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The Tuesday Letter Jul 28, 2026 8 min read

Kent It Is, and My First Cast on the Housatonic

The dinner club has a home. Plus my first time on the water with a fly rod, on video.

This week: the dinner club location is decided, and I went out on the Housatonic with a fly rod for the first time.

Glad you’re back!

Patrick
The Litchfield Ledger


The people have spoken, and the Kent Dinner Club is now available to purchase. We’ll dine up at a few different restaurants around town before meeting up for an after-party of sorts: have a glass of wine or a coffee. All are welcome here. This will be a good one, so make sure to grab your tickets in advance.

GET YOURS HERE


We made a video you can WATCH HERE!

That’s right, we tried something new this week. My good friend Scott Becroft is the new owner of Housatonic River Guides, and he took me out on the river this week.

This was my first time on video, and it was a lot of fun to ask all the beginner questions and learn to cast. You’ll have to watch to find out whether I succeed. As you know, I love the river systems, so this was a great experience.

If you want to try a guided tour on your own, give Scott a call or email. He made it super easy and informative. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the local ecology and how both fragile and adaptive it is. My advice is to 100% give this a shot. Even if you have no intention of becoming a fisher or outdoors person, it’s a real bucket list experience.

Hope you check this out and let me know if we should try this format again.

Thanks!

Patrick


CHECK OUT OUR WONDERFUL SPONSOR:

Washington Friends of Music Summer Festival 2026

Introducing the Washington Friends of Music Summer Festival 2026! Join us for an August celebration of chamber music on Fridays, August 7, 14, 21, and 28 at 5:30 PM. All concerts take place at The Meeting House of The First Congregational Church in Washington, Connecticut. This season’s programs feature works by Vivaldi, Bach, Telemann, Dvořák, Glazunov, Sibelius, and other beloved composers, performed by an outstanding roster of internationally acclaimed musicians. Each concert offers an intimate listening experience in the historic Meeting House, followed by a reception where audience members are invited to meet and mingle with the artists.

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We added a new map feature that visually displays upcoming events. What do you think?

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I shot this one at Prospect Mountain, slow shutter on a shady day.


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Tuesday the 28th

Sage & Salt, Litchfield – A four-course menu paired with wines from four regions. VARIOUS TIMES SAVOR EVERY POUR

Emery Park, Kent – The Leonard & Segar Summit Club Challenge takes you up both summits, on your own or with the weekly group hike. Finish both peaks and earn a patch and certificate. Meet in the upper parking lot. 6:00 PM HIKE TO THE SUMMIT

Gunn Memorial Library, Washington – Bilingual toddler storytime on the Green with Literacy Volunteers. Songs and stories in English and Spanish. 11:00 AM STORIES ON THE GREEN

Cornwall Town Hall, Cornwall – Voter registration session ahead of the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Register in person with the registrars. 1:00 PM GET ON THE ROLLS

Wednesday the 29th

Litchfield Green, Litchfield – The Stanley Street Band plays the Summer Concerts series on the Green. Bring a chair. 6:00 PM MUSIC ON THE GREEN

Deer Pond Farm, Sherman – Avian expert Lori Lichtenauer explains what birds do after nesting season ends. How parents care for fledglings, why birds molt, how they prepare to migrate. Then out on the trails to look for them. EXPLORE THE WORLD OF SUMMER BIRDS

Woodbury Public Library, Woodbury – The Bow Tie Historian on the 1964 and 1965 World's Fair. 6:00 PM BACK TO FLUSHING MEADOWS

The Community Center, Torrington – American Red Cross blood drive. Appointments encouraged. 1:00 PM GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE

Thursday the 30th

Cornwall Town Hall, Cornwall – The Whalemobile arrives with a life-sized inflatable humpback you can walk inside. 1:00 PM STEP INSIDE A WHALE

Gunn Memorial Library, Washington – UConn Master Gardener Cynthia Salmoiraghi on native plantings and the invasive species crowding them out. 6:00 PM KNOW YOUR NATIVES

Judea Garden, Washington – Weed & Wine Thursdays at the Steep Rock garden that grows food for area food banks. Pull weeds, then stay for a glass. Weekly through August 20. 5:30 PM WEED AND WINE

South Farms, Morris – The Social line-up returns to the field. 5:00 PM OUT IN THE FIELD

Gunn Memorial Library, Washington – Teen craft night, stickers and buttons. 6:00 PM MAKE SOMETHING

Foote Fields, Cornwall Bridge – Drop-in pickleball, all skill levels. 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM GET IN THE GAME

Friday the 31st

Alain White Field, Bantam – The Bantam Community Farmers Market runs Friday afternoons through the summer. 3:00 PM SHOP

Kent Farmers Market, Kent – Growers and makers on the green, Friday afternoons. 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM SHOP THE MARKET

Music Shed, Norfolk – The Norfolk Music Festival continues in the Shed. HEAR IT IN THE SHED

Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, Sharon – The 28th Annual Sharon Summer Book Signing brings dozens of authors to the library lawn. 4:45 PM MEET THE AUTHORS

