St. Thomas Church will hold its 27th Annual Holiday Cookie Sale on Saturday, Dec. 16, from 9:30 a.m. until noon.
There will be lots of homemade cookies to choose from. The church is located at 95 Greenwood Ave.
Bethel
Two earn Eagle Scout rank
Scouts BSA Troop 54 members Konotey Sackey and Griffin Evans were recently awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, the top rank in scouting.
Sackey is a freshman at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. For his Eagle project, he led a team of Scouts, family and friends in repairing and painting two outbuildings at the Stony Hill Preserve to make the property more appealing.
Evans is a freshman at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. He led a team of his fellow Scouts in creating, painting and installing a patriotic flag retirement receptacle at the Bethel American Legion Post 100 for his Eagle project.
A joint Eagle Court of Honor to celebrate their achievement will be planned.
Scouts BSA provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be prepared for life.
The troop meets on Mondays from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at 67-69 Stony Hill Road in Bethel. The troop welcomes boys in grades 6 to 12 to join. Contact Roger Eberlin at scoutmaster@troop54bethel.com for more information.
Danbury
Christmas Concert set at King Street church
King Street United Church of Christ is hosting its Christmas Concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17.
The concert, held at 201 S. King St., features the church’s choirs, soloists and guests, including the United Methodist Church Bell Choir. Admission is free.
Danbury
Brass Band to perform Christmas concert
The Danbury Brass Band will present a Christmas concert on Sunday, Dec. 17, from 2 to 3:15 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
The concert, at 18 Clapboard Ridge Road, will be free to the public.
The program will feature special brass arrangements of music by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Berlioz, Ravel, Richard Strauss, Percy Faith and Ian Anderson. There will be several premieres as well as a “Name That (Christmas) Tune” audience participation for prizes.
Soloists will include Jed Orosz, Kim Bonsanti, John Beers and Charlie Mann. Musical arrangements will be by Alan Raph, Joseph Stamboni, Ernie Adams and Bob Scillitoe.
This concert is sponsored by the Danbury Cultural Commission and the Connecticut Brass Society. For more information, call 203-746-4222
Danbury
Leo Club wins Excellence Award
The Leo Club at Abbott Technical High School in Danbury received a Leo Club Excellence Award from Lions Club International for 2022-23.
The award is given to a club that has shown membership growth, participated in many service projects, contributed funds to Lions Club International Foundation, consistently reported its activity and provided leadership training to its officers. The club received international recognition and a patch for its club banner.
Immediate Past District Governor Melissa Smith presented the award at the club’s Nov. 16 meeting.
Danbury
Students to perform Christmas Concert
Immaculate High School invites the community to get in the spirit at its annual concert on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 4 p.m. in the Bobby Plumb Memorial Gymnasium.
The event, “The Merriest of Seasons,” will feature the IHS band, guitar ensemble, piano, Inspire Choir, Junior Inspire Choir and senior soloists. Campus Ministry students will narrate the nativity story.
The school’s art classes created the backdrop for the concert and its graphic arts classes designed the event’s marketing posters. Santa will make an appearance, too.
Enjoy light refreshments following the concert. Admission is free and all are welcome. The school is located at 73 Southern Boulevard in Danbury.
Danbury
Danbury Music Centre presents annual holiday show
The Danbury Concert Chorus and members of the Danbury Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of John Cuk, will perform Handel’s “Messiah” on Sunday, Dec. 17, 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Danbury.
Since 1956, Danbury Music Centre has presented Handel’s “Messiah” for the greater Danbury community. All are invited to attend
The performance will feature soloists Lisa Williamson, soprano; Amy Maude Helfer, mezzo; Daniel Kamalic, tenor; and Christopher Grundy, bass.
Admission is free, though donations will be accepted at the door.
New Milford
Carol Sing precedes Parade of Lights
The New Milford Commission on the Arts will hold the 46th annual Carol Sing on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the bandstand on the New Milford Green.
The singing is led by Missy Hanlon and students from the TheatreWorks Kids program, accompanied by pianist Ann Quackenbos. If attendees need help with the words, song books are available. Battery-operated luminary candles will add to the festive atmosphere. Free hot cocoa, compliments of Dunkin Donuts, will be offered to all carolers.
The annual Parade of Lights immediately follows the Carol Sing at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by Water Witch Hose Company No. 2, the parade features decorated fire trucks and other vehicles traveling around the Green with music and sirens blaring.
Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather. The Carol Sing is held weather permitting.
New Milford
Hats, mittens and scarves needed
Again, this holiday season, the Christmas tree in the front entry of New Milford Town Hall will be decorated with care and support from the community. Mayor Pete Bass asked that the tree be decorated with hats, mittens and scarves. In addition to store bought items, local knitters and crocheters donate their hand-made creations.
