Annual Bethlehem Fair canceled

BETHLEHEM — The Bethlehem Fair, usually held the second weekend in September, has been canceled. Its committee members made the decision based on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the public’s safety.

“As always, our top priority is the safety of our patrons, exhibitors, volunteers, and vendors,” members said in a statement.

Those with questions or concerns can email office@bethlehemfair.org.

Goshen Garden Club announces activities

GOSHEN — The annual Connecticut Flower and Garden Show was held at the Convention Center in Hartford in February. Goshen Garden Club members Laura Dunn, Anne Gustavson, Mary Ellen Kennavane, Johanna Kimball, Janice Martin, Brigitte Michaud, Robert and Catherine Mosey, Josephine Radacchio, Colleen Roller and Martha Soliday attended. Opportunities to learn, seminars, demonstrations, were available to all interested.

Martha Soliday and Brigitte Michaud entered their favorite indoor plants in the horticultural competition. Soliday walked away with 11 ribbons. She earned second place for her gorgeous double bloom white Amaryllis, and Michaud’s moth orchid also received a second place.

The coronavirus necessitated cancellation of the club’s meetings, luncheons and field trips. The club also canceled its annual plant sale for 2020, and will hold it in 2021.

“Carefully practicing social distancing, the club continues to actively serve our Goshen community. Our members, under the leadership of Shirley Pedone, are happily maintaining the beauty of our many town gardens. There are seven of them. We plant, mulch, water, weed and feed them,” members said in a statement. “To both honor and thank all those essential people going to work during the time of quarantine, putting their own lives at risk, two members of the Goshen Garden Club, Joe and Shirley Pedone, crafted and installed the heart on the red barn on Route 4.”

Bank holding webinar on virus, mental health

FALLS VILLAGE/SALISBURY — Salisbury Bank is partnering with Mountainside to offer a free webinar, “COVID-19 and Mental Health.”

COVID-19 and quarantine have impacted individuals’ mental health. Guidance will be given on how to manage stress and uncertainty during this difficult time.

Topics of discussion will include:

The impact that social isolation has on mental health and tips to help you cope; the effect that the loss of work, friends, community, etc. can have on mental health and ways to help you handle this loss; how to tackle the fear and uncertainty of re-opening and what the new “normal” may look like; how to face the unknown; and concludes with a Q&A and guided meditation.

Presenters: Anthony Nave, senior manager, outpatient services, Mountainside. Nave is a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s degree in educational psychology and clinical social work, he designs curriculums for clinical programming, while incorporating interpersonal neurobiology and trauma responsive framework into one-on-one counseling sessions, family sessions, group therapy, and supervision.

Marie Lanier, manager of executive projects, Mountainside, is a licensed clinical social worker and holds a master’s degree in social work with a specialization in substance abuse treatment. She works to facilitate initiatives to enhance company and clinical outcomes and is a firm believer in the client’s innate ability to heal and progress on their life path.

The webinar will be held at 4 p.m., June 8. To register, visit salisburybank.com/zoom, or by contacting Genia Pavlova at 860453-3496, or email at epavlova@salisburybank.com. Type “COVID-19” in the subject line.

Little Britches holding virtual 5K Walk/Run

BRIDGEWATER — Little Britches Therapeutic Riding is holding its annual 5K walk/run in a virtual format, from 8 a.m. June 27 to 8 a.m. June 29.

This event has run for the past seven years in Bridgewater, allowing runners to enjoy a day of racing and fun activities for participants of all ages. Little Britches has decided that this year’s 5K Walk/Run will be a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Registration for this event is available at http://www.lightboxreg.com/little-britches-5k-runand-walk_2020?func=&mobile=0

The first 100 registered participants will receive a registration packet with a race t-shirt and a race bib. We are asking all participants to share pictures from wherever they are walking/running the day of the event and tag Little Britches in social media posts. We also encourage participants to create a fundraising page on https://littlebritchesct.myevent.com/

Founded in 1979 by Peg Sweeney and Betty Lou McColgin, Little Britches aims to change the lives of people with disabilities using the movement of the horse. Our riders have a variety of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder, Downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, dyspraxia, oppositional defiance, visual impairment and auditory impairment. Some riders are wheelchair bound and experience independence for the first time on the backs of our horses. Little Britches provides an opportunity for our students to participate in a sport; they are no longer spectators sitting on the sidelines. They are riders in the center of the ring.

For more information, contact: littlebritchesct@gmail.com or visit https://www.littlebritchesct.org