Community Happenings

Can and Bottle Drive

Avon Scout Troop 274 will hold its next can and bottle drive Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at West Avon Congregational Church, located at 280 Country Club Road in Avon.

Courteous Scouts will be there to unload redeemable cans and bottles from your vehicle and even sort them for you. No need to even get out of your car! Proceeds from can and bottle drives go to directly to Avon Scouts attending high adventure trips over the summer, as well as Scout activities throughout the year such as backpacking trips, camp outs, white water rafting, urban orienteering, cycling adventures and more.

Coping with Grief and Loss programs

The holiday season can be a difficult time for many, especially after someone you loved has died. That is why Carmon Community Funeral Homes and Mary’s Place, A Center for Grieving Children and Families are hosting their annual “Coping with Grief & Loss During the Holidays” community presentations to help support individuals and families in Connecticut.

The annual tradition continues on Wednesday, October 28 with two similar programs, both featuring bereavement consultant and author, Joe Colletti, who himself suffered the loss of a teenage daughter. This year, people can choose to attend in person OR go on-line to watch the live events. Anyone may attend one of the two programs listed below, either in person or virtually. In-person seats must be reserved by October 23. Attendees will wear masks and observe social distancing practices throughout the program.

Both programs will be held on Wednesday, October 28:

• 2 p.m. at The Lodge at 130 Deerfield Rd. in Windsor. To reserve an in-person seat OR to get the link to watch event on line, call 860-688-2200.

• 6:30 p.m. at Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center at 301 Country Club Rd. in Avon. To reserve an in-person seat OR to get the link to watch event on line, call 860-673-8610.

Pumpkin Patch at Avon Memorial UM Church

The pumpkins have arrived. Memorial United Methodist Church of Avon is hosting their 16th annual Pumpkin Patch Oct. 1-31 daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pumpkins of all sizes are available. Pricing according to size. Pumpkins are arranged in a large area to allow for careful social distancing while visiting and shopping with your family or friends. For checkout, plexiglass shields separate customers from volunteer staff. Please wear your masks while at the Patch. And don’t forget to pick up a loaf or two of our famous fresh baked pumpkin breads with a variety of special ingredients. Proceeds benefit the church’s ministries and missions. 867 West Avon Road, Avon.

AFPL Children’s Room opening

AFPL’s Children’s Room is now taking appointments! Call 860-673-9712 x211 to schedule your 20 minute browsing appointment. Bring your physical library card. Wear your mask. Follow social distancing guidelines. Toys and seating are not available. This appointment is for browsing and check-outs only! We request that each appointment be limited to 3 visitors.

Online holiday cooking classes

The Avon Free Public Library will be presenting an online cooking class called Healthy Holiday Cooking on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.

In this class, you will learn ways to make some of our traditional meals lighter.

Presented by Colin McCullough teaches private and public cooking classes throughout New England and will share his experience and recipes with people who want to incorporate more whole-food, plant-based meals for health, compassion and the environment. Colin is the author of “The Healthy Vegan Cookbook” and most recently “Smoothies That Taste Like Dessert.”

Other programs in this series:

Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2:00 p.m.: Healthy and Delicious Soups

Thursday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m.: Healthy and Decadent Desserts

Note: Registration required. This program will be presented online through Zoom. Please register and a Zoom link will be sent to you before the event. For more information or to register, please visit www.avonctlibrary.info or call the library at 860.673.9712, ext 4.

Fall continuing education calendar

Farmington Continuing Education is committed to keeping everyone Active, Engaged and ready to master new Skills during this pandemic. Our fall 2020 catalog has been released and is full of many fun and educational enrichment class offerings for adults, youth and families. Classes include conversational English, fitness, languages, arts/crafts, financial, career development, SAT Prep, drivers Ed, teen writing, cursive writing, sign language and more.

If you are not ready to join back to in-person classes, there are plenty of offerings available online. Also available are Adult Basic Education classes for high school completion (GED, CDP, NEDP), Citizenship and ESL (daytime & evening). These classes are for residents of Farmington, Unionville, Burlington, Harwinton, Canton, Collinsville, Avon. Register ONLINE at www.fpsct.org/fce or call 860-404-0290.

Simsbury’s VFW and American Legion announce early plans for Veterans Day

Simsbury’s Metacomet Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1926 and American Legion Post 84 announce the events for Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. All military veterans, their families and the public are warmly invited to attend. Due to Covid 19 restrictions, these events are altered from previous years in order to accommodate social distancing and state rules for outside gatherings.

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was founded in honor of the signing of the agreement to end the fighting along the western front during WWI. The signing of the agreement occurred in Paris on November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. Traditionally Veterans Day is a time to thank current veterans and remember those who have gone before as patriots for our freedom. Therefore, the public is invited to the Simsbury Veterans Memorial, at the entrance to the Simsbury Library, for a moment of silence at exactly 11 a.m.

Later that day, at 4 p.m., the public is invited to the front lawn of the Simsbury Library for an outdoor event, following state guidelines, with speakers, color guard, music and tributes. The VFW and American Legion strongly encourage families to attend, as the event is being held after school hours. There will be no raindate. Masks will be required of all and social distancing seating of up to 100 will be available.

For more information about the Metacomet VFW Post 1926, visit: www.vfw1926.org