State forest challenge now under way

BARKHAMSTED » The Friends of American Legion and Peoples State Forests (FALPS) announce the latest challenge for the two State Forests located in Barkhamsted. The Eclectic Challenge—which will allow participants to experience our forests in many different ways—began Sept. 1 concludes July 1, 2018.

Elements of the Challenge will include activities such as Improving Forest Resources, which requires participants to volunteer time to work on forest related projects; Natural History Education which asks partakers to attend FALPS sponsored educational programs; Hiking the Trails in the Forests and a hodgepodge of activities such as visiting historic markers/plaques/buildings and/or archaeological sites, biking and river fun.

“Participants will be able to pick and choose what they want to do and accumulate points. A participant must accumulate a total of at least 100 points to successfully complete this exciting event,” said Ralph Scarpino, FALPS’ President. “We will conclude the Eclectic Challenge with awards, t-shirts and a picnic at the FALPS Annual meeting in September 2018. This is a great family opportunity.”

There is a participation fee of $15 per person or $30 per family that is due after completion of the individual challenge has been met. Pre-registration is required and information is available by contacting ctfalps@gmail.com , by mail at FALPS, P.O. Box 1, Pleasant Valley, CT 06063 or at FALPS events.

A reminder, FALPS will hold its Annual Meeting and Volunteer Awards Ceremony and picnic on Sunday, September 17th from 1-3 p.m. at the Matthies Grove Pavilion in Peoples State Forest.

For more information contact Ralph Scarpino at 860921-1756.

Providence Brigade Band to perform in Colebrook

COLEBROOK » A concert by the renowned Providence Brigade Band, presented by the Colebrook Historial Society, will be held Sunday, Sept. 17, 3 p.m. at the Colebrook Congregational Church.

The original Providence Brigade Band was chartered in 1846. It was made up of tradesmen and professional people who were musicians by avocation. Its members included a music professor, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a jeweler. They performed in concerts and parades, dedicated monuments to fallen heroes, and fostered civic pride throughout the region.

Today’s band carries on that rich tradition, performing in the style of early American brass bands. Members dress in military uniforms of the period; they play original music of the time on instruments from the Civil War era. Their programs place special emphasis on the American Civil War, bringing to life this critical chapter of our history through its music. Admission for adults is $10, $5 for children.

The Colebrook Congregational Church is located at the intersection of Routes 182A and 183 in the center of Colebrook. For further information, contact Carol Lord at carol.9508@yahoo.com or 860738-8244.

Author to discuss ‘Walking to Listen’ at OWL

LITCHFIELD » A talk by Andrew Forsthoefel, author of “Walking to Listen: 4,000 Miles Across America,” will be held Thursday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m. at the Oliver Wolcott Library, 160 South St., Litchfield.

“Walking to Listen: 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story at a Time,” is a memoir of one young man’s coming of age on a journey across America, told through the stories of the people of all ages, races, and inclinations he meets along the way.

At 23, Forsthoefel headed out the back door of his home in Pennsylvania, with a backpack, an audio recorder, his copies of Whitman and Rilke, and a sign that read “Walking to Listen.” He had just graduated from Middlebury College and was ready to begin his adult life, but he didn’t know how, so he decided to take a cross-country quest for guidance, one where everyone he met would be his guide.

In the year that followed, he faced an Appalachian winter and a Mojave summer. He met beasts inside: fear, loneliness, doubt. But he also encountered incredible kindness from strangers. Thousands shared their stories with him, sometimes confiding their prejudices too. Often he didn’t know how to respond. How to find unity in diversity? How to stay connected, even as fear works to tear us apart? He listened for answers to these questions, and to the existential questions every human must face, and began to find that the answer might be in listening itself.

A wine and cheese reception will follow the talk. The Hickory Stick Bookshop will provide books for sale and signing.

Space is limited. Registration is required and can be done by calling 860-5678030 or visiting owlibrary.org and clicking on Events/Adult Events.