Missed our first Mahjong 101? This is your chance to catch up. Our first class was fantastic, and the feedback from attendees was exactly what we hoped for: people left more confident and ready to actually play. This Virtual Mahjong 101 will be a 1.5-hour teaching session by Susan Welch plus Q&A on July 6 at 7 PM for $30 per person, covering the essentials like reading the 2026 NMJL card, understanding the Charleston, and getting comfortable with the flow of the game.

It’s also the required first step for Mahjong 102. To join Mahjong 102, you’ll need to have either attended our first Mahjong 101 class or completed this virtual session so everyone is starting from the same foundation.

Mahjong 102 will be an in-person continued learning event on the evening of July 13 with tickets at $75. Once we have enough people ready to play, the goal is to start hosting regular open play Mahjong events too, so this is a great first step if you’ve been wanting to join the table.

Reminder: I put together a list of upcoming celebrations so you don’t accidentally hear the fireworks from your couch and realize you missed the whole thing. Save it, share it, and pick your spot before everyone else claims they “knew about this already.”

Since America 250 has me looking for local places with a little history baked in, I’m pointing you toward J. Timothy’s Taverne. The building dates back to 1789, the same year George Washington became president, and my move is simple: order the Dirt Wings, which are fried, sauced, fried again, and sauced again, then enjoy a cold drink and call it a very Connecticut history lesson with sauce on your fingers.

HartCo Buzz is only going to get better if it feels like Hartford County is helping shape it. Leave me a message with what you like, what we miss, what events you’d actually come to, or the local story you think more people should know about. I’m all ears!

Buying a house in Connecticut is not exactly plug-and-play.

One town’s taxes can look totally different from the next. Older homes can bring up appraisal questions. First-time buyers may have CHFA options to sort through. And sometimes the thing that slows a deal down is not the big scary problem, it is the small detail nobody caught early enough.

That is where I come in.

I help buyers understand the real numbers before they get too far down the road. The goal is simple: fewer surprises, cleaner communication, and a smoother path to closing.

Thinking about buying, refinancing, or just trying to figure out what you can actually afford? Reach out and let’s start with a real conversation.

Get in touch with Kimberly Joy

Since this is America 250 week, it felt like the right time to bring Conn-opoly back into the mix. It’s our Connecticut history-inspired board game, and we’re giving away a copy below. We also made a small reader code (CT250 takes $10 off)for anyone who wants to grab a board now.

🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Scout, a 2-3-year-old Pit Bull mix with explorer energy, top-model poses, and full-time cuddle monster credentials, now he just needs a couch and a family to call his own.

🏡House of the week: This 1847 antique farmhouse is a historical landmark with the kind of details you don’t see every day, from hardwood floors and a sunroom to a screened porch, oversized pantry, and music/speakeasy room. With over $200K in upgrades, plus just over an acre, mature trees, a heated inground pool, cabana, and barn, it brings old-house character with serious summer hosting potential. Check it out!

🏊 Dip of the week: Stratton Brook State Park (Simsbury) is an easy summer escape with public swimming, picnic spots, trails, and plenty of shade when

🔭Sky report: The week starts with a nearly full Moon lighting up the night, so early-week stargazing is more about moon-gazing than faint constellations. The best catches come before sunrise, when Mars meets Uranus on July 4, the Moon drifts near Saturn on July 5, and Earth hits aphelion on July 6, its farthest point from the Sun, because space loves making summer feel like a trick question.

Last week’s trivia question had 48% of you getting it right, with Bristol known as Clock City. And honestly, Bristol earned that nickname. By the mid-1800s, about two-thirds of the town’s laborers worked in clock factories or related businesses, with dozens of factories popping up along the Pequabuck River.

Early Connecticut clockmaking helped turn clocks from a rich person’s luxury into something regular families could actually own, dropping the price of a shelf clock to around $10 while boosting production from about 25 tall-clock movements a year to 2,500 shelf clocks a year. Today, that history still ticks away at Bristol’s American Clock & Watch Museum, home to roughly 6,000 timepieces and one of the largest collections of American-made clocks and watches in the world.

You asked, we listened. A bunch of you said you wanted more time to actually plan ahead, so we took a swing at building version one of the HartCo Buzz event calendar.

It’s definitely a beta, which is a fancy way of saying “pretty useful, still a little scrappy.” Take it for a spin, poke around, and hit reply with what you love, what’s missing, or what feels clunky so we can keep making it better.

