Blogs > The Middletown Press Q&A

Photographer Catherine Avalone snaps and chats with local folk in Middlesex County in The Middletown Press Q&A

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012


Mike Kingsbury
Age: 23
Hometown: Coventry
Job: VoAg & Mechanics teacher at MHS
Favorite book: "Tuesdays with Morrie"
Favorite tv show: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 
Favorite performer: Jason Aldean
Favorite food: Meatloaf, but I will try everything.
Favorite cartoon character: Scooby Doo
Favorite hangout: The farm
Hobbies: Sports and working on the farm
Ultimate ride: 1969 Cobra Mustang
Pet peeve: People not giving their full effort
First thing on my bucket list: "I actually have a 
bucket list... I would like to visit all Seven Wonders 
of the World."

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012 Flashback 9.29.10


Madison McKeever
School: Brownstone Intermediate School in Portland
Grade: 6
Favorite book: "Thirteen" by Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed
Favorite subject: Social Studies
Favorite teacher: Mrs. Goroly
Favorite lunchbox snack: Fruit snacks
Favorite movie: "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen" 
Favorite performer: Taylor Swift
Favorite pastime: Cheerleading, make bracelets and softball
Best vacation ever: "Mexico, we built sand castles on the beach, we met a lot of people and I learned how to make bracelets."
Least favorite chore: Pooper scooping
I'm special because: "Mom said, " Madison is funny, smart and a good friend." 
An event in history I would change if I could: "September 11, so many died for no reason, they were just innocent people."
A famous person I would like to meet: Elvis Presley
What I want to be: A fashion designer
My advice to grown-ups: "Adults, don't yell when you don't need to. You don't need to do that."

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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Wednesday, August 29, 2012


Deborah Kleckowski
Age: 50
Hometown: Middletown
School: Wesleyan U 1998, ECSU 1984, Woodrow Wilson H.S. 1980
Job: Adjunct Instructor-Middlesex Community College, Councilwoman & Candidate for State Representative 100th District
Favorite book: "To Kill A Mocking Bird"
Favorite movie: Westside Story
Favorite tv show: Mary Tyler Moore Show
Favorite band: Beatles
Favorite food: Lobster
Favorite hangout: With my family
Hobbies: Tap dancing and watching old movies
A famous person I would like to meet: Liza Minelli
Ultimate ride: Life
Pet peeve: Tardiness
First thing on my bucket list: Visit Grand Canyon

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Monday, August 27, 2012

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Teresa Tripodi
Age: 15
Hometown: Killingworth
School: H-K High School
Favorite book: "Hunger Games"
Favorite movie: "John Tucker Must Die"
Favorite tv show: Awkward
Favorite food: Chinese food
Favorite cartoon character: Tweety Bird
Favorite hangout: The beach
Hobbies: Playing field hockey and lacrosse
A famous person I would like to meet: Dwyane Wade, Jr. and Robinson Cano
Ultimate ride: A Mustang
Pet peeve: When people are annoying
First thing on my bucket list: Go to Italy

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Monday, August 27, 202

Kolby Burger
Age: 15
Hometown: Killingworth
School: HK High School
Job: Sell snowballs
Favorite author: Harry Potter
Favorite movie:
ridesmaids
Favorite tv show: Criminal Minds
Favorite performer: Adele
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite cartoon character: SpongeBob SquarePants
Favorite hangout: The beach
Hobby: Field Hockey
A famous person I would like to meet: Kristen Wiig
Ultimate ride: A car
Pet peeve: When people touch my face
First thing on my bucket list: To go on Glee

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Friday, August 24, 2012


Matt Lesser
Age:29:
School: Wesleyan Unviersity
Job: State Representative
Favorite book: "Dante's Divine 
Comedy" (plenty of cautionary notes
for those of us who hold office)
Favorite movie: High Noon
Favorite TV show: The Wire
Favorite band: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Favorite food: Last night it's chili -- of course 
that may be related to the fact that 
I'm a judge at The Connection's Chili Cookoff
Favorite cartoon character: Sideshow Bob
Favorite hangout: Iguanas Ranas
Hobbies: Hiking, cooking, eating, reading and history
Famous person I would like to meet: 
Muhammad Ali or Aung San Suu Kyi
Ultimate ride: 1966 Ford Mustang GT350 convertible
Pet peeve: Insincerity
First thing on my bucket list: Cross country road-trip

