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

WAA has turned the Depot into an outdoor art gallery featuring 60 works by forty accomplished international and local artists and emergent sculptors. Don’t miss it.

It’s impossible to miss them— they are everywhere—on the way to the bookshop, in front of the grocery store, on the grounds of the town hall, and by the edge of the river. These sculptures are part of the new outdoor exhibition called the Sculpture Walk launched on July 1 and running through November 1 by the Washington Art Association & Gallery. Some are bold and some are more subtle. Some are made of metal, a few of stone, and others in wood. The materials are as diverse as the artists.

The show, curated by WAA Trustees Mark Mennin and Barbara Talbot, came to life through their hard work, collaborations with community partners, the Town of Washington, and many generous supporters and volunteers. The landscape provides a common backdrop to the placements of the works, beginning at WAA, the Town Hall, and Plaza, over to the Judy Black Memorial Park & Garden, then to the East Plaza where the Hardware Supply, Hickory Stick, Marty’s Cafe and the Pantry are situated. As well, the art has been placed in less obvious places such as the new Titus Park, a 4 1/2 acre town-owned piece of land behind the Depot, and a walkway runs alongside the river to the GW Tavern.

The list of sculptors includes hugely accomplished international artists such as Frank Stella and Julian Schnabel, along with our own Mark Mennin and Philip Grausman, and many other talented individuals.

In the fall, Mark Mennin will be giving a joint discussion with Caio Fonseca. “Public art enables a visitor to live with sculpture,” explains Mennin, “it is an everyday experience with art, and it creates a lot of conversation.”

Cedar Meadow is a new shop in Woodbury, a collaborative endeavor by James Orsi and Veronica Martin featuring posters, antiques, and marvels from the natural world.

Woodbury is known for its antique stores and quintessential New England architecture. Now it can boast another great shop — one with a different take than its neighbors. Cedar Meadow opened its doors in March and has quickly become the talk of the town. A hybrid of an art gallery combined with an antique and retail home shop, it is filled with delightful posters from the turn of the century, one-of-a-kind natural objects, and well-worn antiques for the home. At the time of our visit, Cedar Meadow still didn’t have a sign above its entrance, but Brigitte, an adorable, brown toy poodle, welcomes all who enter the shop with her happy dance.

The shop’s owners Veronica Martin and James Orsi have combined each of their passions into a collaborative aesthetic that is surprisingly in harmony within the space.

A few years ago, we wrote about Veronica’s former poster and photo gallery which was located in the Switch Factory building in Bantam. Veronica moved her business to Woodbury and joined forces with James to create Cedar Meadow. She specializes in selling original Belle Epoque period posters from the 1880s to 1920s. Veronica has been passionate about Art Nouveau posters since she was nineteen. Her extensive knowledge on the matter of Art Nouveau Posters comes from years of studying and collecting. “My first poster, which I still have at home, is by Jean de Paleologue (aka PAL) from the 1890s advertising apricot liqueur, called Abricotine.” She studied Art History at Columbia University, and subsequently attended programs at the Musée D’Orsay in France, the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, the École du Louvre in Paris, the School of Nancy in France (studying art nouveau furniture), as well as a school in Nice, France.

Veronica seems to know the back story of many of the pieces she sells. The Creme de Menthe Rose poster, which she has for sale in her gallery, was created by artist Leonetto Cappiello in 1902 and was owned by Dr. Hans Sachs, a European dentist who had a collection of 12,500 posters. He and his wife who were both Jewish were arrested during the Holocaust and his posters were confiscated by the Nazis in 1938. For unknown reasons, the couple were released two weeks later and escaped to America. (It is said that one of his patients here in the U.S.A. was Albert Einstein.)

She shows us two extremely rare German posters by Ludwig Hohlwein, one from 1908 and another from 1926, art nouveau period and one by Alfonse Muca, the renowned artist whose work epitomizes the Art Nouveau genre.

“Often times, but not always, the graphic is more important than the name of the artist. A collector would prefer a very rare poster from a lesser artist than a poster image which is really well-known and over-circulated by a more renowned artist.” Veronica sources the posters from major metropolitan areas such as London, Italy, France, Chicago and New York. They can be shipped to anywhere in the USA and Europe. She can accommodate a customer who would prefer to have a poster unframed, but so far, everyone has chosen to keep the posters in the frame in which it is displayed at the gallery.

Veronica’s business partner James Orsi is an architect and landscape designer who has an interest in natural things. He grew up in Connecticut on the shores of Long Island Sound and on a farm in the Berkshires. He spent a lot of time in the water and exploring the coastline where he discovered a few seagrass-topped sandbars that had fascinating treasures. There were remnants of plants and animals that lived there – shells, rocks, driftwood, skeletons, feathers and whole animals such as birds, mammals, crustaceans, and fish. For James, as a young child, it was always thrilling to find these things and it sparked his curiosity. “When I was seven, I found a deep sea anglerfish washed up on the rocks. Sea anglers are stout, wide fish with a ten-inch lamp growing out of their forehead and a dagger-toothed mouth big enough to eat a whole pumpkin. Such a stunning moment.”

James’s love of the natural world is evident at Cedar Meadow, where the walls are adorned with botanical prints of ferns and birds, and tabletop surfaces feature displays of sea creatures, insects, and animals. Corals from the sea, a stuffed owl, and colorful stuffed birds perched inside bell jars keep company with framed butterflies, elk antlers, a bird’s nest in a cloche jar, and a mounted sea fern.

With degrees in Fine Arts and Architecture from RISD, James later worked for the architect and designer Peter Marino and Kohn Pederson Fox architects before working on his own architecture and landscape projects. James also has some professional experience in retail, working on the design prototypes for all of the Louis Vuitton and Chanel stores (among other retail companies) while at the offices of architect Peter Marino. The skills he developed there clearly have an impact on the look and feel of Cedar Meadow.

Veronica’s vibrant posters work well with the architectural ornaments, antique and vintage rugs and furniture within the shop. Behind the counter, she has a selection of vintage black & white photography — gelatin silver prints by Horst, Chiara Samugheo, and Clemens Kalischer, to name a few. The shop also carries paintings by local artist Vincent Giarrano, mostly with a natural theme.

