‘Murder is a Family Business’ is fundraiser School to hold theater fundraiser

TORRINGTON >> St. Peter/St. Francis School is presenting Murder is a Family Business, a mystery night of dinner and comedy and a fundraiser for the school, on Saturday, April 29.

The event will be held at Chatterley’s Banquet Facility, 371 Pinewoods Road in Torrington. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will start at 7 p.m.

Aspen Dream Productions will present this award-winning comedy. Serving as the longest running dinner show in Connecticut, sold-out audiences have been left laughing throughout the entire production for the past 20 years.

The show is an interactive experience, where the audience becomes involved with mystery unfolding around them.

Tickets are $50; to purchase, call Kristen Harmon at 860387-3183.

Casino trips scheduled

TORRINGTON >> The Torrington Parks and Recreation Department will lead its monthly trips to the casinos beginning in this month.

Trips are $25 per person, per trip.

The bus leaves from the Torrington Plaza (Staples Plaza near 99 Restaurant) at 8 a.m. and returns at 6 p.m.

Sign up early, as seats fill quickly.

Trip dates for Mohegan Sun are April 17, June 19, Aug. 21 and Oct. 16. A trip to Foxwoods Resort Casino is Sept. 18.

For information, call 860489-2274.

Colebrook Fair vendors wanted

The Colebrook Fair Committee is seeking vendors to participate in the 73rd Annual Colebrook Fair to be held Saturday, Sept. 2 at the Colebrook Center. A 10’ x 12’ space is available for $25 if paid by Aug. 1. For more information, visit www.colebrookfair.weebly.com, email tocfair@gmail.com or call 860379-3359 x 213.

Painting club to hold seminar

NEW HARTFORD >> Shades of Northwest Hills Decorative Painting Club will hold a painting seminar on Saturday, May 13, from 9 to 4 at the South End Firehouse on Antolini Road in New Hartford. Guest artist, Janice Cormier, will be teaching “A Clear Spring Night”, a 12 inch round design on a wooden board with a beveled edge suitable for hanging or display on a table stand.

Janice has been teaching decorative painting for about 28 years. She has taken classes with many internationally known artists. For 15 years she owned a retail shop, Country Schoolhouse, in Enfield. After closing the shop she came “home” to a studio so she could continue to teach and do some designing. She loves to share her knowledge with other painters.

The cost is $30 for members and $35 for guests, which includes the surface, pattern, and paints. Bring a lunch as snacks will be provided. The last day to sign up is April 14.

A photo of the project and additional information can be found at https://www.facebook. com/pages/Shades-of-Northwest-Hills/328349210522724 . Interested painters can contact Mary at 860-482-7416.

Garden association conference set in Hartford

HARTFORD >> Community garden enthusiasts from Connecticut and across the country will be meeting in Hartford, July 27 – 30, for the 38th Annual Conference of the American Community Garden Association (ACGA). The ACGA is committed to building strong communities and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada. The conference will be held at Capital Community College in Hartford.

According to Betsy Johnson, conference coordinator, “Connecticut and the rest of the Northeast have some of the oldest and most vibrant community garden and urban agriculture programs in the country. And we are delighted to be here in Hartford sharing ideas with KNOX, Hartford’s community garden organization, which was one of the original founders of the ACGA in 1979.”

The keynote speaker is Mark Winne, formerly Executive Director of the Hartford Food System, a private non-profit agency that works on food and hunger issues in Hartford. He was also a founder of the Connecticut Food Policy Council. Currently. Winne currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Food Policy Networks Project at the John Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future. Friday night will feature short films on related topics at Hartford’s City Steam, and Saturday evening, a gala event and silent auction will be held in the Gershon Fox Ballroom in the former G. Fox building. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the entire conference or single activities. For ACGA conference information and registration, please call 877-ASK-ACGA or visit www.communitygarden.org/conference. ACGA’s Hartford Conference is sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation.