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Casey Delorenzo is a popular face these days behind the counter at the Easton Village Store. Normally, she would be in class at Joel Barlow High School, where she's a senior. But with school closed Tuesday, Casey decided to ditch her books and clock in.
"It's nice" to work, she said, but "I don't like missing so much school." The harsh winter allows her to work more, but it also deters customers from stopping by, which can make for a boring day. The weather also affects buying habits. "People buy more of the products that we sell, than the sandwiches," she said. "Normally we just sell lots of sandwiches."
This week's storm threatened to drop up to 10 inches in town, but its strength was downgraded Tuesday. There is still a winter weather advisory in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday, and forecasters predicted freezing rain and sleet would create hazardous road conditions in town.
So far, Easton has canceled six days of school. Barlow's graduation was pushed back a week, and school officials could eliminate spring break to add makeup days. Potholes keep popping up on main roads, and plowing budgets are running thin.
Even snowplow businesses are losing out. Many work on contracts and are paid a flat monthly rate. Given the number of snowfalls, residents are certainly getting their money worth, said Emerson Phillips, a Weston resident and snowplow driver.
Easton resident Rob Larsen also feels the weather chilling his audio/video business. "For the last three weeks, the work weeks get chopped up because of the weather," Larsen said. "It's a lot of rescheduling and getting into people's homes whose walkways aren't shoveled yet."
Not everyone hurts from the bad weather. At Helen Keller Middle School, a group of students from the Center for Global Studies in Norwalk enjoyed sledding on the three-tiered hill in front of the school.
"I'm not tired of missing school," said Coulter Davis, 19. "We enjoy this."
Share your snow stories and pictures with us! Send them to David at ddesroches@mainstreetconnect.us.
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