LIFE

Looking for a challenge this summer? West Hartford’s Teen Fire Academy will be held this coming summer and is open to ages 13 to 17. Five full days will prove to be challenging, opening campers, or cadets, to leadership and teamwork opportunities in firefighting and emergency medical services that could impact a lifetime and set youth toward rewarding career paths.

Simsbury resident “Brynn” Oliver, age 23, diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 5 months turned her world of disability upside down: Athlete. Teacher’s Assistant. College grad.

With a love of singing and comforting others through song, the all-volunteer members of Threshold Choir attend the bedsides of people on the threshold of the end of life – those who are in hospitals or hospice.

Eighty years. With the exception of one year (i.e., Covid) the Simsbury Light Opera Company (SLOCO) has put on a production every year for 80 years with Gilbert & Sullivan operettas as its primary choice of shows.

A labor of love and gift from God—that’s what Priscilla Pedrosa’s new shop, ChoccoDiva Confections, came to be. After 14 months of her husband Jean Sapiain’s renovations, the West Hartford shop opened its doors to the public last May.

When you spot the red Jeep at the intersection of Powder Horn Dr. and Squadron Line Rd. in Simsbury at either 8:30 a.m. or 3:30 p.m., you’ll know Miss Michele is here – Michele Abbott, that is. Her post is just up the hill from Squadron Line Elementary School, where she’s been a crossing guard since 2014.

After its formation one year ago, the Farmington Artists’ Circle (FAC) has become a new home for the town’s creative people of all stripes. Those who live or work in Farmington and Unionville are eligible to be part of the dynamic organization, which consists of artists who produce sculpture, pottery, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting, 2-and 3-dimensional art, jewelry, mixed media, photography, and felting.

Simsbury resident shares10 years’ worth of cross country experiences in newly released book Linda Schofield with her book, Discovering America by RV, in her front yard, on a sunny spring day, only weeks away from her next RV trip to Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa. O’Donnell photo This story was originally published May 23, 2025 By Maria O'Donnell Staff Writer With warm weather underway and summer fast approaching, ‘tis the season for road trips. And nobody knows it better than