Culture

The Barnes Museum will celebrate Southington’s annual Apple Harvest Festival with a full lineup of historic programs on Saturday, October 3 and Saturday, October 10, 2026. Visitors can explore local history through cemetery walking tours, Victorian funeral traditions, and special free preview tours of the museum.

Early in the afternoon of July 20th of this year, a large group of youths and young adults on bicycles and e-bikes made their way down Route 10 from Plainville, taking over the roadway as they went.

Southington got a little sweeter on Thursday with the opening of Melt Chocolatier on 1 North Main Street.

By the time the Outsider arrived at Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation on Monday evening, many members of the local Jewish community had already been fasting for upwards of 23 hours.

The Southington Outsider invites all local photographers to submit photos for our 2027 wall calendar.

Jason Ostrout is the New England Coffee Guy – or at least, that is his professional title these days.

This photo was taken by local wildlife photographer Ashley Cumberledge, who writes: "Southington’s Pollinator Pathway is one of my go-to spots. Just outside of the main section, the colors from the flowers and graffiti gave such a cool effect to the background behind the butterfly."

Reverend Judith Alexis became the Rector of Southington’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church this past May. Born in Manhattan to a Haitian family, she grew up surrounded by Catholic and Baptist traditions, but joined the Episcopal Church in her late 20’s, drawn by the way it combined an active laity with traditional practices.

The artists of Gallery One present "Viewing the Moment," an exhibition exploring moments in life, from everyday experiences to poignant memories that shape our lives. Whether it be painting, photography, or collage, the artists make meaningful connections through visual narratives. The show is on view at Southington Community Cultural Arts (SoCCA) from September 25 through October 17. Join the artists for the opening reception on Saturday, September 26, from 2pm to 4pm.

At each meeting of the Board of Education, three student representatives from Southington High School update the Board and the public on school system news. This year’s representatives are Murad Alkatib, Alexa Nowakowski, and Arshi Roy. What follows is their report from the Board meeting of September 10.

25 Southington students were recognized by the Board of Education on September 10 for their achievements at the state Invention Convention.

Each year, the committee overseeing the Southington Apple Harvest Festival aims to bring new ideas and attractions to the table.

Southington’s historic Goat Island area is on track for a revival.

This year marks the 20th year of celebrating the Southington High School Wall of Honor, which honors Southington public school graduates who have done outstanding community service or humanitarian work, received significant awards or accumulated noteworthy lifetime or career accomplishments.

This picture was taken by local wildlife photographer Ashley Cumberledge, who writes:"Recreation Park has a lot of little areas to explore. The bees were loving the blue vervain, and the sunset added a gorgeous glow."

Most drivers on West Street are too focused on the busy road to notice the small white building perched on the slope just south of the intersection with Spring Street.

Lying across the Adriatic Sea from Italy, the Balkan nation of Albania is the homeland of over 300 Southington residents.

This picture was taken by local wildlife photographer Ashley Cumberledge, who writes: "A mama Wood Duck and her tiny parade of babies at Memorial Park pond."

If you’ve driven south through downtown Plantsville in the past week, you may have seen the large mural that is now nearing completion on the building next to the pocket park at the corner of South Main and West Main. Featuring a mix of sepia-toned spray paint art and more brightly colored brushwork, the mural depicts scenes from downtown Plantsville as it would have looked about one-hundred years ago.

The office of Town Manager Alex Ricciardone fields many requests from local residents asking for help with everyday municipal problems.

This picture was taken by local wildlife photographer Ashley Cumberledge, who writes: "A favorite backyard shot from spring. This Titmouse was flying back and forth with nesting material and I was so happy to catch it on camera!"

New Year’s is often a time of reflection and renewal. We look back on the year that has passed, while, at the same time, looking forward to the year to come. Many people make New Year’s resolutions, in the hopes of a better future.

Connecticut no longer has landfills. To be sure, if you drive down I-91 near New Haven or Hartford, it is hard to miss the huge landfills that loom like hills along the highway. But those operations are now closed, and no new landfills have taken their place since.

This picture was taken by local wildlife photographer Ashley Cumberledge, who writes: "My husband and I saw this gorgeous barred owl a few months ago at Panthorn Park. If you’ve ever seen an owl in the wild, you know it’s such a special moment!"

Dan Baril is best known to most people in town as Mr. B, the owner of Mr. B’s Jerky Co. His shop downtown at 35 North Main Street has two kinds of customers: those who are already addicted to his all-natural varieties of savory beef jerky, and those who are about to be.

