We’re trying something new to make it easier to spot the events you’ll love. Look for these icons next to each listing:

🎈 Kid-Friendly – perfect for little ones and families
🌞 All Ages – fun for everyone, no matter your age
👤 Adult – grown-up fun, no juice boxes allowed

Just a little guide to help you quickly spot the events you’ll love.

Also make sure to check out Cabbage Night below, it’s not what you think.

Let us know how how we’re doing and drop us a quick note at [email protected].

With Halloween on the horizon, the pumpkins are out, the candy’s been bought (and maybe already raided a little), and the Valley is just about ready for Halloween night. Doorsteps are glowing with crooked grins, toothy monsters, and at least one carving that looked much better on Pinterest. They’re perfect for lighting the way to your candy bowl, casting just enough glow for trick-or-treaters to tell a Milky Way from a Three Musketeers. 

But once the candy corn haze sets in on November 1st, there’s the inevitable question: now what? Sure, the costumes get stuffed back into closets, the candy wrappers multiply, but what about the jack-o-lanterns? Suddenly your proud pumpkin is starting to slouch in a way that feels…tired. Leaving pumpkins out for wildlife might sound practical, but odds are it’ll collapse into a moldy mess before it’s enjoyed. And no one needs that spooky stink greeting them at the door.

Here’s the good news: the Farmington Valley has some truly creative ways to give your pumpkin a second life. From sheep to pumpkins turned into clean energy, these local efforts let you keep the Halloween spirit rolling, long after the last trick-or-treater rings the bell.

The Great Pumpkin at Hill-Stead (Farmington)
This year, Hill-Stead Museum is reimagining its annual Halloween celebration. On November 1 from 1–4 pm, Halloween continues with trick-or-treating stations, hayrides, and a chance to meet the resident sheep. Bring your unpainted pumpkins along, you can smash or slingshot them into the pasture, where the sheep will happily do the recycling for you. Costumes are optional, but extra fun is guaranteed.

West Hartford: Pumpkins to Power
West Hartford offers one of the most unique pumpkin recycling programs in the state. Each November, the town sets up bins at Westmoor Park and the Department of Public Works on Brixton Street. Residents drop off old pumpkins, which are collected by Quantum Biopower and turned into compost and renewable energy. In recent years, the town has diverted more than 25,000 pounds of pumpkins from the landfill, proving that even spooky squash can help fuel a greener future.

Local Farms
Not every pumpkin has to end its life in the trash. Some get a second chance at local farms like Flamig, Sub-Edge, and From the Woods, as they accept clean pumpkin donations to feed their animals which saves money, cuts down on landfill waste, and makes for some very happy goats, pigs, and chickens. The Town of Avon even takes it a step further: through its Clean Energy Commission, Avon partners directly with Sub-Edge Farm to collect and recycle pumpkins.

A few tips before you drop yours off: skip the candles, paint, glitter, and other decorations, and always call ahead to confirm where to bring them. Tiny pumpkins and gourds may not be accepted since they can pose a choking hazard for some animals.

Here’s what’s on deck this week around the Valley — mark your calendars!

Look for icons to find your crowd: 🎈 kid-friendly • 👤 adult • 🌞 all ages

New release explores the visionaries and victims who shaped Avon

Avon may be known today for its rolling hills and quiet neighborhoods, but in its earliest years the town was a patchwork of bold dreams, hard work, and some setbacks. That complicated beginning is the subject of Avon, Connecticut’s First Century: Visionaries and Victims, a new book by local Scott Lewis, published this fall by The History Press.

Lewis brings Avon's first hundred years to life with stories that are as surprising as they are compelling. The book spans everything from a clock peddler’s encounter with Abraham Lincoln and a suffragist’s showdown with Eleanor Roosevelt to abolitionist bravery, a Black Civil War soldier’s fight for freedom, and tragedies like Avon's infamous factory fire.

One of the most engaging aspects of the book is how it connects these stories to landmarks we still know today. Readers will recognize Heublein Tower, the Ensign-Bickford Company, Avon Old Farms, Sub Edge Farm, and the Hill-Stead Museum; reminders that Avon’s history is rooted in places we continue to visit and treasure.

Lewis himself is deeply tied to the town. A longtime Avon resident, he serves on the board of the Avon Land Trust, where he also builds and maintains hiking trails. Recently retired from a career as a senior executive at The Hartford, he now devotes his time to history, genealogy, and community service.

If you’re curious to learn more, the Avon Free Public Library will host a book launch event with Lewis on October 30. It’s a chance to hear him speak, ask questions, and snag a signed copy. The book is also available through local Barnes & Noble locations, the Avon Historical Museum, and online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Arcadia Publishing.

Whether you’re a lifelong resident or a newcomer eager to dig deeper into the Valley’s roots, this is a history worth exploring, and one that will make you see Avon a little differently.

Library Events

Discover what’s happening at your local library. Registration may be required—check with each library for full details and other events.

Look for icons to find your crowd: 🎈 kid-friendly • 👤 adult • 🌞 all ages