School district offices also will be closed.

The Kindergarten Enrichment Program includes Wednesday and Thursday sessions starting at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with such titles as “Keeping Warm” (about how animals stay warm in winter), “Feed the Birds,” “Magical Maples,” “Fair Houses and Wizard Castles,” “Awesome Amphibians,” and many more.

Family Programs, offered on Saturdays, include “Local Owls” and “Family Maple Sugaring.” Download a complete listing and description of courses, including time and fee schedules from the link below. You can preregister for all programs at Madison Beach & Recreation, Madison Town Campus, (203) 245-5623
www.madisonrec.com

Bauer Park Program Guide – 2011

Jaquell Jackson (from Facebook)

Richard Kos, 53, of 18 Green Springs Drive, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with or fabricate evidence, second-degree reckless endangerment, and permitting minors to possess alcohol. Susanne Kos, 52, was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, and permitting minors to possess alcohol, and James L. Kos, 19, was charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence, and possession of alcohol by a minor. An arrest warrant was issued for a fourth family member, Matthew L. Kos, 27, who is out of state, on a charge of permitting a minor to possess alcohol.

A fifth man, Christian Stockinger, 19, of 11 Tuthill Street in West Haven, was charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence, and possession of alcohol by a minor.

All of the local suspects turned themselves in voluntarily to Madison police and were released on $5,000 non surety bonds. They are scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court on January 18.

Police have said Richard and Susanne Kos were home during a party where underage drinking allegedly took place. Jackson, a West Haven resident, died early on the morning following the party. Jackson was among the group of young people who were drinking at the house.

Authorities say no ambulance was called when Jackson was in need of medical attention that morning. Instead, he was transported by someone who attended the party to the Yale-New Haven Shoreline Medical Center in Guilford. The staff at that facility attempted to revive Jackson, but were unsuccessful.

The mission of the Madison Challenge is to actively support a better quality of life by promoting and enjoying healthy attitudes, habits and lifestyles. This program will help residents incorporate more health, fitness and well-being into their daily lives and observe the benefits of better performance and quality of life.

The program starts off in January to help with achieving goals set for New Year’s resolutions. The challenge is not necessarily about losing weight or running marathons, it is about implementing at least one healthier habit and embracing a lifestyle of wellness that you can pass down through generations and inspire a culture of accountability for your own well-being. This is a great opportunity to lead by example and show your family, friends, co-workers and entire community that you can focus more on improving your health.

Morello believes that “in every audience is a kid like I was in high school. A kid that just needs to know despite the confusion and strange things that life presents he is more than just dirt.” The New York Times calls the show “Mordantly Funny”…”a new weapon in the war against bad choices: laughter. Gloriously irreverent laughter.”

Santa and Mrs. Claus meet Madison's children / Chris Kilbourne, InsideMadison

This week’s Photo of the Week shows Madison children discussing their wish lists with Santa and Mrs. Claus in front of Cafe Allegre following the Dec. 4 Christmas Parade through downtown Madison, CT.

We invite our readers to submit their own photos for possible selection as an upcoming Photo of the Week. We ask that you please follow these simple rules:

• Send your photos as an email attachment to mail@insidemadison.com.
• All photos should be of places and/or people in Madison, CT, and should be accompanied by the name of the photographer (for credit purposes), and a description of what is in the photo (and the date when the photo was taken, if possible).
• Not all photo submissions will be published. We will try to publish as many as possible. We will send you an email if your photo is published so you can encourage your friends and family to view it.
• By submitting a photo you give InsideMadison permission to publish the photo. You retain ownership of the photo but you grant InsideMadison the right to use it on the website, including for possible promotional purposes.
• Limit your submissions to no more than 3 photos per week.
• Don’t submit the same photo more than once. The more you personalize your photo’s description, the better.
• Don’t submit copyrighted material, and only submit photos that you took yourself or have permission to submit.

“Winter Concert – a Holiday Musical Celebration” is sponsored by Essex Savings Bank and will feature the Trinity Girls Choir and the Elm City Girls Choir. The choirs’ repertoire of music will include music from Hanukkah as well as traditional Christmas carols and popular holiday songs. The Constitution Brass Quintet will bookend the singers with a classical musical prelude and postlude.

This year’s concert is a benefit for The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries which serves a meal each day at sites along the shoreline and has grocery distribution centers in Clinton, Old Saybrook, Westbrook, and Old Lyme.

The general admittance fee for adults is $20, $15 for seniors and students. The admittance fee for all children 12 and under is a donation of non-perishable food item(s) at the door, or $5. Food items brought by children will benefit the Madison Community Services food bank that provides groceries to Madison residents in need.

Tickets are available at the Madison Super Stop & Stop service desk with a limited number available at the door just prior to the concert. For more information, call 203-245-0615.