<p><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Beacon Hill Marketplace shop owners for a day of great shopping, food, and camaraderie!&nbsp;</strong></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">March Madness Sale at the Beacon Hill Marketplace this Saturday, March 15 from 10am to 4pm!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Shop for vintage home decor, jewelry, handmade gifts and furniture. There will be special offerings at all four Beacon Hill stores.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Taco Road Trip Food Truck will be on site!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Beacon Hill Marketplace is located at 346 Ethan Allen Highway in Ridgefield.</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

<p>KTM&amp;HC's Revolutionary Perspectives series continues Sunday, March 23 at 3 p.m. with an in-person talk by Dr. R. Isabela Morales in the historic Garden House.&nbsp;</p><p>KTM&amp;HC's&nbsp;Revolutionary Perspectives&nbsp;series celebrates innovative approaches to how we discover, interpret, and share American history, with an emphasis on themes of memory and identity.&nbsp;The series is supported by a grant from the&nbsp;Wadsworth R. Lewis Fund.</p><p>On March 23, KTM&amp;HC will welcome Dr. Morales, an author, historian, and museum professional, to discuss her award-winning book&nbsp;<em>Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom,</em>&nbsp;a multi-generational history of the Townsend family. Born into slavery in Alabama, the Townsends won their freedom in 1860 and spent their lives pursuing&nbsp;social and economic mobility&nbsp;in a hostile society. Through careful research and compelling storytelling, Dr. Morales encourages readers to discover what one extraordinary American family can tell us about&nbsp;race, money, and opportunity&nbsp;in U.S. history.<em> </em></p><p><em>Happy Dreams of Liberty</em> is the winner of the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, the foremost international book award for the history of slavery and emancipation, and the Tom Watson Brown Book Award, one of the most prestigious book prizes in Civil War history. Dr. Morales is the founding editor of the Princeton &amp; Slavery Project at Princeton University and the Education and Exhibit Manager at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ssaamuseum.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum</a>, Central New Jersey's first dedicated Black history museum. </p><p>Reserve your tickets to this free program, held at KTM&amp;HC’s historic Garden House, at <a href="http://www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events</a>. Parking is available onsite at 152 Main Street, Ridgefield.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Saturday, March 15th at 10:00 am the&nbsp;League of Women Voters of Ridgefield and the Ridgefield Library present a Meet Your CT Legislators meeting with Ridgefield’s state elected officials. Members of the CT State Legislature -- 111th District State Legislature Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo and&nbsp;42^nd&nbsp;District State Legislature Representative Savet Constantine; and 24th District State Senate Senator Julie Kushner and 26th District State Senate Ceci Maher -- will discuss what is happening at the CT State Capitol and&nbsp;let their constituents know where they stand on important issues.&nbsp;They will&nbsp;provide insight into the current legislative session and discuss&nbsp;the bills before the current session.</p><p><br></p><p>A&nbsp;question and answer period will follow.&nbsp;Questions from the&nbsp;public must be brief, of general interest to the audience and should not be about personal matters. All participants are expected to conduct themselves with dignity and treat all those present with respect, empathy and fairness. Go to <a href="ridgefieldlibrary.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ridgefieldlibrary.org</a> for more information and to register.</p>

<p><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Bring Your Office to The Marketplace! Premier office space here in Ridgefield’s – The Marketplace at Copps Hill!</strong></p><p><em style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Work Hard. Work Smart Here.</em></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">A two-part office space! Need a waiting area for your clients? Or maybe a place to maintain a tech hub for running your business? Loads of natural light!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Concentrate on getting the job done in peace and quiet in this comfortable space.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">All utilities included. $650 per month.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">For more details or to see it for yourself – contact </span><a href="mailto:jeanne@ridgefieldapartments.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">jeanne@ridgefieldapartments.com</a></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Or call: 203-431-0143 x 110</span></p>

