We are providing a ZOOM class with our wonderful Healthy Stretch & Strength Training instructor, Lorraine. If you are interested in participating via ZOOM for the next couple of months, please call and sign up with the office. We will give you the details at that time. Classes are combined and will touch on both topics. They will be every Wednesday from 2:30 – 3:30 PM. Strength training increases muscle mass and also strengthens your bones, helps with weight management, provides relief from arthritis pain, lowers risk of injury, and improves cardiac health. You will be safely guided, by an ACE certified personal trainer, through a variety of exercise designed to increase muscular strength, range of motion, and flexibility required for everyday living at its best. “As we age our muscles become shorter and lose their elasticity. Aging can affect the structure of our bones and muscles causing pain and decreased range of motion in the shoulders, spine, and hips.” Stretching is an excellent way to help relieve pain, increase flexibility, and increase range of motion to enhance our everyday life. Class is for anyone seeking to achieve the many benefits of stretching.”

Deep Breathing, Aromatherapy, Guided Meditation, and Mindfulness Discussions. This is a great way to start the day and will be offered via ZOOM for the next few months! There are many health benefits to Mediation: Detoxification of body, de-stressing, increased cardiovascular capacity, regulate weight, improved posture, help with anxiety, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure & more! Classes are ongoing—you can join at any time, please call the office to sign up and on instructions to participate.

Time: 12:00 Noon FREE

We will hold a Halloween Bingo via ZOOM on Friday, October 30TH at 12:00 Noon. We will be having a ZOOM Halloween BINGO with prizes! Please call to sign up and we will mail out your Halloween BINGO card and directions on how to play! You will need a computer or smartphone. ANYONE wearing a Halloween costume will get a prize as well! We might be home but we are not alone! Join us for our ZOOM Halloween Party! Again, please call right away with your name and address so we can get you listed for the party and your items mailed out to you! It might not be our regular way to play—but we’ll make a way to play!

OATS- 55+ Outdoor Active Traveling Seniors Group with Groton Senior Center

Monday, October 5th at Bluff Point State Park hike 9:30am. We will walk the main 3.6 mile loop which varies in flat to hilly with wide trails.

Thursday, October 22nd at 10am. Sparkle Lake Conservation Area on Thomas Road. This is a short and easy excursion into nature. A 0.5 mile lightly trafficked loop trail.

Due to COVID19 we are following the proper protocol with hikes:

• Social distancing of 6 feet if not from the same household
• Masks when in closer proximity.
• Not Participation if you have shown symptoms.

Registration is needed for each OATS outing.

RSVP at 860-441-6785 or colsen@groton-ct.gov

These virtual presentations are being shared by AARP, West Hartford Senior Center, Lymes’ Senior Center, New Fairfield Senior Center and Glastonbury Senior Center.

• Vein Health: Vein Centers of Connecticut Presentation Mon., Oct 5^th  12:00p.m.

Presentation will provide information on all aspects of wellness and healthy lifestyle relating to vein diseases. The topics would include, but not be limited to: • Risk factors for vein disease • Diagnosis of vein disease • Treatment of vein disease (including newest technologies, a non- thermal Vena Seal Procedure) • Insurance coverage for treatment.

Pre-registration required by emailing Lisa.hanse@westhartfordct.gov to receive the link.

• Virtual Concert: Airbourne Jazz Trio Wed., Oct 7^th  1:00p.m.

Live Music  by Airbourne Jazz Trio live-streamed from the Chapel at Atria Hamilton Heights.

Pre-registration required by emailing Lisa.hanse@westhartfordct.gov to receive the link.

• Historical Hartford: Hartford’s Department Stores Thurs., Oct 8^th  1:00p.m.

We’ll explore the buildings of Wise-Smith (later Korvettes); the Cheney building (once home of BrownThomson), Sage-Allen, and, of course, the various homes of G. Fox in downtown Hartford.

Pre-registration required by emailing Lisa.hanse@westhartfordct.gov to receive the link.

• New England Vampires & Witchers Sat., Oct 10^th  2:00p.m.

There was a time when vampires and witches roamed the area.  Join Tom D’Agostino who has studied the Paranormal for 38 years.

Pre-registration required by emailing programreg@lymepl.org or call (860) 434-2272.

• From Opera to Broadway: Irving Berlin Sun., Oct 11^th  1:00p.m.

This presentation highlights some of Irving Berlin’s greatest contributions to American music.  It features images of Irving Berlin’s sheet music from the Janice Grower Sheet Music Collection and other Irving Berlin related media from Goodspeed’s Scherer Library of Musical Theatre.

Pre-registration required by emailing Lisa.hanse@westhartfordct.gov to receive the link.

• Quilter’s Workshop Tue., Oct 13^th  10:30a.m.

Sue Pfau will show you how to organize your fabric stash.  Sue Pfau of New York, is a three-time Martingale author and the owner of Sweet Jane’s Quilting & Design, a pattern company.

Pre-registration required by emailing seniorcenter@newfairfield.org or call (203) 312-5665.

• Mondays at Mystic Seaport: Seaport Village Life at 50+ Mon., Oct 19^th  12:00p.m.

What was life like in a seaport village during the last century for folks 50 and older? Join Mystic Seaport Museum’s Director of Historical Interpretation, Erik Ingmundson, to find out on this interactive virtual tour of the museum’s village. .  Presented by AARP.

