The Quiet Corner THE ARTS, DINING, ANTIQUES, ATTRACTIONS & SO MUCH MORE... PUTNAMSupporting Tourism & Communities TRAVELER in Northeastern, CT & Beyond... ISSUE NO. 61 • NORTHEASTERN, CONNECTICUT DOWNTOWN MAP INSIDE • JANUARY - MARCH 2019 For an afternoon, a day, or a weekend...come and enjoy Northeastern Connecticut! Photo courtesy of Tunk City Revival he Quiet Corner is a wonderful place to visit and INSIDE: years ago!...Tunk City Revival, the artisan marketplace explore during the winter season! Downtown Local Advertisers…Downtown Putnam Events...This on Danielson’s Main Street, showcases the work of a TPutnam offers monthly events including the Fire issue of the Putnam Traveler features...Stepping into the selection of Windham County’s talented crafters. A crafts & Ice Festival, a Valentine’s Event, and the O’Putnam cheerful Seven Seas store in Dayville is a treat for the classroom where kids and adults can find inspiration and 5K in March. In this issue of the Putnam Traveler we senses as the colorful, shop brims with the smell of fresh get intouch with their creative side is, well, the inspiration give you some wonderful places to explore, whether spices, teas, olive oils and essential oils. The atmosphere of Rena Masson, its proprietor....Stone by stone, the you enjoy cooking, exploring the outdoors, arts & crafts is heightened by the lively personality of owner Tracey boundary wall between Thompson’s Route 193 and and so much more. Enjoy a scenic drive to visit our Mycroft, and her mother, Penny Singer, who are very the Marianapolis Prep athletic fields has been rebuilt historic town greens including Thompson Hill to view well-versed in the products being offered... If you’ve enhancing the campus boundary...learn more about the beautifully crafted stone wall at Marianapolis Prep. never visited an arboretum, a surprise awaits, a little gem the builders Custom Mason Construction Firm...John Also, enjoy visiting the shops and restaurants located in on a hillside in Woodstock. It fits the definition of an Bennett, owner of Hi Vale Farms (located in Putnam)... Putnam, Pomfret, Woodstock, Thompson and Brooklyn. arboretum perfectly: a park-like area with many different devotes his time and talent to doing what he loves best: There is something hear for everyone! Visit www. trees or shrubs that are grown for study or display. training and driving horses and teaching other horse PutnamTraveler.com to learn more and read past issues! The Palmer Arboretum was planted more than 100 lovers how to hone their skills and enjoy the experience. Downtown Putnam & Area Maps • Businesses • Local Activities • Shopping & Events Northeastern Connecticut is Forty-Five Minutes from Casinos, Hartford, & Providence Twenty Minutes from Worcester • One Hour from Boston • Three Hours from New York City PUTNAM TRAVELER: 8,000+ Copies Distributed to Visitors and Area Businesses throughout CT & MA www.putnamtraveler.com • Contact us at: 860-963-0414 • Follow us on Facebook THE PUTNAM TRAVELER is Designed and Published by: GDP Printing of the Putnam Traveler provided by 101 Business Solutions, Brooklyn, CT LLC GLOBAL DESIGN & PUBLISHING Delivery services provided by The Laser Letter Shop, Pomfret, CT We cannont guarantee the accuracy of this information, discrepancies brought to our attention, will be corrected in the next issue. Any reproduction of the content of the Putnam Traveler without permission is prohibited. 860-963-0414 • PutnamTraveler.com All text provided to Global Design & Publishing, LLC is edited by this publisher as needed and without notice to the originator. Copyright © 2018 Global Design & Publishing, LLC. GDPublishing.com FASHION SHOW STARTS @ 7:30PM PUTNAM TRAVELER NEWS • NORTHEAST, CONNECTICUT Spices,Seven Oils & Teas is a feastSeas for the senses Stepping into the cheerful Seven Seas store in Dayville is a treat for the senses as the colorful, shop brims with the smell of fresh spices, teas, olive oils and essential oils. The atmosphere is heightened by the lively personality of owner Tracey Mycroft, and her mother, Penny Singer, who are very well-versed in the products being offered. BY NANCY P. WEISS Thirty different balsamic vinegar blends are also even Seas grew out of Tracey Mycroft’s interest available for tasting and for sale. The inventory includes in cooking and world travel. She first opened a a wide variety from traditional to flavored. Seasonal store in Plainfield in 2015. favorites are fig and lemon as well as grass mint “We love to cook and travel. My husband and I balsamic. Customers are amazed at the taste, Mycroft make a point of visiting spice and olive oil stores around says. The balsamic is aged in barrels and imported Sthe world. We’ve taken inspiration from markets in from Medona, Italy, which makes them true balsamic Paris, London and