NEW MILFORD — Each year during the holiday season, there are always one or two toys that are popular for children of almost any age.

TORRINGTON — Like solving riddles? Enjoy a good mystery and finding out the answer to a seemingly baffling conundrum with the help of clues and input from your friends and family?

NEW HARTFORD — Donna LeBlanc has served in many different capacities throughout her career, but the role she enjoys most is serving as a mentor to her kids — which in LeBlanc’s case includes the many students who come through her front door as well as the countless young people who enjoy rea…

GOSHEN — One has heard the term “farm-to-table,” but Thorncrest Farm & Milk House Chocolates at 280 Town Hill Road brings the concept to another level.

Gardeners tend to be generous types, and I’m not only speaking of our enthusiastic support for the Garden Conservancy and similar garden-centric not-for-profits. Fact is, we love to share our habitats.

LITCHFIELD — On Friday, April 7, the head of Forman School, Adam Man, invited 11 honorees to his home to celebrate the employees’ 25-plus years’ service at the school. In attendance were the Forman School Board of Trustees and a buffet dinner of salmon with leeks and eggplant involtini was s…

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield Green, with its inviting park and strip of shops and restaurants, has always been an attraction for both residents and visitors.

BETHLEHEM — When Riad Aamar sees a recipe would like to try, he just can’t himself. He has to put his own spin on the dish. You see, that is what makes his dishes special and provides him the proverbial joy of cooking.

WASHINGTON — Even in this age of Internet and online everything, a competent and inspiring teacher is still crucial to a child’s success in school. Nothing can replace the student/teacher relationship and the importance of encouraging children and aiding them in their future success. To help…

NEW HARTFORD/SHEFFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS — Dale and Phyllis Webb remembered when they were just starting out as a business. The Magic Fluke Co. began in the basement of their New Hartford home in 1998.

New Hartford >> Ever since mankind first pushed a boat onto water, sailing has been an integral part of the human experience. From dugout canoes and single masts made by primitive people to move from one island to the next, to many-masted galleons and clipper ships that fueled the age …

Salisbury >> If you enjoy a chic, upscale city vibe with your dining out there is a place on Main Street in Salisbury that is right up your alley.

Ridgefield >> It is often said that art imitates life and vice versa.

Hillsdale, N.Y. >> Midsummer is when every gardener needs a break. It’s time to take off your gloves, dust off your dirty knees, slip out of the muddy boots, and hop in the car to visit other gardens.

Morris >> Those who work in the wedding industry had originally thought the trend toward rustic weddings, a form of escape to a perceived simpler time with a more casual atmosphere, would be short-lived. But it looks like the trend is here to stay among the more traditional types of we…

Litchfield >> Observing an Aikido class is like watching a carefully choreographed performance. The techniques, the costumes, the sensitivity are unlike any elements usually associated with martial arts.

When Christian Gombos and Glenn Staubley roll back to their landscape business off Route 4 in Burlington, near the town line with Harwinton, they will often stop into the Greenhouse Café and Tavern for a bite to eat.

The red brick building in Bantam known as the Switch Factory has been home to many and varied businesses, from Pilates studios to antique shop to bookshop to poster gallery. Now added to that mix is the creative and unique studio called Art Room Atelier, conceived by artist Jessica Jane Russell.

The present owners of an antique colonial home that sits off quiet Low Road in Sharon, only about a mile or so from the central village area of this quaint and quintessential Litchfield County town, thought they had found their ideal second home, a place where they could retreat from their h…

The Litchfield Garden Club didn’t have to think long or hard about the theme for their upcoming flower show. Our national parks were a natural. Knowing that the national parks just celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2016 and uplifted by the Philadelphia Flower Show’s tribute to the nation…

With each passing generation it is easy to say that children have it difficult (or maybe not so difficult) from the time children are born into adulthood.

This is the story of a group of ambitious voice students; a talented mentor who recognized and fostered their talent amid budget cuts and scarce resources; and a meteoric success that included winning one of the state’s top music awards.

Brookfield >> DiGrazia Vineyards in Brookfield isn’t just a winery, it is a family-owned and operated establishment that is revered by those that live in the area and beyond.

Sheffield, Mass. >> At Campo de’ Fiori, the holidays have a natural glimmer-glow.

Winsted >> The word “no” is rarely heard in Noujaim’s Bistro, located at 436 Main Street in Winsted. As owner George Noujaim says, “I don’t want to hear that word in my restaurant. If a customer wants a dish that he or she doesn’t see on that day’s menu I will still make it for him or her.”

The consumer’s desire to support small local businesses has become commonplace in recent years, but shopping locally without leaving the comfort of home is something that you may not have considered for this year’s holiday gift giving.

Written and photographed by Tovah Martin

Written by John Torsiello with contributed photos

Written by Daniela Forte with contributed photographs

Written by Holly M. LaPrade with contributed photographs

Written and photographed by John Torsiello

Written by Joseph Montebello

If you’ve ever daydreamed of traveling to faraway places where you can eat delicious food and sip local wine, it can become a reality next spring with Carole Peck, the chef and co-owner of Good News Café in Woodbury.

Written and photographed by John Torsiello

Written by Joseph Montebello

Story and photos by Catherine Guarnieri

Written by Joseph Montebello

Story by John Torsiello

Story by Tovah Martin

Just when you thought the shopping mecca that is New Preston couldn’t get any better, Plain Goods has appeared on the scene. Take a few steps around the corner from Main Street and discover what Michael DePerno and Andrew Fry have created.

A lot has happened since the days when Popeye served as a spokesman for spinach. Although that most-beloved-of-all-sailormen was clearly thinking in our best interests when he advocated for leafy greens, he was waging an uphill battle. Back in Popeye’s day, vegetables got no respect. Nobody …

It was just about a year ago when Lora Warnick and Beverley Canepari hatched the idea for Unlocking Litchfield (unlockinglitchfield.com). Since then they’ve had no shortage of fun as they’ve highlighted some of the county’s most recognizable faces and places, its country charm, notable busin…

The popular Millerton Antiques Center, on Main Street smack dab in the middle of the small New York town’s commercial district, was at a crossroads (no pun intended) five years ago.

When one drives slowly up to what is known as Fox Hollow Farm in Falls Village and arrives at the main residence, the eyes move to the left and upward. For perched on a small rise, set among pines and deciduous trees and beyond a freshwater pond that also has an area for swimming, is what Re…

We don’t know exactly why John Jay, one of the “Founding Fathers” of the United States and the first chief justice of the Supreme Court (1789-1795), thought the Wilcox Tavern on Greenwoods Road (also known as Route 44) was a “bad house.” But we do know that he did dine and possibly stay ther…

There’s a new mixologist in town, and she is looking to shake up the way cocktails are served in Litchfield County. Jamie Monahan, a recent transplant from New York City, is the newest addition to the Community Table team and her spirited creations are perhaps more alchemy than the usual bar…

Live music from Gordon Lightfoot and the Dover String Quartet, comfort food cooking classes, local theater productions, a Beatles revival and a weekend of car racing and vintage beauties — all this takes place in Litchfield County and the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts this spring.

Four area prep schools have taken the lead in a football phenomenon that just might sweep the small high school landscape.