Today Calendar 2024
Farmington Valley and Beyond • Connecticut – 2024 Events + Programs
• Email Events > newsroom@todaypublishing.net • Ad Rates
• Today Magazine – Monthly Editions Archive • Today Online – News Site
Valley Town Sites – Avon • Canton • Farmington • Granby • Simsbury
Valley Libraries – Avon • Canton • Farmington • Granby • Simsbury
Info is accurate to our knowledge, but please confirm • Past Events: 2022-23
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Call For Artists – End of the Year Show
Small Works Juried Exhibition 2024
Kalaveshi Arts – Avon
• Accepting submissions – now thru Friday 11/8
$20-$30 entry fee • Register + Info
• Original artwork: 24 inches or smaller – mediums: painting, mixed media, drawing, collage, printmaking, fiber art, fine art photography – awards: $50-$125
Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center – 2024 Season
SMPAC – Iron Horse Boulevard – Simsbury
• May thru November
Ticket prices vary • Info – SMPAC events website
Savor the Flavor – Journey Home
WeHa Brewing & Roasting Co. – West Hartford
• Wednesday 10/23 – 6:30 pm
$75 • Register + Info – contact: Andrea.Yeskey@journeyhomect. org
• Chocolate and beer tasting event to benefit Journey Home — the nonprofit seeks to alleviate and end homelessness
Habitat Ambassador Workshops
• Thursday 10/24 – 12:00 noon
Free • Register • Info – 860-541-2208 – volunteer@hfhncc.org
• One-hour mission overview about ongoing volunteer opportunities
• Today Magazine cover story – Homegrown Hope: Making Dreams Reality
• Today Magazine follow-up – Local Habitat Celebrates 35th Birthday •
Collinsville Trick or Trot 5K
7th annual — starts at Crown & Hammer Restaurant
• Saturday 10/26
$30-$40 • Register + Info
• Host: Canton Dollars for Scholars – fundraiser for student scholarships
Farmington Valley Symphony Returns to the Movies
Season Opener – Silent Films with New Music
Hoffman Auditorium – University of St. Joseph
• Saturday 11/2 – 3:00 pm
$20-$25 – ages 17 and under free • Info + Tickets
• Three silent film shorts projected above the stage with live orchestra – plus Rossini's William Tell Overture and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7
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
56th Annual Juried Exhibition – competition draws artists from across CT
Mythical Tilt – solo show of paintings by Karl Lund
• Thru Saturday 11/9
Holiday Pop-Up: Support Local Artists – buy artwork for no more than $200
Three Solo Shows – Rob Loebell • Rowena Okie • David Owen
• Friday 11/15 thru Saturday 12/14
• Reception – Saturday 11/16 – 6:00-8:00 pm
Free • Art from Farmington Valley artists and beyond – Gallery on the Green is operated by the Canton Artists’ Guild – cantonartistsguild@gmail. com
Preview Opening
Avon History Museum
• Sunday 11/17 – 1:00-4:00 pm
Free • Info – 860-678-7621
• Renovated one-room schoolhouse has been transformed into a museum – location: 8 East Main Street aka Route 44
Apply for Free Tuition – CT State Community College
• Thousands have received free tuition at Tunxis in Farmington and statewide
• “It sounds too good to be true, but this is real" – CT State rep
Avon Historical Society – 50th Anniversary Exhibit
Avon Public Library
• Thru December 2024
Free • Info – AHS website – Library website
• The Avon Historical Society is 50 years old this year – view new artifact display from 700-item collection – in the library's History Room
CT Freedom Trail Program • Online
Three Firsts – Pvt. Leverett Holden – Civil War veteran
Free • On-Demand Video
• Holden served and fought in CT's 29th Regiment Volunteer Infantry: Colored
• His gravesite is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail – a first for Avon CT
• Presented by Avon Historical Society president Terri Wilson
• Wilson's award-winning Today Magazine story:
Unearthing History – 2024 History Series • Online
• Internationally significant find in Avon in Connecticut's Farmington Valley — a 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian archaeological site
Free • Five Webinars – available on-demand here:
• Paleo-Indian Discoveries in America
– Sponsors – Avon Historical Society, Avon Public Library, Avon Senior Center
Red Cross Blood Drives
Numerous locations in Farmington Valley
• Various days + times