The space is divided into 3 large rooms. There are chairs, armchairs, and a selection of antique mirrors, large and small. For garden lovers, there are planters, pots, metal pails, watering cans, baskets, metal containers, baskets, and vases. The farm tables are in great condition, and compliment vintage stools in metal or wood. In the back room are a set of Tonsu Japanese stairs with drawers on the side, antique books, and more gardening items. In the middle and front rooms are Kilim pillowcases from Turkey in long shapes made from Turkish rugs, and square pillows made of wool. New items include candles made of essential oils by Tatine, soaps by Tatine, and handmade candles in beautiful scents that only burn on the inside, so no worrying about drips.

James Orsi and his wife, Anne Hutchins were living in Manhattan and in the process of planning their wedding in the Berkshires when they began exploring Litchfield County, instead of just driving through. They ended up buying a house in Washington and have stayed for more than twenty years. Anne has a degree in Architecture from Yale and a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from UVA, and worked as a designer for The Central Park Conservancy and then started her own landscape design business. Anne has been living with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and her health has now declined to the point where she can’t continue her own landscape practice. James continued for a while to manifest both of their design visions through his architecture and landscape design business, but as Anne’s abilities declined further and his responsibilities as Anne’s caregiver changed, it became impossible for him to continue to keep any design business going. “Although many people with MS are able to maintain a somewhat active and normal life, there are some with more aggressive and ultimately untreatable forms of MS which is the case for Anne. When you are a creative person like Anne or myself you really don’t have a choice. Your creativity comes through in every aspect of your life and to have that severely blocked is not easy to come to terms with.”

“When Anne and I discovered that Veronica was looking for a new and better location for her gallery, I let her know that the Jennings & Rohn location in Woodbury was soon going to be available. Jennings & Rohn had developed a reputation as a destination for antiques and designers over the past two decades in their same location with quite a following. With that opportunity in front of us, we soon began discussions about the current state of the antique and creative retail business and the possibility of working together. Obviously, the antique and retail market has been completely transformed in the past fifteen years by the internet, online shopping and fluctuations in personal tastes. The Woodbury Antiques Trail has been going through a major transformation due to these influences. Although still forging on, it has been reduced from fifty plus antique shops to around fifteen or so shops,” explains Orsi.

These discussions led to the idea of transforming Veronica’s original vision of a gallery for antique and vintage posters and photographs into some sort of hybrid of art gallery with antique and retail home shop. “We still believe in people wanting to actually leave their homes and computers to venture out and explore. And so we wanted to create an environment that would really be about an experience of a consistent idea of place, but not of any specific place. We have objects from all over the world – France, England, Sweden, India, Indonesia as well as, and of course, some really great American antiques and products. To be able to transport someone not just by all of the objets intérieurs, but by sight, sound, smell, touch and perhaps even taste if one would like to linger for an espresso. And certainly, one of the themes tying our shop’s environment together is nature—the animals and plants that we live with every day without sometimes even realizing it in today’s world.”

Two smiling customers leave the shop carrying two beautiful blue planters, a vintage watering can, and a few more things. As they leave the shop with their purchases, they announce that they liked the antiques store that was there before and now they are really happy with the new shop.

Kevin Mitchael has created an interactive, informative exhibit at the Mattatuck Museum featuring a Mini-Golf course that highlights the history of Waterbury and the museum’s mission.

In December of 2017, Mattatuck Museum patron Kevin Mitchael proposed a special project that delighted the staff. “Mini-golf at the Matt,” he said, “it is sure to be exciting and fun.” Other museums throughout the country have incorporated this interactive game for their visitors with success and the Matt staff was easily won over to his plan. Mitchael suggested that each hole represent a letter in the name Mattatuck, thus providing a nine-hole course related directly to the museum. Each letter was to be thematically associated with a collection item and the letters were grouped in three by gallery space representing the past, present, and future. The first three represented historical Waterbury, the middle three, 20th-century art, and the last three letters were to address the future.

Extensive planning followed by time-consuming design drawings and labor-intensive construction resulted in this special mini-golf course in which players move from the beginning M – historical Waterbury architecture to the last K – The Matt on Mars. Along the way, players learn where in the Museum to find either the object or information about the subject of each hole. The project involved the work and support of many local individuals, institutions, and businesses.

We spoke with curator Kevin Mitchael about this project and his passion for Mini-Golf:

Tell us about your background, where are you originally from? Where did you go to college and what did you study?

For the majority of my career, I was VP of Marketing for Carter’s and Oshkosh B’gosh and CMO for French Toast, Heathtex, Adidas Kids and Carhartt Kids. I grew up in Wichita, KS and went to school at Wichita State University and studied fine art and theatre with a focus on set and costume design.

How did you end up living in Litchfield County?

Working in Manhattan, we wanted a home outside the city and we looked at upstate NYC and Connecticut. We had friends suggest looking at Litchfield County and found a beautiful property in Woodbury with a pond, barn and original schoolhouse built in 1778. We love the town and neighbors.

What inspired you to come up with the concept of mini-golf in a museum?

I’ve had a love of mini-golf most of all my life. The history of mini-golf was always interesting to me. 1930 was a pinnacle year for miniature golf. It was the 6th largest industry, just behind movie making with estimates of 50,000 to 100,000 courses in the US.

I knew that other museums throughout the country had created mini-golf exhibitions, I thought that the Mattatuck Museum was the perfect venue. Robert Burns, the museum director, was very supportive of the idea, as well as his team at The Matt. We would incorporate the museum’s mission into each of the 9 holes throughout the galleries and courtyard. From conception to opening it was just about 8 months.

How would you describe the interactive exhibit?

Mini-golf is so fun to play and the course is challenging and educational. We designed it to appeal to all ages and the entire family can enjoy playing it together. Each hole has built-in surprises that incorporate unique obstacles, sound, water, and movement.

Can you explain the “Present” room? Who are the three artists represented? How does Christian Césari’s Teepee series tie in with the theme? And the Calder-like mobiles?

Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills serves as the inspiration for all nine holes and supports the museum’s mission: The Mattatuck Museum is a center of art and history, a gathering place that nurtures creativity and learning through transformative experiences to encourage a deeper understanding of ourselves and our heritage.

Beginning with the “Past”, the first three holes feature 1790’s Cooke Homestead and the Daniel Halladay windmill, the Waterbury Button Company and Chase Brass & Copper Company. The “Present” features artists who have a connection to The Matt’s permanent collection – James Daughtery, Ted Martland, and Christian Césari. The “Future” is outside in the courtyard that has a focus on wind energy, icebergs and “The Matt on Mars”.

Christian Césari had created a new work of 5 paintings called “The Three Teepees” before the idea of mini-golf at The Matt and they are being premiered as part of this exhibit. It is of particular interest to see how the paintings reflect many of the elements found in mini-golf. Green tables that look like golf links, bright round shapes that resemble golf balls with plant life shaped like golf clubs.

