[Updated] South Windsor Mayor Responds to Vicious Vernon Attacks

[Updated] Mayor Tom Delnicki has been calling me and texting me about adding to the list of awesome things about South Windsor including: The Hartford Marathon includes the town in its course; The Wapping Fair; and Heritage Day. That's 12.

[Original Story] Mayor Tom Delnicki was surprisingly composed and good-humored when I telephoned him about the directed at South Windsor by Vernon Patch Local Editor Chris Dehnel and Vernon Mayor George Apel.

“Mayor, there’s a friendly wager between Chris and myself regarding the outcome of the South Windsor/Rockville football game [scheduled for Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m.],” I said, noting that the losing side’s editor has to write a story about five things that make the winning side’s town better than the other. “There’s been some trash talk and Chris and the Vernon mayor came up with a list of seven things that make Vernon special.”

“I’m sure we can come up with a list even more impressive than theirs,” Delnicki said with a laugh. “This is what it’s all about.”

A couple of days later, at the Town Council meeting on Monday, Delnicki delivered as promised, with no fewer than nine - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, NINE - things that make South Windsor great.

They are thusly, accordingly, heretofore, the following:

• Old Main Street

• South Windsor Holiday Light Festival

• The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk

• The mighty Connecticut River (Ed. Note: the Hockanum, by the way, is a very nice stream in comparison)

• Veterans Memorial Park

• The South Windsor School system

• The South Windsor High Bobcats football team

• The Strawberry Festival

• Post Road Stages, which celebrated 100 years of doing business in town on Sunday

Now Delnicki managed to remain above the fray concerning Dehnel’s unnecessary potshot about this year’s South Windsor Chamber of Commerce’s business person of the year hailing from Vernon.

I, however, will not.

Yes, attorney Hal Cummings lives in Vernon. But he was born, raised and educated in good ole’ South Windsor. And when he moved to Vernon, he thought so highly of the town, he opened his law practice in South Windsor. Hmmm.

Draw from that whatever you may.

All I know is that South Windsor is proud enough to name its high school after the town. The. Entire. Town.

There ain't no Vernon High.

Case and closed.

Chris? Chris? You there? Hmmm. The silence is deafening.