• Register + find a Valley blood drive – https://redcrossblood.org •
Autism Programs
Autism Families CONNECTicut
• Register – https://www.autismfamiliesct.org •
New Avon History Museum – Buy A Brick
• Ongoing fundraising campaign
$100-$250 • Purchase – click here
• Help pave the way and transform a 200-year-old schoolhouse into a museum – tax-deductible – anonymous $15,000 donation jumpstarted fundraising drive
Blood Pressure + Blood Sugar Clinic
Canton Senior Center – 40 Dyer Avenue
• Wednesdays – 11:30-1:00 pm
Free • Sponsored by Farmington Valley VNA – appointments not required
• For residents of all towns, not just Canton
Kala Farnham – Concert Schedule
• Connecticut State Troubadour • Award-Winning Songwriter •
Info + Tickets – some shows Free – Kala's website • Tour Schedule
• Kala Farnham 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 •
Avon VFW – ongoing meetings
• BeanZ & Co. – Avon
Mondays + Thursdays – 9:00am-12:00
• Prince Thomas of Savoy club – Avon
Fourth Wednesday – monthly dinner + meeting – 5:30 pm
Free • Info – VFW website • Commander Tim Healy: tim.healy@comcast.net
• VFW Post 3272 invites veterans from all towns for conversation and support
American Parkinson Disease Association – Connecticut Chapter
Free • Various locations – ongoing
• Click the above links to find a group or class near you
• Today Magazine cover story – Parkinson Puzzle •
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
Photo Exhibit – Wendy Rosenberg
Roaring Brook Nature Center – Canton
Free • Info – RBNC website • 860-693-0263
• View wildlife images by an award-winning Canton photographer who has displayed numerous photo exhibits across the Farmington Valley
• Rosenberg-connected Today Magazine cover stories:
Wendy received an SPJ award for this photo in Today Magazine:
Theater – Playhouse 44
Avon High School – Auditorium
• February 2025 – dates TBA
• Specific show and other details TBA
Open Mic Night – Talcott Collective
Talcott Mountain Collective – Simsbury
• Tuesdays – 7:00-9:30 pm
• Space limited: advance online sign-up advised – walk-ins if time allows – hosted by Michael Sasportas Music
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
Open Mic Night – LaSalle
LaSalle Market & Deli – Collinsville
• Fridays – 6:00 pm
Free to play and listen • Register + Info • 860-693-8010
• Space limited: advance online sign-up advised – walk-ins if time allows
Pine Grove Schoolhouse
Avon – corner of West Avon Road aka Route 167 + Harris Road
• Address: 3 Harris Road – Harris Road becomes Brickyard Road
– Schoolhouse open – May thru September – Sundays • 2:00-4:00 pm
– Schedule visits at other times by appointment
Free • Listed on National Register of Historic Places – built in 1865
• Avon Historical Society • 860-678-7621
Simsbury Public Library – Recurring Events + Programs
• Free • Register + Info • 860-658-7663
Online: Poetry Group
• Third Tuesday – monthly – 6:30-7:30 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
"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
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Unearthing History – 2023 History Series • Online
On the Discovery in Avon of 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian Site
• Internationally significant find in Connecticut's Farmington Valley
Free • Five Webinars – available on-demand here:
#3 – Big Importance of Small Things
• Info – www.avonctlibrary.info – Search > Unearthing History
• Sponsors: Avon Historical Society, Avon Public Library, Avon Senior Center
Unearthing History – 2022 History Series • Online
On the Discovery in Avon of 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian Site
• Internationally significant find in Connecticut's Farmington Valley
Free • Five Webinars – available on-demand here:
#5 – Update on Scientific Analysis of Brian D. Jones Site in Avon, CT
• David Leslie is senior archaeologist for the Avon site discovered in 2019
• Info – www.avonctlibrary.info – Search > Unearthing History
• Sponsors: Avon Historical Society, Avon Public Library, Avon Senior Center
Unearthing History – 2021 History Series • Online
On the Discovery in Avon of 12,500-year-old Paleo-Indian Site
Free • Five Webinars – available on-demand here:
• Dr. David Leslie – Senior Archaeologist for Avon CT Site
• Dr. Zachary Singer – Research Archaeologist + UConn Grad