Ted Martland, a good friend of the museum created mobiles and stabiles inspired by Calder. He was excited about being a part of this interactive exhibit and sadly, he passed away a few weeks before the opening. We are very happy to celebrate the life of an artist that had a great connection with Waterbury and the museum.

Who designed and who fabricated the actual mini-golf structures for the exhibit?

The concept for the entire course was designed by Kevin Mitchael, like any large-scale project it was a collaborative process with the team from the Matt. It could not have been done without their involvement and support. David Machiavelli is an incredible talent that works at The Matt. He is an amazing artist and he created the huge brass buttons, the Dougherty obstacles and the Calder inspired stabile and stegosaurus. Kevin built and curated most of the other obstacles.

What part of the process did you enjoy the most?

I always enjoy the beginning and end of any project I work on. The beginning is about the possibilities and excitement of creating something new and fun. The end is about finishing on time and how the work will be received.

Today, there are only 21 operating mini-golf courses in Connecticut.

The three mini-golf rooms at the Mattatuck Museum are available for rental parties and events.

The exhibit Mini-Golf at the Matt will be running through
September 2, 2018.
Tee times are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis; no advance reservations.
Last tee time is one hour before close.

Hours:
10 am – 5 pm Tuesday to Saturday
12 – 5 pm Sunday
Closed on Mondays

Mattatuck Museum
144 West Main Street
Waterbury
203.753.0381
mattmuseum.org

One of the best-kept secrets in the Northwest Corner, the Litchfield Hills Rowing Club is where teammates work hard — and play hard — in the ultimate team sport.

After meeting the members of the Litchfield Hills Rowing Club on a Saturday morning at Bantam Lake, the impression we came away with was that rowing results in great teamwork and a whole lot of fun. The Vice-President of LHRC is Sue Edelstein, a feisty 65-year-old with a warm, friendly personality who began rowing at age 58. She spent time explaining the background of the club and the benefits of the sport of rowing.

Founded in 1978, the Litchfield Hills Rowing Club’s mission is to promote the sport of rowing for residents in the Litchfield area. With two programs — high school and masters — the club is for all individuals who have the desire to participate, starting at age 12. It’s a team sport and requires dedication, patience, and passion.

You don’t have to be an athlete to sign up for your first learn-to-row class. If you are well-coordinated, you will begin with an advantage. Once you begin, be prepared for the positive changes that will happen in your overall physical well-being. The main benefits of rowing are building strength, endurance, and mental focus. As well, one can expect to improve leadership skills, time management skills, discipline, and competitiveness. A sense of belonging and accomplishment can also be achieved and, all together these improvements and benefits can result in a college scholarship opportunity.

Their first boats were kept on racks at the Litchfield Town Beach on Bantam Lake, but now the club has a beautiful, solar-powered boathouse that was built in 2009. It has 3 bays and a loft area for rowing machines. They own a fleet of singles, pair/doubles, quads, fours, and eights.

The club recently hired a new Head Coach and Program Director. Kristine Johnson is a seasoned coach with 10 years of experience. She is from Zimbabwe and was the Head Coach of both the Chisipte Boat Club and the Zimbabwe Junior National Squad. An accomplished rower, Kristine has medaled at top regattas such as British Nationals, the Henley Women’s Regatta and the Metropolitan Regatta, as well as the South African and Zimbabwean Nationals. Kris was living in Zimbabwe and saw an ad in the classified website Row2k for a head coach in Litchfield and applied for the position. She wanted to be a part of a small club, not in a big city. The Litchfield Hills Rowing Club fit what she was looking for. The only thing she didn’t anticipate was the cold Connecticut winters!

One can start rowing as a recreational activity and then once you have seen small, personal gains, you can later shift to be competitive if you desire to. This is how the Masters at the Litchfield Hills Rowing Club got started.

The Masters team is comprised of a diverse group of people. The eldest, Charles, is 77 years old and the youngest is 22. Pete Donahue is the Chairman of the club. He started rowing 7 years ago. Brigitte, a middle school teacher in Torrington, has been rowing for 4 years. Gail Zaharek has been rowing since 1993 when she attended college. She participated in the NCAA in the first-ever woman’s rowing championship. She is a true athlete having competed in iron-man competitions and has been with the rowing club for 3 years. Amy Dwyer has been rowing for 5 years, since 2013. Her father who is 81 years old and from New Haven sometimes joins the team in Regattas. They spend a lot of time together, like a big family. In the spring, summer, and fall, they row on the water 4 days a week and train together inside with the rowing machines (ergometers) twice a week. During winter they train inside all week. The weather is a huge factor in how their training goes. During early morning training, you can encounter fog on the lake, darkness in springtime, and 2 miles an hour winds. Generally, the water is flatter in the morning. If there is a strong wind and lightning, they don’t row. Winds of 13 to 14 miles per hour can be tough to row in.

The busiest season for the club is obviously the summer, and the head coach Kristine is on the water 6 hours a day, as there are programs all day long. You have to be dedicated and disciplined because rowing is physically demanding and technically difficult, not to mention the early morning hours. On a typical day, the morning competitive rowers meet at the lake at 5:15 am and follow the coach’s drills. They rely on each other — you have to show up as teams require a certain number of people. One person’s vigor matches the other’s vigor. It requires mental focus. You also have to learn to trust your teammates. Sometimes it is 2 people sculling which is called a double. Other times it is 4 people which are a quad. The person with the strongest stroke sits at the front, the engine room. In a boat of eight people, the coxswain is the person who gives direction, who steers and commands — the strategy person.

In 2013 the Masters teammates started to skull and now they are at a 3.0 level. The club has been growing and expanding and the Kris, the new coach, is continuing the momentum that the previous coaches began.

The club’s focus is on youth — to introduce the area’s youth to the sport of rowing. They have student members from high schools in Litchfield, Morris, Goshen, Naugatuck, Bantam, and Warren. The students compete in area regattas and races in spring, summer, and fall, and also compete in indoor regattas in the winter. Participating in the sport can change kid’s lives. A sophomore claims it improved his self-confidence. Young people at this age are still figuring out “Where do I fit in?” At times having rowing experience helps kids get into college, and some teens go on to coach. Rose is a senior who has received a rowing scholarship to UVA. Drew is a student who came back to Litchfield after college and now assists as a coach. With his experience from rowing in college, he brings back other ways to approach rowing.

