🦖 Fossil Falls Mini Golf is now open at Connecticut Golf Land (95 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon), with giant dinos and splashy water features.

🩺Booth & Dimock Memorial Library has launched a Prevention & Wellness Take Home Kit initiative. They are designed to help families talk about health and safety topics surrounding youth today. Stop by the library today or check out www.coventrypl.org/prevention!

🍦 Vernon’s new walk‑up ice cream window Frankie G’s (448 Hartford Turnpike) is officially scooping—swing by, snag a cone, and make summer taste like it should.

🥞 Maria’s Diner just opened in Tolland (200 Merrow Road)—swing by Meeting House Commons for all‑day breakfast, burgers, melts, and homemade desserts.

This week I wanted to hive-light a little hobby of mine, gardening.

Want Tolland‑County tomatoes that shrug off August scorch and still taste like July sunshine? Give ’em their own drinking straw:

✂️ Build the straw. Nab a 24‑inch length of 1‑inch PVC or a bamboo culm, drill 10‑12 holes the size of a pencil lead in the bottom 15″, and cap the base.

🌱 Plant it. Sink the perforated section straight down next to each transplant so only 6‑8″ peeks above the mulch.

🪵 Mulch like you mean it. Two inches of shredded leaves or grass clippings keeps the topsoil cool and the weeds on vacation.

💧 Water smart. Every couple of days, pour a quart of water (or compost tea) into the pipe. Moisture oozes out underground—roots party, leaves stay dry, and late‑blight spores get ghosted. Deep‑pipe irrigation like this has been field‑tested for years because it slashes evaporation and pushes roots deeper.

The (Optional) Aspirin Booster

Feeling experimental? Dissolve one un‑coated 325 mg aspirin tablet per gallon of water and drench or spray foliage every three weeks. Salicylic acid flips on the plant’s built‑in immune system—USDA and University of Rhode Island trials saw thicker leaves and fewer fungal freak‑outs.

Reality check: aspirin isn’t a magic fungicide—good airflow and crop rotation still matter, and plastic‑averse folks can swap in bamboo for PVC. But pair this “sip‑straw” trick with a tidy mulch blanket and your tomatoes will cruise through Connecticut’s sweaty season like they’re on drip‑fed vacation.

Following last week’s word scramble I wanted to cover a place near and dear to my heart. Columbia Lake didn’t just happen—it was willed into existence in 1865 when the Willimantic Linen Co. used the Utley Brook as the inflow and threw a 28‑foot‑high, 295‑foot‑long earthen dam across Columbia Lake Brook, six miles upstream from its textile powerhouse. That wall of dirt and stone corrals about 4,450 acre‑feet of water today.

To make the impoundment stick, mill crews first stripped and leveled roughly 278 acres of hay meadow, uprooting stumps and carving shallow channels before slamming the slide gate shut and letting the brook flood the freshly scooped basin—giving the lake its 12‑foot average (22‑foot max) depth and bathtub‑clear vibe. When Columbia’s voters bought the whole watery asset in 1932, they swapped industrial horsepower for hometown recreation, and today the town’s Lake Management Advisory Committee keeps that 19th‑century engineering miracle sparkling like new. The is water so clear it’s routinely hyped as “best in Connecticut” by the Columbia Lake Association (you still shouldn’t drink it though).

Vernon | Puppy Yoga | Sunday (8/3) | 11am $ - What’s better than yoga? How about yoga with some adorable dogs? A portion of ticket sales will go toward Dog Star Rescue. Also browse around the offerings of some kid entrepreneurs while you’re there. Tix

Columbia | Flower Essences | 6pm - Jump into the deep end of floral essences with a Clinical Herbalist at the Columbia Community Garden (42 Szegda Rd). Call Saxton B. Little Library (860) 228-0350 to register - rain location will be at the library.

Somers | Classic’s Cruise Night | 4:30-7:30pm - Joanna’s (145 Main St) is hosting their weekly classic car cruise night. Music, door prizes, and more.

Vernon | Fundraiser | 4-10pm - You know you don’t feel like cooking tonight, so why not grab some food from Square Peg (226 Talcottville Rd) and help support Reputation Athletics Booster Club. Costs you nothing extra, and helps out a local cheer team.

Bolton | Summer XC Series | 6-7:30pm - Get your fitness on with this free running series at Bolton Heritage Farm (258 Bolton Center Rd). More deets

Somers | Cornhole | 5-8pm - In case you didn’t know, Sonny’s Place (349 Main St) holds a weekly cornhole league, no commitment necessary. Register when you arrive at the back pavilion.

Stafford | LL Sandlot Fun Days | 6-7:30pm - Bring your little baseball or softball player to 1 Bosco Fowler Way for a free clinic!

Stafford Springs | Intro to Mushroom Foraging | 6pm $ - Learn how to safely and sustainably harvest local mushrooms at the Stafford Cidery (68 Main St) with CT Foraging Club founder Amy Demers. Tix

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Bolton Green - Bolton | FEEDBACK | 6:30pm
⬢ River Road Athletic Complex - Willington | Rock Solid Alibi | 6:30-8:30pm
⬢ Hicks-Stearns Museum - Tolland | Mama Train | 6:30pm

TRIVIA

Bond 124 - Somers | 7-8:30pm

Andover | Open Sew & Quilting | 12:30-4pm - You’re never too old (or young) to learn how to become a quilting machine, and the Andover Senior Center (25 School St) is giving you the chance to learn (and teach) other fabric enthusiasts.

