Happy Halloween / Major regional events

Greetings!

Don’t miss the great line up of events and our KTW Halloween message (see Wednesday).

Monday 10/29: REMINDER: DEP Commissioner McCarthy TONIGHT at the Mill in Tariffville.

Unique opportunity to listen and ask questions in a small venue. Come to learn, and see what we can do for the environment, education, and “No Child Left Inside.” www.nochildleftinside.org 6:30 PM doors open for informal socializing, program at 7PM.

Tuesday 10/30: Heidi Green, of 1000 Friends of CT (www.1000friends-ct.org) 7 p.m. at Boy Scout Hall, Simsbury. General topics: smart development, reducing sprawl.

Wednesday 10/31: A special Jack-o-Lantern message from Bill Hildebrandt of the famed Ragtime Ramblers J http://keepthewoods.org/images/KTW-pumpkin.JPG

Thursday 11/1: Farmington River Watershed Association (www.frwa.org) 54^th annual dinner featuring Tim Palmer. Social hour and silent auction bidding at 6 pm, dinner and program at 7 pm. Members $33, Non-member $35, cost at the door $40. Call 658-4442.

Get tickets for event at the Bushnell honoring Simsbury’s conservation history!

Attend the presentation of a staged dramatic reading of a new play, FORCES OF NATURE, commissioned by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (http://www.ctwoodlands.org/ ) at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on November 9th, at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $30 and $45 and available at the Bushnell Box Office (860) 987-5900 or http://www.bushnell.org/.

Forces of Nature explores the relationships among Gifford Pinchot, born in Simsbury, first Chief of the Forest Service and founder of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, and President Theodore Roosevelt. The play focuses on the friendship between Pinchot and Muir and their eventual falling out because of differing beliefs about how best to manage the nation’s open and forest lands. The setting is the dramatic period in the early 20th century when the conservation movement was beginning in the United States, attempting to bring alive the conservation debate that began with the events of this era.

It will be offered to schools and theaters; a study guide and web site are in development to support and promote the educational components of the play. FORCES OF NATURE should prove intriguing and fun for the environmentalist, historian and theater lover. More details at: http://www.ctwoodlands.org/specialevent.html

Finally – congratulations to Simsbury and other towns for "Preservation of Place" grants. The purpose of this program is to provide Connecticut communities with targeted resources to increase their capacity to plan for preservation and revitalization initiatives in their downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

New Milford
Town of New Milford
$9,300.
New Milford's historic village center is an undiscovered gem to many, as three different state highways essentially bypass the district. The New Milford Village Center Signage and Wayfinding Design Project will develop effective signage which will direct travelers on Routes 7, 67 and 202 toward the village center. Secondary goals include development of signage and pedestrian kiosks within the village center that will facilitate wayfinding in the district itself.

Norwich
Rose City Renaissance
$10,000.
The Rose City Renaissance Community Information Center is envisioned as the modern day equivalent of the ancient Greek agora - a central meeting place conducive to the exchange of information, ideas, services and goods - the heart of downtown. The Preservation of Place grant-funded project includes the design, fabrication and initial programming of a display system that will become the center's integral "information kiosk" featuring the heritage, arts, international, business and development communities in downtown Norwich. It will also highlight tourism and main street revitalization information.

Simsbury
Simsbury Main Street Partnership
$6,900.
Simsbury: New England Nearby will be a marketing campaign designed to promote and enhance resident and visitor experiences in Simsbury through the use of cultural, natural and historic assets. The Preservation of Place grant will fund the design and development of heritage tourism materials including: the Scenic Drive, Simsbury Outdoors, Simsbury: New England Nearby Detailed Map (highlighting historic sites and natural assets on one side and Simsbury Center on the other), and the Trail Mix Map (featuring a detailed map of the 26 miles of Farmington Valley Greenway).

Waterbury
Main Street Waterbury
$10,000.
The Maple Mill Arts Center is envisioned as a "first-of-its-kind-in-Waterbury" Arts Center where performance and visual artists will live, work and create in an inspirational environment, attracting visitors and patrons from around the region in a prime location at the gateway of the arts & entertainment district of downtown. The Preservation of Place grant will fund architectural renderings and model, development of a proposal and pro forma to be used for soliciting and procuring necessary financing and funding for the overall renovation, rehabilitation and fit-out of the existing building.

West Haven
City of West Haven
$10,000.
West Haven Downtown Facade and Signage Guidelines. By addressing the continuity of West Haven's downtown commercial buildings, the City will strive to create a positive visual connection and experience in downtown. The goal of the Preservation of Place grant-funded project is the development of comprehensive design guidelines for the historic downtown district and facade and signage specifications for targeted commercial and mixed-use properties in downtown.

Windsor Locks
Town of Windsor Locks
$5,000.
Main Street Area Master Planning Study. The study's goal is to develop strategies for increasing pedestrian activity, enhancing public spaces, reusing vacant or underutilized structures and initiating traffic improvements compatible with a pedestrian environment. The Preservation of Place grant-funded portion of this study will focus on redevelopment strategies for three key sites: Dexter Plaza (an underperforming retail strip mall), the Montgomery Building (a large, vacant mill complex) and the historic railroad station.

Winsted
Friends of Main Street, Winsted
$8,800.
Historic Walking Tour of Downtown Winsted. The results of this project, a self- guided tour that features a full color print brochure; a companion Shoppes & Dining Guide; a docent voice component for mp3 download; and an "armchair tour" to be aired on local cable access TV, will provide residents and visitors with information that will broaden and expand their knowledge of downtown Winsted.

"It is extremely important that each individual realize their responsibility for preserving the environment, make it a part of daily life, create the same attitude in their families, and spread it to the community".

His Holiness the Dalai Lama