Melissa Martino

1 week ago | danburycountry.com | Melissa Martino

Another business in Connecticut looks like it has closed its doors for good. I love when chains choose to open a Connecticut location. It makes me happy to see they're giving our state a chance. We definitely have a great food scene here, so I always love when new places continue to open. As of Tuesday, a popular sports bar with only 1 Connecticut location has officially closed its doors.

1 week ago | danburycountry.com | Melissa Martino

This is a pretty crazy story. I love local businesses and I love local coffee shops. They're actually one of my favorite things to go to. I stumbled upon this story and was actually shocked to see what was going on. Story and Soil is a local coffee shop that is located inside the Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore. It has been a popular spot for over the past 4 years. They were also voted as #88 in World's Best Coffee Shops. It is a staple to the students on the campus, as well.

1 week ago | danburycountry.com | Melissa Martino

It looks like Connecticut will be increasing one of the annual fees we pay starting this July. Back in 2018, Connecticut created the "Passport to the Park Program" which helps residents access State Parks by allowing Connecticut residents driving Connecticut-registered vehicles to enter parks without paying a daily entrance fee. We are the only state in the Northeast to have something like this. We know nothing is free in Connecticut, so where does that fee actually go?

2 weeks ago | danburycountry.com | Melissa Martino

New businesses opening? Yes please! What's even more fun about this is that it's an activity. I spent all summer last year saying that I wanted to play tennis or pickleball - ask the people in my life, I wouldn't stop. It's such a fun concept and everyone was doing it. I'm pretty sure there are a ton of pickleball leagues around the state now as well. Here's a great example. A quick google search and here's a website about all of the local pickleball clubs and groups near Danbury.

2 weeks ago | danburycountry.com | Melissa Martino

Any type of expansion for traveling from Connecticut is great for people like me who love to hop on a plane and see new places. You've heard me talk time and time again about how convenient Tweed Airport in New Haven is and how it's been such a great addition to Connecticut. The people that live around there may not agree, and I understand that because their type of living completely changes when you're directly next to an airport.