By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
Orange has been able to host many dearly missed celebrations so far this year, but there is no doubt that fall has arrived when it’s time for the Orange Country Fair.
This is one of my personal favorites as it showcases something special about our town: the local farms. It also is an opportunity for everyone of all ages to share their talent or passion with the community by submitting items through some of the many categories such as baking, canning, arts and crafts or gardening.
Growing up in a small farming town in western Massachusetts, I saw how hard families worked to keep their farms going. That hasn’t changed. Recent reports have indicated that many farms in our region and across the country are working overtime to adapt to the wild swings in weather we have been experiencing.
A July 25 article in the CT Mirror titled “Planning for a Changing Climate” said, “Farmers around the state are coping with extreme weather, multiple devastating outcomes of climate change, and the unpredictability of the future. They are learning the hard way that anticipating and preparing for climate change impacts is often a crapshoot. On top of that, they usually have little but their own ingenuity to fall back on.”
While we are still working toward climate change solutions, I hope that we can all support the farms in our area by purchasing as much as we can from them.
Another clear sign of fall is the return of students to school. This year felt especially momentous as all of the students were back in person, full time in all of the schools within the Orange and Amity districts. As a parent of three kids in three different schools I am especially grateful for the steps taken by the administrations, the teachers and the staff at each of the schools to keep our kids safe.
The Orange elementary school district was one of a small number of districts that were able to keep their doors open for full-time, in-person learning last year due to their commitment to mitigating strategies. As a result of those actions our students received the services they needed and are better prepared for this year, and the parents in town were able to return to work without widespread interruptions. The renewed commitment to commonsense actions to keep our students and educators safe will contribute to their continued success.
I would like to personally thank everyone involved in our schools (and all schools) for their work and dedication. Your actions are providing the curriculum our students need to learn, but also real-life examples of how to care for the wellbeing of others, and the importance of community.
Each of the Orange and Amity schools have comprehensive websites, with a COVID dashboard and information on the school lunch program that provides lunch for all students at no cost to the student or the district. You can find links to the schools and a list of local farms within the district on my website at housedems.ct.gov/Welander.