The hats, scarves and mittens, will then be brought to the New Milford Social Services Office to be distributed to families in need during the upcoming cold months of winter. Hats, scarves and mittens can be dropped off at the Mayor’s Office during business hours.
In addition, the mayor’s office is accepting check or cash donations for the Community Fuel Bank of New Milford and checks/cash or non-perishable food items for the New Milford Food Bank. Checks can be made out to the Community Fuel Bank of New Milford and the New Milford Food Bank respectively. These can also be dropped off at the mayor’s office during business hours.
Redding
Resident wins first Heart of the Community Award
Meadow Ridge, a continuing care retirement community in Redding, honored Nancy Pelz-Paget with its first-ever Heart of the Community Award.
In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, the award recognizes Pelz-Paget for a lifetime of community service and leadership.
Pelz-Paget is active within Meadow Ridge and the Redding community, serving as a founder and director of Enhancing Redding’s Future and dedicating time and resources to the Mark Twain Library. She helped establish the Redding Sentinel, the weekly publication dedicated to covering town news, and supports the BeFoundation, which seeks to improve educational outcomes in Connecticut.
Within Meadow Ridge, Pelz-Paget serves on several committees, including the resident board, the health committee, the grounds committee and the activities committee. She has spearheaded a number of efforts to help educate and empower residents in making healthcare decisions. Professionally, she worked in education and public policy holding leadership roles in public television and at the Aspen Institute.
Meadow Ridge, managed by Benchmark Senior Living, created the Heart of the Community Award to recognize the important role philanthropy plays in enriching lives and to showcase the impact one person can have, especially in their retirement years.
Ridgefield
Holiday Boutique features local wares
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s annual Holiday Boutique in the Barn features a wide array of carefully crafted wares by local artisans.
The boutique, located in Keeler Tavern’s historic red carriage barn, is open Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 17.
The Holiday Boutique is a longstanding tradition at Keeler Tavern. This year, its dedicated volunteer committee curated a beautiful new selection of wares. In addition to sourcing popular items from specialty vendors, the boutique also showcases the talents of more local artisans than ever before.
For more information, visit www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events.
Ridgefield
Alzheimer’s Support Group available
Ridgefield Station Senior Living will hold “Hearts, Hugs & Hope: An Alzheimer’s Support Group” at 4 p.m. Dec. 13 at 55 Old Quarry Road.
Dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia isn’t easy, so it can be helpful to share your concerns and personal experiences with others who completely understand what you’re going through. Attendees will also learn about proven strategies to help them better care for their family member.
Call 203-403-0990 or email Director of Compass Programming Hugh Salazar at hsalazar@ridgefieldslr.com for more information and to RSVP.
Ridgefield
St. Stephen’s to host Carols by Candlelight
St. Stephen’s Church will present Carols by Candlelight on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary at 353 Main St.
Leading the concert will be Derrick Goff, minister of music at the church. He previously was minister of music at St. Thomas Church, Whitemarsh, in suburban Philadelphia. He is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, is on the Met’s music staff and serves on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.
He holds degrees in organ and voice from Westminster Choir College.
For more information, contact Derrick Goff at music@saintstephens-ridgefield.org.
Southbury
Wreaths Across America to stop in town
Wreaths Across America will stop in Southbury on Dec. 12 while en route to Arlington National Cemetery.
With the help of thousands of volunteers, Wreaths Across America works to fulfill its mission to “remember, honor and teach” through the annual laying of wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and at more than 4,000 locations across the country.
The wreaths’ journey to Arlington begins in Harrington, Maine, on Sunday, Dec. 10. It has become a tradition, allowing locals along the route to share in the emotional and educational experience as the WAA convoy passes through their hometowns.
On Dec. 12, the parade of wreaths will travel from a stop in Groton to Southbury, where there will be a community remembrance ceremony at 9 a.m. at the Southbury Veterans Memorial Park, between Town Hall and the Senior Center.
The convoy and its escorts will be welcomed to Southbury by local dignitaries and first responders, as well as local members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. The ceremony will be hosted by American Legion Post 147.
This year, the escort to Arlington will consist of over 50 vehicles, including tractor-trailer trucks, SUVs and escort vehicles with about 53 volunteers, including Morrill and Karen Worcester, Wreaths Across America’s founder and executive director, respectively; American Gold Star families; active and retired military members; and Patriot Guard Riders.
The stop in Southbury is one of 12 visits to schools, veterans’ homes, monuments and communities along the East Coast that the convoy will make during its weeklong voyage from Maine to Arlington, Va.
On Saturday, Dec. 16, the convoy will be met in Arlington by thousands of volunteers who will place wreaths for the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of our country, ensuring no one is forgotten.
Follow Wreaths Across America on Facebook at http://Facebook.com/WAAHQ.