California. We decided to open a store vinegars. in this area because we wanted good quality ingredients Wide selection of teas is available from China, nearby,” she said. Japan, South Africa and India. Along with white, green, Mycroft grew up in northeastern Connecticut and and black teas, Seven Seas offers bush teas and herbal lives in Canterbury. She graduated from the Vocational- blends. Agriculture program at Killingly High School and took “We make herbal tea blends ourselves. Teas to aid business classes at Quinebaug Valley Community in sleep are especially popular. I have trouble sleeping College. As the owner of Paws-N-Klaws, a mobile dog and use them myself. We offer samples for customers to grooming business, she learned how to meet the needs find exactly what appeals to them,” Mycroft said. of her customers, a lesson she applies to Seven Seas as Mycroft is learning all she can about essential well. oils. She was drawn to the unguents by her own desire Customers at Seven Seas want quality olive oils and to make sure that she know the ingredients in the balsamic vinegars. Tracey Mycroft researched sources for products she uses on her own body. In the center aisle pure oils and found Veronica Foods from California. The of Seven Seas, there is an array of essential oils, butters, company is so intent on maintaining the quality of the lotions, soaps, natural oil they sell that they bought and oil mill in Tunisia. Oils Photos courtesy of Seven Seas cleaning sprays and are also sourced from Spain, Chile, California and Italy. natural deodorants. The Shiny containers of olive oil line the walls of the diffuser blends give off a store. Tasting the oil before purchasing is encouraged. The spices are imported from all over the world, often pleasant, natural scent. With 30 oils in stock, customers can fine tune their through the auspices of brokers who work directly with Customers enjoy testing preferences and try new flavors such as blood orange spice farmers. Tracey Mycroft found a source of saffron the various oils, the teas, olive oil, a summer favorite. through a connection to a family in Afghanistan that vinegars, spices and Seven Seas carries over 200 different spices, handpicks the delicate spice. Saffron and other spices are natural body products including traditional single herbs and spices as well as fresh as they are bought in small quantities, generally 5 and are pleased to find spice blends, assorted salts, peppers and peppercorns. pound bags, except for the ever popular dried garlic that natural products they can comes in 25’ bags. Customers purchase use at home. The chance the spices in three sizes: a 1-ounce jar, to actually experience 4-ounce bag or by the pound. tastes and scents before Unique spice blends have caught the purchasing makes each attention of chefs at Prime Steakhouse at visit special. Foxwoods Casino and Caputo’s Italian Seven Seas is an exotic oasis in Dayville. Customers Restaurant among others. Mycroft open the door to a world of exciting scents and tastes. creates proprietary blends for them and Tracey Mycroft and her mother curate a world tour often works with area chefs on specific through olive oils, balsamic vinegars, an array of spices, flavor notes from spices, special salts and teas, essential oils, body creams and lotions. peppers. Home cooks as well as chefs are especially fond of the house made garlic Seven Seas Spices, Oils and Teas is located at blend. Chili spices are a popular product, 559 Hartford Pike, Ste C, Dayville, CT. Hours are especially for chili cook-offs. Seven Seas Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10am-5-pm, Tuesday, has even been invited to be the spice Thursday:10am-6:30pm, Saturday – 10am-7pm. vendor at a large food market projected to open soon in Hartford. (860)415-EVOO (3866) P U T N A M T R A V E L E R 3 PUTNAM TRAVELER NEWS • NORTHEAST, CONNECTICUT For First Time or Returning Visitors Woodstock’s Palmer Arboretum is a Sensory Delight Throughout the Year If you’ve never visited an arboretum, a surprise awaits, a little gem on a hillside in Woodstock. It fits the definition of an arboretum perfectly: a park-like area with many different trees or shrubs that are grown for study or display. The Palmer Arboretum was planted more than a hundred years ago, but it’s not been a happy-ever-after story. Happily, it is now being revived by a vital group of “dedicated volunteers,” who are tending the site for visitors’ education and enjoyment. BY CAROLINE SLOAT he finished clearing the arboretum site and built a sixty- is on a foot long bridge over T Photo by Caroline Sloat steep hillside that the wetland. levels off at the The small bottom. “It is quiet, committee that cares the offer, and so for the next ten years, the property especially when for the arboretum remained in the Dean family.