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Thur.  July 4
Happy Birthday, America!

Sat.  July 6
Fireworks
PUTNAM --- The town of Putnam will present a fireworks and family fun extravaganza. From 5 to 6 p.m. listen to The Paperback Writers, a Beatles cover band, from 7:15 to 9:15 hear the sounds of the headliner band, Whiskey Boulevard. Fireworks start at 9:15. There will be food and family fun at Putnam Rotary Park. Rain date is July 13.

Fri.  July 12
Recreation Program
POMFRET --- “Painted Mason Jar Solar Lanterns” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Pomfret Community Center. Rena from Tunk City will guide you on your way. $30 per person. Tickets: www.tunkcity.com.

Sat.  July 13
Garden Tour
WOODSTOCK --- Quiet Corner Gardens, a self-guided tour of eight gardens in Pomfret, Putnam and Woodstock from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 13, is the Quiet Corner Garden Club’s latest offering to the community. Tickets can be purchased or picked up on the town green across from Roseland Cottage. $25 the day of the tour or $20 when purchased in advance at: quietcornergardenclub.com. Benefits scholarships and garden programs.

Mon.  July 15
Recreation Program
POMFRET --- “LEGO Camp” will be held July 15-19 --- from 9 a.m. to noon for ages 5-7; 1 to 4 p.m. ages 8-12 --- at the Pomfret Community School Cafeteria. Ages 5-7. camp runs from 9:00 am – noon Ages 8-12 camp runs from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Register and pay before July 4th the fee is $150. Register and pay after July 4th the fee is $160. www.pomfretct.gov/recreation

Wed.  July 17
Fund-raiser
WOODSTOCK --- In celebration of the anniversary of Helicopter Cat Dad Beer release, Taylor Brooke Brewery, Rt. 171, is hosting a social evening from 5 to 8 to benefit Paws Cat Shelter. A basket drawing and photo booth will add to the fun. Beer and wine available for purchase. Paws Cat Shelter is a non-profit, all volunteer organization caring for the cats of our communities. For more info or how you can donate, contact Paws at 860-315-1228.

Sat.  July 20
Recreation Program
POMFRET --- “Trail Ride at the Park with Quiet Corner NEMBA” at Pomfret Recreation Park. Check in at Pavilion before breaking off into groups led by Quiet Corner NEMBA members. There will be 10-12 people per NEMBA Trail Leader. This is for ages 12 and up. Lunch will be sold after the ride. The fee is $10 per person / $15 for a family. Pre-registration only!  Info/registration: www.pomfretct.gov/recreation.

Fri.  July 26
Concert
WOODSTOCK --- Roseland Cottage’s Twilight Lawn Concert at 6:30 p.m. will present the Flamingos, an all-female swing band. Rain date Aug. 2.  Grace Gourmet Food truck will be on site. Bring a pink flamingo or just dress in pink! Join us on the grounds of Roseland Cottage as we flock the Pink House! Anyone with a flamingo or dressed in predominantly pink clothes will be entered in a special drawing—must be present to win. Cosponsored by Historic New England and Woodstock Recreation. All concerts are free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket and picnic supper and continue the tradition begun by Henry Bowen, the builder of Roseland Cottage.

Fri.  Aug. 9
Concert
WOODSTOCK --- Roseland Cottage’s Twilight Lawn Concert at 6:30 p.m. will present The Triple Double with folky, mellow sounds to covers of popular hits from the ‘60s to the ‘90s, plus original songs. Rain date Aug. 11.  Cosponsored by Historic New England and Woodstock Recreation. All concerts are free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket and picnic supper and continue the tradition begun by Henry Bowen, the builder of Roseland Cottage.

Sun.  Aug. 11
Pluck-a-Duck
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Business Association will present Pluck-a-Duck Aug. 11 and 12. This year there will be a Kid Corner from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 11 in Rotary Park. It will share space with the town's annual Main Street Car Cruise. The next day the ducks will be plucked from a secret location.

Car Cruise
PUTNAM --- The town's annual Main Street Car Cruise, featuring some 1700 cars, will be held around downtown Putnam and Rotary Park.

Sat.  Oct. 15
Recreation Program
POMFRET --- “Make Your Own Hand Knit Cozy Pumpkin” will be held at 10 a.m. at the Pomfret Community Center. Learn the basic of arm knitting and make your own cozy pumpkin(s).  $45 per pumpkin. All supplies included! Limited spots available. Sign up now on Facebook at Sovanny’s Comfort Boutique.

