235 Cutlers Farm Road Ι Monroe, CT 06468 Ι (203) 452-2815 Ι www.monroect.org

HOLIDAY CLOSING In observance of Good Friday, the Center will be

closed with no transportation on Friday April 2nd.

April showers wash clean and help the earth prepare for May’s beautiful flowers. We are hopeful that with time, safe prac-tices, more people vaccinated we can stop the spread of this virus and return to our prior programs. Until then our emergency management team keeps us apprised of the directives to keep us all safe!

From the Office of the Town Clerk

Special Election

Tuesday, April 13, registered voters are asked to meet at their respective polling places to cast their vote for State Representative to fill the vacancy for the 112th Assembly District. If you are unable to vote in person contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 203-452-2811 for an Absentee ballot application.

This seat which covers the entirety of Monroe and portions of Newtown, became vacant February 17 following the resignation of J.P. Sredzinski.

Candidates running for the seat are: Democrat Nick Kapoor Republican Tony Scott

From the Town of Monroe Assessor’s Office The State has issued an executive order due to COVID that any senior needing to re-apply for the senior homeowners tax program will have their benefits rolled over for the next two years. Our office sent a letter to those persons who were due this year to renew. If you have any questions call Ruthann at the Assessor’s office 203-452-2803.

From the Office of our First Selectman The Budget Referendum is expected to be held on May 4, 2021. Information on the budget is available at http://www.monroect.org/budget.

APRIL DRIVE THRU

Did you know that April is National Rainbow

Month, Keep America Beautiful Month, National

Humor Month, National Poetry Month and more.

Further, each day of April is associated with a

variety of food items: the 6 is Hostess Twinkies;

18 is Animal Crackers; 22 is Jelly Beans; 26 is

Pretzels to name a few of the items.

To celebrate we will have a bag

filled with a variety of food items at

our drive-thru event on Monday,

April 26, between 11:00 & 12:00.

Call Kerri at ext. 0 to register for the event so we

have enough food items for all!!

PEN PALS

MASUK High School’s Interact and

Memories Matters Clubs are looking

for local PEN PALS to correspond

with! At the center we have packets

with letters written by a student, a

piece of stationary and a pen so that you can

write them back!!! All you have to do is read

their letter, use the enclosed stationary and

pen to respond. Be sure to include the pen

pal’s name on the outside of the envelope.

Letters can be returned to the senior center or

mailed directly to Masuk High School. The

instructions are with your packet.

Once the students receive your letter they will

write back, it’s as easy at that! Make a new

friend, share a story and so much more!!! Call

Kerri at the center today to get your packet.

Center Staff Henna Ali - Director, ext. 4 Kim Cassia - Administrative Assistant, ext. 1 Veronica Jensen - Elderly Services Coordinator, ext. 3

John Williams - Transportation Coordinator, ext. 2 Kerri Swift - Office Assistant, ext. 0 Rose Marie Syarto - Driver John Delfino - Driver Bob Scopoletti - Custodian Helma Chartier - Chairperson, Commission on Aging

In Memory Keith Cyr

Mary Hazlett

Merna Goett

Kay Kastler

Energy Assistance

Kerri’s Korner ~ Gardening for your Health

National Gardening Day will be celebrated on Wednesday April 14. It “is a day of encourage-ment, a day created to give gardeners a shove and a shovel to begin their gardening journey,”

“it’s a great chance to warm up your green fingers and get planting and preparing for sum-mer.” Health Benefits of Gardening:

Exercise: gardening gets the body moving by as you have to bend, squat stretch while you pull weeds and plant seeds and more. Planting, pulling, reaching, twisting and bending will work muscles in your body and help with strength, stamina and flexibil-

ity. It can raise your heart rate, helping you burn 200 to 400 calories an hour, while also improving hand-eye coordination.

Emotional: gardening is good for the soul, it can lower stress-producing cortisol levels and raises serotonin levels. Serotonin is a calming chemical in the brain that puts you in a good mood, which helps to keep the brain and body in sync. Breathing in fresh

air and getting exposure to sunshine will give you a good dose of vitamin D...all good for the soul!

Social: a garden offers a place to be with friends and family to socialize (with social dis-tancing of course).

Cognitive: gardening and critical thinking skills regarding what to plant and how to take

care of it can help reduce the chance of Alzheimer’s type Dementia.

is named for the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite

Astrological Symbols are: Aries ~ until April 20; Taurus ~ April 21 onward

Birthstone is Diamond

Birth Flower ~ Daisy or the Sweet Pea

New Moon ~ April 12 ~ New Moon

Lyrids Meteor Shower ~ April 16 to the 25, peak 22 & 23

Full Moon, Supermoon ~ April 27

International Astronomy Day ~ April 28 "Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another. - - Plato This day was established to promote astronomy to the general public. Astron-omy clubs and groups use this day to help teach people about the stars and other celestial bodies in the universe. These groups take advantage of this day to offer people a view of the stars through a telescope, if possible.

