Starting A New Tradition

Good morning, Quiet Corner! Today is Monday 12/9, and that means it’s National Pastry Day. The perfect day to justify buying that cheese danish that has been flirting with you every time you walk into a bakery. Also, now you have an excuse if there are a couple errant crumbs on your shirt, you were just celebrating the holiday! Chow down on your chocolate-filled croissant and enjoy today’s edition.

In Today’s Quiet Corner Buzz:

• Sterling’s Semi-Formal Ball 🕺

• Seniors Serenading Seniors 🎤🧓

• A Christmas Carol 🎩🪿

Let’s dive in!

-Tyler DiGiovanni

BRIEF BITES

• Lunch Grant - The Connecticut Dept. of Education has awarded Parish Hill Junior/Senior High School nearly $17,000 through the National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants. The funds will benefit students from Chaplin, Hampton, and other Regional School District 11 towns.

• Woodstock Scrabble - Unleash your wordsmith skills and sip on soothing tea at the Scrabble & Tea event this Thursday, Dec 12, at 2:00 PM! Taking place at the West Woodstock Library for an afternoon of friendly competition and warm conversations

• Scotland Bridge Replacements - A public meeting is taking place on Thursday 12/14 to discuss the replacement of the bridges on Brook Road. If you want to comment or have your questions answered, you need to register, which you can do here.

• Brooklyn Babysitting - Attention parents of kids in Kindergarten-6th grade, Brooklyn Parks and Rec (register at the link) is holding a “Parent’s Night Out” event. For $20/kid, you can drop off your youngin to be fed and entertained from 5:30-8:30pm on 12/13 at Brooklyn Elementary School (119 Gorman Rd). Go shopping, grab dinner, or just revel in silence at home. This is the cheapest childcare you’ll get these days!

Sterling 1st Annual Holiday Ball

Sterling Rec Department is holding the first (hopefully of many) Annual Holiday Ball at the Sterling Town Hall Gymnasium (1183 Plainfield Pike) on Saturday 12/14 from 5:30-7:30pm. This semi-formal dance will have a professional DJ, games, giveaways, and some light refreshments. There also will be a professional photographer floating around if you want to have some pictures taken (at a small additional cost, just so you’re aware).

The dance is for children K-5, but adults must accompany their little ones during the dance. Non-residents are welcome to attend as well, so bring your littles for an evening of fun! Tickets for adults are $10 each and $5 for children. You can purchase them here.

Seniors Serenading Seniors

Twice a year, the Mansfield Senior Center Chorus hits the road to share the power of music. Stopping at several place in Tolland and Windham Counties, this group of silver-haired songbirds spread cheer at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and Senior Centers. Group members are required to be older than 55 years old, and…that’s it! All musical abilities are welcome, and members don’t need to be residents of Mansfield.

A special shout-out goes to Brooklyn’s own Mr. Bob Guttay (that’s him on the right in the picture, alongside 83 year old Stuart Sydney). Mr. Guttay is a D-Day veteran and still gets out to perform at the ripe age of 100! If you want catch this very special show, they’ll be at Creamery Brook (36 Vina Lane, Brooklyn) Wednesday 12/11 at 1pm and at Douglas Manor (103 North Rd, Windham) on Thursday 12/12 12/17 at 1:30pm.

The seniors perform under Dr. Charles Houmard and with accompanist Ms. Nancy DuCharme. If this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in joining, shoot me an email and I’ll put you in touch with the right people. Oh, by the way, singing along with the show is allowed and encouraged!

A Christmas Carol

The ACT Performing Arts Magnet High School (896 Main St, Willimantic) is presenting their rendition of the classic Dickens work A Christmas Carol. Students from around the state are taking on roles on stage and behind the scenes to bring this beloved Christmas classic to the stage. The sixty characters in the story are being played by just thirteen cast members (talk about versatility!).

The performance starts on 12/12 at 7pm, and will have repeat showings on 12/13 and 12/14, with a bonus matinee on the 14th at 2pm. Tickets are $15/adults, $10/students, seniors, children, and military, and $5 for current ACT students, alumni, and staff. Call (860) 465-5636 to reserve your tickets.

Since it is the season of giving, those in attendance are encouraged (you don’t have to, but come on) to bring a nonperishable food item that will be donated to the Covenant Soup Kitchen (if you’ve seen the news, you probably know they were just hit with equipment failure and lost a big portion of their food supply) in Willimantic.

Also, it’s a perfect time to get to town a little early and grab a bite at Trigo Wood Fired Pizza (mention Quiet Corner Buzz and get 10% off of your order!).

BEE LINE EVENTS

12/9

Brooklyn | Brooklyn Elem. Students Holiday Store | Library Day - Brooklyn Elementary is holding a holiday store for this week. Students can shop during their normal library time for a little gift. You can check out what is being sold here, and the PTO will help out families who are unable to purchase anything.

