green Bean Amandine.  With a chocolate éclair for dessert.  Coffee, tea and water will be available.

Musical Performance by JCDC Band.  A great band that has music that is fun, performed by veteran musicians with lots of versatility.  This band has strong lead and background vocals as well as various instruments that deliver to fill the dance floor!  Come dance the night away featuring favorites from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Registration for this event will begin on Tuesday December 26^th.  You must register at the Senior Center.  Cost is $12.00 for members and $15.00 for non-members.  Seating is limited.