Home Care In North Haven, CT

The North Haven native is opening a shop where musicians can not only buy, sell, trade, & get repairs, but also hang out & chat about music.

NORTH HAVEN, CT — Long before he became a musician, Andre Roman used to ride his bike around his hometown of North Haven, past the green and the small row of shops lining Linsley Street.

Many years and bands and guitars later, Roman is opening a shop where musicians can not only buy, sell, trade, and get their guitars and amps repaired, but also hang out and chat about music.

The shop, Roman Electric Guitars, located at 4B Linsley St. in North Haven, will open its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday. Its proprietor is hoping it fulfills his lifelong dream of having his own storefront while offering musicians a new place to recreate some old-time vibes.

While the shop itself is brand new, the idea for the shop has been percolating in Roman’s mind for quite some time.

“It was always there in the back of my head for years how cool it would be to have a store,” he said, especially one in his hometown. Earlier this year, he was driving down Linsley with his mother and said to her, “You know if I was ever to have a store, those little spots would be perfect.” Two weeks later they were driving by once again and saw a sign on the door of the former North Haven Shoe Repair shop that said “business closed.” Soon after Roman was touring the space and then renting it. Renovations proceeded with the help of a multitude of family and friends to update what was needed while retaining some of the charm of the previous shop.

Stocking the store with gear was not an issue in the least.

“I’ve hoarded instruments forever,” said Roman with a laugh. “I’ve always had way too many, but not enough.”

Ant Reckart — Roman’s bandmate in rock trio Pinto Graham and fellow guitar aficionado — will be co-curating the selection of primarily electric guitars (though there are also a few acoustic guitars currently available). Amps, pedals, strings, drum heads, and drum sticks will also be for sale.

The space will also operate as a full repair shop — any kind of instrument repair from set-ups to refrets to refinishing, according to Roman. Sean Hannah of Heavytone Amplifiers will be handling the shop’s amp repairs while Roman will be handling all of the guitar repairs with the goal of keeping it affordable as well as affable.

“We’re all musicians who were broke forever,” he said with a laugh, “so I want it to be a place that people can come and feel like we’re not pricing musicians out.”

The initial inventory consists of guitars from Roman and Reckart’s personal collections, and they want the shop experience to be personalized as well.

“We want musicians to come in here — local, traveling, touring — and be able to comfortably buy an instrument that’s play ready,” he said.

One of those instruments is a 1965 Harmony Rocket that Roman referred to as a “classic American-made guitar.”

“If a musician came in and played it they would say, ‘Wow, this is a great guitar.’ It plays great, sounds amazing, it’s just a great guitar,” he said.

Other guitars in the shop right now include Fenders, Gibsons, a Univox Hi-Flyer, and a “super rare” matching pair of guitars from 1972 by Hagstrom. The selection of amps available include Vox, Fender, Orange, and Ampeg. Roman plans on keeping a mixture of vintage and new pieces available and, judging by the amount of people who have already been contacting him about consigning, he thinks the inventory stay in rotation.

He wants to keep the consignment percentages “fair” and is also open to swaps.

“I’d rather people be happy with what we can give back to them,” he added.

Roman — who can currently be seen and heard around the New Haven area playing live with the bands Pinto Graham and The Danglers — got his first guitar at age 10. A Dinosaur Jr show with his father and brother a few years later — “I was like, that was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard,” he recalled — cemented his “total obsession” with guitars. After playing in a few bands in high school he ended up playing bass in Murdervan, a well-known and highly revered New Haven-based band that toured “a lot.” He honed his guitar repair skills while doing all of that touring, getting used to fixing “unpractical problems” with guitars on the spot with limited time to do so, getting better at it as he went along. It got to the point where people started bringing him their instruments to fix when he was home as well.

Living and working in New Haven also helped Roman develop long lasting friendships and connections in the local music community, specifically his job at now-closed Cutler’s record store where he worked for around 12 years, calling it an “amazing place to work” where “everyone was like family.”

“Working there introduced me to not only people in the New Haven music scene who then became lifelong friends, but to a world of music I hadn’t tapped into or even thought about at the age of 21 or 22,” he said.

Cutler’s was also where the seeds of the bands he played in were germinated.

“I was able to hang with people who had been around the scene for years, talking guitar, songwriting,” he said. “I’d get invited to jams, to fix people’s guitars…just being and living in New Haven at that time was super important to me.”

