{"id":359,"date":"2013-11-26T20:54:40","date_gmt":"2013-11-27T01:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/proto.derby-sheltonrotary.org\/?p=359"},"modified":"2017-03-14T20:55:36","modified_gmt":"2017-03-15T00:55:36","slug":"thanksgiving-football-luncheon-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/blog\/thanksgiving-football-luncheon-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving Football Luncheon 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lV9oG0lugFc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">The Valley Independent&#8217;s Ethan Fry reported this story from the 2013 Derby-Shelton Rotary Club Thanksgiving Football Luncheon:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Pride. Respect. History. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Those were the words that came up time and again Tuesday during the annual Derby-Shelton Rotary Club Thanksgiving Football Luncheon in advance of the turkey day rivalry matchup between the Shelton and Derby high school football teams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">The two teams have enjoyed more than a century of contests, and the traditional pregame gathering goes back nearly as far in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">About 75 players, coaches, town and school officials, and rotary club members were on hand for Tuesday\u2019s luncheon at the Russian Lodge on Shelton\u2019s Howe Avenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">And because the Valley Indy knows approximately as much about football as we do about quantum physics, you can<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><a title=\"check out NVL Blog's preview of the Derby-Shelton game, as well as other local Thanksgiving Day match-ups. \" href=\"http:\/\/nvlfootballblog.com\/2013\/11\/thanksgiving-predictions-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">check out<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"caps\">NVL<\/span><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Blog\u2019s preview of the Derby-Shelton game, as well as other local Thanksgiving Day match-ups.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">The Derby-Shelton Rotary Club\u2019s Stephen Balog organized Tuesday\u2019s luncheon. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a tradition,\u201d Balog said. \u201cThis is the big game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Bill Miller, the club\u2019s president, noted the rivalry goes back so far, \u201cno one\u2019s really sure\u201d just how many times the two teams have lined up against one another. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cThere were a couple years there where some funny things went on,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this is generational now at this point. It\u2019s fitting. Football is so important to this community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">The Rotary Club\u2019s Ed Sheehy served as master of ceremonies, and began Tuesday\u2019s event by stressing to players from both teams just how special the local tradition is. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cTraditions like this are very special,\u201d Sheehy said, urging players to take to heart what the game means to the communities on either side of the Housatonic River.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Shelton Head Coach Jeff Roy and Derby Head Coach George French then thanked their staffs and players before honoring their senior football players and cheerleaders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\"><b>Guest Speakers<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">The coaches also introduced an alumnus from each side to speak to players about the game. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">For Shelton, Drew Pickering, now the owner of Ansonia\u2019s Molto Bene Italian American Kitchen, told players a story that put sports in perspective. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Pickering had played freshman football at Shelton High before drifting away from the team his sophomore year. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">But a friend persuaded him to try out for the team the next year, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">The day he did, a shooting occurred at Elizabeth Shelton Elementary School that left<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><a title=\"three custodians dead in an apparent murder-suicide\" href=\"http:\/\/news.google.com\/newspapers?nid=1915&amp;dat=19880826&amp;id=zfcgAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=nHMFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=1317,5722676\" target=\"_blank\">three custodians dead in an apparent murder-suicide<\/a>. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Pickering said he had been working alongside them until that day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cI leave and I go and I start practice,\u201d Pickering said, his voice breaking. \u201cAnd that day, the shooting happens at the school, and I wasn\u2019t there. So football is different for me now. It wasn\u2019t really about winning or losing or anything at that point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Palmieri told the players gathered Tuesday to seize their opportunities. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">He said he had the option of college scholarships out of high school, but decided instead to take a couple years off. Things worked out for him, he noted, but not all are so lucky. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Palmieri also urged the players to be proud of being from the Valley \u2014 and that others wish they were. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">He recalled a trip to Disney World where he struck up a conversation with another Connecticut resident while waiting for a ride. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">When Palmieri said he was from Derby, the man joked there must be something in the water there. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">In Derby\u2019s case, anyway, Palmieri told the audience, that\u2019s somewhat true \u2014 growing up he traveled from his family\u2019s three-generation house on Smith Street to fill milk bottles from a \u201cnatural spring\u201d on North Avenue. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Until the late 1980s, when state officials tested the water from the spring, detected formaldehyde from the cemetery above in it and cemented over the water source. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cIf somebody ever says to you that \u2018It\u2019s in the water,\u2019 well, it was in the water,\u201d Palmieri said as the audience laughed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4em; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Sheehy closed the program with a simple request to players on both teams. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cLeave it all out on the field, boys,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"entryCtr\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; overflow-x: visible; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\"><b>\u2018No bets!\u2019<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">One departure from last year\u2019s game \u2014 there will be no pregame bet on the outcome between Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri and Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Last year they did, and Shelton won, 27-21. As a result,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><a title=\"Staffieri had to sing LMFAO's \u201cSexy and I Know It\u201d on WPLR.\" href=\"http:\/\/valley.newhavenindependent.org\/archives\/entry\/mayor_staffieri_sexy_and_he_knows_it\/\">Staffieri had to sing<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"caps\">LMFAO<\/span>\u2019s \u201cSexy and I Know It\u201d on<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"caps\">WPLR<\/span>.<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cNo bets!\u201d he said at the end of Tuesday\u2019s luncheon. \u201cI had to sing!\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Staffieri predicted a Thursday win for the 5-5 Red Raiders: \u201cDerby, 14-7.\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">Lauretti wasn\u2019t as specific, but backed his team to emerge victorious. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cWe should win,\u201d he said. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">The Gaels are better than their 6-4 record implies, the mayor added. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u201cWe\u2019ve played a lot of good teams this year,\u201d Lauretti said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"share\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; background: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\">\n<p class=\"socB\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0.33em 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; vertical-align: baseline; background: url('\/assets\/site_images\/socB.jpg') center top repeat-y; line-height: 1.4em; text-align: center; font-weight: bold; width: 555px; display: block; clear: both;\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times; font-size: 12pt;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Valley Independent&#8217;s Ethan Fry reported this story from the 2013 Derby-Shelton Rotary Club Thanksgiving Football Luncheon: Pride. Respect. History. Those were the words that came up time and again Tuesday during the annual Derby-Shelton Rotary Club Thanksgiving Football Luncheon in advance of the turkey day rivalry matchup between the Shelton and Derby high school [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-football-luncheon","czr-hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":360,"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359\/revisions\/360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derby-sheltonrotary.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}