Mayor and EDC pleased with seminar turnout

WINSTED — Mayor Maryann Welcome and Economic Development Commission Chairman Bill Pratt said they were both pleased with the results of the “Re-Inventing Your Business” seminar at the commission’s special meeting held on Tuesday, March 6, at Town Hall.The seminar, co-sponsored by the commission and Friends of Main Street, was held at The Gilbert School on Feb. 17. According to Welcome, 30 people attended the seminar, with 10 of the attendees from Winsted.“It’s a good thing that we brought 20 people from out of town,” Pratt said. “That’s very progressive.”Welcome said the total cost to put on the seminar was $660 which included food costs of $380, $180 for postage to send out promotional mailers and $70 to hire maintenance workers.“We were supposed to pay $200 for facilities use, but instead we were given use of the building gratis,” Welcome said. “Also, we did not pay for electricity.”Welcome added that a total of $500 was made in admission fees.“The bottom line is that we cultivated an extreme amount of goodwill toward the town and the business community for a very low cost,” Pratt said. “This was a very cost-effective program.”Welcome said the biggest complaint she heard from attendees was that the seminar was not long enough.“Going into this, we knew that it was going to be the biggest complaint,” Welcome said.“Had we given the attendees enough time, it would have cut down attendance,” Pratt said. “They would have said ‘Oh, its going to take too much of my time because it will go on for a whole day.’”Welcome briefly discussed ideas for the next business seminar, but the commission did not formally schedule it.“If we use Gilbert again, we should be looking at a different time to hold it, maybe in the evening,” Welcome said. “The seminar should just be a follow-up to the first one. We don’t need a keynote speaker. It should just be a follow-up for businesses who are on the Internet to see what problems they might have and have people help them.”

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less