BEST IN SHOW
Observing Another Today Anniversary
• Bart Deckert — the father of Today editor-in-chief Bruce Deckert — died at age 52 in June 1991, and if he were alive today he would have turned 86 this month — his brother Gary, three years younger and Bruce’s favorite uncle, died on November 1 as thi s edition was under construction
• Bart had lifelong issues with the church, yet his favorite biblical passage from Isaiah 40 features a distinctive eagle reference — “Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”
LOOKING UP, HOPING AND SOARING
• A bald eagle soars over Sebago Lake in southern Maine
• This magnificent image has served as the cover-story photo for two features about Canton photographer Wendy Rosenberg — one in the February 2019 edition of Canton Today Magazine, and one in the July 2020 edition of Today Magazine
• Wendy and her husband Jeffrey moved from West Hartford to Canton in 2002 — since January 2019 she has been the featured contributing photographer for Today Publishing, focusing on wildlife
• Ann (Deckert) Baker, Bruce’s mother, had a strong faith in God and was a loyal church attender for her entire life — she died at 72 years of age in August 2009 — This edition is dedicated to Gary and Jean Deckert as well as Bruce’s Mom and Dad
Photo by Wendy Rosenberg
4 — Best In Show
Award-winning artist Jim DeCesare and his wife Kelly built a studio of dreams next to their Collinsville home — a family labor of love
11 — Milestone Moments
A signature hardware store commemorates 135 years — and more milestone biz news
15 — Playing House
Playhouse 44 is the newest member of the family vis-à-vis theater in the Farmington Valley
17 — Flood Lessons
When biblical-level flooding destroyed Vermont homes, local churches showed that hope floats
“ The relationship between artist and educator is truly symbiotic — art-making feeds the passion in the classroom ” — Jim DeCesare
Today Anniversary: Part 2
TO CELEBRATE the sixth anniversary of Today Publishing, our debut cover story on Canton artist Jim DeCesare is being republished in this November edition. July 2024 was the fifth anniversary of the rebranded Today Magazine, and our August edition celebrated that milestone. October 2024 was the sixth anniversary of the Today Publishing media outlet — Canton Today, a predecessor of Today Magazine, launched in October 2018 as a print-and-digital monthly that covered Canton exclusively. In April 2019, Today Publishing expanded to also cover Avon and Simsbury via three town publications — Avon Today, Canton Today and Simsbury Today magazines.
In July 2019, a rebrand established Today Magazine. Today Publishing officially began in January 2018 when I established BWD Publishing LLC — Today Magazine and Today Online are produced by Today Publishing, the DBA name (doing business as) of BWD Publishing … BWD
5 — years to complete dream studio
COVER STORY KUDOS
Our October cover story features the amazing legacy of former governor George McLean — CLICK HERE
THE COVER STORY on George McLean is impressive and so thoughtfully written. Wonderful work!
— Will McLean Greeley • Author A Connecticut Yankee Goes to Washington: Senator George P. McLean, Birdman of the Senate
THANK YOU for the story about my artwork and career. What a beautiful job ... I so appreciate the opportunity. — Heather van Frankenhuyzen • Simsbury
Our September cover features Alyssa Naeher and her Olympic soccer success — CLICK HERE
YOU DID A NICE JOB with the story about Alyssa Naeher and captured the key important themes (in my view) with clarity and verve. Your choice of illustrations really adds some punch to this, and I’m grateful for all the effort you put into creating such a sweet article. Of course I’m biased, as Alyssa’s uncle, but it really is a special piece. Thank you.
— Dr. Robert Naeher • Winsted • Avon Old Farms School
FIRST off, the September issue is outstanding. It’s hard to find this type of story and journalism in any publication (certainly in CT) anymore, and to connect it to the Farmington Valley is extra special. Secondly, despite being digital only, Today Magazine is far and away superior to so many other “publications” (in print) that I receive. It’s the concept, content and local interest perspective that NO other magazine or newspaper in central Connecticut offers. Thank you. Keep it coming. — anonymous Farmington Valley resident
Today Magazine • Community News That Matters Nationwide
Bruce William Deckert — Publisher + Editor-in-Chief
860-988-1910 — Bruce.Deckert@TodayPublishing.net www.TodayPublishing.net • Award-Winning Recording Connecticut’s Underreported Upside
Follow Today Magazine CT on social media >
Editorial Associate — Kayla Tyson
Contributing Photographer — Wendy Rosenberg
Covering the Heart of the Farmington Valley and Beyond Five Towns • One Aim — Exceptional Community Journalism • Avon • Canton • Farmington • Granby • Simsbury •
ODALYS BEKANICH
Associate Broker
Five Star Professional Award-Winning Real Estate Agent
860-965-3652 • CELL
860-676-1200 • OFFICE
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290 West Main Street Avon, CT 06001
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Dream StudioHelps Artist FulfillLife Calling
By Bruce Deckert Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief
This article was the cover story when Canton Today Magazine debuted in October 2018, and is just as relevant today — as you read, keep in mind that the facts documented here were checked and vetted through that time frame only — Today Magazine contacted Jim DeCesare for a career update via website messages and voicemails but hasn’t seen a reply
COLLINSVILLE AND THE ARTS go hand in hand — like Hartford and insurance, like Walden Pond and Thoreau, like New England and the Patriots.
Sure, someone could quibble with the precise accuracy of these comparisons, but you get the point: The arts are an essential part of Canton’s ethos and history.
Jim DeCesare is one of the gifted artists who carries the creative baton in Canton today.
“This community clearly embraces the arts,” he says, “with well-attended local festivals and
“It is important for the artist educator to demonstrate the vulnerability, struggle, process and perseverance necessary to succeed”
—Jim DeCesare
activities. The Canton Artists Guild, at the Gallery on the Green, is a wonderful local arts organization. I have participated in exhibitions for my work, as well as for my teen students. I appreciate and support the broad breadth of arts-related groups, galleries and artisans in Collinsville and throughout Canton.”
A resident of Collinsville since 2004, DeCesare (pronounced De-CHEZ-a-ray) has garnered a cornucopia of honors. His work has been included in juried exhibitions at the New Britain Museum of American Art, the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts and the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists. His oil paintings have been featured at Syracuse University, the Barnes-Franklin Gallery at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, the Silpe Gallery at the University of Hartford, and other exhibition venues.