Programs from 10:00 ~ 12:00

Monday Quilting

Tuesday Anything Goes

Wednesday No Program

Thursday No Program

Friday Knit & Crochet

April 6 ~ “Breakthrough” - PG | 1 hr, 56 min | Biography, Drama, Based on a True Story

Tragedy strikes when Joyce Smith's adopted son, John, falls through the ice on a frozen lake in Missouri. Trapped underwater for more than 15 minutes, rescuers bring John back to the surface and rush him to the nearest hospital. While doctors fear the worst, the 14-year-old boy con-tinues to fight for his life as Joyce, her husband and their pastor stay by his bedside and pray for a miracle.

April 20 ~ “Hidden Figures” - PG | 2hr, 7 min | Biography, Drama, History, Based on a True Story

The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who

served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. for the

space program.

Any Thing Goes on Tuesdays from 10:00 ~ 12:00

6 Movie “Breakthrough” - details below

13 Creative Writing

20 Movie “Hidden Figures” - details below

27 Word Games, Trivia & More. . .

Registration for all programs is a must due to limited seating.

Call 203-452-2815 ext. 0 to register.

PROGRAMS

We welcome any ideas for contactless programs.

Is there a movie you want to see?

How about topics for a discussion group or trivia?

Please contact us with your suggestions.

Town of Monroe - Community Events

SPECIAL ELECTION - TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021 112TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT, STATE REPRESENTATIVE VACANCY

All four regular polling places will be open 6am - 8pm. District 1: Fawn Hollow Elementary School, 345 Fan Hill Road

District 2: Stepney Elementary School, 180 Old Newtown Road

District 3: Monroe Elementary School, 375 Monroe Turnpike

District 4: Masuk High School, 1014 Monroe Turnpike

Following our Safe Polls Plan, masks will be required for all voters and workers and we will practice six foot social distancing. Voters may also bring their own black or blue ballpoint pen to use for voting.

For new voters, the online, mail-in and in-person voter registration deadline is Tuesday, April 6, 2021. If you have a valid CT driver's license, learner's permit or non-driver photo ID card issued by the CT DMV the easiest and quickest way to register to vote is online.

You may also print a mail-in registration form from the Registrars of Voters website. Mail-in registration applications must be postmarked by Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Please contact the Registrars of Voters Office at 203-452-2820 to schedule in-person registra-tion.

Those whose rights to age, citizenship or residence mature after April 6 may apply in person on a daily basis until Monday, April 12, 2021. Please contact the Registrars of Voters Office at 203-452-2820 to schedule in-person registration. We will also be hold-ing a limited registration session in our office at Town Hall on Monday, April 12, 9am-12pm. There will be no Election Day Registration held for this election.

Due to COVID, all eligible voters will have the choice to either vote in person or via Ab-sentee Ballot for this election. Absentee Ballots are available from March 12th. Please go to the Town Clerk's webpage for information on applying for an Absentee Bal-lot and voting by Absentee Ballot.

Registrars of Voters

Town of Monroe

7 Fan Hill Road

http://www.monroect.org/Registrars-of-Voters

Our Edith Wheeler Memorial Library has many activities for people of all ages. Go to www.emwl.org, click on

events, then click on adult events and follow the instructions listed above for more information or to register for

the programs listed below.

Friday, April 2, 10:00 am Tech Help Open Hours

Tuesday, April 6, 9:00 am, Crafts-to-Go

Friday, April 9, 9:15 am Become a Pro at Zoom; 10:00 am Tech Help Open Hours: 1:00 pm What is 3D Printing

Tuesday, April 13, 6:30 pm Adult Book Discussion "Long Bright River" by Liz Moore

Friday, April 16, 9:15 am How to Access Library Ebooks from Home; 10:00 am Tech Help

Tuesday, April 20, 6:00 pm Adult Writers’ Group

Wednesday, April 21, 1:00 pm Woman & Money Monthly Series; 6:00 pm Financial Wellness Wednesdays ~ Real Estate After 50; 6:30 pm Baking with Janina Chocolate Mini Quiche

Friday, April 23, 9:15 am Working with Microsoft Windows; 10:00 am Tech Help Open Hours

Friday, April 30, 9:15 am Become a Pro at Zoom; 10:00 am Tech Help Open Hours

Ronnie’s Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Unsalted Butter softened 1 1/4 Cups Sugar 4 Ounces Cream Cheese 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/3 tsp Almond Extract 1 Large Egg 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/4 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt 3 Cups Flour

Non-Pareils or Rainbow Sprinkles (or both!!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in cream cheese, egg, vanilla extract, almond ex-

tract. Mix together until combined. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix into the large bowl on

slow to medium speed, adding in a little at a time, until evenly moistened. 3. Place sprinkles or nonpareils in a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, roll cookie dough into

balls (about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of dough or to preference. You can make little cookies or extra large!) 4. Roll the dough in the sprinkles, leaving the bottom of the ball sprinkles (no sprinkles on the bottom section).

BUT, cover the rest with as many sprinkles as possible – the more the better – and place on the cookie sheet

about 2 inches or so apart. (the cookies will spread a bit, so leave space!) 5. Use the bottom of a glass and gently press down on the cookie to slightly flatten it. You want them between

1/4 inch and 1/2 inch thick. 6. Bake in the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes (every oven cooks differently so watch them, mine took

closer to 12 minutes, but you don’t really want them to brown).