Grumbling Gryphons Headquarters, West Cornwall – Outdoor theater on the lawn, The Adventures of Pinocchio: If Truth Be Told, performed by theater campers alongside professional artists. Bring a blanket or chair. Rain location Housatonic Valley Regional High School. 5:30 PM ENJOY LIVE THEATER

Morris Town Beach Pavilion, Morris – The Rakes play alternative country and Americana at the town beach. Food trucks on site, no tickets and no beach permit needed. 6:00 PM ROCK THE SUMMER NIGHT

Washington Depot, Washington – Sidewalk sale through the Depot. 11:00 AM WALK THE DEPOT

Stissing Center, Pine Plains – The Kazemde George Jazz Trio. 7:30 PM HEAR THE TRIO

Woodbury Brewing Company, Woodbury – Brian Dolzani plays The Loner, an evening of Neil Young. 8:30 PM AFTER THE GOLD RUSH

Saturday the 1st

Sandy Beach, Bantam Lake – The Bantam Lake Ski Show runs on the water off Sandy Beach. Pyramids, jumps, and barefooting, free from the shore. 2:00 PM WATCH FROM THE BEACH

White Memorial Conservation Center, Litchfield – The Ron & Joan Jones Memorial Hikes continue with a summer saunter to Wheeler Hill and Old Camp Townshend. 10:00 AM WALK THE PROPERTY

Judea Garden, Washington – Steep Rock work party at the garden that supplies area food banks. Tools and instruction provided. 9:00 AM LEND A HAND

Cornwall Village Green, Cornwall – The Cornwall COOP Farmers Market on the green. 9:00 AM SHOP THE GREEN

Judy Black Memorial Park, Washington – The Washington Farmers Market in the park. 9:30 AM FILL YOUR BASKET

The Wish House, West Cornwall – The West Cornwall Farm Market. 10:00 AM MEET THE GROWERS

Cornwall Village, Cornwall – Local historian Doug Gold leads the Hidden Histories Walking Tour through the village. Free. 10:00 AM WALK THROUGH HISTORY

Cornwall Library, Cornwall – Adam Van Doren on In the Founders' Footsteps: A Walk Through History. 12:00 PM HEAR THE TALK

Eric Sloane Museum, Kent – Woodworker Rick Liegl teaches traditional carving. Selecting wood, planning a design, and hand tools, ending with your own spoon or bowl. Pre-registration required. 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM CARVE YOUR OWN

Cornwall Market, Cornwall – The Cornwall Music Bowl summer series with Rip Dunes and Le Keep. 5:00 PM SETTLE INTO THE BOWL

Cornwall Historical Society, Cornwall – The Summer Party and Auction, the society's yearly fundraiser. 5:30 PM BID AND MINGLE

Gordon Hall, Music Mountain, Falls Village – The 20-piece House Band plays Let's Dance! Swingtime Plays America's Dance Hits, from the Swing Era through the Mambo and the Twist. 7:00 PM SWING THE NIGHT AWAY

The Community Center, Torrington – A day trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, with time to walk the downtown. 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM PLAY BALL!

Sunday the 2nd

Gordon Hall, Music Mountain, Falls Village – The Erinys Quartet with clarinetist Oskar Espina Ruiz. 3:00 PM HEAR THE QUARTET

Gordon Hall, Music Mountain, Falls Village – A pre-concert talk with composer Alfonso Fuentes on the making of a world premiere. 2:00 PM

Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy, Litchfield – Morning yoga with Charym among the ponds and the birds. 9:00 AM ROLL OUT A MAT

Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, Sharon – The Kids' Summer Reading Carnival closes out the reading program. 11:30 AM JOIN THE CARNIVAL

Hopkins Vineyard, Warren – Dog Days of Summer, with live music from Haptic Sense, food and drink vendors, bandanas for the first dogs to arrive, and wine among the vines. 11:00 AM RAISE A GLASS & WAG A TAIL

Hopkins Vineyard, Warren – Live music at the vineyard through the afternoon. 2:00 PM STAY FOR THE MUSIC

Wassaic Commons, Wassaic – The Sunday farmers market at the Commons. 10:00 AM SHOP THE COMMONS

New England Brewing Company, Woodbridge – Steel Pulse brings the Reggae Against Racism Tour to Connecticut. Worth noting this one is about 40 minutes south of the county. 6:00 PM FEEL THE RHYTHM

Monday the 3rd

White Memorial Conservation Center, Litchfield – Children's Free Week opens at the museum. Free admission for children 12 and under with an adult, running through August 9. 9:00 AM EXPLORE & DISCOVER

Cornwall Town Hall, Cornwall – Early voting opens for the Republican and Democratic primaries. 10:00 AM CAST YOUR BALLOT

Gunn Memorial Library, Washington – Monday movie matinee, Bugonia. 1:00 PM TAKE A SEAT

Litchfield Community Center, Litchfield – LEGO Summer Fun Week with PLAY-WELL Teknologies, building dinosaurs. Two age groups, and financial assistance is available through Litchfield Health and Wellness Resources. 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Ages 5–7) • 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Ages 7–12) BUILD SOMETHING PREHISTORIC


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