And speaking of jams, Roman is planning on hosting intimate live shows in the space, focusing on “acoustic, more mellow stuff” for now. The first of those is scheduled for Oct. 18 to celebrate the newest Ponybird album release with sets by Ponybird (aka Jennifer Dauphinais) and Lys Guillorn.

Roman is also interested in eventually hosting workshops where he can teach something like basic setups and/or instrument repair and maintenance.

“I’m grateful that people will pay people like me to do it [the repairs], but I think spreading the love is where it’s at,” he said. “It’s such a customized thing. We could have the same guitar, and I hand it to you and you would want it to feel different than I would.”

The shop will have a few non-instrument offerings as well. Musician Brian Harris, who also plays in the band Pinto Graham with Roman, will be curating a small selection of used vinyl. Roman has even put a call out to his visual artist friends with an interest in hanging some of their work on the walls along with the guitars. With the addition of records and art to browse, he hopes it helps make the shop a place where people want to spend time.

“We just like to sit around and BS about guitars,” Roman said. “If people want to do that, great. If people come in and want a set up and they have some time in the middle of the day, they can hang out here while I do it. I want people to be able to come in and feel comfortable.”

From the Dinosaur Jr playing in the background to the cozy sitting area near the entrance, it felt like Roman was already well on his way to making this spot a home not too far away from home.

Roman Electric Guitars has an Open House scheduled for this Saturday, Aug. 30 from 12 to 4 p.m. They are conveniently located on the bus line and free street parking is available as well. More information about the shop and its offerings can be found on their Facebook and Instagram pages. A website is coming soon.

The New Haven Independent is a not-for-profit public-interest daily news site founded in 2005.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday bumped up the drought classification for parts of southern Connecticut, as the state has seen a run of dry weather during early fall.

The governor's announcement raises the drought advisory to Stage 2 for Fairfield, Middlesex and New Haven counties. All of Connecticut previously had been at Stage 1, the governor's office said.

During the advisory, people and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily reduce water consumption by shutting off automatic outdoor irrigation systems, fixing leaky plumbing and following water conservation requests by municipalities and water suppliers.

"The lack of rain over these last several months has impacted all of Connecticut, and in particular the regions around Fairfield, Middlesex, and New Haven counties,” Lamont said in a statement. "The purpose of increasing these counties to Stage 2 is to raise awareness that as this lack of rain continues, there is a possibility that this emerging drought event could intensify."

The state Drought Preparedness and Response plan uses a five-tier system to measure drought, ranging from Stage 1 or "below normal conditions" to Stage 5, considered an "extreme drought."

Stage 2, the level parts of southern Connecticut were raised to, is considered "incipient drought."

The state's declaration comes as the U.S. Drought Monitor has for weeks listed parts of southern Connecticut under moderate drought. Notably, however, the areas marked as under moderate drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor are southern parts of New London and Middlesex counties along the coast, as well as the southeastern tip of New Haven County — areas mostly farther east and south than the counties in the state declaration.

The rest of Connecticut is considered to be abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought monitor. The organization's assessment is released weekly on Thursdays, with the report dated from Tuesday each week.

(Parts of northern New England are in worse shape. The most recent U.S. Drought monitor map designated a strip of territory stretching from central Vermont and New Hampshire across southern Maine as under extreme drought, the second highest level under its five-tier system.)

The governor's office said the decision to declare a Stage 2 drought advisory was recommended by the state's Interagency Drought Workgroup, a group with representatives from several state agencies. The group met last Thursday and made the recommendation based on data that included "precipitation, surface waters, groundwater, reservoirs, soil moisture, vegetation, and fire danger conditions," the governor's office said in a news release.

The state's daily Forest Fire Danger report has pegged the risk of brush fires as "high" on several recent days, including both Monday and Tuesday. The drought advisory also comes about a year after Connecticut saw a particularly active fall fire season that included a large blaze on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin and Meriden.

Meriden Mayor Kevin M. Scarpati said in a statement Tuesday that while his office supports Lamont's call to conserve water, the city is not "near drought triggering levels."

"The Meriden Water Division monitors the city’s surface water capacity weekly and presently reports that all reservoirs are at or above sufficient capacity for supply," Scarpati said.

