Commune With The Gardening Gurus

Good morning, Tolland County! Today is Tuesday 3/18, and today happens to be this year’s National Ag Day. It’s time to take a moment to appreciate all the hard work that our nations farmers do to keep us fed! That includes your neighbors that run a farm stand in the summer (they appreciate your money a lot more than bigger stores with products that have half the taste!), or the backyard gardener that grows enough to feed their family and maybe share with a neighbor or two. That reminds me, when we get to that time of year, let me know where your favorite farm stands are, so we can try to make a list for people that might not know about them!

Before we get into it, I just want to give a special shoutout to my mom, Catherine Rowe, for her birthday on March 20th!

In Today’s Tolland County Buzz:

• Gardening Gurus

• Coventry’s Glass History

• 20 Events

Let’s dive in!

-Tyler DiGiovanni

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BRIEF BITES

• CISA - Exciting news from our own backyard—Columbia’s very own Sean Plankey was just tapped to lead cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security’s CISA! Yep, one of our hometown heroes is stepping up to quarterback America's cyber defense.

• School Lunch - Big changes are coming to Vernon school cafeterias! 🍎👨‍🍳 Thanks to the Chefs to Schools Grant, the district is hiring a pro chef to revamp school meals with fresh, local ingredients—goodbye bland, hello flavor! The new chef will also train kitchen staff in scratch cooking, cut food waste, and create student-approved, nutritious dishes.

• Spelling - Nathan Settevendemie just claimed his second Connecticut Spelling Bee title in three years, earning a trip to the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. Even more impressive? This marks the third time in four years a champion has come from his household—talk about a family tradition of excellence!

• Top School - Somers schools are on a winning streak! Somers Elementary has just been named Connecticut's Elementary School of the Year, following last year’s Middle School of the Year win by Mabelle B. Avery.

• SBA - Michelle Nicholson, founder of The Flour Girl Bakery in Hebron, has been named Connecticut’s 2025 Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. What started in her home in 2020 has now grown to 40 employees, multiple locations, and a thriving community presence

• B-Ball - Ellington boys basketball just made history—winning their first CIAC Division IV title since 1972! The top-seeded Knights wrapped up their perfect season in style, topping No. 23 Sheehan from Wallingford, 55-39.

THE HIVE’S PICK

One thing you may not know about me, is that I really enjoy gardening. Like, really enjoy it. Looking through seed catalogs is my (my wife and kids…not as much) idea of a fun afternoon. Did you know that we have one of the best resources for all things gardening related, right here in Tolland County?

The UConn Master Gardeners are a group of enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and passionate people, all brought together by their love of horticulture, and willingness to share their passion with anyone interested (yes, that includes you)!

The Master Gardeners are available for questions about anything horticultural, including plants that will grow in your area, identifying plant diseases, pests, and anything else that might be going wrong with your growing. You can always try to look something up online (but we all know how much inaccurate garbage there is out there), or you can talk to someone that’s part of your community and wants to see your plant-life thrive!

If you have any burning gardening questions you’d like answered, you can reach out to them at [email protected] or call (860) 870-6934.

ToCo TRIVIA 🤔

Last week’s answer: Water Chestnut has been a problem for Tolland County Rivers although Milfoil & Japanese Knotwood have also been a headache for waterways in the county.

BUZZWORTHY ACTIVITY 🐝

If you haven’t noticed by now, the history of Tolland County is very interesting to us. That’s why we wanted to feature an event being held by the Coventry Historical Society (1746 Boston Tpke) on Thursday 3/20 at 6:30pm. They are holding their annual Stew & Story program, with a guest speaker (Rick Ciralli) who is a collector and dealer of Coventry glass (more on that in our history section below!), and helped establish the Museum of Connecticut Glass.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their interesting glass finds for Rick’s evaluation. The event kicks off with a bunch of different homemade soups, stews, appetizers, breads, desserts, and drinks. People are encouraged to bring their own bowls and spoons (although, they will provide them if you don’t feel like bringing your own).

The CHS asks you to register for the event ahead of time. For a little more background on Coventry’s place in the history of glass-making, keep reading!

BEE LINE EVENTS

TUESDAY (3/18)

Andover | Spring Cleaning Tips | 6pm - Learn some tips and tricks about maximizing your Spring cleaning at Andover Public Library (355 Rt 6). Call (860) 742-7428 to let them know you’re coming!

WEDNESDAY (3/19)

Ellington | Nutrition For Seniors | 1-2pm - Ellington Senior Center (40 Maple St) is pairing with an ECHN professional to offer advice on dietary needs for those in their golden years. Sign up in advance by calling (860) 870-3133, in person, or on MyActiveCenter.

Hebron | All Levels Yoga | 9:15-10:15am $ - Get your weekly dose of yoga at Gilead Church (672 Gilead St). Beginners or advanced practitioners welcome. Call or text Jen at (860) 531-2217 for more details.

THURSDAY (3/20)

Ellington | Spring Equinox Event | 6-8pm ($) - Voices of Enlightenment (19 Pinney St) is holding a special equinox event. Preregister with JoAnna (914) 419-4536 to grab a spot and give her birth chart info so she can create personalized journal prompts. Cost is a free-will donation.

