Good morning, Quiet Corner Swarm! Today is Tuesday 9/9, and that means it’s National Teddy Bear Day! Here’s a fun teddy bear fact: a woman in South Korea holds the record for largest teddy bear collection, with a whopping 20,000! Some might call that an obsession, I on the other hand…no, I call that an obsession, too.
I also want to say thank you to whoever let Logee’s know we put their event in the newsletter. It helps us out big time when you let people know you heard about the events on here!
In Today’s Quiet Corner Buzz:
Special Seasonal Drink
Old Furnace
30 Events
Let’s dive in!
-Tyler DiGiovanni
You answered the call, our inbox is stacked with local artists, and the talent is 🔥. Painters, printmakers, designers…all screaming “Connecticut, but cool.”
Would you be into a limited print Connecticut Buzz collab with a local artist to support the newsletter?
P.S. Huge thanks to everyone who reached out with grant ideas, you guys are the reason this little local engine keeps humming. Your leads help us keep CT stories front and center. Appreciate you!
DRINK
Here’s a cozy Cape tip for the week: fall’s creeping in, and I just got back from Cape Cod, so the cranberries were calling. Meet the Cranberry Bog Hot Toddy, two ways: classic and zero-proof. Simple, warm, and very New England.
Alcoholic
Heat 4 oz cranberry-apple juice until steaming (don’t boil).
In a mug, add 1½ oz aged rum + ½ oz honey.
Pour in the hot juice and stir until the honey dissolves.
Add a pinch of allspice, garnish with a lemon wheel (squeeze, then drop), sip.
Non-Alcoholic
Heat 4 oz cranberry-apple juice until steaming.
In a mug, add ½ oz spiced simple syrup (allspice/clove) + ½ oz honey.
Top with the hot juice and stir to dissolve.
Pinch of allspice, lemon wheel garnish, done.
Quick spiced syrup (if you need it): simmer equal parts sugar + water with a few whole cloves and a pinch of ground allspice for 2 minutes; cool and strain.
BRIEF BITES
🌟 Simon Cowell slammed the live Golden Buzzer, rocketing Micah Palace from Canterbury, straight to the AGT Season 20 finale.
🍕 The Broken Crust in Putnam made it onto the show America’s Best Restaurants.
WIND CO TRIVIA🤔
What was the area that is now Killingly originally called when English settlers arrived around 1700?
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CELEBRATE MANSFIELD FESTIVAL: Join the Mansfield Downtown Partnership in a day full of fun for all ages at our 22nd Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival! This free event is open to everyone and features hands-on activities for all ages, a juried craft show, and more! Enjoy live music, dance, magic, and puppetry performances throughout the event. Cap off the day at our closing concert by All Night Boogie Band (featuring a member of the UConn Class of 2022!) at 6:30 PM on Betsy Paterson Square! Celebrate Mansfield Festival takes place from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM in Downtown Storrs. For more information, visit downtownstorrsfestival.org
Artists For Asheville | 11am-4pm - The local creative community is trying to give back in support of people who lost so much during the devastating Hurricane Helene in 2024. Make your way to Jillson Square Park (523 Main St) on Saturday 9/13 from 11am-4pm and enjoy live music, shop from local/regional artists, grab a bite from a food truck (or three), and maybe even donate a little bit. Your donations will go toward helping the people of North Carolina get back to creating! If you’d like to donate before the event, you can do so here.
OLD FURNACE: QUICK CLIMB, HUGE VIEW
Last week’s word scramble answer was Old Furnace State Park and it’s a perfect quick hit with a big payoff. A short, steep climb drops you onto Ross’ Cliffs, about 200 feet above Half Hill (aka Upper Ross) Pond, with a wide-open view across eastern Killingly and into Rhode Island. Bring a snack, hold onto your hat at the ledge, and soak up the colors.
Nuts-and-bolts: it’s 367 acres in Killingly with the Blue-Blazed Old Furnace Trail cutting through, and it links up with Ross Pond State Park next door for extra miles (and a boat ramp if you’re paddling). The place gets its name from an iron furnace that ran from before the Revolution into the 1800s—Hartford County got the Mark Twain quips; Windham County got the iron. Easy access off I-395/US-6, free to visit, and open year-round
BEE LINE EVENTS
TUESDAY (9/9)
Putnam | Blood Drive | 9am-2pm - Help save someone’s life and donate blood at the Hale YMCA (9 Technology Park Dr). You can register for a time here.
Thompson | Artist Exhibit | 6-7:30pm - Check out the opening reception for Lynita Shimizu’s selection of 36 Woodblock prints at the Thompson Public Library (934 Riverside Dr).
