LITCHFIELD — Litchfield Park and Recreation held its first Father of the Year Contest, and the winners have been announced. Frank Van Ormer won the Father of Young Children award, and Steve Malo won the Father of Older Children award.

WATERTOWN — There is a lot to preserve in the Litchfield Hills.

WASHINGTON — ASAP!’s 15th annual Celebration of Young Writers invited students from public and private schools as well as home-schooled children to submit poetry and prose.

BARKHAMSTED — The Barkhamsted Lions Club is offering local U.S. veterans a special opportunity to serve their community.

LITCHFIELD — Car shows have become hugely popular with car aficionados and classic car owners, having 50 shows to choose from on weekends from late April to mid-October. The Litchfield Lions Club will present their fourth annual “Biggest Little Car Show” on Saturday, June 20 with a rain date…

The greenway project’s next step is to link the trail from North Shore Road to the center of Bantam.

CANAAN — At a time when nursing home residents and staff are extremely concerned about the COVID-19 virus crisis, residents at Geer Nursing & Rehabilitation Center are thinking about those less fortunate than themselves.

Celebrated as the co-founder of the Torrington School of Ballet and a longtime volunteer for the Nutmeg Ballet, Marjorie Dante was a guiding force at both institutions for 47 years, retiring in 2017 at age 97. Those who know her say she did almost everything — taking attendance, fitting dance shoes, keeping the books, ordering supplies, keeping the studio clean and more.

TORRINGTON – Susan B. Anthony Project’s 3rd annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser will be a virtual event this year, running from May 11-31.

GOSHEN — Started in Newtown over 15 years ago by four soccer players with a passion for growing the game and insuring opportunities, Futbol Friends International has made a significant difference for children worldwide, raising over $20,000 to purchase soccer equipment, and organizing opport…

TORRINGTON — Five Points Gallery is asking residents and businesses to display red hearts and words of encouragement in their windows or on their lawns or porches as a sign of support for medical care workers, emergency service workers and others who have remained on the job throughout the c…

THOMASTON — Melanie Dobos opened her little shop, Stitch on Main, in Thomaston just five months ago, after working many years as a seamstress. While she was planning how to create elaborate wedding gowns and doing alterations for prom dresses, the coronavirus pulled her into a very different path.

NEW HARTFORD — Social distancing is one of the mandates of the coronavirus pandemic — stay six feet apart at all times; no physical contact. In public places, the rules may be a little easier to follow, but people living in an adult community might feel a little claustrophobic by now. They a…

NORTHFIELD — Brenda Delaney of Northfield decided that since she couldn’t be with her grandchildren in person for the Easter holiday, she would don a realistic Easter Bunny costume and visit them from a distance.

HARWINTON — Sean Hunt, a veteran, and his wife Holly Hunt, a young couple that is very family-oriented, were faced with the reality that large gatherings are counter intuitive in the era of COVID-19.

MORRIS — In the worst of times, the best in people rises to the challenge of helping others. As business owners, Diana and Robert McIntosh of Morris understand all too well how important it is to “keep things going” during these tough times. Diana said, “It was getting harder, so I was looki…

We are very fortunate to have so many Little Free Libraries in our neighborhoods. They are at our schools, churches, parks, stores and restaurants. Now, more than ever, we need more ideas on how we can share books.

LITCHFIELD HILLS — Dylan Mello recently joined the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut as the Northwest Region Missionary. His territory encompasses a vast area with Canaan and Litchfield at the top of the map, Waterbury in the middle, and Brookfield and Southbury at the bottom. At that time, h…

Runners were ready to brave the cold for the 36th annual Polar Bear Run on Sunday, Feb. 23.

CORNWALL — Mohawk Mountain held the 10thAnnual Firefighter Race Sunday, welcoming teams from Morris to South Kensington.

TORRINGTON — Kitty Quarters, the feline-only rescue center, staged a successful fundraiser named “Clear the Closets,” on Leap Day in front of its building.

