Never More Than 15 Minutes Away!

In this lively episode of Under the Charter Oak, Ashley, Kym, and Matt welcome a special guest from outside the library world, Kristen Bellantuono from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) State Parks. Kristen oversees beloved statewide programs including No Child Left Inside, and the long‑running Sky’s the Limit Hiking and Walking Challenge, which will probably occupy the rest of Kym's year, that leaderboard is everything to her. Together the group discuss how DEEP works to make outdoor recreation safe, educational, and accessible for everyone. Which state parks will you visit this year?

What we’re reading:

Connecticut State Parks: A Centennial History

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese 

Still Live by Louise Penny

Resource we mentioned:

Sky's the Limit

No Child Left Inside 

Credit:

“Wholesome”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/be/3.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Transcript

Kym Powe 0:05

Welcome to Under the Charter Oak, a podcast at the Connecticut State Library, where we preserve the past to inform the future. My name is Kym Powe. I'm the Children and Young Adult Consultant.

Ashley Sklar 0:15

I'm Ashley Sklar. I'm the Adult Services and Community Engagement Consultant.

Matt Geeza 0:19

I'm Matt Geeza. I'm the director of the Connecticut Library for Accessible Books and the Middletown Library Service Center.

Kym Powe 0:25

Again, with that long title. And today we have one of my favorite people in the whole entire world. I'm so excited. And I think our first person, not directly tied to libraries or books.

Ashley Sklar 0:38

I think you might be right.

Kym Powe 0:39

That's very funny. Kristen, do you want to introduce yourself?

Kristen Bellantuono 0:42

Hello, everybody. Thank you guys so much. Wow, I feel like a celebrity here. Um hi everybody. I'm Kristen Bellantuono. I work for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in our State Parks Division. Um, I run a couple programs for the State Parks, specifically uh the No Child Left Inside Families in the Parks program and the Sky's The Limit Hiking and Walking Challenge, which we'll be talking about very shortly.

Ashley Sklar 1:04

Uh-huh. Mm-hmm.

Kym Powe 1:05

Yeah. See? So you know what it is. You know what it is. [crosstalk] Every year. Every year.

Ashley Sklar 1:10

It's coming back. It's coming back. You know what? My winter brain is still waking up.

Kym Powe 1:14

No, it's because no one actually listens to me when I'm telling about it. That's what it's like.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:17

They don't listen to any of us.

Kym Powe 1:19

It's fine. It's fine. You know, I try. I do I do my best to push for you guys. But before we dive into your background, these programs, we have to start with our normal what are you reading? I think I'm gonna ask Matt first. Matt, what are you reading?

Matt Geeza 1:34

Uh I just finished Still Life by Louise Penny, which, if there are mystery fans out there, uh, I'm late to the party. This was book one of the Inspector Command.

Kym Powe 1:45

Oh, you're starting?

Matt Geeza 1:46

Yeah. Yeah. So but yeah, uh from a few different family members and colleagues. Cathy Potter, one of our colleagues, we were recently talking about it and got some personal connections to Quebec, specifically the where that is set. So um it's kind of neat to read the book and imagine having been in that that area before. And it was fun. I'm I'm hooked. I'll be moving on to book two for sure.

Kym Powe 2:14

Aww, welcome to the spooky reading club. I love it over here.

Ashley Sklar 2:19

Me? My turn?

Kym Powe 2:20

Is it the toddler or is it you?

Ashley Sklar 2:22

Not a toddler. So big news. A few weeks ago I finished that 800-page book that I was reading for like, I don't know, three months.

Kym Powe 2:27

Did you bring that up in December?

Ashley Sklar 2:30

Maybe, probably.

Matt Geeza 2:32

Maybe November?

Ashley Sklar 2:32

So I've decided to read one that's only 670 pages.

Kym Powe 2:36

Only.

Ashley Sklar 2:37

Next. So I'm reading actually a book by the same author. So by Abraham Verghese.

Kym Powe 2:43

The water drop author?

Ashley Sklar 2:44

The water. No, no. That's, no.

Kym Powe 2:47

I'm mixing my books.

Ashley Sklar 2:48

Well, you know what? The other one was called The Covenant of Water. So it is a very reasonable mistake. But this one is his earlier, one of his earlier books called Cutting for Stone. Um, I'm literally like 20 pages into it, so I'm I can't tell you too much, but it's sort of about twin brothers who were born in Ethiopia, Ethiopia from an Indian nun mom and a British surgeon. They are

Kym Powe 3:12

Nun?

Kristen Bellantuono 3:13

Wow.

Ashley Sklar 3:13

Yes.

Kym Powe 3:13

N-U-N?

Ashley Sklar 3:14

N-U-N. Yeah. So they are um eventually orphaned, but they both seem to be drawn to medicine. And so I'm sure over the next 650 pages.

Kym Powe 3:28

I don't even feel bad because you do this to yourself.

Ashley Sklar 3:30

I do, I do. I have to say that the last one was an incredible, incredible story. And so I I am excited to read more by him. And he is a doctor and a professor at Stanford School of Medicine, um, and and a writer. Clearly, he's very he's well published. Um, and he's he seems to be a very humanist, human-centered um position, really focusing on humans, less so than maybe the technology, and that does come through in the stories too. So um, yeah, I'll keep you posted over the next six months as I'll be reading this books.

Kym Powe 4:07

Oh, yeah. And next time it's gonna be like, I'm on chapter 16.

Ashley Sklar 4:10

Totally.

Kym Powe 4:11

And 126 pages.

Ashley Sklar 4:13

I can't deny it.

Kym Powe 4:14

That's so funny. Matt, I'm actually the most excited. Matt, you were gone for a whole week, and I had so much to tell you. And I'm I'm just I was so mad every time, and I was like, rude. Don't go on vacation.

Ashley Sklar 4:26

I think many of us were. There were many things that Matt was needed for last week when during his vacation.

Kym Powe 4:32

Yeah, no vacation.

Matt Geeza 4:33

Um noted.

Kym Powe 4:36

Um, so I my I'm I'm in the middle of two books. I'm back bouncing back and forth. I had started one, I started one because I heard about it on TikTok, kind of, and then I started another one because I heard about on TikTok.

Kym Powe 4:48

But so the first book, um, it's called the um, and this is because you're all history and stuff, this is what isn't war. It's called The Children's Blizzard. And so I saw it's about the uh blizzard of 1888, and um someone online was like, before you watch the new version of Little House on the Prairie, you might want to read these books. And then I was like, sure, tell me.

Kym Powe 5:09

So this was one of the ones about the blizzard of 1888, and the book is about um um uh two sisters, no, one 16, one 18, and they're both teachers, and they uh live in in uh different different states, like one's right kind of across the border. Um, but they're they're both impacted by this blizzard. And so one sister chooses to keep the kids like in the school, and like they're really worried because they're like, if we run out of fuel, we're all gonna freeze to death and like da-da-da-da. And the other one is like, I'm sure they'll get home and let the the kids go. And you know, the book starts here, like it starts at the blizzard, and it's not a surprise that like a bunch of those kids don't make it home. Uh like a bunch of them, but it's this is true. This is based off of like an actual blizzard.

Kym Powe 5:56

And so in this story, and none of this is a spoiler, like it's all in the description. Like the town where the sister like let the kids go, she's like horrible. Like they're like, We you killed our kids, something, something. Like, you know, she's kind of like the villain of the story. Whereas the other sister who kept the kids is kind of like heralded as like the savior, right?

Kym Powe 6:18

The plot twist is that both of these women made, well, girls made these decisions because of men. And so, like, that's its own story. Like, you know, one girl, she's like, I'm sure he's gonna come for us, so we'll stay here. And the other one wanted to hang out with the guy, so she's like, I'm trying to hang out with this guy, like you guys go home. So there's really interesting dynamics there.

Kym Powe 6:40

Then there's like really four people. Uh, this the teacher who kept the students, one of her students left anyway, like ran out into the blizzard anyway. And the kid apparently makes it, apparently she survives. And so then there's like her story, right? Of like, and when I was reading the description, I was like, girl, why would you do that? And then in the book, I'm like, oh, that's why you did that.

Kym Powe 7:04

And then there's a dude, this there's like a guy that the story is about. And he's a reporter, and he wrote all the propaganda to get immigrants to come to the West to settle it. He knew how horrible it was. He knew that it wasn't worth it. He knew that it was hard. He knew people failed, he knew people died, but like the rich people need money. He's writing the propaganda. And after this happens, he's kind of reflecting on his like part in this decision.

Kym Powe 7:27

So it's really great. I'm in the very beginning of the book, but I was like, and the reason I said I heard about this book kind of was the person on TikTok who's like, The children's blizzard, this is the wrong children's blizzard. I'm reading the wrong book with the same title. I'm reading the one by Melanie Benjamin, and it's historical fiction. There's another book with the exact same title written by some guy that's nonfiction. So, like the one I'm reading has the sad kids on the cover, and the one he wrote has like a building on the cover. But I didn't know that until I went to tell someone else about it. And then, like, I she's like, Oh, what were the other books the person on TikTok recommended? And that's when I'm like, Oh, this isn't the right book.

Ashley Sklar 8:11

That is so funny.

Kym Powe 8:12

But I like but they're both about the same blizzard.

Ashley Sklar 8:15

Well, they have the same name. So you literally...

Kym Powe 8:19

N o, someone should have like checked up on that. And then the other one that I kind of stopped that one to read. This other one's called Yesteryear. This one just came out. Apparently, it's already been optioned for movie rights. I don't know, Reese probably bought up or something like that. And it's about a woman who's an influencer. She's a she's a trad wife, but like she that's she loves it, she wants it. I you probably know what I'm talking about.

Matt Geeza 8:40

I think I read the book review.

Ashley Sklar 8:42

I feel like I did too. Yeah, it's sounding familiar.

Kym Powe 8:45

You I understand, Matt. Ashley, that surprises me. And then

Ashley Sklar 8:48

Not if it was a New York Times Book Review.

Kym Powe 8:50

You know what, because I really don't be paying attention to those.

Kym Powe 8:53

And like, and then she wakes up and it's the 1800s, and she's like, she'd been pretending it, like for social media and all this stuff. She'd been like making it, and then she wakes up and she's like, what? Um, and so I was like, I have to know, like, I have to know what's in this book. So I started that. I'm on like chapter 13 or something.

Kym Powe 9:11

What I will say is it is deeper than that description because like we're we're getting her experience in college coming from having lived a specific type of life. And then like college is kind of sounds like a disaster, actually. And then like meeting her husband, but then also like mo modern day. What do I don't even know how to talk about the timelines? And then sort of like the now, not the 1800s now, the potentially 20 something, 20 20s now, where she's on like TikTok or whatever. And then and then also the 1800s. So we're getting her past, her 1800s present, and her her 20 20s, I don't know. Um, but it is very good. I'm like on chapter 13, and I was like, I gotta I wanna tell Matt about all these historical fiction books I'm reading, but you weren't here. So now you hear it here.

