CROP Hunger WALK Oct. 15 in Mystic

Area Ecumenical Council is sponsoring the Mystic CROP Walk at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15.

The walk begins with registration at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 15 Pearl St., in Mystic. The 10K walk to Noank Baptist Church and back traverses along Water Street and Rt. 215 toward Noank. At the three-way stop, walkers turn left to Noank Village and the Baptist Church for refreshments.

Walkers are encouraged to register online at CWS.org. Church World Service sends back a quarter of the money raised to be used by local agencies.

Groton Rocks Recovery event Oct. 22

Community Speaks Out will be supporting those in recovery with a Groton Rocks Recovery event from noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 22 at Groton Elks, 700 Shennecossett Road, Groton.

Mass Conn Fusion will be the featured band playing from 3-6 p.m. Other local singers will perform from 12-3. Food is available. To RSVP, text to 41444 the word Oct22CSO and fill out the online form.

Community Speaks Out is a nonprofit organization in Groton devoted to improving lives by providing education, prevention and resources to individuals and their families affected by drug/alcohol addiction.

Otis Library book sale Oct. 20-22

The Friends of Otis Library will hold its semi-annual book sale on Oct. 20-22 at Otis Library, 261 Main Street, Norwich.

Thousands of donated books will be on sale. Hard cover and trade books go for $1, paperbacks, two for 25 cents, CDs and DVDs for 50 cents, vinyl records and comic books $1 and up. On Sunday, fill a bag of books for $5.

The sale sale runs starting at 9 a.m. Friday when patrons will pay a $10 entrance fee. Free admission runs 10-3 Friday, continuing 9-2 Saturday and extending from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.

‘Mostly Gershwin’ in CG Band concert

The United States Coast Guard Band will present its concert season opener, “Mostly Gershwin,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, in Leamy Hall at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

This event is free and open to the public. Leamy Hall is at 15 Mohegan Ave., New London. For more information on the band, visit www.uscg.mil/Community/Band or call the Concert Information Line at (860) 701-6826.

New England’s Other Witch Hunt

Years before Salem, Mass., earned its reputation as a witch trial capital, Connecticut was New England’s fiercest prosecutor of such cases. The first person hanged for witchcraft in New England came from Windsor, and every single person indicted for witchcraft in Connecticut in its early years was convicted and hanged, preceding the Salem cases by a generation.

Connecticut state historian emeritus Walt Woodward will bring the state’s witch trials to light at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at the La Grua Center, sponsored by the Stonington Historical Society, including the role of Connecticut Gov. John Winthrop, Jr. and his friend Rev. Gershom Bulkeley, who together helped end such executions.

Veterans in Norwich hold memorial ceremony

Two pilots, Merle Longnecker and George Kraus, died in a collision over Norwich and Preston in October 1944, and the Norwich Area Veterans Council will hold a memorial service to honor them at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15 (rain date Oct. 22).

The ceremony for these World War II night pilots will be held at the Veterans Memorial in front of Preston Public Library, 389 Route 2. For information call 860-608-0472.

‘Songs from the Depths’ talk Oct. 16

The Waterford Public Library welcomes local author Meg Swanson to discuss her book, “Songs from the Depths,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16.

Swanson holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Northeastern Illinois University and a master's in English-Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. She lives in Southeastern Connecticut with her husband, their children, and a small menagerie of animals. This is her first novella.

For more information, email m.h.swanson83@gmail.com.

Raymond Library open house Oct. 19

The Friends of the Raymond Library in Montville are holding an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19. Refreshments, children’s activities, door prizes and other activities will be on tap. For more info call 860–848-9943.

Bumpers & Books program Oct. 21

Groton Public Library will hold a Bumpers & Books trunk-or-treat program at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 in its back parking lot. Rain date is Saturday, Oct. 28

Vehicles will be decorated to celebrate a beloved book or author, from “Curious George” and “Great Expectations” to “Goosebumps” and “Harry Potter.”

There will be crafts, face painting, balloon artistry, and tattoos for children and a library swag sale for adults. Children are encouraged to dress in costume. For information, contact Kim Balentine at (860) 441-6750 or kbalentine@groton-ct.gov.

Herscovitch at Friday Night Folk

Lara Herscovitch, former Connecticut State Troubadour who has appeared as a guest on “A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor and toured from Maine to Miami, will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation as part of the Friday Folk series.

Tickets are $17 in advance ($10 for students and active military with ID) and $20 at the door. Purchase tickets at Humanitix or call All Souls at 860-443-0316 by Oct. 19.

Livestream option will go live the night of the concert on Youtube.com/@AllSoulsNewLondon. For more information, visit laraherscovitch.com or fridaynightfolk.org.

North Stonington hike Oct. 21

Avalonia Land Conservancy will host a guided hike from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 21, with noted naturalist Bruce Fellman at the Tefftweald at Birchenturn Preserve on 280 Grindstone Hill Road, North Stonington.

This is a family-friendly excursion, taken at a moderate pace. Fellman is a veteran photojournalist, naturalist, and documentarian who has kept and published a weekly Naturalist’s Journal in several local newspapers for the past 45 years.

Dogs are not permitted on Tefftweald at Birchenturn Preserve. To register, go to avalonia.org. For more information, contact Bruce Fellman, 860-599-4867, or bruce.fellman@yale.edu.

If you have questions on accessibility, call Avalonia at 860-884-3500 or email accessibility@avalonia.org.

New poetry group meeting in Mystic

A new poetry writing group will meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Mystic & Noank Library's Ames Room. Each meeting will involve a reading followed by a prompt and a chance to write and share a poem.

Registration is required by calling 860-536-7721 or visiting www.mysticnoanklibrary.org.

East Lyme Historical Society dinner

A fall pot luck dinner will be hosted by the East Lyme Historical Society at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at Niantic Bay Yacht Club, 8 Shore Road, Niantic.

Special guest will be Martin Podskoch, author of "Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC" This year marks 90 years since FDR created this and many other programs to help get Americians back to work after the Great Depression.

Attendees are asked to bring an entree, side-dish or dessert to share. This program is free to attend and open to the public. For questions, email info@eastlymehistorcialsociety.org

Joe Gualtieri: ‘The Artistry of Friendship’

This fall, Slater Museum is offering a comprehensive display of celebrated artist and former Slater Director Joseph P. Gualtieri’s work from his early years as a budding artist to his final active years.

This exhibition explores not only the art of Gualtieri, but also the deep friendship he shared with Norwich Free Academy alumnus Warren Canova through pieces acquired from the artist. Canova’s sons, Nick and Bob Canova, and their families, are lending art for this one-of-a-kind collection.

The opening reception will be 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. Call 860-425-5563 to RSVP or email museum@nfaschool.org.

To submit an item for Community Bulletin Board, email times@theday.com.