• Today Magazine cover story by Dr. David Leslie:
• Internationally significant find in Farmington Valley – in Avon, Connecticut
Coping with Grief + Loss During the Holidays • Online
Hosts – Carmon Community Funeral Homes – Avon
• Speaker – Joe Colletti • author + bereavement consultant
• On-Demand Video – cogent talk starts at 21:20 mark after musical intro
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
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
• View award-winning documentary – produced by Simsbury High students:
Valley-based Chambers of Commerce – Avon-Canton • Granby-Simsbury
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PAST EVENTS
• THE EVENTS BELOW were listed previously in the main Calendar above
Walkie Talkies
LaSalle Market & Deli – Collinsville
Free • Info – Avon-Canton COC
• Brief health-based talk followed by 45-minute walk – bad-weather venue: LaSalle or Canton Town Hall auditorium – fourth Tuesdays: holiday exceptions
The Long Black Veil
A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Info – 860-255-7767 – admin@neballettheatre. com
Art Exhibition – Rhythms in Time
Solo Show – Edith Skiba LaMonica
Barnes-Franklin Gallery – Tunxis Community College – Farmington
• Gallery Hours – Mondays thru Thursdays – 9:00am-8:00pm
Free • Info – gallery director Arthur Simoes: arthursimoes@ctstate. edu
• LaMonica's work has been featured in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, New Britain Museum of American Art and Canton-based Gallery on the Green
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
Unite In Love Luncheon
• Speakers will share stories of their experience with grief and loss and the role Mary’s Place has played in their lives
Casino Night to End Alzheimer's
• Play casino games to support the fight to end Alzheimer's
September Serenaders – presented by Playhouse 44
Raymour & Flanigan – Avon
• Unique musical event featuring CT singer-songwriters who aren’t famous but should be — seating limited: email to secure a spot
After the Roses – Equine Rescue Fundraiser
US Horse Welfare & Rescue – Avon
• Concert: Manchester Symphony Orchestra + Marston Smith, Lord of the Cello
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
Warehouse Tag Sale – Journey Home
Journey Home warehouse location – 635 New Park Avenue – West Hartford
Info – 860-808-0336 – volunteer@journeyhomect. org
• Two-part opportunity > Donate items for our tag sale > Buy items like furniture, tools, household goods/decor and more
• Journey Home seeks to end homelessness
• Volunteers from the Valley and beyond have invested in this win-win mission
Roaring Brook Nature Center
Summer 2024 – Discovery Days Programs
RBNC – Canton
Info • 860-693-0263
• Unique blend of education and recreation for students of various ages
• Today Magazine cover story – Nature and Nurture •
Intro to Artificial Intelligence & Applicable Business Use
Holcomb Farm – Granby
Info – mary.mcpheat@groundedlogic. com
• AI specialist Mary McPheat on AI history, practical business applications, more
Painting Party – Avon Historical Society
Derrin House – Avon
• Info – 860-678-7621 – info@avonhistoricalsociety.org
• Join the fun by painting the exterior of the historic Derrin House at 249 West Avon Road – paint and supplies provided – no bathrooms or water on property
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
9 Tens on 44 – Playhouse 44
Avon High School – Auditorium
• Series of quirky, reflective 10-minute plays – in one, Bill Shakespeare deals with a theater manager who has issues with the language of Hamlet
Grease – Simsbury Summer Theatre for Youth
Simsbury High School
• Iconic show directed by David Addis, theater pro and Simsbury High grad
Habitat Youth Advocacy & Engagement Conference
Rockville High School – Vernon
• Wednesday 7/31 – 9:00am-3:00pm – register by 7/17
Free • Register + Info • 860-541-2208 – volunteer@hfhncc. org
• Ages 11-18 – lunch and snacks provided free-of-charge
• Habitat 101 overview – Habitat homeowner story session – picnic table building project for Habitat homeowners – youth and school groups welcome
• Countless volunteers from the Valley have invested in Habitat's win-win mission
Kalaveshi Arts – Avon
• Gallery hours: Tuesday thru Saturday – 11:00am-4:00pm
