Today Calendar 2025:​ ​CT Farmington​​ Valley​ and​ Beyond​

Farmington Valley and Beyond • Connecticut • USA

• Today Online: Digital News Site • Today Magazine: 2018-2024 

• Info is accurate to our knowledge, but confirm with organizers to be sure

• Repeat Honor – Today tops CT mags again in SPJ awards

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​Monument Dedication • Ceremony​

Peter and Esther Jackson Memorial ​

Eno Memorial Hall –​ Simsbury​

•​ Thursday​ 6/19​ – Juneteenth​ – 10:00 ​am

​Free • Info – Alex Breanne website • Historical Society  

Alex Breanne Corp. and Simsbury Historical Society unveil new memorial at Simsbury Cemetery honoring a historic black couple and their family

Summer Small Works • Juried Exhibition

Kalaveshi Arts​ Studio-Gallery – Riverdale Farms – Avon

• Opening Reception • Friday ​​6/20​ – 6:00-8:00​ pm​

Free • Info – kalaveshiarts@gmail.​ com

​Featuring 45 ​talented artists, carefully selected by ​Karen Israel,​ juror​ and acclaimed award-winning artist​ • food • live music​ • artist meet-and-greet​

Kala Farnham • Concert Schedule

Connecticut State Troubadour • Award-Winning Songwriter

• Info + Tickets – some shows free 

• Kala has opened for Don McLean, Tony Bennett and other notables –​ she has performed​ across Connecticut and the East Coast

• Songs on YouTube > David • Connecticut Grown • A Little Ghost Story •

Walkie Talkies

LaSalle Market & Deli​ – Collinsville

• Monthly: fourth Tuesday – 1:00 pm • summer dates: 6/24 • 7/22 • 8/26

Free • usually hosted by Dr. Brian Magna • Info – Magna PT website 

15-minute health-based talk followed by 45-minute walk – bad-weather venue: typically start at LaSalle, then TBD

Online Art Exhibit • CT Artists

Gallery For Good – Summer In New England

• June • July • August

Free to browse • Purchase artwork

Proceeds to benefit the Farmington Land Trust •

Summer Art • Programs and Events

Paint Nights​ • Kids Birthday Parties​ • Youth Summer Art Classe​s​ • more

Kalaveshi Arts​ Studio-Gallery – Riverdale Farms – Avon

Free to visit gallery – program costs vary 

•​ Register​ +​ Info > Studio drop-down menu

• Award-winning Today cover story – From War-Torn To Art Reborn 

• Related Today news – Kosovo genocide history sets stage for art gallery •

Canton Main Street • Farmers Market​

​Town Hall parking lot – Collinsville • next to LaSalle Market

•​ Sundays – 10​:00am​-1​:00pm​ – thru October 12​ ​

​Free to attend • Info – Main Street • Facebook 

Family-friendly with nearby Farmington River hiking, biking and canoeing options plus historic Collins Company – 21 full-season vendors

Gallery on the Green • Fine Art Shows 

Canton Green Road – Canton – between Dowd Avenue + Route 44

• Gallery Hours – Fridays-Saturdays-Sundays – 1:00-5:00 pm

Member​ + Guest Exhibition

​Solo ​Shows – Kathy Schwartz ​+ Donna Namnoum

• Thr​u​ Saturday ​6​/28

65th Anniversary Exhibition

•​ Friday​ 7​/11​ thru Saturday​ 8/9​

• Opening Reception • Saturday ​7/12​ – 6:00-8:00​ pm

Free • Farmington Valley artists and beyond – Gallery on the Green is operated by the Canton Artists’ Guild – cantonartistsguild@gmail. com

HeBrews Coffeehouse​

North Canton Community United Methodist Church

•​ Friday​ 7​/18​ – 7​:00 pm

​Free • Info – 860-693-4589 • northcantonumc@gmail. com

​Music, fellowship, worship and refreshments​ – all welcome

​Life Cycle • Art Exhibit

Parkville Art Gallery​ – Hartford​

•​ May • June • July

​Free • Info – 860-874-5193

• Artists include acclaimed Avon-based painter Edith Skiba LaMonica — she has displayed work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, New Britain Museum of American Art and Canton-based Gallery on the Green

• Today news story – Nature draws and beckons artist •

CT Freedom Trail Program • Online

Three Firsts – Pvt. Leverett Holden – Civil War veteran

Free • On-Demand Video 

• Holden's gravesite is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail – a first for Avon – he was in CT's 29th Regiment Volunteer Infantry: Colored

• Presented by Avon Historical Society president Terri Wilson 

"We Are Very Likely To Die"

