Book Talk Connecticut 169 Club: Your Passport and Guide to Exploring Connecticut by Marty Podskosh on Thursday, February 21 from 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Come to a presentation and book signing by author and historian Marty Podskoch discussing his new book, The Connecticut 169 Club: Your Passport and Guide to Exploring Connecticut which includes a light lunch. The new travel book encourages travelers to visit all of the towns and villages of our beautiful and unique state. From the quaint splendor of the town of Kent in the northwest hills of Connecticut to the great restaurants that dot the shoreline of Westbrook to New Britain’s industrial roots, to Wilton’s colonial past, Podskoch has compiled little known facts and fascinating information about all 169 towns, cities and villages in the State of Connecticut in the hopes of encouraging people to visit every one of them.
Join this informal “club” by getting out and about, and taking the road less traveled! The book has a space for travelers to journal about their experiences and a place to get the book stamped or signed by a resident or business in each town. The reward for visiting all of Connecticut’s towns, cities and villages will be a “Leatherman” patch which commemorates this legendary wanderer, who during the late 1800s wore leather clothes and travelled a 365-mile circuit in approximately 34 days between the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers while camping out in caves. Podskoch will help organize a dinner in the fall of next year to honor those determined souls who have made it to every municipality, all 169! During that event they will get their Leatherman keepsakes. “Anyone can attend,” Podskoch says. “Members will share their stories and adventures.” It is worth noting that the Old Leatherman is well documented as visiting Wilton regularly, and could be spotted at the Rock Lake Reservoir.
The Connecticut guide book, Podskoch’s ninth book, entailed nearly two years of collaborative effort as he recruited Connecticut writers, historians and officials. Each contributed a passage about their town’s histories, haunts; favorite food fixes and historic landmarks. The Wilton chapter of the book was provided by Allison Gray Sanders, Co-Director of the Wilton Historical Society.