Back To School At Hogwarts
SIMSBURY — On Sunday, Sept. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m., the Storyteller’s Cottage will host Back to School at Hogwarts. The cost is $50. Visit https://www.storytellerscottage.com to reserve tickets.
Everyone who registers will receive a Hogwarts admission letter. Guests will spend the afternoon taking classes at Hogwarts, including Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and more. The classes will be held in all of the different themed spaces, including the Magical Common Room, secret hidden Castle Room and Great Hall.
Students can bring their wands and wear their robes or house colors. They will get sorted into their houses, make spell journals, eat chocolate frogs, and immerse themselves in their favorite books.
The Storyteller’s Cottage is located at 750 Hopmeadow St. Parking for The Storyteller’s Cottage is free, and is available on the street in front of the building, and in the Fiddler’s Green parking lot on Wilcox Street, behind the house). For more information, visit www.StorytellersCottage.com or call 860-877-6099.
Library Board Member Retires
SIMSBURY — The legacy of Architect Richard Schoenhardt can be seen throughout Simsbury in the many buildings he has designed. However, his behind the scenes work as a member of the Simsbury Free Library’s Board of Trustees for 22 years has made an indelible impact. Therefore, it is with a mixture of gratitude and sadness that the Board announces Schoenhardt, 87, stepped down from his position on July 22.
“Rick’s accomplishments during his tenure have enriched every aspect of the library,” said Tara Willerup, Vice Chairman of Simsbury Free Library’s Board of Trustees. “We will all miss his unique skill set and dedication to history, education and preservation.”
Schoenhardt was invited to join the Board in 1997 by friends who were members. During his term, he was responsible for many achievements: Maintenance and improvements of the building, restoration of the planting along the classical front railing, building of the terrace at the front, protective glazing over the round windows, repainting of the vestibule to original design, restoration of historic paintings, rebuilding of the steam boiler, and the design of the archives in basement.
Schoenhardt’s son, Matthew Schoenhardt, 52, a realtor with William Raveis and resident of Simsbury, will succeed his father as a member of the Board. Matt and his wife Jo Schoenhardt created the nonprofit Logan’s Foundation for Childhood Cancer that raises money to help families battling childhood cancer, after losing their son Logan to cancer in 2017.
“I am thrilled that I can still have a connection to the library as my son continues the vital mission of this organization,” said Rick. “In addition to the restoration and preservation of original building features and artwork, the accomplishment I am most proud of during my time is instilling a love of history and service in Matt.”
Rick jokes his future plans are to stay at home with his wife Lynne and read, plus continue volunteering at his church.
“Rick’s dedication to elevate the Simsbury Free Library to prominence as one of the top historic resources in Connecticut has been an inspiration to us all,” said Willerup. “We wish him a long and healthy retirement with his family.”
Salmon Brook Historical Society Events
GRANBY — Salmon Brook Historical Society, 208 Salmon Brook St., is hosting the following events. Visit www.salmonbrookhistoricalsociety.com for more information.
Open house tours are on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. through September. The society is closed on Sept. 1. The Small/Antique Engine Show will take place on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Don Rethke at 860-549-6687 or flushbewithyou@yahoo.com if you have an engine to show.
The fall flea market will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For vendor info, contact Dave at 860-653-3965. Donations will be accepted beginning Sept. 17 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Tunxis Hosting Registration Event
FARMINGTON — Tunxis Community College, 271 Scott Swamp Road, will hold a Super Saturday walk-in registration event on Aug. 24 from 9 a.m to 2 p.m. in the 700 Building, to help new and continuing students apply and register for fall semester.
The Saturday event will offer one-stop assistance in the admission and registration process, and with class schedules, course selection, financial aid, placement testing for those who arrive by noon, and other matters.
Prospective students who have not yet applied for admission should apply online before the event at tunxis.edu/apply. They should also bring a high school diploma or GED, immunization records, and unofficial college transcripts, or upload them using the application portal at tunxis.edu/apply. Students who haven’t already applied for financial aid are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid immediately. The FAFSA can be submitted online at www.fafsa.gov, and TCC’s school code is 009764.
The Advanced Manufacturing Technology programs will also have tours and information available. Continuing Education & Workforce Development will be open and offering a $100 discount on any class over $300.
For those who can’t attend on Saturday, final walk-in registration is Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Credit fall semester classes start Aug. 27, with day, evening, online, Saturday and accelerated class options. For more information, please call Tunxis Admissions at 860-773-1490. Tunxis is located at the junction of Routes 6 and 177.
Community Sing
AVON — On Sunday, Aug. 25, from 3 to 5 p.m., the Farmington Valley Chorale invites all singers to join them in an open sing of settings of the Te Deum hymn by Mozart and Britten.
