The sweet scent of gingerbread in Kent

The sweet scents will tease your sense of smell as you enter the quaint village of Kent CT. The rolling pins are spinning and creative minds of all ages are working hard to create dozens of  Gingerbread Houses. Ovens are filled to capacity and working overtime to get ready for the ANNUAL KENT GINGERBREAD FESTIVAL beginning on November 25 and running through December 31.

Gingerbread Houses of all shapes and sizes will be on display in many of Kent's beautifully decorated shop windows until December 31. As you approach Kent you will find yourself in what looks like a movie set of the perfect little New England town, twinkling lights will guide you through the unique one of a kind shops. What an enjoyable way to do your holiday shopping.

Lots of places feature colorful gingerbread houses for the holidays, but Kent, CT goes a step further. The whole town will take place in this sugary sweet celebration. Everyone is invited to follow the Gingerbread Walk through town to view imaginative and ingenious gingerbread delights. Visitors can enjoy the displays as they navigate the gingerbread map and solve the NEW mysterious riddle the Ginger Girls have cooked up this year. At the end, visitors  vote for their favorite creations. Displays are guaranteed to delight all ages!

 Should you be hungry after your Gingerbread Walk there are many temptations that will lure you, from a chocolate shop and baked goods to delicious culinary delights in one of Kent's many restaurants & cafés. In addition to gingerbread displays, Kent will have special holiday events every weekend, from the Annual Kent Holiday Champagne Stroll, wine tastings and even Pancakes with Santa to an old time horse-drawn carriage ride through town and a Messiah sing-along. For more holiday information a visit http://kentct.com/events/

Christmas at the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum

The Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, 192 Main Street, Torrington, is once again decorated for the Christmas season.  Built in 1900, this grand house was home to the Hotchkiss and Fyler families for more than half a century and in 1956, was bequeathed to the Torrington Historical Society.  The interior features impressive woodwork, painted and stenciled walls, original furnishings and collections of fine and decorative arts.  

The Society will offer guided tours of the first floor which is decorated for the Christmas season.  Tours will be available Thursday through Sunday, December 10^th through December 30^th.   Hours are 12-4 p.m; the last tour is at 3:30.  Admission is $10 for adults;  FREE to Torrington Historical Society members.  Children 12 and under are free. 

One of Connecticut’s best house museums, the Hotchkiss-Fyler House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  A tour of this house provides visitors with a rare opportunity to view an historic home as it was when last occupied.  At Christmas, the house takes on a particularly festive look.  This year, inspired by the icy landscape of winter and the season’s outdoor activities,  the Hotchkiss-Fyler House will take on a different appearance than in past years.  

Silver decorations and lights, combined with traditional decor, add a bit of sparkle against the paneled interior and gold stenciled walls.  Vintage sleds and skis, as well as skates manufactured at the Union Hardware Company of Torrington, will be on display.  The rooms on the first floor will be decorated with an array of Christmas trees and greenery.  One of the many trees will feature antique ornaments from a private collection while another will be decorated with vintage ornaments from the Society’s collection.  

Antique toys from the Society’s collection will be displayed as will a 1950s aluminum tree, both of which are sure to delight visitors.  In addition, the dining room table will be set for Christmas dinner with the fine china, crystal, silverware, and linens that belonged to Gertrude Fyler Hotchkiss, the last occupant of the house.

The house will be open select days, Thursdays through Sundays, beginning December 10^th and ending December 30th.   Closed Christmas Day.  The Torrington Historical Society welcomes new members.  Join now and your tour is free!   For more information, call (860) 482-8260 or visit www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org.

Flash Art Sale... The Skill of Hand and Head

The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village will host its popular year-end flash art exhibit, 12X12 2016: The Skill of Hand & Head, on Saturday, December 10 with a reception from 6pm to 8pm. Original works by 53 local artists are all in a 12" x 12" format, priced at $100 each, and sold off-the-wall. Works will be replaced on the wall as they are sold. Remaining art will be on display through Saturday, January 7. The reception with refreshments is free and open to the public. A portion of the art sales will benefit the library.

12X12, with up to three pieces by each artist, is presented in a uniform grid on the Hunt Artwall creating a salon-style exhibit. Installed alphabetically by artist, all manner of genre and media are jumbled up together. The subtitle of the exhibit, "The Skill of Hand & Head," is meant as a tribute to our community artists and is an FDR quote from a fireside chat in 1938, referring to the economic power of the American worker.