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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Colleen Coogan
Age: 12
Hometown: Middlefield
School: Seventh grader at Strong Middle School
Favorite book: "The Hunger Games"
Favorite movie: Titanic
Favorite tv show: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Favorite performer: Selena Gomez
Favorite food: Brownies
Favorite hangout: The pool with my friends
Hobbies: Soccer
A famous person I would like to meet: Demi Lovato
Ultimate ride: Down Time at Lake Compounce
Pet peeve: When people sing the wrong lyrics to songs
First thing on my bucket list: Swim with the dolphins

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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Molly Yale
Age: 10
Hometown: Middlefield
School: Fifth grader at Memorial Middle School
Favorite author: Andrew Clements
Favorite movie: The Clique
Favorite tv show: Good Luck Charlie
Favorite performer: Selena Gomez
Favorite food: My Grandma Janice's pasta
Favorite hangout: The pool
Hobbies: Skating and spending time with my friends
A famous person I would like to meet: Justin Bieber
Ultimate ride: Space Mountain
Pet peeve: People that annoy me
First thing on my bucket list: Go to Hawaii

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Julia Harris
Age: 10
Hometown:  Middlefield
School: 5th grader at Memorial Middle School
Favorite book: "Night Fire"
Favorite movie: "Soul Surfer"
Favorite tv show: Bath Crasher on DIY
Favorite song: "Glad You Came" by The Wanted
Favorite food: My Grandma Donna's pizza
Favorite hangout: My grandparents pool
Hobbies: Relaxing and hanging out at my friend's house
Ultimate ride: Tower of Terror
Pet peeve: Chewing with your mouth open
First thing on my bucket list: Swim with a dolphin

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Monday, August 20, 2012

Monday, August 20, 2012

Liam Regula
Age: 17
Hometown: Cromwell
School: Cromwell High School
Favorite book: Goosebumps: The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
Favorite Movie: Star Wars 
Favorite tv show: The Uncle Dolan Show
Favorite band: The Killers
Favorite food: Biscuits
Favorite cartoon character: Patrick Jones
Favorite hangout: Caves
Hobbies: Riding my bicycle
A famous person I would like to meet: Survivorman
Ultimate ride: A camel
Pet Peeve: People drinking my milk
First thing on my bucket list: Become a secret ninja

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Friday, August 17, 2012

Friday, August 17, 2012


Christian Anders Gustafson
Age: 19
Hometown: Cromwell
School: CCSU
Job: Lifeguard, dishwasher
Favorite book: "The Great Gatsby"
Favorite movie: " Goldeneye"
Favorite tv show: Pawn Stars
Favorite band: Enter Shikari
Favorite food: Swedish meatballs
Favorite cartoon character: Dolan
Favorite hangout: The railroad tracks
Hobbies: Skateboarding, hiking and running
A famous person I would like to meet: Bill Cosby
Ultimate ride: Porsche 911
Pet peeve: Barking dogs
First thing on my bucket list: Swim with Dolphins in the ocean
Claim to fame: Tallest nice guy in Cromwell


Note: Chris is the son of former Middletown Press journeyman printer, Bruce Gustafson.

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Thursday, August 16, 2012

Thursday, August 16, 2012


Micheil McLeod
Age: 20
Hometown: Middletown
School: Maine Maritime Academy, Vinal Tech '09
Job: Sailor
Favorite book: "The Terror" 
Favorite movie: Dodgeball
Favorite tv show: House
Favorite band: The Beatles
Favorite food: Sausage and peppers
Favorite cartoon character: Garfield
Favorite hangout: Mount Southington
Hobbies: Skiing, sailing, and riding my motorcycle
A famous person I would like to meet: Snowboarder Shaun White
Ultimate ride: 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle
Pet peeve: When someone messes with the settings on my cell phone
First thing on my bucket list: Sail around the world

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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Wednesday, August 15, 2012


Karen McLeod
Age: 18
Hometown: Middletown
School: Husson University, Middletown HS '2012
Job: Ski instructor
Favorite book: "Percy Jackson & the Olympians"
Favorite movie: Titantic
Favorite tv show:  One Tree Hill
Favorite band: Led Zeppelin
Favorite food: Chicken Piccata
Favorite hangout: Ski School building
Hobbies: Skiing and hanging out with friends
A famous person I would like to meet: Leonardo DiCaprio
Ultimate ride: Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey
Pet peeve: People cracking their knuckles
First thing on my bucket list: Heli-skiing in Austria

