Once in a Lifetime Convergence Celebrated in Deep River
On Sunday, June 4, a once-in-a-lifetime event passed quietly: the convergence of the date and the Deep River postal code, 06417. A small group gathered to celebrate the occurrence on Monday, June 5 (the post office is closed on Sundays, after all), and to hear First Selectman Angus McDonald officially proclaim the day Deep River Postal Day.
The occurrence was noticed by Reverence Timothy Haut of Deep River Congregational Church. Jeff Hostetler, president of the Deep River Historical Society, penned a song to commemorate the day, which was sung during the ceremony, with the following lyrics: “Counting days for centuries, from the birth of Jesus / has led us unavoidably, to postal writ collision. / O, what joyous souls are we, just to be allowed to see / Our zip code and the date agree/ Oh six four one seven.”
After the song and reading of the proclamation by McDonald, Postmaster David Saraceno said, “It’s fitting that June 4 was on a Sunday.”
“Mostly this was just for fun,” said McDonald. “When Tim pointed it out we just thought, we have to do something.”
The next Deep River Postal Day will take place on June 4, 2117, or, 06/4/17; families are encouraged to tell their grandchildren to add it to their calendars.