Book review: Like traveling around Connecticut? Join the club.

November 04, 2019 11:00 pm • Last Updated: November 05, 2019 10:50 pm

By Jacinta Meyers
Night City Editor

“Connecticut 169 Club” book cover (Photo by Jacinta Meyers)

How well do you know your state?

A new book, “Connecticut 169 Club” by Martin Podskoch, aims to introduce readers to all of the state’s 169 municipalities — but not just on paper. It’s designed as an interactive passport to get readers to visit each one.

The premise is an interesting one: Go to a town and get someone to sign or stamp your book. Two pages are devoted to each municipality; entries were written by more than 100 volunteers who included town officials, librarians and local history buffs. They offer a historical overview, a list of museums and other establishments, and often also include restaurants and other businesses of note, so there are plenty of options to consider for stops.

Or, Podskoch notes, “you can stop someone in the street and say, ‘Hey, where’s a good place to eat?’ and get them to sign your book.”

This is not for the faint of heart, though. The hardcover volume, much like the task, is monumental: 11 inches tall, nearly 9 inches wide and an inch thick, with 376 pages. And if you are squeamish about writing in books, you’re going to have to get over that.

While I wish it were smaller — or perhaps had come with a pocket-sized supplemental booklet for people to sign or stamp, which would have been much easier to carry around — this book is very thoughtfully executed. The cover features a beautiful photo of Mystic. Inside the front is a map with all the towns, while the back holds a checklist to keep track of your progress for easy reference. Municipalities are grouped alphabetically by county, and each one has a little area set aside to jot down details about your visit. A couple of pages at the end of the book offer space for additional notes.

If you order directly from Podskoch or purchase a copy in person at one of his talks, you’ll even get a sticker of the club logo, presumably for your bumper as you drive around from destination to destination.

Gotta collect ‘em all

Those who manage to complete the book may send a copy of their filled-out checklist to Podskoch to receive a free Leatherman Award patch. It is named for one of Connecticut’s most curious characters, a leather-clad man who walked around the state for more than two decades in the latter half of the 19th century. The patches are awarded during an annual dinner, the location of which changes every year and is announced on the book’s Facebook page: bit.ly/CT169ClubFB. There is a fee — this year’s cost $35 per person, Podskoch said — but anyone may attend. Those who do are encouraged to share stories of their adventures. One also can share stories with the club on Facebook at bit.ly/CT169ClubFB2.

Because it is such a group effort, you’ll notice variation in styles throughout the book. Some entries open with town history, others offer straightforward facts about the town’s location and current population. Most are written in the third-person point of view, but at least one, Oxford's, is written in first-person. Some entries, such as Glastonbury and Norwich, completely fill their two pages. Others, including Waterbury, Granby, Lebanon and Plainfield, don’t even fill one. Some lump all the places of interest together; others break down the list into categories, such as food and drink and culture and education, though the names of these lists are not consistent throughout the book.

It also could have used a bit more proofreading, with several misspellings and other errors, such as omitted punctuation marks. Podskoch says he has updated the book and corrected several errors in the next edition, which is set for release this month.

Despite any shortcomings, it is full of interesting bits of information. Did you know a Confederate general, Joseph “Fighting Joe” Wheeler, grew up in Derby? What is now Ledyard began the process of becoming its own community in 1727 because a “lack of horses” was making it difficult for residents to attend church all the way in Groton. Among other accomplishments, the Litchfield Law School produced two U.S. vice presidents, three Supreme Court justices and 28 senators. On a sad note, many of the entries trace the rise and fall of Connecticut farming and manufacturing.

There is a certain charm that can come only from such a massive collaboration. My hat goes off to Podskoch for coordinating what must have been an epic project, one he says took a year and a half to complete. The book itself builds upon that foundation of social connection, encouraging you to set aside your smartphone for a moment and talk to a fellow Connecticuter face to face. After all, you never know who you’ll run into — I found myself standing next to Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati, “a lifelong resident of Meriden and proud product of the Meriden Public School system,” when I visited the Andrews Homestead in his town. He was gracious enough to sign my book for me.

While you can collect more than one municipality in a day, I’ve found it to be a more relaxing experience to devote an entire day, or at least an afternoon, to exploring a single town. I’ve tried to mix up the stops, opting for a museum here, a boutique shop there, libraries, parks and so forth. Errands have driven some of my choices, though I’ve picked at least one locale by letting the book fall open to a random page. There’s also plenty of opportunities for optional side quests, such as eating at a different restaurant in each municipality, or visiting every historical society across the state; personally, I’d like to visit every 18th-century house mentioned in the book.

Your request for a signature may prompt confusion at first, which usually can be dispelled with a friendly explanation of the book. At libraries and museums, I was waved off to a designated staff member with a stamp. If no one is around, which happened to me a few times — at Castle Craig in Meriden amid less than ideal weather, at rural side-of-the-road stops in Haddam and East Lyme — you may have to go back to try again. Most of the time, I’ve had no trouble finding someone.

Fittingly, almost everywhere I’ve gone with the book so far, it has sparked lively conversation.

Follow along: I will be tracking my progress on Instagram at @ct169club_jm.

j.meyers@theday.com