“JAZZING IT UP” with Sherman Chamber Music Ensemble

 

Join the Sherman Chamber Ensemble this Thanksgiving weekend for "All That Jazz" - a tribute concert celebrating the 100th birthdays of jazz legends Buddy Powell, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington – and the memory of the late Quincy Jones.

The concerts will take place on Saturday, November 30 at 4 p.m. at Christ Church, 17 Church Road in Pawling; Saturday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Salem Covenant Church, 96 Baldwin Hill Road in Washington, CT; and on Sunday, December 1 at 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Church, 1 North Main Street in Kent, CT. Eliot Bailen, Artistic Director and cellist of the Ensemble promises a concert of soulful and swinging music that pays tribute to these legends and their contributions to the genre. Bailen joins a most talented group of accomplished musicians including noted Jazz pianist Ted Rosenthal, Julia Bailen (vocals), Chris Parker (drums), David Bailen (double bass), David Bailen (vocals and percussion) and Susan Rotholz, (flute) in an exciting program that also includes selections from the Nutcracker Suite and the compositions of Astor Piazzolla. General Admission tickets are $30; children ages 16 and under are admitted free. Please purchase advance tickets online at www.SCEmusic.org. Tickets may be purchased at the door, subject to availability. For information or reservations call 860-355-5930.

Baskets, Bowls, And Wall Hangings Bring Holiday Joy @ Tina's Baskets Nationally Award Winning Weaver

 Joy comes in many forms, especially during the most wonderful time of the year, and nowhere more than at the Art Studio of Tina Puckett, a Nationally award winning woven artist located at Whiting Mills in Winsted. Puckett is known for her woven art, creative use of bittersweet, and dimensional weaving. 

Puckett is rolling out the red carpet and inviting folks to visit her Studio #305 in the Whiting Mills, an award winning complex of more than 40 artisans and craftspeople on weekends in November and December. A highlight of visiting the studio is meeting Tina, watching her weave, and learning what inspires her to create her sought after woven pieces. A pleasant surprise is the variety of woven items to choose from in addition to affordable price points. For custom orders or to set up an appointment tina@tinasbaskets.com or text 860-309-6934.

 

Many things make Tina's woven art unusual. Each piece is inspired by Tina's imagination and woven with hand-dyed reeds into beautiful dynamic shapes that will not be found anywhere else. What enhances the character of each piece is the addition of the Bittersweet Vine foraged by Tina in the woods near her home in northwest Connecticut. The natural beauty of bittersweet is at the heart of the inspiration of every piece and often dictates the form a basket, bowl, wall hanging, or sculpture will take.

 

“So many things in our world are automated and made by machines. It is with great pride that I hand-dye and hand-weave each basket, bowl, wall hanging, or sculpture from all-natural sustainable fibers,“ says Puckett. “Each basket is an original and often handed down as a treasured heirloom,” she continued. Visiting her festively decorated studio that is chock full of merrily made things is sure to get you in the holiday mood.

New this year and perfect for craft lovers are the classes suitable for all skill levels that Tina is offering. All classes take place in Tina's atmospherically inspiring Studio at Whiting Mills in Winsted. Part of the fun of is to choose the type of basket or bowl you want to weave, your color palate, and how much time you want to spend weaving it. Participants can choose a class on Saturday or Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Classes are also being offered Monday and Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. All participants will leave the class with a finished basket or bowl to take home. All materials are provided including a piece of locally foraged bittersweet vine or a wooden hoop, and a choice of hand-colored, custom reeds. All classes are by advance reservation only and can be made by clicking https://www.tinasbaskets.com/classes

Tina’s Baskets located at Whiting Mills, 100 Whiting Street, Winsted will be open on Saturdays and Sundays, November 30 and 31, December 7 and 8, 14 and 15, and 21 and 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Sundays in December are extra special at Whiting Mills because 40+ studios will be open. In addition, the complex will be hosting Open Studios on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All the festively decorated studios will be open and Whiting Mills will be hosting special guest artists to add to the fun. If you work up an appetite, no worries, food trucks will be on the scene offering up seasonal favorite. 

