Happy New Year From TCB!!!

Happy New Year, Tolland County! Today is Thursday 1/2, and that means it’s National Science Fiction Day. So that means grab your favorite sci-fi book, binge your favorite sci-fi show (Warehouse 13 is a personal fave, although I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Star Trek), watch a mind-bending movie, or just complain about how you don’t like sci-fi. If you fall into that last category, don’t worry, it’s also National Cream Puff Day, so you can choose to celebrate that instead, here’s an easy recipe! Let’s get to what’s happening this weekend in Tolland County.

In Today’s Tolland County Buzz:

• Relaxing Start To The Year 🧖‍♀️

• Backstage Look At a Vineyard 🍷

• Folk Dancing Fun 🕺💃

Let’s dive in!

-Tyler DiGiovanni

BRIEF BITES

• Town Hall Hours - The town of Vernon will be changing their Town Hall late hours to Tuesday starting after Jan. 6th. On Tuesdays the Town Hall will be open until 7pm.

• Affordable Housing - Join the Affordable Housing 101 Forum on January 29 to get your questions answered! Co-hosted by the Mansfield Human Rights Commission and Affordable Housing Committee, this event is a must for anyone curious about housing solutions. Reserve your spot now! Register here.

• Maple Harvest - Get ready to make the 2025 Hebron Maple Festival unforgettable! Join us this Saturday, January 4th, from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Douglas Library Community Room to help plan this beloved hometown event.

• Halal Market - The word on the street is that a new Halal market is coming to Vernon. The market is likely coming to the vacant spaces behind Anthony’s located at 216 Hartford Turnpike.

• Toys - Hundreds of Vernon children woke up to gifts this holiday season, thanks to the town's long-running Toys for Tikes program. Volunteer firefighters delivered toys to 250 children, continuing a tradition that began in 1953. Organizer Diane Carpenter praised the community's generosity, calling 2024 "an amazing year" for the program.

Relaxing Start To The Year 🧖‍♀️

Is there a better way to start the year than a little pampering? I think not (also, you deserve it!). Lynn and Kathi at Voices of Enlightenment (19 Pinney St, Ellington) are offering three different ways to put your body and soul at ease on Saturday 1/4 from 10am-6pm.

The services being offered are: Reiki, a Reading (tarot, past life, Oracle, or mediumship), and an Ionic Foot Detox. If you’re not sure what any of that means, they give a great description on this Facebook post. You’ll be able to choose two out of the three options for $60 (each service is broken up into 30 minute pieces).

While I realize this might be a little different, or out of some people’s comfort zone, there’s no harm in giving it a try. It’s a new year, why not try something new?

Backstage Look At a Vineyard 🍷

On Saturday (1/4), the wonderful people/dog (in this case, Heather and Champ) at Worthington Vineyards and Winery (359 Mountain Rd, Somers) are offering a sneak peak into their wine-making process as well as a tour of the grounds (it’s a massive place, if you haven’t been).

Don’t worry, it’s not all work and no play. The tour will end up in the tasting room, where you’ll be able to enjoy a glass of Worthington’s finest. I mean, you will have done exercise for the day, so why not reward yourself with a glass of a locally produced wine.

Well behaved dogs are welcome (must be leashed), and make sure you dress for the weather. The tour will start at 11am, and costs $15. Everything will last about an hour, and you are welcome to hang around more when they officially open at 12pm. As always, please drive responsibly!

Folk Dancing Fun 🕺💃

I’ll start off by saying that the emojis in no way reflect what’s on deck here. The Patriot’s Park Lodge (172 Lake St, Coventry) is holding a good old fashioned Contra Dance on Friday 1/3 from 7:15-10:30pm. Now, you might be wondering, “What the heck is Contra Dancing?”, because I know I did (thank you for the clarification Wikipedia).

Well, it’s something that you may find at a hootenanny or a hoedown. Partners dancing, with someone calling out movements. Just some down-to-earth fun. The music will be provided by Craig Edwards (fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar) and Ellen Cohn (piano). No experience with this type of dance is necessary, as the caller (Rich Sbardella) will teach you everything you need to know at the beginning of the evening (7:15-7:30pm).

Bring comfy, clean shoes (no heels!), clothing you can move easily in, and a good attitude! Tickets are $13/person, or $6 for students (Student ID is necessary). There will be some snacks during the breaks, but people are allowed to bring their own homemade goodies.

BEE LINE EVENTS

1/3

Tolland | Potluck Party | 6:30-8:30pm - Shakeup Makeup (45 Industrial Park West) is holding a community potluck to bring together old friends and hopefully make some new ones. If you’re interested you can check out what everyone is bringing and sign-up to bring something here.