In the immediate forecast, Tuesday night and Wednesday are expected to bring some showers as a cold front approaches the area, with scattered rainfall totals of above an inch possible. Most areas should see between a half-inch and an inch of rainfall.

The last time drought advisories were issued in the state was on Nov. 9, 2024, when all eight Connecticut counties reached Stage 2, the governor's office said.

Pumpkin season is here. Find out where to get the pick of the patch near North Haven.

NORTH HAVEN, CT — Heading out to a patch or field to pick the best or biggest pumpkin isn’t just about finding the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern. It’s a seasonal activity blending nature, tradition and community, and there are several places around North Haven to create lasting memories with family and friends.

Many pumpkin patches and fields offer complementary activities like hay rides, corn mazes and games for the kids. Picking your own pumpkin also is a good way to support the local farmers who grow them.

Whether you plan to carve a jack-o’-lantern or just add some festive flair to your stoop, there are plenty of places to pick up a pumpkin near North Haven. Here are a few of our favorites:

Keep in mind that carving and baking pumpkins aren’t the same. The former are grown in fields to be large, more vibrantly colored, and relatively hollow. The watery flesh doesn’t have the same flavor found in baking pumpkins, which tend to be smaller, have thicker, harder-to-carve walls and sweeter flesh. For those, you’ll probably need to head to the grocery store.

Pumpkins for carving should appear sturdy and clean. Remember, this is the pumpkin that will be front and center on the porch for the Halloween season. Here are some tips for carving a perfect jack-o’-lantern from Warren Nash on YouTube, who shows a step-by-step process to make the perfect carve.

Pumpkin carving kits will go a long way in getting what you need. They typically include saws, a scooper, a drill and multiple patterns.

If you're looking for the items individually around the house, here's what you could use:

Steps

In Week 2, the Tigers won in slightly less dramatic, though perhaps equally as impressive, fashion. Hand broke open a tie game in the second half and played smash-mouth football en route to victory.

Sixth-ranked Hand scored a pair of unanswered touchdowns to defeat North Haven 24-10 Friday night at the Surf Club.

"Our run game was able to make things happen in the second half," Hand coach Erik Becker said. "Our kids are resilient. They play to the final whistle. That’s how we coach, that’s how we play."

Lucca Boyce rushed for 111 yards on 12 carries in the second half alone and scored the game’s final touchdown with just over 8 minutes left in the game. The Tigers (2-0) won the line of scrimmage in the second half to pull away.

"I wouldn't be able to do anything without my line. They really dominated and they won us that game," Boyce said.

Even though Hand, which was unranked in the GametimeCT preseason poll, avenged its Class M state semifinal playoff loss to St. Joseph last season, the loss still stings for Boyce and serves as motivation for this season.

"All that hard work we’ve been preparing for since last time we lost on Strong Field nine months ago, just propels us forward," Boyce said.

Hand quarterback Bobby Reh completed 14-of-18 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown in the first half. That touchdown — a 19-yard strike to Cole Preskar — put Hand ahead for the first time, 10-7 with 11 seconds left before halftime.

Reh only attempted a couple of passes on the second half as the Tigers went to work on the ground.

After North Haven (1-1) went 12 plays on the opening drive of the second half, ending with Eli Reynolds’ 36-yard field goal to tie the game at 10, Boyce carried the ball six times on Hand’s ensuing drive, one that was capped by Conor Casagrande’s 9-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.

"It's always games like this, tied late and one of us gets the best of the other," Becker said. "They got us last time up at their place, now it’s our turn."

North Haven won the last matchup between the two SCC programs, 35-14 on Nov. 4, 2022.

Boyce carried the ball five times on Hand’s next drive in the fourth quarter. He scored his lone touchdown on a 9-yard run, hopping over a North Haven defender on the goal line to score with 8:08 remaining.

"They're a big, strong, physical team. They did what I would have done, they wore us down,” North Haven coach Anthony Sagnella said about Hand. "They're a more veteran team than us. Certainly no excuses, we hit a wall and just ran out of gas. There were a lot of sophomores on the field the last two drives."

It doesn’t get any easier next Friday night for Hand. It has a long trip to face Brookfield, which lost to St. Joseph in last year’s Class M state final at Rentschler Field.

Player of the game

Lucca Boyce, RB, Hand: Rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in the second half to help the Tigers pull away.

