Sat. April 11
Cornhole Fund-raiser
N. GROSVENORDALE --- A Cornhole Tournament benefiting American Legion Post 67 veterans and community programs will be held at the legion. Doors open at 10; bags fly at 11 a.m. $70 per team (2 players per team). Register: Scoreholio – search American Legion Post 67 Cornhole Tournament; or at the legion.
Bottle, Can Drive
PUTNAM --- Paws Cat Shelter is holding a Can and Bottle Drive from noon to 3 p.m. at the shelter at 74 School St. Please separate 2-liter bottles. Pet food and donations are always welcome and greatly appreciated. 860-315-1228.
History Program
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Historical Society will hold an Open House and an art exhibit and reception beginning at 1 p.m. at the Old Town House. Exhibit: “Afterlife: Re-imagining 18th Century Grave Carvings” by Laura Tedeschi. A program, “Gravestone Carvers of Northeast Connecticut,” will be held at 3. Refreshments follow. This celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Grand Opening – Library
POMFRET --- The Pomfret Public Library will celebrate the grand opening of its new building expansion with an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All welcome. Guests can tour the beautiful new space and enjoy family friendly activities.
Sun. April 12
Finnish Coffee Hour
CANTERBURY --- The Finnish American Heritage Society will present an authentic Finnish coffee hour from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Finnish Hall on North Canterbury Road. Open to all ages, with juice provided for children. Free, but donations accepted to support the Society’s ongoing cultural programming. Reservations, info: 860-546-6671.
Spring Concert
CHEPACHET --- The Chepachet Baptist Church will present “An Afternoon with Fannie Crosby and Other New England Hymn Composers” with Pastor Emeritus Jeff Brooke-Stewart at 2:30 p.m. at the Meetinghouse on Rt. 44. All welcome. Free but a free will offering is welcome. Refreshments follow. Chepachetbaptist.org.
Tues. April 14
Al-Anon Meeting
POMFRET --- Al-Anon will meet at noon on Tuesdays at the Christ Church, 527 Pomfret St. Please use the lower level door, near the flagpole. All welcome.
Wed. April 15
Donations Welcome
POMFRET --- From April 15 through April 28 the Windham County 4-H Auction and Tag Sale will be accepting donations for the annual auction and tag sale set for May 1 and 2. Donations accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays Wednesdays and Friday; from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.. Antiques and gently used household goods, furniture, toys, electronics, tools, books, decorative items, etc. will be welcomed . No clothing, textbooks, magazines or encyclopedias. 860-974-3379.
Sat. April 18
Spaghetti Dinner
PUTNAM – Cub Scout Pack 21 of Putnam will host its Spring Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Albert J. Breault VFW Post 1523. $10 for adults; kids 12 and under eat for free. Take-out or eat-in. Music, candy, raffles. Tickets: the VFW Post, Joseph’s Jewelers on School St. Benefits the pack’s Summer Camp Fund. 860-928-5873 (voice only).
Open House
POMFRET --- The Windham-Tolland 4-H Camp Open HHHouse on Taft Pond Road will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet the director and other camp staff, take a camp tour, registration materials available. 860-974-3379.
Main St. Stroll
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Business Association and Discover Putnam will present Main Street Restaurant & Market Stroll in downtown Putnam from noon to 4 p.m.
Sun. April 19
Fund-raiser Concert
POMFRET --- Take Note!, an acapella choral group of 20 people from Mansfield Center, will raise their voices in song again at Christ Church at 3 p.m. Benefits Partners in Development, LLC, a nondenominational 501c3 charity which helps the poor in Haiti, Guatemala, Peru and the Delta of Mississippi. Free will donations accepted at the door. Refreshments afterwards.
Wed. April 22
Food Drive
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Rotary Club’s Interact Club will hold an Earth Day Food Drive from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. at WINY. Proceeds will be split between TEEG and Daily Bread.
Sat. April 25
Paws Fund-raiser
PUTNAM --- The Paws Cat Shelter is holding a comedy night fund-raiser at the Valley Springs Sportsman's Club, N. Grosvenordale. Doors open at 6; show starts at 7. Cash bar, drawing, light snacks. Age 18+ event. Tickets $30 from the shelter, www.funny4funds.com/events at the door. Info:
Liberty to Legacy
PUTNAM --- The Putnam Public Library, “The American Revolution,” and 250th will present Liberty to Legacy from 1 to 2 p.m. at the library. It will explore American ideals in musicals “Hamilton” and “1776.”
Sun. April 26
Radio Flea Market
THOMPSON --- The Eastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Association (ECARA) will hold its flea market for 8 a.m. to noon at the Raceway Restaurant at Thompson Speedway Motorsport Park. Admission is a $7 donation to ECARA, students are admitted free. Sellers may purchase tables for $20 and spaces for tailgate sale in the parking lot for $15. Benefits ham radio operators, and showcases a service that assists the community with emergency communication capabilities. All welcome. ECARA.net.
Sat. May 2
BBQ Chicken
WOODSTOCK --- The Bungay Fire Spring Chicken BBQ takeout will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at the firehouse. $15. Tickets through department member or www.bungay.com or 860-974-0316. Support 2 great causes by purchasing a meal for a veteran. We will get it to the Danielson Veterans Coffeehouse for Veterans to pick up meals.
Sun. May 3
Concert
CHEPACHET --- The Music at the Meeting House at the Chepachet Baptist Church will present a 250th anniversary concert at 2:30 p.m. All welcome. Free but a free will offering will be taken. Chepachetbaptist.org
Sat. Oct. 3
Revolutionary Abington
ABINGTON --- The Pomfret 250th Committee will present a simulated battle re-enactment Oct. 3 and 4 at the Pomfret Recreation Park. There will be two encampments – one British, one American. Battles will be staged at some points Oct. 3.
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Cub Scout Egg Hunt
Cub Scout Pack 21 of Putnam held its 2026 Easter Egg Hunt April 4 in Putnam. The Cubs collected plastic eggs with candy inside, drank cocoa and roasted s’mores over an outdoor fireplace. This is just one of the many fun and challenging activities Cub Scout Pack 21 does throughout the year. Pack 21 welcomes boys and girls ages 5 through 10. To join, call John Ryan, at 860-928-5873.
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Scout adds benches to Recreation Park
POMFRET — Pomfret Recreation Park visitors will now have plenty of new places to sit thanks to the hard work and dedication of local Boy Scout Jonah Costa.
As part of his Eagle Scout project, Costa found a design and built eight wooden benches for the Pomfret Recreation Park. The benches provide much-needed seating for families, spectators, and community members who regularly use the park for recreation programs, games, and events.
Completing an Eagle Scout project requires Scouts to plan, organize, and lead a significant service project that benefits the community. Costa’s project involved coordinating materials and the construction and placement of the benches.
Pomfret Recreation Director Carrie Wolfe said: “We are so grateful to Jonah for choosing Pomfret Recreation Park for his Eagle Scout project. The benches will provide much-needed seating for families and visitors who come to enjoy the park. His hard work and dedication will benefit our community for years to come.”
The new benches have already been installed around the park. Wolfe added: “Costa’s project demonstrates the spirit of community service that is central to the Eagle Scout rank and leaves a lasting impact on the Town of Pomfret.”
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caption:
Left: Eagle Scout Candidate Jonah Costa and Recreation Director Carrie Wolfe. Above: The benches going in. Courtesy photos
Saving lives – measured in gallons
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Norm Perron has been quietly donating blood since the early ‘80s. Lo and behold, last week, he hit his goal — 30 gallons.
The gravity of that number hit him. He admitted he was nervous, “Thirty gallons! That’s 240 pints!”
Perron said he started giving blood when his brother, former Police Chief Ed Perron, was giving blood. “He was encouraging me to give blood, too.”
Before he hit the 30th gallon milestone last week, he was inquiring of the American Red Cross crew about how long he might be able to continue to give blood.
They assured him he was doing fine on that score and reminded him that there is a woman in her 80s in Ashford who is still donating.
Perron has O-negative blood which is universal. “Every time there’s a blood bank in the area, they always contact me,” he said.
The number of people in crisis he has helped must be staggering.
Asked if there was a time when he was told about a life he was saving, he said years ago, when he was at a blood drive at the VFW. “I sat down and they said ‘You’re O negative?’ I said ‘yes,’ and they said ‘We need you right now.’” They told him they had a 3-year-old who was in critical need of O negative blood.
“As long as I’m physically fit and able to donate blood, I will continue.”
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Congrats and Thanks
From left: Cindy Nowlan of the Hale Y, Joe Olzacki of the American Red Cross, PBA President Kate Cerrone, Norm Perron and Dick Loomis, PBA Development Committee. Linda Lemmon photo