Vernon | Acrylic Landscape Class | 2:30-4:30pm $ - Arts Center East (709 Hartford Tpke) is kicking off this three class series led by a professional artist. Tickets can be purchased here.

1/4

Columbia | Family Potluck Rosary | 4-8pm - St. Columba Church (328 CT-66) is holding an Epiphany Potluck. After rosary, there will be dinner, crown decorating, luminary making, Christmas Bingo, and an Epiphany cake with prizes. Bring a dish to share, and bring a gift for birthright (you can find needed items here). Please RSVP if you plan on attending.

Mansfield | Book Donation | 9am-12pm - The Friends of Mansfield Library (54 Warrenville Rd) are holding a book donation drive. There’s a limit of two bank box sized boxes per family of books, CDs, DVD, and puzzles/games in good condition (strange to me that they limit donations, but I’m not the one running it, so there’s probably a reason in there somewhere). No textbooks, magazines, or tapes allowed. All donations will go toward the next Friends Book Sale (proceeds go to support programs and services of the library).

Rockville | Fiber Arts Club | 10-11am - Swing by Rockville Public Library (52 Union St) and bring your crocheting, knitting, felting, and whatever else projects, for a social get together. No registration needed. This is a club for adults (sorry, little ones).

1/5

Coventry | Winter Farmers Market | 10am-12:30pm - Join the weekly Coventry Winter Farmers Market held at Coventry High School (78 Ripley Hill Rd). I even heard Pure Goodness Bakery is going to be there with their giant stuffed cookies.

Online | Zoom Psychic Event | 6-7:30pm - This free session is being held right in the comfort of your own home. Join four psychics for an evening of insight and mini-readings. In order to participate, you must register here before the event.

Somers | Equestrian Winter Show | 8:30am - This is the third show in Wright’s Brook Farm Winter Schooling Series and is being held at The New Shallowbrook Equestrian Center (247 Hall Hill Rd). Unrelated, but I guess they aren’t fans of brevity. If you’re interested, email [email protected] for more information.

Stafford Springs | Reiki Energy Share | 12:30-1:30pm $ - Let’s Get Wired (64 Main St) is holding a Reiki share for all levels of Reiki/other energy healers. In fact, even if you’re just curious about Reiki, you’re welcome to attend. Tickets can be purchased here.

Tolland | Military Museum Meeting | 4-7pm - The Annual Triple M (I just made that name up, let’s see if it sticks) is holding a potluck and discussion on the upcoming events for 2025.

Live Music

1/4

⬢ Rocking Horse Smokehouse - Vernon | PANDEMONIUM | 9pm
⬢ Blackledge Country Club - Hebron | Tongue & Groove | 6:30-9:30pm
⬢ Joanna’s Restaurant - Somers | Smokehouse | 6:30-9:30pm

1/5

⬢ Joanna’s Restaurant - Somers | Cobblestone Road | 5-8pm

Trivia

1/2 - Hot Finger’s Trivia @ Hops 44 - Storrs | 7-9pm

1/3 - Trivia Night @ Cassidy Hill - Coventry | 6:30pm

THE HIVE’S PICK

This weekend’s Hive Pick is none other than Over AndOver (415 Rt 6, Andover). No, that’s not a typo, just a clever play on words. They are a self-proclaimed “Barntique,” specializing in upcycled and reused goods. From furniture to hand painted oyster shells, local crafters and artisans get to show off their talents, where you will find truly unique goods.

Also available are soaps and candles (don’t worry, those aren’t being reused), pottery, jewelry, cards, and art. There’s truly an eclectic mix of products, and it’s worth taking a trip just to see the clever ways people have repurposed items.

If you want to get a sneak peek at what the layout is, you can watch this brief video Over AndOver posted on their Facebook from 2020 (5 years ago, sheesh!). Also, if you see something appealing in the video, assume it’s not there anymore since the video was taken so long ago.

They’re open Thursdays and Fridays from 11am-5pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-4pm.

UCONN SPORTS

1/3 - Women’s Hockey @ Boston College | 6pm

1/4 - Men’s Hockey @ Harvard | 7pm

1/5 - Women’s Basketball @ Villanova | 1:30pm

1/5 - Men’s Basketball vs. Providence | 2pm

1/5 - Women’s Ice Hockey vs. Vermont | 3pm

That’s it for today’s Tolland County Buzz! If you got something out of it, do me a favor and help us grow by sharing it with someone who loves red velvet cake. See you next week!

Tyler

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