Connecticut 169 Club: Your Passport & Guide to Exploring Connecticut - Author Signed - Hardcover Book

Connecticut 169 Club: Your Passport & Guide to Exploring Connecticut - Author Signed - Hardcover BookEast Hampton, CT Author and Historian Marty Podskoch scripted a brilliant solution for fragmented families and town tied locals. With his latest Book, The Connecticut 169 Club: Your Passport and Guide to Exploring Connecticut, Podskoch navigates readers from out behind the blue screen, off the interstate and onto Connecticut back roads to meet and merge with fascinating neighbors and uncover cool curiosities tucked into the 169 towns and cities in the

Excerpt from North Stonington Chapter

 

North Stonington Connecticut is located in the southeastern corner of the state, adjacent to the Rhode Island border. In 2010 its population was 5,297. North Stonington is a town of natural beauty with hills, farmland, and unique village districts accented by iconic stone walls. Defining the southeastern corner of Connecticut, the town covers 54 square miles., making it one of the largest in Connecticut.

North Stonington’s earliest history is entwined with that of Stonington, which was settled by the English in 1649 and whose progeny spread inland to populate the stony land to the north. By 1717 a 'North Society' of Stonington’s Congregationalist community was established, and in 1807 the town was incorporated as North Stonington, despite the society’s request to name it Jefferson.

 

Excerpt from Vernon Chapter

 

Rockville was incorporated as a city within the town of Vernon in 1889. A decline came in the 1950s when the mills closed and moved south. In 1965 the city ceased to exist when its government was consolidated with the town’s.

The rest of Vernon remained rural until the 1940s and ‘50s when a highway, now I-84, was built through the town and the post-war housing boom began. The majority of the town’s pop. of almost 30,000 now lives in the outlying area, which includes Vernon Center, Dobsonville, and Talcottville. Most residents are employed by companies based in greater Hartford.

Vernon’s famous residents include three graduates of Rockville High School. Still life painter Charles Ethan Porter (c. 1847-1923), one of the few African-American professional artists of the 19th century, grew up in Vernon and studied abroad. After a promising start his career declined and he died in poverty, but fortunately a renewed appreciation of his work occurred late in the 20th century.

 

ANSWERS & QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO USE THE PASSPORT

Many people ask if there is a certain stamp in each town or do you need a stamp for each town.
Another writer asked, “I am not sure just who or where I am to get the stamp/signature. Do particular places have a stamp? ( it varies some towns & businesses have one) Can I visit one of the many passport wineries and have them stamp the page? (Yes) Is it the honor system? (Yes) I want to ‘follow the rules’!

Ans: Some businesses have a stamp or a sticker. You can also go to a town clerk and they will place their town seal on their town page. Some like to get a stamp cancelled in their book at a post office. Just paste a US stamp on your page and ask them to hand cancel it. There is no set stamp.
Or just meet someone and ask them to sign your book. You now have met someone who can also give recommendations on ice cream, restaurants or place to hike. Have fun meeting people in towns and enjoying the views.
This is the honor system and begins when you get the book not places you visited a year or more ago. We ask you to meet people and enjoy the interesting history, places, restaurants, ice cream etc. in each town.
Travel: Go by yourself, with your spouse, a friend, grandkids etc. Go by car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, kayak, walk, run etc.
Share stories and photos at Facebook “Connecticut 169 Club – Share Your Stories”

 

Q: What do you do when you visit all 169 towns and get signatures, stamps or stickers for each town?
A; . You just need one of the above (signature, stamp or sticker ) in each town.

Make a copy of the chart at the back of the book stating the day you visited the town and you checked it off.
Mail the Check-off list copy to me (address below) stating the last town visited. The first one turned in will be L-1 meaning you were the first to get your book signed etc. in all the towns. This is the honor system. No one has the time to check every town. Then at the dinner or luncheon held in some town in CT in the Fall, they will be honored with a “Leatherman” Patch.
Please send check off list with dates ASAP to:
Marty Podskoch
43 O’Neill Lane
East Hampton, CT 06424

 

 

Author, Marty Podskoch in store with Mellow Monkey Owner, Howard Aspinwall

• Every one of Connecticut's 169 towns has a story shaped by its geography and its people--the first inhabited the state more than 10,000 years ago, the Dutch traders, English settlers, and Africans--enslaved and free--who settled towns as one of the original 13 colonies, and successive waves of immigrants who moved its story forward.
• It's a small state with amazing variety that makes the 169 Club a fun and rewarding adventure.
• You'll experience historic town greens and new city centers, revitalized mills sprouting microbreweries and local farms offering local farm-to-table foods, and maritime villages and rural upland communities.
• Connecticut has it all! This guide, written by town historians and other local boosters, offers the backstory to your discovery of what makes Connecticut so special.
• - Elzabeth J. Normen, publisher, Connecticut Explored