Tolland County Buzz
Posts
A Real Life Unicorn (Bakery)🦄

A Real Life Unicorn (Bakery)🦄

Swapping Stories, Living in The Past, Spa Day For The Soul

Tyler DiGiovanni
January 23, 2025

Good morning, Tolland County! Today is Thursday 1/23, and that means it’s National Pie Day! None of that silly math stuff, today is all about deliciousness in a crust. Whether you love a pumpkin (it doesn’t have to just be a fall thing), lemon meringue (a family favorite), strawberry rhubarb (a personal favorite), or a traditional apple, today is the day to indulge. Also, don’t forget, you could have a chicken pot pie and make a whole meal out of it (great, now I’ve gotten myself hungry)!

In Today’s Tolland County Buzz:

Cidery Book Swap 📖
Digging Up The Past 🦕
Special Spa Day 💆

Let’s dive in!

-Tyler DiGiovanni

BRIEF BITES

New Restaurant - No Coast Taqueria is set to open its new Ellington location on February 4th at 11 a.m.! Located at 12 Main Street, the former Holiday Pizza spot, the space has been transformed into a sleek, modern taqueria. What started as a humble hotdog cart in 2020 has grown into a fan-favorite, hosting pop-ups like their takeover at Luann's Bakery & Cafe
Cell Tower - A proposed cell tower at 424 Storrs Road in Mansfield is seeking town approval, with initial discussions held at Tuesday’s Planning and Zoning meeting. A public hearing on the project is scheduled for the first week of March, giving residents a chance to weigh in.
Sandwiches - Jersey Mike’s is opening its new Vernon location next Wednesday, January 29th, at 35 Talcottville Road! The sandwich shop will take over the former Weight Watchers space, nestled between H&R Block and LensCrafters in the strip center.
Storage Facility - A young couple in Somers has turned their passion for luxury vehicles into a business with the opening of Specialty Storage, a 30,000-square-foot facility designed for collector cars, watercraft, ATVs, and more. Owners Nick and Angelica Rolocut transformed the former Conval machine shop at 265 Field Road in Somers into a sleek, secure space with epoxy floors, high ceilings, and customizable storage options. To celebrate, they’re hosting an indoor vendor and craft fair on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring over 20 vendors.
Shark Tank - UConn alum and swimsuit entrepreneur Hayley Segar is making waves with an upcoming appearance on Shark Tank this Friday at 8 p.m. on ABC. Segar, founder of Onewith, created a patent-pending swimwear line designed to fit like seamless underwear—dig-free, elastic-free, and edgeless.
Women’s Basketball - Seven former UConn women's basketball stars are set to shine in the debut season of Unrivaled, a groundbreaking 3-on-3 professional basketball league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Featuring six teams and the highest average salary in women's pro sports history, the league promises fast-paced action on a condensed court. Games will run from Jan. 17 to March 17 at Miami’s new Wayfair Arena, with broadcasts on TNT Sports, TruTV, and Max.
4o
Motel Conversion - The Vernon Motel on Hartford Turnpike is being considered for conversion into housing, bringing 65 studio and one-bedroom apartments to the site. Proposed changes include updated lighting, fencing, and landscaping, while the adjacent Vernon Diner and American Eagle FCU buildings will remain unaffected. The project is in its early stages and still requires local approvals.

Cidery Book Swap 📖

Looking for some new reading material, but don’t want the constraints of due dates from the library? Or maybe you don’t want to drop the cash on a bunch of new books. You are in luck, because Stafford Cidery (68 Main St, Stafford) is holding a book swap on Saturday 1/25 from 2-4pm.

Alright, so the nitty-gritty: There isn’t a fee to participate, but do the right thing and make a purchase to help support the business (it also helps that the ciders are really good!). They’ll have non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, and merch you can buy too.

Don’t come with a boxful of books, limit yourself to 5 books to give (at the most). To help everyone else out, write a one-line reason why you liked or didn’t like the book on a post-it and stick it to the cover (post-its will be available at the cidery, but you can do it ahead of time).

