Railroad club open house in Preston

The Mohegan-Pequot Model Railroad Club will hold an open house with working model train displays from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at the club headquarters in Tally Ho Mall, 73 Route 2, Preston.

The club has been operating since 1980 and has been located at the Tally Ho Mall for the past five years. Club members will be on hand at the open house to talk about gauges of model trains, tracks, accessories and club activities. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For information, go to the club website at www.MPRR.org.

Children’s events at Otis Library

Children’s events in December at Otis Library include Mother Goose Mondays from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Mondays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18. Enjoy 30 minutes of traditional rhymes, songs, fingerplays and other activities for babies to 23 months.

Homeschool Hangout runs 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Dec. 5, with stories, music and games for ages 6 and under and their grownup. Ages 7 and up will meet across the hall for board games with a librarian.

A Holiday Storytime runs 10:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, with stories, songs, dancing and crafts for ages 2-6 and their grownup.

A Build-it Clinic will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 26. Build a unique design with Keva blocks, Crystal Climbers, straw connectors and more.

From 11 to 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center will present Animals in Winter. Meet some animals and learn how they migrate, hibernate or find shelter during the cold winter months.

All these events are drop-in; no registration is required. Call (860) 889-2365 for information.

Holiday sale at First Congregational

The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme will hold its annual Holiday Sale on Dec. 2-3 at 4 Lyme St. in Old Lyme.

The Elephants-in-Winter Sale offers holiday items at bargain-basement prices, including.Christmas decorations and stockings, artificial greens and wreaths, holiday china and glassware, linens and sweaters, toys, books, CDs and DVDs, paper goods, lights, candles and ornaments.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

Like-new holiday book sale

The Friends of the Mystic & Noank Library will hold its annual Like-New Holiday Book Sale in the Ames and Activity Rooms from Monday, Nov. 27, through Saturday, Dec. 2, when the sale will close at 2 p.m. This sale features new and gently used books in many categories as well as new and gently used gift items and holiday decorations.

The sale will take place 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.

Funds raised will be used by the Friends throughout the year to support the library. For information, email Friends@mysticnoanklibrary.org or call the Mystic & Noank Library at (860) 536-7721.

Transgender vigil Nov. 20

OutCT, the local LGBTQIA+ service organization, will hold a candlelight vigil, rain or shine, from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, at The Lower Parade Plaza, New London, to observe and honor transgender friends and family who have died too soon.

The vigil, organized by Education Committee Chair Chevelle Moss-Savage. will include remarks by New London Mayor Mike Passero and a prayer by the Rev. Carolyn Patierno of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church a call to action and a reading of names.

For more information, visit https://www.outct.org/event-details/transgender-day-of-remembrance.

Bethlehem Nativity display in East Lyme

Christmas crèches from around the world will be on display from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec.17, at St. Matthias Church, 317 Chesterfield Road, East Lyme. Light refreshments will be provided.

A free will offering will benefit the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen & Food Pantry in Norwich. This event is hosted by the the St. John XXIII Community, composed of members of St. Agnes and St. Matthias parishes.

SUBVETS to host Thanksgiving dinner

The USSVI Groton Base SUBVETS will host its annual Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 23, with a free turkey dinner with all the trimmings available to SUBVET members, families, shut-ins, first responders and active-duty military, including those unable to enjoy the holiday with family and friends.

In addition, to-go meals may be provided and delivered on request.

A sit-down dinner for members and families will begin at noon in the clubhouse main hall, 40 School St., Groton. For more information, call (860) 445-5262.

East Lyme Historical Society forming archives

East Lyme Historical Society’s newest endeavor is working with the East Lyme Public Library to form the East Lyme History Collection & Archives with the mission of collecting and preserving the town's history through research, programs and events, exhibits and more.

The Archives are located in the East Lyme Room at the East Lyme Public Library. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon Mondays or by appointment.

The society is also seeking new lifetime members. For information on these special rates through Dec. 31, email info@eastlymehistoricalsociety.org. Memberships support the society’s Winter Lecture Series, Spring and Fall Potluck Dinner with Special Guest Lecturers and tours of the historic Thomas Lee House. The society also sponsors Open House Day, which is held statewide for visitors to explore historic home, among other events.

Mystic history presentation Dec. 6

Local historian Marilyn Comrie will present “A Trip Down Memory Lane: Photos of Mystic from the 1970s” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, in the parish hall of the Mystic Congregational Church.

The program is free for Mystic River Historical Society members, with a suggested donation of $5 for non-members.

Comrie will show photos of Mystic in the mid-1970s. The bulk of the photos in the program are from 1976, chosen because they show Mystic just a year after Groton voted to establish the Mystic Historic District, created to preserve the early architecture of the village.

The photos were taken by Julia Constantine, who grew up on the Stonington side of Mystic in the 1960s and 1970s. Constantine took hundreds of photographs of Mystic during that time. She donated the photos to the historical society in 2022.

Community Bulletin Board is a free service of The Day. To submit, email times@theday.com.