Fall Arrives and Brings Some Lovely Weather With It

1. The Autumnal Equinox occurred at 4:44 p.m. on Sunday, September 22. That makes today the first full day of Fall, and we've got some lovely autumn weather to look forward to this week.

Weather.com is predicting a dry and sunny week, with highs in the high 60s and low 70s and overnight lows in the high 40s and low 50s. Today will be the coolest day, with a high of 67 degrees and a low of 42 degrees. 

2. Municipal Meetings 

• Monday: Town Hall Auditorium, Planning and Zoning, 7:00pm
• Tuesday: Community Center Meeting Room: Senior Services Commission, 4:00pm; Recreation and Parks Commission, 5:00pm; Louise T. Appleby Meeting Room: Board of Selectmen, 5:00pm; Democratic Town Committee, 7:30pm
• Wednesday: Louise T. Appleby Meeting Room, Democratic Caucus of RTM, 7:30pm
• Thursday: Community Center Meeting Room: Senior Tile Committee, 4:30pm; Town Hall Auditorium, Conservation Commission 7:00pm; Board of Education Conference Room, Board of Education, 7:00pm.

3. Working on the Railroad: Amtrak is working tracks starting midweek and on through October from the Waterford side of the Niantic River Bridge east to Shaws Cove. This track work will involve removing and replacing railroad ties along with resurfacing and tamping the rail bed with ballast rock. In other words, it's going to be loud. Most of it will be happening during the day Monday through Friday but there could be some night work around Shaws Cove. 

4. Upcoming Events

• Saturday, September 21, was the 75th anniversary of the devastating hurricane of 1938. Newspapers commemorated the event with archive photos showing just how badly the powerful storm battered the region. On Tuesday, September 24, at 6:30 p.m., Waterford Public Library presents speaker Louis Allyn, a Mason’s Island resident and hurricane historian, along with images of areas before the storm hit, after and now. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own images and memorabilia, and to share their own memories of the event.  
• This Saturday, September 28, Friends of Harkness is holding a fundraiser that really captures my imagination. It's the great Gatsby Gala!

5. Call to Action: Since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there's been a rallying cry for legislators to do more to prevent gun violence. A conference on September 28 at Wesleyan University in Middletown aims to keep the pressure on. A variety of elected officials will be in attendance, including Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who is one of the featured speakers.