Home Care In Higganum, CT

HIGGANUM, CT — A popular roadside eatery that had to abruptly shut down last summer is back. Higgs, formerly Higgies, announced in a Facebook post that the restaurant would reopen last month.

"We have some EXCITING news!! Higgs is back and we’re back for GOOD!!" the owners wrote.

Last June, the restaurant had to close in June due to "some unforeseen issues with the current 'owner' who we’ve been renting the building from," according to a Facebook post.

The restaurant was reopened in 2020. Over the last three years, the owners said they've made connections with customers who became regulars.

"We had GENERATIONS of families telling us of when now grandparents, came as kids with their parents and were now bringing their grand-babies to indulge in a pastime of fond memories," the owners wrote. "We heard story after story of what Higgies had been. How the entirety of the building was only in what is now the ice cream portion. The progression of the kitchen starting as the dining room that had pinball machines and were then told of what they would order as kids and into adulthood."

Higgs receives a 4.5-star rating on Google reviews and a 4.0-star rating on Yelp. It serves up a variety of roadside fare like hamburgers, chili cheese dogs, Texas toast patty melts, and lobster rolls. They often offer unique twists on these classics like Carolina slaw dogs and bacon jam patty melts.

Fans expressed their excitement about the reopening news with more than 500 reactions and 100 comments on a Facebook post. One user said: "I’m ready for a chili cheese dog and chocolate shake. We’ve missed you guys so much!!"

The owners said that the closing date for the season has not yet been determined.

"We’re trying our hardest to keep the dates the same yearly and to work concurrently with our events that our family has had in the carnival business for over 40 years," they wrote.

Higgs is hiring for the summer season and will have a list of positions posted at a later date.

Higgs is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find out more about Higgs by going to the restaurant's Facebook page.

About 40 years ago, a Higganum man noticed the legend of a supposedly monstrous fish drifting from the minds of local residents. So, Vietnam veteran Arthur Wiknik Jr. decided to reel them back in with a few tales of his own.

Wiknik didn't create the myth of the fictional "mucket," a fish in Higganum's Candlewood Hill Brook believed to have giant teeth and horns. But, starting in the '80s, he came up with a plan to keep the local legend afloat.

"I love the story. I didn't want it to die out, so I started writing a couple of articles about it. People loved it," Wiknik said. "I let my imagination run wild, and I just started elaborating more and more on what this fish could do."

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From the '80s through the '90s, Wiknik wrote a trilogy of "Mucket Mania" stories. The stories told of humans doing battle with muckets, the fish's capabilities and how they interact with the environment. The stories were published in the now-out-of-print publications Haddam Bulletin and Heading Out magazine, and occasionally in the Middletown Press as a letter to the editor. Beyond the original trilogy, Wiknik still writes stories about muckets for fun. Wiknik is a writer with other published works, including the book "Nam-Sense: Surviving Vietnam with the 101st Airborne", which tells about his time in the army during the Vietnam War.

Wiknik said he first heard about the creature from his friends in the Haddam Volunteer Fire Company. Wiknik's friends told him they would make recruits try and capture the fictional creature. According to a 1992 article from the Middletown Press, in Higganum locals remembered hearing about muckets in the late '60s. The mucket's name, Wiknik said, comes from the expression "f--k it," which evolved into the word "mucket" by locals.

"The mucket is a gruesome creature, about 18 inches, that looks like a catfish but has the head of a lizard. They have long, razor-sharp teeth that are constantly sharpened by their No. 2 grit tongue," Wiknik wrote in "Mucket Mania." "The male, or bull mucket, has a helmet-type skull where two skinny horns grow about an inch long."

Some of the stories were inspired by local events. After the Frismar Company building in the village caught fire, Wiknik included a fictionalized account of how the fire was fought in "Mucket Mania III."

"When local firemen began to pump water from Candlewood Hill Brook, they were so caught up with the battle to quench the fire that they inadvertently sucked up dozens of muckets into their hoses and spewed the helpless creatures into the raging inferno," he wrote. "The next morning, a grim discovery unfolded. Fried muckets, many burned beyond recognition, were strewn among the ruins with their tails pointing skyward."

In 1992, Wiknik told the Middletown Press he tried to keep the legend alive with his children, too.