 

About Tina's Baskets

Tina Puckett is a nationally awarded weaver of baskets and woven art that is the owner of Tina's Baskets that is located at Whiting Mills in Winsted, Connecticut. Tina has been weaving since 1981 using hand-dyed reeds, bittersweet, and a variety of objects like beads or seagrass. Her work is showcased at a variety of galleries across the United States as well as at her gallery/studio where you will often find her weaving on weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Connecticut Tour Operator offers Biggest Sale of the Year

Tours of Distinction, a Connecticut based Tour Company in business for 50 plus years is thrilled to announce the biggest savings of 2024 on their 2025 vacations. Starting Thanksgiving Day and going through Monday, December 2, Tours of Distinction is offering a 20% discount on their entire travel portfolio. 

Head to National Parks in America's West

 “Tours of Distinction is committed to offering travelers exceptional value to foreign and domestic destinations,” said Tyler Zajacz, President of Tours of Distinction. “Whether you are planning a three or four day trip or a two week vacation to Europe or Asia, we offer incredible experiences and great deals. One of our most important goals is to give our travelers authentic experiences that give them the most for their money, “ Zajacz continued. 

Have a love affair with Italy

With an impressive travel portfolio of 65 destinations and 150+ tours ranging from Japan to Nova Scotia, the Canadian Rockies to Thailand, and Switzerland to Utah, to name a few, there is something to suit everyone’s wanderlust. To book your vacation http://toursofdistinction.net today. 

Cruise the Canals in France in Style

About Tours of Distinction 

Tours of Distinction has been providing full inclusive, quality guided group tour travel for more than 50 years. We offer day tours, multi-day tours, and 7 to 14 day excursions domestically and internationally. Tours included everything from start to finish and are always fully escorted by a knowledgeable and professional Tour Director.

Make Holiday Wreath Inspired by Nature @ Great Mountain Forest

 A quintessential symbol of the holidays, the wreath, is practically de riguer for yuletide decorating. Making a wreath from locally foraged greens and pinecones gathered by the staff of Norfolk/Canaan’s Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a gratifying way to add festive flair, naturally, to your home. Best of all, GMF’s Wreath Workshop features boughs from species you will not encounter anywhere else! Join staff educators, Matt Gallagher and Vicki Nelson, as well as GMF Trustees, volunteers, and friends on Saturday December 7, or Saturday, December 14, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at their annual Holiday Wreath Workshop to make a wreath inspired by nature with materials harvested from GMF.

Resources in Great Mountain’s 6,000 unfragmented acres of forest are always changing and evolving. Some of the greens used in this workshop come from trees that were planted experimentally over the past century, and not native to the area. Due to climate change, and other stressors, many of these species are aging out. Don’t miss the chance to work with them before they’re gone! Greens from the Veitch Fir, a species native to Japan with its lustrous dark green foliage above and white bands below, and Oriental/Caucasian Spruce, native to Europe’s Caucasus and Pontiac Mountains with short, shiny, deep green needles will give your wreath a unique look that cannot be replicated with more common or artificial greens. Participants may also choose from a variety of locally foraged native greens, berries, and cones such as White Spruce, Eastern White Pine, Northern White Cedar, Mountain Laurel (Connecticut’s State Flower), Winterberry Holly, and Juniper. There will also be four to five different types and sizes of pine, spruce, and hemlock cones to choose from as well as an array of ribbons and decorative items.

 

Friends old and new will gather around a warm wood stove as they make their wreaths while sipping hot cider and enjoying a variety of snacks. Great Mountain Forest’s staff is always at the ready to help. A bonus of this workshop is that tips will be given on how to properly care for your wreath to keep it fresh throughout the season. You will also learn a bit about each species. One important reason why this wreath will last throughout the holiday season is because the greens were locally foraged at their peak freshness by Great Mountain’s professional foresters. Additionally, using natural greens is eco-friendly and sustainable, because they can be composted after the holiday season.

Tickets are available online by clicking here https://greatmountainforest.org/events The cost of the workshop is $40 and includes all materials. Participants are asked to bring their pruning sheers and sense of fun and creativity to spread holiday cheer. The workshop will take place at the atmospheric Mountain House Barn located on 200 Canaan Mountain Road in Falls Village.

