OneManchester

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YES, THAT'S ELISABETH BENNET hidden behind a huge snowbank in front of Bennet Academy. The storm that starting falling Sunday morning dropped almost 15 inches in town in just 24 hours. The photo below was taken Tuesday night from top of Main Street.

...And now it's all about the frigid temperatures, which will be especially brutal as we close out this short school week.

As uncomfortable as things are, they've been bad before and if you scroll down, we have a look back at some of most memorable winter storms that Manchester has ever endured.

Manchester High senior Emily Silberberg (left) is helping a second grader at Waddell Elementary School with IXL math while MHS junior Chris Vasquez (right) engages with first graders during indoor recess. Both are part of an internship program at Waddell for students with an interest in a career in education.

• The Board of Education is scheduled to hold its first budget workshop tonight (Jan. 29) at 6 p.m. in Lincoln Center. Another workshop is scheduled for Feb. 5 with the board scheduled to adopt a budget on Feb. 9.

If you are a healthcare professional with a bachelor's degree, at least one year of full time medical work experience, and a willingness to take three education courses within two years of your date of hire, you may qualify for employment to teach medical career preparation courses at MHS. Click for more.

• MHS Music Department: Dine at (or order out from) Red Robin in Manchester tonight (Thursday Jan. 29) to support an upcoming Philadelphia music trip. The music department will receive 20 percent of the profit on all food orders and here's the flier.
• Project Graduation: A Trivia Night fundraiser will take place at the Elks Club on Saturday and click here if you would like to help the volunteer group that organizes the drug and alcohol free "All Night Safe Grad Party" for MHS class of '26 graduates.

ALSO:

• Pathways To Excellence is a college fair and networking event being held in Hartford on Friday, Feb. 7 and there's more info here.

• Level up your skills for success in healthcare, information technology and manufacturing fields with classes that start in late January. Click here to learn more.

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In partnership with the town's Department of Leisure, Family & Recreation, the Department of Race and Equity is excited to announce our annual Black Joy Youth Poetry Contest. All submissions are due by Feb. 5th and there's more info here.

Trash and recycling curbside collection has been pushed back one day this week. Residents should keep their trash and recycling bins away from the streets and sidewalks until after snow cleanup has been completed. Click here for more storm clean-up related info.

Thursday, Jan. 29
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Make Snow (ages 2-5) at Whiton Library.
6 p.m. -- BOE meeting - Budget Workshop #1, at Lincoln Center.

Friday, Jan. 30
10 a.m. - noon -- Preschool Playgroup at Mary Cheney Library.
1 - 2:30 p.m. -- Monthly Social Mixer: Kindness Connects Us at 153 Spruce St.
2:30 - 4:30 p.m. -- Sit by the SAD Lamps at Mary Cheney Library.

Saturday, Jan. 31
2:30 - 4:30 p.m. -- Clean Out the Craft Closet at Mary Cheney Library.

Monday, Feb 2
6:30 a.m. -- Groundhog Day at the Lutz.
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Shake Rattle & Roll (ages 2-5) at Mary Cheney Library.
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Animal Adventures (for ages 2-5) at Whiton Library.
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. -- Scrapbook Your Baby at Mary Cheney Library.
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- Happily Ever After Book Club at Whiton Library.

Tuesday, Feb. 3
10:30 - 11:15 a.m. -- Tykes, Trucks and Trains at Mary Cheney Library.
6 - 7:30 p.m. -- Youth Commission meeting at Town Hall.
7 p.m. -- BoD meeting at Lincoln Center.

Wednesday, Feb 4
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Toddling Tots (walkers up to 24 months) at Mary Cheney Library.
6-7 p.m. -- Teen Winter STEM Solar Racers at Mary Cheney Library.

Also:

• Chuckles will give his prediction on whether we have an early spring or six more weeks of winter at sunrise on Monday at the Lutz. Click here to reserve a spot.

• Monday is also the last day to pay town taxes without penalty. Click here for more info.

• The ‘Perspectives of Independence’ exhibit can be seen at WORK_SPACE through Feb. 4.

• Manchester Art Association’s Watercolor exhibit can be seen at Town Hall through March 13.

• The Winter Parking Ban is in effect through April 1. Click here for details.

REC NEWS

Don't miss Art of the Heart Open Mic Night at the Eastside Neighborhood Resource Center, 153 Spruce Street on Feb 11. Follow their Facebook or Instagram pages for more

• Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’ runs on the weekends at Cheney Hall from Feb. 6 - 22. Click here for ticket information. And click here to see what’s coming up at Cheney Hall.

• The Fat Tuesday/Shrove/Mardi Gras Pancake Supper featuring The Katz ‘n Jammer Jazz Ensemble returns to Second Congregational Church on Feb. 17.

• The Manchester Comic & Toy Convention returns on March 1. Click here to learn more.

• The deadline for the Connecticut Elks Association poster, essay and video contests for students in grades 3, 4 and 5 is Feb. 12. Click here for more info.

That’s New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye working out last summer -- and right behind him is Pats quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, a 2013 graduate of Manchester High. The photo above ran with this Mass Live story and you can click here to read more.

The 38th BWIT (Buzz Wooldridge Invitational Tournament) will take place at Illing Middle School on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Both Illing girls and boys basketball teams play Thursday afternoon. Click here for the tournament schedule.

• The snow storm wiped out games scheduled for Monday and Tuesday and you'll find an updated MHS schedule here.
• Manchester Little League Softball and Baseball signups are under way and you can learn more by clicking here. Registration for the Challenger program is open through March 31.

• Coever Soccer will be holding clinics for girls only at East Catholic on Thursday nights in January and February. Click here for details.

Considered the most famous snowstorm in American history, the Blizzard of 1888 paralyzed Manchester -- and the entire Northeast -- as more than 50 inches of snow fell over three days in March.

These pictures are not from Manchester but the scene was the same everywhere. Telegraph and telephone wires snapped, public safety safety workers were grounded - and immense damage was done. Property loss from just fires was estimated at $25 million and more than 400 deaths were reported.

The biggest local snowstorm since then was the February 2013 Blizzard (Nemo), when Manchester received approximately 32 inches of snow between February 8-9. Over 650,000 people in the greater New England area were left without power due to the storm.

The biggest storm before that was 1978, when a blizzard dubbed “Larry” dropped 20-30 inches of snow across the state.

DON'T FORGET THE ANNEX: This is our spillover space to other newsletters, social media accounts and more, including the 'OneManchester Planner', which has even has more calendar listings for the months ahead. Plus we share a special flashback photo from Paul Ofria each week. To get to The Annex, click here.

• NOTE: OneManchester is compiled by the school district's communications office but is dependent on contributions from people and institutions throughout the town and school district. So if you have something that you think people would want to know about, please let us know. Photos, fliers, links, tips, whatever -- please share with Paul Ofria at pofria@mpspride.org.