‘Mystic Garden Club at 100’ presentation April 24

Joan Sienkiewicz will present “The Mystic Garden Club at 100 - A Century of Making Mystic Beautiful” at 7:30 p.m. April 24 in the parish hall of the Mystic Congregational Church. Refreshments will be available at 7. The program is free for all Mystic River Historical Society members, with a suggested donation of $5 for non-members.

Current president of the Mystic Garden Club, Sienkiewicz joined in 2017 after retiring from a 38-year career as an engineer at Electric Boat. She was also a past chair of the Mystic Garden Club’s Greens Sale. She is an active URI Master Gardener (Class of 2018) and volunteers at Wilcox Park, in charge of the dahlia gardens.

Manga Club at Otis Library April 17

The Manga Club at Otis Library meets from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in the Young Adult Room

Come talk about your favorite manga, participate in fun activities, and help vote on what mangas to read and animes to watch. Snacks will be provided. For grades 6-12. Drop in; no registration required.

For more information, call or visit the Young Adult Department, (860) 889-2365, ext.107.

Gently used clothing sale April 20 in East Lyme

The Community Circle and Stitches of Faith groups of the Flanders Baptist and Community Church are having a gently used clothing and handmade item sale on Saturday. April 20, at 162 Boston Post Road, East Lyme. The sale is downstairs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Earth Day Expo: planet vs. plastic April 20

Exhibitors, crafters, and food vendors will share resources and information on sustainable initiatives, green living, and more during the Groton Public Library’s Earth Day Expo from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event will be held rain or shine.

After-school cooking April 25 in Groton

The Bill Memorial Library in the City of Groton invites children in grades 3 through 5 to an after-school cooking class on Thursday, April 25, at 4 p.m. Instructor Erica Benvenuti, a community nutrition program educator with the UConn Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, will lead kids in creating a delicious healthy soup and a crunchy veggie wrap. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/4a30MnI or call the library at (860) 445-0392.

East Lyme Historical Society dinner April 19

The East Lyme Historical Society special guest speaker for the Spring Potluck Dinner on April 19 at American Legion Post #128 will be John Pfeiffer and his presentation on “The Nehantic Traditional Burial Grounds.”

The Nehantic burial site is located in the Crescent Beach area. Documents dating back to the early 1640s noted the burials, and Pfeiffer will give a history of the Nehantics by highlighting their settlement which surrounds the ancient burial grounds. Pfeiffer serves on the Nehantic Nation Tribal Council as historian and anthropologist.

Social hour will begin at 6 p.m. at the Legion at 16 York Ave., and attendees are asked to bring a favorite entree, side dish or dessert to share. For information, visit eastlymehistoricalsociety.org.

Woman’s City Club luncheon April 16 in Norwich

In recognition of women's contributions to society, the Woman's City Club of Norwich will host its Annual American Home Day luncheon on Tuesday, April 16, at the Lake of Isles. According to Carolyn Doutre and Beth Troeger, co-chairpersons of the event, the guest speaker will be Louisa Iacurci, a Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame inductee, whose topic will be "Trailblazers in Science: Stories of Connecticut Women.“

Area women interested in joining this active, civic group are asked to contact Joanne Fusaro, membership chairperson, at (860) 889-6784.

Always Home gala April 19 in Groton

Always Home’s Heart to Heart Gala will be held Friday, April 19, at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton. The Gala is the nonprofit social service agency’s primary fundraiser for the year and benefits Always Home’s mission, preventing family homelessness.

The heart-inspired evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with open bar until 7 p.m. followed by a three-course gourmet dinner, silent auction and dancing to DJ Doug of Power Posse Productions. For more information, visit https://www.alwayshome.org/upcoming-events.

Shennecossett Yacht Club hosts Red Cross blood drive

Shennecossett Yacht Club will host a community blood drive with the American Red Cross on April 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1010 Shennecossett Road, Groton.

For more information or to make an appointment to donate, call 1-800-733-2767 or sign up online at redcrossblood.org with sponsor code SYC.

Donors of all blood types are needed, especially those with types O negative, B negative and A negative. According to the Red Cross, type O negative is the universal blood type that can be safely transfused to anyone, and is often used to treat trauma patients.

Walk to End Homelessness in New London

New London Homeless Hospitality Center invites the public to join in southeastern Connecticut’s 17th Annual Walk to End Homelessness on Sunday, April 28, at Parade Plaza in downtown New London. Registration starts at noon, with the walk commencing at 1 p.m.

The event, organized by the New London Homeless Hospitality Center and Connecticut College, aims to raise awareness about homelessness and gather support for the center's programs. Lead sponsor Yale New Haven Health/Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and gold sponsor Mohegan Sun are anticipating hundreds of participants.

Activities kick off at noon with registration, information booths, and entertainment by local band Dogbite. The walk will feature remarks from community leaders before embarking on a 1.7-mile route through downtown New London and nearby neighborhoods, passing by landmarks and social service agencies.

For more details and registration, visit www.nlhhc.org/walk.

Toastmasters Clubs to hold open houses

Toastmasters helps people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. Members learn a variety of resources to practice their skills in a positive and supportive environment which fosters self-confidence and personal growth.

Over the next week, two local meetings are planned: Wednesday, April 17, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Chelsea Groton Bank, Norwich-Westside Branch, 444 West Main Street, Norwich, or Thursday, April 18, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Bill Library, 718 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard. For more information visit https://3007.toastmastersclubs.org/.

Town of East Lyme reminds landlords to submit info

The Town of East Lyme Assessor's Office is reminding owners of rent-producing properties about Connecticut General Statutes, Section 12-63b&c, which authorize municipalities to require owners of properties which are rented or leased, including commercial, retail, industrial and residential properties with six or more rental producing units to annually submit to the assessor, rental and rental related income and operating expense information.

In April, the Assessor’s office mailed forms for this purpose to all known owners of rent producing properties in East Lyme. These forms must be returned to the Assessor’s office no later than June 1. Any owner failing to file this form shall be subject to a penalty assessment equal to a 10% increase in the assessed value of such property on the Oct. 1, 2023, grand list.

Income and expense information shall not be a public record and is not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The information will be used solely by the assessor’s office and contracted appraisers. Contact the East Lyme assessor’s office at (860) 739-6931 Option 6 if you have questions or need assistance in filing this income and expense form.

Shoreline Sailing to meet April 18

The Shoreline Sailing Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at Clark Memorial Field, 210 Elm St., Old Saybrook (across the street from Pasta Vita). Members and first-time guests are free, and others pay $10. For more information about this 35-plus singles group, visit shorelinesailingclub.com. While boating is its primary focus, the calendar includes social activities throughout the year. No prior sailing experience is needed.

Information services for the visually impaired

At 10 a.m. Friday, April 19, in Otis Library’s Community Room representatives from the Connecticut Library for Accessible Books (CT LAB) and South East CT Community Center of the Blind will share information about services that are available for the blind, visually impaired, and others.

CT LAB Director Matt Geeza will provide an overview of resources available to CT LAB patrons, provide information about how to apply for service, and demonstrate the use of equipment available from CT LAB. Wendy Lusk, Executive Director of the South East CT Community Center of the Blind, will talk about their 52-year history in the community along with their mission and the services, programs, products, and resources they provide to those living with blindness or visual impairments. Their work centers around "building a better future for the blind."

Registration is requested but not required for this free program. Register through the library’s calendar at otislibrarynorwich.org or call (860) 889-2365, ext. 122.

Community Bulletin Board is a free service of The Day. To submit, email times@theday.com. For easy access to websites and emails listed here, go to www.theday.com and type “Bulletin Board” into the search bar.

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