Event Types: Community

Sergio Villaschi takes an artistic approach to photography, using light, color, and texture to create compelling still life and landscape images. Inspired by the mosaics and frescoes of his native Rome, Sergio’s work blurs the line between traditional photography and fine art, giving each piece a distinct atmosphere and depth. His still life compositions are vibrant and layered, while his landscapes capture a quiet, serene quality.

Through techniques like “light painting” and Intentional Camera Movement, he enhances his images with unique textures and moods. He invites viewers to see familiar subjects in a new way, with each photo offering a refined and thoughtful perspective.

Takeaways from COP29 with Jay Collins

Jay Collins, Vice Chairman of Citi and Adjunct Professor of Sustainability at Georgetown University, will be presenting our Winter Harwood Lecture on Tuesday, December 3rd. Jay will share new insider information on this year’s United Nations climate change conference in Baku that took place November 11th – 22nd. Don’t miss his fascinating perspective on the financials of climate change, and what it will take to overcome the challenges ahead.

Learn more

Finding time to wrap gifts can be challenging as the holiday season approaches. The Gunn Memorial Library has the perfect solution: a festive and fun pre-holiday event to make this task more enjoyable.
Join us for a DIY Gift Wrap Party to create gift bags, monogrammed boxes, gift tags, and other items that will make wrapping quick and easy this year!

Bring your family and friends and enjoy a fun and festive crafting time in the library’s new Makerspace. We’ll have the Cricut cutters ready, along with all the paint, glitter, adhesive vinyl, and other art supplies you’ll need to transform basic paper bags and boxes into beautiful gift wraps. There will be ribbon and yarn to make gift toppers and cardstock for tags, too! All materials will be provided, but attendees are also welcome to bring additional plain paper bags or boxes to decorate.

Don’t miss this opportunity to add joy and community to your holiday preparations! Registration is encouraged.

Sign up today at www.gunnlibrary.org

FREE – For Lower School Families (Pre-K – 5th Grade)

Come out for a fun day on the ice! Our Varsity Hockey Team will be available to assist beginners. Don’t forget to bring helmets and skates. We’ll have hot chocolate and snacks to keep you warm and fueled—perfect for a family day together! Open to both current and prospective families with children ages 3–10.

Falalalalal! Spread some cheer! Join us for snacks and Hot Cocoa at our Annual Caroling and Tree Lighting at The Stone Church. Come one and all!

Rumsey Hall School is excited to open our ice rink to the community for free skating sessions on select dates/times. Bring your friends and family, lace up your skates, and enjoy some time on the ice! Please note that helmets are required for kids.

November 23: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
November 30: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
December 7: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
December 14: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
December 21: 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
December 28: 1:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Judy Black Memorial Park will be hosting a play reading of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens on Sunday, December 8th at 3pm.

This event is free and open to the public.

Finding time to wrap gifts can be challenging as the holiday season approaches. The Gunn Memorial Library has the perfect solution: a festive and fun pre-holiday event to make this task more enjoyable.
Join us for a DIY Gift Wrap Party to create gift bags, monogrammed boxes, gift tags, and other items that will make wrapping quick and easy this year!

Bring your family and friends and enjoy a fun and festive crafting time in the library’s new Makerspace. We’ll have the Cricut cutters ready and all the paint, glitter, adhesive vinyl, and other art supplies you’ll need to transform basic paper bags and boxes into beautiful gift wraps. There will be ribbon and yarn to make gift toppers and cardstock for tags, too! All materials will be provided, but attendees are also welcome to bring additional plain paper bags or boxes to decorate.

Don’t miss this opportunity to add joy and community to your holiday preparations! Registration is encouraged.

Sign up today at www.gunnlibrary.org

Finding time to wrap gifts can be challenging as the holiday season approaches. The Gunn Memorial Library has the perfect solution: a festive and fun pre-holiday event to make this task more enjoyable.
Join us for a DIY Gift Wrap Party to create gift bags, monogrammed boxes, gift tags, and other items that will make wrapping quick and easy this year!

Bring your family and friends and enjoy a fun and festive crafting time in the library’s new Makerspace. We’ll have the Cricut cutters ready and all the paint, glitter, adhesive vinyl, and other art supplies you’ll need to transform basic paper bags and boxes into beautiful gift wraps. There will be ribbon and yarn to make gift toppers and cardstock for tags, too! All materials will be provided, but attendees are also welcome to bring additional plain paper bags or boxes to decorate. Don’t miss this opportunity to add joy and community to your holiday preparations! Registration is encouraged.

Sign up today at www.gunnlibrary.org

Get into the holiday spirit with the Washington Arts Council’s Gingerbread House Decorating Contest! Bring your entry and vote for your favorite in the following categories: beautiful, traditional, unique and creative. Base can not be larger than 24″ x 24″ and entries must be entirely edible.

Drop-off starts at 4:30pm at The Pantry on Friday, December 13th. Good luck!

Can you hear those sleigh bells jingling? That must mean Holiday in the Depot is right around the corner!

We invite the community to join us at The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens for this beloved town-wide celebration on Friday, December 13 beginning at 5:45 pm.

We’ll have fire pits with make-your-own s’mores with National Iron Bank, hot apple cider from Averill Farm and other treats from the Mayflower Inn & Spa. We’ll also have a special holiday photo opportunity, and the Gunn Memorial Library will provide a children’s activity.