Matt Geeza 10:07

I I want to hear more about the-

Kym Powe 10:09

Yesteryear.

Matt Geeza 10:10

The second one you were just yes, Yesteryear.

Kym Powe 10:12

Oh yeah.

Speaker 10:13

Because the article that I read, I think it was the New York Times. [crosstalk] It was a little bit of an author profile and a little bit of a book review, so but it was very intriguing after I read that. And I I concluded the article thinking, I want to read this.

Kym Powe 10:29

And I am. So I'm first.

Matt Geeza 10:32

All right.

Kym Powe 10:32

First is the best. Kristen?

Kristen Bellantuono 10:36

Well, I was gonna say uh mine doesn't quite compare to the kind of those.

Kym Powe 10:41

It doesn't have to.

Kristen Bellantuono 10:41

Uh but for me, just based on kind of the the journey going through with State Parks and getting to kind of the Sky's The Limit Hiking and Walking Challenge. So I guess, and Kym may be familiar with it, you guys. I don't know if you have your copy yet, but it's the Connecticut State Parks of Centennial History that my former colleague-

Kym Powe 10:57

My mom brought it.

Kristen Bellantuono 10:58

So Alan Levere had written. So I'm trying to really get through that. So I've kind of skimmed it, read parts of it, pieces of it, but it's like a 250-page kind of culmination of kind of the history. That it started with like a brochure pamphlet years in like 2013, give or take. And so it's just kind of expanded upon that. So I'm really trying to like dig into it and get from like cover to cover. [crosstalk] So I've read bits and pieces. So that's where I'm kind of like immersed in that. And of course, you know, um, didn't bring it with me today, but I have, you know, kind of picture. [crosstalk]

Kym Powe 11:31

My mom brought it.

Kristen Bellantuono 11:31

Okay, there we go.

Kym Powe 11:32

Yeah, no, and when she when she brought it, she's like, Oh, I've got a book for you from DEEP. I was like, she goes, It's a big book. I was like, Oh no, we have that already. Right. And she's like, but they just opened the box. How'd you get it? And I was like, Well, Lori gave it to me because I ran it to her and she gives us stuff. And then um, so she's like, Oh, I'll leave it in the car. But so then I like walked her back to the car and saw the book, and I was like, Oh no, we don't have that. And so I'm like, I I thought there was a-

Kristen Bellantuono 11:55

She probably gave you the little like-

Kym Powe 11:56

No, no, no. So she no, she gave me that one, [crosstalk] but I thought it was a different book.

Kym Powe 12:00

So Matt, I showed-

Matt Geeza 12:02

The Civilian Conservation Corps Book. I think that's the one she dropped off. [crosstalk] Yeah, the CCC.

Kym Powe 12:07

I did not realize there were two books because we got the other one about State Parks a couple months back, like maybe in this summer, maybe last year, what is time? So when she's like, Yeah, it's a big book, I just assumed it was that one. But I flipped through it too when she dropped it off. It looks really cool. Like there's a lot of stuff in there.

Speaker 3 12:25

A little bit of everything from details to photos to historical significances. So we've used a lot of that to kind of help us craft our Sky's The Limit Hiking Challenge this year from kind of the historical perspective of the parks, the forests, the locations, the wars, the history, like a little bit of everything.

Speaker 3 12:42

So that was you know, Al had worked with us for years upon years and had retired around 2020. So this was kind of his his love that he had worked on after he retired. So it finally got kind of printed, distributed. So we're still in the process. There's still books kind of up in Hartford, and we have a big warehouse in somewhere in Rocky Hill. I've been there a couple of

Speaker 3 13:03

Um, but you know, it's just such a great book and there's so much in it that really to kind of dig in and take the time. Like, you know, I've worked in State Parks for a while, but I don't I I can't even imagine half the stuff that really went on there from the yeah. So it's it's each day I try to read a little bit more. It's like sometimes I'll be at work and I'll read it, sometimes I'll bring it home. So it's, you know, when you have kind of extra time to catch up. And, you know, for me, that's been my biggest focus. But for me, it's more of kind of not reading necessarily a book, but kind of going through kind of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, all those just kind of different nature-related things and programs and ideas to bring into the kids, to the families. So that's been more of my kind of pastime of kind of reading and and some other books that I've read.

Kym Powe 13:49

I think that's perfect, right? Different strokes for different folks and I think like, you know, like our, like my reading always informs my job because I'm a librarian, right? It just is going to and so I think your reading is informing your really specific job and honestly, I think that's where you want to start. It's like, I don't think I ever asked you how you got into State Parks. I think it's just, my mom was like, meet these people, they're cool and you're cool and I was like, look at my new friends.

Kristen Bellantuono 13:49

Right, right.

Kristen Bellantuono 13:49

Yeah. Yep. Yeah, she was just like, connect the dots. I'm like, oh, you don't know.

Kym Powe 13:49

And she's really gonna love, thank you, mom. Anytime I talk about my dad about something, she gets upset.

Kristen Bellantuono 13:50

 Yes. Thank you, Monique.

Kym Powe 13:50

 Thank you. I'll tell her to listen to this episode.

Kym Powe 13:49

But yeah, so what's your, we always, so there have been episodes where we've gone into our background, libraries, getting up to date. Yeah, I mean, did you start off like, in school for conservation? Or did you collect rocks as a kid or I don't know?

Kristen Bellantuono 14:36

It it kind of almost going back to the sim simple fact of like being outside when we were kids. So it was always something I'd rather be outside than inside. And my grandparents had a cottage on the shore uh in Connecticut, in Guilford, Connecticut. So basically from the time.

Ashley Sklar 14:49

Oh, my hometown.

Kristen Bellantuono 14:49

Really?

Ashley Sklar 14:49

Mm-hmm.

Kristen Bellantuono 14:51

Oh, nice. So we're in Leetes Island.

Ashley Sklar 14:54

Oh yeah. I had good friends there.

Kristen Bellantuono 14:54

So like my grandparents had, you know, purchased this tiny little cottage.

Ashley Sklar 14:59

It's beautiful there

Kristen Bellantuono 15:00

60-some odd years ago, kind of up on the point there, but it was or the knoll, I should say. So it was something like since I was born, that's all I knew. You know, every summer we were down there with my grandparents. My parents, like my mom and grandmother were with. I have two younger sisters, we're 18 months apart, they're twins. So it was like the three of us always down there with mom or grandma. Like when grandma worked, mom was with us. And when mom worked, grandma was with us, and then my grandfather and my dad, they'd come down on the weekends.

Kristen Bellantuono 15:23

So we just kind of did our things. Or it was just kind of your whole summer was with kids and friends and families, you know, uh other moms that kind of work part-time. So that's really kind of for my love of the outdoors, kind of started there with family. And my dad taught us from a young age how to boat and how to fish, and it pretty much just here, go outside and make your own fun, have some friends, you know.

Kristen Bellantuono 15:45

Uh I think back now they let us do a lot of things on our own.

Kym Powe 15:50

Sure did.

Kristen Bellantuono 15:50

A nd with my own kids, I was like, oh,

Kym Powe 15:52

Yeah, no cell phones, nothing. We were just out there.

Kristen Bellantuono 15:56

We were out there like in areas and you know, going out and forth. [crosstalk] And uh we were always safe, of course. You know, we never did anything wrong as kids. We're always good kids. Um, but it was that was just kind of my love of kind of everything outdoors. And I was like, oh, I'm I'm gonna become an engineer and I'm gonna build bridges. I don't know what I was thinking. Because when I got into the math, I was like, no-

Kym Powe 16:18

Same.

Kristen Bellantuono 16:18

I can't do this.

Kym Powe 16:19

I was gonna be an electrical engineer. I couldn't tell you why, but that was like the plan. Like, I was like, I'm going to be. And then yeah, and then someone's like, You know how much math is in there? And I was like, what?

Kristen Bellantuono 16:28

They're like, Oh no, we can do it. And then I was like, oh no, I can't pass this calculus class. I didn't do so well. And I was like, maybe I can need to explore some other options. Um, so I always thought, you know, I want to do something with the environment, but wasn't sure what. So I was like, oh, I'm gonna be an engineer, started with that. And I was like, even my senior paper in high school was like, I was gonna own my own engineering company. I was like, girl, you have no idea what you're like, no, like it's not gonna happen.

Kym Powe 16:53

18 is hilarious.

Kristen Bellantuono 16:55

Lik e you have all these thoughts and ideas, and then reality sets in, and then you're like, oh, I have to pay how much? And what are my parents gonna help? You know, so I went to to the University of Rhode Island and loved it there my time. So I majored in what they call marine affairs policy, ocean environment. And then, of course, my junior got into kind of environmental education and loved it. But I'm like, hmm, three years in, mom and dad are gonna kill me. So I just did more like internships, and I was like, okay, I'm just gonna kind of keep that at the back of my mind. I'll finish. Didn't obviously get a degree in engineering, it was like coastal stuff. Um

Kym Powe 17:29

Basically uh project O like you got a degree in project O?

Kristen Bellantuono 17:33

In some ways it was like policy ocean environment that it was law, it was like a whole hodgepodge of things, and I'm like, oh, this is a lot. I need to pick something that I want to focus on. Um, so then you know, you apply to all different things.

Kristen Bellantuono 17:45

So when I first got out of college, I went with a consulting firm, which was a great experience, but uh billable hours like every 15 minutes. And I was going down to areas in New Haven where we'd have to do stormwater sampling. So it could be like five o'clock, and you have to catch that like first into rainfall. And I was like, I don't want to be by myself down in New Haven at night. Yeah, but I was fine. You did it, you'd go with other staff, but I was like, hmm, there's there's some other options.

Kristen Bellantuono 18:10

And then you know, you like oh, all these wonderful jobs for the states. So you'd apply and apply, and they're like, sorry, we can't secure funding. Or you know, we've all been there, we've had the experience, so it's just you had to be consistent, persistent. Um, did a bunch of seasonal positions. Um and that's really what kind of said, you know what, uh this is what I want to do. So it was like I did got into DEEP finally, God in a really, really long time ago because I've been with the state like 27 years. Um a long time. Um, but it's it's changed over time. So I did a lot of at the beginning dock and coastal permitting, aquaculture, shellfish, um, policy, you know, type things. And then there was always that love of environmental education. So I had a like kind of part-time jobs and things like that that I did. And two of my best positions I ever had were summer seasonal positions, one with Marine Fisheries Division and then the other at Hammonasset as uh uh interpretive naturalist is what we were called way back then.

