Good morning, Quiet Corner Swarm!

Happy Tuesday, October 27! It's National Black Cat Day, which seems pretty fitting for Halloween week! We've dug up 15 haunted spots around the Quiet Corner, plus our Halloween Field Guide is packed with spooky things to do, so let's get into it!

-Tyler DiGiovanni

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Congratulations to Lauren A., the lucky winner of last week's apitherapy giveaway with Hive in the Hut in Ashford! 🐝 Lauren will get to experience this unusual approach to wellness, which involves breathing air from a working beehive. It's also pretty cool that Hive in the Hut is a local nonprofit bringing something so different to the Quiet Corner!

Think the Quiet Corner is quiet? Tell that to the ghosts! From abandoned villages to haunted theaters, we've dug up 15 spooky spots across Windham and Tolland counties with some seriously strange stories.

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Halloween week is here, and the Quiet Corner isn't done scaring us yet! From haunted mini golf and flashlight corn mazes to trick-or-treating and family-friendly parties, there's still plenty of spooky fun happening across Windham and Tolland counties. We've rounded up what's left, so before you make your plans, check out our Halloween Field Guide and don't miss out!

Last week's trivia asked what those fuzzy, black-and-rust woolly bear caterpillars eventually become and 50.8% you got it right with the Isabella Tiger Moth.

Here's the crazy part: these little guys produce their own natural antifreeze, allowing them to survive freezing temperatures all winter! Come spring, they spin cocoons using their own hairs before emerging as yellowish-orange moths. And that old saying about their stripes predicting how harsh winter will be? Pure folklore! Turns out they're much better at surviving winter than predicting it!

🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Beulah, an adorable Cattle Dog mix with a playful streak, a love for snuggles, and a serious talent for stealing hearts who's looking for a forever home! 🐾

🏡House of the week: This rustic beauty offers 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and 1,728 sq. ft. on a whopping 11.31 wooded acres! With a massive brownstone fireplace, oversized garage, and enough privacy to forget you have neighbors, this one's got cozy New England retreat written all over it. Take a look inside!

🔭Sky report: Keep an eye on the eastern sky tonight (Oct. 27) as the nearly full Moon passes close to the Pleiades star cluster, better known as the Seven Sisters. On Monday morning (Nov. 2), early risers can catch the Moon hanging near Jupiter and Mars, making for a pretty cool celestial lineup

COMING SOON & NEW OPENINGS:

🕯️ Woodstock Valley: Mystic Pines Candle Co. celebrated its ribbon cutting on October 23! The shop specializes in handcrafted candles, with a portion of sales supporting animal rescue.

🤠 Killingly: Boot Barn is coming to Killingly Commons! The western clothing and workwear retailer will take over the Staples location, with an opening expected in 2027.

🐔 Mansfield: Chick-fil-A could be coming to Storrs Road! If approved, it would be the first location in Tolland County, complete with a double drive-thru.

☕ Mansfield: 7 Brew Coffee is also proposed for the same shopping plaza, bringing its drive-thru coffee, energy drinks, and smoothies to the area.

🥐 Vernon: DORO Marketplace is planning a new location on Talcottville Road! Expect fresh pastries, breads, sandwiches, and specialty coffee. Opening date TBD.

🧋 Storrs: WuKong Tea is headed to The Standard at Four Corners! The bubble tea shop will serve milk teas, matcha, smoothies, and desserts. Opening date TBD.

FEATURE EVENT

Mansfield Center | New England Vampire Folk Belief | 6 PM - Former state archaeologist Nick Bellantoni on the eastern CT grave of “J.B. 55,” dug up and rearranged during the 1800s consumption panic, at Mansfield Public Library. Learn!

Willimantic | Arts & Drafts: Witch’s Broom Arrangements | 6 PM $ - Rooted Dreams walks you through a Halloween floral broom over pints at Willimantic Brewing Company. Create!

Storrs | Paint Night at Hops 44 | 6-8 PM $ - Instructor-led fall canvas, supplies included, beer optional but encouraged. Create!

Thompson | Light the Night Trunk or Treat | 5 PM - Creation Church’s annual parking-lot candy haul. Trick!

Willimantic | Halloween Pool Party | 5:30 PM $ - Costume swim with games, prizes, music and treats from Windham Recreation. Members free, $5 per family otherwise. Splash!

Willimantic | Tavern Night with the Leatherman | 5:30 PM $ - An actor brings Connecticut’s legendary leather-clad wanderer back to life over his favorite food and drink at the Jillson House. $10, seats limited. Explore!

Willington | Job Fair | 12 - 2 PM - Looking for a job? Check out all the employers looking for help at Willington Public Library. Get Hired!

Putnam | Halloween Costume Signature Drink Trivia | 6 PM - All-Halloween trivia in Bear Hands Brewing’s downstairs lounge, with a $25 prize and bonus points for ordering the weekly cocktail. Play!

Storrs | RubberBand | 7:30 PM $ - Montreal’s RubberBand dance company crashes hip-hop into ballet on the Jorgensen mainstage. Watch!

Willimantic | Mediumship Gallery | 6:30 PM $ - Psychic medium Rebecca Anne LoCicero takes questions from the other side during Halloween week, raising money for the Windham Theatre Guild at the Burton Leavitt Theatre. Believe!

Danielson | Boo Bingo! | 6:30-9:30 PM - Halloween bingo night at the South Killingly firehouse, run by Westfield Church. Play!