This picture was taken by local wildlife photographer Ashley Cumberledge.

Today the names 'Sloper' and 'Woodruff' are likely to make you think of roads or places in town. Yet 250 years ago, they were the names of real people who lived in what we now call Southington.

Get ready to satisfy your taste buds at the 25th Annual Taste of Southington on August 5, 2026, from 4:00-7:00 PM at the beautiful Barnes Museum!

Southington’s annual Italian-American festival kicked off its 21st year on Friday, transforming downtown into a celebration of culture and heritage.

This picture was taken by local wildlife photographer Ashley Cumberledge, who writes: "Pileated Woodpecker babies that I saw recently at Panthorn Park. I went back a few times after I initially saw them to check on them, until one day they all left the nest!"

A recent survey of local parents with young children that was conducted by the Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington (ECCS) yielded some results that came as a surprise to the program's director, Joanne Kelleher.

Hunger is more than just lack of food, according to Missy Cipriano, Bread for Life executive director. So, while Southington children experiencing food insecurity are able to receive free lunch at Bread for Life’s summer lunch program, food is not the only thing on the menu.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Southington for the extraordinary welcome home you gave my cousin, Tech. Sgt. Donald A. Dorman.

LiveWell, in partnership with community leaders across Southington, is advancing a bold, community-wide initiative: “A Healthy Brain Zone for Every Brain, Every Age—One Community.”

On Monday, we put up a post on Southington Talks Facebook page asking group members to share their suggestions for where to go to beat the heat.

For many decades the property on Pleasant Street next to DePaolo Middle School, which was owned by the Faryniarz family, had a stable.

Situated in the former Clark Brothers Bolt Factory building at 409 Canal Street, Kinsmen Brewery has one of the larger customer spaces in the state, with a large banquet hall, a cavernous taproom, and two outdoor seating areas.

The cafeteria at Strong Elementary School echoed with these lyrics Tuesday afternoon as the entire student body, some 300 in number, performed a rousing rendition of Sprout’s ‘Kindness Is a Muscle’ before an audience of proud community leaders and teachers.

Not every statistic tells a story, but some do. Below we have compiled a few numbers that have come across our desk recently from various sources which offer glimpses of life in town.

On March 22, 1945, Technical Sergeant Donald A. Dorman and eight fellow crew members listened as the engine of their B-17G ‘Flying Fortress’ bomber slowly cranked to life.

An essential part of the Cocktail Competition the Southington United Way held last Tuesday were the recipes - like the one that prescribed how much basil, ginger, orange, lime, and agave to mix with vodka in an Electric Bloom, the cocktail that won Spelunker’s bar the first-place overall award.

There are only two places in Connecticut where you can watch a Hollywood release on a summer evening from a vehicle full of family and friends. One is the Mansfield Drive-In in Mansfield. The other is Southington’s own drive-in movie theater on 995 Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike.

The transformation of the retail space at 48 North Main Street is largely complete. The former dress shop is now home to a store run by the Southington School System’s STELLAR program, which serves young adults with disabilities.

This Saturday morning, a team of dedicated volunteers from Southington Rotary Club and other community service groups will gather at Derynoski Elementary school to pack meals for the hungry.

When we arrived at the Summit Rehabilitation Center in Plantsville to lead a round of Grown-Up Show & Tell on behalf of the Outsider, we were concerned at first that turnout might be low. But after a meeting with our host, the Summit’s recreation director Barbara Blau, it turned out we had nothing to worry about. The room on the second floor was packed, about thirty residents having gathered in a circle, waiting to share their stories.

People visit Holy Trinity Polish National Church on Summer Street for many reasons: some are seeking fellowship, some are looking to connect with the sacred, some are dealing with matters of life and death.

John McDonald, the founder of CT Photo Pro and a sponsor of the Southington Outsider, took advantage of the nice spring weather last Sunday, April 26, to shoot some drone footage of Southington.

“Hey, look at that!” shouted Jeff Barton, founder of Southington’s new Youth Fishing League. He pointed to a young child, half as tall as his pole, who was reeling in an orange-bellied sunfish from the waters of Sloper Pond. “Someone knows how to fish over there,” he said.

Christina Volpe, Director of Southington’s Barnes Museum, is enthusiastic about sharing her love and knowledge of local history with the community. The author, curator and educator has picked a good point in history to carry out her work.

Last Saturday, Southington High School’s robotics team, the CyberKnights, had just returned home from a dramatic tournament victory in Vermont, where they and two other teams in their alliance eeked out a close win in overtime against a rival trio of teams.