Page 4 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 56 Autumn 2025

Welcome to Wallingford!! In the past year, a study was conducted in Connecticut to determine the
safest towns in our state and Wallingford was rated as the second safest town of its size in the entire
state! I was not surprised! I grew up in Wallingford and have done business in our town for over 50
years and I have never felt any fear of walking down any street in our precious town. When there are
outdoor events like Twilight Tunes that occur in the evenings, so many of our citizens show up and feel
safe and relaxed. Everyone has fun with their children, friends, and family and people they have never
met before.
Celebrate Wallingford has been a remarkable annual event for so many years. It has become a standard
tradition and all who attend and participate in it feel safe and honored for their presence The merchants
and restaurants and all other services being offered in our downtown also feel safe and comfortable
with the wonderful folks who visit them and support them.
Our Saturday Garden Markets at Doolittle Park also attract a really happy and grateful crowd of citizens.
They love to shop there and to mingle with the merchants. It is great to see all the nice people who are
shopping and supporting the event.
So, participate in Celebrate Wallingford in any and every way that makes you happy and comfortable!
CELEBRATE WALLINGFORD!!

FEATURED CONTENT

6 16 36 Celebrate Wallingford ......................................10-11

Tracing The Unique Pieces The Wallingford Season of Celebration .....................................22
History Inside The FJM Garden Club The Quarry Ruins .............................................24
by Bobbie Borne by Erin Benham by Karen Ciosek
Annual Women's Achievement Awards ............26
48 52 58 Uptown Magic .................................................29

Spanish Community of Celebrating Our Zion Scarecrow October is Manufacturing Month .....................32
Wallingford Community Festival Maria Mitchell Celebrated 100th Birthday! ......54
by Steve Knight by Beatrice Kim by Diane Malone
Wallingford Senior Center Growth ...................56
ON THE COVER Welcome to Carr Hall .......................................62

To celebrate the upcoming Town Event known as “Celebrate Wallingford,” I Paying It Forward ............................................66
dug into the many interesting photos in the town website to find something
that I thought could stimulate celebratory feelings by our wonderful
thousands of readers of Wallingford Magazine. The one I selected was Hey Kiddo! .......................................................68
from a postcard from 101 years ago and it captured the view that we all
see and enjoy at the bottom of Center Street while looking across Colony Holiday for Giving .............................................70
Street towards the Old Railroad Station currently with the lovely Johanna
Manfreda Fishbein Gazebo on the lush lawn. As you can see, that was the United Way ......................................................72
home of the Railroad station and the Bandstand, built mainly of stone. The
car was a special car of that era and was very complimentary to the overall Our Poetic Town ..............................................74
image and view.
Celebrate Wallingford!!! Over and Over Again!! Coupons ..........................................................76
Where Is It? .....................................................77
PUBLISHER & EDITOR: CONTACT US: Where Is It? Winners .......................................78
Tarn Granucci, Wallingford Magazine, LLC WallingfordMag.com
ART, DESIGN & LAYOUT: P.O. Box 337, Wallingford, CT 06492
Alex Gurin, AG Creative Works, LLC 203-214-1874 | tarngranucci@gmail.com
CONTRIBUTORS:
Bobbie Borne || Bob Burghardt || Rajan Doering || Janice Martin, Ambassador || Beverly Churchill || Tarn Granucci || Wallingford Economic Development
Diane Malone || Angela Mitchell || Erin Benham || Joe Pajor || Beatrice Kim || Steve Knight || Julie Hulten || Alison Cady, Choate Rosemary Hall || Karen Ciosek
Wallingford Magazine is published six times a year.
4 WALLINGFORD MAGAZINE - AUTUMN 2025