Back from a Little Break-and LOTS Happening at NVCC!
- Catherine Aingworth
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
I have to admit, I took a couple of weeks off from NVCC. If you follow us on Facebook, you may have noticed that I did some traveling and made my way through Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. While I was visiting different communities, I found myself paying attention to what makes a place feel like a community, with all the little churches, squares, bakeries, and more! What makes people want to stop, stay awhile, get involved and actually get to know the people around them, and of course, it got me to thinking about our area, and about NVCC and why we do what we do.
Our mission really is about the people and connecting. The people who volunteer, the people who come to lunch and end up sitting with someone they didn’t know, the people who teach a class, come dancing, help set up an event, donate, sponsor something or just walk through the door and say hello.
So, after a little time away, I’m back and looking forward to a very busy fall at Newark Valley Community Connection! I love the beach, I love the mountains, but Newark Valley and Northern Tioga County is wonderful-and I'm proud to call this area my home!
Here’s what’s coming up:
September
Wednesday September 2nd and September 16th 11 AM to 1 PM Tioga County Rural Ministries at NVCC; Come and learn what TCRM has to offer and how they can help!
Thursday, September 3 • 6:30–8:30 PM Beginner Line Dancing with Red’s Line Dancing; Have you ever wanted to try line dancing but thought you'd probably be terrible at it? Trust me, you're not alone! That's exactly why we have Red's Line Dancing at NVCC-plus it gets you moving and is great for exercising. You don't have to be a great dancer, you don't need a partner, and you definitely don't need to know what you are doing when you walk through the door. Learn a few new dance steps, watch some others show their stuff between each lesson, relax and have a good time! Come with a friend, have some laughs and give it a try!
Tuesday, September 8 • 10:15 AM Live-streamed Yoga with Lindsey. The class is suitable for all experience levels and includes both chair and floor movement.
Saturday, September 12 • 6:00 PM Murder Mystery Dinner We still have a few tickets left for this one! If you’ve been thinking about coming, now’s the time to grab a ticket. It’s an interactive whodunnit, so you’re not just watching the mystery—you become part of it! You can get your tickets here: https://www.newarkvalleycc.com/events-1/murder-mystery-dinner-1-1
Monday, September 14 • 11:30 AM–1:00 PM Monthly Community Lunch We’ll be serving Beef Tips Stroganoff, and Jennifer from NBT will be joining us to talk about how to protect yourself from scammers. These lunches have become one of my favorite things we do because they really are about the food AND the conversation.
Tuesday, September 15 • 10:15 AM Live-streamed Yoga
Thursday, September 17 • 6:30–8:30 PM Beginner Line Dancing with Red’s Line Dancing
Tuesday, September 22 • 10:15 AM Live-streamed Yoga
Saturday, September 26 • 9:00 AM–3:00 PM Rummage Sale Fundraiser Come see what treasures you can find and help support NVCC at the same time!
Tuesday, September 29 • 10:15 AM Live-streamed Yoga
And then October gets really busy!
We’ll have more yoga, line dancing and our monthly lunch, along with some special events, including a presentation by Cheryl Orton Stevens on October 17.
And of course, we have HAUNTED HALLS coming back October 23 and 24! We would love for more volunteers to help plan and set up! Our next meeting is September 14th at 6:30.
This year we’re doing Horror Movie Classics, and I think this one is going to be a lot of fun.
We’ll start with a family-friendly Harry Potter adventure, then you’ll make your way through the Haunted Halls with classic horror movie characters, creepy scenes and plenty of scares.
Once you survive the halls, head upstairs for our Monster Mash Party, with music, dancing, classic horror movies, cider, doughnuts and more.
Friday & Saturday, October 23 & 24 • 5:00–8:00 PM
And while we’re talking about upcoming events, it’s also time to start thinking about
Looking forward to Holiday Magic on December 5!
We’re looking for a few more vendors who would like to be part of the event. If you make, sell or create something that would make a great holiday gift, we’d love to have you join us. You can reserve your spot here: https://www.newarkvalleycc.com/events-1/holiday-magic-arts-and-crafts-fair-and-bake-sale-2
A little volunteer spotlight…on me!
I’ve spent a lot of time asking other people if we can spotlight them as NVCC volunteers, so I guess it’s probably time I stop hiding behind the camera and talk about my own volunteer story.
I’m Cathy, and I’m one of the people who helps keep NVCC moving.
When I retired and first started thinking about Newark Valley Community Connection, I certainly didn’t have everything figured out. I just knew I wanted to see more opportunities for people to get together, meet their neighbors and have things to look forward to right here in our community. And I really didn't want to see this old community church fall into disrepair as so many other churches and buildings have. Since then, there have been a LOT of hours spent planning events, writing posts, answering emails, making phone calls, looking for funding, moving tables, cleaning up and trying to figure out how we’re going to pull off the next crazy idea. And there are always plenty of those! We have a great board of 7 people, along with many volunteers that help make crazy ideas a reality.
One of the things we’re working on now is Community Pulse, which is really just our way of asking people what they think. What do you enjoy? What would you like to see more of? What would make you feel more connected? What do you think our community needs?
I know we don't know all the answers, so I’d much rather ask.
That’s one of the things I’ve learned through all of this. A community doesn’t belong to the people who organize the events. It belongs to the people who live here or attend our events, which is why I’m really incredibly grateful for all of the people who have volunteered, donated, sponsored events, taught classes, cooked meals, attended events, shared our posts and encouraged us along the way.
There’s no way NVCC could do what it does because of one or a few person.
It takes all of us.
So after my little break, I’m back at it, and I’m excited about what’s ahead.
I hope you’ll come out to something this fall. Bring a friend. Try something you haven’t tried before. Come have lunch with us. Go dancing. Get a little scared at Haunted Halls. Hunt for a bargain at the rummage sale. Or just stop in and say hello.
And when you see our Community Pulse questions on Facebook, please take a few minutes and tell us what you think. Your ideas really can help shape what comes next.
See you at NVCC!
Newark Valley Community Connection32 South Main Street • Newark Valley, NY
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