A Soleil Bakery Exclusive Discount!

Good morning, Quiet Corner! Today is Monday 1/13, and that means National Clean Off Your Desk Day (hey, I don’t make these up). It’s time to rifle through all the papers, folders, books, and knickknacks that have accumulated on top of your desk. Let’s be honest, you don’t need that coupon that expired in December…of 2023. Clear away the clutter, and start the new year off with a little organization. I’ll let you decide if you want to actually take time to file stuff away in a good spot, or just jam everything in the drawer like someone that I know. With that said, let’s see what’s going on at the start of this week.

In Today’s Quiet Corner Buzz:

• Chinese Astrology 101 🐍

• Booze and Blankets 🥂🧶

• Cookbook Club 🍲

Let’s dive in!

-Tyler DiGiovanni

BRIEF BITES

• Live Performance - The Bread Box Folk Theater will have a special Artist Showcase at St. Paul Church in Willimantic on January 15 from 7-9pm. Enjoy performances celebrating the music of Joan, Joni, and Judy, featuring Lyn Johnson, Mary Cowles, Jason Altieri, and Carolyn Brodginski, plus a sing-along led by Bruce John. A $5 donation benefits the Covenant Soup Kitchen.

• Expansion - Bob’s Windham IGA, a family-owned supermarket in Willimantic, is set to begin expanding its store this spring. Located at 422 Windham Road, the store recently marked its 40th anniversary. Exciting changes are on the horizon for this community staple!

• Closure - Stone Row Kitchen & Bar closed down after 15 years of operation. They announced that they’ll be embarking on a new adventure at Stix n’ Stones in Storrs starting in February.

• Planning Survey - The Planning & Zoning Commission is updating Woodstock's 10-year Plan of Conservation & Development and wants to hear from local farmers and businesses. Two anonymous surveys—one for agricultural businesses and another for non-farm businesses—are available to gather valuable community input. You can find them here.

A Crash Course in Chinese Astrology 🐍

I can almost guarantee that everybody reading this has been to a Chinese restaurant at least once in their lives. And if you’ve ever been to a sit down Chinese restaurant, you’ve most likely seen the paper placemat with the Chinese zodiac signs around the border (tiger, rat, snake, etc) and the corresponding year you were born in (year of the tiger here).

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more, by someone that knows what they’re talking about, instead of a stranger on the internet, or a dull Wikipedia article, Babcock Library (25 Pompey Hollow Rd, Ashford) is giving you that chance on Wednesday 1/15 at 6pm. Join Joe Pandolfo as he walks you through the Four Pillars of Chinese Astrology.

Here are a couple fun tidbits that you’ll learn about:

2025 is not only the Year of the Snake, but it’s the Year of the ‘Wood’ Snake.

You have zodiac animals for your birth year, month, and hour.

Why not take an evening to learn about this millennia-old tradition? It’s a Wednesday, and honestly you probably don’t have much going on anyway (not a dig, just usually a low-key night, barring trivia junkies), and it’s free.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Booze and Blankets 🥂🧶

The fine folks at Taylor Brooke Brewery (818 Rt 171, Woodstock) are hosting an evening of chunky knit blankets, run by Sovanny’s Comfort Boutique on Thursday 1/16 from 7-9pm. If you aren’t sure what a chunky knit blanket is, you need to do a quick Google search and come on back. By the end of the evening, you’ll be a chunky knit blanket expert (unless you decide to also be a beer/wine expert, in which case, a lot of what they teach might not stick).

There will be two levels of blankets being made, one that takes 2 skein of yarn (what a fun word, skein) which equates to about the size of a baby blanket for approximately $65. The other takes 5 skein (there it is again) of yarn, and will get you a throw-sized blanket for about $100. A drink ticket is included for both levels.

Don’t worry about needing any knitting needles, this is an arm knitting technique. Colors will be able to be picked when you order your ticket (color availability is first come, first served). Why not learn a new skill and have something you can make for next year’s Christmas presents? I still have an afghan my grandmother made for me when I was a little kid (one of my favorite possessions!). If an evening of arm knitting and drinking sounds like a good time to you, you can grab your ticket here.