About Great Mountain Forest

Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a leader in forest stewardship. For more than a century, we have been demonstrating how sustainable management can protect biodiversity and support ecosystems. By serving as a hub for education and research, we are spreading the benefits of sustainable management so that communities across New England derive educational, economic, and recreational and health benefits from their forests—now and well into the future. GMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit encompassing 6,200 acres of contiguous forestland in Norfolk, Canaan, and Falls Village Connecticut.

 

 

Salisbury Winter Sports Association’s Annual Ski and Skate Sale – December 7th

For decades the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) has paved the way for winter sports in the Litchfield Hills. From ski jumping to Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and snowboarding opportunity abounds in northwest Connecticut. If you are looking to resell your equipment or upgrade on a budget head to the annual SWSA Ski Swap and Sale on Saturday, December 7^th at the Lakeville Hose Company at 4 Brook Street from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., pick –up and payment from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

SWSA, a 90 year old tradition in Salisbury, is an all volunteer, non profit organization dedicated teaching young athletes the skills needed to enjoy the exhilaration of Nordic ski jumping, cross-country, and Alpine skiing that instills a life-long sense of accomplishment and confidence. As part of their mission, SWSA offers a series of training classes, competitive events, and a winter jump camp overseen by a former SWSA jumper and member of the US Junior National Team. They also host the annual Jumpfest Competition and the U.S. Eastern Ski Jumping Championships that will be held this year on January 31, February 1 – 2, 2025.

 

Whether you want to upgrade, sell, or start a new hobby, you will find everything you need to outfit your family’s winter sports needs at this sale. For bargain hunters there will be used skates starting at $2, skis and snowboards starting around $50, and ski boots for $10 and up. In addition to used equipment, you will find a large selection of new winter sports equipment and clothes including ski hats, parkas, gloves, goggles, and socks as well as snow shoes, and downhill and cross country ski boots and binders at discounted prices.

 

If you have equipment to sell, drop off your items at the Lakeville Hose Company on Friday, December 6 between the hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Used equipment that will be accepted includes downhill and cross country skis, boots, and poles, ice skates, hockey equipment (no sticks), snowboards, and snowshoes. Clothing is not accepted. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon, participants can pick up unsold equipment and money from things that sold - the good news is that SWSA doesn’t take a commission! Any equipment not picked up will become the property of SWSA. Proceeds from the sale will benefit several SWSA ski programs offered to young athletes. For additional information https://jumpfest.org.

ABOUT SALISBURY WINTER SPORTS ASSOCIATION

The mission of the Salisbury Winter Sports Association is to acquaint the public with Nordic ski-jumping, cross –country and Alpine skiing, and to teach the skills necessary for their enjoyment. One way of fulfilling this mission is to host the annual Jumpfest Competition on Satre Hill to sustain ski jumping in Salisbury, Connecticut, and the Eastern United States.

 

Learn the Ancient Tradition of Corn Husk Weaving @ Institute for American Indian Studies

During this month of gratitude, the Institute for American Indian Studies located at 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut is hosting a Corn Husk Weaving Workshop on Saturday, November 23rd at 1 p.m. Participants will learn the ancient art of weaving beauty from simple cornhusks into a seasonal craft perfect for gift giving. 

Originating in South America, corn didn’t reach New England until about 1000 years ago. Corn was a useful crop that wasn’t grown just as a source of food. Many Native American traditions like the Three Sisters Garden, stories, and ceremonies like the Green Corn Festival encompass the importance of corn including weaving art and everyday items from cornhusks. A cornhusk is the outer leaf of the corn plant that protects the cob as it grows. Most of the time, this green outer shell is thrown out after corn is harvested. Readily available during the fall harvest season, skilled Native Americans and other artisans collect the husks and dry them until they turn an attractive shade of golden brown and are ready to be woven. 

At this workshop participants will join an IAIS educator for a hands-on class where they will create crafts made from cornhusks that are perfect for the holiday season to take home. Weaving with cornhusks has been around for thousands of years in Native American culture and this workshop presents a rare opportunity to experience a bit of Native American culture. 

Pre-registration for this workshop is required and can be made online at iaismuseum.org. The price to participate which includes all materials, is $20 for non-members and $10 for members of the Institute.