Brews, Sweets, and Puerto Rican Eats

Good morning, Quiet Corner today is Monday 11/18 and that means one thing…it’s Mickey Mouse’s 95th birthday! Throw on your favorite Disney soundtrack and check out what’s going on in the Quiet Corner this week.

Fun Fact: Before Mickey Mouse, there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit—but a business dispute cost Walt Disney the rights. Mickey made his big vocal debut in 1929 with the words… “Hot dog!” 🐭🌭

In Today’s Quiet Corner Buzz:

• Beer and Browsing 🍺

• Top (Tiny) Chef 🧑‍🍳

• More Like Mo-Fun-Go 🍴

Let’s dive in!

-Tyler DiGiovanni

BRIEF BITES

• For The (Young) Ladies: TEEG Youth is collecting donations for teenage girls. They’re looking for makeup kits, hair accessories, purses/backpacks, gift cards, or anything girly (their words, not mine)! Instead of cramming that stuff you ordered on Temu and will never use, why not drop it off at Smoke and Mirrors in Putnam, Monday-Saturday 8am-5pm? Donations are being accepted until December 13th.

• Fighting Cancer: Want to get your kids in the holiday spirit and contribute to a great cause at the same time? Neighbors Against Cancer is running a “Letters From Santa” fundraiser, with the proceeds going to help local families dealing with cancer. Each letter costs $5 and will include a postmark from North Pole, Alaska. Make sure to get your orders in before November 29th to make sure the letters come in before Christmas.

• Books and Coffee: Two Dogs Coffee Shop in Danielson is holding their monthly book club discussion on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab tomorrow Tuesday 11/19. Sorry for the short notice, but we just found out about it too! While you’re there check out the goods they have on display from their month long Shop the Shelves event, featuring goods from local vendors.

• Retired Mascot: The controversial Redmen mascot at Killingly High School will officially be retired during a ceremony on Nov. 26, held in the school cafeteria from 5 to 7 p.m. This decision comes after a committee of students, alumni, teachers, coaches, and board members recommended retiring the mascot and involving the community in choosing a new one. The Redmen mascot, which has sparked years of debate over its cultural sensitivity, was previously changed to the Red Hawks and later reverted back, costing the town $94,000 in lost funding for non-compliance with state statutes.

Beer and Browsing

Putnam’s own Bear Hands Brewery is running a Sip & Shop this Thursday 11/21 from 5pm to 9pm. There will be over 20 local vendors in attendance, and you’ll get to try some really delicious beer while you’re checking out everything from crystals and woodworking to crochet and yarn crafts, and everything in between.

Bear Hands has been a huge supporter of local artisans, hosting several of these Sip & Shops over the past year. So why not head on down, buy some sweet handmade crafts, and drink a locally-made craft beer and support your local brewer? I already have my eye on the Proton Pack Punch (a sour version of Ecto-Cooler, what!?) and might need to grab a Howler to go!

Please don’t forget to drink and shop responsibly!

Top (Tiny) Chef

Brooklyn Parks and Rec has teamed up with Food Explorers for a kid’s holiday baking class series. With the first class taking place on Thursday the 21st, skipping a week, then continuing on every Thursday until December 19th. The class is open to children in grades 2-5 and will cost $70 for the entire program.

The menu will definitely call for some parental testing for quality control. Your kids will be making cannoli pies, mini churro donuts, sugar cookie dip, and candy cane trifles (it’s the holiday season, calories don’t count here). Recipes are nut-free but might contain dairy, eggs and gluten.

Classes are from 5:30 - 6:30pm at the Brooklyn Community Center and you can register for them here.

More Like Mo-Fun-go

The day is almost here! The restaurant building formerly known as Friendly’s in Willimantic has gotten a Puerto Rican makeover in the form of MofonGo. While Willimantic has no shortage of great Mexican food, there always has been a bit of a hole when it comes to Puerto Rican dishes. This will be the 4th MofonGo location in the state, which means they must be doing something right.

If you’re wondering what mofongo is, in this case it’s a base of mashed plantains (those giant green banana looking things you’ve seen in the supermarket), garlic, and pork cracklings topped with your choice of protein. If you’re not feeling that adventurous, you can always opt for the Spanish rice as a base for your protein.

The restaurant opens at 11am on the 21st, maybe I’ll see some of you there!

BEE LINE EVENTS

Live Music

Monday

• Music Lady Cafe - Moosup | Brandt Taylor | 6:30-9pm

Tuesday

• The Stomping Ground - Putnam | Allysen Callery | 8-11pm

Trivia

Wednesday

• Hank’s - Brooklyn | 6:30-9pm

• The Stomping Ground - Putnam | 7-11pm

• Bear Hands Brewing Company - Putnam | 6pm

THE HIVE’S PICKS

It’s that time of the year again! Amarante’s Winter Wonderland located in Dayville is in the final stages of preparation for their 14th season of a 200,000 light walk-through Christmas light display.

They operate from 5-9pm nightly, starting on Thanksgiving Day (11/28) and running up through New Year’s Day (1/1/25). Admission is free, but if you’re feeling generous, you can always visit their gift shop and help support this awesome family!

ECSU SPORTS

11/19 - Women's Basketball vs WESTERN NEW ENGLAND U. - 5:30 p.m.

Thanks for taking the time to read today’s Quiet Corner Buzz! Make sure to share this with someone that only eats chicken wing flats.

Talk soon,
Tyler

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