Back by popular demand! Personalize a cocoa mug with the Cricut machine! Learn how to cut custom vinyl decals and add your own flair to a blank mug. Grades 6+.

Register here

Crochet Basics | December 14, 12:00-2:00pm

Intrigued by crochet? Want to make a hat, scarf, or amigurumi but not sure where to start? Just looking for a fun and relaxing new hobby? This workshop is for you! Join guest teacher Missy Stevens to learn the basics of crochet, including the fundamental stitches and tips for reading beginner-friendly patterns. You are encouraged to bring your own skein of worsted weight yarn and an H-8 or 5mm crochet hook; supplies may also be borrowed from the Makerspace.

Missy Stevens is a maker and studio artist who uses thread, fabric, and clay to create unique pieces inspired by her connection to the natural world. After learning how to sew as a child, Missy has since explored many forms of textile art including weaving, embroidery, crochet, and the punch needle embroidery technique she uses to create richly colored thread paintings with densely stitched loops of sewing thread. Her work has been shown across the country and has been featured in many books and magazines.

Register here

Rumsey Hall School is excited to open our ice rink to the community for free skating sessions on select dates/times. Bring your friends and family, lace up your skates, and enjoy some time on the ice! Please note that helmets are required for kids.

November 23: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
November 30: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
December 7: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
December 14: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
December 21: 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
December 28: 1:45 pm – 3:45 pm

A Community Science Opportunity

Join Steep Rock Association on a 1 ½-mile winter birding excursion through the diverse habitats of Macricostas Preserve. Your eyes, ears, and enthusiasm are needed to collect data for the nation’s longest-running community science bird project, Audubon’s 125th Christmas Bird Count. Everyone from seasoned ornithologists to first-time birders, individuals to families with children are welcome to participate in this special holiday activity.

Register here

Learn how to use computer coding to create your own patterns for the Makerspace embroidery machines! This user-friendly software makes it easy to create snowflakes, spirals, and other intricate designs with a few blocks of code and a little bit of math- no prior computer programming experience required! This workshop will cover the design stage of the process, and participants can test their designs on the embroidery machines during Makerspace open hours. Ages 18 .

Register here

Join us as we welcome the winter season! The winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. What better way to celebrate than with food, friends, and a firepit?

Learn more

As the solstice approaches, create a beautiful paper luminary to light up the longest night of the year. Learn how to make a battery-operated lantern by layering vellum and intricate paper scenes cut on the Cricut machine. Ages 18+.

Register here

Back by popular demand! Visit the Makerspace to create your very own mug and coaster set! Learn how to cut custom vinyl decals with the Cricut machine, apply them to a blank mug, and make a matching felt coaster with heat transfer vinyl. Ages 18+.

Register here

A Winter Solstice Fundraiser for Connecticut Theatre Exchange

Join us for theatrical entertainment, food, cocktails, and community in support of Connecticut Theatre Exchange.
Tickets start at $75 with special student and volunteer rates. Special guests TBA!

Register here

Rumsey Hall School is excited to open our ice rink to the community for free skating sessions on select dates/times. Bring your friends and family, lace up your skates, and enjoy some time on the ice! Please note that helmets are required for kids.

November 23: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
November 30: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
December 7: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
December 14: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
December 21: 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
December 28: 1:45 pm – 3:45 pm

It’s a morning of coding fun at the Makerspace! Choose your own adventure with a variety of different activity stations to choose from- make music, design art, animate Lego creations and more! Grade 3.

Register here

Need a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Visit the Makerspace and decompress as you create art with watercolors. We’ll provide the painting supplies, calming music, and a video tutorial to follow if you wish. Stop in anytime between 10am and 12pm and stay the whole time or just a bit. Ages 18+.

Register here

Explore the science of snow globes and create your own winter world in the Makerspace! Ages 5+ with a caregiver.

Register here

Rumsey Hall School is excited to open our ice rink to the community for free skating sessions on select dates/times. Bring your friends and family, lace up your skates, and enjoy some time on the ice! Please note that helmets are required for kids.

November 23: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
November 30: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
December 7: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
December 14: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
December 21: 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
December 28: 1:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Sergio Villaschi takes an artistic approach to photography, using light, color, and texture to create compelling still life and landscape images. Inspired by the mosaics and frescoes of his native Rome, Sergio’s work blurs the line between traditional photography and fine art, giving each piece a distinct atmosphere and depth. His still life compositions are vibrant and layered, while his landscapes capture a quiet, serene quality.

Through techniques like “light painting” and Intentional Camera Movement, he enhances his images with unique textures and moods. He invites viewers to see familiar subjects in a new way, with each photo offering a refined and thoughtful perspective.

Washington Friends of Music New Year’s Day Concert & Reception will be held on Wednesday, January 1st at 4:00 pm at the Frederick Gunn School Thomas S. Perakos Arts Center.

A stellar cast of thirteen world-class musicians will be presenting an exquisite concert featuring music of the baroque and the classical eras to ring in the New Year. Following the concert the audience is invited to meet the artists at a jovial party with French bubbly and delectable hors d’oeuvres.

Further information and tickets are available in December on the WFM website, at the Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington, and County Wine & Spirits in New Preston or by phone 860-868-9174. Those interested in classical music are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. The previous WFM New Year’s Day concerts were sold out!