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"Sometimes we'll go walking with our kids by the brook and we'll scream, 'Oh my gosh! It's a mucket! There he goes! Oh, he got away!'" Wiknik told the Press.

Wiknik also told the Press he read a mucket story to local third-graders and that it "gets the kids all excited."

And the legend of the mucket still lives. In 2012, Haddam-Killingworth Middle School held a competition to draw the fish. A Facebook page dedicated to the legend, the Higganum Muckets, was created in 2013 and has almost 500 followers. Users on the page frequently post mucket artwork, memes, sculptures and Wiknik's stories about muckets. Wiknik said there have been discussions about having more mucket-themed events, but plans were halted due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This month, the fish found its way into another published work, "Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird and Wonderful Creatures of the Nutmeg State". The book examines fictional creatures who were said to live in Connecticut. Author Patrick Scalisi said he wanted to include the mucket because of how it became part of local culture. The book also features new artwork of muckets, drawn by co-author Valerie Ruby-Omen.

"The story of the mucket follows the same trajectory as a lot of the stories in the book. It's a story that begins somewhere, either from a local legend, a piece of town history or something, and it evolves over time and just becomes adopted by the people who live in the area," Scalisi said. "And that's what I thought was one of the most interesting things. When we were doing the book we were finding the origin of these stories and seeing how they've changed and grown over time."

HADDAM — Swelling waters from the Connecticut River, caused by record rainfall and flooding up north, have flooded coastal areas of towns such as Cromwell, Middletown, Portland, Haddam and south, where the pressure of debris is forcing boats and docks downstream, causing widespread damage.

Haddam resident Neal Perron's home faces Haddam Island and overlooks the river. Perron, who has lived on the river for more than 40 years, began paying attention to the situation early this week after learning about catastrophic flooding in Vermont, he said.

Besides vessels and unmoored slipways, he’s witnessed some surprising items traveling with strong currents and passing by his residence.

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Perron, a retired Cromwell Fire Department lieutenant, saw a quarter-keg float by, and, “On our neighbor’s dock, there’s a queen-size mattress that got hung up, there’s a canoe — it’s a lot of debris,” he said.

The National Weather Service is continuing its flood warning for areas of Connecticut and into Massachusetts until further notice.

Upriver in Middletown, fire crews have been at Harbor Park, where the water level reached the metal railings between the boardwalk and river.

The river there was expected to crest at 21.4 feet by midnight, and then recede, Middletown Fire Chief Jay Woron said Wednesday.

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In the days prior to the river flooding locally, Perron twice posted a warning to boaters on Facebook, advising them to take their vessels out of the water.

"Some of these trees moving at a good clip will pierce your hull,” he said. “Depending where you are on your docks, it’s like toothpicks. If you start stacking them on each other, the tree will get caught between the pier and the back of a boat, and another tree will come in and it starts weaving it all together.”

Jay Verney, who lives on Landing Road in Haddam, said Thursday afternoon that river overruns haven’t occurred for about five years, as Connecticut has lately experienced dry springs. “We’re effectively in the equivalent of a spring freshet — only it’s summer,” he said.

“We’ve seen water like this during related to hurricanes, like when Irene (in 2011) and Sandy (in 2012 came) through,” said Verney, who was taking a practical view of conditions.

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“It’s pretty benign. It comes up on the lawn. You watch the hydrographs (water level observations) and where it’s going to go height-wise,” he added. “Right now, it’s pretty well crested.”

The biggest challenge, Verney said, are obstacles floating from the north.

His boat, a heavy, 26-foot Sea Ray express cruiser, is moored on the dock on his property. “Occasionally you have to go out there and get a log or something off the boat,” he said. “It’s not a big deal, but it does require surveillance to stay on top of it.”

Rainfall forecasted for Friday through Sunday may cause the river to rise more, Verney said, but the water will recede. “[Flooding] just shifted into the warmer season. … It won’t have much effect.”

Normally, his home is located 100 feet from the Connecticut River, although now, it’s 60 feet to 70 feet away, and the standing water is about ankle deep, Verney said.

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Flooding is not unexpected on the river, added Varney, who has lived there since 2005. “If you’re going to live on the water; (and have) waterfront property, you have to understand it," he said.

Right now, the water is about 10 feet above sea level, he said. The highest he’s seen was 14 feet, which did cause about a foot of flooding in his basement.

