Jazz Jam!

February 23, 4:00-6:00 pm

Please join us for the first Jazz Jam of 2025, to celebrate great music and a great community! It’s a casual event with talented local musicians who drop in for an informal, entertaining evening of music. BYOB plus any snacks you might be craving, bring your family and friends, sit back, relax and enjoy. As always, our Sunday concert is free and all ages are welcome

Special Opportunity to Support the Lyme Public Hall & Archives in February, for Essex Savings Bank members

Every year, Essex Savings Bank donates up to 10% of its net income to non-profit organizations and community development projects operating in Lyme and other nearby towns (Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Guilford, Killingworth, Madison, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook).

Thirty percent of these Community Investment Program funds are distributed according to the wishes of the bank’s customers, as they vote for their favorite charities throughout the month of February. We are so pleased to share that the Lyme Public Hall & Local History Archives is one of the organizations supported through this program.

During the month of February, customers (any person having a loan, deposit account or safe deposit box with Essex) vote for up to three non-profit organizations listed on the official ballot. After the February voting period, the ballots are tallied and in April, each organization will receive funds proportional to the number of votes received.

Please consider supporting the Lyme Public Hall and Local History Archives as well as your other favorite organizations by voting! You can vote for up to three organizations, or throw all of your support to just one or two.

Paper ballots are available at any of the Bank’s six branches; each Bank customer will have one ballot for voting. Visit Essex Savings Bank to learn more. Customers with online Essex Savings banking access should be able to vote electronically by logging in to their account. If you experience any difficulties, please contact Essex Savings Bank at (860) 767-4414 or at their toll-free number: (877) 377-3922.

A Personal Pilgrimage to Old Battlefields: A Talk by Rolf Wolfswinkel

Sunday, March 30 — 2:00 to 4:00 pm

In this very personal presentation, Professor Wolfswinkel returns to the site of one of his passions: the battlefields of the Western Front in World War I. It all started so long ago: a casual question of one of his children about why there were so many cemeteries in Flanders. One thing led to another and before he realized what was happening, he found himself walking along and through the old trenches of France and Flanders, searching for the places where war poets like Wilfred Owen and Isaac Rosenberg had died.

During his talk, put together with the help of one of his old students, Diederik van Vleuten, Rolf Wolfswinkel will talk about that war, show photographs, quote from war poems and tell personal anecdotes. What he will not do is answer the question, whether it has all been worth it: the millions of dead, the devastation, the suffering of the families left behind.

Join us on Sunday, March 30 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Lyme Public Hall to hear this special talk. Refreshments provided.

Saprobe superpowers: How fungi recycle nutrients and keep forests healthy

A Lyme Land Trust Talk by Bill Yule

Wednesday April 23, 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Join the Lyme Land Trust for a fascinating talk at the Lyme Public Hall about the important function of fungi in forest ecosystems, with Bill Yule, naturalist and mycologist. He will cover aspects of fungi that weren’t covered in last year’s very popular talk. He has a wonderful way of explaining the complex functioning of fungi and its vital interconnections with other organisms within the forest. Bill will share information to identify various mushrooms by their characteristics.

Bill Yule has been active in mycological education for 30 plus years and has given many education programs throughout the country. He is a retired High School Biology teacher and Environmental Educator. In addition, he taught Ecology and Environmental Education at The Connecticut River Museum for 20 years and worked on three environmental educational boats on the CT River. He is a member and educator for three local “Mushroom clubs:” Connecticut Valley Mycological Society, COMA (CT/Westchester Mycological Association) and PVMA (Pioneer Valley Mycological Association) as well as a past Board of Directors member of the North American Mycological Association. (Bill Yule photo by Wendy Hill)

To register for this talk, please email: education@lymelandtrust.org