The Spooky Windows on Main Street event had an amazing response this year! 🎃 A total of 21 businesses (55 windows!) participated, with 100 students. We’re so proud of everyone who joined in the fun—and congratulations to this year's winners!​

• Kindergarten – Emory Rhoades & Lily Vold​
• First – Colbie Dombrowski & Hazel Dixey
• Second – Cali Fullerton & Serenity Ostrader​
• Third – Adelynn Laurel & Talisa Kelley​
• Fourth – Dylan Moodie-Kalman & Tuelee Quach​
• Fifth – Kaia Galvin & Lily Gagnon​
• Sixth – Gia Cadrain & Lizzy Blakeney​

We could not have such fun without our Main Street participating businesses: 
​Park Place Hardware, Northwest Community Bank, Northwest Realty, ABC Pizza, Winchester Hardware, The Gilson Cafe and Theater, The Curious Cat Bookshop, Be Under Par Performance, Friends of Main Street, Rooted Market, Andy's Attic, Peacocks & Lilacs Thrifty Boutique, Noujaim's Bistro, Birchwater Properties, JB Appliance, Mad River Music, F & G Richards Jewelers and Railway Cafe!

​Let's not forget to thank our judges – Andy Jones, Pam Dean, and Mark Lampognana  👻​

We are deeply grateful to Eversource Energy for their generous $2,500 grant to Friends of Main Street Winsted.

This funding, in partnership with the Town of Winchester, will allow us to replace aging and decayed trees along Main Street, enhancing the beauty, charm, and character of our downtown.

The new trees will make Main Street more inviting for residents and visitors alike--strengthening community pride and supporting local businesses.

This project also highlights our responsible stewardship of grant funding, helping position us for future opportunities that benefit our community.

​Thank you, Eversource Energy, for your continued commitment to a greener, more vibrant Winsted. 
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Friends of Main Street teamed up with the Winchester, CT Conservation Commission for our Annual Fall River Community Cleanup along the Still River and Mad River — and what a turnout!

Over 40 amazing volunteers showed up to make a difference, and we filled the bed of the Public Works truck once again! Special thanks to Boy Scout Troop 1027, The Gilbert School students, McGrane's On The Green, Mario's Tuscany Grill and Bar, for the pizza. Let’s keep taking pride in our town — every piece of litter picked up helps keep our rivers and sidewalks beautiful!
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#CommunityEngagement #conservation #winstedct #fallcleanup #prideinplace #teamwork

Join Friends of Main Street in voting for your favorite Winter Wonderland Windows while shopping downtown this holiday season! Vote from December 5th to December 10th for the Most Traditional, Most Creative, and Most Festive. 

We received more than 70 votes! This year's Main Street windows were EXTRAORDINARY - we could not award only one for each category - so we awarded two!

Our favorite Winter Wonderland Windows of 2024:
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Edge Works Axe House, Little Red Barn Brewery, Railway Cafe, F & G Richards Jewelers, Annie Q. Simard KW Realtor, Peacock & Lilacs Thrifty Boutique, Home & Cake, JB Interiors, Andy's Attic, Little Fox Portraits, Friends of Main Street, The Curious Cat Bookshop, Monaco's Ristorante, Winsted Winter Express, Gilson Cafe & Cinema, Papa's Market, True Value Hardware, Papa Bopa, Mama Pho Vietnamese Restaurant, Jessica's Barbershop, Asa's Diner, Toby's Peruvian Restaurant, Northwest Community Bank, Cura Café, L.I.V.E., Park Place Hardware, and McGranes on the Green.

December 1, 7/8, 2024
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Enjoy this Year's Holiday Events!
It's the most enchanting time of the year! Children can imagine themselves aboard the magical Winsted Winter Express, embarking on an unforgettable journey to the North Pole – plus plenty of shopping!
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​Get into the holiday spirit starting Sunday, December 1, in Winchester Center! At 4:30 pm, go to the Winchester Center Congregational Church for the annual tree lighting and caroling.

On Saturday, December 7, join us in downtown Winsted to explore Main, Rowley, Lake, and Whiting Streets for exciting holiday shopping and fun! 

You won't want to miss taking pictures at the North Pole in front of our 75 ft mural – The Winsted Winter Express – located at 372 Main Street, honoring the trains that journeyed to Winsted.  At 1:00 pm, Friends of Main Street and Northwest Community Bank will have a ribbon cutting for a unique ice carving by Joe Almeida, an ice sculptor for MGM Studios in Springfield, Mass.  The ice carving was unveiled before the festive holiday mural by artist Michael Genovese, sponsored by Friends of Main Street.  The mural and ice sculpture honors the trains that once arrived in Winsted. Gather with friends and family for photos and create lasting holiday memories.​

On the morning of Saturday, October 26, sidewalks were filled with K-6 Winchester students creating frightening displays of ghosts and goblins along Main Street for the 42nd Halloween Window Painting Contest! Check out their spooky windows!

 A big howl out to the Winsted Fire Department who cleans the windows each year!

We could not have such fun without our participating businesses:  McGrane's On The Green, Park Place Hardware, Northwest Realty, Northwest Community Bank, Cura di sé Nutrition, ABC Pizza, Mama Pho, True Value of Winchester, The Gilson Cafe and Theater, The Curious Cat Bookshop, Be Under Par Performance, Friends of Main Street, Rooted Market, Total Mortgage, Winsted News, Andy's Attic, Noujaim's Bistro, JB Appliance, Mad River Music, 2nd Home Lounge, F & G Richards Jewelers and Railway Cafe.

​And we thank our judges Andy Jones, Pam Dean, and Mark Lampognana   🎃 ​