Incredible True Story of Sinking of Sea Surveyor

Free • On-Demand Video 

Talk by survivor Walter Banzhaf, longtime Simsbury resident – presented at Simsbury Senior Center, Simsbury Library and elsewhere in CT

Pine Grove Schoolhouse

Avon – corner of Harris Road + West Avon Road: Route 167

• Sundays • 2:00-4:00 pm – May thru September

Free • Listed on National Register of Historic Places – built in 1865

• Avon Historical Society • 860-678-7621

Scholarship • Free Tuition 

CT State Community College

• Info + Apply 

• Thousands have received free tuition statewide

“It sounds too good to be true, but this is real" – CT State rep

Open Mic Nights

Free to play and listen

• Grindstone Tavern • Collinsville – Tuesdays • 7:00 pm

• Talcott Mountain Collective • Simsbury – Tuesdays • 7:00-9:30 pm

– Online sign-up: Facebook • Instagram – walk-ins if time allows

• LaSalle Market & Deli • Collinsville – Fridays • 6:00-9:00 pm

– Same-day sign-up at LaSalle – limited spots • Info: 860-693-8010

Longevity Walks​

• LaSalle Market & Deli​ • Collinsville​​ –​ Tuesday​s • 3:30 ​pm​

• Reservoir 6 rear lot • West Hartfor​d – Thursday​s • 9:30 a​m​

​Free • Register one-time: Kathleen Arky • karky64@att. net

Info – Magna Physical Therapy: 860-679-0430 • office@magnapt. com

​Host: Longevity Zone – no dogs – at Reservoir 6: leader to hold red flag

Blood Pressure Clinic

Blood Sugar Clinic

Canton Senior Center – 40 Dyer Avenue

• Wednesdays – 11:30-1:00 pm

Free • Managed by Farmington Valley VNA – appointments not required

For residents of all towns, not just Canton

American Parkinson Disease Association​ • Connecticut Chapter​

CT Support Groups​ – ​CT Exercise Classes​

​Free • Various locations – ongoing

• Click the above links to find a group or class near you

• Today Magazine cover story – Parkinson Puzzle •

Photo Exhibit • Wendy Rosenberg

Roaring Brook Nature Center – Canton

$7-$9 • free for members • Info – 860-693-0263

• View wildlife images by a multiple award-winning photographer

• Rosenberg-focused Today Publishing cover stories:

  • Fame and the Forest Gump Effect 

  • Wild Wonder 

  • Seeing Wildlife with Wide-Eyed Wonder 

Wendy ​has won an SPJ award for this photo​ in Today Magazine:

National Beat Poetry Festival

Canton Town Hall​ Auditorium​ – Collinsville​

• Friday 8/29 – 7:00-10:​30 p​m

Tyson home – 22 River R​oad​ • Barkhamsted

• Saturday 8/30 – ​1:00 pm thru early evening

•​ Sunday 8/31 –​ 1:00-3:00 pm

Free • Info – Foundation website • email: nbpf15@gmail. com

National Beat Poetry Foundation event​ — state beat poet ​laureates recite work — open mic on Saturday — donations accepted to defray food cost

Canton Café

Dine-In Lunch Program

Canton Community Center – 40 Dyer Avenue

• Wednesdays • Fridays – 12:00-1:00 pm

$5 – senior citizens • $7 – town employees

Reservations required two days in advance – call 860-693-5811

Gildo T. Consolini VFW Post 3272 

Ongoing Meetings

• Monthly – fourth Wednesday

• Avon – Prince Thomas of Savoy Italian Club

  5:30 pm – Social

  6:00 pm – Dinner – $10

  6:30 pm – Meeting

• Weekly – each Thursday

• BeanZ & Co. – Avon – 8:30-11:00 am

Free • Veterans from all towns invited for conversation and support

Red Cross Blood Drives

Numerous locations in Farmington Valley

• Various days + times

• Register + find a Valley blood drive – www.redcrossblood.org •

Antique Appraisals

ANTIQ’S – Farmington

• Saturdays – 11:00am-4:00pm

Free • Info – 860-676-2670 • info@antiqs.com

• Free-of-charge appraisal of your antiques – every Saturday

Simsbury Public Library

Recurring Events • Programs

Free • Register + Info • 860-658-7663

Online: Poetry Group

• Monthly – third Tuesday – 6:30 pm

• Write and share poems for constructive feedback

Spanish Conversation Group

• Wednesdays – 11:00 am • Practice speaking Spanish with others

English Conversation Club

• Fridays – 10:30 am • Practice your English with others

• Today Magazine cover story – Burning Book​ ​Passion •

Autism Programs

Autism Families CONNECTicut

• Register – https://www.autismfamiliesct.org •

• Today Magazine cover story:

   Cogent Focus: 20th Anniversary for Autism Center •

Canton Area Boardgamers​

Christ Community Church – Collinsville​

•​ Sunday – second​ and​ fourth​ of month – 1:00​-5:00​ pm

​Free • Facebook page • Info: organizer Kevin Salch – 860-597-6894

Bring your own games or play ours​ – check​ Facebook to ​confirm the usual second-and-fourth​ Sunday meeting​ is on due to occasional​ reschedule​s

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Coping with Grief and Loss during the Holidays – Online

• On-Demand ​Video – cogent talk starts at 21:20 mark after musical intro

  Speaker – Joe Colletti • author • bereavement consultant

• Hosts – Carmon Community Funeral Homes – Avon

  – Mary’s Place – A Center for Grieving Children and Families – Windsor

Free • Info – visit above websites • 860-688-2200 • 860-673-8610

• Nine Carmon locations – Avon • Granby • Hartford • Rockville • South Windsor • Suffield • Vernon • Windsor • Poquonock: also in Windsor

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MLK in CT Memorial

Simsbury Free Library

Free • On-Demand Video – Unveiling Ceremony 

Ceremony occurred on MLK Day 2021 – at Simsbury Free Library 

• Award-winning Today Publishing coverage:

– Today Online feature – Unique memorial honors MLK's time in Valley 

– Today Magazine cover story – Their Dream: MLK Memorial

• Award-winning documentary – produced by Simsbury High students:

   Summers of Freedom: Story of Martin Luther King in Connecticut • 

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Unearthing History 

2024 History Series • Online  • Internationally significant find in Connecticut's Farmington Valley

Discovery in Avon of 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian Site

Free • Five webinars – available on-demand here:

• Paleo-Indian Discoveries in America 

• Use and Sources of Ohio Hopewell Fossil Shark Teeth​

• Foraging in Paleo-Indian Period: Macrobotanical Analysis​

•​ Bioarchaeology in North America: Ethics​ and Issues in 2024​

•​ History of Native American Archaeology in Connecticut​

– Sponsors – Avon Historical Society • Avon Library • Avon Senior Center

• Today Magazine cover story by Dr. David Leslie:

Archaeological Dig Reveals Valley’s Paleo-Indian Secrets •

• David Leslie was senior archaeologist for the Avon site discovered in 2019

Unearthing History 

2023 History Series • Online 

• Internationally significant find in Connecticut's Farmington Valley

Discovery in Avon of 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian Site

Free • Five webinars – available on-demand here:

• LIDAR Revolution in Earth Surface Mapping 

• Hunting Techniques of the Paleo-Indian 

• Big Importance of Small Things

   Microscopic and Blood Residue Analysis of Ancient Stone Tools 

• Paleo-Indian Sites, Site Patterns & Travel 

• Update on Brian D. Jones site in Avon CT •

Unearthing History

2022 History Series • Online

• Internationally significant find in Connecticut's Farmington Valley

Discovery in Avon of 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian Site

Free • Five webinars – available on-demand here:

• What Genetics Teaches Us About the Peopling of North America

• Ice Age Animals of New England

• Paleo-Indian Foodways with Trade & Network Exchange

• Looking into the Past with Ancient DNA

• Update on Scientific Analysis of Brian D. Jones Site in Avon CT

• Dr. David Leslie – Part 1 • Part 2 •

Unearthing History

2021 History Series • Online

• Internationally significant find in Connecticut's Farmington Valley

Discovery in Avon of 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian Site

Free • Five webinars – available on-demand here:

• Digging into Deep History: Archaeology, Artifacts, Avocation

• A Rift, not the River, Made the Farmington Valley – Part 1 • Part 2

• CT Before History: Deep Story of Valley's Human Settlement

• Connecticut Native American Communities: Past and Present

• Connecticut’s Paleo-Indian Sites: Avon Site + More

• Dr. David Leslie – senior archaeologist • Avon CT site

• Dr. Zachary Singer – research archaeologist

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Valley Town Sites – Avon • Canton • Farmington • Granby • Simsbury 

Valley Libraries – Avon • Canton • Farmington • Granby • Simsbury 

Valley Chambers of Commerce – Avon-Canton • Granby-Simsbury

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PAST EVENTS – events below were listed previously in Calendar above

