The long-awaited Midsummer Festival weekend has arrived! I hope you will have a chance to enjoy some aspects of the festivities tonight or tomorrow. Please remember this evening there is a concert at the Flo Gris from 7-9PM.

Good luck to those of you who will be running or walking in the Midsummer Run tomorrow morning. Please note that Lyme Street and McCurdy Road will be closed from 8AM to approximately 9AM, from the Fire House to the Old Lyme Country Club.

Plan your Saturday activities using the Midsummer schedule at Explore Old Lyme or the Flo Gris. Don’t forget to attend the Fireworks on the field behind the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School. The Old Lyme Town Band will kick off at 7:30PM and will conclude about 8:45PM. The first fireworks should be up in the sky by 9PM. For those who want to park off site at the Old Lyme Marketplace near the Bowerbird, shuttle runs start at 7PM. Please remember the parking area behind Center School is closed due to construction.

To receive additional Midsummer Festival updates and information, please text MIDSUMMER to 888-777. 

This past Wednesday, I had a meeting with RiverCOG. There are two items that I would like to share with you from that meeting. First, the board voted to prioritize our LOTCIP grant application that has been in their files since 2022. The application was on file but had not been approved by the board upon its initial receipt. This grant would provide additional funding for sidewalks, crosswalks, and lighting on Halls Road in 2027 or sooner. RiverCOG staff also noted that they have been getting many calls about Hazardous Waste Recycling Events so please click here for more information.

Congratulations to The Lyme-Old Lyme Little League girls team, who won the East Senior League Softball Championship on Monday. They will be going to the Little League World Series in Delaware next week to represent the entire East Region. Their games are scheduled to be aired on ESPN+, as follows:

• Monday, 7/28 vs. Delaware at 6PM
• Tuesday, 7/29 vs. Asia-Pacific at 8PM
• Thursday, 7/31 vs. Southwest at 5PM
• Thursday, 7/31 vs. Latin America at 8PM

Coaches Matt Reed, Nicole Barreto and Ron Mones have spent endless hours coaching this team. There will be a send-off tomorrow between 7 and 7:30AM at the Lyme-Old Lyme High School. We wish them the best of luck!

The Road and Public Safety Committee's survey closes on August 1^st. I would like to encourage all residents to take the survey before it ends. The data from this survey will help them with their future recommendations to the Board of Selectmen.

Parks and Recreation will be putting down goose repellent on Monday, July 28^th at 10AM at Hains Park. The repellent is called Goose Scram and will be applied by Salem Safe Lawn and Landscape. It will be applied to the grassy area between the Boathouse and the bathroom. It is safe to walk on immediately, however, to prolong its effectiveness, we ask that you please use the sidewalk for the remainder of the day.

Yesterday I was informed that the Old Lyme Fire Department has received a $2,475.41 competitive grant for their project which includes purchasing the following equipment and supplies; chainsaws, pumps, hose, and a tent. These federal funds were made available through the U.S. Forest Service, Cooperative Assistance Program, Volunteer Fire Capacity Program. The Division of Forestry offers these grants to fire departments that are in towns with a population of less than 10,000. They noted that the Old Lyme Fire Department should be commended on their vision and effort to recognize the needs of the community it protects and seeking solutions to better serve the citizens of Old Lyme. Congratulations to Chief Michael McCarthy and his department of volunteers. They always go the extra mile for our town.

To end your weekend with another Old Lyme experience, please consider coming to the Old Lyme Historical Society’s Ice Cream Social on Sunday at 4PM on the Lyme Street South Green for an additional Town Band concert and some free ice cream.

Enjoy the last weekend of July!

All my best, 
Martha