The Litchfield Hills Rowing Club Parents Association (LHRCPA) exists to support the LHRC Junior Rowing program. Besides coordinating information and logistics for regattas, they also spearhead fundraising efforts to defray the cost of racing (regatta fees) for the juniors. Through rowing, parents discover things about their own kids — they learn to see a different side of them.

Coach Kris explains the differences between the Juniors and the Masters, “Kids tend to require more structure and guidance. Masters are more self-driven. They have a different level of desire, more of an individual drive. Sometimes teens just need to be taught to have drive. The recovery time of a young teen is different than an adult’s. Early teens are naturally fit so they recover quicker. At fifteen, it starts to change. They go through a growth spurt and then they lose it and need to relearn. Masters have so many years of a certain movement, but then they lose focus. It is a very technical sport, all about technique. You are always in search of that one perfect stroke!”

The US Rowing Organization is a governing body that provides things like insurance and its membership is needed in order to compete. They sponsor National Learn to Row Day and the Litchfield Hills Rowing Club participates every year. The Open House is Saturday, June 2nd and anyone can attend. You can try rowing and — if you like it — join later.

Please register as quickly as possible to secure a spot. If you have a group (6 or more) who would like to try Learn To Row, please let the club know: info@litchfieldhillsrc.org

Litchfield Hills Rowing Club
1 North Shore Road (Boathouse)
607 Bantam Road (Indoor Training Center)
Litchfield
info@litchfieldhillsrc.org
litchfieldhillsrowing.org

For almost 50 years, Jan Nelson has provided upscale stylish clothing and accessories to women, turning Workshop into one of the best clothing stores in the Northwest Corner.

Forty-eight years ago, Janus Nelson opened a retail store on South Street in Litchfield and named it The Workshop. She was 19 years old and had been a student at the Modern School of Fashion Design in Boston for one year. The rent was $20 a month, and with her own line of clothing, a successful business was launched.

In 1983 Jan moved The Workshop to a larger space on the Litchfield Green. By then she had a loyal customer base and the business continued to grow. In the winter of 2013, Jan bought and renovated the former historic horse stables of Cobble Court which is the current home of Workshop Inc.

Jan has a great sense of style and her taste is reflected in the vast selection of items in her shop. Whether you lean towards jeans and a t-shirt or you prefer a bolder, graphic look, you will be sure to find what you need at Workshop. We spoke with her about her fabulous store and discovered she has always been ahead of the trends.

Where did you grow up? Tell us a bit about your background?

I am the youngest daughter of two adventurous intellectuals. My first home was in Hopkington, Massachusetts. My family started summering on Bantam Lake when I was three and moved here year-round in my seventh year. Since my parents were world travelers, I have come to know a wonderful and diverse group of people.

Where did you attend college? Have you always been interested in fashion and retail?

The Modern School of Fashion Design in Boston put me on a fifty-year odyssey in the fashion world. I opened my store in 1970 and have never looked back.

Why did you choose Litchfield as the place to open your shop 48 years ago? Why not New York City?

I’m in New York all the time and a presence here in Litchfield provides the best of both worlds.

How would you describe Workshop and the merchandise you carry?

Since the beginning, my goal was to bring to Litchfield styles that had not previously been available. All we had were tweeds. At 19 I chose Indian printed clothing and throws, Chinese cloth shoes and colorfully died twill shorts and T’s. In 1976, I discovered SOHO and brought in African clothes, Ethiopian straw hats, fans and baskets, coin silver and beads. I never wanted to be just a clothing store.

Today I offer the most diverse selection in Connecticut. I carry many lines made in the US and Canada, and we are the only store in the state offering Japanese designer, Issey Miyake. We also import Spanish T.ba and Situ Murt, Italian Maliparmi and Australian Elk.

What are some of the more popular brands you carry?

Comfy USA, Margaret O’Leary, Johnny Was & Bryn Walker from California, Lisette L & Lysse from Montreal, Kinross Cashmere, 360 Skull & 360 Cashmere, Porto, Planet, Ronen Chen, Ecru, Beyond Threads, Damask, Alembika by Roni Rabl, Komarov, Fridaze, Nic & Zoe, Jag, NYDJ, Yoga Jeans, Tractr, Jill McGowan shirts (which are made in Maine), Foxcroft, and Mycra Pac.

Is your clientele mostly local or from the city as well? Working women or casual country gals? Both?

We are proud to serve local women of all ages and visitors from around the globe.

You also carry shoes, bags, and jewelry, scarves and shawls. Any other accessories?

Bao Bao Bags by Issey Miyake, leather bags and wallets by Hobo, hand beaded totes and clutches by Maliparmi; Arche shoes from France, Charleston Shoe Company, Steve Madden, Tamaris Shoes;

Amy Kahn Russell, a Connecticut jewelry designer, Sara Cavender Metalworks, Fahrenheit by Connie Bates, Nikaia French Jewelry, as well as new and antique Native American and Asian jewelry, and piano wire jewelry by Sea Lily.

Have the tastes of your clients changed over the years?

Our tastes have certainly evolved through the years. Always been edgy and sophisticated. I have to compete with stores in New York and online options.

What is your secret to sustaining a successful business like Workshop for almost 50 years?

The Workshop has had to reinvent itself many times over the years! Working women who once wore suits every day are now dressing more casually, jeans and leggings becoming the normal, etc. And, of course, a couple of major dips in the economy required some rethinking.

In 2013, you moved the shop to its current location — a historical building on Cobble Court, down a small lane from the Litchfield Green. What year was it built and what is its background?

It was originally the livery stable for the Catlin House Hotel in 1800 to 1801. Then, in 1849, the hotel and livery changed hands and was renamed The Mansion House Hotel. All of the buildings were originally made of wood and the fire of 1886 destroyed them. They were all rebuilt in brick in 1889.

Do you have any plans or goals for Workshop’s future? Is there anything you would still like to do?

I’m hoping to find one or two new people who would be interested in keeping my store going. And we will need to develop our online presence.

Accomplished actress Caroline Kinsolving returns to the area, launches two programs for the greater good, and finds a sophisticated, talented community with a generous heart.

Caroline Kinsolving grew up in Litchfield County and then moved to London, New York, and LA where she acted in TV, film, and theatre. She recently returned to the Northwest Corner where she teaches yoga when she isn’t acting in NY or LA.

