"A visual gateway to downtown Rockville and the Vernon Cultural District." That's how the Town of Vernon described the goal of "Threads of Community," the mural Mayor Dan Champagne and the Town Council unveiled on Tuesday evening, Oct. 20. Artist Heather Herindeen designed it around Rockville's natural beauty, its mill and manufacturing history, and the push to make downtown a center for arts and community life. A crowdsourcing campaign and a grant from the Connecticut Main Street Center paid for it.
The town lists the mural's location as Cornerstone, 1 Prospect St., facing East Main Street. That address matters more in the next two months than at any other time of year. Between now and Christmas morning, Vernon's two biggest holiday fundraisers both benefit the organization behind that wall. One of them ends on the rail trail a few blocks away.
The Calendar, in Order
This is Vernon's November and December as it stands heading into November 2026. The events marked with an asterisk raise money for Cornerstone Foundation.
- Nov. 6–7: St. Bernard Christmas Bazaar, 25 St. Bernard's Terrace
- Nov. 7: First Congregational Church of Vernon Holiday Fair, 695 Hartford Turnpike, and the TLC Marketplace at Trinity Lutheran Church, 20 Meadowlark Road, starting at 9 a.m.
- Nov. 12: Soupfest*, 6 to 8:30 p.m., St. Bernard Church
- Nov. 28–29: Vernon Historical Society craft fair
- Dec. 4: Winterfest, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Central Park
- Dec. 25: The Scrooge Scramble 5K*, 10 a.m., 31 Church St.
The season starts and ends with Cornerstone. Soupfest is the first large fundraiser after the church fairs, and the Scrooge Scramble is the last event of the year.
What the Building Behind the Mural Runs
Cornerstone Foundation runs a community kitchen, three shelters, a food pantry, a clothing bank, a community center and a diaper bank. Its programs are spread over several Prospect Street addresses rather than one front door. The 211 Connecticut directory lists the shelter at 1A Prospect and the food cupboard and clothing bank at 3 Prospect. Patch's November give-back roundup for Vernon gives the foundation's address as 15 Prospect St.
Patch says Cornerstone accepts donations of nonperishable food and clean or gently used clothing. It asks donors to call 860-871-1823 first and check what's needed. The call is worth making, because needs at a food cupboard change week to week. According to 211 Connecticut, the food cupboard is open Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m.
Cornerstone's volunteer signup page lists several roles: dishwashing on weekdays and early evenings, help in the food cupboard and clothing bank, and an event coordinator position at about 10 hours a week. The volunteer contact is [email protected]. The age rules for volunteers differ from one source to another, so families should confirm directly before signing up teenagers.
November Runs Through St. Bernard's Twice
The first two weekends of November both lead to 25 St. Bernard's Terrace. The St. Bernard Christmas Bazaar runs Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6–7. That Saturday is the busiest day of the early season. The First Congregational Church of Vernon holds its Holiday Fair at 695 Hartford Turnpike, and Trinity Lutheran Church opens the TLC Marketplace at 20 Meadowlark Road at 9 a.m. Visiting all three in one morning is easy.
Five days later, on Thursday, Nov. 12, Cornerstone brings Soupfest to the same church from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free. According to Cornerstone's event page, four kitchens are pouring this year:
- J. Rego's Gathering Place, 175 West Road, Ellington
- Mitchell's Restaurant, 1237 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon
- Monet's Table, 167 Tolland Stage Road, Tolland
- Cornerstone Community Kitchen, the foundation's own kitchen on Prospect Street
The last name on that list is the one to try. Cornerstone's kitchen serves meals to Vernon all year, and its soup is on the table next to three established restaurants. Monet's Table usually serves lunch Wednesday through Friday and brunch on Saturday, so a weeknight tasting is a rare chance to try its food after dark.
The evening also includes a silent auction, a teacup raffle and a Cornerstone Visa gift card raffle. Raffle tickets are sold that night, and winners are drawn before the event ends. Winners don't need to be present.
Thanksgiving Weekend Moves to the Historical Society
After Soupfest, the calendar goes quiet until the weekend after Thanksgiving. The Vernon Historical Society holds its 2026 craft fair on Saturday, Nov. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vendor registration closed Oct. 15, so the lineup is set by now.
Saturday has the longer hours. That makes it the better day to shop if you're hosting family for the long weekend.
Winterfest Lights a Memorial Tower
On Friday, Dec. 4, the town's own celebration takes over Central Park on Park Place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Town of Vernon's event calendar lists a fire-truck parade, the tree lighting, music, singing and the lighting of the snowflake on Fox Hill Tower.
Many people in Vernon have seen the snowflake from below without knowing what it hangs on. The town describes Fox Hill Tower as a 72-foot War Memorial Tower at the top of Fox Hill in Henry Park, dedicated to the veterans of Vernon and Rockville. Lighting it each December turns a memorial into the most visible holiday light in town.
The 2026 listing doesn't give the exact layout inside the park. Last year, the town held Winterfest in Central Park in front of Vernon Town Hall on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. Plan on the same general area, and arrive before 6 p.m. if you want to see the parade from the start.
Christmas Morning Ends on the Rail Trail
The season's last event goes back to Cornerstone. The 45th annual Scrooge Scramble 5K, presented by TruNorth Construction, starts at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 25. Runners meet at the Church Street parking lot, 31 Church St. The organizer's RunSignup page describes the route plainly:
Phoenix Street to the 1.5 Mile Marker (before Valley Falls Park) and back.
That puts the race on the shaded Rails to Trails, with a course the organizer lists as USATF certified. Parking is on the trail side of Church Street and Birch Street. According to the organizer's page, all proceeds go to Cornerstone's shelters, soup kitchen, food cupboard and clothing bank. The page also has a donation button for people who would rather give than run.
Registration costs $27.50, which includes a $2.50 fee, and the price goes up after Dec. 1, 2026. If you plan to run, sign up during Thanksgiving week, before the price changes. The organizer says more course details are coming. Last year's race application welcomed both costumes and dogs.
The turnaround sits just before Valley Falls Park, and the start is a short walk from the Prospect Street buildings the race supports. Runners spend Christmas morning within a mile or so of the place their entry fees go.
Where the Mural Fits
Herindeen's mural shows the word Rockville, hands shaped into a heart, flowers, a dog and a bridge. The town presented it as a sign of a renewed era for downtown as revitalization continues. It went up just weeks before the stretch of the year when Cornerstone's kitchen, food cupboard and clothing bank get the most help from Vernon. A free bowl of soup on Nov. 12 and a 5K entry on Dec. 25 both send money to the building behind it.
Our team lives and works in these towns, and we pay attention to the calendars that hold them together. If a move is on your 2027 calendar and you'd like to know where your home stands before the holidays wrap up, The Corrado Group can help. Request a complimentary home valuation and we'll walk you through the numbers, the timing and the preparation that gets a Vernon listing ready for spring.