Since 2006, DeCesare has been an adjunct professor of painting and drawing at Tunxis
Artist and teacher Jim DeCesare paints in his Collinsville studio — his students have gone to many prominent art schools
Photos by Connecticut Headshots •
connecticutheadshots.com • info@connecticutheadshots.com COVER STORY
SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS
Community College. Since 2008, he has served as an art teacher at The Master’s School, a private school for nursery through grade 12 in West Simsbury, where he is the head of the visual and performing arts department.
“The relationship between artist and educator is truly symbiotic,” says DeCesare, who was born and raised in Laconia, N.H., and graduated from Laconia High School. “Art-making feeds the passion in the classroom. While tech-savvy students are increasingly accustomed to quick access of digital tutorials, they have become increasingly captivated by live demonstrations, lively instruction and personal critique.”
In addition to his on-campus teaching, DeCesare regularly mentors teens at his studio in Collinsville, helping them develop scholarshiplevel art portfolios.
“I am relevant in the classroom when I am living out the disciplines I teach,” affirms DeCesare, who is primarily an oil painter, utilizing traditional studio methods and various mediums such as charcoal, pastel and watercolor. “It is important for the artist educator to demonstrate the vulnerability, struggle, process and perseverance necessary to succeed.”
DeCesare’s eclectic experience as a teacher
THE DECESARE FAMILY — Parents Kelly and Jim with (from left) Annie Rose, Luca and Madeline
Quick Questions for Jim DeCesare
Your three favorite artists
Very hard to choose only three!
Joaquin Sorolla • Anders Zorn • Ilya Repin
Your favorite book/story as a child
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Your favorite TV show as a child
The Muppet Show
Your favorite book as an adult
The Art Spirit — by Robert Henri
Your favorite TV show as an adult
Shark Tank
Your favorite restaurant/eatery in Canton
Giv Coffee • Joe’s Pizza
Other favorite businesses in town
Larsen Ace Hardware • Benidorm Bikes
Websites
DeCesare School of Drawing and Painting www.decesarestudio.com
Jim DeCesare Fine Portrait Painting www.jimdecesare.com
“Jim is a visionary and can think outside of the box — he is the most amazing problemsolver I have ever known”
— Kelly DeCesare
SEND NEWS — newsroom@cantontodaymag.com AD INFO — 860-988-1910 — advertising@cantontodaymag.com
PATIENT-CENTERED CARE ALWAYS OUR TOP
PRIORITY
has included the following roles: figure drawing instructor at the New Britain Museum of American Art, adjunct instructor of painting at the Hartford Art School, and portrait painting instructor at the West Hartford Art League.
Plus, he has given myriad lectures and demonstra-tions, speaking to students and faculty at various Connecticut colleges on the topic of “Creativity in the Digital Age” — including the University of New Haven, Middlesex Community College and Tunxis Community College.
On a shelf in DeCesare’s art studio is a notebook. Not just any notebook, but a book of dreams ... dreams that have largely become reality. This noteworthy notebook is filled with drawings, designs and written plans that date back to the early 2000s — plans for an art studio that would support his calling. The notebook contained “a vision for what I wanted to do with my life,” says DeCesare, who lived in Hartford at the time. “I just had to get over the hump of daring to dream against conventional wisdom.”
DeCesare’s early drawings of the studio he envisioned are a remarkable near-facsimile of the studio adjacent to his home in Collinsville today.
“Our studio construction was, perhaps, the most significant creative endeavor my wife Kelly and I have been a part of, aside from raising three young children,” DeCesare says.
Kelly and Jim met in 2000 at an art show — naturally — that he was curating in Hartford for a mutual friend. They were married in 2004 and moved to Collinsville the same year.
“We had both lived in downtown Hartford,” he says, “and we fell in love with this quaint, historic town.”
Once they found a house with a suitable property, they made the studio a priority together.
“After years of painstaking design and labor, we created the most ideal space for art-making we could dream of,” says Jim, who has earned three degrees with highest honors at Syracuse University (master of arts) and the Hartford Art School (master of fine arts, bachelor of fine arts). “The space is an extension of our home. We are blessed to have realized this dream, and we enjoy using the studio to serve students and our community.”
From groundbreaking to completion took about five years, roughly from 2005 to 2010, as he recalls. During that time frame, Canton celebrated its bicentennial — the town was established in 1806. “We worked in phases, hiring help when we could but doing much of the work ourselves,” Jim says.
Artistic Partnership
DeCesare Studio of Drawing and Painting, a portraitpainting studio and private fine arts school, is intended expressly for the creation and exhibition of traditional studio art and for instruction in such art. The historically inspired design, expansive space, large wall of north-facing windows, sizable art library, and vintage studio easels and furniture “offer a truly unique experience,” Jim says.
With a ceiling that soars and peaks at about three stories high, the studio manifests a museum feel while also being comfortable and home-like. Large-scale paintings adorn the welcoming walls, and works-in-progress rest on easels like
beach-goers on sand chairs awaiting the next rise of the tide.
After designing the building, Jim acted as the general contractor for the project. He hired contractors to pour the foundation and frame the structure, but he installed insulation, drywall, windows and doors, and he excavated for the electric, water and sewer lines. Jim learned the construction trades from his father, who was a home builder.
Oh, in case you’re wondering — yes, he painted the studio, both the interior and exterior.
The array of paintings displayed throughout this studio of dreams indicates that Jim has put the space to good use.
“Over the years,” he observes, “I have been developing a substantial body of large-scale oil paintings and drawings that express a sense of place, and that reflect a love of home, family and faith.”
Kelly has partnered with her husband in a commitment to the arts since the beginning of their relationship.
“I have always appreciated and enjoyed the world of art,” she says. “We met at an art show, and it was an incredible part of who he was that attracted me to him the first moment we met. Early on in our marriage, I took some of his art classes, workshops and demonstrations in the role of student to see what that experience was like and to learn about him as an artist and educator from a different, firsthand perspective. He truly can teach anyone to draw — even me!”