Her career as an actress is impressive. Last fall, she performed Ibsen with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She earned a Best Actress nomination for her work as Vanda in “Venus in Fur” from the Critic’s Circle as well as Broadway World. She played the lead in Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two,” with the Ensemble Theatre Company, which became the highest grossing and best selling play in ETC’s history. Caroline also played the lead in the Lifetime TV show, “My Crazy Ex” and shot the film, “The Watcher,” with Edi Gathegi. And here in Washington, she performed with Christine Baranski, Mia Farrow, Dorothy Lyman, and Susan Saint James in Nora Ephron’s “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” directed by John Tilinger and produced by last month’s Pilar DeMann for the WMS presents series .

These are just a few of her many accomplishments as an actress. Here is an example of one of her reviews: “Caroline Kinsolving has been terrific before, her performance as Jennie Malone in Neil Simon’s Chapter Two having won her a Memorable Lead Performance Scenie, but her previous work pales in comparison to her out-and-out brilliance as Vanda, a role which won its originator Nina Arianda the Tony and could well score Kinsolving similar honors when San Diego award season rolls around. Essentially playing two very different roles in a single play, Kinsolving’s transformation from 2013 Vanda to her 1870 namesake (and back and forth again and again) is absolutely stunning. I can only imagine how many actresses Kinsolving beat out for the role(s) of Vanda. Her revelatory work makes it no wonder she got the part(s).” – Stage Scene LA

This month she plays Elmire in “Tartuffe” at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, which opens May 19th and runs eight shows a week until June 3rd. And soon she will begin shooting the lead role in a sci-fi comedy pilot series called “The Blue Marble” in NYC.

Her childhood in Bridgewater and Washington was surrounded by artists, actors, and writers. Both of her parents are published authors: her father William Kinsolving writes screenplays and plays, one of which he will be performing in June at the Judy Black Park and Garden. He has six novels out and her mother Susan Kinsolving has three award-winning poetry books and is the poet in residence at the Hotchkiss School. “Both of my parents taught me perseverance and to always keep doing your art, no matter the highs and lows.”

Caroline’s education is comprehensive. As a young child, she attended the Washington Montessori School in Washington. Her high school years were spent at Milton Academy in Boston, a boarding prep school. She graduated from Vassar with majors in Political Science and Drama and a minor in Mandarin Chinese. During the summers she trained at Stella Adler and Yale Drama, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London through NYU. She also studied Improv with The Groundlings and UCB.

Teaching Yoga started as a hobby for Caroline, since she was young. She loved sharing the practice with her friends and it grew from there. Now, Caroline finds a balance between movie studios and yoga studios.

During this past year, Caroline has developed two programs: Yoga for Good, a community donation class free to the public which pays forward to local charities, and Theatre for Good, which gathers local talent who perform a play to benefit local causes. “It’s been delightful and humbling to experience how much both have grown in such a short time,” she says with a big smile.

The Yoga for Good classes take place at Waldingfield Farm, in the CSA barn. The connection between good health, wholeness, and wellness at the farm and doing good is evident. Yoga students are supporting the farm, while taking care of their own wellness, and donating to worthwhile causes. The classes are on Saturdays and Sundays, starting in June and is by donation only. Caroline wants to offer yoga classes to those who can’t afford it as well as to those who can—the whole community. Donations are dropped in a cowboy boot. The funds are paid forward to good causes. She has donated several thousand dollars to different causes, locally and internationally.

This summer, Caroline will be teaching at Charym in Litchfield, Ah Yoga (Anne Hungerford’s studio) in New Preston, the Mayflower Inn Spa, the Hotchkiss School, and has a private practice in New York City. She encourages everyone to try yoga–especially if you “can’t” do yoga. “It doesn’t matter what your level is… novice or advanced. Be open, try different teachers and classes. No one can teach you everything. There are so many ways to practice yoga and explore its vast amount of benefits.”

She has an appreciation for nature and for words, an influence from her mother. Her videos, called FOEMS (Film+Poems), combine film and poetry. She has produced over 65 videos, which can be viewed on the YouTube Channel, where they just reached over 35,000 views. The project has been shared by teachers, students, and poetry lovers internationally She began creating the FOEMS to get poetry into the hands of the online community and the next generation.

Volunteer work is important to Caroline. It provides a balance and perspective. It began as a child, observing her parents’ philosophy of being good neighbors. “There is so much potential for kindness, warmth, gratitude, and neighborliness in this area.” She works to keep that perspective.

She recalls one particular moment that brought her back to reality. “I was in LA and I didn’t land the role that I had auditioned for. I called my father and he listened to me lament about it. When I finished, there was a pause and then he said, ‘Have you done anything for someone else today?’ “ In LA, she volunteered in children’s hospitals and for animal rescue organizations. She went on to teach children in orphanages in India and Tanzania. “We can all elevate each other. Yoga for Good is a slice of that…. we can just keep that goodness going.”

The Theatre for Good program began at the Washington Montessori School. This year, they performed Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”, Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Almost, Maine”, a play by John Cariani, comprising nine short plays that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical almost-town called Almost, Maine. This summer, Theatre for Good will be performing at the Judy Black Park in Washington. Check our Goings On section in July for more details.

When Caroline was little, the surfing legend and first female pro-surfer, Shelley Merrick gave her a lesson in Malibu. Years later, when she moved to LA, she continued to teach herself. At the end of her long days of auditioning and teaching, she would surf, and watch the sun set behind the Santa Monica Mountains. She loved being in the ocean, finding that it helped to change her perspective on all things.

“The ocean taught me to be brave and ride the waves. To wait and be patient for a good one, give it all you’ve got, and know that sometimes it will give you the best ride of your life and sometimes it will toss you and take you under. But the waves keep coming and all we can do is paddle hard and enjoy the ride.”

Everybody in Litchfield County thinks their dog is the best dog in the world. With the return of the Best Dog in the World Contest, pooches’ owners can vote on it for a great cause.

Do you have the Best Dog in the World? Prove it and support a great cause at the same time. The Best Dog in the World Contest is back and better than ever with a special website, prizes, a photo booth, live music, fun food, and an experts booth. This popular contest and community event was a huge hit when it was first started 11 years ago.

Blane Withers and Barbara Gold who at the time were business partners of Marty’s Cafe in Washington launched the very first Best Dog in the World Contest in 2007 in honor of their friend Martin O’Brien who had just passed away. The first three year’s profits went to the Marty’s Fund at New Milford Hospital and Western Connecticut Healthcare Foundation. It was instantly successful and Blane continued the contest for a few years after that on his own.

