Real Estate Principles and Practices will be available in Ridgefield starting Sept. 27 through Ridgefield Continuing Education. The 60-hour course meets the minimum requirements to take the sales associate or broker exam.

Instruction is led by Terry Hastings, who has taught the class for more than 10 years. Hastings is now with Total Mortgage Services, LLC. Additional licensed brokers including Lonnie Shapiro from Coldwell Banker, Jack Baldaserini from Coldwell Banker, Joe Monaco from William Pitt, Nick Davis from Weichert Realtors, and Ray Hastings also teach some sessions.

The class meets at the Venus Municipal Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 27 through Dec. 8, plus Mondays, Oct. 17, Nov. 7 and 21, (no class Oct. 11, and Nov. 8 and 24) from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Cost, including two texts is $449. Ridgefield seniors age 62 and older pay $371. Advance registration required. Information: ridgefieldschools.org or Peggy Bruno at 203-431-2812.

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A specialist from The Hickories will talk about the cut flower industry and the positive ecological impact that purchasing organic flowers can make in a seminar at Founders Hall on Friday, July 15, at 1 p.m.

She will bring organically grown flowers for attendees to see, smell and touch, and one attendee will win a bouquet to take home. To accompany the seminar, The Hickories, 136 Lounsbury Road, is offering a free, private tour of its flower fields on Saturday, July 16, at 9 a.m.

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Steve Kazlauskas

Ridgefielder Steve Kazlauskas will return for his fourth year to a summer music series in Wilton. Kazlauskas will present his show, Echoes of Sinatra, on July 28 in the Wilton Library’s Brubeck Room and courtyard. The free show is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and is part of four consecutive Thursday night events in July.

More information is available from wiltonlibrary.org or 203-762-6334.

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iPhone Basics and More is available through Ridgefield Continuing Education. The slow-paced, two-session class will provide an understanding of the uses of the iPhone and fill in basic gaps on day one. On day two, Facetime, texting, use of applications, calendars, maps, Skype and social media are covered. An iPhone and Apple/iTunes ID and password is required.

Instructor Eileen Burton has been teaching continuing education courses for many years.

Class meets on Thursdays, July 14 and 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Venus Building (old high school). Advance registration required. Cost is $82 per class. Ridgefield seniors (age 62 and older) pay $65 per class. iPad, eBay, Picasa, Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint are also available. These classes meet at the Venus Building (old high school; use Governor Street entrance). Information: ridgefieldschools.org or Peggy Bruno at 203-431-2812.

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Geri Diorio

A former Ridgefield Library staffer, Geri Diorio, is the new assistant director of the Stratford Library.

Diorio, a resident of Stratford, fills the previous position held by Sheri Szymanski who was appointed the library’s new director last February.

Since 2003, Diorio has been teen services librarian and head of children’s services for the Ridgefield Library. She also reviewed books, audiobooks and films for various professional journals and serves on the Nutmeg Book Award steering committee. In Stratford, Diorio previously worked part-time in the children’s, teen and adult reference’s departments.

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Caroline Murray of Ridgefield, an intern this summer with ENODO Global, a Washington, D.C., based risk assessment firm, recently authored a press release, How to Spot a Terrorist Before the Terror, on behalf of James Sisco, president and founder of the firm.

Murray, daughter of Chris and Lisa Murray, will be a senior at Colgate this fall.

The press release is available at: enodoglobal.com/2016/06/how-to-spot-a-terrorist-before-the-terror/?platform=hootsuite

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Our Senior Lunch Pizza Party was just fantastic. Thank you so much to Venice Pizza for a fun and delicious lunch. Everyone had such a good time. A special thank you to our latest Lunch Sponsors Mary and Steve Hicks. We appreciate you. We still need sponsors, please let us know if you are able to help.  We are now taking a little break for summer but we hope to see everyone when the luncheons return on Aug. 29.