Brooklyn | Santa Gift Drop-Off | By Appt - This is the few days (12/9-12/12) the East Brooklyn Fire Department will be accepting gift drop-offs for the annual Santa Gift Run. Appointments are necessary to schedule a drop-off (send an email to [email protected]), and Santa will be delivering the presents on 12/14. For Brooklyn residents only.

Windham | Deck-A-Stocking | 5-6:30pm $ - Swing by the Windham Community Center (1 Jillson Square, Willimantic) for a stocking decorating session. For $2 (members) and $5 (non-members) you’ll get a stocking, decorating supplies, hot cocoa with holiday treats, and cross-stitch/embroidery tutorials. No registration is needed.

12/10

Danielson | Dice & Decaf | 5pm - Chubby Dog Coffee Co hosts their weekly Dungeons and Dragons game at their Danielson location (144 Main St). Stop in to play, grab a coffee, or a cocktail.

12/11

Thompson | Business Assoc Monthly Meeting | 5-7pm - The monthly meeting of the Thompson Business Association will be taking place at Triple Raven Brewing (27 Main St, North Grosvenordale). Stop in and see what’s going on with local businesses in Thompson.

Windham | Crystals 101 | 6-8pm $ - Ever wonder if there is more to crystals than just looking pretty? BLiSS Marketplace (34 North St, Willimantic) is holding a workshop where you can learn all about cleansing, charging, programming, and caring for crystals. Crystals will be available for purchase with a promotional discount. Tickets

12/12

Woodstock | Holiday Centerpiece Floral Workshop | 6-7:30pm $ - Taylor Brooke Winery (852 Somers Tpke) is holding a workshop with Sacred Rhythms Homestead to create a 30” centerpiece that will drop jaws. Tickets are available through Sacred Rhythms website. If that link isn’t working, contact them directly since I have no affiliation with them!

12/13

Killingly | Holiday Shopping on the Farm | 5-9pm - Double Trouble Acres (110 Bear Hill Rd) is holding a shopping night featuring gifts, baskets, and stocking stuffers.

Pomfret | Jingle Bell Hop | 6:30-7:45pm $ - Pomfret Rec Department is holding a festive event in the Pomfret Community School Cafeteria (20 Pomfret St) for children in the community. Holiday music, a visit with Santa, games, and crafts will be available. Tickets are $7, and a registration form must be filled out.

12/14

Putnam | Sensory Santa | 10am-2pm - I want to preface this by saying this event is all booked up, but wanted to call attention to it because it’s a great idea by Quiet Corner Speech and Language, and would be worth looking into next year when registration opens up in November. Just wanted to put it on people’s radar going forward!

Live Music

12/9

⬢ Music Lady Cafe - Moosup | Brandt Taylor Trio | 5:30-7:30pm

12/10

⬢ The Stomping Ground - Putnam | Evan Goodrow | 8-11pm

Trivia

12/11

⬢ Bear Hands Brewery - Putnam | 6pm
⬢ Hank’s - Brooklyn | 6:30pm
⬢ The Stomping Ground - Putnam | 7pm

THE HIVE’S PICKS

So our pick is a little different than what you may normally see on here, because this is the first franchise we’re featuring (insert gasp here). Ok, let me explain, do you ever wish you could have dessert, but it still be pretty healthy, and taste good? That same thought occurred to me, and I stumbled into the Fresh Monkee in Mansfield (135c Storrs Rd) (YES, I KNOW IT’S NOT IN WINDHAM COUNTY, BUT IT’S RIGHT NEXT DOOR SO BEAR WITH ME), and ordered a PB Banana Fluff shake (it was my cheat day, leave me alone). It wasn’t the healthiest thing on the menu, but, dang, it was delicious. Even my wife, who is notorious for poo-pooing anything with protein powder in it took a couple extra sips. All the macronutrient information is available on their website, in case you want to do a little leg work before you get in there.

The staff I dealt with (shout-out to Sydney) was friendly, knowledgeable, and personable. I was able to get the contact info of one of the owners (a lovely woman named Cory who runs the stores -spoiler- with her husband Jordan, and both are native to the area), and was pleasantly surprised to find out there is another location they own in Vernon (425 Talcottville Rd).

So, if you’re in either area, you should make it a point to stop in. The sizes are great for a little afternoon nosh, to a full meal replacement. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Monkee Ballz (ask for a sample when you go in).

Oh, did I almost forget to tell you, if you mention the Quiet County Buzz, you’ll get 10% off of your order until the end of the year (12/31). It’d be foolish to not go in and take a peak.

If you got something out of today’s newsletter, please share it with someone who brushes their teeth in the shower.

Tyler

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