Some memories of events that defined us and helped us get through 2020

Editor’s note: Anna Bedell, who joined TBE earlier this month, is completing an online degree in journalism at Harvard. These stories are part of her coursework and also provide us with a glimpse back at 2020. Click on a link to scroll directly to an article.

Anna’s stories

ESPN’s ground zero: The month that sports stood still
Farmer’s Market celebrates Pinktober 2020
51st Mum-A-Thon draws runners age 8 to 86

ESPN’s ground zero: The month that sports stood still

By Anna Bedell

ESPN Campus, March 19, 2020, 1:52 p.m.

BRISTOL – March Madness 2020 took on a whole new meaning here at ESPN – not only is it a leap year but on March 8, daylight savings began with a bang – it seemed like the beginning of a Zombie Apocalypse.

The Covid-19, the coronavirus disease caused by SAR-CoV-2, is an outbreak that quickly swept the globe. Unless someone is playing a cruel joke on all of us with a game of Jumanji – this my friends, is real-life!

On Friday the 13th, there was a full moon, and this was the day that defined the month that sports stood still. Earlier in the day, the NBA announced they were suspending the entire season after two players on the Utah Jazz, Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel and Donovan Mitchell, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Other sports organizations soon followed in their footsteps. Even Hollywood was affected by this virus.

Tom Hanks, the 63-year-old actor, announced on Twitter that he and his wife actress Rita Wilson, tested positive for COVID-19. They are currently on location in Australia while filming their new movie, Elvis.

Hanks tweeted, “Hello folks Rita Wilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have COVID-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at a time.”

His announcement shocked the world because he is arguably one of the most beloved actors of all time.

“There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?” said Hanks. “Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball.”

This was an ode to his famous line in the baseball movie, A League of Their Own.

The biggest shock announcement heard around the sports world came on March 17 – St. Paddy’s Day.

Tom Brady announced on Twitter that he was leaving the New England Patriots. St. Patrick himself could not have consoled the Patriot’s fans as they took to social media – many in complete shock, disbelief and tears.

Brady’s legacy after winning six Super Bowl rings, will go down in football history. He will forever be known as the “GOAT” – forever a New England Patriot.

As if the month couldn’t get any stranger. Surely this isn’t an episode of the [1959- 1964] CBS TV cult classic, The Twilight Zone? The series was shot entirely in black and white, with host Rod Serling’s smooth voice introducing his audience to science fiction and fantasy tropes.

Kevin Durante, the former Golden State Warrior who became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019, is one of four players on the Brooklyn Nets, who tested positive for the COVID-19 – it was announced on March 17 on ESPN.

Early that same morning, as I pulled into the parking lot on the main ESPN campus (only 5 cars), the eerie emptiness reminded me of the Will Smith movie, I am Legend.

A fellow employee pulls into the same parking lot, roughly 50-feet away. As he gets out of his car, he looked around in disbelief at the emptiness of our campus.

Social distancing, they call it – the new buzz phrase on social media.

“It’s surreal, right?” I yelled out at him.

All he could say was, “Yes” and nodded. He was speechless – it must’ve been his first day back on shift.

Social distancing because of the coronavirus is happening in Europe too.

In Italy, an elderly man is seen on social media singing an Aria from the balcony of his apartment, while his neighbors silently watched. A young man plays “Hallelujah” on his violin – the haunting sound evokes emotions as he too plays from his balcony, much like the band–playing–on when the Titanic was sinking.

During our darkest hour, humanity finds a way!

The halls echoed as I walked down the empty corridor in my building. I said out loud, “Hello, is there anyone here? Is there life here on earth?”

I was met with a deafening silence – I got my answer.

As I continued walking outside my building towards the cafeteria, the place was empty – devoid of all human life.

The path that led towards what we all know to be the HUB of our campus, was desolate, made palpable by the dormant trees which stand majestically outside in silence.

If only these trees could talk – what stories they would tell.

Inside the cafeteria was a ghost town. The TVs are on for no one. Bunsen & Beeker’s Lab (Muppets) is empty. A one-of-a-kind Red Sox/Yankees throne that symbolizes the rivalry between the two teams for Sunday Night Baseball sits empty nearby.

Walking back towards my building, I noticed the mist rising up from the ground in front of the 194,000 sq. ft. Digital Center (DC2).

The building stood there in silence – reminiscent of a horror movie during a typical gray and gloomy New England winter. I half expected Ichabod Crane to appear right off the screen from the Johnny Debb movie, The Headless Horseman.

The mantra – “serving sports fans, anytime, anywhere” peaks through the trees along the side of the glass wall, facing the lido deck and another almost empty parking lot.

