“Drop it, drop it!”

That was the plea from students at the Goodwin Elementary School in Mansfield, Connecticut, on Friday afternoon, at the school’s annual egg drop contest.

What made it even more special was the presence of the hook and ladder from the University of Connecticut fire department, along with several fire fighters.

Bald Eagle on Nest, Ascutney, Vermont. (2017) A Bald Eagle, symbol of hope for environmental activism and the U.S. national bird, sits high above the river on her nest commanding the view (1st pine to right of river). The current resident says the house had no riverside windows when he was a child in the 1960s because the river was an eyesore.

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Bald Eagle on Nest, Ascutney, Vermont. (2017) A Bald Eagle, symbol of hope for environmental activism and the U.S. national bird, sits high above the river on her nest commanding the view (1st pine to right of river). The current resident says the house had no riverside windows when he was a child in the 1960s because the river was an eyesore.

Glass Floor, Simon Pearce Glass, Quechee, Vermont. (2018) Pearce is a noted craftsman. He moved from Ireland in 1980, purchased an old mill, and uses the original turbine to produce clean heat for glassblowing. Although working larger scale, his belief that 'the human hand creates perfect imperfection' mirrors the beliefs of many regional crafts people.

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Glass Floor, Simon Pearce Glass, Quechee, Vermont. (2018) Pearce is a noted craftsman. He moved from Ireland in 1980, purchased an old mill, and uses the original turbine to produce clean heat for glassblowing. Although working larger scale, his belief that 'the human hand creates perfect imperfection' mirrors the beliefs of many regional crafts people.

Graffiti on Birch, Herricks Cove Nature Preserve, Vermont. (2018) Herricks Cove is the result of the Williams River joining the Connecticut. Small nature preserves and parks are often at such confluences along the river, offering recreational opportunities for locals. Daylight.

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Graffiti on Birch, Herricks Cove Nature Preserve, Vermont. (2018) Herricks Cove is the result of the Williams River joining the Connecticut. Small nature preserves and parks are often at such confluences along the river, offering recreational opportunities for locals. Daylight.

Diverted River, Turners Falls, Massachusetts. (2017) One of the great ecological challenges facing the river and its watershed are the impediments to its functioning as a healthy hydrological system. Dams and other structures change water movement, which impacts all life in the riparian zone. Here the river is literally diverted, exposing bedrock.

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Diverted River, Turners Falls, Massachusetts. (2017) One of the great ecological challenges facing the river and its watershed are the impediments to its functioning as a healthy hydrological system. Dams and other structures change water movement, which impacts all life in the riparian zone. Here the river is literally diverted, exposing bedrock.

Viewing Room, Robert E. Barrett Fishway, Holyoke, Massachusetts. (2018) Visitors are welcome in late spring to watch anadromous fish continue their upstream journey after being raised past their first major upstream obstacle in lifts, which run during migration. U.S. Fish & Wildlife 2017 counts totaled 536,670 American Shad, with Sea Lamprey a distant second at 21,562.

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Viewing Room, Robert E. Barrett Fishway, Holyoke, Massachusetts. (2018) Visitors are welcome in late spring to watch anadromous fish continue their upstream journey after being raised past their first major upstream obstacle in lifts, which run during migration. U.S. Fish & Wildlife 2017 counts totaled 536,670 American Shad, with Sea Lamprey a distant second at 21,562.

Founders Bridge, Hartford, Connecticut. (2018) Founders is one of three bridges in Hartford. It opened as a toll bridge in 1957 and was rebuilt in the 1990s, when attention turned toward reintegration of the historic riverfront into downtown Hartford, as part of Riverfront Recapture, an outgrowth of a larger urban renewal movement in the 1980s.

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Founders Bridge, Hartford, Connecticut. (2018) Founders is one of three bridges in Hartford. It opened as a toll bridge in 1957 and was rebuilt in the 1990s, when attention turned toward reintegration of the historic riverfront into downtown Hartford, as part of Riverfront Recapture, an outgrowth of a larger urban renewal movement in the 1980s.

Trinity Women’s Eight, East Hartford, Connecticut. (2017) Boathouses are found up and down the river. Most teams are collegiate programs, but a select group of regional high schools row. There is also an occasional private boathouse. Seen here are members of the Trinity College Bantams women’s eight returning from morning practice.

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Trinity Women’s Eight, East Hartford, Connecticut. (2017) Boathouses are found up and down the river. Most teams are collegiate programs, but a select group of regional high schools row. There is also an occasional private boathouse. Seen here are members of the Trinity College Bantams women’s eight returning from morning practice.

River Freeze, Rocky Hill, Connecticut. (2018) Winter freeze takes different forms. Up north, people use ice as a shortcut driving across the river, not around over a bridge. Further south, a total freeze is rare. In January 2018, a 6-mile section of the river froze in central Connecticut, causing flooding. Coast Guard Cutters broke up the ice.

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River Freeze, Rocky Hill, Connecticut. (2018) Winter freeze takes different forms. Up north, people use ice as a shortcut driving across the river, not around over a bridge. Further south, a total freeze is rare. In January 2018, a 6-mile section of the river froze in central Connecticut, causing flooding. Coast Guard Cutters broke up the ice.

“The kids were trying to find a way to keep a raw egg from not breaking from the top of the hook and ladder to the ground,” said Goodwin enrichment teacher Nancy Titchen.

The students packaged their eggs in all types of contraptions, ranging from balloons and parachutes to bubble wrap and tight cardboard boxes. Then it was up to gravity and the long fall the UConn fire department provided to see whether the eggs would crack or not.

“It’s a big event at our school, and really wouldn’t be possible without the help of the UConn fire department,” said Titchen, whose school is located just a mile from campus. The UConn fire department, which provides mutual aid to the town of Mansfield, has been part of this fun activity for about 15 years.

“We’ve tried it from the top of our building before,” Titchen added, “but it doesn’t have anywhere near the impact it does when the UConn fire department puts up their hook and ladder.”