The Hebron Historical Society

For the 22^nd consecutive year, Hebron Historical Society will be welcoming visitors to their annual Quilt Show, with over a hundred quilts displayed at Old Town Hall, located adjacent to the Douglas Library right in the center of Hebron.

Nathalie Peltier-Horton is again hosting the show. If you have a quilt you’d like to display, please contact Peltier-Horton at 860-645-8421.

“This is a Quilt Show that is very unique every year due to Nathalie’s creativity,” said Maple Fest Coordinator Annie Piggott. “She collects different quilts of all styles and colors, and artistically displays them in a manner that makes each show unique.” Visitors are allowed to photograph (but not touch) the quilts, so remember to bring your cameras!

Hebron Historical Society is pleased to announce that Area of Refuge, a local worship band from The Worship Center, Hebron, CT will be performing this year in front of Old Town Hall. “We are blending our past and our future with the addition of these bands to our traditional events,” said Annie Piggott, HHS Maple Fest Coordinator.

Area of Refuge is a band made up of inspired youths from The Worship Center Church in Hebron, CT. Band members are Kyle O’Connor, Paul Billard, Mark Billard, Billy O’Connor, and CJ Yopp. Eleanor Page (not pictured) is the female vocalist and guitarist. This young group (aged 11-15) regularly leads Youth Worship with upbeat contemporary Christian music, and also enjoys playing some popular music as well. There are several others who join the group at times, and members are always looking for other youths who would like to join in when they rehearse and worship weekly. “Come see us at the Maple Fest, or join us at The Worship Center!,” said Yopp.

Area of Refuge will be playing at Maple Fest on Sunday, March 13 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., also just west of the entrance to Old Town Hall. For more information on Area of Refuge, contact Lisa Yopp at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Caption: Area of Refuge, a local worship band which has already excelled at numerous shows and competitions, will make their public debut at Hebron's Maple Fest on Sunday, March 13 from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Hebron Historical Society is pleased to announce that local bands will be performing this year in front of Old Town Hall. “We are blending our past and our future with the addition of these bands to our traditional events,” said Annie Piggott, HHS Maple Fest Coordinator.

Dino & The No-Names is a local rock music band that consists entirely of RHAM students. (Think Columbia Fields, all RHAM musicians who have since opened for Bon Jovi!) All the students are currently freshman at RHAM High School. Though young in age, the band has an obvious maturity level in their music.

Dino & The No-Names have been playing together for about a year and a half. Dino Marino (guitar, tenor sax, lead vocals and songwriter), Ryan DiPasquale (vibraphone, organ, and backup vocals), and Tom D’Auria (drums) were all involved in a program since 5th or 6th grade called “Jazz for Juniors,” coordinated by Dominic Marino and sponsored by the AHM Youth Organization. Jake Fenton (bass) and Dan Busa (guitar and backup vocals) joined Dino & The No-Names in middle school.

All the boys started playing instruments in elementary school under the direction of Stephanie Bancroft, and have been playing since at least the fourth grade.

Dino & The No-Names has played for dances at RHAM Middle School, Epoch Arts in East Hampton, Marlborough Day, private parties, and at RHAM High School’s Benefit Concert. Their most recent gig was a benefit concert for the Marlborough Food Bank and Hebron Interfaith Human Services, which they organized themselves and raised almost $800.00 for their local communities.

The band claims as its influences the Rolling Stones, Beatles, John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen and the Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, along with other classic rock bands. They currently have more than 18 original songs, in addition to another dozen plus songs that Dino is working on with his father, Dom.

Dominic Marino, who composed the words and music for “Hebron Rocks” in honor of Hebron’s 300th anniversary celebration, featured in the Society’s Quest for Home play, is a professional musician who has opened for and played with many famous acts, including Alan Gorrie of the Average White Band, Robert Cray, and Lou Reed.

Dino & The No-Names will play just west of the entrance of Old Town Hall on Saturday, March 12, from 2:00 until 3:00 p.m., and again on Sunday, March 13, from 11:30 until 12:30 p.m. This upcoming band, sure to have a fantastic future, is also available for private parties and events. Contact DB Management at 860-228-8194 or email dinoandtheThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Mark your calendars!  will be the featured speaker at Hebron Historical Society’s February 24 meeting.

In April 2003, Pomprowicz participated in a preservation planning survey. The consultant suggested that a local history collection be created with the documents dating 1780-1850, found in the Old Records Building. To do this, the collection needed to be re-housed, cataloged, and a means created to provide access to these historic documents.

“The documents are in good condition for their age, 1780-1850, but they needed protection from further deterioration and risk of loss,” said Pomprowicz. “There were approximately twelve cubic feet of records stored in cardboard file drawers and seem to be in some order. I didn’t feel I had the expertise to determine what that order might be. They were all folded, dated, and tied with string.”

She was later able to obtain a grant from the Connecticut State Library, and with the help of many community volunteers, hired a consultant who made recommendations on how to properly document what the group found. “The historical information contained in these records provides evidence of the culture, politics, religious beliefs, and economy of this 1780-1850 time period in Hebron. A diverse group of people lived in this community. Important political figures, religious figures, business professionals, slaves, Indians, farmers, the poor, the indigent, and the insane resided in Hebron during this time. This collection is as unique as the time period and is the missing link of evidence that will benefit the community by filling a void in a historical timeline. For the first time in modern history this collection will be protected and will be made accessible to the public.”

Pomprowicz will be sharing many of the interesting documents that the group uncovered, and discuss how the information has been catalogued for easier research.

The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at Hebron’s Old Town Hall, located just east of the intersection of Routes 66 and 85, and adjacent to the Douglas Library. Plenty of parking is available, with overflow parking located across the street behind Century 21.

Light refreshments will be served; donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, contact Program Chair Louise Casarella at 860-643-9288.

Testimonies of a Quiet New England Town, written and directed by local resident Matthew Troy and produced by Hebron Historical Society, is now a scheduled workshop for the upcoming Connecticut Council for the Social Studies conference. The event is scheduled for Friday, October 30 at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

Christopher Ambrose, a retired teacher and actor in the film, and Gregory Farmer, Agricola, Inc., served as Curriculum Specialists in developing educational materials to supplement the film. They will be lead presenters at the conference, with Executive Producer Karyl Evans (Karyl Evans Productions LLC) and Producer Donna McCalla (Hebron Historical Society) as secondary presenters.

“We are excited to present Testimonies to Connecticut’s Social Studies teachers,” said McCalla. “One of our goals in the original project was to provide a copy of the film and supplemental educational materials to all 169 Connecticut school boards. We are grateful for the support of the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism in bringing this story to Connecticut students and classrooms.”

Ambrose and Farmer worked collaboratively on educational modules – all of which are geared to Connecticut Mastery Test requirements – for a variety of grade levels based on the 2008 draft of Connecticut’s new educational standards. Modules included are for 3rd and 4th grades; 5th and 6th grades; 7th and 8th grades; and high school students. Each module will be individually bound for easy distribution for classroom teachers.

“I’ve included classroom exercises in language arts, mathematics, and writing,” said Ambrose. “This is a great way to share Hebron’s early anti-slavery efforts in a way that can positively affect student mastery test scores.

Local Hebron resident Jeff Gonci created the DVD imprint and jewel case artwork, and is currently working on the artwork for the educational module covers. Printing of the entire teacher package is expected to be completed by mid-November, with distribution shortly thereafter.