by Mark Huard

Once again Fairfield Police Officers carry out their annual Cops Care For Kids, where they bring wrapped presents in their cruisers wearing Santa hats. This is a tradition started by Kingston Paul in 2006. At its inception, Kingston purchased all of the gifts and wrapped them himself to ensure that more of the children in the community were able to have enjoyable Christmas memories with their families without worrying about financial stress. The program has grown over the years. This is a heartfelt occasion for all those involved and something that all of the law enforcement employees take pride. This year was another success, as the officers delivered presents to 226 kids in 108 Fairfield households on December 20. Officers had met earlier in the month and spent a long evening in the town office basement wrapping presents for the event.

The program has developed into an application process that is sent out through the school systems. It is no longer limited to struggling households and has been expanded to reach any Fairfield child. The officers focus on giving back to the community they love and spend so many hours protecting. It is now more about giving back to the community that they love and spend so much time protecting.

Community Outreach is something that the officers recognize as a critical part of their job. They want children and adults to be able to join together, and there is nothing like magic of the holiday season to inspire good will among everyone. It’s carrying on the heartfelt sentiment of their fellow officer, Kingston Paul, who has since passed away. Officer Paul donated $20,000 to the program, which has assisted in creating a stable program with longevity. Despite the large donation, officers still donate weekly to the cause out of their own pockets.

The Fairfield Police Department has a vision of eventually expanding the program in hopes of focusing on community togetherness. They hope to hold an event at the community center which will allow officers and families to have more direct interactions with each other for a longer period of time. These positive experiences are life changing for children in regards to having positive memories and positive interactions with law enforcement. The vision is one of holiday treats, officer elves, a holiday movie and whatever else will bring a smile to the face of children. The officers will not retire their sleighs though, as they will still do home deliveries to those not willing or able to attend the event.

East Hill Farms, in Troy, New Hampshire, was the venue for a weekend of advanced level square dancing for dancers from several New England states and three Canadian provinces. Friday, April 6, through Sunday, April 8, saw 10 squares of dancers enjoy the calling of Don Moger, of Montreal, Canada, and Ted Lizotte, of Manchester, New Hampshire.

Dancers from our area who were present were Bob Brown and Cindy Fairfield, of Newport, Larry and Kathleen Hillman, of Fairfield, Fred and Nanci Temple, of Richmond, and Bruce and Margaret Carter, of Ellsworth. It was a great weekend of high level dancing and camaraderie of friends we don’t get to see that often.

Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa, in Stowe, Vermont, was the setting of this year’s 60th New England Square Dance Convention. It all happened on the weekend of April 26 – 28. If you are a square dancer in the New England area, it’s the absolute place to be on the fourth weekend in April. The weather to and from and while we were there was beautiful, the resort was perfect, all the dancing was under one roof and the meals were super. The convention brought dancers from 10 states and 4 provinces of Canada totaling just over 600 for the three days.

Anyone interested in learning to square dance, call or contact Bob Brown at 447-0094 or Cindy Fairfield at 631-8816.