A Sweet Gift for Old Lyme

When a hurricane hits, it's a disaster. But when it forces towns to cancel Halloween, well, that's a tragedy that kids can really relate to no matter where they live.

When Superstorm Sandy struck, Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder heard from a friend in Michigan who called to see how things were going. When her friend learned that Halloween had been canceled, she decided to mobilize people in her small village of Dimondale, Michigan, to do something to help.

Elementary school children and girl scouts in Dimondale took up a collection, amassing a whopping 107 pounds of candy that local businesses in Michigan paid to ship to Old Lyme in time for the rescheduled Halloween festivities. 

"A hundred and seven pounds is a lot of candy and we did our best to give it all away," said Reemsnyder. But believe it or not, there is such a thing as too much candy and at the end of Old Lyme's Trick or Treat down Lyme Street, the town found it still had a lot left over. 

Don't worry, though, it's not going to waste. Old Lyme Boy Scouts are in the process of repackaging it to send along to U.S. troops stationed overseas this holiday season.

In recognition of this sweet gift that keeps on giving, the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen issued a special proclamation yesterday dedicating Thanksgiving to the village of Dimondale, Michigan.

"It reminds us of all we can be grateful for," said Reemsnyder.