Barkhamsted church to celebrate Father’s Day, Juneteenth

BARKHAMSTED — The First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted, 6 Old Town Hall Road off Route 181, invites the community to join with them for worship at 10 a.m., Sunday, June 19. The church will celebrate Father's Day followed by a commemoration of our newest national holiday, Juneteenth. A potluck lunch will follow the service.

Juneteenth (a blend of June and nineteenth) is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. It commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Although President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865, that the enslaved people in Galveston Texas learned that they were free, according to a statement.

Church Moderator, John Lavieri said, “We recognize and appreciate that Juneteenth is part of our history, a day both joyful and sad. We pay our respects by commemorating this new holiday. It is also Father's Day, and we remember all of the fathers who had to see their sons and daughters sold into slavery and the father-soldiers who gave their last measure to set them free.”

Bonnie Boyle, Deacon and member of the Restoration Committee said, “The restoration of the church must be coupled with efforts on our part to restore Christian values to our country. Doing unto others as we would have them do unto us is our most basic tenet. On Juneteenth we will remember the pain that our black brothers and sisters have suffered and vow to do better.”

The First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted invites the public to attend the worship service, special program and potluck. The church phone is not answered daily, so anyone with questions should contact the Rev. Susan Wyman at 860379-7300.

Summertime cookie event benefits LARC

TORRINGTON — A Summer-themed Cookie Decorating event, hosted by LARC's Autism Resource Center, will be held at 1 p.m. June 30, for ages 11-18.

Participants must be accompanied by an adult. Each participant will decorate and take home six cookies. Space is limited. The cost for this class is $10 per participant.

The event is being held at the Autism Resource Center, the Arc of Litchfield County, Inc. (LARC), 314 Main St. Torrington.

Several events are planned for the summer. Stay up to date by visiting www.litchfieldarc. org/larc-autism-resourcecenter.html

Barkhamsted offers paddling classes on Farmington River

BARKHAMSTED — Barkhamsted Recreation and the Farmington River Stewards invite residents to join them for a paddling class, 4-6 p.m. on July 15 or Aug. 12. Have a choice of a kayak or a paddle board from Collinsville Canoe &

Kayak, 41 Bridge St., Collinsville.

Registration for the first paddling class is due by July 6, for the second class, Aug. 3. To sign up, ,go to. https://forms.gle/ gGLyeYt1oEvM84S1A

Kent library to hold adult reading program

KENT — Starting June 22, all adults are invited to read and fill out a bingo card(s) for a chance to win prizes in the Kent Memorial Library's summer adult reading program.

Adults 18 and older can register at the front desk beginning June 22, the same day as the Children's Summer Reading kick-off. They will receive a bingo card, copies of which will be in a binder at the front desk, along with their registration form.

In each square, there is a simple task to complete, related to reading, for example: read a book with a cover you like. Each time they complete rows on the card, they can put a raffle ticket in the jar. They can complete as many bingo cards as they like.

The raffle ticket jar and gift baskets will be at the front desk and the basket will be on display on the DVD shelf. The baskets will be filled with local gourmet/cooking produce and gift certificates from local businesses, including trail mix, nature books, etc. – all related to Kent and the outdoors. There will be three drawings and winning three baskets: Wednesdays, July 13, Aug. 3, and Aug. 22.

Astronomists holding monthly star party

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy Club continues its 2022 Star Party series at White Memorial at 8 p.m. June 24.

The next star party at White Memorial will begin with a talk, "Countdown to the James Webb space telescope".

“In this talk we follow the launch and deployment of the newest, biggest and most advanced Space Telescope ever built during its initial commissioning period,” according to members. “After many delays, the telescope was launched last Christmas day and is now in orbit around the Sun about 1 million miles from Earth. The early calibration images are already amazing. We'll also learn about the types of cosmic observations that it will be making from its location in space.

No prior knowledge of astronomy is required. The program begins in the A B Ceder Room at White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield. Afterwards, weather permitting, there will be planet and star gazing at the observatory.

The club holds regular star parties at White Memorial. Events are free and open to the public. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. For more details, see the club calendar at lhastro.org, the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lhastro or email the club at lhaacsec@gmail.com.