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Test Your History Skills
The Aspinock Historical Society has a new exhibit, A Blast from the Past. Head to the museum inside the Putnam Municipal Complex (air conditioned!) and see if you can guess the items from the past that are on display. The center is open Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and every Saturday, by appointment only (call 860-963-6800 x301).


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Wins Wood scholarship
POMFRET — Rectory School eighth-grader Jayda Ngibuini became the 2024 recipient of the Patrick Wood Memorial Scholarship at Pomfret School recently. She will attend Pomfret School as a ninth-grader next fall. Jayda is the 20th recipient of Pat’s award begun from donations after his death in 2006.
“We wanted to reward more hard-working students who have an inner drive to succeed. It was that same work ethic that drove Patrick to his own achievement. He earned perfect scores on his SATs and graduated at the top of his class in 2001. He graduated from Stanford in 2005 with honors and went on to intern at BMW and Siemens in Germany.
Jayda has already been through many tests of achievement. She joined Rectory a few months before the pandemic lockdowns began. According to Jayda’s father David, “There was a lot of transition, such as virtual classes or playing soccer matches in masks, but the load was considerably lightened by the welcoming and adaptable community at Rectory.”
The presentation took place at Patrick’s memorial tree near the Pomfret School chapel. The bright sunny day matched the enthusiasm Jayda showed in a thank you note for the award: “I am beyond grateful for being this year’s Patrick Wood Scholarship recipient. I am ready to take on the responsibility this award comes with, and I hope to live up to the standard. Thank you for seeing my potential and starting off my journey at Pomfret on the right foot.”
Jayda has maintained academic distinctions since 2021. She has participated in Rectory’s summer camp and the May Experiential Learning Program. She was captain of the varsity soccer team for the last two years.
Rimer said, “At Pomfret, Jayda wants to try new things. That may also mean she’ll make mistakes. But she knows those possible missteps will help her learn and become more confident and successful. The risk is worth the growth, and that tells me she is brave and headed for greatness.”
Patrick’s story, Back from Suicide: Before and After the Essential Patrick was released on Amazon June 19.  More information is available at: www.backfromsuicide.com.

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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — This year 31 non-profit organizations are depending on sales of the cutie pie little yellow rubber duckies in the Pluck-a-Duck fund-raiser.
While sales are going well but organizers are not backing off.
Chair of the Putnam Business Association’s Pluck-a-Duck committee, Beth Markowski-Roop, and her team are everywhere they can be selling chances on the ducks. She and representatives from one of those non-profit organizations, Day Kimball Healthcare, were at the Putnam Saturday Farmers Market, selling raffle tickets.
Last year, she said, 26 non-profits pulled in $11,000 and the Putnam Business Association raised $25,000. For many the Pluck-a-Duck raffle is one of their major sources of funding.
The fund-raiser runs over two days, Aug. 11 and Aug. 12. Aug. 11 a much-expanded free Kids Corner will take place in Rotary Park during the Main Street Car Cruise. The ducks are plucked the next day in a secret location and all the winners are notified.
She said there are some great prizes this year. More info below.
New this year was an expansion of something else: The number of ducks. The group has 7,200 ducks. Markowski-Roop said “This is the first time in 30 years we’ve had to buy new ducks.” Because the state has strict rules on raffles, it required that the new ducks had to match the old ones in size, color, etc. The group worked with a group in China to make that happen. She thanked Earl Rosebrooks, director of Fluid Coating Technology, for being the delivery point for the 1,000 new ducks.
More info from the PBA website:
The Pluck-a-Duck event on Aug. 11 the event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the plucking is at noon at the secret location. The Aug. 11 Kids Corner in Rotary Park will include: Bounce Houses, Photo Booth, Arts & Crafts Tent, Xen’s Critters, petting zoo, Cotton Candy Station, Balloons by Bella, Face Painting, and Celebrity Dunk Tank. Post a special wish that would make you feel just ducky on the Wall Of Wishes, and a donation will be made to Make-A-Wish Connecticut, in support of creating live changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Aug. 12 thousands of rubber ducks will be ‘plucked’ for a chance to win 100+ fantastic prizes, including gift certificates, tickets to events, gift baskets and much more! And after all prizes have been plucked, the final 12 waddlers out of the pond will be selected for the “Lame Duck” prizes.
The PBA Pluck-a-Duck Raffle Event is the major fund-raising event for the Putnam Business Association. Funds raised will support future free community events such as Zombie Fashion Show, The Great Pumpkin Festival, and International Day, drawing thousands of visitors to the Quiet Corner.

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