Reservations for our lobster and clambake on Friday, July 15, from 7 to 9 p.m., are selling quickly so please visit our website, lounsburyhouse.org under the calendar section, to buy yours now. With music, lawn games, and of course lobster, this is the perfect way to spend a Friday night. Tickets are $45 per person and include a fresh one and one-half pound Maine lobster, steamers and mussels, plus new potatoes, corn on the cob and watermelon for dessert. We are happy to substitute either rib eye steak or chicken and sausage for anyone who cannot eat the lobster. Iced tea and water are also included, and please feel free to BYOB.

We have many other exciting events planned so mark your calendars and join us. Our next Ladies Night will be on Sept. 15, Oktoberfest on Oct. 7 and 8 and our second free Family Day will be held on Oct. 23.  We are always looking to have more fun so if there is an event you would like to see, please let me know.

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Detours to go through village

The state is planning to shut down Route 7 for bridge work on five Saturdays this summer, and set up detours that would send thousands of cars and trucks through the center of town.

The bridge work could also conflict with work that has already started on a bridge at Route 35 near Fox Hill condominiums. That work, which will be going on for at least another year, requires alternating one-way traffic on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and has been causing major traffic delays. (See other story.)

The Route 7 bridge project could also require alternating one-way traffic on weekdays from 9 to 3. Such a situation could cause drivers seeking to avoid one traffic jam to head to the site of the other — causing even greater delays — but the state says that won’t happen.

“There will be no overlap on road closures,” said state engineer John Dunham. “We control both of those jobs out of this office and we recognize that traffic is an issue. There will be no conflict. We coordinate the work.”

The main plan for Route 7 is to perform the work with road closures and detours on Saturdays, for five weekends. Sundays would be added if necessary. Though no hours for the Saturdays were available, the contractor may close the road beginning on Friday at 8 p.m. and must reopen it by Monday at 6 a.m.

Only as needed would work bleed over to weekdays, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with alternating one-way traffic.

Also, only as needed would work be performed from Monday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. with alternating one-way traffic.

The detours for northbound Route 7 traffic would be at Route 102 (Branchville Road) to Route 35 (Main Street) to Route 7. The detour for southbound traffic would be at Route 35 through the village (Main Street) to Route 102 to Route 7.

“Basically we’re shutting down Ethan Allen Highway, at the junctions of Danbury Road and Branchville Road,” Dunham said. “There will be local access for people who live in the work area, but not all-the-way-through access.”

Trucks, from pickups to tractor-trailers, will be using the detours. The state plans to use many road signs to show where the detours are.

“This will be our first solution,” Dunham said.

The second will be to encourage the local police to discourage large truck from using local roads. Spot checks will be made of the detours, to be certain the trucks are complying, and information will be distributed through the local media.

The big question is when the work starts. There’s been a delay because an erosion hole turned out to be much larger than planned. That hole must be filled, and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection needs to sign off on the fill, so that is where the delay comes from.

“We’re waiting for the go-ahead from the DEEP,” Dunham said. “As soon as we find out, we will notify The Press.”

The completion date for the Route 7 bridge project should be the end of the summer season, although the contractor will have until September of next year if things do not go well.

“That’s our goal,” Dunham said, “to finish this season.”

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Drivers who use Route 35 aren’t the only ones upset with traffic delays on that road caused by the bridge reconstruction.

Business owner and landlord Wayne Addessi, of Addessi Jewelers on Main Street, is trying to get others in town involved in seeking a system of traffic detours that lead motorists onto town roads during those times when road construction is being done.

“Even at key times this can help with the back ups,” Addessi said

“I am hoping and trying to get a little more momentum on this topic. I asked the Chamber (of Commerce), EDC (Economic Development Commission), and others to bring it to higher point of action,” Addessi said.

The Route 35 bridge reconstruction project has been delayed. It caused major traffic back-ups earlier this year due to alternating one-way passage. That work is expected to pick up again, perhaps in July, although there is no confirmed schedule.

“On-site alternative road detours onto town roads surely will help here,” Addessi said.