This year, the contest is back and so is Barbara. Together, Blane and Barbara have organized the event to include all of Litchfield County (in the beginning the contest was only in Washington) and internationally as well. The proceeds will benefit Greenwoods Counseling Referrals, Inc. which is a non-profit agency founded in 1992 to improve access to effective mental health services in the community. Greenwoods helps individuals and families who don’t know where to turn when struggling with troubles, behavioral issues, or psychological stress. They match people to resources that can help. They also sort out insurance issues and can provide financial assistance for those who qualify.

Here’s what you need to know to enter your beloved pup in the contest or to vote for your friend’s pup:

There are 4 categories:
1. The Luckiest Rescue Dog
2. The Zen Working Dog
3. The Geezer (10 years old and up)
4. The Not Your Average Joe or Jane Dog

The Prizes are:
Grand Prize Winner Receives:
• A custom-made Trophy Bowl by Bantam Tileworks
• An original watercolor painted by Diana Swoyer, MyPetByDS.com

Special Prizes for most votes in each category are:
Geezer:
Dr. Karmen Couret chiropractic evaluation and massage

Not Your Average Joe or Jane:
A spa day at Pampered Pets in New Preston

Luckiest Rescue:
An OMG-I-am-in-heaven treat basket from Litchfield Pet Supply

Zen Working Dog:
A day of grooming at The Dapper Dog in Bethlehem

Here’s How to Enter the Contest:
Online submissions begin May 1st and end May 31st.
The fee to enter a dog is $15, and you need to upload a picture of your dog.
You can enter online HERE: martysbestdog.com

• Voting begins on June 1st and ends at Midnight on July 15th.
• Each donation is a VOTE. $1.00 = 1 vote.
• The dog with the most overall votes wins the Grand Prize Winner, regardless of category.
• You can start VOTING on June 1st.
• Vote as many times as you want for as many dogs as you want.

• Sponsor a Dog for $50 = 50 votes. Businesses who sponsor a dog will get a Facebook shout out and have their name mentioned in the dog’s profile.
Email martysbestdog@gmail.com to sponsor a dog.

The Award Festivities:
On Sunday, July 22 at 11 am join everyone at Marty’s Café in Washington Depot for the Award Festivities. Winners will be announced and prizes will be bestowed. There will be a Photo Booth, Live Music, Fun Food, and Special Guests. Don’t forget to bring your pooches, but pups do not need to be present at the awards ceremony to win.

Companion Pet Rescue from Southbury will be there. Meet Aggie, the State Search and Rescue Bloodhound, who will perform a demonstration. There will be a booth called Ask the Expert with professionals in the world of dog wellness and care to answer your questions.

Beauty Specialist Pilar DeMann emphasizes that beauty is about finding balance, taking good care of your skin, and minimal makeup. Of course, well-shaped eyebrows complete the look.

“Everyone just needs good, clean skin, good brows, and a little color. You don’t need so much make-up. It doesn’t make you look younger. And for young girls who wear a ton of makeup, it doesn’t make you look older. The beauty industry teaches us to try to be someone we are not. But there’s nobody better than you.” These are the words Pilar DeMann lives by. As a beauty specialist, she has years of experience to back up her credo and she could be her best example of following that advice. With her smooth skin, a natural glow, her stunning eyes and a touch of color on her lips, she has that classic, stripped-down, movie-star style.

At 18 years old, Pilar attended makeup school and began working as a makeup artist soon after, working for music videos, photo shoots, and television commercials. This led to a career of many years in film and television production. Then she worked for a director for ten years, always continuing to hone her skills doing makeup for events and clients on a freelance basis.

Originally from Los Angeles, she met her husband there. He was born and raised in Roxbury, Connecticut and twice a year they would visit his family here. Eventually, Pilar fell in love with the area and in 2013 they bought a house and moved to Washington in Litchfield County. It was at this point that she decided to go back to her first love: eyebrows. “They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. And for me, eyebrows are the frame.”

When shaping eyebrows, she takes her time, tweezes brows instead of waxing “because she likes to be precise.” She provides shaping, tinting, or microblading eyebrows. Microblading is a semi-permanent tattoo on your eyebrows. It takes 2 sessions about 6 weeks apart. It is basically the deposit of pigment into the skin. It’s great for filling in any empty spots in a soft manner. She also does eyelash tinting and makeup. She gives makeup lessons and has a program called Makeup Bag Clean-Out, which helps her clients to focus on what they do need and throw out what is not necessary. “I think people either don’t wear enough makeup or they wear too much. It’s about finding balance and taking good care of your skin.”

Pilar’s studio is based at Byrde + the b Salon in Washington Depot. The inviting space is quiet and private. She works there on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings. She also works one day a week in Bristol at a medical aesthetics practice with Dr. Jeffrey LaFrance.

She sells natural products at her studio—a brand of non-toxic, vegan skin care and makeup, and other brands as well. From individual customized appointments to weddings, teen parties, men’s grooming, and other events, Pilar has a wide array of services to offer.

What is in her future? “I am developing a makeup line. The goal is to create makeup that is accessible and easy for every age group and every skin tone with natural results.” She would like to introduce men (and women) to using the experts for grooming. Men need this especially for their brows. “Take the time to see the experts, don’t do one-stop shopping at your nail place.”

Pilar’s warm approach with her clients makes them feel comfortable and open. She is generous in providing tips and techniques for applying makeup or for maintaining eyebrows in between visits. With an expanding clientele, continued upkeep on new practices, and a passion for her craft, Pilar DeMann is quickly becoming the one everyone turns to for natural beauty.

With new exhibitions every 5 weeks and a growing stable of talented emerging artists, Five Points Gallery has become one of Connecticut’s outstanding contemporary art venues.

Five Points Gallery presented it’s first public arts project—The Torrington Yarn Bomb—in the summer of 2016. The summer project involved 200 sites in the downtown area and 500 participants ranging in age from 2 to 102. It brought thousands of people into downtown Torrington that summer.

Located in a historic building at the five-point intersection in downtown Torrington, Five Points Gallery is a non-profit contemporary art gallery showcasing professional regional, national and international visual artists. The gallery presents exhibitions in three beautifully renovated exhibition spaces and has earned the reputation as one of Connecticut’s outstanding contemporary art venues. The gallery guestbook documents visitors from nearly every town in Connecticut, eighteen states, and 9 countries.

