Culture

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.

Southington High School has announced that the following students have earned first and second honors:

A crowd of over one hundred family members, friends, and supporters exploded into cheers as the Blue Knights Winter Guard returned home from Dayton, Ohio, where the team surprised everyone – even, to a certain extent, themselves – by taking home the gold medal in a nationwide competition.

From 1919 to 1974, The Southington News was the town’s main newspaper. For most of its run, it published a mix of articles on local news and sports along with editorials and ads, just like its successor, The Southington Observer.

There aren’t that many people who know as much about the business of sports broadcasting as Southington resident Mike Soltys. Having joined ESPN in 1980, just a year after the network’s birth, he served for several decades as its Vice President for Communications and witnessed first hand as a scrappy Bristol-based start-up turned into a global sports media empire.

Anyone driving by the Southington green Wednesday morning might have noticed something new on its lawn – a swarm of large white dragonflies.

Back in 2015, Chris Iverson was an Eagle Scout looking for a service project. Told to contact the Barnes Museum, he went on a tour of the grounds with the curator at the time, Marie Secondo.

In 1938, the American Legion held its first nationwide oratorical contest to provide high school students an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the U.S Constitution while earning scholarships for college.

On Tuesday, March 31, The Orchard Valley Garden Club is pleased to have Pam Bosward of West Woods Flower Farm in Hamden, CT presenting, “Growing Beautiful Dahlias.” West Woods Flower Farm grows pesticide free, locally-grown flowers from mid-June through mid-October.

Eleven members of the STEPS Youth Council made their on-screen debut recently in a short video highlighting the risks of sports betting.

The highlight for most community service organizations are the regular meetings and social outings where members forge ties of friendship. Like many local service groups, the Southington Lions club was hit hard by the COVID pandemic, which made it necessary to limit face-to-face contact.

Last summer Justin Dawley and his wife Jessica opened up Vue Brewing Company in a 1,500 square-foot space on Triano Drive, which runs off Hart Street not far from the Southington Police Station.

Starting a successful small business is notoriously hard. One path to success is to identify an underserved market segment and then figure out an effective way to reach your customers.

Raising a child can be one of life’s great joys – but also one of its greatest challenges. And while there are many resources out there new parents can take advantage of, navigating them can often be time-consuming and frustrating.

One in a million - as Jennifer Coan-Mahmood, Assistant Director at Mount Southington Ski Area, pointed out to the enthusiastic crowd, that’s literally how rare an Olympic athlete is.

Just a few months from now, Sloper Pond will be full of area children swimming, boating, fishing, and making friendships and memories to last a lifetime.

Many brewery owners get their start by experimenting with brewing at home. Josh Norris, the head brewer of Witchdoctor Brewing in Factory Square, is no exception.

Research shows that differences in generations are caused not only by life experiences (wars, famine, etc.) but also changes in technology.

The schools? Closed. Town Hall? Closed. The Library, YMCA, Calendar House, Community Services? All closed. 15 to 20 inches of snow – the totals vary depending on who you ask – will do that.

“Young people today are different.” Yes, it seems every older generation always says that.

There is no path to Southington’s Great Unconformity. Instead, visitors must tread carefully over boulders and through stands of oak and mountain laurel until they come to the edge of a steep ravine.

“What did you think of Barb’s?” a member of Sober Southington asked the group. “I liked it, it reminded me of the kind of pizza I grew up with," came the reply.