Free program on Leavitt houses in Washington

Gunn Museum archives to be read

The public is welcome to hear staff from Gunn Museum in Washington read from the museum's archives Monday at 10 a.m. in the Washington Senior Center,Bryan Memorial Plaza.

In case of snow, the program will be canceled.

"The Three Leavitt Houses and the Leavitt Store," written by Mary Mitchell Turner in 1920, will be the focus of the free program.

Leavitt is a name seldom heard in Washington these days, but Samuel Leavitt's four houses are still standing and have played an important part in the life of Washington.

They include a house on the green, a house now used as the rectory of St. John's Episcopal Church, and the house known as The Corner.

Spaghetti, raffle to benefit fire victims

A spaghetti supper and penny raffle will be held Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Maxx on 29 Railroad St., New Milford, to benefit the Rakowski family, who lost their home, cars and belongings in a Jan. 5 house fire.

The Buckshots will provide live music for dancing.

Tickets are $15, free for children under 12, if purchased in advance at the Department of Public Works, 6 Young's Field Road. Tickets will be $20 the night of the dinner.

For more information or to make a donation for the penny raffle, call Mike Boucher at 203-312-6937.

Animal society

to fill vacancies

The Animal Welfare Society of New Milford will hold a special purpose meeting Feb. 8 to fill the vacancies for vice president and treasurer of the board.

It will be immediately following the regular monthly members' meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Richmond Citizen Center, 40 Main St.

Wine tasting at center for the arts

The Village Center for the Arts in New Milford will host a wine tasting Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at La Piccolina Ristorante on Main Street.

DeGrazia Winery will provide the wine. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance; call the center at 860-354-4318.

Attendees will receive free studio time for their children during the wine tasting. Supplies for art projects will be available to purchase.

Republicans to hold chocolate fest

The Washington Republican Town Committee will sponsor the fifth annual Valentine Chocolate Fest on Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the American Legion Hall, Bryan Memorial Plaza.

Tickets, $5 for adults and $2 for children, entitle guests to fill a plate with a variety of chocolate treats; call Joan Lodsin at 860-868-7715.

Anime, jewelry among programs

New Milford Library's programs in the coming weeks include a speaker Thomas Craughwell, author of "Great Rescues of World War I," Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

A program about jewelry protection with Joe Brandt will be Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m., and a screening of the foreign film "Yes Nurse! No Nurse" is Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.

A presentation of "Freedom, Slavery and the Roots of American Music" with musician and lecturer Ray Kamalay is scheduled for Feb. 21, and a screening of "The Time Traveler's Wife" Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.

Other offerings include a Teen Talk Book Club for students in grades 6 through 12 the fourth Wednesday of each month from 4 to 5 p.m., an Anime and Manga Club for students in grades 6 through 12 the third Wednesday of each month from 4 to 5 p.m., and a Chess Club for kids in kindergarten through grade 12 the second Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m.

For more information or registration for any of the programs, call 860-355-1191.

The library's Young Adult Council for students in grades 6 to 9 will be Feb. 10, March 10, April 14, May 12 and June 9 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Patrons may view an exhibit of photographs by Bill Hughes through Feb. 20.

Other artists interested in exhibiting their work at the library may submit sample works in person or by mail to Valerie Fisher, 24 Main St., New Milford, CT 06776 or e-mailed them to vfisher@biblio.org.

Lastly, the library is offering passes to area attractions and parks, including the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut state parks and forests, Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, an dthe Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass.

Also, the Danbury Rail Museum, the Golden Age of Trucking Museum in Middlebury, the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, the Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Timexpo: The Timex Museum in Waterbury, and the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford.

Valentine's food, wine pairing at Silo

The second annual Valentine's Day Wine and Dinner Pairing will be Feb. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm in the Northville section of New Milford.

Celebrity sommelier Carol A. Berman and Silo Cooking School director Mary Kravec will present the five-course meal with wine. The cost is $90; call 860-355-0300 for reservations.

Lions Club gives to Haitian Relief Fund

The New Milford Lions Club recently donated $500 to the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) for the Haitian Relief Fund.

The Lions Clubs International Foundation is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International. Established in 1968, it is committed to providing humanitarian services to those in need, including disaster relief, saving sight, supporting youth and combating disability.

Each year, LCIF typically awards $2 million in emergency relief funding. LCIF was ranked in a Financial Times study as the No. 1 nongovernmental organization with which to partner.

Roxbury Responds Fund to help Haiti

The Roxbury Responds Fund is accepting tax-deductible donations to help with relief efforts in Haiti.

The fund, set up to receive donations when catastrophes occur, was established immediately following Hurricane Katrina.

Checks for Haiti should be made payable to Roxbury Responds and dropped off at the first selectman's office in Town Hall on Route 67, or mailed to Roxbury Town Hall, Selectman's Office, 29 North St., P.O. Box 203, Roxbury, CT 06783.

Donations will be sent to the American Red Cross, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders.

Environmental task force summit in Kent

The Kent Energy and Environmental Task Force will sponsor a summit, "Enabling Ordinary People to do Extraordinary Things," Feb. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The summit, which will be held at Kent Center School on Judd Avenue, will inform participants about pressing environmental issues and actions to address these problems on a local and personal level.

There will be a keynote address, panel discussions, lunch, and an exposition floor where participants can visit vendors throughout the day.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Mike Green of The Kent School will make the opening remarks. State Rep. Mary Ann Carson, R-108th, and Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-30th, will be among the panelists.

Discussions and workshops will focus on energy, transportation, waste and recycling, land and water use, and food. Each topic will have three workshops.

Selectman Karren Garrity is chairman of the event. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and there will be raffle prizes connected to the five topics.

For more information, visit www.kentedrive.org or e-mail contactus@kentedrive.org.