“We’re not in the main current of the river, we're along the periphery," he said. "The water goes up and down, not like around the seashore — violent waves blasting with wind or anything like that. It’s a flood zone, and it’s just vertical water that you’re dealing with.”

Vermont residents and officials also were comparing floodwaters to the devastation in August 2011.

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Perron hasn’t seen this level of flooding since January 2018, when ice jams caused catastrophic damage in the area. “That was a little bit different because it was a lot of ice, and kept stacking up on each other, plus we had two weeks of subzero temperatures,” he explained.

What’s happening this week is akin to Irene in terms of river levels and debris being carried downstream, and, prior to that, in 1984, Perron said.

“In '84, it was a little different because you still had the oil tankers coming up the river, so you had a lot more oil slick on the surface of the water … and a lot more garbage versus now.

“Now it’s more trees, docks and everything, but back in '84, it was garbage and cans and glass bottles," he said. Fortunately, Perron added, the river is much cleaner these days. “It’s more natural debris coming down, with the exception of manmade docks — and mattresses,” he said with a laugh.

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He has sympathy for boat owners who have lost vessels they've worked very hard on, Perron added.

Fire officials are urging boaters, swimmers and others to stay out of the water because of dangerous conditions caused by the strong current. In addition, Perron said, bacteria levels are “skyrocketing” from overflowing septic systems.

He’s been in regular contact with the U.S. Coast Guard. The agency is asking those who see vessels floating down the river to notify them so they know what to look out for, Perron added.

To view current weather conditions, visit the National Weather Service website at weather.gov.

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HADDAM – A $1.8 million state grant to clean up a late-19th-century manufacturing site in Higganum Center for redevelopment is just the start of plans for the area, according to Haddam First Selectman Robert McGarry, if the town can secure another grant for a diverse list of projects along Saybrook Road.

Haddam secured the Brownfield remediation grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development last Friday to clean up the Scovil Hoe Company complex at 11 Candlewood Rd., to allow a developer to repurpose the two long, brick buildings on site.

McGarry said the town has lined up a developer willing to take over and develop the site after it’s remediated – a requirement to receive one of the grants. Farmington-based Parker Benjamin was the only bidder on the town’s request for proposals for a developer that has experience with Brownfield sites, McGarry said.

The firm developed the mixed-use Upson Market Place in Unionville, the Winsted Edge Works retail and office space, and the Greenway Apartments in New London – and are developing a retail and office space called Phoenix on Main in Killingly.

McGarry said he isn’t aware of specific plans to fill the site yet, but it could be similar to the firm’s other developments that include offices, retail, a makerspace, art gallery and restaurant space.

There aren’t vacant shops in the center, and some businesses are looking to expand without space to do so, which means more retail space could be welcome, McGarry said. But the main idea is to develop something that will bring people into Higganum Center to help support the other retail in the area.

“I’ve called this property the diamond in the rough for Higganum Center because it’s got so much potential to bring traffic in, which is ultimately what we’re trying to accomplish,” McGarry said.

McGarry said he doesn’t expect that the development of the Scovil facility would connect to the community septic project planned at the town-owned Haddam Elementary School property across Saybrook Road from the Scovil complex if Parker Benjamin develops something like an office space with low water usage that the existing septic on the property could accommodate.

But if they brought in something like a restaurant or brewery, they might need to hook in to the community septic, and that leach field would be expanded into the town green, McGarry said.

The complex was the fourth and final mill Scovil built in Higganum, erecting the first building on the site in 1880. The two buildings that remain were built in 1887 and 1905, according to Preservation Connecticut.

By the 1940s, Scovil – best known for its “self-sharpening” hoe – was consolidating its manufacturing and sold the site to the Connecticut Department of Transportation in 1942. The DOT modified the buildings into garages and still owns the property today.

McGarry said most of what needs to be cleaned up is from the site’s time as a DOT garage – mainly salt and hydrocarbons. The $1.8 million Brownfield grant will fund the remediation.

The town will have to purchase the property from DOT, and the assessed price is $436,540, according to town property records. The town will then sell the property to Parker Benjamin, though it hasn’t decided yet whether it will sell to the developer at a discount, he said.

“If we make that investment to turn what are basically two abandoned and deteriorating buildings into income-generating, tax-paying properties for the town – that’s a plus,” McGarry said.

