Good morning, Quiet Corner Swarm!
Today is Tuesday, September 15, National Linguine Day, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shoutout to my late father’s linguine and clam sauce. Some meals will always mean a little more than what’s on the plate, and that’s one of mine. ❤️
What’s your favorite way to have linguine? Clam sauce, pesto, a good red sauce? Hit reply and tell me. Apparently, we’re planning dinner before we’ve finished our coffee.
Let’s get into what’s happening around the Quiet Corner this week!
-Tyler DiGiovanni
SOMETHING BIG IS COMING TO THE QUIET CORNER
SPONSORED BY ULINE
Plainfield is welcoming a huge new neighbor.
Uline, the family-owned company that started in a basement in 1980 and has grown into one of North America’s largest distributors of shipping, packaging and industrial supplies, is opening a new 1.2-million-square-foot distribution center in the Quiet Corner.
From warehouses to offices, schools to small businesses, Uline helps customers get the supplies they need to run. With 45,000 products in stock, the new facility will support same-day shipping to customers throughout the East Coast.
That means new jobs, more career options closer to home, and less time commuting toward Hartford, Providence or Worcester for work. It could also create a ripple beyond the building itself. More employees grabbing lunch nearby, shopping locally, using local services and putting money back into Plainfield and surrounding towns.
We’re glad to welcome Uline to the neighborhood.
APPLE SEASON
September is prime apple-picking time in Connecticut, with different varieties ripening throughout the month and into October. So I put together a Quiet Corner Apple Field Guide with local orchards and farm stands where you can grab fresh-picked apples, plus a few spots where you can head into the orchard and pick your own.
Whether you’re after Honeycrisp, Cortland, McIntosh or just an excuse to come home with cider and donuts, this should help you figure out where to go.
AN ORCHARD WORTH PRESERVING 🍎
Since we’re talking apples, here’s a pretty cool local one. Joshua’s Trust is restoring the historic Atwood Orchard in Mansfield Center, home to more than 20 heirloom apple varieties, with some of the original trees now over 100 years old. The three-year project includes restoration pruning, DNA testing, new plantings and interpretive signs designed to preserve the orchard’s history for the next generation.
Joshua’s Trust has also put together a great interactive look at the orchard’s history and the people behind it. Explore the Atwood Orchard StoryMap.
BUZZ GAMES
QUIET CORNER TRIVIA🤔
Which Windham County town was the birthplace of Moses Cleaveland, the surveyor whose 1796 expedition founded Cleveland, Ohio?
Think you’ve got what it takes to top the Buzz Games leaderboard? Play Buzzle, Buzzword and Buzzeye, then see how your score stacks up against players across Connecticut.
🇵🇷 Celebrating the Culture That Helps Shape Willimantic
SPONSORED BY WILLIMANTIC FOOD CO-OP
One of the things I love about Willimantic is that it has a personality all its own. Nearly half of the city’s residents are Hispanic or Latino, and that influence runs through the food, businesses, music, and traditions that bring people together.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a chance to celebrate the families and cultures that help make this place what it is. The Willimantic Food Co-op, member-owned and operating here since 1980, is joining in with a celebration September 24, from 4–6 PM at 91 Valley Street, featuring live music by Italizbeth and Carlos Rivera at 5 PM.
It’s a fitting celebration for a place built around cooperation, local producers, and community. Stop by, enjoy some music, and celebrate a little of what makes Willimantic special.
Want to support a grocery store that’s invested in its community? Stop by the Willimantic Food Co-op and see what local really looks like.
BUZZWORTHY ACTIVITY
Fall weekends are starting to fill up, and this one looks like a family outing. The second annual Harvest Festival takes over the Green at Connecticut Golf Land in Vernon on Saturday, September 19, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Expect local artisans, small businesses, food trucks, seasonal drinks, community activities, raffles, and free inflatable obstacle-course fun for the kids. Mini golf will be available for an extra charge. The rain date is September 20.
HAWKS ON THE MOVE
Last week’s trivia had you looking to the skies, and 63% of you nailed it: the Broad-winged Hawk! 🦅 Right now is actually prime time to spot them, since mid-September is peak migration season in Connecticut. On a good day, hawk-watch sites can see hundreds or even thousands passing overhead. And these little travelers put in some serious miles: tracked Broad-winged Hawks averaged about 4,350 miles on their fall journey south, covering roughly 69 miles a day. Not bad without a frequent-flyer account.
BUZZ & TELL
🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Moe, a 65-pound Irish Wolfhound mix; easygoing one-year-old is convinced she’s a tiny lap dog and would happily soak up all the attention you’re willing to give her.
