🌱It's Pumpkin Spice Time + Chester Food Drive + CT Colleges Rank High

Hi all. It's me, Karena Garrity, your host of the Daily. Let's get this Tuesday started off right, with a quick dive into everything you need to know about what's going on in town these days.

First, today's weather:

Showers and a heavier t-storm. High: 80 Low: 60.

Here are the top three stories today in Essex-Chester-Deep River:

1. According to a Facebook post by the town of Chester, "American Legion Post 97 in Chester is organizing a non-perishable food drive to benefit the Chester Food Pantry at a time of need. It will be held in St. Joseph's Parish Center parking lot on Saturday, September 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please come by." Hope to see you there! (Town of Chester)
2. So how do Connecticut colleges and universities rank against others nationwide? According to a recent article by Patch staff member Rich Kirby, "twenty-two colleges and universities in Connecticut are among higher education institutions included in the 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings released Monday by U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News has been publishing the respected guide for prospective students and families for nearly 40 years." (Patch)
3. If you are anything like me, you wait all year for this time of year and savor every last minute of fall in New England that you can. For some, that means mass ingestion of anything and everything pumpkin spice related. What used to be restricted to seasonal coffee flavors and candle scents has now erupted into a full fledge onslaught of pumpkin spice mania. The craze has crept into unexpected products such as deodorants, ramen noodles and even SPAM. This unofficial flavor of fall, according to the Kearney Consumer Institute, elicits a warm and fuzzy feeling in most. So stock up and enjoy, or don't. Your choice! (Patch)

Today in Essex-Chester-Deep River:

• Children's Take and Make Craft - Essex Library Association (All day)
• Bird Show by River Valley Artists (9 a.m.)
• Historical Fiction Book Group - Essex Library Association (10:30 a.m.)
• RiverFire Glass Fuseday Tuesday @ 3 & 6 PM (3 p.m.)
• ONLINE Jackbox Game Night For 18-20 Somethings Tuesday September 13th 6:00pm (6 p.m.)
• Estate Planning with Attorney Erin Duques: Connecticut’s Probate Process: What is it? Why do we need it? (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Chester CT Historical Society: "Counting down till Saturday evening, when we wrap up our Creative Challenge auction at our reception at the Chester Meeting House. We hope you're able to join us that evening (5-7 p.m.)." (Chester CT Historical Society via Facebook)
• Town of Essex – Government: "Recycling more at home does not require much effort if you spend some time to create a comprehensive recycling system. Here are some simple tips to recycle more effectively at home: 1. Flatten cardboard boxes so that you can fit more recyclables into your bin. 2. All plastic bottles can be recycled, from water bottles to salad dressing, so put all of them in your recycling container. 3. It is not just newspapers that you can recycle at home. Also, recycle wrapping paper, envelopes, birthday cards and phone books. All sorts of cardboard can be recycled, too, even toilet and paper towel tubes." (Town of Essex – Government via Facebook)
• Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau: "Save the date! Saturday September 24, compassion story hour and a craft for littles from 3-6 years old!" (Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau via Facebook)
• Ivoryton Library Association: "We hope you'll join us for an #OwnVoices Zoom discussion of the movie, "Just Mercy," with award-winning film professor Bob Kagan. Find out more and register here: https://ivorytonlibrary.org/book-clubs/ownvoices-book-club/" (Ivoryton Library Association via Facebook)
• Town of Essex – Government: "The next Household Hazardous Waste event is Saturday September 17!" (Town of Essex – Government via Facebook)
• Essex Library: "Teen TGIF returns! (grades 7-12) September 30 from 3:30-4:30, grab your friends and hang out at the library! We will have snacks, Nintendo Switch games, coloring pages, drawing books, gel pens and more!" (Essex Library via Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with your next update!

— Karena Garrity

About me: I am a native of Connecticut, who currently resides in the Tri-Town community of Chester, Deep River and Essex. I have been a community reporter for the better part of the past 20 years. I love my small town community and I am honored to be a part of Patch.com. You can reach me at; karena.garrity@patch.com.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily? Contact me at karena.garrity@patch.com