LIVE MUSIC
⬢ The River Room - Willimantic | Open Mic | 7-10pm
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | John Fuzek | 8-11pm
WEDNESDAY (9/10)
Canterbury | Purple Night | 4-7pm - Help raise awareness (and funds) for the Alzheimer’s Association at D&G Pizza & Pub (200 Westminster Rd). Wear purple!
Willimantic | Reiki Level II Advance Cert | 5-9pm $ - Certified Level One Reiki practitioners are invited to bring their game to the next level at BLiSS Marketplace (34 North St), with the amazing Angela from Infinite Love and Serenity. Sign Up
LIVE MUSIC
⬢ Lion’s Park - Plainfield | Heartland | 6pm
TRIVIA
Stomping Ground - Putnam | 7pm
Hank’s - Brooklyn | 6:30pm
Bear Hands Brewing - Putnam | 6pm
Mill Town Grill - Thompson | 6:30pm
THURSDAY (9/11)
Willimantic | Erie Canal’s 200th Bday | 5pm $ - Learn all about the history and feat of engineering that helped shape our country at The American Museum (47 Crescent St). $10 gets you a whole bunch of history and some refreshments!
Woodstock | Behind the Scenes at Roseland Cottage | 12:30-3:30pm $ - Take a special tour behind the scenes at the Roseland Cottage (556 Rt 169). From the attic all the way out to the haylofts, you’ll get to see areas that even the guests at the Bowen family residence never got to see! Don’t forget to bring a flashlight. Tix
LIVE MUSIC
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | Straight Up Jazz Series | 5:30-7:30pm
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | Patchwork Family | 8-11pm
TRIVIA
Trolley Pub - Willimantic | 7:30pm
Midway Restaurant - Ashford | 7pm
FRIDAY (9/12)
Canterbury | Get Privy to Privies | 7pm - Learn all about the role that outhouses played in the American Revolution with historian Bev York. If you’re interested, it’s being held at the Canterbury Town Hall (1 Municipal Dr). And if anyone asks what you’re doing, you can just tell them that you’ll be talking shi…you get the picture.
Putnam | Book Club Trial Run | 6pm - If you love the Golden Girls and reading, this is the perfect book club for you. Talking about the Golden Girls Mystery Book #1: Death By Cheesecake, this should be a blast for whoever decides to head to Bear Hands Brewing (75 Main St). RSVP by emailing [email protected]
Thompson | Totally 80’s Bash | 7pm-12am $ - Take it back to the decade of neon, leg warmers, and spandex, with an 80’s party at the American Legion Post #67. Text (860) 576-3781 for tickets.
Willimantic | The Denise Reis Trio | 8-10pm $ - Get a taste of some of the best Brazilian music this side of the equator at The River Room (50 Riverside Dr). Don’t miss out on what’s sure to be an amazing night of music. Tix
LIVE MUSIC
⬢ Grill 37 - Pomfret | Rob Brannon | 5:30pm
⬢ Black Dog - Putnam | Drunken Uncles | 8-11pm
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | Pierre and the Extraordinaires | 8-11pm
TRIVIA
Taylor Brooke - Woodstock | 6:30pm
SATURDAY (9/13)
Brooklyn | Fall Running Club | 8:30am - If you like running, why not join up with others for this weekly running club at Prince Hill (Prince Hill Rd). Program is open to people 18+. Sign Up
Brooklyn | Liberty Tree Dedication Ceremony | 1pm - The Putnam Elms (191 Church St) is doing a tree dedication ceremony for NE Connecticut legend Israel Putnam.
Chaplin | Chaplin Day Festival | 12-8:30pm - Garrison Park (495 Phoenixville Rd) is the place to be in Chaplin today. Lawnmower racing, live music, vendors galore, a greased pig contest, a wife-carrying contest, horse plop contest, and more! The Fire Dept will also be doing demos throughout the day.
Danielson | Night Jump | 7pm $ - In case you adrenaline junkies don’t find jumping out of a plane exhilarating enough, now you have a chance to do it at night with Skydive Danielson (41 Airport Rd). You must have a USPA B-License or higher, and have completed at least one daytime jump, along with some other stipulations. To register, Venmo $64 here, and fill out this form.
Danielson | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Auditions | 5-7pm - Try out for your dream role in this screen classic come to the stage of The Little Theater on Broad Street (185 Broad St). More info
North Windham | 10th Annual BBQ & Concert | 12-5pm $ - Join the Friends of Ecole Agape at the Franco-American Civic & Social Club (116 Club Rd) for a BBQ and concert benefitting the only tuition-free girls school in Haiti.
Plainfield | Giving Back Community Program | 9am-12pm - Complete some community service hours at Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue (169 Black Hill Rd), or just give a little of your time to help a wonderful place out. If you’re interested, complete this online form.
