The 9th Annual Farmington Valley Acoustic Festival is returning on Saturday, October 19th from 11:00am 6:00pm at Winding Trails in Farmington. Set amongst the beautiful 380 acres of forest and fall foliage on Dunning Lake, there will be music on two stages, with a beer garden at the beach featuring free samples from local breweries, and food trucks.

The headliner is Driftwood along with Grain Thief, Mari Black & Cory Pesaturo, and Breakin Strings on our Lakeside Pavilion Main Stage is presented by Thomaston Savings Bank. The Boathouse Stage is sponsored by McLean Care and will feature Eric Paradine, Kerrie Stelly w/Carrie Johnson, Tom Turci, Josh & Jaela Black, Fire Poppies, and Peter Lehndorff.

A beer garden is presented by Clark-Hirth Accountants will feature numerous craft beers from around CT. Free samples will be available, while supplies last. Food and additional refreshments are available for sale or attendees may BYOB and picnic.

The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History presents this talk on forgeries, theft and murder. Their museum is full of artifacts that tell stories of long-ago crime and punishment. This presentation uncovers stories from Connecticut's past and shows how our modern obsession with the true crime genre isn't so modern after all. A light lunch will be provided after the presentation.

The Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED course incorporates the latest science and teaches students to recognize and care for a variety of first aid emergencies such as burns, cuts, scrapes, sudden illnesses, head, neck, back injuries, heat and cold emergencies and how to respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies to help people of any age. Students who successfully complete this course will receive certification that is valid for two years. This is a blended learning class, with an online requirement to be completed before the in-person class begins. A processing fee to the Red Cross is required when registering for the online portion (this is separate from the class fee listed here).

Bull's-eye! But can you do that twice? You can after learning the techniques and skills of a great marksman. Come try this challenging and exciting sport. Participants must be at least seven years of age. All classes will meet at the range, near Walton Pond. Necessary equipment will be provided. This is a members only program.

Barre is a fun, high energy, fusion workout to strengthen and tone your muscles. Class includes cardio, barre work, and mat exercises. This class is for ALL levels, no prior dance or exercise experience is necessary. Bring your yoga mat, wear sneakers, and be ready to make new friends! No class will be held on October 15th.

This is a two hour program allows you to get onto the climbing tower and enjoy the vertical realm! The climbing tower is 40' high consisting of three sides: beginner, intermediate, advances, and a cargo net. Once at the top, it's time to take a ride down Main Street on our 300' long zip line.

This program gives participants the opportunity to explore the climbing tower after dark! The excitement grows as nighttime provides a new challenge. Special lights will be installed around the tower. Feel free to bring a headlamp or flashlight to help you when walking around the area and/or climbing. All four sides of the tower and our zip line will be open for this program.

Come join us for a fun filled inventive class that will stir your creativity. Learn how to make candles, bath bombs, lip balm, crochet, beginner sewing skills and more.

This summer and fall families will join Miss Judy for a fun Saturday morning learning something new about the great outdoors. The program format is an introduction about the day's topic, followed by a hands-on outdoor activity to try out what you learned. Dress for the weather with appropriate shoes or boots so you can be comfortable during all activities. Each month we will explore different locations and the many animals and plants that live at Winding Trails. Session 1: Birds Building Nests, Session 2: Fish of Walton Pond, Session 3: Let's Get Wet Exploring Water, Session 4: Migration to Warm Places, Session 5: Plants- The Base of All Life, Session 6: Animals Get Ready for Winter.

Join us for a very special evening in our new Lakeside Pavilion with a delicious meal served by chef Jason Welch. Jason is known throughout the region for cooking satisfying foods from local farms and markets. Each course will be served with a wine pairing. The evening will also include live music. All proceeds support the Trails Fund of Winding Trails. Space is limited and will fill quickly, so register early!
MENU:
First Course: Mountain View Farm Sweet Corn Bisque served with sweet corn and Pickled Farm jalapeno fritter, creme fraiche.
Second Course: Crispy Fennel Pork Belly served with creamy Young's Farm polenta, pickled Sub-Edge Farm kohlrabi and Bell Town Orchard's peach jam.
Third Course: Slow Red Wine Braised Grassfed Beed Short Rib served with celeriac and local potato "lasagna", Sub-Edge Farm broccoli rabe and brussel sprout salad and pickled butternut chimmichurri.
Fourth Course: Griddled Local Apple Cake served with apple butter marscapone, brown butter streusel, miso caramel and cinnamon cream cheese gelato.
PLEASE MAKE A NOTE ON YOUR REGISTRATION IF YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES OR DIETARY RESTRICTIONS!