Founding Executive Director Judith McElhone is originally from Torrington and has lived in Litchfield county all of her life. With three degrees in the arts (an AS from Northwestern Connecticut Community College, and a BFA and MFA from the Hartford Art School), she has an extensive art background and has taught at Northwestern Connecticut Community College for some 20 years. She “retired” from teaching to direct Five Points Gallery. Here is what she had to say about the Gallery from its beginnings in 2012 to its successful position today, and a bit about its future plans:

1. What inspired you to open Five Points Gallery?

In 2012, I was asked to consult with Torrington Arts and Culture Commission on a temporary summer storefront gallery (Art Space Torrington), which was conceived of as part of “Main Street Market Place”. Five Points Gallery incorporated as a non-profit in 2012 as an offshoot of that initiative.

2. What is the mission of Five Points?

Five Point’s mission is to champion and nurture artists at all stages of their careers and to empower a diverse community through the presentation of inspiring exhibitions and educational initiatives. An important goal of the gallery is to continue to present exhibitions and events which inspire a diverse audience. We also recognize the importance of Creating Economy to downtown Torrington and our region as a whole.

3. Education seems to play a large role in the gallery. How did that come about?

Education is central to our mission as a non-profit. We present artist conversations, a community critique day, and an annual lecture series featuring prominent art world figures. The college consortium is a natural aspect of that role given the proximity of the institutions to Torrington and the strong art programs associated with the schools. UConn no longer has a campus in Torrington, but we continue to have a strong productive relationship.

4. Tell us about the Launchpad program. How does it work?

The Five Points, Hartford Art School /University of Hartford Launchpad provides graduates of the Hartford Art School with affordable shared studio spaces located above Five Points Gallery in the heart of historic downtown Torrington. In addition to workspace, the initiative offers mentorship opportunities, a serious emerging artist community, and a Five Points biennial exhibition. The Launchpad is a two-year evolving program.

5. Five Points Gallery recently opened the Five Points Annex located at 17 Water Street in Torrington—two doors from the Five Points Water Street entrance. How does the Annex work?

The Annex, an expansion of the Five Points, Hartford Art School and University of Hartford Launchpad program, is designed as a community pop-up gallery managed by the Launchpad artists. Five Points Gallery Annex presents a unique opportunity for the Launchpad artists to learn gallery management while exhibiting their ongoing work in a professional environment. Local and regional artists and artisans will also have the opportunity to rent the Annex space for solo or group exhibitions. Five Points will not take a commission on works sold in the Annex; thus, encouraging sales which will directly benefit exhibiting artists.

6. How do you manage such a large membership of volunteers?

The Five Points volunteers all have special areas of expertise and are deeply valued by staff and the Five Points executive board.

7. How do you select the artists and works to be featured in an exhibition?

The Five Points Annex is a non-juried community gallery. Five Points Gallery accepts artists’ submissions in March and September.

8. Are there any particular exhibitions that you have presented at the gallery that stand out as very successful or shows that you are very proud of?

I am sincerely proud of all the artists that show in our spaces.

9. What are your hopes and goals for the future of Five Points Gallery? Is there something you would like to do that you haven’t yet done?

Five Points will open a professional printmaking facility in the near future. This new addition to Five Points will offer critiques, classes and printmaking workshops for artists and members of the general public.

FPG installs new exhibitions every five weeks. At the start of each exhibition, FPG holds an Opening Reception to celebrate the launch of the exhibition and to provide the opportunity for gallery supporters and the public to meet the featured artists. FPG Opening Receptions, typically held on Friday evenings, regularly attract 250 plus people.

During the run of each exhibition, FPG hosts an Artist Conversation in which the artists speak to an audience about his/her work and career, thus allowing for personal insight into the presented exhibition. Distinguished interviewers such as Joseph Montebello and Power Boothe moderate these conversations. In addition to these events, the gallery welcomes visitors Thursday through Sunday and by appointment.

Currently, there are three exhibitions at Five Points Gallery:

Paper Rock Scissors
March 1 – April 7
Opening Reception: Friday, March 2, 6 – 8:30 pm
Artists’ Panel Discussion: Friday, March 23, 6 pm
West and TDP Galleries
Artists: May Babcock, Andrew Buck, Walter Kendra, Carole Kundstadt, Leslie Landau, Joyce Miller, Ben Parker, Chris Perry, and Rashmi Talpade

Floating Walls and Tectonic Ziggurats
Julie Pereira
East Gallery
March 1 – April 7
Opening Reception: Friday, March 2, 6 – 8:30 pm
Artist Panel Discussion: Friday, March 23, 6 pm

Presence: Encounters with the Figure
Curated by Ann Finholt
April 12 – May 19
Opening Reception: Friday, April 13, 6-8:30 pm
Artists’ Panel Discussion: Friday, May 4, 6 pm
East West and TDP Galleries
Artists: Lexi Axon, Charles Cajori, Helen Cantrell, Barbara Grossman, Catherine Kehoe, Ken Kewley, and Larry Morelli

Five Points Gallery Annex will have its first show Pastel On Sheetrock, a solo exhibit featuring paintings by Ian James Roche beginning on April 19 to 29, 2018. The Annex will be open Thursday to Sunday, 1 to 5 pm. There will be an Opening Reception on Friday, April 20 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm.

Five Points Gallery
A Contemporary Art Gallery
33 Main Street
Torrington

Five Points Gallery Annex
17 Water Street
Torrington

860.618.7222
www.fivepointsgallery.org

Kristin Kunhardt took a retail space in Washington Depot and turned it into a successful, thriving art co-op, wellness center and gathering place for conversation and community.

Almost two years ago, Kristin Kunhardt was living in Philadelphia and going through a personal transition when she decided to return to her roots— Washington, Connecticut, where she grew up—and to be closer to her father. She and her two business partners were looking for a space to share and found it right in the heart of the Depot. They made the decision to combine their services into a cooperative that focused on wellness, teaching and practicing healing arts. In November of 2016 Valley Spirit opened its doors in Washington Depot. Now in its second year, the co-op is thriving as the community embraces the opportunities and services it has to offer. We spoke with Kristin about how it started and where it’s going.

Where are you originally from and how did you end up in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut?

I grew up in Washington, CT. My grandparents moved here in the early 40s and had a farm on Nettleton Hollow. My father and mother settled here right after they got married in 1954. I moved back to the area four years ago to be near my father, Hank.

Tell us about your background? Where were you educated and how did you get into Wellness?

I went to Shepaug, then to Taft for high school before venturing out to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL where I majored in Performance Studies. I got into wellness not as a practitioner but as a receiver of complementary healing arts. The healing I experienced with massage therapy and acupuncture led me to meditation.