Born and raised in Avon, Kelly has a wide-ranging résumé, including experience as an English teacher at Windsor High School, a literacy teacher at Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford, an adult ministry assistant at Valley Community Baptist Church in Avon, and a developmental reading and writing adjunct instructor at Capitol Community College in Hartford and Tunxis Community College.
Further, she has worked as a freelance writer and editor for various publications and organizations, including the Hartford Courant, Preservation Magazine and the University of Hartford.
“As a writer, I am sensitive to nuance and detail and how these pieces affect and construct a larger context and story,”
Kelly says. “It is how I see and respond to the world around me.” She notes that Jim is similar in the way he approaches
DAD TACKLE — The DeCesare children apparently are playing a new game: Tackle The Artist — speaking of games, Jim played baseball in high school, starring as a pitcher
his artwork and creative vision: “This helps us to really listen to and understand one another’s hearts and discern what God’s direction may be in whatever is in front of him or me or us,” she observes.
“It helps us communicate about a particular painting he might be working on, a lesson he might be doing in the classroom, a vision one of us might have for our home or work or community, or all those moments in raising our three amazing children.”
Jim and Kelly have two daughters — second-grader Annie Rose (7 years old) and early-kindergartner Madeline (5) — who both attend The Master’s School, where Jim teaches high school students. Their son, Luca, is 3 years old.
“Jim is a visionary and can think outside of the box,” says Kelly, who graduated from Avon High School. “He is the most amazing problem-solver I have ever known.”
Case in point: Kelly says the 100-year-old barn adjacent to their Collinsville home needed new front posts because of rot issues.
“How would one man ever lift up a huge, 100-year-old barn?” she asks — rhetorically. “Jim’s solution was to saw through the bottom of the rotted post, jack up the barn with a car-jack, attach a new piece to the bottom of the post, and bring it back down.”
Kelly recalls a winter break when Jim wasn’t able to paint because their children needed attention that week. Instead of going into the studio, he utilized his imagination via innovative Lego constructions with his kids.
“I
am relevant in the classroom when I am living out the disciplines I teach”
— Jim DeCesare
“Direct Access to Your Health”
“I love how his passion for art-making and creativity infuses our home and family with unique opportunities in the yard and in our home,” says Kelly, who has a master of fine arts from Goucher College in Baltimore and a bachelor of arts from Central Connecticut State University.
Kelly says she wouldn’t want to share “this wild life journey” with anyone else. For the record, Jim says the feeling is mutual.
Reflecting on the studio and his work as a painter and teacher, Jim says, “It’s a family thing — without my family and my faith, I have nothing.”
Regarding that faith, Jim and Kelly believe in a Creator who is the source of human creativity.
While theirs is a traditional Christian worldview, for Jim and Kelly the implication of such a faith isn’t merely traditional — rather, it has a far-reaching impact that permeates the arts and all of life. The DeCesare family attends Valley Simsbury, a small church community affiliated with Valley Community Baptist Church of Avon.
Appreciation for Canton Connection
The Canton community plays a pivotal role in the life of the DeCesare family. A deep appreciation for the town comes through distinctly.
“We enjoy our neighbors, our library, the liveliness and enthusiasm for this community,” Jim says. “We can think of no greater community to raise our family. We especially love the Farmington River.”
The family’s home in Collinsville provides close proximity to the river, which “helps our family build a genuine connection to nature and beauty,” he says.
“Every adventure with our kids riding the bike trail or paddling the canoe is a new experience — from seeing bald eagles, great blue herons and egrets fishing, to beavers building dams and trout swimming in the clear water,” Jim says. “I enjoy the freedom, the peace and simplicity the river and this community provide.”
Jim was telling a recent visitor about how often his family has seen bald eagles while on the river, but this was met with a certain skepticism. Part of the itinerary with this visitor was a canoe trip. Soon after they were out on the river — you guessed it — a bald eagle swooped within 10 feet of their heads as they paddled.
Brief history of the arts in Canton
By David K. Leff — Canton Town Historian
CANTON HAS LONG HAD a creative edge. Creativity is the genius loci — or spirit — of this place.
For over a century it was expressed in metalwork, by the inventive design and fabrication of tools produced by Collins Company craftsmen. After the company closed in 1966, great spaces and low rents in the old mill buildings attracted artists, among them the Factory Five painters.
They led the way for many others — glass blowers, sculptors, jewelers, painters and woodworkers. Elsewhere in town, gifted artists established the Gallery on the Green, which opened in 1960 and is home to the Canton Artists Guild, the longest-running such organization in the state.
Drama has been part of the arts scene for 100plus years, and from the middle of the 20th century we’ve enjoyed the Canton Show Shop, Canton Benefits Productions, Acts Factory Players and Farmington Valley Stage Company.
Since the late 19th century, Canton has been home to bands, including Simonds Military Band and the Farmington Valley Band. World-class classical music is offered by the Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Arts Fund; local pubs have long featured a wide range of highly talented local musicians; and Bridge Street Live draws performers from around the country. Canton has also attracted writers, galleries and creative arts organizations.
What is it about this small town that generates such artistry? Perhaps it’s in the water or the air. Regardless, we are blessed to be in a place that inspires creative people. +
Jim didn’t say “I told you so” — but yes, he felt a certain vindication. His love of the Farmington River has inspired a series of large paintings he has been working on for several years that is nearly ready to be exhibited.
Kelly, meanwhile, values a both/and that she sees in the fabric of Canton.
“What I enjoy most about living in artistic Canton,” she offers, “is a unique duality of casual, small-town community with vibrant innovation and growth.”
She likewise relishes the recreation available on the Farmington River and the Farmington River Trail in Collinsville, noting that these pursuits build community and bring neighbors together.
“I am proud to raise my children in this town,” she says. “I am appreciating a growth of diversity in town and hope that diversity will only continue to grow.”
Regarding the importance of the arts in a community, Jim says, “The arts matter! All towns, municipalities and especially school districts can take a more objective look at the value and benefits of the arts — building the character of a community, fostering innovation, loving neighbors, building real relationships, growing empathy and compassion. Canton does a good job fostering the arts, and there is always room to grow.”
