Friday, December 8, 2023
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Volume 29, Number 49
Something for everyone at Winter Market By Rachel Wachman Special to The Times
Held twice a month on Sundays from now to March, the Durham Winter Market features a combination of food and craft vendors selling everything from pasta sauce, baked goods and hot chocolate bombs, to Christmas ornaments, candles, and soap. This year’s market takes place in the newly finished community center, which opened at the beginning of November. Recreation Chair Amanda Betty explained that vendors come from all over Connecticut to set up shop in the market. A typical market day sees between 20 and 25 different stalls. “Durham is small and there’s not much in town, so this gives people the chance to come out and find things they normally wouldn’t find elsewhere,” Betty said. “We don’t have a candle store in town. There’s nothing shopping-wise for Christmas gifts, etc, so the market gives people the chance to go out, mingle, meet up with friends, walk around, and find things that interest them.” This iteration of the market includes more artisanal goods than in past years. At many of the stalls, shoppers can customize what they buy, such as embroidered products or engraved wood. Visiting the market in the new community center also gives people the opportunity to get to know the
Photo courtesy of Amanda Betty
building and explore what it has to offer, per Betty. “There’s a lot that goes on in this building that a lot of people may not be aware of and people may not realize what it has to offer,” Betty said. “This market highlights one of the types of activities that can happen there, and people can see firsthand what those opportunities are.”
Angela Massimino of the Cheshirebased Angela’s Kitchen will be selling her pasta sauces and salsas at every Sunday installation of the market this winter. “The very best part of selling Angela’s Kitchen at the markets or in public demos is meeting new customers, being able to talk to them about our products’ freshness, taste
and quality, sharing family stories and of course watching their priceless reactions when tasting our products,” Massimino said. Her family-owned business sells its products at farmers markets around the state and in over 100 grocery stores. Massimino especially enjoys See Market, A6
Hearst CT Media close to buying Record-Journal Record-Journal staff
MERIDEN — After more than a century and a half of independent, family ownership, the Record-Journal announced on Nov. 27 that it had reached a preliminary sales agreement with Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
Under the agreement, HCMG will take ownership of all print and digital operations of RJ Media Group, including the Record-Journal, its seven weekly publications, and its digital advertising agency, according to Record-Journal Publisher Liz White Notarangelo.
White Notarangelo, the fifth generation of her family to lead the Record-Journal, shared the news with employees last Monday, citing Hearst’s “ongoing commitment to strong local journalism as well as a culture of innovation and serving communities.
“We feel it’s a great fit and next chapter for our family company,” White Notarangelo wrote, in a column to readers Nov. 27. Mike DeLuca, group publisher and president of HCMG, said he was “thrilled to welcome the Record-Jour-
nal to the Hearst Connecticut Media Group family,” while “embracing a new chapter in journalism.” “This union underscores our commitment to fostering strong local voices and delivering impactful stories See Hearst, A8