“This issue I feel impacts all businesses in one way or another.”

Addessi brought his question to Charles Murad, project engineer for District 4, with the state Department of Transportation.

Murad said that the state typically uses state routes for detours unless a town requests and offers an alternative. The concerns with using town roads include damage to town roads, impacts to residents on the town road from increased traffic, and safety concerns that go along with increased traffic, he said.

“For this particular project, we are in close communication with the Town of Ridgefield officials, and first selectman concerning all construction activities,” Murad told Addessi in an email. For example, the town website this week indicates the DOT plans to have both lanes of Route 35 open from June 27 through July 3.

The on-site project staff has suggested using alternate routes, he said. The town has not provided an alternate route within town roadways.

Most GPS units will supply the traveling public with the most efficient routes to travel to their destination. “They also allow for traffic,” Murad said.

“I apologize for the inconvenience to your customers during the construction process,” Murad said.

First Selectman Rudy Marconi referred questions about Addessi’s request to Police Chief John Roche and the Police Commission.

“It’s not a good thing to put that volume of traffic on backroads,” Chief Roche said. He said the traffic problems have been discussed before, but citizens are invited to bring their concerns before the Police Commission.

The Route 35 repair work is not the only road work the town faces this summer. There will also be a Norwalk River bridge project on Route 7, but a state Department of Transportation engineer said the work will be done on weekends only, if possible, so it will not interfere with the traffic already being produced on Route 35 during daylight hours, when that resumes.

The Route 7 work should begin in July. A portion of Route 7 would be closed and would cause traffic to detour through Ridgefield center. (See other story.)

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Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County is sponsoring an eight-week support group for caregivers this summer. Beginning July 12, the Caregivers’ Support Group will meet every Tuesday afternoon from 1 to 2:30 p.m. through Aug. 30.

The support group is free of charge and open to the public but pre-registration is required.

“Any person caring for a family member or loved one at home with a chronic illness or debilitating condition soon realizes that they have lost their independence and freedom,” said Laurie Petrasanta, MS, BSW, a counselor with Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County.

“The stress and exhaustion can be overwhelming for caregivers. Caregivers need to take a break and take care of themselves. They need to talk with others in similar circumstances, where they will find understanding that isn’t available anywhere else.”

The Caregivers’ Support Group will be held at the offices of Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County in Suite 114 of the Health and Wellness Center at I-Park. I-Park is located at 761 Main Avenue (Route 7) on the Wilton/Norwalk town line.

For more information, or to pre-register for the Caregivers’ Support Group, contact Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County, at 203-834- 6341, extension 255.

A non-profit community organization for more than 100 years, Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County provides professional nursing and support services, senior care management, physical rehabilitation, health education, community wellness programs and compassionate hospice and palliative care for adults and children in Weston and throughout Fairfield County. Visit them online at visitingnurse.net or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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“Dance and Yoga — Fit and Fun” is the topic of Get Healthy CT’s monthly health feature for July. Coincidentally, July 30 is National Dance Day, and Get Healthy CT will host a special event from 10-1, at Paradise Green in Stratford featuring dance demonstrations, prize drawings and other activities. Information about Dance Day is available at GetHealthyCT.org along with these other topics:

• Get Healthy CT Website: Find Local Physical Activity
• The Many Health Benefits of Dancing
• Dancing as a Workout
• Dance Fun and Fitness (English/Spanish)
• 7 Ways to Ease Into Yoga (English/Spanish)
• Basic Yoga Poses
• Chair Yoga
• Monthly Health Challenge — Dips (English/Spanish)
• Monthly Recipe — Roasted Cauliflower (English/Spanish)
• Bridgeport Farmers’ Markets (English/Spanish)

Most information in the packet is available in English and Spanish. Direct access is available at gethealthyct.org/topic-of-the-month/. An archive of previous monthly features is also available.