Among the 56 artists declared at press time are eleven artists exhibiting in 12X12 for the first time: Pamela Berkeley, Lorraine Connolly, Bonnie Evans, Jill Gibbons, Scott Jack, Ken Musselman, Sue Pakula, Babs Perkins, Anouk Schmitt, Craig Wickwire, and Natalie Will. Returning artists include Heather Allyn, John Atchley, Lori Barker, Mary Anne Carley, Erika Crofut, Robert Cronin, Karen Culbreth, Lynn Curtis, John Dildine, Virginia Dildine, Sergei Fedorjaczenko, Zoe Fedorjaczenko, Israel Fitch, Richard Griggs, John Hodgson, Shaari Horowitz, Joey Jablonski, Gail Jacobson, Amanda Kauftheil, Sallie Ketcham, Garth Kobal, Michael Lampro, Danielle Mailer, Louise March, Willie Marlowe, Sarah Martinez, Randy McKee, Roger McKee, Lonnie Miles, Hope Mongeau, Terri Moore, Patty Mullins, Phyllis Nauts, Janet Newman, Charles Noyes, Karin Noyes, Joan Palmer, Robert Andrew Parker, Bernie Re, Tom Schaefer, Diane Schapira, Joel Schapira, Annike Timmermans, Kathy Wismar, and Judith Wyer.

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8th Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Village

Once again this year Santa and his live reindeer -Dancer, Dasher and Prancer - are coming back for the 8th Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa's Village to an exciting NEW HOME, "the North Pole on North Street," Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses, 437 North Street, Greenwich, Connecticut, through December 24, 2016.

The cherished town tradition continues at this expansive nursery where visitors can have their photo taken with Santa, meet the reindeer and also ride on the Winter Wonderland Carousel and the North Pole Polar Express Train, all just minutes from downtown Greenwich. Parking is free.

While waiting for the reindeer to arrive in the afternoon, everyone can enjoy special refreshments, face painting by Faces by Wells and balloon artists. Throughout the four weeks, the reindeer will make Sam Bridge their home, thanks to Reindeer stable sponsor, Pepsi, and children, adults, corporate groups and even pets (on leashes) can have their photo taken with Santa at Santa's Village, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Greenwich. Photo packages begin at $29.99 and include a gift bag filled with promotions redeemable at participating downtown Greenwich stores. Rides on the Winter Wonderland Carousel and North Pole Polar Express Train are $4 per person. Family package prices are available.

Hours for the Photos with Santa, train and carousel rides are Monday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reindeer feeding times will take place daily at 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The reindeer will depart on December 23 but Santa will remain for photos until 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. For more details on this magical holiday tradition, visit www.Greenwichreindeerfestival.com

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December 11 Festival Celebrates Holidays in Norfolk

Sunday, December 11, is winter holiday festival time in Norfolk, where the town's merchants start celebrating at 10 a.m. with a day of extended store hours, dining specials, wreaths and trees, and special musical events.

Entertainment takes center stage at Infinity Music Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road West (Route 44) the Whiffenpoofs will perform with the Quirks in a matinee starting at 1:00 p.m. and at 7:00 p.m. Rory Block & Cindy Cashdollar appear in concert. In between, the choir from Church of Christ Congregational will be caroling at various stops along Station Place from 3:00 till 5:00 p.m. and “Lions Share,” sponsored by the Norfolk Lions Club, will play bluegrass music from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Berkshire Country Store, 6 Station Place (where you can also take a pre-opening tour between noon and 5:00 p.m.).

And the shopping…. Shopping starts at 10:00 a.m. just off Route 44 on Station Place as the Artisan’s Guild opens with a colorful array of toys, clothes, ornaments, candles, jewelry, yarns and many other handmade wares from local artisans. In the same building, Joseph Stannard Antiques specializes in country French furnishings, while the Stannard barn across the way displays antique garden ornaments and contemporary furniture designed by the owner. And around the corner, at 18 Greenwoods Road West (Route 44), you’ll find antique silver, fine jewelry, gifts and collectibles at Sigma Design Studio; the shop is housed in a charming old bank building.

For those who like to benefit a worthy cause, the Susan B. Anthony Project will be in Norfolk selling holiday wreaths and the Norfolk/Colebrook Boy Scouts will be selling fresh Christmas trees, starting at 2:30 p.m. in front of the cafe.

And, yes, there is food for hungry shoppers, complete with specials, at Infinity Bistro (20 Greenwoods Road West), Wood Creek Bar & Grill (14 Greenwoods Road West) and Station Place Cafe (10 Station Place), which is extending its hours just for this holiday festival.

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