Kym Powe 19:03

Different from my seasonal position, answering phones at marine headquarters.

Kristen Bellantuono 19:06

Really?

Kym Powe 19:06

O h, yeah, I worked in the Old Lyme. I worked with my mother. We worked in the same, yep, and I did. I that was my my seasonal time [crosstalk] because yep, at the marine headquarters in Old Lyme back when it was someone answering the phone to transfer you. They laughed at me.

Kristen Bellantuono 19:20

It was so different.

Kym Powe 19:20

Yeah, oh, it was so different. It was someone called and I they were they asked something and I put on hold. I said, Someone wants to know something about pierogies, and they were like, Porgies. And I was like, Oh. I don't know if I should have this job.

Kristen Bellantuono 19:31

We learned so much. Yeah, being a seasoner, you learn a little bit about everything because you're like exposed to so many things, especially when you have to answer phones. Like when I was full-time, we had something called De jour. It was like you took the call of the day, you would get stuff that wasn't even relative to your division, your and the running joke is we had there were a couple secretaries way back when that like they just never answered the phone, they would just like push it to somebody else. So you were getting these random calls about you think of the strangest thing anybody could ask, and you're like, huh.

Kym Powe 20:06

Pierogies.

Kristen Bellantuono 20:07

I do like how do I help you with this?

Matt Geeza 20:10

I could have helped with that one.

Kristen Bellantuono 20:12

I don't know. So needless to say, kind of my long-winded response. So it kind of started with just the love of the outdoors and then kind of having, you know, different jobs and then um working with the state. Then an opportunity came up, you know, to for State Parks. I'd applied at the position in the past, and I was like, oh, hi, yeah, I'm here. Um, and then it's, you know, I've been incredibly fortunate. I absolutely love what I do. It's been about nine years now, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Kym Powe 20:38

Oh my gosh. I love that so much. Um, especially because now that I know, and so yeah, the answering the phones was the beginning of my interest.

Kristen Bellantuono 20:46

Well, because maybe I met you way back when when I was down there because I was working there.

Kym Powe 20:50

Yeah. Well, I guess my beginning to DEEP was like listening to my mom talk about it over at the dinner table. Um, I knew more about CORE and like I knew more about random state stuff than any random person who didn't work for the state. So I had like a base level of knowledge when I got here. I'm like, well, I've been listening to my mom talk about this for like 26 years. Right, right. Um, but uh yeah, yeah, I sure did. Yeah, Marine Headquarters. Um, uh answering for fisheries and and boating and doing though, [crosstalk] uh what the boating certificate deferrals when you were still doing them on paper and you'd give them the copy and then file the other copy and yeah, triplicate. Yeah.

Kristen Bellantuono 21:23

And people like actually came into the office and you'd like sit there and chat with them for a little bit, and you had the most beautiful view of just the Connecticut River or the mouth of the river.

Kym Powe 21:31

I never got my voting license or my fishing license. And I could have been the person to give it to myself. Never did it.

Kristen Bellantuono 21:35

Oh my goodness.

Kym Powe 21:35

Never did it.

Kristen Bellantuono 21:36

Well, we need to work on it.

Ashley Sklar 21:36

What a missed an opportunity.

Kym Powe 21:37

Well that's when you still needed the park passes. I sold the park passes before it was in our [crosstalk] um before it was mixed in with our car registration. Yeah, that was my that was the beginning of my DEEP journey.

Kristen Bellantuono 21:47

Gosh.

Kym Powe 21:48

And now I just follow you around.

Kristen Bellantuono 21:49

I well, I would call it that where we're so thankful to be partners with you guys who've gotten to do so much together and just your attendance at the events and like everybody's like, is Kym coming today? I'm like, you know, you have a certain group of kids and families that like follow us. [crosstalk] They're like, yes. Oh, okay. Kym's not here today. And I was like, I know, but she's gonna be here on this date. So be like, okay.

Kym Powe 22:10

Friends, I'm coming.

Kristen Bellantuono 22:12

Um that's the thing. They they love you. They love everything that you guys are, and are I mean, you guys have done so much to kind of help us with things and point us in the right direction and share knowledge and information that it's uh we're so thankful for the partnership.

Kym Powe 22:26

Yes, I think I think to the to the outside ear, you're like State Parks and the State Library. Like, what could you possibly have to do together? But so much. And I I mean I definitely want to get to No Child Left Inside because that's that's where I spend a lot of my time just in a professional capacity.

Kym Powe 22:40

But from a personal perspective, we gotta start with Sky's The Limit. So Sky's The Limit is a essentially like a hiking slash walking challenge. Um, you and it's you, right? Like, because I remember one time you said you walk the trails, like pick the State Parks, pick the trails. Um, it was through Sky's The Limit that I found my favorite state park, which is actually Gay City State Park. Really, it's because I like all the bridges. Yeah, there's just there's every time there's like a little baby bridge, and I just they just bring me joy. Yep. Um, but so it's a hiking challenge. So like just break down for the people who don't know, which are the people in this room with me, even though I tell it to you guys, every stickin' year. [crosstalk]

Kristen Bellantuono 23:18

We're gonna bring it back. You're gonna remember.

Ashley Sklar 23:20

It's gonna be a big refresher.

Kym Powe 23:21

Oh, yeah, tell us about the about the the the challenge itself, and then I want to move into the 2026 updates, which have me uh just as a whole different part. I'm not even competitive, but I don't know who I am with this challenge because-

Kristen Bellantuono 23:35

We're seeing a lot of people that way. So we kind of changed things up. So kind of the long and the short of it. So Sky's The Limit started about 10 years ago. So my um former colleague boss Diane Joy had started it. Um, what I was told is that she had done, you might remember this, the sojourn that they did. So it was like two weeks of like um across the state adventures. So, and I think basically when she got back, she was I don't want to say bored, but she was so creative and always thinking of new and different ways to engage people and families and uh just getting people to like get outside. [crosstalk] So she was like, huh, we gotta do something that involves like hiking. So hence the Sky's The Limit Hiking Challenge was born.

Kristen Bellantuono 24:15

So over the years it's kind of changed. We're always trying to do something kind of thematic to kind of get people out about whether it's highest peaks, whether it's waterfalls, whether it's um gosh, uh bridges boardwalks and

Kym Powe 24:30

Gay City.

Kristen Bellantuono 24:30

Yeah, Gay City, I think, was in that one. You know, just trying to change it up each year. So we have 142 State Parks and 32 can we get that right? 32 State Parks. Uh give or take. 110 State Parks, 32 state four. So give or take 142 total.

Ashley Sklar 24:45

Wow.

Kristen Bellantuono 24:45

There's a lot. Um, so ideally we'd love to be able to get people to every location, but sometimes the themes don't always work. So fortunately or unfortunately, some of those repeat, but we try to do a different trail or different locations. So the premise of it is to get people outside with little to no experience or with all sorts of experience. Tell you where to go, what to see, what trails to go to, kind of the level of difficulty, what to kind of look for, take pictures of. Kind of in a nutshell. But we've kind of since COVID added kind of walking to it too, because hiking, that term hiking can be a little you know, a little people might feel like-

Kym Powe 25:24

I call myself a hiker. I'm a walker. I'm a walker for sure.

Kristen Bellantuono 25:27

And I am, I am truly a novice in that sense. Like I kind of taught myself through the job and with my colleagues and friends and and like-minded people, you figure it out. Um, but you feel like you're missing a big group of people by not including kind of the walkers. You know, some of them, some of the hikes are more of a hike where you kind of have an elevation reach. There might be some, you know, sometimes too, people love Sleeping Giant because there's some really difficult.

Kym Powe 25:51

They're insane. I'm rambling. I have never made it to the top of Tower Trail. I've tried twice in 1.6 miles. The elevation, it's like you're going straight up. I'm walking leaning forwards. [crosstalk] The first time I went, I swear there were like the sweetest oldest ladies with like children and backpack carriers. Just walk like, hi, hi. And I'm like, ma'am, I'm dying. I'm dying. I can't wave to you. I had like a Camel Bag because I'm I just needed all this water. And I'm like, this is 1.6 miles. This is embarrassing. It takes me longer to walk around the block in my neighborhood, but it's the elevation. Never. I got oh, I have to do it now because it's on the list.

Kristen Bellantuono 26:30

Because it's on there, and you will do it.

Kym Powe 26:31

Well, I tried, I made it up. I it it must have been like 50 steps. And I was like, is this enough to trigger the the GPS? No. The answer was no. And I was like, dang it. So I'll try again another day. Um, so yeah, those hikers, the ones who actually need the trekking poles are-

Kristen Bellantuono 26:48

And some people have them just for kind of the stability aspect, whether you bring a hiking stick or or your pole. Yeah, everybody has their own preferences. You know, we always recommend that people just kind of be safe. Think ahead, you know.

Kym Powe 26:59

10 essentials.

Kristen Bellantuono 27:00

Exactly. The 10 essentials, you know, let someone know where you're going, watch the weather. Kind of the again, we're not up in, you know, New Hampshire or Vermont or something where things can change that drastically, but you just never know. I mean, look at we had a little rainstorm come through today.

Kristen Bellantuono 27:13

Perfect example, Friday. We had a um kind of a staff meeting, we'll call it. So we said, oh, we're gonna go take a quick little loop at the Forest Meadow Trail sessions. Deluge. Oh, downpour. Oh, we look like we had just showered. We come back and they're like, they look at me, they're like, oh. I go, yeah, it was it was supposed to be a quick walk, and but none of us were expecting that.

Kym Powe 27:35

Do as I say not as I do.

Kristen Bellantuono 27:36

So it was like just to kind of get a quick little walk in before the meeting started. I was like, Yep, and now it's freezing to death because it was one of those warm but yeah, muggy days, but then you get in the building. But same thing, like you didn't know, and I wasn't expecting to go for a little walk, but of course I'm not gonna say no to get some steps in. And I think that's the big thing. It's kind of the the health, the the mental well-being, just to kind of get outside, the fresh air, the exercise, friends, family, solo, however you want that you can bring your furry friend, make sure they're on their leash. Um, that's one thing we always have to remind people of. But it's just, you know, like I was saying, since COVID, it was more kind of um to encourage more people to get out because you saw so many people. They went to the outdoors, they went to the trails, they went to the parks.

Kym Powe 28:17

Especially once we found out it was safe to do that. Because there was a period where we're like, we have no air, we can't we can't breathe anyone's air except for our own. Yeah, but then I I I I specifically remember when I think I think it was, I think maybe Fauci was like, You guys, it's safe to go outside, you know, still mind your distance, but like that's something that we can do, and everyone everyone went outside.

