Crossing The Line | dotCANTON.com

A Bevy Of Bunnies

It's that time of year, as this arrangement spotted on Saturday, April 9, in New Hartford proves. Photo: dotCANTON

The big melt is underway at Ski Sundown in New Hartford. But it's likely to take some time before all remnants of winter are gone. Last spring we watched as one patch of the white stuff lingered into the first week of June. Photo: dotCANTON

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Bank Branch Closing Friday

A reminder: The Bank of America branch in downtown New Hartford is closing permanently at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 1. Photo: dotCANTON

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‘Farms’ To Open Thursday

The 10th tee at Simsbury Farms on Tuesday, March 29. Photos: dotCANTON

Simsbury Farms Golf Course will open on Thursday, March 31.

Marc Fischer, the facility’s associate golf professional, said the course made it through a difficult winter in excellent shape.

“Deep snow sometimes helps insulate the greens,” Fischer said on Tuesday, March 29.

All 18 holes will be open and there are no temporary greens, according to Fischer, who said the course off Old Farms Road in West Simsbury is remarkably dry right now.

Die-hard golfers understand that conditions this time of year aren’t optimum, but it’s almost a certain bet that some in need of a fix will brave temperatures Thursday that are expected to be in the upper 40s. Any wind will only make it feel colder.

Tee marker on the first hole.

The precise time of Thursday’s opening will depend on whether there’s frost on the course, but Fischer expects the first golfers of the season will be able to tee it up sometime between 8:30 and 9 a.m.

The driving range and practice putting green have been open for about a week, Fischer said. Hours of operation for the driving range are a bit irregular this time of year, so if you’d like to work out some kinks, it might not be a bad idea to call Simsbury Farms in advance.

The course looked a lot different on Tuesday than it did on Feb. 15, when dotCANTON visited the snowy site. Click here for a look back.

– dotCANTON

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Warming Up To February

Rob Meyers, a resident of the Tariffville section of Simsbury, took advantage of temperatures in the 50s on Thursday, Feb. 17, to resume work on a painting he said he started about a year ago. Meyers pulled his car into a plowed out area by the Pine Meadow green off Route 44 in New Hartford and set up shop with an eye on St. John's Episcopal Church. Photo: dotCANTON

Coming, Going, On The Move

Photos: dotCANTON

Two new businesses are preparing to open their doors at The Shoppes at Farmington Valley, 110 Albany Turnpike (Route 44).

Francesca’s, top right, and Vein Clinics of America both are expected to open in February, according to Shoppes’ General Manager Denise Robidoux.

Francesca’s, a boutique for women, will occupy space between Leaps & Bones and Barnes & Noble, a site previously home to Everything But Water. Vein Clinics of America, which says it specializes “in the treatment of varicose vein disease,” will be in the old Hollywood Video space.

“This is the first time they’ve gone into a shopping center,” Robidoux said of Vein Clinics. Hickory Farms and Brookstone have closed. Both were “seasonal tenants,” according to Robidoux, who said six storefronts are currently available at the shopping center.

The Bank of America branch in New Hartford, just off Route 44, middle right, is closing. Bank of America spokesman T.J. Crawford says April 1 will be the branch’s last day of operation. Bank of America owns the property, which is for sale, Crawford said.

Verizon, bottom right, has moved from it’s longtime location in the rear of the Avon Marketplace to a spot in the complex that faces Route 44 and now occupies space between Victoria’s Secret and New Balance.

David Waldman, president of David Adam Realty in Westport, the owner of Avon Marketplace, says a TCBY yogurt franchise will open in a portion of Verizon’s former space in “three to four months.”

Waldman says the space now occupied by Verizon was most recently home to The Sharper Image.

– dotCANTON

Chouinard At Town Hall

"Collinsville Bridge -- 1905" / Art Chouinard

Seventeen paintings by Avon artist Art Chouinard are on display at Canton Town Hall through the months of January and February. All 17 paintings are on the first floor. A listing of titles with the prices of these originals is available at town hall.

Chouinard is a familiar figure at the Canton Public Library, where he spends a day each month painting. His next scheduled appearance at the library is Thursday, Jan. 20.

For more about Chouinard, see this earlier post on dotCANTON.com.

To check out some of Art Chouinard’s paintings currently on display at town hall, click on any of the nine images in the gallery below and use the arrow left or arrow right button at the bottom of the larger image that pops up. To return to this page, click on the full image you are viewing.