Get Healthy CT is a community coalition that works in the greater Bridgeport, New Haven and Greenwich regions, providing information about being healthy and local resources to support healthy eating and physical activity through its website (GetHealthyCT.org) and Facebook page. Printed information packets are available in some area libraries, community centers, regional health departments and other locations.

Dancers from last year’s National Dance Day event at Paradise Green.

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Energize Connecticut partners, Eversource, The United Illuminating Company (UI), Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas are now accepting entries for the 7th annual Connecticut Zero Energy Challenge (ZEC), a statewide design/build competition for single and multi-family homes.

Deadline for submissions is Aug. 1, 2016, and should include a project summary, description of the project team and an initial REM/Rate™ energy modeling file from a Residential Energy Services Network® (RESNET) accredited Home Energy Rating Systems® (HERS) professional. Final documentation for competing homes must be submitted by Dec. 31, and final construction must be completed no later than Jan. 31, 2017.

Building off of the success from previous challenges, 2016 participants should continue to demonstrate that building a super high efficiency (zero energy) home is achievable, and showcase the benefits of current energy-efficient technologies and techniques.

Participating homes can take advantage of financial incentives offered by Energize Connecticut. They will also have access to technical assistance from a HERS rating professional and the utilities.

Completed homes are assigned an energy-efficiency performance score through the use of the HERS index. The home’s HERS index, coupled with other factors including cost effectiveness in the construction process and the home’s demonstrated thermal envelope efficiency, are utilized to determine the winners.

Participants will be eligible for prizes in the following categories:

• Overall Winner
• Lowest Overall HERS Index
• Lowest HERS Index Before Renewable Technologies
• Most Affordable Cost to Build
• Best Overall Thermal Envelope

Applications should be sent to the following address as it pertains to your residential electric service territory:

For more information about the 2016 Zero Energy Challenge, and to see a list of official qualifications and requirements, please visit www.ctzeroenergychallenge.com.

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The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood and platelets, urging all eligible donors to give now to replenish an extremely low summer blood supply.

Blood donations have fallen short of hospital needs for the past few months, resulting in about 39,000 fewer donations than what’s needed, as well as a significant draw down of the overall Red Cross blood supply. In addition, the Independence Day holiday may have caused many regular donors to postpone donations due to vacation plans. A recent Red Cross poll revealed that more than 75 percent of donors surveyed indicated vacation plans this summer, many of them occurring the weeks before and after July 4.

“Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in, which is why we are making this emergency request for donations,” said Nick Gehrig, communications director, Red Cross Blood Services. “Donations are urgently needed now to meet the needs of hospital patients in the coming days and weeks. If you’ve thought about giving blood and helping to save lives, now is the time to do it. It’s the blood donations on the shelves that help save lives when an emergency occurs.”

How to Help

To schedule an appointment to donate, use the free Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The Red Cross is extending hours at many donation sites to allow for more donors to make an appointment to give. Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire are encouraged to avoid longer wait times. Donors with all blood types are needed.

Those unable to give can still help by encouraging others to give through a SleevesUp virtual blood drive atredcrossblood.org/sleevesup, giving of their time through volunteerism or making a financial donation to support Red Cross humanitarian work across the country and around the world.

Who Blood Donations Help

Every two seconds in the United States blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant procedures, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.

Because of generous donors, the Red Cross is able to provide blood products to patients like 11-year-old Mae Rainey, who needs regular blood transfusions as part of her treatment for a blood disorder.

“I am very grateful for the opportunities that the Red Cross has given us to get her to her healthiest state,” said Caleb Rainey, Mae’s older brother.

Watch Mae’s story to learn how blood donations can make a lifesaving difference.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Bridgeport

7/11/2016: 1 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Burroughs Community Center, 2470 Fairfield Avenue

Wilton

7/11/2016: 1 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Wilton Congregational Church, 70 Ridgefield Rd.