Those of us who are the brave few leave our families at home as we risk our lives on a daily basis. We are here to make sure ESPN continues to operate – business as usual – the sports fans demand it.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller,” the song by Kelly Clarkson played on the radio that morning, right on queue as a reminder that we will get through this.

There is no crying in sports – the show must go on!

Farmers Market celebrates Pinktober 2020

By Anna Bedell

11/21/20

BRISTOL, Conn. – Pink traditionally isn’t considered a fall color, except in downtown Bristol where pink was the dominant hue of the day among various vendors at this year’s Farmers Market on Saturday.

Pinktober 2020 was celebrated in style with a show-stopping pink Volkswagen Beetle. The Bristol Hospital booth raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness month with pink bag giveaways, balloons and shirts.

Dr. Elizabeth Brady, a breast surgeon recently added to the staff at Bristol Hospital, attended the weekly outdoor event in downtown Bristol to support the importance of annual breast screening while educating the general public.

Brady, 66, moved to Bristol one month ago after working at Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts.

“This is my community now and I’m very excited about getting to know it and getting to help take care of people,” said Brady.

Brady said Connecticut is one of the top three states in the country for breast cancer incidence among women.

According to Breastcancer.org, about one in eight in U.S. women (about 12 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer.

In addition, there is expected to be more than 275,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer – and close to 50,000 cases of non-invasive breast cancer – in the U.S. this year, according to Breastcancer.org.

Brady encouraged women stopping by the booth to visit the Beekley Center, the breast cancer wing of Bristol Hospital, to have their mammogram done once per year.

Patrons spent $5 to sign their names on the pink Volkswagen, with the proceeds going directly to the Beekley Center. Ray’s CARSTAR, a Bristol auto body shop, supplied the car, also known as the “Pink Buggy.”

The 2020 Farmers Market, which ran each Saturday from June 20 through Oct. 31, was deemed an essential business during the pandemic, said Dawn Nielson, 55, an event organizer.

The Farmers Market, located in an open lot on North Main St., was focused this year on promoting community health and wellbeing because of COVID-19, Nielson said.

Nielson, who also works for the city’s Department of Economics & Community Development Plan, said the market – in addition to promoting social distancing — was a healthier alternative to grocery shopping at stores because it offered fresh produce from local farms.

She said the city wanted to encourage people to go outside in the fresh air to stay healthy during the pandemic, while creating a positive environment during this challenging time.

Nielson said with many local businesses closing, the city wanted people to come to the market instead and support nearby farms.

“The challenge this year is to keep everyone safe, such as vendors, volunteers and customers,” said Nielson. “People are required to wear masks due to COVID-19.”

As an additional safety measure, this year’s organizers had sanitizers available for attendees. Markers on the ground indicated which direction to walk, with only one entrance and one exit. Three volunteers near the entrance were available to assist people.

The 2020 season had over 12,000 visitors, 17 vendors (five more than in 2019) and four food trucks (two more than the previous year), according to Nielson.

Even though Pinktober was the most visible event, Nielson said the town also partnered with the police department at the Farmers Market for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

As part of promoting a healthy community and environment, the police department collected expired prescription drugs so they don’t end up in the wrong hands or water systems, Nielson said.

“If flushed down the toilet, prescription drugs end up affecting the environment,” said Nielson.

Nationally, more than 4,000 law enforcement personnel participated at close to 4,500 sites and collected more than 13.6 million pounds of prescription drugs, according to Drug Enforcement Administration statistics.

Lieutenant Mark Morello from the Bristol police department was on hand to answer questions and educate the public about the importance of turning in prescription drugs safely.

“It’s an opportunity for people to expose our unwanted pharmaceutical and recreational drugs,” said Morello. “It keeps the drugs out of the waterways and our refuge yards.”

Morello said collecting the unused drugs not only protects the environment, but also keeps them out of homes.

He said a vast majority of drugs are stolen from homes, typically from parents or grandparents who no longer use them.

“This is one way of preventing (stolen drugs) by not having unwanted drugs laying around the house,” said Morello.

Attendees stopped by and dropped off their prescription drugs in a large blue bin in front of the booth.

As classic rock tunes played in the background, people visiting each vendor were spread out in the lines, following social distancing protocols.

Dan Arsenal, 28, a volunteer for the Amazing Love Farm, was the only vendor providing healthy food alternatives for vegans in the community.

Arsenal said the farm, located in Wolcott, only sells healthy snacks like vegan muffins and dried fruit and offers no meat alternative products.

“The (farm) owners are Jesse and Amy Paulo, husband and wife,” said Arsenal. “They’ve got six kids and they’re just a beautiful family farm.”

Arsenal said the Paulo family has had the farm for around eight years. He said this was their first year at the market and they were happy to be a part of the community.

