Sunflower Festival Provides Hope for Heat This Winter for Easton’s Sister City in Ukraine

The Sunflower Festival held on Aug. 6 at the SSES sunflower field planted by Irv Silverman was very well attended and enjoyed by all. Thanks to a spectacular petting zoo, George the pony, Henna Tattoos, arts and crafts activities, Shaggy Coos homemade gelato, Decadent Dogs food truck, a seven-foot sunflower balloon arch and amazing weather, we got closer to our goal of purchasing a wood pellet producing machine for our sister city.

To date, we have purchased a dump truck for clearing rubble, seeds to plant Victory food gardens and a water filtration system for clean drinking water – all because of the generosity of Easton donors.

Our next goal as a town is to purchase a wood pellet making machine in order for Sviatohirsk residents to heat their homes during their harsh winters. They have been cut off from the coal supply they would ordinarily use, and have no way to keep warm.

The Easton-Sviatohirsk Sister City Steering Committee is putting out a plea to all Easton residents to please donate so that we are able to purchase the pellet machine for the town as soon as possible We need approximately $20,000 in additional donations to do so.

A big thank you to the Easton-based individuals who generously donated their time and talent to make the Sunflower Festival possible:

• First and foremost, we would like to thank Irv Silverman for planting this field as a beautiful reminder of the citizens of Ukraine, each time we pass by SSES. Visit Silverman’s Farm for fruit picking, animal farm and fresh produce! https://www.silvermansfarm.com

• Jake Conover of both Silverman’s and Shaggy Coos Farm In Easton for all of his help setting up, providing tents and tables, and Brittany Conover for selling delicious home made Shaggy Coos Gelato.Visit their amazing farm store with meats, fresh dairy products and more! https://www.shaggycoos.farm

• Farm to Heart Petting Zoo and Pony Rides, Easton. Kristin Letsch. Available for parties, fairs, school and business events and more! 2032430882.  TheFarmtoHeart.org

• Henna Tattoos. Available for your events. Samangini Kalita.  (475) 257-1919

• Decadent Dog Food Truck (Licensed and permitted for Easton events  https://www.decadentdogfoodtruck.com

• Allison and Abby Bonoff, Nina lomigora, Brooke Levine, Kaitlyn Chamberlain, Sebastian McCrea, Sid Kalita, and Pinakshi Barooah for volunteering their time.

• Ballon Whimsy. Patty Jurgielewicz. 203 943 9283. balloonwhimzy@gmail.com and https://www.facebook.com/BalloonWhimzy

• The dedicated Easton-Sviatohirsk Sister City Steering Committee created by our First Selectman.

The Easton-Sviatohirsk Sister City Steering Committee and Christ Church of Easton will also be co-hosting an Outdoor Concert Sunday, Sept. 10 from 3 – 5 p.m. at Christ Church featuring Irena Hart and Friends, who will perform Ukrainian songs and popular American favorites. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for kids. The concert will move indoors if it rains. The Eventbrite tickets will be available for purchase soon.

Please consider making a difference by donating towards the purchasing of a pellet making machine for the citizens of Sviatohirsk by visiting the following link or scanning the QR code, where you can use Apple Pay or Credit Card: https://donorbox.org/sviatohirsk-easton-sister-cities.