Stafford | Healthy Meal Planning | 6:30pm $ - Learn about how to create healthy meals that not only taste great, but are always good for you. Stafford Cidery (68 Main St) is hosting the event, so while you’re there you can get a serving of fruits in (grab one of their ciders!). Tix

Stafford | Spring Equinox Sound Bath | 6:15-7:15pm $ - Let a wall of soothing sound flush your stress away at Let’s Get Wired (64 Main St). More info

Stafford | Tarot Learning Series | 5:30-7pm $ - This is the 4th in the Tarot learning series at Let’s Get Wired (64 Main St). Also, they have several separate areas, so don’t worry about mixing with the sound bath. More info

Stafford | Watercolor Paint Night | 6-8pm $ - Three Graces Vintage (52 Main St) is holding a watercolor night with a Spring time theme. Register

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Bond 124 - Somers | Baird Souls | 7:30pm

TRIVIA

Rocking Horse - Vernon | 7-9pm

FRIDAY (3/21)

Ellington | Sound Meditation Concert | 7-8:30pm $ - The Conduit is holding a sound meditation at the American Karate Center (175 West Rd). Details

Stafford | Sound Healing | 6:15pm $ - Middle River Yoga (2 River Rd) is also holding an evening of sound healing. Learn more

Tolland | Spring Equinox Clearing | 6-8:30pm $ - Join Resonance Healing Arts (60 Hartford Tpke) for a women’s release somatic breathwork session. Leave feeling like a new woman. More info here

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Bidwell Tavern - Coventry | Gene Donaldson and the Stingrays | 8:30-11:30pm

SATURDAY (3/22)

Coventry | Tardif Farms Opening | 10am-5pm - This Saturday marks the opening of another season at Tardif Farms (89 Flanders Rd). Grab some Spring/Easter plants and check out the new greenhouse.

Ellington | Gluten Free Bakery Open House | 10am-12pm - The 3rd annual Open House (420 Somers Rd), this wholesale bakery is only open once a year to the public. Multiple companies will be offering their finest treats. Now is the time to score some GF goodies!

Ellington | Past Life Workshop | 10am-12:30pm $ - Voices of Enlightenment (19 Pinney St) want to help you connect with your past lives. If this sounds interesting, call/text Kathi at (413) 885-0038.

Stafford | Spring Artisan Market | 12-5pm - Let’s Get Wired (64 Main St) is holding a market with several vendors from the area. Pick up everything from crafts to sea glass jewelry, and grab a Tarot reading too!

Vernon | UCONN 4-H Junior STEM Day | 9am -1:30pm $ - Open to 7-12 year olds interested in learning about STEM fields. Workshops include Build a Hand, Chemistry of Baking, and more. More info

Vernon | EMYoga Sound Healing | 2-3:30pm $ - Sweet Lotus Yoga Studio (520 Hartford Tpke) is holding a combo yoga and sound healing class. More info

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Four Seasons By The Lake - Stafford | Lyle’s Leftovers | 7pm
⬢ Stillwater Grill - Stafford | Hard to Read | 6-9pm
⬢ Joanna’s - Somers | The Score | 6:30pm
⬢ The Hidden Still - Ellington | Rain Family Band | 8pm

TRIVIA

Stafford Cidery - Stafford | 6:30pm

SUNDAY (3/23)

Mansfield | Flea Market Opening Day | 8am-2pm $ - Come check out the first day of the 50th year of this local mainstay at 228 Stafford Rd. There’s a $3 parking fee, but on any given day, you can expect around 300 vendors! (I’ve bought more guitars there than I’d like to admit!)

Tolland | Easter Card DIY | 2-3:30pm $ - Tolland Red & White (46 Tolland Grn) is running a class to help you create a fun Easter card from scratch. Email [email protected] by today (3/18) to register!

Tolland | Integrated Energy Therapy Training | 10am-5:30pm $ - Resonance Healing Arts (60 Hartford Tpke) is holding a class for intermediate level. Continue your training

Vernon | Messages From Heaven | 12-2pm $ - Psychic Rebecca Anne LoCicero will be at Spare Time (350 Talcottville Rd). Call (860) 875-2583 for more info

MONDAY (3/24)

Ellington | Glow In The Dark Easter Egg Hunt | 7:30pm - This is exactly as awesome as it sounds! Ellington Rec Department is holding this fun event at Robert Tedford Memorial Park (45 Sadds Mill Rd). Kids are encouraged to bring their own baskets. Eggs are exchanged for candy at the end of the event.

UCONN SPORTS

3/18

• Men’s Golf @ ECU Intercollegiate

• Women's Tennis vs Milwaukee | 1PM

• Baseball @ Duke | 4PM

3/19

• Women's Lacrosse @ Columbia | 3PM

• Baseball @ North Carolina | 4PM

3/20

• Men's Ice Hockey @ Boston University | 4PM

3/21

• Men's & Women’s Track and Field @ Yellow Jacket Invite

• Softball vs Seton Hall | 3PM

• Baseball @ UNC Greensboro | 6PM

• Men's Basketball vs Oklahoma | 9:25PM

3/22

• Men's & Women’s Track and Field @ Yellow Jacket Invite

• Women's Rowing @ Stetson

• Women's Basketball vs Arkansas State | 1PM

• Women's Lacrosse @ Villanova | 1PM

• Softball vs Seton Hall | 2PM

• Baseball @ UNC Greensboro | 2PM

3/23

• Baseball @ UNC Greensboro | 1PM

• Softball vs Seton Hall | 1PM

Well, that’s everything we got for this week! If you got something out of today’s newsletter, please share it with someone who loves gardening!

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