Picture Enfield - Then And Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today we take a second sojourn into the newly-acquired book I Took a Little Trip to My Hometown, self-published by retired freelance photographer John Zirolli and containing hundreds of photos of Enfield taken between 1973 and 1985.

This picture, taken around 1974, shows the removal of signs from the recently-closed A&P grocery store at 786 Enfield Street. The sign in the window directs customers to the chain's other Enfield location in the Scitico Plaza (formerly known as the Green Manorville Shopping Parkade). A&P remained at the single site on the eastern edge of town until 1977, when the name was changed to Scitico Market. The D'Alessandro family operated the store until its closure in 2010.

Back on Route 5, the building which had housed A&P underwent extensive remodeling, and is currently a small plaza called the Mountain Laurel Shoppes. Existing tenants are Subway, U Nail Spa, OMI Oriental Grocery, Creative Hairdressing and Barber School, EnFuse Fitness and Your CBD Store.

Here is as close as I could come to an exact replica of Mr. Zirolli's original photo, taken hastily in the pouring rain at 6:45 this morning:

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "What future 12-season NBA veteran, who then became an NBA head coach for five seasons, played summer ball in Enfield in the mid-1980s at the old outdoor courts at Asnuntuck Community College?" The answer: Vinny Del Negro, a Springfield, Mass. native who graduated from Suffield Academy in 1984. He went on to star at North Carolina State, playing for legendary coach Jim Valvano, then was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1988 NBA draft. After two seasons with the Kings and two in Italy, he played six years with the San Antonio Spurs, then finished up with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns before retiring in 2001. He was head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 2008-10, and the Los Angeles Clippers from 2010-13.

This week's trivia question:
What former Kosciuszko Junior High School teacher had been an offensive lineman at Syracuse University, blocking for future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Larry Csonka? Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.