Greenwich

7/11/2016: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Temple Sholom, 300 East Putnam Avenue

Monroe

7/11/2016: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Dunkin Donuts / Baskin Robbins, 135 Main Street

Fairfield

7/13/2016: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Fairfield Police, 100 Reef Rd

Redding Center

7/13/2016: 12:45 p.m. – 6 p.m., First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 Cross Hwy, P.O Box 1055

Stamford

7/13/2016: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Pitney Bowes World Headquarters, 3001 Summer Street

Darien

7/14/2016: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Noroton Presbyterian Church, 2011 Post Road

Trumbull

7/14/2016: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., St. Joseph’s Center, 6448 Main Street

Brookfield

7/15/2016: 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Raymour & Flanigan, 14 Candlewood Lake Road

Norwalk

7/15/2016: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Norwalk Hospital, Maple Street

Shelton

7/15/2016: 8 a.m. – 1:45 p.m., R.D. Scinto Towers, 2 Corporate Drive

New Canaan

7/19/2016: 1 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Saint Mark’s Church, 111 Oenoke Ridge Road

Danbury

7/20/2016: 12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Danbury Hospital, Hospital Ave

7/20/2016: 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Danbury Hospital, Hospital Ave

Shelton

7/21/2016: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 188 Rocky Rest Road

Ridgefield

7/21/2016: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Ridgefield Community Center, 316 Main Street, Lounsbury House

Fairfield

7/21/2016: 1:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Center, 1719 Post Road

Stamford

7/23/2016: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Court

Danbury

7/24/2016: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Brazilian Community Center, 61 Liberty Street

Newtown

7/5/2016: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West St.

7/5/2016: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West St.

Fairfield

7/6/2016: 1 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Trinity Baptist Church, 300 North Benson Road

Bridgeport

7/6/2016: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Bridgeport Hospital, 267 Grant Street

7/6/2016: 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Bridgeport Hospital, 267 Grant Street

Ridgefield

7/7/2016: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., St. Mary’s School, 183 High Ridge Avenue

Stratford

7/7/2016: 1 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Knights of Columbus, 2252 Main Street

Bethel

7/7/2016: 1:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m., Municipal Center, 1 School Street

Greenwich

7/8/2016: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Church, 178 Greenwich Avenue

Stamford

7/9/2016: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Court

Easton

7/9/2016: 8 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., Easton Volunteer Fire Company, 1 Center Road

Monroe

7/9/2016: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, 733 Monroe Turnpike

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Jason Didne of Jungle Gym Jam.

Jason Didne, with his wife Amy, are an acoustic duo that will perform rock music for preschoolers at the Ridgefield Library on Saturday, July 9. Calling their band Jungle Gym Jam, the performance is for families with children ages 5 and under. It will be held in the Main Program Room on the library’s lower level from 11:30 to 12:15 p.m. Children need to be accompanied by an adult. The concert is free and is sponsored by the Friends of the Ridgefield Library. For information see junglegymjam.com or call the library at 203-438-2282 ext. 12002.

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The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Committee is planning a pool party at the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield on July 8 from 6-8 p.m. for a get-together to learn more about fund’s host family program. Volunteer hosts will share their experiences hosting New York City children and can answer any questions. Refreshments and food will be provided by the local National Charity League, and the Boys & Girls Club has a basketball court and outdoor activities in addition to swimming.

Each summer, nearly 4,000 inner-city children visit suburban, rural and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program. Fresh Air children are boys and girls, from six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for one or two weeks. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with The Fresh Air Fund through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips. More than 65 percent of all children are reinvited to stay with their host families.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. For more information about hosting a Fresh Air child, contact Lisa Braden-Harder / 1-571-426-3094 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org

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These three letters will start appearing in The Press and throughout town with more frequency in the coming weeks, along with an explanation of what they mean.

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Plans for the construction of five single-family houses on an acre at the corner of Main and Gilbert streets — Michael Eppoliti’s 509 Main Street project — continue moving through the town’s bureaucratic approval process.

