Month: February 2011

Tourism is a multi faceted industry. Our State is blessed with diversity making the role of the Tourism Districts critical in branding the Regions that compose Connecticut.

Each Tourism Region brings many assets to the table. The Western Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau offers five important assets that have been developed, expanded and continually refined over the past 30 years that are integral to tourism marketing in the state.

1. HISTORY – We are proud of our 25-year history of a public private partnership with nearly 500 businesses and attractions that contribute marketing dollars to the organization in order to leverage state funds.

2. PUBLIC RELATIONS – We are proud that the Western Tourism District has a proven national public relations program. The advertising dollar amount of the Bureau’s national publicity is approximately 5 to 6 million dollars a year. This type of third party endorsed publicity cannot be bought – it takes a network of contacts and professionals that know their region well and are able to give the media the right hook in order to get the story.

3. NETWORK- We are proud of the vast network of travel trade contacts from meeting planners to group tour operators that we have relationships with. Leads are amassed and distributed to properties and attractions in order to help them generate their meeting and group businesses. Business that is the life blood of CT’s hotels and attractions of all sizes.

4. RESEARCH. We are proud that Western Connecticut measures the economic impact of special events of all kinds from the Norwalk Oyster Festival, Civil War Reenactments to the Litchfield House Tour and Salisbury Ski Jumps, to assist event organizers expand events and solicit sponsors. Research is a key element in planning for and expanding a regions tourism product.

5, WEBSITE: We are proud our Website and Social Media work has resulted in a vast treasure trove of intellectual property for the Western Tourism District. Western Connecticut’s website is rich in content with listings that go into the year 2012. Driving, hiking, biking, and boating tours have been developed and can be downloaded on handheld devices. Hundreds of travel writers, the traveling public and in and out of state residents follow the Bureau’s three blogs, facebook page and twitter accounts that are maintained and refreshed on a daily basis.

Regional Tourism Districts must be funded at appropriate levels. The two tier system of state and regions works and is the cornerstone of all tourism programs in the United States. Connecticut’s Tourism Regions have a thirty year proven track record…something that the State Legislature has supported and funded and should be proud of too.

Even though Valentine’s Day has passed — there is another opportunity to celebrate the “love” of chocolate at the annual Chocolate Carnival on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 6:00 to 10:30 pm. at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury.

This dinner extravaganza is a benefit for programs at the Audubon Center at Bent of the River in Southbury- a 660-acre outdoor sanctuary with 15 miles of walking trails, and an environmental education center for all ages.

Attendees will be greeted by host Charley Monagan, Editor of CT Magazine, and enjoy music by the rocking Zydecats while sipping wine from three Connecticut Vineyards. The featured menu is the creation of two Chocolatiers that provide a magical ambience for dinner featuring “Inspired Creole Cuisine with Dark Chocolate and Accents of the Caribbean,” created by Executive Chef Carol Byer-Alcorace of New Morning Natural & Organic.

The menu introduces dark organic chocolate in every form imaginable from Crayfish Étouffée in Phyllo Cups to Chunky Chicken Gumbo, to All Fools Chocolate Cake. Taste the difference local products make – veggies from Fort Hill Farm in New Milford, pork from Rowland Farm in Oxford, Soffer Farm eggs from Branford, milk from Arethusa Farm Litchfield, herbs from- Castle Rock in Bethlehem, Wave Hill Bread from Wilton and first time ever, new hot, new-spiced cocoa from Coffee, Tea, Etc. of Goshen.

As it is an event for the Audubon, don’t forget to bring your camera and meet birds of prey from the Audubon Center at Sharon.

And, don’t forget your mask – it is Mardi Gras – if you wear a mask you could win a prize!!

Tickets are $75.00/person. Details and ticket sales at: http://www.newmorn.com, http://www.bentoftheriver.audubon.org Call Jennifer- 203-264-5098 for special diets and table reservations.

The Philip Johnson Glass House will place 2011 tour tickets on sale beginning at 9 a.m. on February 15. The upcoming tour season, which runs from May through November, represents the fifth year that the Glass House has welcomed visitors to the site. To mark this milestone, the Glass House introduces three new tours and launches a new program, Third Thursdays: Conversations in Context, in addition to its existing tour options. Tickets may be purchased online at philipjohnsonglasshouse.org or via phone at 866-811-4111.

The Philip Johnson Glass House, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers its 47-acre campus as a catalyst for the interpretation of modern architecture, landscape, and art; and as a canvas for inspiration, experimentation and cultivation honoring the legacy of Philip Johnson and David Whitney.

New Tours: Architecture, Art and Landscape

Three new two-hour tours ($45 each) offer visitors the opportunity to dive deeper into the essential elements of the 47-acre site – architecture, art and landscape – by focusing on the unique details surrounding the fourteen structures and the world-class private art and design collection.The Architecture tour offers guests the opportunity to learn how the Glass House campus serves as a 50-year Diary of architectural history by exploring the architects, theories and history; buildings, materials and technologies; and preservation challenges of Modern architecture.