HARTFORD — The 39th annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show was held Feb. 20-23 at the CT Convention Center in Hartford. The show is one of the largest and most prestigious flower shows in all of New England with over 300 booths overflowing with fresh flowers, plants, herbs, bulbs, seeds…

LITCHFIELD — A first-time state-wide basketball shooting contest for boys and girls ages 9 to 15, Hot Shots, was held at the Wamogo Regional High School gym on Feb. 23, pulling an estimated field of 30 participants. Sponsored by Connecticut Recreation and Park Association, the event was host…

HARWINTON — Nancy Shanley Lyons was recently selected as the 2020 recipient of the Harwinton Outstanding Citizen Award, which will be presented for the 46th time at a banquet in her honor at Fairview Farm Golf Course April 17.

A big part of the telethon is the live music and dancing, presented by numerous school groups and dance schools.

LITCHFIELD — Two Friendly Hands Food Bank members, still mourning the death of longtime Director Maureen Hubert, were happy to attend a “Burns Night” event when invited by Richard McDonnell P.D.D., the Junior Warden of St. Paul’s Lodge #11 in Litchfield.

LITCHFIELD — On Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. in St. Michael’s Community House, church members will show the film “Traces of the Trade.”

The DEEP’s First Day hike on Jan. 1 drew 40 people to Burr Pond State Park.

TORRINGTON — Staff members at Community Health & Wellness Center of Greater Torrington recently made a delivery to the Winsted Salvation Army of more than 50 hats filled with toiletries and personal essentials, which were distributed to those in need “as a gesture of good will for the ho…

WINCHESTER — Every year, Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities dogs are paired with clients in need of a constant companion — a specially trained dog aware of their particular needs. This week, four people completed their intensive training with their own special dog at ECAD’s facilit…

TORRINGTON — In May, members of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments thought construction on their regional animal control shelter would begin within the year.

TORRINGTON — Community Health and Wellness Center is now offering an in-house pharmacy, Community Health Rx.

WASHINGTON — ASAP! received a $5,000 grant from the Connecticut Community Foundation in support of their Metamorphosis Project at the Children’s Community School in Waterbury.

TORRINGTON — Community Health and Wellness Center is offering a free, six-week diabetes self-management workshop at its Torrington health center. The workshop will be held from 1:30-4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Nov. 12-Dec. 17.

Twice a week, LARC’s Day Services Program participants at both the Main Street and Migeon Street LARC locations, engage in a lively hour of music.

TORRINGTON — October in Torrington is annually marked by the Susan B. Anthony Project’s Domestic Violence Awareness events, and this year they continue, with a commemmorative wreath at City Hall, an art exhibit and a vigil at Coe Memorial Park.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield Garden Club’s latest show, “Town Crier to Twitter,” a celebration of Litchfield’s 300-year anniversary, took a year to put together, and began with a gala kick-off at the White Memorial Conservation Center in the carriage house on Sept. 20, where winning floral ar…

In Washington, The Gunnery names new Director of the Arts

WASHINGTON — MaryAnn Haverstock of Bethany has joined The Gunnery faculty as Director of the IDEAS Lab. Haverstock brings to the school’s robust STEM curriculum — which is offered in a hands-on lab environment — more than two decades of engineering experience combined with her work in academ…

PLYMOUTH — Although the Town of Plymouth’s 225th anniversary isn’t until 2020, the Plymouth Historical Society is getting a jump start on celebrating. Earlier this summer, a large mural depicting historical and current features of the town was unveiled on the side of the Lee’s Hardware build…

MORRIS — The Morris Fire Company was anticipating encouragement by local residents when they held a bucket collection on Sept. 7 and 8, and were delighted to be supported as well by out-of-towners who were traveling to the Bethlehem fairgrounds. Morris Volunteer Fire Company members were sta…

LITCHFIELD — On Sunday, August 18 and Sunday, Sept. 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on both days, St. Michael’s-Litchfield will be hosting Lemon-AID in support of children being held in detention camps at the border. Once a child is held by the authorities, in order to be reunited with thei…

WASHINGTON — Broadway — the very word conjures up thoughts of dancers in flashy costumes, catchy show tunes and majestic theaters. But scripture? One wouldn’t ordinarily think to associate the American cultural phenomenon of Broadway musicals with biblical teachings. However, that’s just wha…