Kristen Bellantuono 28:37

The parks were overrun, both in a good and bad way. You know, some people were incredibly conscious about it, and others it was just like, oh, I'm gonna throw my garbage, and you're like, oh, please don't do that, you know. So again, it was everywhere, whether it was a local park or a city park or a state park or forest. Like, we all dealt with some of those similar difficulties. Yeah.

Kristen Bellantuono 28:55

But I think just encourage people to get out, you know. So you could, like I said, you could be a novice, you could be a professional. We have one woman, I think she's about 91. She and her daughter do it. And-

Kym Powe 29:05

Ma'am, if you're listening. Hats off to you.

Ashley Sklar 29:08

Yeah, right?

Kristen Bellantuono 29:09

Carmel is her first name. We'll leave it at that. She-

Kym Powe 29:12

Are you on the leaderboard, Carmel?

Kristen Bellantuono 29:14

I you know what, I haven't looked yet to see. Um, but there's so many familiar faces, so we'll get to that. But needless to say, so it was just kind of an opportunity to kind of get more people involved. So it's been kind of standard the way we've done it. So we tell you where to go, what to see, what photos to take.

Kristen Bellantuono 29:28

We've had a great run, people enjoy it. So we have 250 or more that usually participate and finish it all. So the point was we'd start with like 10 hikes or 15 hikes or up to 20 hikes, so it would vary each year. So as long as you did at least, I'll say 10 of the 20, you'd qualify for a hiking medallion and a certificate. And if you completed all of them, your name would go in for the chance to win 50 and/or 100 um one of the hand-carved hiking sticks.

Kristen Bellantuono 29:51

So usually on January 1st each year is the series of kind of first day hikes across the state. So I would specifically run one for our Sky's The Limit folks. Um, we'd be at various locations, but there'd be a live drawing. So if you completed it, you know, part of the instructions, kind of submitting everything, your name would go into the live drawing. So you didn't have to be there though. And January 1st is tough for some folks. They don't want to get up early. So we try to push it a little later um for folks to come, but they won the hiking stick and it was like hooting and hollering. We'd make it kind of a a crowd.

Kym Powe 30:20

And they're beautiful sticks.

Kristen Bellantuono 30:22

Yeah. And so are we have a gentleman named Jim Moore from our Portland Salmoth. If you guys have not been there, it's amazing. It's beautiful. He loves to do educational um experiences, kind of show people around. He's brought it to another level. So he and his staff have gone out to our different parks and forests and found kind of different sticks that he's either carved down or just kind of left natural. And he always puts his kind of, I'll call it insignia on it. It's usually some type of leaf or fern or something he'll kind of carve in there.

Kristen Bellantuono 30:48

And this this past year, he did um, it was how we say it backwards, cross your trees and dot your skies. Because it was kind of the pun was we did connect the dots last year. So it kind of took you around and ultimately to make the State Park Shield. So he put the Big Dipper um on the front of the stick.

Kym Powe 31:04

Oh my gosh.

Kristen Bellantuono 31:04

And I silly me, didn't even realize at first. I was like, oh my God. Now I see it because it like you had to look very closely at it. So these sticks are absolutely gorgeous. So he's every year has been donating 50, and we've been getting from the Connecticut War Covers Association another 50. So we've been fortunate enough to have a hundred to give out. So we we're never sure until kind of the week of. Um, so it's been great. People love them. So we usually kind of put them together. They have the latigo lacing to kind of hold it on there. But everybody has a particular, either you like it taller, wider, thinner, like everybody has a preference. You know, some people just want it for kind of a wall ornament. Other people actually want to use it, others you know, use it for different things.

Kym Powe 31:42

Mine leans against my wall by the door.

Kristen Bellantuono 31:42 Kristen Bellantuono 31:42

I don't know what those will look like this year. Jim and I were just going back and forth, just saying, hey, just wanted to share everything with a challenge. So he's familiar with it. Because you never know, because we work for DEEP, everybody thinks everybody knows something about a program. Yeah. Um, so I'm like, no, just send everybody to this Sky's the Limit email or directly to me. Yeah. And I'll do my best to answer. So in the past, that's kind of how it was. It kind of culminated in that.

Kristen Bellantuono 32:05

So we had the opportunity um this past year um to apply for a grant. So um the assistant director and the director had applied through um Hearts of Steel to get a grant. Um, and our uh former our current director was uh former director in New Hampshire. So they had done this challenge for a celebration. I forget the logistics of it, but it was incredibly uh popular, but it wasn't Sky's The Limit, it was nothing compared to that. It was more of kind of a simple scavenger hunt. But ours, we said, hey, it's applicable. We can build this and do that. And it was like, okay, they applied for the grant.

Kristen Bellantuono 32:41

So we got it. I was like, oh, oh God, this is really happening. Yeah, you know, knowing the making this change to kind of get people ready for it. That's where it's been difficult. So we've had such positive outpouring, like it just started on Thursday. We're finally able to go live. There's kind of logistical things behind this scene.

Kym Powe 32:57

I was watching people, like, and I was like, because I might, you know why? Because my numbers kept getting lower and lower in the board. And then I was like, what are people doing? I was like, oh, there's trivia. When I tell you, I stopped working

Kristen Bellantuono 33:07

People are sitting at their desk and spinning.

Kym Powe 33:08

Yeah. I'm sitting there and I'm just like looking, you're just watching more and more people join this challenge. And I realized I never knew how many people did it because you know, I looked at it from the perspective of like Instagram, right? So, like if people are tagging or if you guys are reposting. And I don't think I realized just how many people must have been doing what I was doing because I've been checking the website since March. And I was like-

Kristen Bellantuono 33:35

Because it usually releases first day of spring, which is give or take March 22.

Kym Powe 33:39

So I was like, okay, it's not here. And I was like, I know they're doing stuff, there's a lot going on over there. I know all about it. I talk to my mom every day. And so I was like, I'm sure it's fine. And so that I'm checking, and I'm like, no, I'm not gonna say, I'm not mostly I was like, I am not gonna start blowing up Kristen's phone until like May. And then I I just so happened to check the Wednesday, and that's when I saw the date of like Sky's The Limit's gonna release, you know, on Thursday, and I was like, that's tomorrow. And I was so excited. And uh, but see, and so this is where I kind of want to talk about the changes because I'm so used to what it looked like. And I didn't realize it was going through the upgrade. So I'm looking at it-

Kristen Bellantuono 34:15

We didn't know until uh we thought we knew, but we weren't sure if it was all gonna kind of come to fruition because you know how it is with a grant, and you have to meet certain things, and you are you gonna get it or you're not? It doesn't matter whether it's five dollars or five million dollars. [crosstalk]

Kristen Bellantuono 34:27

So that itself you kind of come up with an idea, come up with a theme, and we're like, oh, this just is amazing how this can connect. And we can make it based on kind of a a scavenger hunt in a sense. So you have missions, you have trivia, you have a call photo missions, and all of it kind of just kind of comes together. Certain things unlock other things. So it's kind of a-

Kym Powe 34:45

Yeah, I unlocked a challenge and I was like, oh!

Kristen Bellantuono 34:47

Yeah, and there's so many other things that we're trying to incorporate. We're trying to like give everybody the greatest experience they can.

Kym Powe 34:52

Oh you're killing it.

Kristen Bellantuono 34:53

I have to say, like 98% of the people love other people are like, wait, what? Yeah, you guys change, which change is good, it just takes a little while. But you know, like if you have question comments, like I keep checking my email um constantly for me, and I have to be completely honest. So, people listening, um, I was hesitant at first, I really was, because I'm like, I know how people think, what they feel, what they want. And I'm like, okay, I had to kind of bring myself coming around because then I got into it. I was like, oh, this is cool, but it was like overwhelming in the sense like, how do I build this? How do I create this? I'm not a tech person, but you don't have to be.

Kristen Bellantuono 35:33

You know, like there's free programming, then obviously a little additional so you can offer it to kind of the world. But I mean, just as you can see, in a couple of days, we're up to like give or take 1400 people. And usually through this, the experience, it's say you might have a lot more that kind of you didn't have to sign up but participate. But in the end, it's really 250 or more, and then 40 or 50 of their best furry friends are coming with them.

Kym Powe 35:54

Yes. And there's some families.

Kristen Bellantuono 35:56

And some families, you see a little bit of everything. You see, you know, partners and families and Boy Scout troops and Girl Scout troops and just a little bit of everything. And people have typically done the challenge where, you know, they go do it and then maybe they'll go to their favorite ice cream shop or brewery or a winery or it's the girls' day. You know what I mean? So everybody does it for a different reason, but I think at the end of the day, it's it's amazing just to hear their stories, to see their pictures, and you can see the creativity.

Kristen Bellantuono 36:23

So we changed it up, and I think it's a great thing. So it's I think it's exponentially gonna increase. So, you know, we typically go from say March when we typically release, but obviously this year was April 16th because of the background logistics, but we still go to December 4th. So I'm looking at some of these points going, okay, I think there's like I don't know 178 missions, say, and I don't even have my phone on me to tell you, like a hundred and-

Kym Powe 36:45

I can look because-

Kristen Bellantuono 36:46

55,000 points or something. Uh it or more.

Kym Powe 36:50

What uh what the what the amount you can get out of here.

Kristen Bellantuono 36:52

Which sounds crazy, but like people are killing it.

Kym Powe 36:55

They sure are. How many points do I have? I've got 3,800 points.

Kristen Bellantuono 37:01

Right.

Kym Powe 37:01

And I'm 74th, man.

Kristen Bellantuono 37:04

What is it? What does it look like in terms of numbers? This morning it was 13, 1331, I think. Around 9 30.

Kym Powe 37:10

I'm not even sure how you tell.

Kristen Bellantuono 37:12

If you go.

Kym Powe 37:12

Here, take my phone. You can see. I don't know, but while you're looking at my brain, I'm gonna ask Ashley and Matt, what do you guys think the theme is?

Kristen Bellantuono 37:21

1339.

Kym Powe 37:22

Look at that. What do you guys think the theme is this year?

Kym Powe 37:25

Don't tell them, Kristen.

Kristen Bellantuono 37:26

I'm not saying a word.

Ashley Sklar 37:28

It's your favorite word.

Kym Powe 37:30

Huh?

Ashley Sklar 37:30

Is it your favorite word?

Kym Powe 37:32

I have a favorite word.

Ashley Sklar 37:33

Semi-quin-

Kym Powe 37:35

Oh, my favorite word is no. Um

Ashley Sklar 37:39

I was gonna say the semi-quincentennial, also known as the 250th.

Kym Powe 37:43

It is indeed. Semi-quin-cen-

Ashley Sklar 37:45

See, she loves that word. She loves that word.

Kristen Bellantuono 37:47

That's a good word. It's hard to pronounce.

Kym Powe 37:49

But yes, it so that the theme is the 250, which I when I saw that, I was like, oh.

Ashley Sklar 37:54

How many points do I get for that?