Cookbook Club 🍲

Looking to get away from processed food (which feels like is darn-near impossible)? The Guilford Smith Memorial Library (17 Main St, South Windham) is holding a cookbook cooking class on Thursday 1/16 at 1pm.

They’ll be making recipes from Lisa Leake’s cookbook 100 Days of Real Food. Copies of the book can be picked up from the library. Sign-ups are required, call (860)423-5159 or email [email protected] to reserve your space. If you look at the website for the cookbook, some of these recipes look really good, and simple. Also, this is a library event, and it’s free, so why not take advantage?

BEE LINE EVENTS

1/13

Brooklyn | PTO Meeting | 6pm - I mean, this is pretty self-explanatory. There’s a PTO meeting for Brooklyn Public Schools at 119 Gorman Road.

Chaplin | Vision Board | 4-5:30pm - January is the perfect time to look ahead at what you want to accomplish going forward. Join local artist Karrie Kirchner (The Soul Center) at Chaplin Public Library (130 Chaplin St) to create a vision board to articulate your aspirations, dreams, and goals. To register, speak with a librarian at (860) 455-9424, or email [email protected].

Pomfret | PELL Meeting | 6:30pm - The Pomfret/Eastford Little League is having a meeting at the Pomfret Community School (20 Pomfret St) to discuss the upcoming Spring baseball season. The meeting will be in the cafeteria. Kids are welcome to attend as well.

1/14

Killingly | FFA Monthly Meeting | 6:30pm - The Killingly FFA Alumni & Parents Chapter is holding it’s monthly meeting in the Killingly Ag-Ed wing at Killingly High School (226 Putman Pike, Dayville). If you’re interested in getting involved, email [email protected].

Live Music

1/13

⬢ Music Lady Cafe - Central Village | Brandt Taylor | 5-7pm

1/14

⬢ The Stomping Ground - Putnam | Mike Wood | 8-11pm

Trivia

1/15

Hank’s - Brooklyn | 6:30-9pm
The Stomping Ground - Putnam | 7-11pm
Bear Hands Brewing - Putnam | 6pm

THE HIVE’S PICK

Alright, let’s get into the main reason you probably opened this newsletter (even though you should open them all!), Soleil Bakery (35 Rt. 171, Woodstock). Holy moly, what an amazing spot! When I went in, I had to let people ahead of me because there were so many options to choose from. The amount of options wasn’t the issue, it was the fact that they all looked so, darn, good.

Muffins? Yep. Cookies? Oh, you better believe it. Pastries? Unfortunately no…JUST KIDDING, SO MANY PASTRIES! Vegan options? You better believe it. There’s no way that they could have gluten friendly options, right? Wrong, they most certainly do. There’s a darn good reason why they’ve won awards for the Best Bakery 11 years in a row!

And I think that’s all I need to talk about. I definitely don’t need to mention the fresh baked bread every morning with flavors that will have you salivating (Cheddar and chive, Antipasto, Chocolate Cherry, I could go on and on, but I’m getting hungry just listing them).

This is a well-loved bakery, and it shows. Bill’s passion for what he does comes through in every single product that comes out of there! The community loves the staff, and that’s reciprocated. When I went in, I was lucky enough to see a wonderful exchange between one of the staff members and a regular customer. It’s those kind of things that make this place a pillar of the community in Woodstock.

If all of that wasn’t enough to make you want to drop in, how about the fact that they are going to give you 15% off your order if you mention Quiet Corner Buzz until the end of January! You should also make sure to like and follow their Facebook page, so you can get updates in the morning on what the day’s bread count looks like.

@QuietCornerBuzz

📸@n.ward_photography I The perfect snowy colonial scene from above.

Tag @QuietCornerBuzz to get your photos in the Buzz!

ECSU SPORTS

1/14 - Men’s Basketball vs. Keene State | 4pm

1/14 - Women’s Basketball vs. Keene State | 6pm

1/15 - Men’s and Women’s Swimming vs Bridgewater State w/RIC | 1pm

That’s all for today’s Quiet Corner Buzz! There is a lot going on this weekend, so make sure to check out Thursday’s edition. If you got something out of today, please share it with someone whose favorite smell is fresh baked bread.

Tyler

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign Up

Want to get your business featured in Quiet Corner Buzz? Let’s Talk

Did I miss something? Let Me Know