Putnam | The Rocky Horror Show | 7 PM $ - The live stage version, props and callbacks encouraged, at The Bradley Playhouse. Watch! (Runs through Oct 31.)

Putnam | VFW Post 1523 Halloween Party | 8 PM-midnight - DJ Brad, drink specials and a costume contest paying $75, $50 and $25 at the Oasis Canteen. Dance!

Somers | Halloween Live-Scare Mini Golf | 6:30-10 PM $ - 18 holes with live actors lurking in the hazards at Sonny’s Place. $18, ages 13+. Scream! (Runs through Oct 31.)

Thompson | Trunk or Treat at the Track | 4-7 PM $ - Kids trick-or-treat through 15+ race-car garage bays while Lock City Drift runs a twin-drift battle at Thompson Speedway. $20 adults, little ones free. Drift!

Tolland | Free Range Humans Band | 7 PM - Tunes to support the arts at the Tolland Arts Center. $20. Listen!

Vernon | Halloween Bash with Angelz Fury | 8 PM - ’80s metal singalongs and guitar solos at the Rocking Horse. Rock!

Vernon | Scare Time After Dark | 10 PM - Spare Time’s late-night Halloween takeover of the lanes. Bowl! (Runs through Oct 31.)

Voluntown | Peter Benson at Tamarack Lodge | 6:30-9:30 PM - The Friday Night Music Series by the fire. Reservations recommended. Listen!

Willimantic | Halloween Bash at Corleone’s | 9 PM-2 AM - Karaoke all night and a cash-prize costume contest at the stroke of midnight. Sing!

Willimantic | Museum Exhibit | 10 AM - 4 PM - Check out how natural dyes from colonial times and beyond. Learn!

Danielson | HallowEMO Scene | 8-11:30 PM $ - Pop-punk and emo night with a costume contest and themed cocktails at Chubby Dog Coffee. 18+. Rock!

Danielson | The Skeleton Social | 12-4 PM - A Halloween market in Davis Park with trick-or-treating, a costume contest and a “Skeleton Showdown” for the best-dressed bones. Celebrate!

Dayville | Halloween Party at Black Pond Brews | 5-9 PM - Costume contest, a ghost selfie booth and a DIY spooky craft bar with pumpkin carving and witch hats. Celebrate!

Ellington | Halloween Pet Parade | 9 AM-12 PM - Pets in costume compete for the loudest cheers at the last outdoor farmers market of the year, with bluegrass from The Free Range Humans. Contest at 11 AM. Shop!

Ellington | Hog-O-Ween | 10 AM-3 PM - Costumed bikers, costume prizes and the MVP Eats truck at Old School Harley-Davidson. Ride!

Mansfield Center | Family Halloween Party | 11 AM-1 PM - Ghostly games, creepy crafts and trick-or-treating desk to desk at Mansfield Public Library. Trick!

North Grosvenordale | Triple Raven Halloween Party | 7-11 PM - The veteran-owned nanobrewery’s third annual costume party. Celebrate!

Putnam | Trick or Treat Craft Fair | 1 PM - Craft vendors hand out candy, with a kids’ costume contest at 2:30 at Montana Nights. Shop!

Rockville | US Bands CT State Championships | 5 PM $ - High school marching bands battle for the state title at Rockville High. Watch!

Stafford Springs | Halloween Bash with Kenny and Friends | 7 PM - Costume contest, raffle and giveaways at Four Seasons by the Lake. Rock!

Storrs | Halloween Monsters Ball | 5-6:30 PM $ - Costumed, adults-only treetop climbing after hours at The Adventure Park. $49. Climb!

Vernon | Halloween Bash with TheLeftovers | 7 PM - Costume party with a request-taking cover band at American Legion Post 14. Dance!

Willimantic | Halloween Open Chess Tournament | 11 AM $ - $1,200+ in prizes plus costume trophies at Eastern’s first Halloween open. Play!

Willimantic | Halloween Costume Bash | 8-11:30 PM - DJ Wild Rice, spooky drink specials and prizes for best, scariest and owner’s choice at Willimantic Brewing Company. Dance!

Willimantic | Trick-or-Treat on Main Street | 5-7 PM - Downtown shops and community groups hand out candy along Main Street. Trick!

Woodstock | Red Hot Rascals 2.0 | 2-5 PM - Country, rockabilly and originals down the hill at Taylor Brooke Brewery. Free. Listen!

Danielson | Bark Harvest 2026 | 12-3 PM - Pet-and-owner costumes, a trick-dog contest, an agility course and food trucks in Davis Park. Celebrate!

North Grosvenordale | Veterans Scholarship Breakfast | 8 AM - Triple Raven Brewing serves breakfast to raise money for a veteran scholarship fund. Gather!

Putnam | Alpaca Lunch | 1-4 PM - Americana and bluegrass on The Stomping Ground stage. Listen!

Somers | Knucklehead at Sonny’s Place | 3 PM - Sunday afternoon live music. Rock!

Stafford Springs | Whispers Beyond the Grave | 6:30-8:30 PM - Perceived Paranormal East Coast and the Ellington Historical Society share what they turned up investigating old graves this summer, at Stafford Cidery. Dare!

Woodstock | Nick Bosse | 2-5 PM - Heartfelt New England country at Taylor Brooke Brewery. Free. Listen!

That’s it for this week’s Quiet Corner Buzz. If you got something out of it, please share it with someone who loves Halloween!

See ya next week,

Tyler