Seeking another grant

The Scovil redevelopment isn’t the only change McGarry is envisioning for Higganum Center. On Thursday, the town submitted a request to the Department of Economic and Community Development for another $1.2 million Community Challenge Grant for several projects on the other side of Saybrook Road from the Scovil property.

The plan is to remodel the Haddam Elementary School building into a senior center and replace the unsafe existing playground with a “multi-generational space,” including a modern playground, a dog park, pickleball court, and attractions for older people, McGarry said.

“Probably typical of most towns in Connecticut, our older population is growing and our younger population is shrinking,” McGarry said. “So we’re envisioning a multi-generational park where seniors can come with their grandkids and not just sit on a bench.”

That project would also include installing a sidewalk from the school into the center of town, and then down Depot Road to the recently remediated town property on Higganum Cove – where the town is working to make the area more accessible, he said.

“The nice thing about the Community Challenge Grant is it’s multifaceted,” McGarry said. “The grant for Scovil is strictly a brownfield grant, so we can only use it for cleanup. If we wanted to build sidewalks associated with it or remodel a building, then we’d need another grant. I think it’s good that [the Department of Economic and Community Development] realizes that, particularly to revitalize a small community, you need a grant where you can address multiple areas – as opposed to getting multiple grants.”

The town is also interested in buying the property at the corner of Saybrook and Depot roads – formerly the Rossi Corporation lumberyard, and now home to various tenants, including the town, which uses a building as storage for its public works equipment.

“No offense to Rossi, but they haven’t been paying that much attention to it. The site’s deteriorating, it looks blighted,” McGarry said. “I’ve always felt it’s been a detriment to really getting development in Higganum Center, because it’s right there at the center, and it’s an eyesore.”

There is a developer interested in the site, and McGarry said they envision keeping retail on the front third of the property along Saybrook Road, then potentially a mixed-use development or town storage in the back – depending on what comes up in environmental surveys of the property.

“It all depends on the cleanup and what’s economically feasible, but if we just made it look attractive with retail on Saybrook Road, it’d be a great improvement,” McGarry said.

Brendan Crowley covers energy and the environment for CT Examiner. T: 860 598-0050

[email protected]

HADDAM — The Candlewood Farm Arts Foundation next month will be hosting the Solstice Symposium 2023, its fifth music festival promoting the study and celebration of classical guitar. These include master classes, expert instruction and world-class performances, according to a press release.

It will be held between June 22 and 26, at Candlewood Farm, a charitable organization located at 95 Jacoby Road; and Higganum Congregational Church, 23 Parsonage Road; both of which are in Haddam.

Held in conjunction with June concerts, these performances of chamber music are free and open to the public, the news release said.

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Joe Zipoli, who graduated from Wesleyan in the 1980s, started the foundation with a retired Wesleyan professor in 2008 with several goals in mind, including supporting chamber music and young musicians, he said.

Solstice Symposium 2023 offers students expert instruction and performances by internationally acclaimed artists, including Grammy-award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux, Dr. Isaac Bustos, University of Texas at San Antonio guitar chairperson; Adam Levin and Dr. Andrew Zohn.

In addition, a special feature of this year’s festival is a presentation on early New England architecture by Connecticut historian James T. Powers.

Registration includes lessons, master classes, presentations and performances, and meals (lunch/dinner), and costs $300. Partial registration is also available.

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A participants’ concert will be held the morning of June 26 at Candlewood Farm. Each performance begins with a show by a Solstice Symposium student, and includes an intermission. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the concerts.

Farm concerts take place at 7 p.m. The lineup is the Li & Zohn Duo, June 22; Duo Sonidos, June 23; and Isaac Bustos, June 24. Jason Vieaux will play the June 25 show at 4 p.m. at the church.

In June 2018, CFAF held its inaugural Solstice Symposium, which now takes place every June at venues throughout Connecticut, according to the website.

The Candlewood foundation mission to support live chamber music and the study and preservation of early New England architecture, especially vernacular structures in the Connecticut River Valley, according to the news release.

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It is located at the Capt. John Smith property, a farmstead in Higganum listed on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places.

For the farm shows, reservations are recommended by emailing [email protected]. For other information, visit candlewoodfarmartsfoundation.org or call Joe Zipoli at (347) 415-5900.