Email Hilary for the link to register.  hsandberg@cityofnorwich.org

• Stories from the Attic – Election Edition Wed., Oct 21^st  3:00p.m.

A portrait artist’s fateful visit with a President; and so much more history yet to be found.  The search and discovery of these little known nuggets of election history is what Greg Van Antwerp has turned into a series of presentations called “Stories From The Attic”.

Email Hilary for the ZOOM link.  hsandberg@cityofnorwich.org

• Virtual Concert: A Howling Sing-A-Long with Dr. Uke Fri., Oct 30^th  2:00p.m.

A fun virtual musical performance with songs inspired by Fall and Halloween.

Pre-registration required by emailing norma.carey@glastonbury-ct.gov to receive the link.

Time: 2:00pm to 4:00pm

This FREE virtual presentation is provided by a Certified CHOICES Counselor from Senior Resources Agency on Aging.  No insurance will be sold.   Registration Required.

Visit www.seniorresourcesec.org or email Laura Crews at ljcrews@seniorresourcesec.org

Once registered, you’ll receive an email with information on joining the webinar.

Time: 2:00pm to 4:00pm

This FREE virtual presentation is provided by a Certified CHOICES Counselor from Senior Resources Agency on Aging.  No insurance will be sold.   Registration Required.

Visit www.seniorresourcesec.org or email Laura Crews at ljcrews@seniorresourcesec.org

Once registered, you’ll receive an email with information on joining the webinar.

ONLINE GALLERY TALK ~ Florence Griswold Museum

Reckoning with History: Reframing the Impressionist Landscape  

Wed., Oct 7^th  2:00p.m.

How we understand the past shapes the way we view the scenic places celebrated by Lyme Colony artists after 1900.  New research and shifting perspectives shed fresh light on the lived history the painted settings evoke.  The untold stories of Native Americans, African Americans, and European immigrants suggest alternative ways of seeing and framing the Impressionist landscape. The lecture will take place virtually via GoTo Webinar.

Pre-registration required.  https://florencegriswoldmuseum.org/calendar/

ONLINE GALLERY TALK ~ Florence Griswold Museum

Gender and the Impressionist Landscape

Wed., Oct 14^th  11:00a.m.

Join Curator of Fresh Fields: American Impressionist Landscapes exhibition for a discussion of new perspectives on gender and the landscape in American Impressionism.  Professional women artists such as Matilda Browne and Mary Bradish Titcomb will be considered.  Women will also be discussed as a subject depicted in impressionist paintings by men artists such as Willard Metcalf, Will Howe Foote, and George B. Burr as they turned their eyes to family life as inspiration for their work.  The lecture will take place virtually via GoTo Webinar.

Pre-registration required.  https://florencegriswoldmuseum.org/calendar/

ART CHAT with Artist Christine Goldbach

Tue., Oct 27^th  12:00p.m.

Join Mastering the Masters instructor and artist Christine Goldbach for a ZOOM art class dealing with everything from how to hold a pencil to art history. Chris Goldbach will talk about art in all its forms.  This one hour entertaining look into the wild wide world of art will answer your questions and solve your art problems from a-z, abstraction to zinc white!  Enjoy this special approach to art.  Play along with Chris, have your art supplies (any medium) handy and be ready to explore.  All levels welcome.  Offered by Fairfield Bigelow Senior Center.

Email Hilary for the ZOOM link.  hsandberg@cityofnorwich.org

The Last Green Valley is Celebrating 30 years of Walktober!

This year Walktober, along with socially distanced in-person walks, will also be offering a large selection of Virtual Walks and Presentations.  This is a great way to enjoy local history without leaving the comfort of your own home and a great opportunity for individuals who were not able to enjoy Walktober in the past due to walking or health reasons to do so now.

Some of the Virtual Presentations being offered include:

Antient Ghosts of Norwich – This virtual experience will bring you through one of Norwich’s oldest burying grounds where you’ll hear local ghostly legends.

Off-Kilter Tales of Norwichtown – Zack Lamothe, author of Connecticut Lore: Strange Off-Kilter, & Full of Surprises, will host a virtual experience through his home neighborhood of Norwichtown discussing off-kilter stories of its history, hauntings and hidden surprises.

Spaulding Pond Dam Flood – March 6, 1963 marked a major event in Norwich when the Spaulding Pond Dam at Mohegan Park breached.  Freezing water and blocks of ice rushed for miles on a course through neighborhoods ending at Norwich Harbor.  This virtual experience will relive the event which took six lives.

Ye Antient Burial Grounds of Norwich – Join local expert, Dave Oat, on a virtual look at the old Colonial burial grounds in Norwichtown.  Here you will see a variety of hand cut colonial tombstones and discover what they can tell us about early life in Colonial Norwich.

The Norwich Freedom Trail – During the nineteenth century, the City of Norwich was home to a vibrant abolitionist movement.  During this virtual experience, you’ll hear incredible stories about colonial era blacksmith, Guy Drock, who earned his freedom and fugitive slave, shoemaker, minister and author, James L. Smith. This virtual experience will explore a largely untold piece of Norwich’s history in the Jail Hill Historic District.

For links to these and other virtual Walktober programs, visit:

www.TheLastGreenValley.org/Walktober/Virtual  or  www.TheLastGreenValley.org/Walktober/