Kym Powe 37:56

A lot of them. [laughter] Um and actually it was so interesting because when um when I was when I when I realized that was a theme, and then realized that I could start getting points from my desk at 9:30 while at work, it's partnership, it totally counts.

Kym Powe 38:12

Um I requests I gotta let you know. Um, and um, so I realized that and I was like, oh man. And my first thought was was the um the museum and all of its prep for um the July 4th um uh exhibit release. And we, Matt Ashley and I have had the opportunity to learn so much about Connecticut's contribution to the Revolutionary War. Um, and I mean, you don't know this, but apparently we wouldn't have made it. The country would not, if not for Connecticut, for this teeny tiny, it never would have happened. Um I know we're not sure. I know we can't say that for sure, but I'm sure.

Kristen Bellantuono 38:53

Yeah, she's pretty interesting.

Kym Powe 38:55

I'm sure. Without our socks and-

Ashley Sklar 38:56

We gave a lot of provisions. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of provisions.

Kym Powe 38:59

Yeah, without our provisions, take that, Boston. Um, without our provisions, just wouldn't have worked out like that.

Kym Powe 39:05

Um, so it was it was really interesting because within the Sky's The Limit Challenge, and this is this is a little bit different too, because it used to be um, right, like the list. And then I also love that that there were like historical information in there. So again, because Gay City is my favorite, you know, that's where I learned that it was an actual city. That's where I learned that along some hikes you could actually see the housing parameters um that that are still there, even though what was once a town is now woods. Right. Um, and that somewhere in there, and I still not have not found this trail, but somewhere is the fireplace that you can see. Like the house is gone, the fireplace is still there. Haven't found that trail.

Kristen Bellantuono 39:41

Remind me, I can share that with you. I gotta just find i t.

Kym Powe 39:43

Yeah, I know. Cause I normally I just sort of find and I just sort of, you know, go on my little walk, I'll find something on all trails. And I'm like, I wonder if today's the day that I'm gonna see the fireplace. Nope, not today. Uh, because there's so many, there's so many trails. And then it gives you, right, like take a picture here, take a picture doing this. And that's right, like that's that's the extent of it.

Kym Powe 40:00

Um, and this year there's trivia, and so we've really been able to learn about the impact of different people in Connecticut's history to Connecticut, to conservation and um different um spaces and and like war memorials, some of which we know, right? Um, just from being here, some of which we know from our own like research and stuff like-

Kristen Bellantuono 40:21

Good. That's kind of our goal. Like-

Kym Powe 40:23

I gotcha.

Kristen Bellantuono 40:24

Without making people realize that like we want to drive them to our CT State Park site and our parks and our forests and to learn more and engage and understand and you know, kind of really celebrating it all.

Kym Powe 40:36

Um, Matt, have you been to a state park or forest in Connecticut?

Matt Geeza 40:40

Oh, yeah.

Kym Powe 40:41

Yay! What's your favorite? Is it Gay City?

Matt Geeza 40:44

Um no, uh probably Rocky Neck, just because it's my hometown.

Kym Powe 40:47

Very fair. Okay.

Matt Geeza 40:49

I not having grown up in Connecticut.

Kym Powe 40:52

Same-seys.

Matt Geeza 40:52

I my park's knowledge is limited. That's you know, that's fair. Um if you would just do the sky's a limit challenge, you'd be like me. And you'd be mediocre, but still knowledgeable.

Ashley Sklar 41:03

Oh, you're gonna sell them before the end of this.

Matt Geeza 41:05

I think I'm sold after this.

Kristen Bellantuono 41:07

I love that. Okay. I'll take it.

Kym Powe 41:09

Ashley?

Ashley Sklar 41:10

Um, I mean, I grew up going to Hammonasset a fair amount because it's the next town over from Guilford. Um, and I love that. But we so I now live in Old Saybrook, and we just went to the Preserve, which is like state and town. Oh, I don't know.

Kristen Bellantuono 41:28

I think it might be a combo.

Ashley Sklar 41:29

It seems like it's a combo, but it's it seems relatively new, like only about 10 years old, or I don't know, it was new, sounded new. [crosstalk] Um yeah, well, I think it was like a new purchase of like about a thousand acres, and so it's got like three covers three towns, so there's different entrances, and and the Old Saybrook one happens to be down the street from us. So-

Kristen Bellantuono 41:50

It's ideal.

Ashley Sklar 41:51

It's great. It was really, really fun. So I I do want to explore some of the other entrances because I was like, oh, I'm kind of in that person's backyard at this point. So I'm gonna-

Kristen Bellantuono 42:00

That's the hard part sometimes because you know-

Ashley Sklar 42:02

It is because it's such a funky, right? You're buying this land that sort of like intermingles with what's around there.

Kristen Bellantuono 42:07

And I will say the ones that we recommend that you go to, we try to keep you on trail so you're not questioning where you're going and oh my gosh, am I too close to someone else's properties? I feel like forest, it's a little more I could see why people get a little more confused because it's just this wooded space and area, but we're like, as long as you stay on the trail and look for the blazes, and you know, we're gonna kind of point you in the right direction. And you know, with these two, I mean it's clear you go to Fort Trumbull, you go to Fort Griswold, you go to Bluff Point, like you know you're there. Like you can't, there's no question about it. [crosstalk]

Kym Powe 42:39

Sleeping Giant

Kristen Bellantuono 42:40

Sleeping Giant.

Kym Powe 42:41

Even though I can never see the giant.

Kristen Bellantuono 42:42

Right.

Ashley Sklar 42:43

Oh, you can't?

Kym Powe 42:44

No, I can't see the giant. [crosstalk] I was up there and people must have been looking at me because I was looking and I was trying to find it, and I was like, see, this is how you know you're not originally from here-

Ashley Sklar 42:52

You gotta be driving on 95. To see the giant.

Kym Powe 42:56

Oh, I well, I was trying to take a picture of the giant from to get my my thing, and I couldn't. I'm like, I can't find it. And so I was like, I'm just gonna go home. Um I I got a couple, got a couple points there.

Kristen Bellantuono 43:06

I'm sure we'll have some folks kind of do some creative, I'll call it photoshopping or whatever program they're using as well. But I will see. Speaking of that, it just brought back a quick memory. One of my childhood friends, my best friend still, we used to go to Sleeping Giant for her birthday parties. I look back and I'm just like, wait a minute. It just says,

Kym Powe 43:27

Well there's all that great green area, the picnic table.

Kristen Bellantuono 43:29

We could run, the parents were like, go kids, have fun [crosstalk] and have little picnic and then kind of run around. And just made me think of that when you said that.

Kym Powe 43:37

When I was there, there were two um people talking in the parking lot. One person was asking the other person something. I don't I don't know how they started talking, but I heard um the woman responding saying, Oh, you know, like I just I had a long day at work, and after having a long day at work, I just you know wanted to take a walk. So I you know, I drove over here, and the other woman's like, Oh yeah, yeah, that sounds that sounds really nice. She's like, Hey, you know, when you've been like at a desk all day, sometimes it's nice to just like get outside.

Kym Powe 44:00

So just I and that seems to be the ultimate goal of Sky's The Limit. And I just want to tell you, before it even no, well, the day that it started, I didn't see her frantically clutching her phone like I was. So I don't know if she even knew about it. Um, but the fact that, you know, after a long day's work, someone who lives close enough and as a familiar trail, right? That's right across the street from what Quinnipiac. So um, like that appeared to be a part of this person's routine as I was walking back to my car, which I think is ultimately right, like the goal to get people out moving and and knowledgeable about these parks, right.

Kristen Bellantuono 44:31

Just to kind of have them, I think, most first and foremost to feel welcome and comfortable and safe. Like sometimes people feel better to say, okay, here in this little neat package, like we'll tell you what you need to know. Um, but we're always here to, you know, whether it's someone at the park or another person, we're there to help or answer questions. I might not know the answers, but I know who to reach out to to get that answer for you. But I think the goal is just really to get outside, to explore, to see what all of Connecticut has to offer, because not everybody knows.

Kym Powe 45:00

Um but so you're saying May is when kids things start and No Child Left Inside is super uh kid heavy. The name is hilarious. My first question is No Child Left Inside the Great Park Pursuit, or is the Great Park Pursuit It's kind of all in both logos are everywhere.

Kristen Bellantuono 45:18

Yeah, so No Child Left Inside is kind of the overarching name, if you will. And when it first started, it was called the Great Park Pursuit. But over over the years, because we're this is our 21st year, believe it or not, going into our 21st year.

Kristen Bellantuono 45:30

So I've been doing it nine or so years. So we wanted to kind of switch it up. Oh gosh, this is the third or fourth year. It's awful, I don't know. Um, but we changed it to families in, you know, No Child Left Inside Families in the Park, just to kind of change it up a little bit. The Great Park Pursuit, just kind of not that it was stale by any means, but like switch it up, change it around. So it's you know, truly that family term, and whatever that family unit is, it is what it is. We just want, you know. And they show up. And they do.

Kristen Bellantuono 45:59

I mean our our most well-attended ones are our winter fests that we have every year in February this year with the crazy sub-zero weather. We were supposed to have it usually always the first Saturday in February with Sunday the backup date, but it was negative 35. And we're like making a decision earlier. I was like, there is no way like all the staff will be literally dead. Yeah or freeze to death.

Kym Powe 46:18

Well, and the and the the winter before was also insane. Yes, because I was there

Kristen Bellantuono 46:23

We'd've all frozen to death.

Kym Powe 46:24

A nd as I was watching the weather for the one this past year, I was like, oh God, I don't know if I can do this.

Kristen Bellantuono 46:31

No one could do it.

Kym Powe 46:32

I don't know, it yeah.

Kristen Bellantuono 46:33

And then we pushed it till I think it was the 21st. But again, thankfully, it was able to work with so many of our partners and folks that came out. So another record year that we had, it's been kind of consistently increasing.

Kym Powe 46:43

Hundreds of people.

Kristen Bellantuono 46:45

Like thousands. We had about probably 1,500, 17, 1800 people came out again this year. [crosstalk] Yeah, which is crazy. So this year they stayed a little bit longer because last year was super cold.

Kym Powe 46:56

Yeah, last year they were in and out.

Speaker 3 46:57

Yeah, and that was a great day. It was a little, I want to call it balmy, but it was a lot better than it would have been weeks before. I think it got up to like 37 degrees. I was like, this is amazing.

Kym Powe 47:06

Who needs a winter coat?

Kristen Bellantuono 47:06

The wind wasn't bad. It didn't get cold till the afternoon, but it's kind of a couple of the bigger events. We're almost trying to refocus to like a winter, spring, summer, and fall festival to kind of concentrate our efforts, our staffing, our resources.

