Sunday Mornings In Sandy Hook––

Buy Fresh Vegetables, Stroll Beside The Pootatuck

By Dottie Evans

The historic hamlet of Sandy Hook is well on its way to being Farmers’ Market Central for Western Connecticut.

First, the Sandy Hook Organic Farmers’ Market opened a year ago in the field behind St John’s Episcopal Church and celebrated its second season beginning last Tuesday, July 6. Running from 9 am to 2 pm, the all-organic market will be held every Tuesday through October 12.

Now, a second farmers’ market organized by local businessman and property owner Mike Porco is set to open Sunday, July 18, just around the corner and down the way at 1 Glen Road. It has been in the planning stages for more than a year following Planning and Zoning approvals gained in April 2003, and it will be called the Sandy Hook Village Farmers’ Market.

Affiliated with the State of Connecticut’s list of more than 30 farmers who offer “Connecticut Grown” produce, this new market will run on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm.

As the weeks go by and crops ripen, Mr Porco anticipates that more and more Connecticut farmers will participate. So far, the Cedar Hill Farm of Newtown, the Mitchell Farm of Southbury, and the Vaszauskas Farm of Middlebury are among the first exhibitors.

In preparation for the event, Mr Porco has finished an extensive parking lot at the property that will hold approximately 82 cars.

“The completion and grading for the parking area was critical,” said Mr Porco.

“Eventually, we hope to have more farmers as well as crafts and quilts to sell,” he added during an interview held July 8.

“This is a not-for-profit venture. I don’t plan to charge rent for their use of the space. I’m just hoping the Sunday market will draw more families into Sandy Hook and help revitalize the area.”

 

Stone Wall, Walkway, And Fountain

The area where Mr Porco anticipates holding the Sunday morning market includes several acres bordering the eastern bank of the scenic Pootatuck River that may be accessed off Glen Road, just behind the Glen Road buildings also owned by him. It is a beautiful area that has always drawn people together, he explained.

“Years ago, in the 1920s and 1930s, the Sandy Hook Fire Department held carnivals here.”

To enhance the farmers’ market as well as to provide a safe walking path around its perimeter, Mr Porco has laid down a textured and colored concrete walkway along the river in front of the lawn area where the exhibitors will set up their tables.

More than a year ago, he constructed an 800-foot-long stone retaining wall on eastern banks of the Pootatuck, complete with stone steps down to the water. The wall stabilizes the bank and provides an attractive view from businesses and parking areas on the Church Hill Road side of the river. A split rail fence along the stone wall provides a safety barrier.

Two artistic enhancements to the open air park along the Pootatuck are a large, raised stage with four white columns reminiscent of Roman ruins that might be used for outdoor concerts or plays, and a stone fountain that pumps water drawn from the river. The spray cascading down the rocks provides a cooling splash for birds and people alike.

 

Plans Along The Pootatuck

Eventually, Mike Porco would like to develop his Church Hill Road and Glen Road properties into a commercial center that would include shopping, business, restaurants, and outdoor cultural events using the river as the focal point.

He envisions a pedestrian-friendly cultural and commercial center akin to what the towns of Kent, New Preston, and Washington Depot now enjoy, key to the revitalization of Sandy Hook Center. He has joined with other local businesspeople and property owners in the ongoing effort to bring this about.

Mr Porco’s current inventory includes buildings that house a children’s haircutting salon, a karate studio, a toy store, and office space. Subway has just recently opened at 117 Church Hill Road in the building nearby the bridge at the intersection with Glen Road. Other historic buildings remain unoccupied, including one that Mr Porco said was once an operating blacksmith shop.

The signature property is the Brick Building that once housed the dry goods store operated by three generations of the Hawley Warner family beginning in 1831. Occasionally used as temporary election headquarters, Mr Porco is in the process of finalizing plans now to bring a restaurant into that space.

He also has plans to construct a 4,095-square foot commercial building at 5-C Glen Road nearby the newly completed parking lot. “I’d like to see a bank go in there,” he added.

Finally, he would like to build a pedestrian bridge across the Pootatuck River connecting his properties along Church Hill Road with those on Glen Road. In appearance, it would be similar to the century-old pedestrian span that crosses the Pootatuck on the west side of Church Hill Road.

Knowing it will take time to bring about all these changes and improvements, Mike Porco hopes the Sandy Hook Village Farmers’ Market opening this Sunday (and running every Sunday through October) will help accelerate this process.

Mr Porco, owner of Porco’s Karate Academy at 113 Church Hill Road, maintains a business office on the second floor of that building. He may be reached at 426-2427, and Elizabeth Mannen is business administrator.