Draft approvals for a special permit under zoning and a related wetlands permit for the project were passed on two unanimous votes of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Inland Wetlands Board Tuesday night, June 27. The draft approvals mean the final wording of both resolutions will come back to the dual-duty land use agency for one more review before final votes on the plans — probably on July 12.

“Thank you,” Eppoliti said before leaving the meeting.

The Planning and Zoning Commission had previously approved a rezoning of the property to the Main Street Design District or MSDD zone, which allows up to six units an acre and was created a few years ago to accommodate redevelopment of the former Elms Inn property, across the street from Eppoliti’s one-acre plot.

The site is served by water and sewer lines, and at previous hearing sessions, the principal concern raised by neighbors was that the project would add to storm runoff downstream at Casagmo.

Eppoliti’s attorney, Robert Jewell, described the project as “attractive high-end residential development” that would benefit Ridgefield and Main Street. Two of the five houses front on Main Street, and three will face onto Gilbert. Each house has its own design by architect Jeff Mose, mixing elements like front porches, towers, gambrel roofs that echo other Main Street architecture. Although they are designed as single family homes, the land will be held in common — like a condominium. Jewell said there would be a “common, intercommunity declaration” to assure that the homeowners association has means enough to ensure upkeep of the property.

“This will be a credit to the town, and great for the very prominent location,” Jewell said in a closing statement for the public hearing, which has been extended a number of times.

The property at the corner of Gilbert and Main streets currently holds a big old house, converted to apartments years ago, which appears to be in need of paint.

Eppoliti and some partners bought the property a year or two back from local barber Rocco Valeri, who at one point had plans for a 14-unit redevelopment of the site approved under the state’s 8-30g affordable housing law, but never acted on the approval.

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The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch from noon Thursday through the afternoon.

The watch area includes southern Fairfield County, northern New Jersey, New York City and Nassau and southern Westchester counties.

Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms should develop and move across the watch area Thursday afternoon. The thunderstorms could produce very heavy rain, up to two inches in a short period of time. Rainfall of this magnitude could cause flash flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

Residents should monitor latest forecasts and prepare to take action should flash flooding occur.

If driving, never drive through water in the road during heavy rain as it may be deeper than it appears.

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The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Committee is planning a pool party at the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield on July 8 from 6-8 p.m. for a get-together to learn more about fund’s host family program. Volunteer hosts will share their experiences hosting New York City children and can answer any questions. Refreshments and food will be provided by the local National Charity League, and the Boys & Girls Club has a basketball court and outdoor activities in addition to swimming.

Each summer, nearly 4,000 inner-city children visit suburban, rural and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program. Fresh Air children are boys and girls, from six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for one or two weeks. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with The Fresh Air Fund through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips. More than 65 percent of all children are reinvited to stay with their host families.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. For more information about hosting a Fresh Air child, contact Lisa Braden-Harder / 1-571-426-3094 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org

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Layla

Layla, one of our newest residents and a real bundle of energy, hails from Saint Augustine, Fla., the oldest city in the country. She is a two-year-old black and tan Miniature Pinscher mix with the most adorable floppy ears and an endearing little grin. She is good on a leash and loves to go on walks, delicately prancing along the sidewalk like the little princess she is, stopping periodically to be admired by smitten passersby. Curious about everything in her new environs, she enjoys meeting other dogs, some cats, and all humans (and is very generous with her kisses).

She’s a confident, sociable gal who would be happy living with a young active family with a bucket full of tennis balls for her to chase. We don’t know her back history, but she clearly has been taught her basic manners and is eager to find a Yankee home to call her own. Like all of ROAR’s animals, Layla has been spayed and is up to date on all her vaccinations.

Come meet her or her other “roommates” at the ROAR Donofrio Family Animal Shelter. 45 South Street, Ridgefield. We are open Sundays 12 to 2 p.m., Mondays 11 to 3 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays 11 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays 11 to 3 p.m. For information visit roar-ridgefield.org or call 203-438-0158.

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