Your guide to the heart of Litchfield County:
Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

Celebrate the wonders of waterfowl courtship during our Ducks in Love weekend! Explore our world-class aviaries and witness some of the most vibrant and fascinating birds displaying their brilliant breeding plumage. Walk the grounds with expert aviculturists, observe unique courtship behaviors, and learn about the conservation efforts that help protect these remarkable species. Choose from two special tour experiences:

Private Guided Tours (Friday, Feb. 14 & Saturday, Feb. 15):
Enjoy an intimate, 45-minute private tour led by one of our expert aviculturists. Tours run on the hour, beginning at 10:00 AM.
Observe rare and colorful waterfowl up close while learning about their fascinating breeding behaviors.
After your tour, relax by a cozy fire with handcrafted Thorncrest Chocolates, warm spiced cider, and light refreshments.
Pricing: $50 flat fee + $20 per additional person (up to 10 people).

Group Guided Tour (Sunday, Feb. 16):
Join a lively and educational guided tour at either 10:00 AM or 2:00 PM (limited to 30 participants per tour).
Experience the beauty of waterfowl in their natural habitat while engaging with our aviculturists and Avian Ambassadors.
Enjoy a Q&A session, warm spiced cider, and refreshments by the fire after your tour.
Pricing: $25 per person (Non-Members); Members receive 10% off.
Don’t miss this enchanting opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of waterfowl romance in a breathtaking winter setting!

See our current availability and book your spot on our website.

Ripley Waterfowl conservancy
55 Duck Pond Rd.
Litchfield, Ct. 06759

https://www.ripleyconservancy.org/ducks-in-love-2025

Ukelele Club with John Concilio
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Free, Donations Welcome
* Feel free to drop in. No pre-registration required. Check website for updates.

Got a Ukelele? All levels and Ages welcome every 4th Thursday of the month!

How it Works:
-Sing-a-long & play 3 songs together, facilitated by John Concilio
-Open Mic
-Decide as a group what 3 songs you’ll play together at the next meetup.

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302
https://thecommunitycenter.org/event.php?id=19427

Winter Lecture Series -Conservation and Restoration of The Venezuelan Andean Cloud Forests. Carlos García Núñez is a professor at the Institute of Environmental and Ecological Sciences at the University of Los Andes in Merida, Venezuela. Visiting Scholar at Trinity College Center of Urban and Global Studies.

Dr. Garcia Nunez earned his PhD in Tropical Ecology from the University of Los Andes. He has an extensive record of teaching, research, and fellowships, including serving as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, Universidad de Alicante in Spain, and Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

His focus as a scientist is on understanding the structure and functioning of tropical terrestrial ecosystems and the requirements for their conservation and restoration. His research provides essential guidance for sustainable development and reforestation programs, while considering the impacts of global changes in land use and climate change. Lecture from 4 pm to 5:30 pm.

The Norfolk Library
9 Greenwoods Road East
Norfolk

Events

“Boldly You! Shine Without Apology” Women’s Summit April 11, 2025

Women entrepreneurs and professionals are invited to join the Boldly You! Shine Without Apology Summit, hosted at the Wisdom House Retreat & Conference Center in Litchfield, Connecticut. This transformative event, designed to inspire self-discovery, personal growth and actionable goal setting will be offered on Friday April 11, 2025, from 9:00am – 4pm.

The summit will offer a dynamic day of workshops, expert-led discussions, and networking opportunities, all tailored to empower attendees to harness their unique strengths, overcome limiting beliefs and create an actionable plan for success.

Hosted by Jacqueline Ross (Coach Jackie), an ICF-certified PCC Career Coach for Women Leaders and author of Manage UP! The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Manager, a special guest joining the summit will be Leslie Gomez, an accomplished photographer and coach. Ms. Gomez will guide attendees in stepping into their power and owning their presence.

As a special offering, an exclusive pre-summit dinner on Thursday, April 10, 2025, will feature Mary Carangelo, author of The Secrets in Your Closet: Style Your Confidence. The dinner will include instruction on styling confidence to align with personal and professional ambitions. An additional option will be to enjoy an overnight stay at Wisdom House.

Known for its welcoming atmosphere, Wisdom House provides programs focused on spirituality, wellness, education, education, and the arts, creating the perfect setting for this transformative event. Participants will immerse themselves in the tranquil surroundings of the hillside retreat center.

“We’re excited to create a space where women can fully embrace their authentic selves,” said Coach Jackie. “The ambition is for attendees to obtain the clarity, confidence, and renewed sense of purpose to pursue their dreams boldly.”

The Pre-Summit dinner will be held on Thursday, April 10 beginning at 5:00 pm at The Marketplace in Litchfield. The Summit will be held on Friday, April 11 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Early registration is recommended, as space is limited.

Participants can choose from three different registration options. The Summit’s VIP Package will include the Thursday night Pre-Summit Dinner, an overnight at Wisdom House, plus the Summit on Friday, April 11. An early bird rate, valid until February 22, is between $647 -$677 depending on a private room, private bath or shared room or shared bath.