What inspired you to launch Valley Spirit Wellness Center & Co-op? What is its purpose and mission?

My business partner Lee Kancher and I had been looking for a space outside of my home office to collaborate in and when Jampa Stewart, MSOM, L.Ac. opted to move up to Connecticut from Texas after we met at a meditation retreat, I thought it would be interesting to have him teach Tai Chi and practice acupuncture in the same space. The three of us opted to “cooperate” with one another, bringing together visual and performance art (Kristin), design and graphic art (Lee), and healing and movement arts (Jampa) so that we might all benefit from one another’s strengths as we evolved our businesses. Our idea became Valley Spirit: an art co-op, wellness center and gathering place for conversation and community. Our mission is to contribute to the community by offering services, teachings, and products that support healing and growth while enhancing awareness, communication, good health, peace, and consciousness.

There are 3 co-owners and then the teachers and service providers join the co-op… how is it structured?

My two business partners and I opted to open up the space to other practitioners, teachers, and artists that shared our mission, increasing our capacity to serve the community and one another’s businesses. The “all boats rise” mentality, which is often lacking in mainstream business, led the way as our unique business model. The other practitioners and teachers are not co-owners of a traditional co-op model, but we cooperate together within a single space. They benefit from having a highly visible location to offer their practices in, and the community benefits from having multi-faceted offerings under one roof.

From facials to yoga, from acupuncture to poetry readings, you cover a broad range of services and classes which are both on-sight and off-sight – how do you manage so many and such a range?

It is important for us to offer and maintain a wide variety of services and classes. More than anything, we are a wellness center, a place of healing. The combination of various modalities (acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal medicine, and so forth) and ways to promote self-healing (classes, books, meditation supplies, essential oils) is key. Each person that walks in our door is unique. We offer them the opportunity to choose what speaks to them. We are living in the era of superstores, online shopping, and virtual reality. In order to meet the needs of the village, we offer a varied menu of services. If we had opened as a Tai Chi studio or an art gallery we would be relying on that one thing to draw people in. The people of Litchfield County are cultured and have highly diverse interests. We opted to respond to that population in kind.

If folks prefer to be home or organize support in their workplace we offer in-home and corporate packages: Corporate Qi & Bring the Spirit Home. The mini holiday retreat or day spa experience we have created cooperatively with other Depot businesses can weave together massage and/or acupuncture treatments, Tai Chi and yoga classes and organic facials at Valley Spirit with hair stylings at Byrde + the B and mani-pedi nail care at The Nail Chalet followed by lunch at The Pantry, Norimaki or Marty’s, all within a short walk of our center. Town businesses that support each other, grow together.

What are your most popular classes? And most popular services?

If I answer that question based on numbers of students I would say Tai Chi and yoga are most popular, but if I reflect on which classes get the most enthusiastic response I would say they are all equal in popularity. Those that know about and come to meditation or Barre-ilates love the classes as much as the more frequented Tai Chi and yoga. The most popular services are acupuncture and massage therapy, but similarly, the folks that have been in for our other services such as organic facials and Medical Qi Gong are well satisfied, repeat clients. So those treatments are becoming more popular as we move fully into year two. The quality of teachers and practitioners Valley Spirit has attracted is top notch. The testimonials we are collecting reflect the high caliber of treatments our patients and clients receive.

You also have a shop at the center… what kind of products do you sell?

We have a full Chinese Herbal Apothecary, books of and about meditation practice, yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong, healing superfoods and supplements, herbal teas and elixirs, fair trade jewelry and scarves, works of art by (local) artists including Nancy Lasar, Susan Monserud and Joe Gitterman, essential oils, top quality incense and more.

How do you find and vet your instructors and service providers?

Interestingly, they find us. The line “if you build it they will come” happens over and over again. Several have come to us through chance meetings at our booth at the local farmer’s market or elsewhere. Pauline Koinis (our senior yoga instructor and massage therapist) showed up at my front door one day to teach me yoga. She had the right driveway but the “wrong” house. Turns out it was the right house after all! As we have grown, our practitioners and teachers have recommended us to other teachers and practitioners they know. Jampa, Pauline and I serve together interviewing prospective staff and checking references. Our staff has decades of experience and skill. A full list of our staff and their individual bios are available on our website.

Just as a recent example, the other day I was sending out a message to the universe that I’d like to work with someone in marketing and PR as we enter our second year. The next day a person with excellent marketing and PR skills and experience walked into Valley Spirit for a treatment. The law of attraction. It seems when you are on the right path, things fall readily into place. This has been a beautiful pattern I really cannot explain, but for which we are most grateful.

What are your hopes and plans for the future of Valley Spirit?

Our main goal in our second year is to continue to build awareness that Valley Spirit is neither a liquor store (funny, but true) nor “just a yoga studio” but rather a full service wellness center and unique, community gathering place. Soon we will be offering national teacher training and seminars led by Jampa Stewart and Pauline Koinis appropriate for those needing CEU credits. We will continue to offer seasonal Ayurvedic consultations with herbalist Sonam Targee of Rochester, NY and weekend workshops with resident and visiting teachers alike. Down the road, I have plans for some festival inspired musical events.

In the meantime, we are continuing to grow our First Friday offerings, incorporating more live music and dancing. April 6 will mark our first large, collaborative First Friday Fundraiser Event with The Owl Wine Bar and 9 Main of New Preston coming together with Valley Spirit as we host gypsy swing band The Lucky 5 and swing dance instructors from Danbury’s Arthur Murray Dance Studio at Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens to raise money for The Washington Community Fund.

The Arthur Murray Dance Studio and Valley Spirit will be offering on-going dance lessons. April 6 (swing dance event) and May 4 (Latin dance instruction to celebrate Cinco de Mayo) will give us an opportunity to build interest in ongoing classes we plan to launch mid-May.

We also have plans to establish a Valley Spirit Cooperative membership program which will offer discounted treatments and classes, use of the studio for personal practice during designated hours, Amethyst Bio-mat treatments and other benefits. Part of the monies raised through the membership will help to establish Valley Spirit’s Compassion Fund, a fund for those who would benefit from healing arts therapies but may need financial assistance. We have already introduced a sliding scale for all of our services and a 20% discount for Local Heroes (armed services and volunteer services alike). Our main goal continues to be that anyone who needs our support receives it.

Lastly, Valley Spirit is excited to announce plans for two upcoming destination retreats: ICELAND (fall of 2018) and COSTA RICA (winter of 2019). Details to be announced!