Kristen Bellantuono 47:17

So Winterfest, as you know, Dino Day is the first Saturday in August every year, and we're at well over 2,000.

Kym Powe 47:24

I there are thousands.

Kristen Bellantuono 47:25

It's just an amazing day, just all, but we try to bring in partners, um, people with like-minded uh abilities, you know, uh just to kind of like man the tables, the booths, the stations, just kind of share.

Kym Powe 47:37

Horses.

Kristen Bellantuono 47:37

Yeah, the horses, Connecticut Horse Council. Thank you uh to Diane and her friends there for coming out every year. But those are kind of our two biggest ones. We're trying to work more on a kind of uh I'll call it the spring festival, which it's kind of a consistent across the country. We call it Kids to Park Day. Uh so we just had a really great webinar the other day with National-

Kym Powe 47:54

I don't know Kids to Park Day.

Kristen Bellantuono 47:54

National Trust. Um God, I'm never gonna get it right. National Trust um that they do it. So it's kind of across the country they do things. So we focus on that. It's usually that second to third Saturday every year. So this year it'll be May 16th. We'll be at Stratton Brook State Park in Simsbury for our kind of Kids to Park Day. So it's just kind of a little taste of-

Kym Powe 48:11

Is that the one with the red bridge?

Kristen Bellantuono 48:13

Yes.

Kym Powe 48:14

Yeah!

Kristen Bellantuono 48:14

Where we have the pavilion.

Ashley Sklar 48:15

Look at you.

Kym Powe 48:15

I'm telling you guys. I know.

Kristen Bellantuono 48:19

She knows, she knows her stuff.

Kym Powe 48:19

So you want to come to this? Yeah, sure. And then that's that's how I know something.

Kristen Bellantuono 48:23

And that's how we kind of build our grouping of followers because one person tells another and the family tells someone to the library shares it. Um, so it's just been a phenomenal way of getting people engaged, really. We used to say disconnect from technology and get kids outside, but I like to say more of the families. But unfortunately, with COVID and now, you know, Sky's the Limit, yeah, we're using our technology, but it's not required. You know what I mean? You click in, then you can put it in your pocket.

Kym Powe 48:46

Um, I think there's using technology and letting technology use you. Exactly. You know, and I think we gotta find that happy medium. I I I I think in this case, you guys are using the tech in the right way.

Kristen Bellantuono 48:57

And we may institute some of that this year, you know, with because we have the program that we can utilize I don't want to say in perpetuity, but we have a lot of options there to create other things. So for us, really the goal of No Child Left Inside and Families in the Park was really to get families. I'll put that in air quotes, whatever your family unit looks like, or your friends or what have you, your school group, to really come out, uh, learn about our State Parks and Forests, um, have positive outdoor experiences. That's the most important thing. We like to say we bring all the fun, like our fishing days. We work with our Fish with Care friends, um, the Fisheries Division, and they bring the fishing poles, the bait, the instructors.

Kym Powe 49:35

So the very first thing we went to was a fishing day. And I actually wasn't there. I abandoned Dawn. I showed up.

Kristen Bellantuono 49:40

Oh, we were at at Osborne dale. Yes Osborne dale, right?

Kym Powe 49:42

Yeah. And I was like, I can't go to this one. I have a wedding to go to. And so

Kristen Bellantuono 49:45

I remember that.

Kym Powe 49:46

I had dropped everything off. It was kind of raining. But I guess, ultimately, it stopped. And everything worked out fine. The fireplace was lit. So she was fine. And I was like, I gotta go. Um, but yeah, so our, the State Library's very first participation, I believe, in No Child Left Inside was a fishing day.

Ashley Sklar 50:01

I think I have a great photo of Dawn by that.

Kym Powe 50:04

You do . There we go with the photos.

Ashley Sklar 50:06

Yeah

Kym Powe 50:07

You do in front of it. It was very nice. Yeah, yeah. Before we really knew, yeah, like I don't, I don't know what what this is. And then like when I was like, oh no, these people follow this. Like, these, like it's the same people that I'm seeing at all these events, no matter what part of the states. And the way that you guys have been able to culminate um, like a following, uh I'm like

Kristen Bellantuono 50:30

So thankful

Kym Powe 50:31

to share, right? And I and I think it's just consistency, and I think it's just really great events and just providing, as you said, like positive outdoor experiences, but

Kristen Bellantuono 50:40

Fishing days, boating days, camping days. So it's kind of like we bring the stuff and teach you, show you, share with you, tell you, so you don't have to feel like, you know, maybe there's a financial barrier, maybe there's whatever. And we don't want it to be that way. Anyone can enjoy the outdoors, anybody can recreate.

Kristen Bellantuono 50:55

And if you love it that much, hey, you can buy your own stuff or there's libraries of things. There's gear libraries, there's all these other things. We have stuff too. We work with different groups like the Girl Scouts. And in the past, we used to be able to work with REI and L.L.Bean and that had additional stuff. They've kind of changed their models, so it's not always the same, but we try to do these things to have a fun time because there might be someone that has never gone outside. It's like, I'm not going near that bug. I'm

Kym Powe 51:20

Right.

Kristen Bellantuono 51:20

You expect me to camp?

Kym Powe 51:21

Well, there's snakes. Yeah, the snakes are gonna get me every time. Yeah, yeah.

Kristen Bellantuono 51:25

I think they're gonna get all of us, but just you have to remember, like, when they're there, you go, don't let the kids see ya freak out.

Kym Powe 51:30

Right, right, right.

Kristen Bellantuono 51:31

Do that after, like, pull yourself together.

Kym Powe 51:33

Really, really great about that. Wasn't there a bear once?

Kristen Bellantuono 51:37

Yes, that might have been an event. Was that Waramaug?

Kym Powe 51:40

Yes!

Kristen Bellantuono 51:41

I think it's Waramaugug. There was a mama bear and her cub that were kind of uh coming

Kym Powe 51:44

Because the trash cans were there, and I don't know what I was doing. I was just bopping away, walking around somewhere, and Chris and like, over there, there's a bear that was like, okay, and turned around and went right on back. It's I mean, but honestly, if I if I hadn't been walking towards the bear, so I had to be told to walk away from there, I never would have known. I never would have no one was panicking. No one, I mean, no one was

Kristen Bellantuono 52:07

It's such a common occurrence for the staff that's there, or even us too. But it's like when we get the heads up, or maybe it was even Burr Pond that day because it was going down the trail that goes from the uh

Kym Powe 52:17

Yeah, and it was like and there was uh and I don't know, I just remember there was a dumpster at the bottom of the trail, probably for like you know carrying and carry out. So it's probably who knows.

Kristen Bellantuono 52:26

And it's such a regular occurrence that we in parks kind of take it for granted, but most folks

Kym Powe 52:30

I took a picture from that day because I took a picture with the horse. It was the first time I touched a horse in my whole life.

Kristen Bellantuono 52:34

Yep. It's just different every day. But that's the thing to kind of give people the the feeling of it's okay.

Kym Powe 52:40

Right.

Kristen Bellantuono 52:41

You're safe. We're here to help you, show you, teach you.

Kym Powe 52:43

Yes.

Kristen Bellantuono 52:44

And if you have questions, please ask. Don't be shy, don't be uncomfortable about it. Like it doesn't matter where you're from, what you look like, who who your family is like we're here to do it together, to teach you, show you, like introduce you to, you know, a lot of people don't realize within 15 minutes of where you live is a state park or forest. I mean, there's city parks, there's town parks, yeah, but ours too. People are like, isn't that this? I'm like, no, that's actually a state park.

Kristen Bellantuono 53:10

But it it's really a positive experience. I think that's what it is at the end of the day to be like, you know what? Like, hey, Mrs. B, thank you. Like, I don't need the thank you, but just that little smile or the the parent or whatever saying, This was a really fun day. Thank you. Because it's free. The biggest thing is it's free capital letters F-R-E-E. Then anybody's welcome. In the past, when we first started, it was kind of six continuous weeks, kind of Mother's Day to Father's Day. But then then what? It's like you lose everybody, you know, because now school's out. So what we've tried to do over the over my time at least is kind of work with our partners to expand the time frame. So we kind of go from early February, then kind of everything goes for Sky's the Limit where it's separate, but yet they're welcome to do it too.

Kristen Bellantuono 53:54

And then we go from like May to October. It feels like every single weekend,

Kym Powe 53:59

It does.

Kristen Bellantuono 54:01

I work every single weekend in August, but that's okay. I love it, so I wouldn't have it any other way. Um, but you need that continual engagement, involvement, uh programming to kind of keep people going. So we try our best to go kind of all over the state, but it's hard. Connecticut, why it's not a huge state, it still feels like you're driving two hours from one side to the other. So, like, for example, we do three boating days here, three fishing days and three boating days. So for the fishing days, we do ice fishing, then we do freshwater fishing, which will be May 9th, and then we do saltwater fishing, which is second weekend in in August, August 8th.

Kym Powe 54:33

Saltwater, the one at um Bluff Point?

Kristen Bellantuono 54:34

Fort Trumbull. Fort Trumbull.

Kym Powe 54:36

There it is.

Kristen Bellantuono 54:36

And then we do three boating days. So we try to go to the eastern, western, and central portion of the state. It's not perfect, but we try. So you can come to all of them, you can come to one of them. But some people, it's a lot to drive 15 minutes as compared to an hour. Like literally, just load up your family. Like you show for a boating day. We have the canoes, the kayaks, the paddleboards, the life jackets. So basically, you just have to do a quick education. It's all about educating.

Kym Powe 54:59

And I I think that there is a comfort that the the No Child events really instills, but because there sometimes there's many hikes, and then you've got the you've got the the the pelt guy. Oh, what's my friend? What's his name?

Kristen Bellantuono 55:12

Art.

Kym Powe 55:13

Yes, Art who's who comes with pelts and scat, and it's all fake. It's fake, it's not real scat. And he's like, Can you put the pelt to the scat and you're in the feet? And you're like, no, no, no. Um and then you begin to see those people regularly because again, the families do follow the the ones who can follow the events. Bird watching has happened. Um

Kristen Bellantuono 55:32

We try to give a little bit of everything if you can.

Kym Powe 55:35

Yes, and then there's the bear knowledge. I want the true or false bear knowledge, but I was wrong about all of it. I didn't know anything.

Kristen Bellantuono 55:41

Most of us are.

Kym Powe 55:42

They're like, yeah, the reason they're bears is because we we built our homes in their territory. Apparently that's not true. That's that's propaganda or something, but that's that's that's not the way that goes. Um, so it's I mean, I really think just as as just a a human person. So right, like our our partnership relationship is is lovely. And I'm like, thank you, mother. Um, is great. Thank you. Um, but I think just as a as a human person who's like, yeah, I can I can I can go outside sometimes. I can I don't even need I don't need trekking poles. I just need my shoes.