🏡House of the week: This former doll shop and B&B packs 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 half baths, and 4,185 square feet into a wonderfully quirky home with a Victorian-style turret, heated sunroom, and mature gardens that give it some serious storybook charm. Check it out!
🥾Trail of the week: Dunhamtown Forest
🔭Sky report: If you get a clear evening this week, take a few extra minutes outside and look low south/southwest about an hour after sunset for Sagittarius’s Teapot, a little collection of stars shaped like the real thing. Saturday, September 19 is International Observe the Moon Night, so grab the binoculars and check out those craters. A pretty good reminder that some of the coolest things around the Quiet Corner are right above us.
THE BUZZ JOB BOARD
WHO’S HIRING IN THE QUIET CORNER? Local roles worth knowing about this week:
Warehouse Associate | Uline | Plainfield — Pick and pack orders to provide same-day shipping. View the opening & apply →
Facilities Specialist | Uline | Plainfield — Inspect and maintain company buildings and equipment. View the opening & apply →
Custodian | Uline | Plainfield — Keep facilities clean and organized. View the opening & apply →
Volunteer | Covenant Soup Kitchen | Willimantic — Give a few hours helping neighbors at Covenant Soup Kitchen and its community food pantry. Learn about volunteering →
Hiring or Job Hunting? Email us
BEE LINE EVENTS
TUESDAY (9/15)
Putnam | Woody's Totally Tubular Time Machine | 7-11 PM - Every-other-Tuesday trip through the decades at The Stomping Ground.
Willimantic | Books & Brews at Willibrew | 6 PM - Book talk over pints at Willimantic Brewing Company. Read
Willington | Nutmeg Anthology Poetry Reading | 6 PM - Hear Connecticut-inspired work from seven contributing poets at Willington Public Library.
WEDNESDAY (9/16)
Andover | Connecticut Tunes & Tales of the Revolution | 6-7 PM - Songwriter Kent Besocke performs original songs about Nathan Hale, Benedict Arnold and other Revolutionary-era Connecticut figures at Andover Public Library; part of the America250 series. Listen!
Hampton | Song Artists' Reception | 5:30 PM - Opening reception for the library's new song-artist exhibit at Fletcher Memorial Library. Listen!
Tolland | Wine & Chocolate Pairing | 6-7 PM - Kim Larkin of Klassic Kreations leads a guided tasting at Tolland Public Library; 21+, registration required. Sip!
THURSDAY (9/17)
Mansfield | Sketching at Atwood Farm | 10 AM-12 PM - Outdoor drawing session with Line Art Studio at Joshua's Trust Atwood Farm. Create
Putnam | Straight Up Jazz Night at The Stomping Ground | 5:30 PM - Weekly early jazz set at The Stomping Ground. Listen!
Somers | Four Town Fair | 4-9 PM | $ - One of CT's oldest agricultural fairs opens at the Four Town Fairgrounds — midway, livestock, pulls and the Saw Dogs woodcarvers four times daily. Thursday is the bargain day at $6 ($5 seniors, under 12 free), with New City Road on the Main Stage 6-9pm. Celebrate! (Runs through Sept 20.)
Vernon | Honey: The Science Behind the Fruit | 6-7 PM - Why honey works in marinades and barbecue sauce, plus its health benefits, at Rockville Public Library.. Learn!
Vernon | Make Your Own Spell Jar Workshop | 5:30-6:30 PM | $ - Intention-jar craft with "The Gay Wizard" at The Boho Experience; take-home guide and goodie bag included. Create!
Willimantic | Third Thursday Street Fest | 6pm-dusk - The season finale of the 23rd year, with five stages of live music, 100+ food and craft vendors and 8,000 of your closest friends on Main Street. Free. Celebrate!
FRIDAY (9/18)
Plainfield | Crystal Visions After Dark: Witches Night Out | 6 PM - After-hours shopping, readings and vendors at 40 Railroad Ave, Plainfield. Shop!
Pomfret | Mixed Bag: JP Jacquet Artist Reception | 5-7 PM - Meet Pomfret-based French-American painter and sculptor Jean-Paul Jacquet at the Blodget Gallery, Pomfret Public Library; light refreshments, exhibit runs through Oct 16. Explore!
Putnam | Movie Night: Jurassic Park | 7:30 PM | $ - Spielberg's 1993 dinosaur classic on the big screen at The Bradley Playhouse; $8 at the door, no presales. Watch!
Somers | Phoenix Live at Joanna's | 6:30-9:30 PM - Rock and dance covers in the main hall at Joanna's Restaurant & Banquet Hall. Rock!
Stafford Springs | Trivia Night at Stafford Cidery | 6:30 PM- Old-school pen-and-paper trivia, teams up to eight, no registration, at Stafford Cidery. Play!
