Flag Burning at Stratford Restaurant; Live Bodies in Cemetery

There was a recent flag burning one evening at the coffee shop adjacent to the on the westbound side of the Metro-North tracks.

Apparently the perpetrator waited till the coffee shop was closed before dousing the American flag with a flammable liquid and igniting it. The bartender on duty, Lynore, reportedly smelled smoke and saw flames rising from the side of the coffee shop shortly before 10 p.m.

Police were called but outside of taking a few photographs their investigation was at an end. The fire department was not called because the fire was already out. The town's fire marshals can investigate a fire but do not have the power to make an arrest nor are the allowed to carry a weapon, unlike the fire marshal's in New York who are in some cases armed and all have the power of arrest.

Tony, the manager and the Capo du ti Capo (the boss of all bosses) as he is known to the restaurant staff, was very upset and expressed major concern about the incident. Tony is both the manager of the coffee shop and the restaurant but does not own the building which is rented or leased to the town and somehow to the state.

The rent is allegedly paid to the town and the public works department does the cleaning of the area, the upkeep of the building and the grounds. I have asked several persons how this works and was told the arrangement between the town and the state goes back to the days when the old Penn Central Railroad went bankrupt and sold off many of the station properties to the cities and towns.

Maybe the V.F.W. Post 9460 will remove themselves from their bar stools and  make a donation of an American flag to Tony. If not, an American Legion member will take up the slack.

Stratford Patch in a recent article noted the in a health inspection, the highest of any of the restaurants in the downtown area. Tony and his staff have a New York "frame of mind" and several of his staff have and continue to work for the Yankee organization. Boston fans take note.

The restaurant also has a new chief and a new menu. Try the Zuppa di Clams as a half-price appetizer. The food is excellent.

In other matters..

There have been several reports of two men living in the woods adjacent to the tracks and the cemetery. I went for a little patrol last week, did find some evidence of people who may be living in the area but no living bodies.

I did however, at 9:45 a.m., find a Stratford police cruisers parked all the way back in the now infamous "Lot K'' on Main Street. He or she was there for 15 minutes and then departed in a rapid manner.

I will say one thing for the town's public works department -- they have done an excellent job of cleaning up the lot and removing the dead brush and trees that were in the rear of the lot. The lot does need more lighting, however, some commuters have told me.