Student and Supervisor Kudos
Violet Kim, a 2016 graduate of The Master’s School, attends the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City on a scholarship. She tried her hand at art because of the encouragement of a certain teacher.
She says the most important lesson she has learned from Mr. DeCesare is that it’s never too late to begin pursuing art.
“Since I was young, I was afraid to do art,” Violet says.
“I thought it was too late [as a teenager] because there are a lot of people who started when they were young. But he told me that I can do it and I should try it and to not give up.
This debut feature on Jim DeCesare and his family received an award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the first SPJ award for Today Publishing — Today has garnered 68 awards overall in its first six SPJ contests
— This year Today won more than twice as many awards as all other state magazines combined
CLICK HERE for Award Story
... He is one of the best teachers I know and a great friend.”
Ray Lagan has been the head of school at Master’s since January 2015.
“Jim’s greatest strength is deep compassion for the students he serves,” Lagan says. “No doubt, Jim loves art and sees it as a vehicle for all types of students to express themselves with something other than words. He has a great talent for giving students a nonverbal voice for internal expression.”
Lagan was Master’s chief operating officer from 2011-14.
“What Jim brings to The Master’s School is a platform for every student,” he says. “When he releases them into the world of art and art appreciation, each student has an opportunity to stand tall in front of their peers and has equal value.”
Professor Carianne Mack Garside is the arts and media department chairperson at Tunxis Community College and has been Jim’s supervisor there for the past eight years. They’ve been department colleagues for a dozen years.
“Jim loves art and he loves mentoring students,” she says. “He is so fluent in drawing and painting, his natural prowess always inspires
the artists he works with. He also has an incredible wealth of art historical knowledge that he generously shares with heartfelt passion.”
Garside notes that technical skill alone doesn’t automatically translate to effective teaching.
“What makes Jim so special is that he also loves every single one of his students,” she says.
“He really cares about seeing them develop as artists ... and ultimately thrive in all their endeavors. Because he cares so much and has such a high level of integrity, he creates a warm and welcoming classroom environment for every student ... [and] offers them creative challenges that yield beautiful results.”
For Jim, art has been a lifelong pursuit, a constant companion since his youth.
“I have been drawing as long as I can remember,” he says. “Picture-making was always a playful escape and part of daily life. My interest was continually sparked by a simple need to feed a very active imagination.”
Naturally, not every student will win a scholarship to an arts university.
It’s as evident as the stars in Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” that not everyone possesses a keen artistic gift — just ask anyone for whom stick figures are a magnum opus — but Jim contends that everyone is capable of creating art.
“I believe drawing is the basis for most visual art — I also believe I can teach anyone to draw,” he says.
The difficulty for most people, he explains, is not technical skill but rather embracing a new mindset — “to view drawing as a means of expression, not a means of facsimile.”
What is the difference between expression and facsimile?
“He truly can teach anyone to draw — even me!”
— Kelly DeCesare
“One is like trying to chisel a masterpiece from marble with a whiteknuckled death grip,” he says, “while the other is like playfully drawing in beach sand with a long stick.
“If you can tap your foot to music, you can learn to draw.” +
Welden Hardware Celebrates 135th Birthday
BUSINESS BEAT
NOTEWORTHY NONPROFITS
By Bruce Deckert Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief
Welcome to a roundup report on local business and nonprofit milestones — see a companion article in this edition on another nonprofit: Playhouse 44
IF WE MEASURE TIME by the connection to significant wars in global history, one of Simsbury’s signature businesses was established 24 years after the Civil War ended and 25 years before World War 1 began.
Indeed, Welden Hardware debuted in 1889, a year full of momentous events locally, nationally and internationally — here are just three:
• The inauguration of Benjamin Harrison as the 23rd U.S. president •
• The opening of the Eiffel Tower •
• The publication of Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” •
The convergence of the calendar and the store’s history make the following crystal-clear — in 2024 Welden Hardware is celebrating a twin milestone: Welden’s 135th anniversary and John and Melissa Brett’s 20th as store owners.
“We feel very humbled that we’re able to be part of such a long-standing business,” says Melissa. “We love that Welden Hardware has always had such a wonderful, deep connection to its community, and that we’ve been able to keep that personable connection successfully for the past 20 years.”
In September 2019 John and Melissa purchased the Welden Building, the 24-unit mixed-use plaza that has been the hardware store’s home for as long as the business has existed. The plaza is located on Station Street, a stone’s throw from Hopmeadow Street (aka Route 10) in downtown Simsbury.
The Welden Building was built in the mid-1880s , according to the Brett Properties website. After the building burned down in 1900 , a new brick structure was built that has served as a venue for numerous retail stores, service providers, offices and apartments — and an earlier iteration of Simsbury’s post office.
Welden Hardware Station Street • Simsbury www.weldenhardware.com 860-658-4078
Established — 1889
CLICK for Related News
• Today Magazine story on Welden’s 130th anniversary
• Today’s award-winning story on 100-Year Biz Club
John and Melissa Brett purchased Welden Hardware in 2004 and bought the Welden Building plaza in 2019
Affection for Antiques
Antiq’s is poised to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2025. Launched in June 1990, Antiq’s is the only privately owned antique store in the Farmington Valley and has been voted the best shop in Farmington for 30 years, according to the store website.
Housed in a post-and-beam barn, Antiq’s offers free antique appraisals on Saturdays and is always in the market for antique and collectible merchandise.
Antiq’s doesn’t accept consignments but rather owns all of its inventory outright for both the wholesale and retail trades — including antique furniture, artwork, decorative accessories, period lighting, early American and Victorian small antiques, folk art, garden iron, stringed instruments and horns, and rare hard-to-find items.
Further, Antiq’s provides auction services, estate sales and liquidations for individuals, businesses and family estates. The owners opened the store because they have a passion for keeping history alive. They accept all major credit cards and cash.
Antiq’s LLC
New Britain Avenue • Farmington www.antiqs.com
860-676-2670 info@antiqs.com
Established — 1990
Regard for Recruiting
Patrice & Associates is a recruiting firm that aims to help job-seekers grow their brands and build successful careers, while benefiting employers who want to hire top-notch managers.
