Wed. Jan. 8
Art Exhibit
THOMPSON --- The Friends of the Thompson Public Library’s Art @ the Library will present “Thompson Congregational Church—The Spirit Endures” through Jan. 30. An opening reception will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 6. 860-923-9779.

Fri. Jan. 10
Fish Fry
N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Knights of Columbus 2087 on Riverside Drive will hold a fish fry from 5 to 7 p.m. Takeout available. Prices vary. 860-923-2967.

History Program
CANTERBURY --- The Canterbury Historical Society will present Rob Lyon with a program on the history of ice skating following the 7 p.m. business session in the Community Room at the Town Hall. Refreshments. Free. All welcome.

Sun. Jan. 12
Open House
POMFRET CENTER --- The Windham-Tolland 4-H Camp on Taft Pond Rd. will hold an open house from 2 to 4 p.m.

Thur. Jan. 16
Irish Program
KILLINGLY --- The Killingly Library is sponsoring an event, “Ireland Forever” from 7 to 8 p.m.  once a month at the library. Free. All welcome.

Fri. Jan. 17
Fish Fry
N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Knights of Columbus 2087 on Riverside Drive will hold a fish fry from 5 to 7 p.m. Takeout available. Prices vary. 860-923-2967.

Teen Weekend
POMFRET --- The Windham-Tolland 4-H Camp will have a Winter Teen Weekend from 5:30 p.m. Jan. 17 until 9 a.m. Jan. 19 at the camp on Taft Pond Rd. $50. Preregister by Jan. 12: 860-974-3379.

Sat. Jan. 18
Bald Eagle Hike
CENTRAL VILLAGE --- The Last Green Valley will present a Bald Eagle Hike from 10 a.m. at the Quinebaug Trout Hatchery. This is a mostly flat terrain, one-hour walk on rough surfaces. Register at: 860-774-3300.

Fund-raiser
N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Women of Windham County will hold its annual Danielson Veterans Coffeehouse Fund-raiser from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus. Dancing, light food, drawings. $20. Tickets at WINY and Trink-et Shoppe.

Thur. Jan. 23
Society Meeting
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. in the Old Pomfret Town House, 17 Town House Road. Those interested in becoming a member and others are welcome. 860-460-6689.

Trivia fund-raiser
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Lions will hold a Trivia Night at 7 p.m. at the Crossings on Union Square. Benefits the Day Kimball Woman’s Board.

Fri. Jan. 24
Fish Fry
N. GROSVENORDALE --- The Knights of Columbus 2087 on Riverside Drive will hold a fish fry from 5 to 7 p.m. Takeout available. Prices vary. 860-923-2967.

Eagle Program
BROOKLYN --- The Last Green Valley will present “Eagles with Horizon Wings” at 1:15 p.m. at Creamery Brook Village. Limited space. Register at: 860-779-8700.

Public Lecture
POMFRET --- The Schwartz Public Lecture by Steven Johnson will be presented from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Hard Auditorium at Pomfret School. Free. Open to all. RSVP required: www.pomfret.org/lecture.967.

Sat. Jan. 25
Acorn Adventure
WOODSTOCK --- The Last Green Valley will present Acorn Adventure – Bald Eagles and Big Nests at 10 a.m. at Roseland Park. Bring binoculars or a spotting scope if you have them. Toward the end of the adventure Horizon Wings of Ashford will join us with some special guests.  Free to families thanks to the generous sponsorship of Putnam Bank.

Sun. Jan. 26
Concert
DANIELSON --- The Killingly-Brooklyn Interfaith Council is sponsoring a concert and sing-a-long by Dulcimea, a local dulcimer group, at 2 p.m. at the Danielson United Methodist Church on Spring Street. A free will offering will benefit KBIC's homeless fund.  Snow date is Feb. 9. 860-928-0308.

Sun. Feb. 2
Duck Day
EASTFORD --- Scramble the Duck, the alternative to Punxsutawney Phil, will predict early spring or six more weeks of winter at 7:30 a.m. at the Ivy Glenn Memorial on Rt. 198, Eastford. Free.  scrambletheduck.org

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As a parent, marrying off a child is not always easy.  As a mother, marrying off your only daughter is downright hard.   For me, it was not at all hard because I worried about her choice in a spouse; nor was I worried about how they would cope with all of the pressures a married life can come with. What was hard for me was trying to make sure that her day and celebration were everything that she had dreamed, since she was a little girl, it would be.  Of course, you know that there are some dreams your young daughter will have about her wedding that are completely irrelevant when they get older, like marrying a Prince in a castle while wearing glass slippers, but there are others that stick, like marrying a person who makes you FEEL like a beautiful princess in a place that FEELS like a romantic dream while you are wearing a dress that makes you FEEL like the most beautiful version of yourself.  And so, I will reiterate, when you are the Mother of the Bride, helping to plan and execute a day that is everything your daughter wants it to be — it is hard!
Since I happen to be in the wedding planning and execution business, and because my daughter is pretty savvy with organization and lists and everything Etsy, I wasn’t worried at all about all of the details that comprise a wedding celebration.   We had a true “That is the perfect dress” moment, complete with a tear or two.  We had a celebratory shower and invitations free of typos and food tastings and transportation and lodging plans and RSVPs with dinner selections and music and attendant outfits and beautiful flowers and everything else that I didn’t even know went into a wedding detail, covered.
But there was one particular detail that I knew, for me, would be the hardest detail of all … my toast!
First, I stressed about, as a writer, finding the exact perfect words that would convey, in the exact perfect way, the sentiment I was feeling in my heart.  For those of you that know me, and for those that may not, my daughter is everything to me.  We have experienced a lifetime of laughter, joy, hurt, sorrow and love, together, and once I started putting pen to paper, I knew that there were no WRONG words I could use in my toast, but rather, I realized, that actually being able to say the words without breaking into sobs of happy tears was now going to be my biggest challenge.  I thought the solution would be to, rather than make a toast, have the DJ play OUR very special song.  Then I thought about trying to orchestrate when the song would be played and should everyone stand or stay seated and when do we toast, etc., and it started to feel like it was making the moment more of a production and less of a heartfelt toast, which, per my ever-organized daughter’s request, was to be kept to a maximum of two to three minutes.
In the end, and after having to take several long pauses to find my voice through my joyful tears, I was able to get through my toast and wish my beautiful daughter and her handsome new husband a life together of all that they wish it to be…
Cheers! Cheers!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!

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PUTNAM —  Thomas A. Borner, president and CEO of PB Bancorp, Inc., announced that the company’s Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.07 per share.
The dividend will be payable to all stockholders of record as of Jan. 16, 2020, and is scheduled to be paid on Jan. 30.
“We are pleased to announce this quarterly dividend payment for the Holding Company” said Borner.
“We believe that providing a reasonable return to our stockholders is an important part of being a community bank.  We will continue to work towards achieving sustained success in building on our brand of community banking.
"We remain confident that in serving our mission of enhancing the quality of life in the communities we serve is good for all of us.”

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