You’ll get a small card to put your name (use an alias if you want to add some mystery), your favorite book/author/genre/etc. and leave it on the table. You might find a new book buddy this way. In the first hour you can grab two of the books for swapping. Once the second hour comes along, grab as many as you want. The leftovers will be donated to Stafford Library to be used in their book and puzzle sale.

Digging Up The Past 🦕

This one is for all you amateur Indiana Jones’ out there. The Mansfield Public Library (54 Warrenville Rd, Mansfield) has invited Dr. Sarah Sportman from the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History to talk about what the past year of work has uncovered (yes, pun 100% intended) on Saturday 1/25 from 2-4pm.

Dr. Sportman will talk about the fieldwork, research, and everything else that the Office of State Archaeology has been up to for 2024, and what 2025 will bring. Artifacts and recent finds will be on display before and after the talk. The presentation will start at 2:30pm and will be followed by a Q&A session, then an informal reception.

If you plan on attending, please register here, so they can plan accordingly or the reception.

A Special Spa Day 💆

Voices of Enlightenment (19 Pinney St, Ellington) is hosting an unconventional spa day on Saturday 1/25 from 10am-6pm. Think of it as a day for not only your body but your soul too. The services available are Reiki, a Reading (Tarot, Oracle, past life, or Mediumship), or an Ionic Foot Detox (look it up, pretty interesting).

Choose two of these 30-minute services for $60, and let Lynn and Kathi work some of their magic. Come by yourself, or bring a friend and try out something new that might be a new favorite experience. To register for an appointment, you can call/text Kathi at (413) 885-0083.

BEE LINE EVENTS

1/24

Stafford Springs | Sound Healing Journey | 6:30pm $ - Middle River Yoga (2 River Rd) is taking you on a sonic soul-touching journey. Fully relax and be consumed by the sounds of gongs, singing bowls, voice, and crystal bowls. Tickets are $30 and must be purchased ahead of time by Venmo-ing @yogashelly.

Tolland | Dance Fitness Class | 7-8:30pm $ - Shakeup Makeup (45 Industrial Park Road West) is holding a good old girls (group) vs. boys (bands) dance class. Refreshments and snacks after the class are included. Tickets are $25.

Willington | Jeff Beck “Great Guitars” | 7-9pm $ - The Packing House (156 River Rd) is teaming up with with EC-CHAP (it’s a long acronym) to bring you a film about late guitar great, Jeff Beck. There’s a suggested donation of $5. You can find more details here.

1/25

Bolton | Songs of Hope Concert | 6-9pm $ - Come help Bolton Congregational Church (228 Bolton Center Rd) celebrate their 300th year with cocktails, music, poems, and life stories. You can inquire about tickets ($20/per person) at [email protected].

Hebron | Bluebird House Sale | 9am-1pm $ - Help support the Hebron Pollinator Pathway by stopping by Ted’s IGA (127 Main St) for a handcrafted bluebird house. Bird houses are $20 cash.

Ellington | Harley Service Seminar | 11am-1pm - Old School Harley-Davidson (398 Somers Rd) has invited master technician Tim Arsenault to give tips and tricks on how to keep your bike running it’s best. You can register for the event here.

Ellington | Horse Clinic | 10am $ - DeCarli Equestrian Center (189 Sadds Mill Rd) is offering a clinic with Ann Bowie to keep you and your horse progressing through the winter. 45min Privates - $100. 1hr Semi-Privates - $100. Text Nikole at (860) 878-4838 to sign up.

Ellington | Winter Wonderland Market | 9am-12pm - The Ellington Farmers Market (37 Maple St) is holding a special market, with deals and discounts from regular vendors. Come early to get the best selection!

Mansfield | Bloom Bar | 10am-2pm $ - Rooted Dreams Floral and Design Company (344 Stearns Rd) is holding their first weekly Bloom Bar event. Every Saturday you can build a custom bouquet for your specific tastes. Prices will be detailed on the stems of the flowers.

