Cultural Events

‘Plant Medicine For A Calm Mind And Resilient Body,’ October 18 With Garden Club

Published: Oct 14, 2025 7:30 am

Readers are invited to join The Garden Club of Newtown and Alyssa Mancini, founder of Herbs Love and Yoga, for an engaging and restorative event, “Plant Medicine for a Calm Mind and Resilient Body.” The program will be offered in the Council Chambers of Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Simpson Street, on Tuesday, October 28, beginning at 12:30 pm.

Attendees will discover how herbs can support the nervous system, reduce stress, and promote emotional balance. The informative talk will explore calming, nourishing herbs and how they can be incorporated into daily life for greater resilience and peace.

The event will conclude with a gentle 30-minute chair yoga practice, offering participants an opportunity to ground and integrate what they’ve learned through breath and mindful movement.

Mancini is the founder of Herbs Love and Yoga, an herbal medicine shop and school located in Sandy Hook. Her shop offers small-batch herbal teas, tinctures, syrups, oils, salves, and CBD products, all handmade with intention and care.

Mancini also teaches herbal workshops, yoga classes, and Reiki certification programs, helping others connect more deeply with themselves, their community, and the plant world.

Reservations are not required for the October 28 Garden Club of Newtown event. Visit gardenclubnewtownct.org or send email to info@gardenclubnewtownct.org for additional information.

The Garden Club of Newtown last month announced the relocation of its monthly meetings for the 2025-26 season to the municipal center, 3 Primrose Street. The change is necessitated by ongoing HVAC work at C.H. Booth Library, where the club has met for many years.

Meetings will continue to be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise noted, in a fully accessible, modern facility equipped with advanced amenities.

Herbs Love and Yoga Founder Alyssa Mancini will combine an informative presentation with gentle chair yoga for the next program hosted by The Garden Club of Newtown.

Readers are invited to join The Garden Club of Newtown and Alyssa Mancini, founder of Herbs Love and Yoga, for an engaging and restorative event.

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Richard ‘Dick’ Kovacs

Mr. Walczak, I read it multiple times before submitting my letter and again afterward. Nowhere in your letter do you mention Legislative Council. Regardless, you should know that the Board of Education has the greatest influence on budgets that ultimately come before Board of Finance and LC. In addition, I noted that you didn't respond to the more substantive issue highlighted in my letter -- school funding and impact on our residents. Your initial letter seemed to indicate that "Republicans" were misguided in challenging budget requests. Regardless of whether you were talking about LC or BOE, is it your position that 64.8% of every tax dollar is not enough to adequately fund our schools? Are you advocating to spend more money? It feels like your Letter to the Editor is at odds with your campaign pitch of affordability.

Responds To Walczak

It sounds like I hit a nerve! So let’s set the record straight, shall we… True - I did vote in favor of the municipal budget, which was a very reasonable 2.75%. Regarding not opening the BOE budget book in 2024, again, true. But what Chris & Eric failed to point out is that while I listened to all the predictable line items followed by predictable questions followed by predictable answers, and the Democrats predictably voting to give the BOE everything they asked for, I was the only LC member that concentrated on the side of the equation where 700 people in Newtown can’t pay their taxes, 400 rely upon the food pantry to put food on their table, and there are 115 homes that are in foreclosure. And while I am not on the BOE subcommittee, unlike my democratic friends, I made it a point to meet with the superintendent(s) both budget seasons face to face. So, to accuse me of “blindly” cutting the BOE budget is a blatant and despicable lie. What else did they lie about? Twenty-eight school positions were removed; the positions were never filled and the world survived. What else did they lie about? BOE passed in a bipartisan fashion? Half-lie: in 2024 they again tried to jam a 5% BOE tax increase through only to have it rejected at referendum. I proposed a 2.75% compromise that ultimately passed. What else did they lie about? My failure to mention the reduction in state aid and the increase in insurance premiums? Newtown needs to be run like an efficient company to be successful. I am not against education; I just want the school administration to make the most out of every dollar. Right now, $.66 out of every tax collected goes towards the BOE budget. And finally, my failure to offer solutions to raise revenue? I proposed a “Tanglewood model” compromise for 6 Commerce Road that could potentially generate in millions of dollars in revenue for the town. I proposed and am still in favor of an ordinance for peaceful protesting that would save the town potentially $225k in police overtime. My Democratic friends didn’t even want to consider that. And what solutions have C&E offered? Eric wanted to ADD $300K to the BOE budget for a kindergarten class that had no impact on learning Spanish! And Chis wanted the parents to pick up the tab for extracurricular activities THAT THEY ALREADY pay for. Don’t throw rocks if you live in glass houses. One of our main responsibilities on the Legislative Council is advocating taxpayers’ dollars in the best interests of the Town and trying to make it more affordable without degrading services. Unfortunately, the Democrats can’t run on “affordability” since they already jammed the residents of Newtown with a huge tax increase last year, but I still can. I am humbly asking for your support on or before Nov 4th. Thanks to C&E to giving me the opportunity to respond and clear everything up.

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Not one question about the cost of implementing this system. Yes, there is a donation with strings attached. We've been there before and now we're bonding new monies regularly to maintain or repair those 'donations' like the community center. I think Deb is right to say she doesn't have enough information to make an informed decision. I'd like to know what it costs taxpayers to maintain & upgrade this system that seems to be on balance fairly unpopular.

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Mr. Leonardi should read my email again . I was referring to the LC republicans who all voted against the BOE budget.

I disagree. While I understand that many local Democrats are eager for a shift, now is not the time to hand over the town’s leadership to an untested and inexperienced candidate. Newtown faces real challenges — from infrastructure to responsible development — and those require steady, proven leadership, not someone still learning what the job entails. Experience matters. We have a seasoned First Selectman who has demonstrated the ability to manage complex projects, balance competing priorities, and keep the town moving forward with stability and accountability. The Democratic candidate’s only record of political leadership is a series of unsuccessful campaigns — in 2009, 2020, and again in 2023. That’s not experience; that’s persistence without results. Newtown deserves a leader who has already shown the ability to lead, not one who is still trying to prove they can. At a time when we need consistency and competence, let’s not gamble the town’s future on inexperience. Let’s stay the course with a First Selectman who knows the job, understands the community, and continues to put Newtown first.

Change Begins With Local Elections

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‘Plant Medicine For A Calm Mind And Resilient Body,’ October 18 With Garden Club

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