The 100-member chorale has been performing classical choral music for the communities of the Farmington Valley since 1970. The Sing event will take place at Avon’s Valley Community Baptist Church at 590 West Avon Road. Parking is free and the building is air conditioned.
Music scores and light refreshments will be provided. There is a suggested donation of $5. Visit www.farmingtonvalleychorale.org for more information.
First Church Tag Sale
FARMINGTON — The First Congregational Church Tag Sale will be held at 75 Main St. on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is free of charge and open to all. This event is organized by the Women’s Association of First Church. Funds raised from the sale of donated items will be used for outreach and mission projects.
Anyone may donate items for sale for this event. Items will be accepted on Friday, Sept. 6, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Porter Memorial Hall, 75 Main St. All items must be squeaky clean and in good working condition, with no rust or mold. No firearms, alcohol, clothing, or outdated electronic equipment will be accepted or sold. Contact Karen Wasley at kwwasley39@aol.com with questions.
The sale will be held on the church green, but will move to the adjacent Porter Memorial Hall in the event of rain. Parking for the event is available in the lot behind the Barney Library and on Church and School Streets.
Avon Library Events
AVON — The Avon Public Library, 281 Country Club Road, is offering the following events and programs.
Film Screening and Discussion: Nigeria. Date: Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 1:30 p.m. Pretty Dirty Things. Okwe is an illegal Nigerian immigrant struggling to survive in London’s underground. He works as a hotel receptionist in the night time and since he has a medical degree, he also practices medicine on the side. When he is offered a lot of money to perform illegal surgeries, he faces a moral dilemma. Rated R, Ih 37m. Bob Kagan, discussion leader, is a Professor of Communication at Central Connecticut State University and the University of Hartford.
Nothing to Envy: North Korea. Date: Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. Join librarian Cyndi Larsen for a discussion of Nothing to Envy, a book that follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years, a chaotic period that saw the rise of power to Kim Jong II and the devastation of a famine that killed one-fifth of the population, illustrating what it means to live under the most repressive totalitarian regime today.
Poles In Their homeland and Connecticut: History and Culture. Date: Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. Presented by Renata Vickrey, University Archivist and Outreach Librarian at CCSU. A lecture on the history and culture of Poles who emigrated from Poland to the US, from mid-19* century until the present. In addition to the reasons why this population immigrated, we will discuss the building of community, family traditions and customs, especially by the Poles who live in CT. Food from Little Poland (New Britain) will be served.
The Story of American Immigration, as told through maps: Saturday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m. Dr. Francis Coan, History Professor at Tunxis, and part of the Civic Engagement Institute on campus, will present the story of American immigration through maps. This is a very visual way to understand how the populations, cultures, and time periods have evolved throughout the geography of America.
How does the immigration process work? Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 1:30 p.m. Erika Taylor, of the Hartford Field Office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, will speak on how the current process of immigration works.
The Irish in Connecticut: Thursday, Oct. 3, at 6:30 p.m. Bruce Clouette, Senior Historian, Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc., will speak on the cultural conflicts, economic experiences or lack thereof and political roles that Irish immigrants assumed as they entered Connecticut.
Valley Seniors’ Bowling League
SIMSBURY — The Valley Seniors’ Bowling League invites all bowlers, ages 55 and older, to join the league. They are looking for new team members and substitutes. The league bowls at Blue Fox in Simsbury on Tuesdays at 1 p.m., beginning Sept. 10 and running for 32 weeks. All levels of ability are welcome. Contact Suzanne at 860-658-5748 for more information.
First LGBT Inclusive VNA In CT
SIMSBURY — The McLean Home Care and Hospice staff has recently completed training through the Getting it Right program and has been deemed certified as an LGBT inclusive organization, making them the first Medicare-certified Home Health Agency in the State of Connecticut.
“It is our mission to serve all of our clients in the most respectful way possible. The valuable training we received as part of the Getting it Right program will further our entire staff’s proactive approach to inclusive and dignified care,” said Peggy Coburn, MPH, Administrator McLean Home Care & Hospice. For more information on McLean Home Care or Hospice services, call 860-658-3954.
The Getting it Right program works with aging service providers such as home care and facility-based providers to create welcoming and intentionally inclusive services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) clients and families. They provide an integrated set of resources to Getting it Right (GIR) providers, which includes training and other best practice resources. GIR begins with the premise that intentional inclusion means proactive practices that go beyond current standards and policies of non-discrimination
Getting it Right: Creating an LGBT Inclusive Organization, is a program of Connecticut Community Care supported with funding from the John H. and Ethel G. Noble Charitable Trust.