Canton resident David A. Evens is the firm’s franchise owner in Greater Hartford — he initiated his franchise in July 2021. He serves not only as an executive recruiter but also as a career coach, specializing in the hospitality industry: restaurants, hotels and food manufacturing.
Evens’ career has been an eclectic and epic odyssey. His resumé features 40 years in the hospitality industry in the following multifaceted roles — bartender, business consultant, chain
restaurant general manager, chef, dishwasher, ice cream maker, independent restaurant owner, indoor farmer, line cook and server.
In the cooking category, Evens has worked as an executive chef, a sous chef and a private chef on a boat.
“The journey has been a wonderful ride,” he says on his website. “The years have given a pragmatic yet respectful outlook on the industry that has given me so much.”
Evens tells Today Magazine that he signed up with Patrice & Associates “to insure a business that I could manage for the next 10 years, where I had full control of the results — personal hustle and increasing knowledge will keep me active.”
Headquartered in Arizona, Patrice & Associates offers a network of hundreds of offices and recruiters nationwide, per the company website.
Patrice & Associates of Hartford Canton Springs Road • Canton www.patriceandassociates.com > Search: zip code 06019
860-352-6566
devens@patriceandassociates.com
Established — 2021
Zeal for Bookkeeping
Valley Bookkeeping offers the following comprehensive business services — monthly bookkeeping, CPA support, diagnostic reviews, financial record cleanups and catch-ups, and ad hoc financial consulting.
Owner and founder Natalie Olm-
stead worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (aka PwC) for about two years as an audit professional before she established Valley Bookkeeping. She obtained her CPA (certified public accountant) license in 2022.
Natalie publicly began her company in January 2024, when she started accepting new clients — previously, in November 2023, she had formally organized Valley Bookkeeping as a limited liability company (aka LLC) with the state of Connecticut.
“I decided to launch Valley Bookkeeping LLC in hopes of making my entrepreneurial dreams come true by doing purposeful work for other small business owners,” Natalie says.
“Not only do I have a true interest in bookkeeping, but I also have a passion for helping others reach their financial goals.”
A longtime Canton resident, Natalie is a 2016 graduate of Canton High School and a 2019 graduate of the University of Hartford, with a bachelor of science in business administration.
With each successful professional relationship, she hopes that both her clients and Valley Bookkeeping LLC will achieve a win-win outcome of growth and financial stability.
Valley Bookkeeping LLC
Serving clients nationwide — remote — based in Canton CT www.valleybookkeepingllc.com 860-502-7449 support@valleybookkeepingllc.com
Established — 2024
Relishing Nourishment
Drago’s Kitchen serves breakfast and lunch from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, except for Tuesdays, when the eatery is closed.
Owner and chef Stefan Drago and his team also offer catering services, with staffing provided as needed — and if the existing menu doesn’t float your boat, you can create a custom catering menu and row a creative boat to your own private island, metaphorically speaking, for a gastronomic dream party.
An on-site catered event at Drago’s is an option after 2:00 p.m.
Drago’s Kitchen opened in February 2024 after Stefan’s roller-coaster culinary career culminated in a desire to put his family first, rather than be at the beck and call of a restaurant owner or corporate entity in the treadmillnever-stops dining industry.
“After spending over 20 years honing my craft and helping other companies become successful, my wife and I decided it was my turn to share my passion for great food with the community,” says Stefan, who is a Granby native. “I have always found that I’m at my best and in my element in the kitchen.”
In terms of career highlights, he designed debut menus for the Society Room of Hartford and TJ’s Burritos in East Granby. Stefan’s other restaurant stops include Hartford-based Trumbull Kitchen and two Granby venues — Toni Ann’s restaurant and New England Pizza.
Stefan also has connections in the celebrity realm.
“I started my culinary journey in Nashville, Tennessee,” he tells Today Magazine, “where I was fortunate enough to cater the CMT Flameworthy Music Awards after-party two years in a row.”
Broadcast on Country Music Television (aka CMT), the Flameworthy Awards were the predecessor of the popular CMT Music Awards.
“My working interview for this job was out on a pasta sauté station, cooking for the likes of Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley,” Stefan told the Granby
Drummer newspaper. “It was the coolest thing in the world.”
Further, he has cooked at events with celebrity chef Robert Irvine, longtime host of the Food Network show “Restaurant: Impossible” — and locally, Stefan was selected to create a menu and host a dinner for the Connecticut Chapter of the prestigious Les Amis d’Escoffier Society.
By the way, it’s safe to say that the Drago’s Kitchen schedule — featuring Tuesday as the day off — is a stroke of pure culinary genius.
Many local coffee shops and eateries take the industry-standard approach and are closed on Monday after the busy restaurant weekend. Since Drago’s Kitchen is open on Mondays, Stefan and his team can better serve customers who want to eat out on the first day of the work week but have limited options given the numerous dining venues that are closed.
Drago’s Kitchen
7 Mill Pond Drive • Granby CT
www.dragoskitchen.com
860-413-3021
chef@dragoskitchen.com
Established — 2024
Three Grants Support New Avon Museum
The Avon Historical Society has received three grants to provide for displays in the new Avon History Museum — a $5000 grant from Americana Corner Preserving America, another $5000 grant from the Avon Greater Together Community Fund, and a $3500 grant from the M&T Bank Charitable Foundation.
The museum structure was originally a one-room schoolhouse, built 201 years ago.
For 115 years, from 1823-1938, students in west Avon attended the school when the building was located on what is now Country Club Road. In 1983, the Avon Historical Society moved the schoolhouse to its current Route 44 site to make room for the construction of the Avon Free Public Library.
“Avon residents can be so proud of the careful stewardship of one of its finest historical resources,” says Avon town historian Nora Howard. “I commend the strong partnership of the town and the Avon Historical Society that will bring this museum to life.”
Avon History Museum
The museum features an exhibit on the early settling of the Avon area 12,500 years ago — evidenced by the 2019 discovery of a Paleo-Indian site along the Farmington River in Avon.
The site, listed on Connecticut’s State Register of Historic Places, is the oldest known human occupation site in southern New England.
A preview opening for the new museum is scheduled for Sunday, November 17 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
The grand opening is slated for July 4, 2025. Located in the historic center of Avon, the museum’s address is 8 East Main Street aka Route 44.
