Racing In The Street

Turns out there will be a soap box derby on Main Street this summer after all. Get set for the races on Sunday, June 13, the 225th anniversary of the founding of Bristol.

It had appeared that the Main Street streetscape project would collide with the plans for the races, but -- I know you'll be shocked to learn this, shocked -- the state approval for the streetscape project isn't in yet and that's why the city can't move forward.

It's the state's money, so I guess they can reserve the right to give the project the thumbs up or not, and in this case, it works out nicely for the Bristol Historical Society, which is leading the charge to celebrate the city's 225th anniversary. So the race gets a green light and the project will start a little later in June.

I wrote about it for Wednesday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com).

If anyone out there in blogville is a former soap box derby racer who wants to reminisce, let me know! Email me at jmajerus@bristolpress.com.

Hospital Back on Its Feet

I just got back from a visit to Bristol Hospital to find out what was happening after we heard it was temporarily closed due to an emergency.

The bottom line is the hospital is pretty much back to normal after a broken gasket on a steam pipe left it without heat, hot water or steam.

Most patients probably never noticed a thing. The emergency room never closed. No one was hurt or evacuated.

Elective surgeries for today, Monday, and tomorrow, Tuesday, were rescheduled, and the gasket and pipe situation is being fixed.

Emergency! Bristol Hospital Temporarily Closed

I just heard from the mayor's office that Bristol Hospital is closed... no steam, no heat, no water. I'll be trying to find out what I can asap.

The emergency room is closed, for now.

If you know anything, please call me right away at 860-523-9632.

More Little League on ESPN

Here's the latest news on ESPN and its Little League coverage, for those who might be interested:

ESPN to Expand Coverage of Little League Baseball Regional Tournaments

ESPN will add 14 regional semifinal games to its schedule of Little League Baseball Tournaments, beginning this summer. Last year, ESPN televised eight Little League Baseball regional tournament games – the championships of the eight regions. Collectively, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will present 22 regional games and up to 56 total games of the Little League Baseball International Tournament.

“We’re delighted to grow our coverage of the Little League regional semis,” said Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president, programming and acquisitions. “The Little League World Series merits more national attention as one of the leading sports events in the dog days of summer. We can capture more stories from expanding our coverage of the eight regions in the United States.”

Stephen Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said: “We are pleased ESPN has decided to expand its coverage of the Little League Baseball International Tournament. I think this shows ESPN believes the core values of Little League Baseball and Softball are meaningful to its viewers. There also is an increasing fan interest in tournament play in all eight divisions of Little League tournament play. We are thankful to have ESPN as a media partner to help us promote the benefits of the Little League experience.”

Beginning August 10, ESPN will add the Southwest Region semifinals from Waco, Texas; the two semifinals from the Mid-Atlantic Region in Bristol, Conn.; semifinal games in the Great Lakes and Midwest Regions held in Indianapolis; semifinal games in the Northwest and West Regions in San Bernardino, Calif.; and Southeast Region semifinals in Warner Robins, Ga.

Overall, ESPN2 will televise 12 of the regional semifinal games, which will also be available via ESPN3.com. Two of the regional semifinals will appear exclusively on ESPN3.com. All games will be carried live.

The entire schedule of Little League Baseball and Softball International Tournament games will be made available in June.

Just Another Day at ESPN

I'm back from another pleasant visit to ESPN. This time, I toured their newest and largest (and greenest) building -- very cool. Then they upstaged their own story, which included a visit by Gov. Jodi Rell, by holding an irresistable event.

They invited several Bristol girls who play high school basketball onto the campus as part of a celebration of the WNBA draft. Top WNBA draft picks were on hand to share their thoughts with the high school girls, who were thrilled to hear what they had to say and really excited to be inside ESPN.

I talked to almost all of the Bristol girls and none of them had set foot inside ESPN, ever.

Hats off to ESPN for opening that door for those hometown girls and offering support for women's basketball over the years.

The future WNBA stars impressed me as thoughtful, appreciative and quite generous in what they shared with the Bristol girls. I walked away impressed with every one of them.

Clock Museum Offers Clock ID

On Saturday, the clock museum will take a peek at your American made timepiece and give you some information about it, for a small fee. Here's what the museum sent about it:

The American Clock & Watch Museum, 100 Maple Street, Bristol, CT, has announced the date for its upcoming clock identification. The clock identification will be held on Saturday, April 10th from 10-12. Patrons will be guided by our staff to discover information about one special American-made clock. A fee of $10.00 will be charged for one clock evaluation. Additional clocks, up to a maximum of three, will be evaluated for a fee of $5 per clock. For more information about this event, contact the museum (860-583-6070) or consult the website www.clockandwatchmuseum.org

Fuzzy Face at City Hall

What's daring for Democratic Registrar Bob Badal?
Facial hair.
Bob, who is one of my favorite people at City Hall, has grown a face full of hair, a big, fuzzy, salt and pepper beard.
For the typically cleanshaven Bob, it's pretty much a walk on the wild side.
Bearded or shaved, he's still a friendly guy who's willing to help anyone who needs it.
Maybe someone at City Hall can grab a photo and send it to me and I'll post it.