McLean Home Care & Hospice is a nonprofit Medicare-certified home health and hospice agency dedicated to providing high quality, effective and efficient multidisciplinary services to home health, palliative and hospice patients in Avon, Bloomfield, Burlington, Canton, Granby, Farmington, Simsbury, West Hartford and Windsor.
This orientation training for the 64 Home Care & Hospice employees was just the starting point for McLean. They are deeply committed to ongoing staff education on issues of importance to the LGBT community, as part of their longtime commitment of providing person-centered care to each and every patient they treat.
Gamblers Anonymous
AREA — Gamblers Anonymous is available to anyone who has a gambling problem. The organization can be reached at 855-222-5542.
1820s Schoolhouse Needs Renovation Help
AVON — The Avon Historical Society is seeking corporate donations in exchange for tax credits, to renovate their 1823 one-room schoolhouse for use as a museum once again.
The Avon Historical Society, in partnership with the Town of Avon, owner of Schoolhouse No. 3 located at 8 East Main St., has submitted a Neighborhood Assistance Act application to the CT Department of Revenue Services seeking Energy Efficient Improvement funding in the amount of $91,000 from the private sector in exchange for tax credits.
In 1981, the Avon Historical Society signed a lease agreement with the Town of Avon which resulted in the relocation, one year later, of an 1823 one-room schoolhouse from Country Club Road to its current location at 8 East Main Street. The building is the oldest structure owned by the Town of Avon and is listed on the State Register of Historic Places.
The Society opened it as “The Living Museum” in 1985, welcoming visitors on Sunday afternoons until it was closed in 2012. “The decision to close the Living Museum was timely,” said Historical Society President, Terri Wilson, “because the exhibit installed inside needed to be updated and the Museum’s collection had grown beyond its limited storage capacity.”
In 2018, the Society’s Board of Trustees decided to return it to a fully functioning museum, with climate controlled archival storage, proper security system and other upgrades, in time for its 200th anniversary in 2023. The Town of Avon and the Avon Historical Society have created a multi-year capital improvement plan for this one room schoolhouse, including both exterior projects that will seal the envelope of the building to make the structure more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable, and interior projects that will encourage the preservation of critical historic artifacts that define Avon’s character.
The Town has budgeted some funds in its Capital Improvement Budget and the Society has committed similar matching funds, but it is not enough to do everything needed. Funds obtained from the Neighborhood Assistance Act will enough to do everything needed. Funds obtained from the Neighborhood Assistance Act will allow the Historical Society to complete the much needed energy efficiency improvements to the structure including the installation of new energy efficient windows, new siding, new roof, new doors, a chimney cap, as well as renovations to the restroom, and an LED lighting upgrade.
The Neighborhood Assistance Act permits businesses that donate to these sorts of projects to apply for a tax credit matching their donation. Funding can come from one business or several. To make a donation, interested businesses should submit a complete NAA-2 form (available at https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Credit-Programs/Neighborhood-Assistance/Neighborhood-Assistance-Act-Tax-Credit-Program) and submit the NAA-2 form to the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services either via email or USPS to the addresses indicated at the top of the form. NAA-2 forms may be submitted on or after Sept. 15, 2019, but no later than Oct. 1, 2019.
Contact the Historical Society at 860-678-7621 to ask questions, to obtain the NAA-2 form, or to schedule an appointment to tour the schoolhouse. Visit www.avonhistoricalsociety.org for more information.
Drop-In Genealogy
SIMSBURY — The popularity of at-home DNA test kits like 23andMe, AncestryDNA and MyHeritage has led to a renewed interest in personal family history. Whether people are just getting started digging into their roots, or are experienced genealogists, the Simsbury Free Library is a treasure trove of information. Plus, the historical library offers Drop In Genealogy events under the guidance of experienced genealogist Alison Watson Maston.
Drop-in genealogy workshops will be offered this summer on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free for members; $5 for non-members. To make a reservation or for more information, email programs@simsburyfreelibrary.org or call 860-408-1336.
Watson Maston encourages attendees to start with what they know: family stories and personal resources. Using that information, fill out the free 5 Generation Pedigree chart that is available on the Simsbury Free Library website. Then bring any additional information, such as full names and nicknames of parents, siblings, spouses, children, and other relatives, dates and places of birth/marriage/death, military service and occupations of family members.
With over 40 years of genealogy experience, Watson Maston specializes in researching vital records, land records, immigration and naturalization records as well as probate records. She has particular expertise in New England, New York City and Ireland.
The Simsbury Free Library offers a unique collection of local historical resources about the founders of Simsbury and other towns in the region, a large archive of materials including the library edition of Ancestry.com; specific family histories; town, county and state histories; the Barbour and Hale Collections; military records and local newspapers.