<p>After 17 years of serving the Ridgefield community from its brick-and-mortar location on Catoonah Street, Tiger Sports is transitioning entirely online, according to owners Bruce and Carolyn Yuen. This shift comes in response to significant growth in its custom and e-commerce business, as well as changes in the retail landscape.</p><p>While the physical store will close at the end of the month, Tiger Sports is not shutting down. Instead, customers will be able to shop for Ridgefield spiritwear exclusively through the online store. Additionally, the company will continue to expand its custom merchandise services from a new production location on Danbury Road in Ridgefield, where client meetings will still be held.</p><p>As part of the transition, Tiger Sports is offering a clearance sale, with all in-stock items available at a 40-50% discount both in-store and online at <a href="https://catoonahink.com/tiger_store" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">catoonahink.com/tiger_store</a>. Returns and gift certificates will still be honored through the online platform.</p><p>Owners Bruce and Carolyn Yuen, along with the entire Tiger Sports team, express their deep gratitude to the community for years of support. While the retail storefront will be missed, they look forward to continuing to serve customers through their online store and custom merchandise services.</p><p>** Please note: the entire property at 27 Catoonah Street is for sale. Learn more <a href="https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/27-Catoonah-St-Ridgefield-CT/34998844" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/27-Catoonah-St-Ridgefield-CT/34998844/</a></p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">As everyone knows, owls are both wise and curious.&nbsp;Ridgefield's OWLs (Older Wiser Livelier Set) are no different. The OWLs invited Ridgefield CT Pride to their monthly meeting Friday, March 7th for a question and answer session as they aim to further their knowledge and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. OWLs member Ariana Anderson said,&nbsp;“Best to go to a reputable source like Ridgefield CT Pride rather than going to the internet.&nbsp;If you are curious, ask someone who knows.”</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Whether people realize it or not, everyone probably knows someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community.&nbsp;There are nearly 2400 Ridgefielders,&nbsp;including approximately 800 seniors who are members of the LGBTQ+ community.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">The meeting took place at Founders Hall and participants enjoyed a lively and engaging conversation. OWLs president, Clemencia Saleeby set the stage with some LGBTQ+ basics, including definitions of key terms and then shared her own personal experience about her family and how she came to truly understand, appreciate and cherish her niece who is gay. She explained her early misunderstanding and how it kept her distant from her niece. Years later, at her niece's baby shower, Saleeby discovered a warm, caring and welcoming atmosphere, and their relationship is now extremely close. The experience changed Ms. Saleeby’s perspective profoundly,&nbsp;moving her from reticent to a fierce advocate.&nbsp;“</span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Experiencing the compassion and love my niece, her wife and the LGBTQ+ community have demonstrated has enriched my life."</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;said Saleeby.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Alisa Trachtenberg, Founder and Chairperson of Ridgefield CT Pride, shared her story and answered questions.&nbsp;According to Trevor Project's 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People “LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities.”&nbsp;Several OWLs had questions regarding transgender individuals, including about&nbsp;medication and surgeries.&nbsp;Ms. Trachtenberg pointed out that almost everyone takes some type of medication,&nbsp;all medications have side effects, and that everyone has a right to make decisions about their own health care. Trachtenberg further explained that puberty blockers have been around for decades and pause puberty temporarily via various methods, including small implants similar to some methods of birth control.&nbsp;When the blockers are stopped, puberty resumes. First Selectperson Rudy Marconi was in attendance to share town-related topics with the OWLs, also to show his support for Ridgefield Pride.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Ridgefield CT Pride Treasurer Victor Torchia and his husband Ben Ortiz, a couple for 40 years, shared their stories and answered questions.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We have been Ridgefield residents for 37 years and have enjoyed being here and being part of the LGBTQ community,” Torchia said.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Ridgefield CT Pride is a 501c3 non-profit.&nbsp;In addition to doing educational presentations and conversations Ridgefield CT Pride runs support groups for caregivers, parents and friends of LGBTQ+ individuals and a variety of groups for youth and adults.&nbsp;Ridgefield CT Pride also runs Ridgefield Pride in the Park which will take place on Sunday, June 1st from 12 to 3pm. The event is a free family friendly event.&nbsp;To donate or for information go to </span><a href="https://ridgefieldctpride.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ridgefieldctpride.com/</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p>Photo shows: Elaine Sulpizio, Patti Anesetti, Beulah Fisher, Irene Brooker, Victor Torchia, Clem Saleeby,</p><p>Back row:&nbsp;Ben Ortiz, Arlana Anderson, John Fisher.</p><p><br></p>