Free • Info • Today Magazine cover story – From War-Torn To Art Reborn •
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
Red Stone Pub – ongoing events
Red Stone Pub – Simsbury
• Trivia – Tuesdays – 7:00-9:00 pm
Eat – Drink – Think – Prizes
• Live Music – Saturday evenings
Modern Day Monet – 1st Annual Juried Exhibition
Hill-Stead Museum – Farmington
• Info – 860-677-4787 – Artwork by Valley-connected artists Edith Skiba LaMonica, Francie Brown Holmes, Kate Emery and more — annual Hill-Stead memberships start at $25
AI Workshop – Lunch & Learn
Simsbury Library – Weatogue Room
Free • Info – mary.mcpheat@groundedlogic. com
• AI specialist Mary McPheat on integrating generative AI into your business
Parkinson’s Wellness Fest
Carnival of Hope and Joy
Farmington Polo Club
Free • Register + Info • 860-679-3257 – parkinsons@uchc. edu
• Interactive activities: yoga, dance, boxing, art, games – lunch is free-of charge
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
Silent Trivia Night
American Flatbread – Canton
• Fundraiser for new Playhouse 44 nonprofit that plans to produce theater, music, comedy and storytelling events – join email list •
Book Sale
Free to attend • Info – click links
• Sponsored by Friends of the Canton Public Library •
Driving Away Parkinson’s Golf Tournament
American Parkinson Disease Association – Connecticut Chapter
Grassy Hill Country Club – Orange
• All proceeds benefit APDA Connecticut
• Today Magazine cover story – Parkinson Puzzle •
National Trails Day – Three Hikes
Canton Land Conservation Trust • Free – CLCT website – Trail Info •
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
Play Auditions – Playhouse 44
Peachtree Village Clubhouse – Avon
Free • Register + Info
• All roles available for brand-new theater venture – many age ranges
Kalaveshi Arts Exhibition
Duncaster – Bloomfield
Free • Info – Kalaveshi website
• The Kalaveshi Arts gallery is located in the Riverdale Farms plaza in Avon — this art show was at the Bloomfield-based Duncaster retirement community
Habitat – Winter Warrior Public Build Days
Free • For individuals and teams – support new-home construction and help families move into their new homes on schedule
Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra – Concerts •
$20-$25 • Free 17 + under • Info: FVSO website – 1-800-975-FVSO
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
Heart-Healthy Living • Host Marie Cancellieri aims to help you incorporate small yet impactful habits for a heart-healthy lifestyle
CEA Job Fair for Educators
Derby High School
• Saturday – 10:00am-1:00pm
Free • Info + Register
• Host: Connecticut Education Association – learn of districts with job openings
Art Show: Out of the Ordinary – Contemporary Artists at Work
Mandell JCC Chase Family Gallery – West Hartford
Free • Info – JCC website
Sundays at Three – Winter Music Concerts
Avon Public Library • Free tickets
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
TableScapes Fundraiser
Benefit – Avon Historical Society
North House – Avon • Info: click here – 860-670-3225
• Benefit for new Avon History Museum
Theater – The Addams Family: School Edition
Canton High School • Info – website
Canton Greater Together
Community Fund Grant Applications
• Info • Application materials + FAQs – www.hfpg.org/cantoncf
Grants of $500 to $10,000 available to Canton-based nonprofits
• Grants also offered for other Valley and CT towns
Online: Conquering Unforgiveness Mastermind
Free • Register – click here
• With Dionne Nicholls-Germain: author of Conquering Unforgiveness Journal
PAST EVENTS – these events were listed previously in the main Calendar
Theater – Almost, Maine + Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End
Farmington Valley Stage Company
Canton Town Hall – Collinsville
• Tickets + Info – www.fvstage.org •
Remembering Connecticut’s Colored Regiments
Film + Discussion
Avon Senior Center
Free • Info – click here
• Watch award-winning short film “The Connecticut 29th” and another 29th documentary – followed by moderated conversation
Benefit Concert – Silk City Jazz Band
• Afghan Refugee Project – fundraiser
Avon Senior Center – website
• The humanitarian Afghan Refugee Project is sponsored by the Avon-based VFW – the 20-piece Silk City Jazz Band plays swing and big band music