Ellington | Screen Time → Skill Time | 4:30-7:30pm $ - Ellington Youth Services (7 Arbor Way) is offering a class on learning how to make screen time productive with coding while building games. Sign up

Somers | 5K Running Series | 5:30-7pm - Take a speedy tour through Worthington Vineyards (359 Mountain Rd) while you’re running a 5K through the beautiful grounds. And maybe, grab a glass of wine afterward. Register

Stafford Springs | Pottery Painting | 6pm $ - Paint a beautiful piece of pottery at Stafford Cidery (68 Main St). Your ticket includes a complimentary first drink! Tix

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Concerts on the Square - Storrs | FUNKY DAWGZ | 6:30-8pm
⬢ Sonny’s Place - Somers | Dave brunette Acoustic | 7-10pm
⬢ Joanna’s - Somers | SHOVELHEAD | 6-9pm

TRIVIA

Rocking Horse - Vernon | 7-9pm

Andover | Art Show | 5:30pm - Local artist Shane Jones is having his fantastic photography put on display at the Andover Community Center (17 School Rd). Show this local photog some love!

Vernon | Waking Up in Vegas Weekend | 8pm - Over the weekend, Racks (500 Talcottville Rd) is celebrating the Racks teams that qualified for a Vegas tournament with Vegas trivia, and a lucky person will get their bill comped each night.

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Cassidy Hill - Coventry | Jon Graney & the Great Friday Band | 6-8pm
⬢ Three J’s Cafe - Bolton | Karaoke | 8pm-12am
⬢ Rocking Horse - Vernon | Creed/Alanis Tributes | 9pm $
⬢ Sonny’s Place - Somers | Pandemonium | 8-11pm
⬢ Joanna’s - Somers | Hypnotix | 6:30-9:30pm
⬢ Terrified Tango - Stafford Springs | 8:30-11:55pm

Columbia | Jigsaw Puzzle Race | 11am-2pm - Show off your puzzle prowess with this team-based puzzle challenge put on by Saxton B. Little Library - being held at Yeomans Hall (319 Rt 87). Register your team (up to 6) by calling (860) 228-0350

Coventry | Craft & Vendor Fair | 9am - Hope Farm Animal Sanctuary is holding a vendor fair to benefit the sanctuary at the First Congregational Church of Coventry (1171 Main St).

Ellington | Farmers Market | 9am-12pm - This week at the Ellington Farmers Market (72 Maple St) is the Zucchini 500 - yep, wheels on a zucchini, not much more to it than that. If you want to participate, register by 10am!

Stafford | Farmers Market | 10am-12pm - Check out farmers, makers, and bakers at the Stafford Farmers Market (51 Old Springfield Rd).

Storrs | Farmers Market | 3-5pm - Get your local produce on at the Storrs Farmers Market (4 S Eagleville Rd).

Storrs | Whale Tales | 11am - Bring the kids or young at heart to a nautical themed musical puppet show at Betsy Paterson Square (9 Dog Ln) held by the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry. Don’t forget to bring a chair!

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Sonny’s Place - Somers | The New System | 1-4pm
⬢ Sonny’s Place - Somers | Beyond Purple | 8pm
⬢ Four Seasons By The Lake - Stafford | Cover 2 Cover | 7-11pm

Coventry | Farmers Market | 10am-1pm - This week’s theme for the Coventry Farmers Market (2299 South St) is “Celebrate Coventry!” It’s not a requirement, but feel free to show all your Coventry pride.

Hebron | RHAM Golf Tournament | 1pm $ - Get a round in and help support the RHAM Boys Golf Team at Blackledge Country Club (180 West St). Raffles, cash prizes, and more. Email Coach Spencer Molkenthin for details/register [email protected]

Mansfield | Grist Mill Tour | 1-5pm - Take advantage of the free Gurleyville Grist Mill (Stone Rd) tours put on by Joshua’s Trust!

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Sonny’s Place - Somers | Alex Rohan Band | 3-6pm
⬢ Mill Pond Country Store - Stafford Springs | Eddie DeRocher | 2-4pm
⬢ Four Seasons By The Lake - Stafford Springs | Arizona Maid Band | 2-6pm

Andover | Library, Meet Lake | 5pm - The Andover Public Library is visiting Andover Lake Beach (3 West St Ext), and bringing books and info to share with kids and adults alike. Rain date is 8/5

Rockville | Quilting Club | 12:30pm - Join fellow quilters at the monthly quilting club at Rockville Methodist Church (142 Grove St).

Vernon | Painting With Pastels | 4-6pm $ - If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to paint with pastels, now is the perfect chance with this 6-week course from Arts Center East (709 Hartford Tpke). Register

Vernon | Scrapbooking Workshop | 5-9pm $ - Scrapbook with the best of them at Vernon Historical Society (734 Hartford Tpke). For a $10 donation to the VHS, you’ll get access to four hours of open workshop, with the use of decorative tools. Register by 7/30!