The Art tour will illuminate how Philip Johnson and his partner, David Whitney, played significant roles in cultivating and commissioning the work of world-renowned creative talent that defined an era. Visitors will examine works featured in the Glass House collection including artists Lynn Davis; Michael Heizer; Donald Judd; Andrew Lord; Robert Morris; Bruce Nauman; David Salle; Julian Schnabel; Cindy Sherman; Julius Shulman; Frank Stella and Andy Warhol, among others.

The Landscape tour features a walk through the grounds and a discussion centered on the history, design, flora and fauna of Johnson’s 47-acre curated landscape. Visitors will learn to identify the various influences at play including English and French landscape details, Johnson’s Midwestern farming roots and his relationship with the historic New England countryside. Additional highlights include original stonewalls, trees deemed landmark-worthy and David Whitney’s inventive succulent gardens.

Third Thursdays: Conversations in Context

Leading minds in the fields of architecture, art, design, history, landscape and preservation will serve as hosts of this special curated tour. Figures such as Paul Goldberger, New Yorker Architecture Critic; Barry Bergdoll, Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, MoMA; Theodore H.M. Prudon, Founding President, DOCOMOMO US; Hilary Lewis, Philip Johnson Scholar; Donald Kaufman + Taffy Dahl, Donald Kaufman Color; Charles Renfro, DILLER SCOFIDIO + RENFRO; Gregg Pasquarelli, SHoP Architects; and Tod Williams + Billie Tsien, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, will provide narrative, interpretation, and personal inspiration while walking the Glass House site with an intimate group of visitors. Following the tour, guests will gather for a reception on the site. ($150 per person, per evening)

Additional 2011 Tour Offerings

In addition to the newly added tours, visitors may also choose from the following options: 90-minute guided Site tour ($30 per person); Two-hour guided Extended tour ($45 per person); Glass House Modern Friends Tour ($100 per person); Twilight Tour ($150 per person, October only); Private Tour ($250 per person); Glass House Private Tour + Four Seasons Dinner Package ($450 per person); and Group Tours (beginning at $30 per person). For more information, visit http://www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org.

Western CT Blog

via Western CT Blog: Pirates Pillaging Mohawk Mountain!.

Looking for a unique Valentine’s Night Out? Westport Playhouse is offering a reading of Neil Simon’s “Chapter” Two a whimsical and touching romantic comedy sure to make this year’s Valentine’s Day Memorable. The reading is part of Westport Country Playhouse’s popular Script in Hand Series, and will take place on Monday, February 14, 7 p.m. The cast includes Reed Birney and Geneva Carr. Best of all, tickets to the one-night-only event are $15.

Photo Credit: Robert Benson, 2005.

Based on playwright Neil Simon’s personal experience, “Chapter Two” mixes laughter with heartache. A writer, whose wife has just died, returns to a lonely apartment. His younger brother, a theatrical press agent and born matchmaker, tries to avert an emotional tailspin by arranging unwanted – and unsuccessful dates. Then he comes up with a winner, a soap opera actress – but it’s a rocky road ahead for the not-so-young lovers. The play was nominated for the 1978 Tony Award for Best Play.

The reading will be directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse artistic advisor and the Script in Hand Series curator. The Script in Hand Series is sponsored by Michele and Marc Flaster; with additional support from Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler. The Series is also funded in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Playhouse is offering a special Valentine’s gift promotion – purchase a 2011 season subscription for five guaranteed dates with your spouse or significant other and receive a voucher for a glass of Prosecco with each subscription. The special offer is available between February 1 and February 14. Subscriptions may be purchased online at http://www.westportplayhouse.org; by calling 203-227-4177, or by visiting the box office at 25 Powers Court, Westport.

About the Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater, serves as a treasured home for the performing arts and is a cultural landmark for Connecticut. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management direction of Michael Ross, the Playhouse creates quality productions of new and classic plays that enlighten, enrich and engage a diverse community of theater lovers, artists and students. The Playhouse’s rich history dates back to 1931, when New York theater producer Lawrence Langner created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s tannery. The Playhouse quickly became an established stop on the New England “straw hat circuit” of summer stock theaters. Now celebrating its 80th season, Westport Country Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway, most recently the world premiere of “Thurgood” and a revival of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” with Paul Newman, and in earlier years “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth, “The Trip to Bountiful” with Lillian Gish, and “Butterflies Are Free” with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner. For its artistic excellence, the Playhouse received a 2005 Governor’s Arts Award and a 2000 “Connecticut Treasure” recognition. It was also designated as an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is entered on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse transformed into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse serves as a community resource, presenting educational programming and workshops; a children’s theater series; symposiums; music; films; and readings.

Westport Country Playhouse’s 2011 season will include five productions: “Beyond Therapy,” a wicked, and wickedly funny, look at the days and nights of the young and single, written by comic master Christopher Durang and directed by Tony Award winner John Rando, April 26 – May 14; “The Circle,” the scintillating comedy of manners, written by W. Somerset Maugham and directed by Nicholas Martin, June 7 – June 25; “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” a perceptive comedy about people struggling against their limitations, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, July 12 – July 30; “Suddenly Last Summer,” the poetic, sensual and evocative drama, written by Tennessee Williams and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, August 23 – September 10; and “Twelfth Night, or What You Will,” the beguiling comedy/romance, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Mark Lamos, October 11 – October 29.

For more information or ticket purchases, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets may be purchased online 24/7 at http://www.westportplayhouse.org.