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Tuesday, August 14, 2012


Shayna MacDonald
Age: 19
Hometown: Portland
School: Emmanuel College, Mercy 2011
Job: Tenth Street Press, Photography
Favorite book: Star Girl
Favorite movie: Almost Famous
Favorite tv show: New Girl 
Favorite band: Valencia
Favorite food: Chicken 
Favorite cartoon character: Calvin and Hobbes
Favorite hangout: Norwich Lake 
Hobbies: Photography, painting, drawing, wake surfing, water and snow skiing, wake boarding, and long boarding
A famous person I would like to meet: Emma Stone and Zooey Deschanel
Ultimate ride: VW Bus
Pet peeve: Temperature or volume set at certain numbers
First thing on my bucket list: Have a song written about me

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Friday, August 10, 2012

Friday, August 10, 2012


Alex Clark
Age: 8
Hometown:  Middletown
School: Moody School 
Job: I feed and take care of my Guinea pig Cuddles.
Favorite book: "Perfect Passers" 
Favorite movie: Narnia
Favorite tv show: I rarely watch tv other
 than occasional movies.
Favorite band: Michael W. Smith
Favorite food: Hot dogs
Favorite cartoon character: Lightning McQueen
Favorite hangout: Bounce U
Hobbies: All sports, basketball, archery, pool, 
WII, and Legos
A famous person I would like to meet: Dani Johnson
Ultimate ride: Skateboard and bike
Pet peeve: Flies, mosquitoes, bees and wasps
First thing on my bucket list: Fly to Disney in Calafornia 
and swim with the dolphins

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Thursday, August 9, 2012


Jack Woods
Age: 16
Hometown: Essex
School: Rising senior at Xavier H.S.
Job: Busboy at Abby's Place, Essex
Favorite book: "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini
Favorite movie: Avatar
Favorite tv show: One Piece
Favorite band: The Beatles
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Favorite cartoon character: Jerry from Tom & Jerry
Favorite hangout: Reservoir Road
Hobbies: Long boarding, photography and running
A famous person I would like to meet: Albert Einstein
Ultimate ride: Datsun 282
Pet peeve: Not much really bothers me
My future plans: I hope to attend Cornell to study engineering

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Wednesday, August 8, 2012


Nelly Burleigh
Age: 29
Hometown: East Berlin
Job: Bartender at Mezzo Grille
Favorite author: James Patterson
Favorite actor: Christian Bale
Favorite tv show: Family Guy
Favorite performer: Trina
Favorite food: Vanilla ice cream
Favorite hangout: The beach, Mezzo Grille or Chicago Sam's
A famous person I would like to meet: Princess Diana
Ultimate ride: RV X Country
Pet peeve: People who can't spell
Claim to fame: Being spontaneous
First thing on my bucket list: Travel to England and Italy

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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tuesday, August 7, 2012


Kim Peracchio
Age: 19
Hometown: Middletown
School: Middlesex Community College
Job: Waitress at Heritage Commons 
Favorite book: "The Lucky One"
Favorite movie: Titanic
Favorite tv show: I Love Lucy
Favorite band: Backstreet Boys
Favorite food: Reese’s Piece’s Explosion 
waffle sundae
Favorite cartoon character: Hey Arnold
Favorite hangout: Athenian Diner
Hobbies: Writing
A famous person I would like to meet: Rupert Grint
Ultimate ride: Parasailing
Pet peeve: Selfishness
First thing on my bucket list: Visit the Titanic
by submarine

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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Thursday, August 2, 2012


Fred Carroll
Age: 58
Town: Middletown
School: Interferes with education
Job: Looking pretty, as best I can figure it
Favorite book: Dictionary
Favorite movie: Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Favorite tv show: Sienfeld
Favorite band: Cream
Favorite food: Ice Cream
Favorite cartoon character: Lisa Simpson
Favorite hangout: The
Alleyway between First Church of Christ and 
Young's Printing on Court Street 
Hobbies: Chess, on line at chess.com
Famous person: The late Bobby Fischer
Ultimate ride: The Custom Bike
someone gave me, I feel like I'm 
cheating gravity when I ride it! 
Pet peeve: "Attention Muggers"
Bucket list: Be a nicer person!

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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Wednesday, August 1, 2012


Michael Augeri
Age: 65
Hometown: Middletown
Job: Professional Drummer/Percussionist
Favorite author: Mark Twain
Favorite movie: "Blazing Saddles"
Favorite tv show: Jeopardy
Favorite band: TOTO
Favorite food: Chicken Cutlets, red 
roasted peppers and red potatoes
Favorite cartoon character: Donald Duck
Favorite hangout: Vecchittos
Hobbies: Golf
A famous person I would like to meet: Mark Twain 
and Ronald Reagan
Ultimate ride: An Audi A1
Pet peeve: Inconsiderate people
First thing on my bucket list: To return 
to Barbados for their annual Jazz Festival. 
It's fantastic !!!

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