For online resources, Watson Maston suggests https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/, FamilySearch.org, military records sites for recent times and the Civil War, as well as government and country websites like the National Archives and Vital Records. She is happy to help workshop attendees navigate these websites.
To keep track of all of that family information, Watson Maston recommends electronic programs such as FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com that allow for queries, report writing and ease of citing sources.
Families Anonymous
BLOOMFIELD — A fellowship of people whose lives have been affected by the use of drugs or alcohol of a relative or friend meet every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 26 Wintonbury Ave. For more information, call 860-922-4548.
Suburban Park: Unionville’s Hidden Gem
UNIONVILLE — The Unionville Museum, 15 School St., is opening its new exhibit, “A Stroll Through Suburban Park – Unionville’s Hidden Gem,” featuring a unique slice of Unionville history.
The exhibit will be open at the museum from now through Oct. 27 on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Suburban Park was a 27-acre amusement park created by the Suburban Trolley Company that operated in Unionville from 1895 to 1905, drawing hundreds of visitors from Farmington, West Hartford and Hartford. This exhibit is the culmination of an Eagle Scout project led by Timothy Germano, a Farmington High School student.
Avon Library Book Club
AVON — The Wednesday Morning Book Club is an informal group that meets once a month at the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Road. Contact Barbara Greenleaf at 860-673-9712, ext. 246, or email bgreenleaf@avonctlibrary.info for more information.
Everyone is welcome and no registration is required. Books are available ahead of time at the reference desk.
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 10:30 a.m., The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris will be discussed. An international bestseller based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor and the woman he fell in love with.
The library is at 281 Country Club Road in Avon. For further information, visit www.avonctlibrary.info or call the library at 860-673-9712, ext. 4.
Continuing Ed Offers Trips
FARMINGTON — Farmington Continuing Ed is offering the following trips. Visit http://www.fpsct.org/schools/farmington-continuing-education or call 860-404-0290 to register. Call 860-414-1024 for more information.
Trips are as follows: Oct. 19, 9-11 Museum; Nov. 2, Madame Butterfly, Met Opera, NYC; Nov. 11, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, NYC; Dec. 3, Radio City Holiday Show; and Dec. 7, NYC Day on your own.
Farmers Market
AVON — The Avon Library’s farmers market enters its sixth summer and takes place from 3 to 6 p.m. in the library’s parking lot each Monday in August, rain or shine.
Shop 15 different vendors for the best in local produce and CT grown products. Visit https://avonctlibrary.info/farmers-market for more information. The Avon Free Public Library is located at 281 Country Club Road.
Seeking Book Donations
CANTON — The Friends of the Canton Public Library are looking for donations of gently used books, CDs and audiobooks for their fall book sale, which will be held on Sept. 7 and 8. The book drive will run throughout the summer.
Books can be left in the Library Program Room at the Canton Public Library at 40 Dyer Ave. during normal library hours. The Friends ask that those interested in donating items are asked to check your donations first as they can only accept items in good, clean, sale-able condition with no highlighting, underlining or torn pages. The Friends will not accept records, magazines, cassette tapes, DVDs, condensed books, Time-Life series, textbooks, encyclopedias, foreign language books or dictionaries.
All funds from the upcoming book sale provide resources and programming for the Canton Public Library. For more information, visit www.cantonpubliclibrary.org or call 860-693-5800.
Pine Grove School House Opens
AVON — The Avon Historical Society announces that the Pine Grove School House, 3 Harris St., will be open every Sunday through September from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Pine Grove Schoolhouse, built in 1865 as Schoolhouse No. 7 and still standing in its original location, is owned by the Town of Avon. It was in use as a school until 1949, when it became a branch of the town library, nursery school and meeting place for the Boy Scouts. The Avon Historical Society restored the building in 1976 and is interpreted as a schoolhouse of 1900 with bolted desks, hand slates, textbooks, and other educational memorabilia of the time.
Returning this year, by popular demand, will be a scavenger hunt for young visitors highlighting many of the historic items in the school house and the surrounding grounds. To make an appointment to see the schoolhouse at other times, or to bring in a group, leave your name and number at 860-678-7621.
For those interested in local history and genealogy, the Marian Hunter History Room at the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Road, is available by making an appointment at 860-673-9712.
Free Business Mentoring
FARMINGTON — The Farmington Branch of SCORE offers free, individualized business mentoring sessions with business executive volunteers every first and third Wednesday at the Farmington Library, 6 Monteith Drive, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The one hour sessions are by appointment. To schedule an appointment, visit www.greaterhartford.score.org or call the Farmington Library at 860-673-6791, ext 204.