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Longtime residents tell their stories of life in town and out
Anita Ballek: Farming, Town and the Environment Were Passions
Anita Ballek (1930-2023) leveraged her gardening and farming expertise when she pivoted from her family's unsustainable dairy business lo start Ballek's Garden Center in 1969 on land her ancestors had acquired in 1662. She was a tireless champion for agriculture, smart land use, town history, and the environment, speaking at many local groups and schools.
Sophie Blaschik (1922-2023) was born in Moodus, the youngest of eight kids in a millworker family. She recalls that life was hard, with the family garden and animals supplying nearly all their food. After working at a number of corporate clerical jobs, she opened Sophie's Beauty Salon in 1965.
Sophie Blaschik: Working Hard, Being Kind
Master machinist and restoration blacksmith Dick Everett is an individualist with a strong point-of-view on many things. He and his wife Mary discovered East Haddam while competing in 1950s road rallies and moved here after finding a rundown 1704 house to rehab.
Dick Everett: Forging a Singular Life
Walt Golec knows a lot about East Haddam history and loves to share stories of its past. He recalls how farming, cotton mills, old Moodus center, and the resorts gave the town its sense of place.
Walt Golec
Retired town dentist Karl Stofko has been East Haddam's municipal historian since 1985. He's unearthed countless stories of town history, presenting them with wit and passion.
Karl Stofko
Photo of Everett Homestead by Ken Simon