Quotable

"That's a team that won two state championships the last three years, and they could very well win another one.” — Hand coach Erik Becker about North Haven

Hand 24, North Haven 10

(at Madison)NORTH HAVEN 7 0 3 0—10DANIEL HAND 3 7 7 7—24NH—Nathan Eggerling 25 run (Eli Reynolds kick)H—Anthony Bowie FG 22H—Cole Preskar 19 pass from Bobby Reh (Bowie kick)NH—Reynolds FG 36H—Conor Casagrande 9 run (Bowie kick)H—Lucca Boyce 9 run (Bowie kick)Records: North Haven 1-1; Hand 2-0.

NORTH HAVEN — Sure, freshmen have been contributors for North Haven football coach Anthony Sagnella over his nearly three decades at the helm. But what Artie McCormack IV was able to do for the Nighthawks' single-wing offense last year differed from all the rest.

“We’ve brought a couple kids (as freshmen) up to run down on kickoffs,” Sagnella said. “Nobody carried the load like Artie has.”

Now at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, the 15-year-old McCormack IV is a physical player who can punish defenders with his style of running.

“Being able to take hits, have the endurance, obviously, (you’re) going to get banged up every game, but you have to be able to play through that,” McCormack said.

Sagnella remembers seeing McCormack play for North Haven in the Shoreline Youth championship as an eighth grader.

“Then he’s on the field against St. Joseph (2024 season opener) how many months later?” Sagnella said.

McCormack said he didn’t get a lot of work as a running back in that opener, but got more touches the following week against Hamden. He finished with 124 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries against the Green Dragons.

It got better from there. McCormack rushed for 296 yards and six touchdowns against East Hartford, 234 yards and three touchdowns against Platt and 130 yards and a TD against Fairfield Prep. McCormack finished last season with 1,063 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 127 carries.

He already has 49 carries through three games this season, rushing for 403 yards and six touchdowns, including three TDs and 187 yards against Bristol Central last week. He also has 19 tackles on defense.

John Williston, a junior blocking back and inside linebacker, said the players were “shocked his freshman year doing what he did” as a running back.

“With the offense we run, how we play, it’s great knowing when your team is doing their assignments, we have a back back there that is able to finish the job,” said Williston.

Sagnella said there was a need for McCormack as a freshman due in part to lower numbers than in the past and players with McCormack’s build at either running back or safety. McCormack impressed Sagnella and the coaching staff.

He was also impressive on the baseball diamond. McCormack was a starting outfielder as a freshman for the Nighthawks. He batted .333 with a .765 OPS and led the Nighthawks in RBIs (13) and stolen bases (seven).

"He is obviously a tremendous athlete and it shows because not only can he play a great center field, but he is also a good catcher as well," North Haven baseball coach Joe Romanelli said. "Artie was able to contribute a lot last year and will be a big piece for us moving forward. With his skill set and passion for the sport, Artie will be able to play baseball in college."

So talk about even more impressive: McCormack started varsity as a freshman in two sports and never played a single JV game.

“Since I’ve been a kid, I’ve always loved both of them,” McCormack said about football and baseball. “Both of them bring excitement, competition. Growing up in North Haven, baseball has always been a big thing, football has always been a big thing. So growing up here, hearing about the legacy of high school baseball and obviously recent years of football have been great, so just hearing about that, I want to be able to carry that on."

It’s a year-round effort to excel in both sports, McCormack said. Summer weightlifting at 6 a.m. in addition to summer conditioning to get ready for football. Baseball drills during the winter to get ready for the spring season, then summer baseball, which runs into, or coincides, with summer conditioning.

McCormack said he is a more patient runner, waiting for the blocks to develop and find the holes. He is also more physical with the ball.Sagnella has taken notice of that as well.

“I told him, ‘The mark of a great back, is when you can break tackles.’ This year, I’ve noticed that he’s running a little more physically,” Sagnella said. “He’s playing defense a lot more physical, really become a missile in the secondary, coming up and tackling. He’s trying to become a more complete player.”

North Haven fell short of qualifying for the CIAC Class M football playoffs last season after winning the Class MM state championship the previous two seasons. That is all the motivation McCormack and the Nighthawks need to try and qualify in Class M this fall.

“I say to the guys when we get out there, ‘There’s not like much of a better feeling in the world than stepping on that field with your brothers, playing the game,’” McCormack said.