Plainfield | Plainfield Day | 10am-3pm - Mosey on down to Lion’s Park (76 Reservoir St) for a free community day! Bounce houses, food trucks (I do suggest spacing those apart for the kids though), a cornhole tournament, vendors, and other discoveries for you to make.
Pomfret | Fall Festival | 2-4pm - Celebrate Pomfret with an afternoon of activities at Pomfret Rec Park (576 Hampton Rd). The PCS Harvest Hustle 5K, live music, Pomfret’s Best Apple Pie contest, kids & adult pie eating contest, games, vendors, food trucks and more. 5K Sign Up
Putnam | Comedy Show | 7:30pm $ - Have a lot of laughs in a historic place, with a comedy show at The Bradley Theater (30 Front St). Tix
Putnam | Particle Accelerator Music Fest | 12pm - Enjoy music from 16 different acts and help raise awareness (and money, if you feel like donating to a great cause) about suicide and depression. Born out of tragedy, this event helps groups like United Services provide necessary and often undervalued help to those that need it. If you want to learn more, you can read about it here.
Willimantic | Farmers Market | 8am-12pm - The time to take advantage of the Willimantic Farmers Market (28 Bridge St) is getting shorter and shorter. Don’t miss out!
Willimantic | Making Wine | 3:30pm $ - Learn all about how to make wine with the Windham Historical Society (627 Main St). You’ll receive a personalized, handmade journal, an info packet on techniques and recipes, a book about wine making/supplies, and best of all, you’ll be able to sample different types of wine, cheese, and more. Tix
Willimantic | Treasures and Treats Craft Sale | 10am-2pm - Help make this what will hopefully be an annual occurrence at the Windham Senior Center (1 Jillson Sq). Do a little shopping, and grab some corn chowder while you’re there.
Woodstock | Plants, Crafts, & Art Fair | 12-5pm - Grab a glass of your favorite Taylor Brooke (818 Rt 171) beverage, and shop from local artists, find a new plant you didn’t know you needed, or create your own personalized charcuterie board.
LIVE MUSIC
⬢ Hank’s - Brooklyn | Hold My Beer | 6:30pm
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | The Island Farm Ceilie Band | 1-4pm
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | The Cannibal Ramblers | 8-11pm
⬢ Taylor Brooke - Woodstock | Tino & Malone | 2-5pm
⬢ Broken Crust - Putnam | Acoustic Al | 5:30-7:30pm
SUNDAY (9/14)
Ashford | Family Day | 12-4pm - Ashford Parks and Rec is throwing Ashford Family Day at Pompey Hollow Park (49 Tremko Ln). Come check out local businesses, family activities, live music, and more!
Moosup | All-You-Can-Eat Brekky Fundraiser | 8am $ - Help support the Wings of Freedom Animal Rescue by stopping into the Moosup Lodge 113 (69 Prospect St.)Made to order pancakes/French toast, buffet-style eggs, bacon, sausage, rolls, and tea/juice. Send them a message if you’re interested!
Pomfret | Lapsley Orchard Wagon Rides | 12-4pm - Enjoy a free wagon ride at Lapsley Orchard (403 Orchard Hill Rd), pick some apples, grab a pumpkin, choose from delicious apple-related goodies, and make sure to get something from Twin Beaks Fried Chicken (they are one of my favorite food trucks - bar none. The chicken, fantastic, the sauces need to be bottled and sold!).
Thompson | BVM Fundraiser Concert | 7-9pm $ - Help support a newer non-profit, and their desire to provide affordable and accessible music lessons to the community. Happening at Triple Raven Brewing (27 Main St), your ticket will go toward the Blackstone Valley Music and Performing Arts Collaborative. Tix
Woodstock | Crank For The Bank | 10am - The QVMultisport Club of Windham County is holding their annual food/donation drive. Bring a non-perishable or other donation, ride a 20 mile loop, and enjoy some free pizza afterward. Contact the QVM with any questions.
LIVE MUSIC
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | The Willie J Laws Band | 1-4pm
⬢ Stomping Ground - Putnam | Open Mic | 7-11:30pm
⬢ Taylor Brooke - Woodstock | Turas | 2-5pm
MONDAY (9/15)
Willimantic | Show & Tell | 5-9pm $ - Have an object or item that has an interesting/strange backstory? Bring it down to WilliBrew (967 Main St) to share it on a live recording of Audacious with Chion Wolf. Tix
LIVE MUSIC
⬢ Music Lady Cafe - Central Village | Brandt Taylor | 5:30pm
That’s it for this week’s Quiet Corner Buzz. If you got something out of it, please share it with someone who has some hometown pride!
See ya next week,
Tyler