Rockville | Local Artist Show and Reception | 10:30-11:30am - Rockville Public Library (52 Union St, Vernon) is holding an art show for local artist Eryn Winans. Winans, a mental health therapist, is sharing her journey through the complexities of mental on the canvas.

Vernon | Ceramics Class | 9-11:30am $ - Learn to roll out a slab of clay and create a wall pocket you can fill with flowers (real or fake, up to you). Sharon Kehmna will be teaching the class at Art Center East (12 Center Rd) on 1/25 and 2/8. Tickets are $120 or $115 for ACE members.

Vernon | Crab Sale | 10am-2pm $ - Nope, I’m not making this up. The American Legion Post #14 (114 West St) is holding a sale of live Jonah Crab starting at $6.99lb and going up to $9.99lb for the jumbos. These crabs come from the Gulf of Maine.

Vernon | Women’s Circle | 1-2:30pm $ - Sweet Lotus Yoga Studio (520 Hartford Tpke) is giving women a chance to speak freely, and be heard by other women in a welcoming atmosphere. For tickets and more information, you can click here. The cost is $18.

Willington | Packing House Performance | 7:30-10pm $ - The Packing House (156 River Rd) is hosting indie/folk singer/songwriter Jenna Nicholls for an evening of beautiful music. The venue is BYOB+F (beverage + food). For tickets ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) and more info, click here.

1/26

Ellington | Red Cross Blood Drive | 8am-2pm - Help save someone’s life by donating blood at the Fayette Lodge (141 Orchard St). You can sign up to book a time here.

Stafford Springs | Self Care Sunday | 12-5pm - Let’s Get Wired (64 Main St) is holding a pop-up for several vendors from around the area. The list of artists that will be in attendance is too long to type out here, so you can get a longer description on their Facebook page.

Vernon | Roller Derby Crash Course | 7pm $ - This is the first day kicking off an 8-week roller derby bootcamp. Learn to skate and the ins and outs of this sport. Practices are twice a week (Sundays and Wednesdays), held at Ron A Roll (85 S Frontage St). The cost is $150 for the 8 weeks, and you can find more details here.

Live Music

1/24

1/25

THE HIVE’S PICK

While out exploring an area I thought I was familiar with (been to Home Goods enough times with the Mrs.), I happened upon Unicorn Polish Bakery (378 Kelly Rd, Vernon). Now, if you’ve already been there, you’re probably reading this and thinking, “How did he not know about that place? It’s awesome!” Well, you’d be right. I’ve been missing out, and I’m sure a lot of you reading this have been too.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is that the food labels aren’t in English. Polish snacks galore (I grabbed some chips that were rib(?) flavored and a bag of paprika chips)! While, it’s easy to browse the shelves looking at some fun foods you’ve probably never seen before, I was too excited to check out what they had in the display cases. Pastries, breads (babka is a treat), cookies (there’s a sale on holiday cookies right now, just FYI), and on Saturdays they have pączki (Polish doughnuts, pretty much).

While all the pastries did look delicious, my eyes were drawn to the authentic looking kielbasa a little further down the way (which I ended up buying some of). This place is well-loved by the Polish community in the area, I think it deserves to be checked out by more people! Next time you need to go to the Home Goods/TJ Maxx in Vernon, make sure you stop by while you’re out there. You won’t regret it!

UCONN SPORTS

1/24 - Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Quinnipiac* | 4p

1/24 - Women’s Swimming & Diving @ CCSU | 5p

1/24 - Women’s Ice Hockey @ Vermont | 6p

1/25 - Men and Women’s Track & Field @ UPenn Invite

1/25 - Women’s Basketball @ Creighton | 5:30p

1/25 - Women’s Ice Hockey @ Vermont | 6p

1/25 - Men’s Basketball @ Xavier | 8p

*In Fairfield, CT

That’s it for this week’s Tolland County Buzz! If you stop in at any of the events you’ve seen on here, please make sure to let them know you heard about it from us! Have a great weekend and please share the newsletter with anyone you think might enjoy it!

Talk soon,

Tyler

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign Up

Want to get your business features in Tolland County Buzz? Let’s Talk

Did I miss something? Let Me Know