SATURDAY (9/19)
Ashford | Fall Vendor Fair | 10 AM - 2 PM - Craft and vendor market at 174 Laurel Ln, Ashford. Shop!
Coventry | Hale Family Reunion | 10 AM-4 PM | $ - Descendants and history buffs gather for special house tours, genealogy resources, a communal lunch with music and games, and a walking tour of the green and cemetery at Nathan Hale Homestead, marking the homestead's 250th year; $40 adult, $20 child. Explore!
Eastford | Author Talk with Paul Tremblay | 1 PM- The award-winning horror and suspense novelist speaks at Eastford Public Library; registration requested. Read!
Ellington | The Deadheads at The Hidden Still | 8:30 PM - Four-piece Grateful Dead tribute at CT's first moonshine bar. Rock!
Hebron | Hebron Colonial Day | 10 AM-4 PM - Walk through a recreated 1750s village with tradespeople and reenactors at Country Carpenters. Explore!
Mansfield | CTM Drive-In Charity Car Show | 12-5 PM $ - Fifteen judged categories plus low-car limbo, a motorcycle slow race and kids' foot races at the Mansfield Drive-In Marketplace ; $20 show car, $10 spectator car. Watch!
Mansfield | East Brook Marketplace Craft Fair | 10 AM-3 PM - Indoor makers' market at East Brook Mall with all proceeds going to the Windham-Willimantic Cares Program. Shop!
Plainfield | Acoustic Concert on the Farm | 7-10 PM | $ - Local duo Guy & Mindy play a benefit for the rescue horses at Hay Burr Inn Equine Rescue & Sanctuary. Listen!
Plainfield | Celebrate Plainfield Day | 10 AM-3 PM - The town's annual community day at Lion's Park, Plainfield. Celebrate!
Pomfret | Andrew McKnight | 7-9 PM | $ - Award-winning folk and Americana songwriter with NPR airplay plays the restored 19th-century barn at The Vanilla Bean Café; $20. Listen!
Putnam | Scott Higgins Comedy All Stars | 7:30pm $ - Four stand-ups with Netflix, Comedy Central and Apollo credits at The Bradley Playhouse -$32, 18+. Laugh!
Willimantic | The Patty Tuite Band | 7:30-9:30 PM | $ - Blues, jazz and rock from the CT Blues Society board member at The River Room. Listen!
Woodstock | Spirit of '76 | 12-4 PM | $ - Hands-on Revolutionary-era activities including candle-dipping as Roseland Cottage marks the nation's 250th. Explore!
SUNDAY (9/20)
Brooklyn | Hands-On Sourdough Workshop | 1-2:30 PM $ - Raven's Rise Sour | dough teaches the whole process at Little Dipper Farm; take home a starter, bowl and spoon, with tea and pastries on site. Bake!
Canterbury | A Day on the Farm | 10 AM - Open farm day with animals and demonstrations at 357 Barstow Rd, Canterbury. Explore!
Somers | Arizona Maid Band — Patio Party | 5:30-8:30 PM - Outdoor patio set at Joanna's Restaurant & Banquet Hall. Listen!
Sterling | Wild Tranquility: Yoga and Wild Horse Adventure | 9 AM | $ - Yoga and meditation in the geodesic dome followed by a guided hike with the rescued mustangs at Wild Ride. Stretch!
Vernon | G. Fox and Company: Hartford's Innovative Flagship Store | 2 PM - Local-history talk on the department store that shaped downtown Hartford, at 734 Hartford Turnpike. Learn!
Willimantic | Homecoming Block Party | 10 AM – Outdoor worship at First Congregational Church, UCC followed by an afternoon of food, games and community fun at 199 Valley Street.
Woodstock | Art in the Park | 11 AM-4 PM - The 12th annual juried fine-art and handmade-craft show on the lakefront green at Roseland Park, with awards, raffles, food and live music. Free to browse. Shop!
Woodstock | Swedish Heritage Day | 2-4 PM - A celebration of the area's Swedish immigrant roots at Woodstock Evangelical Covenant Church. Explore!
MONDAY (9/21)
Pomfret | Take a Break — Farmer's Potluck | 6 PM - The Pomfret Agricultural Commission feeds the people who feed everyone else: a come-as-you-are potluck for farmers from Pomfret and neighboring towns at the Pomfret Recreation Park pavilion. Bring a dish. Gather!
Somers | The Secrets to Gluten-Free Baking | 6:30-8 PM - Hands-on workshop on gluten-free technique and recipes at Somers Public Library; registration required. Cook!
That’s it for this week’s Quiet Corner Buzz. If you got something out of it, please share it with someone who loves all things apple!
See ya next week,
Tyler