Bristol | Rockin Out at Rockwell Summer Concert Series - Cajun Ray and The Steamers | 6:30 PM - Cool off with ice cream and live band music at Rockwell Park Amphitheater 63 Dutton Avenue (63 Dutton Avenue).

Enfield | Enfield Summer Concert Series: Mass-Conn-Fusion | 7 PM - Catch free live music under the summer sky at Enfield Town Green.

Glastonbury | Tuesday Trivia | 6:30 PM - Test your knowledge at weekly trivia night at Plan B.

Manchester | Pottery Painting at Urban Lodge Brewing | 6 PM | ($) - Get creative with a hands-on art session at Urban Lodge Brewing. Create!

Plan your local farmers markets visits

Enfield | Stars, Stripes & Sprinkles Cookie Class | 6 PM | ($) - Decorate festive cookies in this hands-on class at Powder Hollow Brewery. Create!

Hartford | Karaoke with DJ B-EZ | 7:30 PM- Grab the mic and belt out your favorites at Parkville Market.

New Britain | Diva and the Playboys | 7 PM - Catch free live music under the summer sky at Walnut Hill Park.

Southington | America 250 Patriotic Celebration | 6 PM - Celebrate America's 250th birthday with festivities at 1505 West Street.

West Simsbury | Ice Cream Social & Community Band Concert | 6 PM - Cool off with ice cream and live band music at Simsbury Park Rink.

Windsor | Car show @ Beer Garden @ Bart’s | 4-8 PM - Check out classic rides at the weekly car show at Bart’s Beer Garden.

Bloomfield | Bloomfield Summer Concert Series | 7 PM - Catch free live music under the summer sky at the Town Green.

East Hartford | Sounds of Summer Concert Series | 6-8 PM - Catch free live music under the summer sky at Great River Park.

Hartford | Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings | 8:00 PM | ($) The Sun hit the home court against Dallas at PeoplesBank Arena. Enjoy

Hartford | Woody Sings: Part of Hartford's Long Weekend | 6:30 PM | ($) - Celebrate America's 250th birthday with festivities at Hartford Theaterworks. Listen!

Hartford | Bafundo & Co. Plays Sublime | 9 PM | ($) - Chill to Sublime tribute vibes at Arch Street Tavern.

Marlborough | Blues Night at The Farm at Carter Hill | 5 PM - Soak up soulful blues vibes live at The Farm at Carter Hill.

Newington | Ct Groove- Summer Concert | 6:30 PM - Celebrate America's 250th birthday with festivities at Mill Pond Park.

Plainville | Summer Concert- Secret Lita | 6:30pm - Catch free live music under the summer sky at Norton Park Rd. Listen!

Windsor | 250th celebration | 2-8 PM - Vendors, food trucks, music and more at Windsor Town Green.

East Windsor | Cheers to 250 Years | 12 - 8 PM - Grab the mic and belt out your favorites while enjoying music and games at Flower Power Farms.

Hartford | Owsley’s Owls | 8:30pm | ($) - Get your Dead fix with live Grateful Dead tribute at Arch Street Tavern. Listen!

Manchester | 250th Celebration! | 7-11 PM - Celebrate America's 250th birthday with festivities at the Army Navy Club.

Marlborough | Friday Night Lights – Summer Concert Series 2026 | 6 PM - Catch free live music under the summer sky at THE FARM AT CARTER HILL.

Simsbury | Gryme | 7 PM | ($) - Rock out to 90s grunge tribute tunes at Talcott Mountain Collective. L

South Windsor | TheLeftovers Debut | 6:30 PM - Sip and celebrate at this festive gathering at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company.

Hartford | Glenn Hansen Orchestra - 4th of July Concert | 6:30 PM - Catch free live music under the summer sky at Elizabeth Park.

Windsor Locks | Celebrate 250 at NEAM | 9 AM - 12 PM - Celebrate America's 250th birthday with festivities at NEAM.

Hartford | Summer Soulstice | 4-8 PM - Catch free live music under the summer sky at Pratt Street.

Hartford | Curator Talk | Framing American Democracy: Radical Roots | 1 PM - Explore art and history with a guided curator talk at the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Windsor | Psychic Medium Jill Andrzejewski | 11 AM | ($) - Connect with the other side through a psychic medium at Mondazzi Books.

East Hartford | America 250 Concert: Windham Concert Band at Great River Park | 6 PM - Celebrate America's 250th birthday with festivities at Great River Park.