Everything is gluten free and dairy free, Arsenal said. He said the farm uses nutritional yeast, red pepper and other ingredients, and their sweet snacks use maple syrup as a sweetener.

“Everything’s healthy, and there are dehydrated alternatives for energy rather than fried,” said Arsenal. “All the kale chips are dehydrated. So, they have all that good crunchy taste, without all the added calories.”

Photos by Anna Bedell 10/20/20- Farmers Market vendors.

Photos by Anna Bedell 10/20/20- Farmers Market attendee with her dog in Halloween costume.

51st Mum-A-Thon draws runners age 8 to 86

By Anna Bedell

10/20/20

BRISTOL, Conn. – Neither COVID-19 nor frigid temperatures could stop runners who showed up for the 51st Annual Mum-A-Thon Sunday with their yearly tradition of Halloween costumes and mummy shirts.

The 8K charity event, which took place at St. Paul Catholic High School, raised money for the Veterans Strong Community Center, located in downtown Bristol.

VSCC is a non-profit organization that provides regional information for veterans, service members and families, both active duty and retired (no matter the status), according to VSCC website.

Donna Dognin, the veterans assistant specialist at the VSCC, said the Halloween-themed event usually averages more than 200 runners. This year 103 of 117 registrants showed up to run the race, with ages ranging from 8-86.

“I wasn’t sure how many people would attend this year because of COVID-19,” said Dognin.

She said the event raised about $2,500, which would go toward much-needed supplies.

“We normally raise between $3,000 to $4,000 dollars, but this year COVID-19 made it more challenging,” said Dognin.

Dognin said the VSCC federal program was originally funded by the Army Reserve. She said they opened in Bristol in March 2012. The reserve eventually cut funding across the board, she said.

She said they call the center a reboot mob and she has been doing this type of work for years.

“The community center was previously a federal program that I worked for called Army Strong,” said Dognin.

In 2016, the 49-year-old Dognin joined forces with a friend of hers who is a chief warrant officer in the Army Reserves. She said they decided to start their own program.

She said the VSCC provides financial and food resources for seven military communities which are Bristol, Burlington, Harwinton, Plainville, Plymouth, Thomaston and Wolcott.

“We do have our own small food pantry, which the veterans can come and utilize,” said Dognin. “And when I say veterans, I mean servicemembers as well and their families.”

She said this year’s mummy shirts, which were handed out to every runner, were a big hit. Inscribed on the back of the shirts was the slogan, “Even COVID-19 can’t stop us.”

In the past, the event included food and craft vendors, but the challenges and restrictions of COVID-19 prevented any activities or ceremonies, said Dognin.

Each runner had a staggered start while socially distancing, following Connecticut race protocols at ct.gov/coronavirus. Runners braved the 33-degree temperature as they arrived, raced and left. They came from all over Connecticut, with two traveling from as far away as Long Island, N.Y.

Two of the VSCC volunteers who attended the event were Dognin’s 13-year-old daughter, Amy Dognin, and 14-year-old Nikki Wernicki. Both girls are on the VSCC board.

“I help out with all the fundraisers and stuff,” said Amy Dognin. “I’m actually just a volunteer for whenever my mom needs me.”

Wernicke handed out race kits at the start of the event. She said they usually have a trunk or treat (an alternative to house-to-house trick or treating), with a ceremony but this year it was cancelled.

“This is my second-year volunteering for the Veterans Strong Community Center,” said Wernicke.

Mario Vasquez, 41, of New Britain, took first place and finished with a time of 27 minutes, 47 seconds. He said the turnout was good this year despite the pandemic.

“I think I’ve been here six or seven times,” said Vasquez. “Running here is like my annual race and it was good considering.”

James Driscoll, 86, of Bristol, was the oldest runner to participate in the event. He said he has been attending for 41 years.

“I’m going to try and finish because I had surgery for my hips, but I’m on steroids,” said Driscoll.

A group of runners from the Run 169 Towns Society attended the event. The Run 169 runners “aspire to run a race in every town of Connecticut,” according to DEBTiConn.

Two runners from the group, Ashley Holmberg and Colleen Walsh, were running the event for the first time. “We do Run 169 so we want to run a race in every town in the state of Connecticut,” said Ashley Holmberg, 47, of North Franklin.

“Because of COVID I haven’t really done that many races,” said Walsh, 44, also of North Franklin. “This is my third race in Connecticut since January.”

Jennifer Dean, 43, of Winsted, ran with her 8-year-old daughter, Emma, the youngest runner in the event and one of only two children to run.

Dean said last year’s event had a podium when Emma won second place for her age group, but every race is different now due to COVID-19.

“Last year she did fine and ran in about an hour,” said Dean. “I’m thinking this year we’re going to run half a lap!”