​Strawberry Festival​ – 73rd​ annual

North Canton Community United Methodist Church​ – Route 179​

La Sylphide – New England Ballet Theatre 

Two Hikes – National Trails Day – Canton Land Conservation Trust​

Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast​ ​

Habitat for Humanity • North Central Connecticut 

Marriott – Downtown Hartford

Connecticut Freedom Trail • Dedication 

East Avon Cemetery – Avon Congregational Church

• Info: Avon Historical Society 

• Dedication​ of memorial stone​ for Leverett Holden, Avon resident and Civil War veteran of 29th Connecticut Infantry Regiment​: Colored

• ​Award-winning Today ​news story:​

​ Black soldier answered Lincoln’s Civil War invite •

We Are the Sons of Freedom – Exhibit

Avon​ Public Library – History Corner

• Info: Avon Historical Society 

PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar

Cruising the ​Rivers of Europe •​ Presented by Jean Foisie​ of TravelVision​​ and AMA Waterways cruise​ line – 860-693-2515 • jeanfoisie@yahoo.​ com​

Spring ​Concert​s –​ Better Together – Farmington Valley Chorale ​

Historic Trades of the Revolution – Simsbury Historical Society 

Senior Conference ​and Resource Fair • SCARF •​ New Season in Life​​

Bird Hike – Canton Land Trust 

Memory Walk – Mary's Place: A Center for Grieving Children and Families 

National Day of Prayer​ •​ All welcome – 7​4th annual observance –​ established by Continental Congress in 1775, this tradition predates founding of U.S.​

PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar

Theater – Playhouse 44 

• New theater venture – join email list •

PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar

Fundraiser – House of Changes ​

• Nonprofit for mental health, substance abuse, incarceration challenges

HarttWorks​ – ​Dance​-Music ​Performance • Hartt School Community Division​

Diabetes Plus with Dave Oliver

Magna Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine – Avon

• 860-679-0430 • Hosted by Magna PT and The Longevity Zone •

Group​ Art Exhibition –​ Inspire Art​s 

Free • Info – Rebecca Maloney​ – 860​-382-3020​

• Supported Living Group​ offers platform for artists living with disabilitie​s

New Avon History Museum – Buy A Brick 

• ​Fund 200-year-old schoolhouse renovated as museum

Have A Heart – benefit campaign

Mary’s Place: A Center for Grieving Children and Families 

• This nonprofit aims to support children and families grieving a death

Saturday Night Dinner and a Movie – Sound of Hope 

Valley Community Baptist Church – Avon

• ​Film ​based on a true foster-care-and-adoption story

• Today Magazine award-winning cover story:

   Fostering Home Hope – Special Report on Foster Care in CT •

PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar

Avon Historical Society – 50th Anniversary Exhibit

Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center

SMPAC – Iron Horse Boulevard – Simsbury

• Today Magazine cover story:

​Orchestra Back At SMPAC​ – Jubilant return for HSO •

Open House

Mary’s Place – A Center for Grieving Children and Families – Windsor

Free • 860-688-9621 – info@marysplacect. org

Habitat Ambassador Workshops 

Habitat for Humanity • North Central Connecticut 

Free • Register • Info – 860-541-2208 – volunteer@hfhncc.org

• Today Magazine cover story – Homegrown Hope: Making Dreams Reality 

• Today Magazine follow-up – Local Habitat Celebrates 35th Birthday •

Art Exhibition – Rhythms in Time

Solo Show – Edith Skiba LaMonica 

Free • LaMonica's work has been featured in Philadelphia Museum of Art, New Britain Museum of American Art, Canton-based Gallery on the Green

Red Stone Pub – Simsbury

PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar

Unite In Love Luncheon ​

Fundraiser – Mary’s Place: A Center for Grieving Children and Families 

Casino Night to End Alzheimer's – Anthology of Simsbury •

Warehouse Tag Sale – Journey Home 

• Info – 860-808-0336 – volunteer@journeyhomect. org

• Journey Home seeks to end homelessness

Roaring Brook Nature Center

Summer 2024 – Discovery Days Programs

RBNC – Canton • Info – 860-693-0263

• Today Magazine cover story – Nature and Nurture •

Habitat Youth Advocacy & Engagement Conference

Habitat – Winter Warrior Public Build Days 

Habitat for Humanity • North Central Connecticut 

Free • Register + Info • 860-541-2208 – volunteer@hfhncc. org

Driving Away Parkinson’s Golf Tournament​

American Parkinson Disease Association​ – Connecticut Chapter​ ​

• Today Magazine cover story – Parkinson Puzzle •

TableScapes – Fundraiser – Avon Historical Society

• Info – 860-678-7621 – info@avonhistoricalsociety. org

• PAST EVENTS – Today Calendar 2022-23 •

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