LIFE

The warm, sunny early evening of June 20 at Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center proved to be the perfect setting for the fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration. The free event and largest of its kind in the Farmington Valley was supported by four local towns that banded together, Avon, Farmington, Granby and Simsbury. The towns were represented by tents set up by their local libraries.

Local police departments once again participated in the Connecticut Law Enforcement Torch run this June. Now in its 40th year, the event involves three days when local officers along 10 different routes – or legs– run through their towns. Those legs ultimately converge for a final run to kick off the Connecticut Special Olympics Summer Games.

America’s birthday at 250 years is also referred to as its semiquincentennial and it has been celebrated across the country, all throughout the year. Valley towns have been busy with multiple activities, from readings of the Declaration, to historical lectures, to plays and reenactments, to grand festivals with fireworks or parades. They have commemorated this historic event in ways as unique as their towns.

Like many area towns, a rained-out Memorial Day parade didn’t prevent Canton officials and residents from taking some time to reflect and ponder.

You have a wok. You love soy and hoisin sauces. Your favorite way to add flavor is with garlic and ginger. But where to go from here?

But while wine, yoga, good food and a little self-care isn’t foreign to the Mountain Mommas, this group has spent the last 30 years taking annual trips that involve rugged outdoor adventures such as backpacking, canoeing and cycling – while also developing unbreakable bonds.

Joe Burcaw and Emily Bevelaqua at Emily's studio in the Collinsville Axe Factory. Joe was in the band Black 47. credit: April Perkins This story was originally posted on Oct. 9, 2025 By Carl Wiser Staff Writer When they met, they bonded over Rush. "We were talking about the time signature of 'Tom Sawyer,'" says Joe Burcaw, the former Black 47 bassist who now lives in Collinsville with his wife Emily Bevelaqua, a music therapist in town. "We were trying to figure out if i

On coaching Nykesha Sales, fighting cancer, and what to order at George's Originally posted on April 29, 2025 By Carl Wiser Staff Writer Brian Hurlock at The Blue House Bagel Co. & Cafe. “I always was a positive person, whether I was coaching or officiating or being in the restaurant.” When I met Brian Hurlock he was refereeing a 4th-grade rec league basketball game between Canton and Burlington. He would high five a kid if he made a good play; when he called a foul, he t