Calling all zombies, monsters, and witches! Come join Winding Trails for the eleventh annual Haunted Trails! Enjoy a 15 minute haunted hay ride through our trail system. Along the way will be various scary scenes and characters. There will also be Halloween crafts, pumpkins to carve, a campfire and some light refreshments. Please make sure you sign up for one session, and arrive at least ten minutes before your start time. Sessions 1-5 will be in the daylight, for those that would not like to ride in the dark. Sessions 6-9 will definitely be scarier. This program is not recommended for young children- parental discretion is advised.

Interest in Pickleball is surging across the country. If you are new to Pickleball and looking to learn more about the sport, then this program is for you! We will be offering a four week program to help beginners learn all about pickleball. Equipment will be provided. Please only register if you have not taken this class before!

Or should we say 'Parents' Night Out'! Drop your child at Winding Trails and enjoy a night out on your own. Kids will be well supervised and enjoy fun games, crafts, a pizza party, an ice cream sundae bar and a big screen movie. This program has become a very popular one and space fills up quickly. Please bring clothing that is appropriate for outdoor and indoor play as well as a sleeping bag/blanket and pillow for the movie!

This program is for kids who love to help out in the kitchen and are curious about taking their own culinary adventure! Our hands-on program will have kids measuring, mixing, chopping, cooking and baking. Each week will feature a different recipe that the kids will help prep and cook. They will also go home each week with a copy of the recipe and a sample of the finished product! All supplies, ingredients, aprons will be provided. Menu: Homemade mac & cheese, apple crisp, sugar cookies, tomato sauce & meatballs, waffles & fruit salad, homemade pizza.

Calling all kids ready to have some bicycling fun on the trails! This club is intended to have fun, sharpen our mountain biking skills and most importantly make some new friends! Mountain bikes only, helmet mandatory. This club is not intended for beginner riders. Participants must bring a helmet and bike.

This summer and fall young children 6 years old and under with their families will join Miss Judy for a fun Saturday morning learning something new about the great outdoors. The program format is an introduction about the day's topic, followed by a hands-on outdoor activity to try out what you learned. Dress for the weather with appropriate shoes or boots so you can be comfortable during all activities. Each month we will explore different locations and the many animals and plants that live at Winding Trails. Session 1: Birds Building Nests, Session 2: Fish of Walton Pond, Session 3: Let's Get Wet Exploring Water, Session 4: Migration to Warm Places, Session 5: Plants- the Base of All Life, Session 6: Animals Get Ready for Winter.

Become a Junior Mad Scientist! This program is a great introduction to science for our younger fans. The junior scientists will explore the science of colors and the way things move, they will become paleontologists by searching for fossils and participating in a mini dinosaur dig. Finally, take an exciting mission with Mad Science to explore the planets, moons and stars. These young scientists will enjoy daily take-home projects related to each subject.

A hands-on exploration of sights, sounds, nature and more! Optical illusions, the secret components of white light and hidden rainbows, and movies explore the sense of sight. Other senses, such as taste and hearing, are investigated also. Explore cells with a microscope, investigate bugs, why nutrition is so important and how ecosystems work. Explore heat, volcanoes, earthquakes and even the weather.

Enjoy the beauty of Winding Trails in the fall while touring over 75 custom built fairy and gnome dwellings set along a half-mile stroll through our wooded trails. This event is fun for people of all ages! We will also have food available for sale at the event. Get your tickets in advance- the price goes up the day of the event!

This new program will offer your group the opportunity to showcase your survival skills! A facilitator will challenge the group with a series of activities including shelter building, catch and release of fish, fire building, and more. Groups will need to work together to accomplish the tasks at hand. This is an outside, dirty activity so be sure to wear clothes and shoes that can get messy. Individuals and families are welcome to sign up! Please register each person who will be participating.

Get ready to think outside the bubble! Have some good clean fun exploring the captivating, colorful science of soap and water with staff from the CT Science Center. Uncover the mysteries of bubbles' shape, see what happens when you make bubbles with different gases, and push the limits of what suds can do. Who knows what we will put in the bubble next!

Do you love our weekly Tri Series? Why not continue Tuesday evenings with our popular trail running series which is returning for a fourth year! For 5 weeks on Tuesday nights, there will be a 5K course a longer 10K course. This course "winds" through our trails system with a combination of single track, hills, and open trails. Awards will be given out at the series finale. Online registration will be required for anyone who does not have a series pass.
Weekly Registration will open up the Thursday before race day and close at 12:00pm on the race day. Rolling start between 5pm and 6pm.

Come join Miss Judy for a casual exploration as we walk along some of our many trails. We'll talk about what we see or some nature topics in the news. Sometimes we'll stop to gawk at an interesting find alongside a trail. A different route and topic is planned for each day. Always dress for the weather and wear a good pair of walking shoes.