Benefit Boosts Mary’s Place
An area nonprofit that supports bereaved children has hosted a key fundraiser. The Unite In Love luncheon raised over $35,000 to benefit Mary’s Place: A Center for Grieving Children and Families.
Mary’s Place offers support free-ofcharge and receives no state or federal funds, relying instead on donations and
fundraising. The nonprofit aims to provide healing and hope for youth who have suffered the death of a parent, sibling or another loved one.
Avon resident John Carmon, president of Carmon Community Funeral Homes, helped organize the nonprofit in 1996. Carmon has nine locations in Greater Hartford.
The mission of Mary’s Place is “to provide an atmosphere of trust in which children and families who are grieving a death share their experiences, receive support and find comfort,” per the organization’s website.
Nearly 70 donors contributed to the annual fundraiser in late September at Glastonbury Hills Country Club.
More info — www.marysplacect.org
Photo by Wendy Rosenberg
The tufted titmouse is common in eastern forests an d frequent ly visi ts bird feeders
Playhouse 44: Community Theater Comes Home
Special to Today Magazine
PLAYHOUSE 44 is not just a community theater group. The goal of the Avonbased nonprofit is to produce entertainment of all genres, including musical events, storytelling nights, comedy shows and more.
But theater will be its bread and butter — Playhouse 44 presented an evening of short plays in August called 9 Tens on 44 at Avon High School, and has begun work on a production of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite.
The nonprofit also produced a storytelling night at Avon Congregational Church in October and a singersongwriter acoustic guitar event at Avon-based Raymour & Flanigan in September. A multi-musical holiday concert is slated for December at Raymour & Flanigan.
At the church storytelling night, Playhouse 44 collected nonperishable food and toiletries to deliver to the Avon Food Pantry and Gifts of Love.
Playhouse founder and president Joel Samberg has published eight books and is the humor columnist for Connecticut Magazine. He admits his plans and goals for the group are ambitious, but he says that just having gotten this far — after a long and bumpy road — has given him the confidence to keep dreaming big.
Dr. Gibbs Williams, a New York City psychotherapist who publishes on personal motivations and overcoming challenges, and who has coauthored a book with Samberg, interviewed him about the creation and future aspirations of Playhouse 44:
Williams — Over the last two years, was the experience of helping to found a new community theater group reflective of the way you expected it to be?
Samberg — I expected it to be an uphill climb. I didn’t expect it to age me about 20 years in less than 24 months.
Williams — Aren’t you exaggerating a bit?
Samberg — I see you’re wearing you’re therapist’s hat. Yes, I’m exaggerating a bit — just a bit — but that’s not to minimize the road blocks, speed
SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS THEATER THEME
bumps, frustrations and conflicts that I’m sure are always part of the process with an endeavor like this. On one hand, it was truly exhausting. On the other, I wish I would have done it 30 years ago.
Williams — And you acted on it. Good for you. It’s been a goal of yours for that long?
Samberg — Oh, longer! There’s nothing like live theater. It’s real, fresh, exciting, unpredictable, intimate, emotional, funny, touching — but not always easy.
Williams — And that’s because?
Samberg — That’s because if you’re going to be a grassroots not-for-profit, you need money, lots of volunteers, places to perform, skill at dealing with red tape, and a lot more.
Williams — But you managed to clear those hurdles.
Samberg — Our team did, which includes a skilled and highly motivated board of directors, and many other volunteers. We are a 501(c)3 corporation with one production behind us — with 9 Tens on 44 we entertained about 550 people over our three performances. We gave 21 actors, eight directors, several playwrights and two dozen crew and committee members something new, fun and fulfilling to be part of.
Despite a few growing pains, I’d have to say we were successful, particularly since just under two years ago we were absolutely nothing. Now we’re something. I’m proud of that. And I feel it could only get more exciting as we move along.
Williams — I can feel that from you. How can it get more exciting?
Samberg — By offering more entertainment at more venues. It’s a twopronged goal: one, to give audiences all over the Farmington Valley a chance to enjoy themselves with new options at ridiculously affordable prices — and two, to give people who may have been
waiting in the wings an opportunity to explore their creative sides.
Williams — I understand your eyes and ears are always open for additional performance spaces.
Samberg — Eyes, ears, hearts, shoelaces, pocketbooks, you name it. I’ll admit it, it’s a wide-eyed, rose-colored, pie-in-the-sky, optimistically-cockeyed dream — but yes, we’d love to have an intimate little space of our own one day, where we can put on whatever plays, concerts, improv nights, open
Scenes from the Playhouse 44 production 9 Tens on 44 at Avon High School
mic nights or special events we’d like, whenever we’d like. We’ve come this far, so there’s no reason to believe we can’t go farther.
Williams — How can some of those potential dream-makers get in touch with you?
Samberg — By sending an email to AvonPlayhouse44@gmail.com or writing to us at Playhouse 44, PO Box 61, Avon CT 06001. Thanks for that opportunity. I owe you one. You’re not going to charge me for this session, are you?
Williams — Not this time. Good luck with all your plans, Joel.
Samberg — You might say I’ve been compelled. Remember—30 years!
Playhouse 44 Inc.
P.O. Box 61 • Avon CT • 06001 www.playhouse44.org 973-214-6716
avonplayhouse44@gmail.com
Nonprofit type — 501(c)3
Established — December 2023
• Following is a brief Today Magazine Q&A with Playhouse 44 president Joel Samberg:
What is your mission?
To offer people in the Farmington Valley professional-level plays, musical and comedy events, and other cultural productions that are engaging, responsible and affordable.
Why did you decide to start this nonprofit?
To add to the cultural vibrancy of the region and to give like-minded creative people a chance to get involved with something new and exciting.
Other highlights + further info:
We have three productions behind us (a play, a singer-songwriter night and a storytelling night) and one ahead (a holiday music concert) — and we are making plans for other theatrical performances. We are also exploring new venues to put on plays and other events. +
The twelve-spotted skimmer dragonfly is found in North American ponds, lakes and wetlands — the name is derived from the dozen dark wing spots on its four wings, three on each wing — the twelve-spotted skimmer feeds on flying insects, including pests like flies, mosquitoes and termites
by Wendy Rosenberg
Churches Seek Answer To Age-Old Question
Vermont Floods Spark Response To Neighbor Query
By Bruce Deckert Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief
CLASSIC QUOTES about neighbors abound — and for the TV generations spanning the three decades that concluded the 20th century, Fred Rogers is one tube luminary clearly associated with the neighbor concept.