Kristen Bellantuono 56:16

Right.

Kym Powe 56:16

Um, I think there is a comfort. Now, you know, I haven't been to your camping day yet because like that's a lot. I don't know And it's really gonna have to and mostly it's just because like, do I really want to be camping when there's a bunch of kids running around all over the place without like

Kristen Bellantuono 56:28

In the middle of August when it's a thousand degrees?

Kym Powe 56:31

Yeah, not so sure. But one day I think I'm gonna because I've never been tent camping. I'm

Kristen Bellantuono 56:36

We have Girl Scouts love State Parks weekend too. That's an option too.

Kym Powe 56:40

I think I was a Girl Scout for a day, I think. Maybe I have to ask my mom. Um, but

Kristen Bellantuono 56:45

We can make it work.

Kym Powe 56:46

Yeah. So I mean there there is a there is. Matt, have you gone camping?

Matt Geeza 56:50

Oh yeah.

Kym Powe 56:51

See?

Speaker 2 56:51

Are you a tent camper or are you?

Ashley Sklar 56:53

Oh yes, I have.

Kym Powe 56:54

Ashley, you've been camping?

Ashley Sklar 56:55

Oh yeah.

Kym Powe 56:55

It's just me? Oh, well, now I gotta go.

Kristen Bellantuono 56:58

We got you.

Kym Powe 56:59

Okay.

Kristen Bellantuono 57:01

We'll talk. We'll come up with a plan.

Kym Powe 57:02

Okay, yeah.

Matt Geeza 57:03

I've got the gear that you're welcome to borrow. Oh yeah.

Kym Powe 57:07

Yes, I've never

Ashley Sklar 57:08

Matt has gone camping more recently than I have, to be clear.

Kym Powe 57:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, but speaking of gear, right? Like that can be the biggest barrier. That can be the biggest barrier because, like, while technically all you need are your two feet, um the there's there's a knowledge because my biggest fear before I found out about something like All Trails, and I knew no, I do know that there's the UCONN extension project,

Kristen Bellantuono 57:33

Trail Finder,

Kym Powe 57:34

Trail Finder, which I do follow. But my biggest fear there is there's no, I'm like, how do I know how far I am? Like maybe I've wandered off the trail. I wander off trails constantly. Constantly. I don't know why. I'm like, mm-hmm. Maybe because I'm just in the zone, I'm not paying paying attention, which is not a smart thing to do. Um, so um I I have All Trails and I just stare at it. And if I'm if I'm off my trail, then I'll just sort of like walk using it like a compass until I wander back onto the trail I want to be on. So I'm not out there for like 17 miles. Um, but there is so there's there's knowledge, right? If if you're someone who's just beginning and that is a concern of yours, that might keep you from going because you're like, well, I'm not, I don't know how to use a compass. I don't know how to read a map. Like we have the map. Where am I on the map? I don't know, right? So without that information, then that can be a barrier. So someone being able to tell you about something like All Trails, for example, not that that is the end all be all, um, is helpful. But then things like, do you have like, do you need a certain kind of shoe? I mean, we know that you probably don't unless there's some sort of like foot issue, but there are some things, right? There's trail runners versus like hiking boots. And like depending on where you're going, you can't.

Kristen Bellantuono 58:46

You'd rather you not wear Crocs on the trail.

Kym Powe 58:47

Yes,

Kristen Bellantuono 58:48

Things like that, which , I get it, they're comfortable, but right, don't you know depending where you are.

Kym Powe 58:53

Right. So there, and so some people having access or like camping, right? Like I've never been camping, I don't have a sleeping bag, right? Like I don't I'm any of that. Um, so you randomly realize that your colleague has some stuff that you can borrow, or that's a barrier and you're not sure what to do next. And so I think having like you guys have stuff.

Kristen Bellantuono 59:12

We have stuff. Right.

Kym Powe 59:13

So, if someone wants to go to to um to um sleeping at night day, that's not what it's called. Camping.

Kristen Bellantuono 59:21

Camping, yeah. proceeds camp out, we call it .

Kym Powe 59:25

Um but they're they're like, but I don't I don't have any of the stuff, but I do want to try it. Like, right? They can they can try that from the street.

Kristen Bellantuono 59:30

Between us and the other group that we partner with, the Last Green Valley, we have stuff. Like a lot of ours hasn't been used as much since COVID because that was a whole other thing. Like, what do you do? How do you do it?

Kym Powe 59:40

We got the same thing. Like, do you are we keeping the toys out in the children's room? I don't know, man. Yeah, yeah.

Kristen Bellantuono 59:45

I we don't know what the right thing is, but yeah, we have stuff or we know places where we can get this stuff, or we have other friends and partners that can share, or but that's the thing, it's just having that opportunity to learn and share and tell and show. Like we do basic things like let's do camping 101, where how do we set up a tent? Like you have I don't know. Some of them are really easy. Then you have these other fancy things that are like six rooms, and I was like, Yeah, why I love this. I don't know how to put this thing up. All right. It's like you look at the directions. I'm like,

Kym Powe 1:00:15

It's like building IKEA furniture.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:00:17

Yeah, what language is oh, it is English. I and I usually I can read and write English, but I can't understand like these are color pictures or you know, connect the dots or something. But it's

Kym Powe 1:00:27

That's what you get from IKEA furniture.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:00:29

But with all of us, there's enough of us there with different knowledge level skill sets. And, you know, we've had families that just showed up and the next day they're like, we're going to Walmart. And I was like, what?

Kym Powe 1:00:39

Walmart's got some good stuff that's right.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:00:41

Some of my favorite stuff, but it's like you don't have to have necessarily that camping backpack or that hiking backpack. You can use the kids, I don't know, Walmart backpack that they got that's got, you know, little line, not a lot little line signs. That was my son's favorite when he has little Super Mario, Bluey, you know, uh a princess.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:00:58

Like, yeah, as long as you have something like the basic stuff, you know what I mean? Like your your 10 essentials, but again, people don't have to come expecting to know everything. Like, bring what you need, your sunblock, your snacks, your water, um, change of clothes, right, sturdy shoes, and we got the you know, letting people reassuring them that like we're doing this for you because we want you to be part of our group and all are welcome anytime, any age. In the past, it used to be like, okay, you sign up, you have someone over 18, say the adult, and then someone under 18. But now it's it's so different now. We have groups that are, you know, best friends that are like hiking buddies that are like, oh, what's going on today? We've had some of the Sky's the Limit people there.

Kym Powe 1:01:39

They're like constantly wondering like, hey, what are you doing? Especially when I see my my table, my very confused by my table of books. Like what is doing? And I'm like,

Kristen Bellantuono 1:01:46

When you come it is the highlight of the day, like, okay, yeah, being outdoors at recreating is great, but when Kym comes with her books upon books, as far as the eye could see, they're like, What? We should take books?

Kym Powe 1:01:59

And they're like, We they're like, my niece is over their playing, can I take a book? Yeah, they're like, Okay, well, her brother's over. You're like, one, you give to the other. Like, and it's it's yeah, and so it it that they just because there's so much. I I get a lot of people when I'm there like, what's what's happening over here? And I'm like, Oh, let me tell you. And then go to that. Do I have to is it caught? No, just go, they just want to approximate count, just go put your name on my list and then go go.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:02:23

We don't solicit, we just send you information. You know, look at Facebook, look at Instagram, like the State Parks pages. Like, we're we're just sharing information, giving you things to do every week, any week. Um, even the adults too, you know, because we try to have something from young to old, whether you're the baby, someone's caring, mom's care. Oh, yeah, yeah. We gotta get her to come out one of these days.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:02:44

No, so I mean, I'm just thankful for our partnership and all the times that you guys have supported us and come out and just with your the bookmobile for lack of a better term, it's just an amazing resource. And the families are so fortunate to be able to learn and connect with you and the offerings that you guys give. It's just yeah, yeah. I'll say a match made in heaven. And then not to mention the StoryWalk piece. So that's a whole another thing that's in redevelopment. So the grant there, and that's still kind of behind the scenes. It was passed off to another um, you know, park supervisor. So working with the company. Okay. You could start with me and I'll pass it along. Um, so a lot of that there. So once that's, you know, we started originally and then Mother Nature kind of beat us up a little bit.

Kym Powe 1:03:28

Sort of that aside, in fact, I got an email today. We keep a running list, and hey, there's something to talk about. We keep a running list of libraries, public libraries that have Story Walks either on their property or somewhere nearby.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:03:40

I can't imagine what that list looks like.

Kym Powe 1:03:41

I got an I got another email today. So we've got a form for the librarians and some museums. That's how we found out about one of the museums. Okay, whoever one we said the name of it was. Um, and uh that museum was like, hey, we stumbled across your your list. Can we can we get on there? We we've got a new story log. Um, another library, maybe Windham possibly, sent me an email just with their their list of information. And theirs is uh on like a paved three-mile walk. So there are people who let us know if it's paved and accessible for wheelchairs or mobile aids or you know, strollers and things like that. And so yeah, we keep a running list as well as we keep we keep the list of the locations that we started with.

Kym Powe 1:04:19

Um and I I think it's Story Walks are and for for I don't even know if we've ever talked about Story Walks.

Ashley Sklar 1:04:24

I don't think we have.

Kym Powe 1:04:26

It's where you take a and people don't panic, you rip the book apart, you get a knife and you slice and dice it, um, and take the pictures, it's typically a picture book, and take the the pages from the book and space them out along some sort of walking path. Um, and they have their their little units, and there are people who use like laundry laundry lawn signs for like temporary ones. There are people who have ones actually like cemented into the ground. But it's just an opportunity to combine the outdoors with literature.

Kym Powe 1:04:57

Um one that I saw that's maybe in Derby was The Very Quiet Cricket, was the book, which makes perfect sense, right? And that was one of my favorite books as a kid when you get to the page and the cricket finally chirps. Um, so it's just it's sort of establishing that there there is a connection. The photo that we have on our brochures is of one of your colleagues' children who had spent the whole day talking about how she didn't like to read and she didn't like books and she didn't want to. And then I think it might have been you, Kristen, who pointed her out and she was sitting against a tree face in the book that she had gotten from my table after spending most of the day talking about she didn't like to read. And there's a water behind. I think it must have been a boating day. Um she's great, my my new best friend. Um and so it's just it's just establishing that connection that they're not two completely different things.

Kym Powe 1:05:45

They're opportunities to sort of center yourself and to to do some some deep thinking, some pondering, to, to get out, right? Like as an audiobooker, like I'll I'll pop an audiobook in and walk around the block or walk on a trail. And sometimes you want to hear the birds. Other times I just kind of want to like move and be outside. Right. But also I really need to understand how Yesteryear is going to end. Right. Or like, you know, I know I know what happens to the children in the blizzard, but what happens after the blizzard? Um, so um they're they're not two completely separate entities. They're, they're, they're uh like there is a middle part of the Venn diagram.

