For my first trek, I'll be going to the Westfield Fire Department's chicken barbecue this Saturday afternoon. The event takes place from 4 to 7 p.m., and the cost is $9 for adults and $5 for children. The Westfield Fire Department is located at 653 East St., Middletown. Though the challenge of keeping barbecue sauce off of my camera is rearing its ugly head, I'm looking forward to checking this event out!

My name is Leslie Poster. With a name like that I have to blog, right? The name is new. I recently married the love of my life. We met while students in Ohio and have since moved to Connecticut to begin our careers.

That's part of the reason why I've decided to blog my adventures around Middlesex County. You see, back in Ohio, I was a small-town girl from a little farming community. From pancake breakfasts to spaghetti dinners, basketball games to choir concerts, I was very actively involved in my community. I miss being able to go out and do the types of things I used to in my hometown. It doesn't help matters that I'm in charge of the paper's community calendar, so I spend a good part of my day typing up listings of all the cool things people can do throughout the county.

Most of all I miss being a familiar face about town, but it's hard to find your place in a brand new community. That's why I've decided to embark on this adventure. With the help of a camera, a notebook and a blog, I'm diving headfirst into the Middlesex County community. I'm going to be meeting new people, doing new things, and going new places -- and hopefully having fun along the way.

I'm inviting you, dear readers, to help me learn a bit more about this community with their suggestions via comments on this blog, and I hope that you will join me as I begin my Middlesex Treks.