The distinctive TV series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” aired from 1968 to 2001, and the episodes began with Rogers singing these celebrated lyrics:
It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor —
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
... Please won’t you be my neighbor?
Another quote attributed to Mister Rogers: “Neighbors are people who are close to us and friends are people who are close to our hearts — I like to think of you as my neighbor and my friend.”
A pre-TV luminary is also known for some time-tested quotes about neighbors.
Indeed, Jesus of Nazareth is renowned for his memorable short stories and sometimes comforting yet sometimes controversial statements — among other notable words and deeds.
VALLEY INTEL CHURCH JOURNEYS
His classic short story known as the Good Samaritan — recorded by Luke, the legendary New Testament doctor and biographer — is prompted by an age-old question attributed to a firstcentury scholar and so-called religious leader/expert: Who is my neighbor?
Besides the obvious answers — such as your literal next-door neighbor or a hurting person in your local church — two Methodist congregations in Connecticut’s Farmington Valley have extended their neighborly response from Greater Hartford to northern New England.
Torrential rain in Vermont caused catastrophic flooding that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in July 2023. Heavy rains hit the Green Mountain State in June, saturating the soil, and when cataclysmic rainfall followed in July, historic floods caused widespread and unexpected devastation. Nearly 1-1/2 years later, many homeowners are still waiting for help to repair or rebuild their compromised houses, according to multiple reports.
“A team of trained disaster recovery volunteers spent a week in Vermont
Photo
Fred Rogers aimed to be a good neighbor for children of all ages
helping people whose homes were destroyed,” says a representative of North Canton Community United Methodist Church.
This eight-person volunteer team traveled to Vermont in September to restore two damaged houses. Five volunteers hailed from the two Valley churches — Mike and Donna Motyl of Simsbury United Methodist Church, and Jeff Cedarfield and Sue and Larry Gannon of the North Canton church.
The other three team members were from Immanuel United Methodist Church in Camillus, New York, where Larry and Sue had formerly attended — located about 10 miles west of downtown Syracuse.
UMCOR project manager Marcy Sheaffer was also onsite to oversee the construction. UMCOR is the acronym for the United Methodist Committee On Relief, the humanitarian relief and development arm of the United Methodist Church that aims to alleviate human suffering around the world and “serve as a source of help and hope for the vulnerable,” per the UMCmission.org website.
In July 2024, a year after the disastrous 2023 deluge, further destructive flooding decimated more homes in Vermont, adding watery insult to injury. When flood damage is not covered by insurance, residents sometimes rely on volunteer help to recover — especially older homeowners or those with physical handicaps.
“Once you experience the deep gratitude of people who have lost so much, you quickly understand how important it is to help,” says Larry Gannon, the team leader.
The team installed siding on this exterior wall — the ditch in front of the house was excavated to install the new foundation wall
The chimney partially collapsed when the ground below it was washed away
In one 200-year-old Vermont house, the deluge caused part of the stone foundation to cave in. After a professional contractor built a new cement basement wall, substantial work was still required in the cellar to stabilize the structure and avert future issues. During the weeklong trip, the team also rebuilt the home’s collapsed chimney and installed siding to repair an exterior wall.
At the second house, the team repaired sheetrock and painted the basement — since other Methodist teams had
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A disaster recovery team from three Methodist churches — including one from Canton and one from Simsbury — helped Vermont residents rebuild after historic flooding damaged their homes
4.9” wide x 3.65” high
previously volunteered for exterior projects, this group focused on interior construction with an eye toward the homestretch completion of restoration work.
Each house is owned by a husbandwife team, and both husbands have Parkinson’s disease — “one from Agent Orange in Vietnam and one from the chemicals in the factory where he worked,” according to a trip report on the Simsbury church website.
“Both wives were wonderful examples of facing adversity with a positive, caring attitude.”
The report describes the appreciation of homeowners as “far more than gratitude for work that was absolutely necessary but absolutely unaffordable without the volunteer labor — it is a deep gratitude that their lives were touched by a team of strangers who bonded together with a commitment to serve others with the grace and love God shows us all.”
Another trip is in the works, slated for May 2025, says Gannon: “We will return to Vermont in the spring and would love to have others join us — but I warn you, once you go on one disaster
The team enjoys maple ice cream cones at the end of the work day
recovery mission trip, you may not be able to stop.”
Stopping his labor of love is evidently not in Gannon’s vocabulary.
September’s Vermont expedition was his 38th trip via the United Methodist Volunteers In Mission, aka UMVIM. He has repaired flooddamaged homes in Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and now Vermont.
Meanwhile, since May 2023 the Simsbury church has also sent disaster recovery teams to Fort Myers, Florida, to assist those devastated by Hurricane Ian — and is planning another Sunshine State mission trip from January 15-22.
Further, communication is underway to establish relationships with churches in North Carolina and/ or South Carolina for catastrophe response in the wake of Hurricane Helene in late September — the deadliest and most damaging storm in Carolina history.
For more information about joining a team bound for Florida or the Caro-
linas, email Cassandra Broadus-Garcia at the Simsbury church: disasterresponse@sumct.org — and for Vermont trip info, contact Larry Gannon at the North Canton church: northcantonumc@gmail.com or 860-693-4589.
Let’s return to the first-century media accounts about Jesus of Nazareth, typically referred to as the New Testament gospels, and note two more neighbor references in those timeless biographies — you will likely recall this quote from Jesus:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind ... and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Actually, these two love injunctions are quotations of historical timehonored sayings from the Hebrew Scriptures.
Jesus takes the concept and dynamic a step further, as follows: “Love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you.”
