HELP SHAPE YOUR COMMUNITY…
GET INVOLVED IN THE CHAMBER!

New Milford Now

Nestled in the lush, rolling hills of Litchfield County, New Milford at first glance represents quintessential New England. But there’s much more to this western Connecticut town that lies on the banks of the Housatonic River — it’s an intriguing blend of then and now.

Incorporated in 1712, New Milford has a history that runs deep. It was home to Roger Sherman, one of the country’s Founding Fathers and the only man to sign all four documents related to the birth of our nation.

The town green, part of the Center Historic District, has been the heartbeat of New Milford since its early days. Among its iconic landmarks is an 1890s bandstand that has hosted concerts, political speeches and rallies — and still does today. Walk along the green and you’ll no doubt notice one of town’s most recognizable and beloved landmarks: the Stuart Army tank, which has stood as a memorial to war veterans since the 1940s. The green remains a vibrant part of community life, with a year-round calendar of events that include the annual Village Fair Days, summer concert series, a farmers market and holiday caroling.

The bustling Center Historic District features numerous restaurants with a rich array of enticing cuisines to satisfy any palate, from the casual to the upscale. The district is also a shopper’s paradise. You’ll find antiques, fine jewelry, toys, specialty foods, wine, clothing, gift shops, boutiques — even a pet shop. Looking to pamper yourself? Visit one of the district’s superb salons. (Convenient big-box retailers are located outside the district.) While browsing the shops, you’ll see that the buildings they occupy reflect the town’s diverse architectural history. Among the styles are Colonial and Greek Revival, Romanesque, Federal, Georgian, Victorian and early 20th-century brick. Step outside the district and take a self-guided tour that showcases New Milford’s significant agricultural legacy: the New Milford Barn Quilt Trail, the first such trail established in Connecticut. Along the route are 19 eye-catching quilt patterns hand-painted on large blocks that hang on vintage barns and historical buildings.

The district is but one portion of the 62 square miles that make up New Milford, the state’s largest town land-wise. Within its borders are 9,500 acres of natural splendor and open space. You can hike and bike miles of trails, bring your kids to the playground or soccer fields and explore scenic Lovers Leap State Park, one of many outdoor recreation spots. If you’re into swimming, canoeing and other water sports, visit Candlewood Lake, Connecticut’s biggest lake at 8.4 square miles. In the winter, enjoy ice skating, cross-country skiing or ice fishing on the lake. The Housatonic River is also a great place to fish, especially for trout.

New Milford’s breathtaking scenery and stunning vistas offer the perfect setting for celebrating special occasions, with a variety of venues to meet your needs. With plenty of places to stay, New Milford also makes for an excellent home base to explore the tri-state region. It’s just 77 miles from New York City, 50 miles from Connecticut’s capital of Hartford and 80 miles from Springfield, Massachusetts.

‍

Your One Stop for Doing Business in CT

With the Office of the Secretary of the State’s business division fully integrated into Business.CT.gov, Connecticut business owners now have a seamless end-to-end experience from how to start a business, registering that business, and managing all of their critical compliance needs:

• Business owners can now sign up for one CT.gov account and handle all of their business filings online, hassle-free. This includes business registration, business lookups, filing annual reports, making business amendments, and filing liens.
• New business owners can register their business and have instant access to a full suite of valuable business and filing services right in CT.gov account dashboard.
• All business owners can now track their filings, payments, and get alerts and notifications so they can stay compliant with the state – all at their fingertips in one easy-to-use account.
• If a business owner wants to find things like when an annual report is due, they can now do that right inside the chatbot. Enter a business in the chatbot and get information specific to the business in seconds.
• Businesses can now file and track every kind of UCC lien online, with no paperwork required.

Audio Recordings & E-books

November 27, 2021 Tree Lighting    https://www.facebook.com/events/278362927560964/

Chamber Member Meeting with New Milford Town Officials

Lunch & Learn Seminar “Relaunching Your Business” (Zoom meeting).  Click here to get 12 Page e-book How to Successfully Relaunch your Business.

Save the Date – Upcoming Chamber Events 

CANCELLED – Village Fair Days

Village Fair Days began in 1967 as a two-day community event showcasing local businesses and organizations.  It has grown over the years from a simple sidewalk sale into one of the largest events in town.

The New Milford Chamber of Commerce has coordinated this event with support of a Village Fair Days Committee and community volunteers.  Many of the committee members and volunteers have been involved for many years and donated countless hours each year to make Village Fair Days successful.

In 2020 and 2021 the Fair was canceled for pandemic concerns as Covid-19 changed how the world worked.  The committee met in late 2021 with the excitement of bringing the Fair back in 2022.  As we moved forward with the process, we began to run into some challenges.  The primary challenge was with Fair infrastructure.  The infrastructure of Fair Days has a price tag of approximately $40,000.  The costliest expenses cover the tents, rental of tables and chairs, wiring of the Green to provide electric to all the vendors, entertainment, and sanitation.  All of which are coming in priced above past years’ expenses.

As we started accepting applications for this year’s fair, we found that long time vendors were reducing the amount of space they historically requested or deciding not to return as they struggle with being able to staff their space.  While we have quite a few vendors eager to participate again, the interest has been considerably less than in past years.  We spoke to people in the know and were advised that vendor participation in all different types of fairs has been falling off.  With this information, we felt that we would not be able to host a fair of the same caliber as in the past, nor draw enough vendors to cover the incurred expenses.

In late April, the Chamber Board of Directors met and made the difficult decision to cancel Village Fair Days.   In addition to supporting other local community events, the Board has committed to coming back with a different event that highlights our wonderful community and local businesses.  To our long-time vendors and volunteers, we thank you so much for your energy and inspiration over the years.  We could have never done the Fair for all these years without your support.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Birdseye
President, Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce
Chair, Village Fair Days Committee

September 28, 2022 – Business Scene/Business Seminar & Networking Series, Special Wednesday Night Live Video with Mayor Bass: Presenting Panel Members from an All New Business Partnership in New Milford

October 20, 2022 – Business Seminar & Networking Series, Financial Management for Small Business

October 21, 2022 – Awards Gala

November 16, 2022 – Business Seminar & Networking Series, Marketing & Social Media

November 26, 2022 – Tree Lighting / Small Business Saturday

December 7, 2022 – Business Seminar & Networking Series, Selling & Business Development

For a list of upcoming Chamber and community events, please visit the Calendar of Events page at http://newmilford-chamber.com/events/.

See below for more.

To develop, encourage, promote, and protect the commercial, industrial, professional and general business interests of the community; and to promote the civic interests and general welfare of the town of New Milford and its trade area. Learn More