A second Summit Package offering includes the Thursday night Pre-Summit Dinner, plus the Summit on Friday, April 11. An early bird valid through February 22 is $417. The third option is to attend the Summit on April 11 for an early bird rate of $347 valid through February 22, 2025.

The summit will be held at the Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center, located at 229 East Litchfield Road in Litchfield. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.

For more information and to register, visit www.coachjackieross.com or contact Jackie Ross at jackie@coachjackieross.com or 617-455-9679.

Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center Litchfield CT

Boldy You! Shine Without Apology Summit

FREE CONCERT!
​Dissipated Eight: A Capella Choir
Sunday, February 2
​3:00 p.m.

Middlebury College’s oldest A Capella group Dissipated Eight will return to the Beekley Library in New Hartford on Sunday, February 2nd at 3 p.m. The Dissipated Eight, or D8 held it first performance on the Ides of March in 1952. Since then, the group has grown. At the very last minute, we were able to book them at the Beekley Library. This group, which includes New Hartford resident Benjamin Weiss, is not to be missed! The performance is free to the public.

Beekley Community Library
10 Central Avenue
New Hartford, CT 06057
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dissipated-eight-free-a-capella-concert-tickets-1222868104419?aff=oddtdtcreator

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
FREE!

Celebrate “Take Your Child to the Library” Day with a fun drop-in craft! Kids can create a collage portrait of their favorite book character using cardboard and other recycled materials. Let your imagination bring beloved stories to life!
Event Location

Douglas Library, 108 Main St., North Canaan, CT
https://www.canaanartspace.org/events/lets-create-our-favorite-book-character

August 18, 20, 22, and 25.
10AM-2PM
Ages 6-10
$200 (financial hardship discounts available)

“Make Your Own World” Art Camp

Join us for an imaginative adventure where kids will create their own worlds using upcycled materials! From sketching maps and designing flags to building 3D sculptures and clay creations, each day brings new ways to explore and bring their ideas to life. With games, crafts, and a celebratory art show, this camp is packed with creativity, fun, and discovery!

The Douglas Library, 108 Main St. North Canaan, CT
https://www.canaanartspace.org/camp

• Does you animal companion have physical or emotional needs?
• Do you want to learn a loving hands-on and time-tested ancient healing modality that is used for animals’ wellness, and complements their veterinarian care?
• Does your animal need support with anxiety, grief, or digestive, kidney, bladder, arthritis, autoimmune, ‘tumor’ issues, or more?

The Dow Integrative Institute, a Holistic Health Center for people and animals in Kent, CT is offering this fundraising online class to get you started with helping your animal companion, whether it is a dog, cat, horse, goat, chicken, or other. You might want to have your animal companion next to you during this class, but it is not necessary. Bella, our dog, will be the online model as the harmonizing hand placements are demonstrated for your learning.

To learn more detail about the Dow Integrative Animal Health coaching, click here: Dow Integrative Animal Health website page

To register: Click on this link. Then click on the date February 1 and it will direct you to the time “11:00am”, go to “Next”, where you fill in your contact info to receive the Google Meet for the class. This class is offered with a fundraising intention for a local animal shelter in Cornwall, CT, The Little Guild. Please click on this link to donate what you feel this class is worth before we meet online: https://www.littleguild.org/donate

When you register for this Animal Fundraising group class, please fill out this Intake Form so that it will allow me to plan our 1 hour class so that it is relevant to you, and everyone else.  Please fill this out as soon as you can. Click here: Dow Integrative Animal Health Intake Form

If interested:

To register for your own private online Animal Health coaching, click here: Dow Integrative Animal Health Online Coaching

To register for your own private in-person Animal coaching/training (extra cost for travel beyond 15 mi), click here: Dow Integrative Animal Health in-person

To register for a free Dow Integrative Institute People & Animal 15-minute consultations to discover if what we offer is a match for you, click here: People & Animal 15-minute Consults

Thank you for loving your animal companion and wanting to help them with their emotional and physical needs. AND Thank you for supporting other animals in need at The Little Guild.

I hope to see you online for this class!

Standard Space gallery invites you to the opening reception for HYDROGLYPHS, a new solo exhibition by artist Melinda Hackett.

When: Saturday, February 1st from 5:30-7:30PM

Where: Standard Space, 147 Main Street, Sharon, CT 06069

Hackett’s paintings refer to organic space and unfixed time and therefore transport the viewer to a necessarily foreign place, where nature can be experienced without knowing it fully, and where reality is communicated through the senses.

Enjoy mocktails & small bites as you meet women of all ages from the community. Watch performances and try a few spins yourself! Come join us and get a sense of what DANCE TEMPLE is all about.

DANCE TEMPLE
22 East St, Unit 4
Bethlehem, CT 06751
https://www.dancetemplect.com/events/open-house