Grove’s oak trees topple during storm, but it was only a matter of time

LAKEVILLE — Two massive white oak trees blew down at the town Grove during Thursday’s storm.First Selectman Curtis Rand, who also is a forester, said the trees were quite old and ailing. The one that fell first and took out the second had “significant root loss.” The second tree “was completely rotten in the trunk.”Rand said some of the white oaks at the Grove are 300 years old. “These are pre-settlement trees.”For replacements, rather than buying white oak saplings or seedlings, Stacey Dodge (who is the Grove manager) and George Kiefer (the town’s forester) will use seedlings from acorns collected at the site. “It’s a great project,” Rand said. Burst acorns are collected from the beach and put in pots.“These are called ‘progenitor genotypes,’ ” Rand said. “It’s nicer to use those than buy them from Pennsylvania or Virginia.”

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less