3 historic sites open for summer tours

GAYLORDSVILLE — Anyone who has been meaning to discover three historic sites within a few miles of each other will want to make plans to visit the northern section of New Milford on a Sunday afternoon this summer. The Merwinsville Hotel, the Little Red Schoolhouse and Brown’s Forge are all open 2 to 4 p.m. each Sunday, through Aug. 26.

The Merwinsville Hotel at 1 Brown’s Forge offers a look back at life during the 1800s, as well as providing a number of items of railroad memorabilia in a small museum on the second floor. This year is the 175th anniversary of the Merwinsville Hotel, which opened for business in 1843, as a meal stop for the Housatonic Railroad.

The hotel continues to undergo restoration. During the past year, the third-floor ballroom has undergone major structural improvements. However, there is always more to do with this structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hosts will assist guests touring the hotel, sharing tidbits of information about its history.

The Little Red Schoolhouse, which was built in 1740 and used until 1967, is located on Gaylord Road. The schoolhouse, which was restored by the town of New Milford in 1998, is on Gaylord Road. It is operated by the Gaylordsville Historical Society.

The Little Red Schoolhouse was the last one-room schoolhouse in operation in the state of Connecticut.

Brown’s Forge, located just beyond the Merwinsville Hotel on Brown’s Forge Road, was built in 1871, and still has the original blacksmithing tools and working forges. It was in operation until 1962. The forge is owned by the Gaylordsville Historical Society.

There is no admission charge to any of the historic sites during the summer tours, but donations are welcome.

The Merwinsville Hotel is a national historic landmark located at 1 Brown’s Forge Road in Gaylordsville, CT, only 15 minutes from Kent, Sherman, New Milford and the Harlem Valley/ Wingdale Railroad Station. For further information, call 860-3504443 or visit www.merwinsvillehotel.org or www.gaylordsville.org.

LARC, TAFA holding golf tournament

TORRINGTON — LARC is pleased to partner with Torrington Area Families for Autism on the third annual “Tee it Up for Autism Charity Tournament”. The charity tournament will be held on Monday, July 23 at Torrington Country Club in Torrington. Registration begins at 11 am and the tournament starts at 12:30 p.m. The tournament’s presenting sponsor is Matco Tools.

The proceeds will benefit Torrington Area Families for Autism, a local support group run by parents who know firsthand what it means to raise a child living with autism. TAFA is a group focused on autism advocacy, awareness and support. The group holds bi-monthly support group meetings and provides families and their children with opportunities for community inclusion and social outings.

“This group offers local parents of children on the autism spectrum a much-needed positive outlet to share experiences, offer advice and support, and learn from one another” said TAFA co-founder and parent Christina Augliera. “This group gives parents a collective voice in the community to advocate for local autism resources for our children, and the ability to bring greater awareness to the community. I firmly believe that creating awareness generates the accountability necessary to bring about positive changes, which is what we hope to accomplish in the Torrington area."

The golf tournament will start at 12:30 pm and will include several contests throughout the 18hole course. A buffet dinner will be served at 6 pm featuring the presentation of raffle prizes and the tournament winners. The fee is $150 per player (including lunch and dinner), or $45 for dinner only. Register at LARC (314 Main Street, Torrington) or online at http://www.litchfieldarc.org/tee-it-up-4-autism.html. For more information, please call Christina Augliera at (860) 7593043.

Records to be destroyed

BURLINGTON — Members of the Lewis S. Mills High School CLASS OF 2010 should be aware that their cumulative folders will be destroyed on or about Aug. 1, 2018. If any members of this class would like to claim their folders, please contact Ms. Berardinelli in the Counseling Department before Aug. 3. Berardinelli may be reached at 860-673-0423 x15311.

TCC, Wireless Zone stores giving away free backpacks

TORRINGTON — Students in Torrington can benefit from a national backpack giveaway, Sunday, July 22, from 1-4 p.m. at nearly 1,000 participating TCC and Wireless Zone stores, which are teaming up to donate 187,000 backpacks full of school supplies to children through TCC’s annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. Since 2013, TCC has donated more than 752,000 backpacks filled with supplies to ensure children are well prepared for the start of the school year.

Participating TCC stores are inviting local families to bring their children to the store to pick up a backpack filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, glue and more.

The local participating TCC store in Torrington is located at 1891 E Main St. Each TCC store is donating up to 220 backpacks, and backpacks are available on a first-come, first-served basis

Dems seek school board member

The Torrington Democratic Town Committee is seeking a person to serve on the Board of Education for a term which ends in December of 2019 and also a person to serve as a Justice of the Peace for a term which ends in January 2021. Any Torrington Democrat who is interested in serving in either position or wishes to find out more about these positions should contact Paul Summers at (860) 626-1485 or Tylar Young at (860) 798-8545 or by email at torringtondems@gmail.com