PUTNAM — Katie Kovacik was named Putnam Bank’s Employee of the Month for March. Kovacik has been with the bank since November 2000, and currently serves as senior deposit operations clerk II.
She said, “I am extremely humbled by this award.  For all of the responsibilities that my co- workers and I share, all of us together, for me to be chosen? I will never be able to express how appreciative I am for being recognized this way.”
Her creative and artistic talents are demonstrated through the community events in which she’s involved. She designs and constructs the scarecrow for the Annual Putnam Scarecrow Contest, assists with every aspect of the bank’s float for the Putnam Holiday Dazzle Light Parade, and dresses up and hands out candy during the downtown Putnam Trick-or-Treat Street. She also manages and coordinates an employee snack box with the profits donated to various organizations throughout the community.
“Katie’s energy and enthusiasm are infectious. She has been an exemplary staff member for the last 17 years. This recognition is well deserved,” said Thomas A. Borner, president and CEO of Putnam Bank.

Runnings'
opening
goes
smoothly
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- With a soft opening that went beautifully, Runnings  is looking forward to its official grand opening in mid-May
Dennis Jensen, director of marketing and advertising for Runnings corporation, said  customer comments after the opening April 12 have all been "positive."
Those positive comments from customers ranged from how large the store is to how friendly the staff is. Customers are very appreciate that the 105,000-square-foot store is pet friendly.
"We were very excited to hear the comments," Jensen said.
Grand opening week will be May 16 through 20, he said, with the official ribbon cutting set for 9 a.m. May 18.
Jensen said that all of the employees are local. There are 22 full-time employees and 38 part-time employees.
This was in line with previous stores hiring policy --- hiring locals.
Jensen said that the rehabilitation of the former Kmart building off Rt. 44 went very well. The Putnam Runnings is one of the larger Runnings stores.
The corporation began opening stores in the northeast in 2014 and "learned a lot in the last four years. We came up with a plan that works and we just followed the (rehabilitation) plan," Jensen said.
The Minnesota-based chain is a home, farm and outdoors store. It  in carries clothing, footwear, sporting goods, home and food, pets, tools, home improvement, lawn and garden, outdoor, power equipment, ranch and farm, auto and toys.

PUTNAM — Live music, dancing, food, arts, culture, and family-friendly community fun are coming back to Main Street in downtown Putnam. Celebrate the mosaic of diverse local history and culture all season long with a focus on northeastern Connecticut’s mill towns. From 6 to 9 p.m. May 4 downtown Putnam will once again be filled with vendors, performers and thousands of visitors.
Spanning six evenings from May through October, each event will bring something new to see, taste, and experience. New for 2018, each month will kick off with the National Anthem performed by local talents at 6 p.m. sharp; the May First Fridays event will feature a performance by Woodstock Academy students.
May’s event looks at one of the many cultural mosaics that gathered in northeastern Connecticut, the Polish-American Heritage.
The Last Green Valley will host the “Cultural Celebration Station” every month, bringing a variety of valuable information, this month including “The Mill Museum” from Willimantic, and Putnam’s own Aspinock Historical Society.
Live music is back as a feature of the event. Dance the polka with the Eddie Forman Orchestra, playing on the Main Street stage. This award-winning western Massachusetts polka band has been performing all over the USA since 1968. In Union Square, Junkyard Heartstrings offers sweet acoustical sounds.
 May 4 will also feature a variety of gallery events open to the public. Arts & Framing & The Sochor Gallery will host great talent right before your eyes.
The Complex Performing & Creative Arts Centre Youth Ballet Company will perform a Maypole Dance at 6:05 p.m. on the lawn of the Congregational Church of Putnam, and later in the evening, the Complex Theatre Department will offer a performance from their original production “Red” at the main stage. They then welcome you in to tour their studios, located at 135 Main Street.
The Woodstock Academy will bring Shrek to life, as they perform scenes from their upcoming show, and the Quest Martial Arts students “kick” it up a notch, as they show off their skills.
Artique will offer opportunities for artists of all ages to create their own works of art at 75 Main St., too. The Flying Carpet Studio always has plenty to offer, in the Montgomery Ward building at 112 Main St.
Art remains the focus of First Fridays and during each evening of the 2018 season, you can meet an up-and-coming “Featured Artist.” May delivers Nick McKnight, an emerging artist from New London who works in painting, sculpture and neon.
Families attending the festival will be delighted with the Community Arts table, which will feature Polish Cut Paper Art (Wycinanki), where you can create your own colorful paper cuts with all the supplies on hand at the Community Art Table.
For more information on this season of events, visit www.discoverputnam.com/firstfriday.