Who is my neighbor — a compelling question indeed — how will you answer this classic cross-examination? +
Today editor- in- chief Bruce Deckert is an award-winning journalist who believes we all merit awards when we leverage our God-given gifts for good
Sources — Simsbury United Methodist Church website • North Canton Community United Methodist Church website • UMCmission.org • UMCOR Facebook page • online media outlets
Related Today News — CLICK HERE
Parkinson Puzzle : Erardi Honored As Docs Seek Cure
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All Seasons Home Services — 860-276-7236 www.facebook.com/AllSeasonsHomeServices01
Anthology Senior Living — 860-546-8037 — Simsbury www.anthologyseniorliving.com > Location
Avon Health Center — 860-673-2521 — Avon www.avonhealthcenter.com
Avon Historical Society — 860-678-7621 — Avon www.avonhistoricalsociety.org
A Teen Edge — 860-593-2822 www.ateenedge.com
Board and Brush — 860-392-8567 — Simsbury www.boardandbrush.com/simsbury
Canton Barn LLC — 860-693-0601 — Canton www.cantonbarn.com
Canton Food Bank — 860-693-5811 — Canton www.townofcantonct.org
Carmon Funeral Homes — 860-673-8610 www.carmonfuneralhome.com
Carol Cole Real Estate — 860-212-0687 — Canton www.carolcolerealestate.com
Cherry Brook Health Care Center — 860-693-7777 — Canton www.cherrybrookhcc.com
Christensen Insurance — 860-651-8236 — Simsbury www.insuranceagentswhocare.com
Christopher Bryant Co. — 860-243-3500 — Bloomfield www.thechristopherbryantcompany.com
Collinsville Bank — 860-693-6935 — Canton www.collinsvillebank.com
Connecticut Dance Academy — 860-707-4198 — Canton www.ctdanceacademy.com
Connecticut Headshots — 860-263-9277 — Avon www.connecticutheadshots.com
Dynamic Auto Works — 860-693-6359 — Canton www.facebook.com/DynamicAutoCanton
Erica Maglieri: Realtor — 860-324-6842 bhhsneproperties.com/real-estate-agent/757/erica-maglieri
Floors Reincarnated — 860-651-1900 — Simsbury Facebook > Floors Reincarnated
Fresh Start Pallet Products — 860-266-5726 — Hartford www.freshstartpalletproducts.org
Granby-Simsbury Chamber of Commerce — 860-651-7307 www.simsburycoc.org
Green Door Restaurant — 860-693-9762 — Canton www.41bridgestreet.com
Habitat for Humanity — 860-541-2208 — Hartford www.hfhncc.org
Harris Home Improvement — 860-817-7191 — Granby www.harrishomeimprovement.net
Hartford Symphony Orchestra — 860-246-8742 — Hartford www.hartfordsymphony.org
HealthMarkets Insurance — 860-307-1128 — Torrington www.healthmarkets.com — Mel Brickman
Hulme & Sweeney Pianos — 860-408-4895 — Simsbury www.hulmesweeneypianoservice.com
Karedigs.com — 860-379-4340 — Barkhamsted www.karedigs.com
Kerian Home Health Care — 860-851-6267 — Simsbury www.keriancares.com
Kevin Witkos: State Senator
Landscape Solutions — 860-329-2014 — New Hartford www.landscapesolutionsct.com
Leslee Hill for State Representative
Lifetime Family Dentistry — 860-605-2075 — Collinsville www.lifetimefamilydentistryct.com
Linda Kessler: Realtor — 860-836-6172 — Avon www.coldwellbankerhomes.com > Agents
Liza Sivek Marketing — 203-278-5492 www.lizasivekmarketing.com
Maglieri Construction — 860-242-0298 — Bloomfield www.maglieri-construction.com
Magna Physical Therapy — 860-679-0430 — Avon www.magnapt.com
Maher’s Paint & Wallpaper — 860-678-1200 — Avon + Simsbury www.maherspaintandwallpaper.com
Make It GF — 860-693-1300 — Canton www.makeitgf.com ———————————————————————————————
Mandel Vilar Press — 806-790-4731 — Simsbury www.mvpublishers.org
Massage Envy — 860-693-8000 — Canton www.massageenvy.com > Locations
The Master’s School — 860-651-9361 — West Simsbury www.masterschool.org
McLean — 860-658-3786 — Simsbury www.mcleancare.org
Nails of Envy — formerly Canton + Avon
Northwest Community Bank — 860-379-7561 www.nwcommunitybank.com
Odalys Bekanich: Realtor — 860-965-3652 — Avon www.coldwellbankerhomes.com > Agents
Peggy’s Personalized Promos — 860-379-7775 New Hartford — www.peggys.biz
Planning Partners LLC — 860-693-9916 — Canton www.planningpartner.com
Raimie Weber Jewelry — 860-409-3400 — Avon www.rweberjewelry.com
Randy Brolo: Book Author www.lulu.com > Spirit of Delilah
Ravenswood Natural Health — 860-264-1587 — Simsbury www.ravenswoodnaturalhealth.com
Red Bison General Contractor — 860-810-8581 — Hartford nextdoor.com/pages/red-bison-general-contractor-llc-hartford-ct
Richman Business Brokerage — 860-408-9177 — Simsbury www.richmanbusiness.com — formerly The Deal Team
Stone Man Masonry — 860-693-4637 — Canton www.facebook.com/StoneManMasonryCT
Suburban Sanitation Service — 860-673-3078 — Canton www.subsanserv.com
Tom Kutz Photography — 860-693-6254 — Canton www.tomkutzphoto.com
Trading Post — 860-693-4679 — Canton www.tradingpostmusic.com
Transition Fitness Center — 860-398-1449 — Canton www.transition-fitness-center.business.site
UConn Health — 860-658-8750 www.health.uconn.edu
Up Top Barbershop — 860-658-4499 — Simsbury www.booksy.com > Up Top Barbershop
Vincent Funeral Homes — 860-693-0251 www.vincentfuneralhome.com
Vincent Tully: Realtor — 860-214-3030 www.coldwellbankerhomes.com > Agent
Welden Hardware — 860-658-4078 — Simsbury www.weldenhardware.com
William Raveis — 860-693-2987 — Avon www.raveis.com/agentfind.asp?smart=1
The Village for Families & Children — 860-236-4511 — Hartford www.thevillage.org/second-chance-shops
virtualens Designs — 860-348-6902 — Simsbury www.virtualens.art