Kym Powe 1:06:18

Um, and I think one of the reasons that I love working with State Parks and with these programs in particular is I think ultimately our our goals are very similar in the sense of establishing space for community.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:06:32

Absolutely.

Kym Powe 1:06:32

Right. So in public libraries, that space is often inside of a library or somewhere else or whatever, but it's provided.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:06:38

The library is the community hub. It's exactly go-to.

Kym Powe 1:06:40

It is. And also, so is the outdoors. It's just out there. It's just as it's well, in many ways, it's just as free as the library, right? You know, I mean, if you got Connecticut license plates, um, but um, or but even maybe you're not a state park, maybe you're walking past it, right? You're still outside. Um, so I think there's a a groundedness and community and knowledge and experience and um being someone that you can ask the question to.

Kym Powe 1:07:06

We librarians are exactly the same. I don't know everything. I don't even know most things, but you know what I do know, how to find the answer.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:07:13

Right.

Kym Powe 1:07:14

Um, and you know, just sort of being a trusted community partner. Like, I can't think of a better person to to to go to and ask a question if I want to like like you. I was like, I've got this inflatable kayak. I want to go somewhere where there aren't boats with motors because I don't want to get I'm nervous about that. Next thing you know, you mentioned Lake Wintergreen. And I was like, hey, I know Lake Wintergreen, and that's that's my place now. Like that's where I go when it's hot, not that random 90-degree day, but when it's hot uh for real. And um there's there's no one else that I would have asked aside from someone who works at State Parks. So um I I think our missions overlap a lot. Um, and even though it looks like two very different things, I think it's kind of like chocolate and peanut butter, right? Like they're not the same, but they go really well together together. No, I want I want chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. That sounds good.

Ashley Sklar 1:08:06

I'll have a piece.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:08:09

Well, let me just run out to Big Y.

Kym Powe 1:08:11

I know, man, that Big Y, that's so. Like you said, Matt left at one point. Oh, I know.

Matt Geeza 1:08:17

Right. That's where I really went was to chocolate peanut butter.

Kym Powe 1:08:22

Oh man, that'd be so great. So, but I mean, so these are two of two of the the biggest, right? Like so Sky's the Limit and No Child Left. The name is so funny to me. Um, and and No Child Left, no, no family, no con no Connecticut um connection with inside.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:08:39

People say it so differently.

Kym Powe 1:08:39

Oh, do they?

Kristen Bellantuono 1:08:40

Yeah. I you can only imagine what they come up with.

Speaker 2 1:08:43

Yeah, yeah. And but it's also a good acronym NCLI. You know, I'm always gonna know what that means.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:08:49

And you can't really forget it and you see the tree with the kids' little heads you know popping out of it. Um I don't think we're ever gonna change that. I hope we never do. I love the logo. Whoever came up with it, they're brilliant, me too.

Kym Powe 1:09:02

And they're like a plethora, like you mentioned, right? You work with uh the um like foster. So there there's a there's a million things that you guys are doing around the state.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:09:11

And we always want to increase kind of our program abilities and needs and community.

Kym Powe 1:09:18

But so if if someone, if this is the first time that somebody's hearing about this, if they haven't met me in person and heard me ramble on about uh, you know, about Sky's the Limit, and again, it's so much worse this year because there's a leaderboard. Um I got to likes on some of my photos. Um, so do you and you guys you have you have thousands of people. Is it a newsletter? Like, how do you how do you tell people that this stuff is coming?

Kristen Bellantuono 1:09:38

I to be honest with you, we started like simply with kind of the emails. So kind of the past participants kind of starting with the emails, and then they know to follow the kind of Sky's the Limit page or the um State Parks Facebook page or Instagram.

Kym Powe 1:09:51

You guys redid your website, it's beautiful.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:09:52

Yeah, again, it's still a work in progress. Some things are are we're still you know continuing to better. Um but yeah, so it's just it's new, it's different. One person talks to another, like you mentioning it or us talking about it today. I might talk to another person. You know, for me it's different because it's friends and family. Like they're sick of hearing me talk about what I do and how I do it. Um but that's what it comes down to. It's really, I hate to say word of mouth.

Kym Powe 1:10:16

Yeah.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:10:17

Um, and just, you know, you talk to the librarian, you talk to this person. It's like they're

Kym Powe 1:10:21

Word of mouth gets you thousands of people at Winterfest. So it's working.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:10:25

Yep.

Kym Powe 1:10:26

Eventually I'm gonna borrow Ashley's kids so I don't, I'm not just a weird adult wandering around. Like, can I can I borrow? Can I borrow these?

Ashley Sklar 1:10:33

Sure. Take them.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:10:33

Yeah, even mine too, mine are 18 and 21, and then they still want to come out every year if they're home, if they're home from college, they want to come out.

Kym Powe 1:10:40

I'm telling you guys, it's fun. You wouldn't know though, would you?

Ashley Sklar 1:10:44

No. Not yet.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:10:45

They'll know. No, not pick them, pick them up in the mobile van for next year.

Kym Powe 1:10:49

Yeah, oh yeah. I'll throw you guys in the back so you can rattle around.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:10:52

You will have the best spot, I promise. Yes,

Kym Powe 1:10:55

yeah, it is.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:10:55

You'll be right next to the food, right next to the fire.

Kym Powe 1:10:58

They take care of us. You guys take care of your volunteers really well, which I think is why people keep coming back and why they .

Kristen Bellantuono 1:11:04

And I you know, it's sometimes a struggle. You gotta kind of make sure all your proverbial ducks are in a row, and you know, you have to apply for monies and things like that, but it's important.

Kym Powe 1:11:13

Yes.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:11:13

It's the little things.

Kym Powe 1:11:14

Yes.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:11:15

You can only say thank you so much. And yeah. Um, but a lot of people don't get it.

Kym Powe 1:11:20

Thank you and a sandwich works for me. And sometimes there's a cookie. So

Kristen Bellantuono 1:11:23

wish they were warm cookies, but

Kym Powe 1:11:25

you know what? I don't even care. Yeah. I don't even care. Um, so that's awesome. Okay, so word of mouth. So I think what we're gonna do is we're gonna find all of the ways on the internet in which people can find out about you, and we're gonna add them to our show notes. That's what I we just put everything in there. And you know, maybe we can get you a couple, a couple of new folks, you know. If uh if someone hears this and shows up at a Sky's the Limit or, you know, or shows up at a No Child Left Inside event, I really hope they're like, So I heard about you on this random Connecticut podcast this one time, and so now we're here. We're supposed to be.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:11:52

I love our random encounters with families and people.

Kym Powe 1:11:54

Yes, yes,

Kristen Bellantuono 1:11:55

It's my favorite.

Kym Powe 1:11:56

It is so fun. It's so fun. And I do, I will get you my dates because I'll, you know, last year was so chaotic, you know, we didn't go, but this year I'm back and I'm bad, baby. I just need some more books. Believe it or not.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:12:07

Sounds good to me, and however we can assist with that or help with that, absolutely. You just let me know.

Kym Powe 1:12:11

Nah, it's just looking at my calendar. But like I said, I wanted to coordinate the days that I go to Sky's the Limit with the truth with the trails, or the days I go to Not a Child with the Trails and Sky's the Limit. So then after I can go do my my things. That is my only goal.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:12:24

That is a great goal.

Kym Powe 1:12:25

Oh my gosh.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:12:26

I wish everybody had that same goal.

Kym Powe 1:12:27

They do. That's why they're ahead of me.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:12:29

Well, some of them, like they'll be, I don't know, I want to say strategic. I don't know, but maybe they're working together. I don't know.

Kym Powe 1:12:34

Maybe

Kristen Bellantuono 1:12:35

Maybe you gotta have like library Kym and whatever library folks like you guys have your own little.

Kym Powe 1:12:40

No, I was trying to come up with like a really good like goose library hiking pun, and I just like I'm not there yet, but eventually I will update my name and put like library Kym parentheses or something because like there's got there's gotta be something.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:12:53

There's gotta be something like Mother Goose that you can kind of incorporate there.

Kym Powe 1:12:56

Oh I'm just gonna write that down.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:12:59

I'm just I I am far from creative when it comes to that, but that just like that.

Ashley Sklar 1:13:05

 That's a good start. That's a good start.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:13:05

And you can put that

Kym Powe 1:13:06

And uh thank God I'm gonna finish this before this is published because if someone stole that from me, I think I go absolutely rabid. I go absolutely rabid. No, you you guys do great work, and I'm I'm so glad that the State Library was able to find State Parks and and you know, as we continue to spend.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:13:23

Thank you to your mom again.

Kym Powe 1:13:24

Thank you to my mom. So this was awesome. We are a match made in heaven. Thank you so much for thank Kristen.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:13:30

Thank you guys.

Kym Powe 1:13:31

Thank you for being here, and thank you to Matt and Ashley for listening to me be a nerd all episode. I'm completely out of sorts, but it's because you guys don't understand the pull of the leader.

Ashley Sklar 1:13:42

I loved witnessing it.

Kym Powe 1:13:44

The creativity of the name. Just wait. If you guys get into this, you you will feel the feelings every day. Oh my god. Well, I told you Matt was gone. He wasn't definitely it for me to tell. But I I told Abbey and I was like, tell this. I said, give this to mom because her mom goes hiking all the time. And so I was like, okay, send this to Vicky. And then I had to give Cathy. And Suzanne's just back too. So I haven't even told her yet because she's next on the list because I tell her about Sky's the Limit every year.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:14:08

Awesome. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Kym Powe 1:14:10

Um I am your I am your street team.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:14:13

Okay.

Kym Powe 1:14:13

You're and you don't need more than one.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:14:15

I'm like, if you need a driver, I am what like I will drive you around so you can yell at.

Kym Powe 1:14:21

I would.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:14:21

I'll drive the mobile van for you.

Kym Powe 1:14:23

We'll paint it onto the side of the van. Yeah, next is Stubby the dog.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:14:26

Okay. That sounds fun.

Kym Powe 1:14:28

Something about it. Uh so thank you so much, Kristen, for coming. Thank you for being here, and thank you for all the work that you're doing.

Kristen Bellantuono 1:14:34

 Thank you, guys. And, again, we are all in this together and we all have to work as partners and kind of share each other's knowledge, wealth of information, programming, um, so always here to be a voice.

Kym Powe 1:14:34

 And money

Kristen Bellantuono 1:14:34

And money too.

Kym Powe 1:14:34

 Okay, so that's all for today and we'll see you next time Under the Charter Oak, a podcast of the Connecticut State Library where we preserve the past to inform the future.