Month: May 2011

Feast Of Colorful Quilts Awaits In Norwalk, Connecticut

Those who love the homespun beauty of quilts have a feast in store, as seven local arts and cultural institutions join in a unique collaboration to form the Norwalk Quilt Trail, a series of exhibits from May through mid-November in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

The Quilt Trail spotlights 100 quilts made and collected in Norwalk. Together, the colorful quilts tell the story of the life and the changing fortunes of this area, from the early 1800s to the maritime era in the mid-1850s to 1900s machine age to the present.

The settings for the exhibits also represent many eras, from the Rowayton Historical Society’s Pinkney House (c. 1820) to the Stepping Stones Museum for Children, which opened in 2000. The full list includes the Norwalk Historical Society, the Norwalk Museum, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, the Sheffield Island Lighthouse, and the SoNo Switch Tower Museum. Related exhibits will be presented at City Hall and local libraries. Each exhibit has a story to tell.

A VARIETY OF THEMES

A Common Thread: Family History Told through Quilting at the Rowayton Historical Society illustrates how quilts chronicled family life, telling stories of family love, loss and community in embroidered, patchwork and appliqué quilts, including a signature quilt from one of Norwalk’s oldest families, the Raymonds. The influences introduced during the boom years of Norwalk’s oystering and shipping trade can be seen in a nineteenth century red and white Hawaiian quilt. Two nineteenth century ribbon quilts made from hatbands, ribbons and clothing tags manufactured in the factories of Norwalk represent the changes wrought by the machine age, while yo-yo quilts from the 1930’s show the mood during the period after World War I. (May 15-November 11 http://www.rowaytonhistoricalsociety.org or 203-831-0136).

The Norwalk Historical Society will show Collected & Cherished: Quilts made and collected in Norwalk featuring quilts made from 1850 to 1950, including log cabin designs in silk, baskets-and-wreath designs in cotton. Of special interest from Norwalk’s early seafaring days is the Mariner’s Compass quilt designed by a sea captain, Charles Selleck, and pieced by his wife Samantha in 1860. Six of the Society’s own rare quilts have been restored, thanks to a grant from the Coby Foundation and Gail Wall. (May 14-October 10. http://www.norwalkhistoricalsociety.org or 203.846.0525)

The Craze of Crazy Quilts, a display of a style popular in the latter 19th century, is on view in the Music Room of the 1864 Lockwood-Mathews House (May 14-October 16; http://www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or 203-838-9799), while Against the Elements: Keeping Warm at the Lighthouse at the Sheffield Lighthouse displays vintage quilts from private collections along with three quilts that are permanently on display in bedrooms in the 10-room 1868 lighthouse to show what life was like for the families of 19th century light keepers. (weekends May 28-June 26, daily June 27-September 5; http://www.seaport.org or 203-838-9444).

The charming Quilts Made by Norwalk Children from the 1970s to Today will be on display at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children (June 30-October 10; 203-899-0606 or steppingstonesmuseum.org) while Trains, Planes and Automobiles, featuring quilts with transportation themes showing the impact of transportation technology on American life will be at the SoNo Switch Tower Museum. The museum is housed in the original Signal Station 44, built in 1896 (May 14-October 30; http://www.westctnrhs.org or 203- 246.6958.

More information on the exhibits can be found at http://www.norwalkquilttrail.org. For information about other nearby events a free color guide to attractions, lodging and dining in Fairfield County, contact the Western Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506, http://www.visitwesternct.com.

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CT’s White Silo Farm–Annual Asparagus Festival May 14 & 15


This is the fourth year that this small specialty winery is holding it’s popular Annual Asparagus Festival on May 14 and 15 from 12 PM – 5 PM in the bucolic village of Sherman CT just outside of Danbury.

Visitors to this festival are in for a treat as White Silo’s culinary experts will be serving dishes prepared from their farm fresh asparagus, freshly picked the morning of the event. Some of the mouth-watering choices include: truffled asparagus crostini, asparagus soup with fried asparagus shavings, and asparagus latkes, along with a few other items. There will be $5-6 charge per small plate.

A forte of White Silo Farm and Winery is their selection of specialty wines that include “Blackberry Sangria”, Raspberry, Black Currant, Rhubarb, and Blackberry, all made with fruit grown at the farm. Throughout the season as fruit ripens, White Silo offers pick-your-own berries, asparagus and rhubarb.

To round out the festivities live music, winery and field tours, and farm museum tours will be held throughout the day. The farm tour is especially exciting because you experience the charm of an earlier era when touring the old barn where the winery is located. The tour will also take you to visit the fermentation, bottling, and corking rooms where the classical art of wine making has been preserved. This event is perfect for a fun family spring outing. Admission to the event is free.

White Silo Farm & Winery is located on 32 Rt 37 East in Sherman, CT 06784 and can be reached at: 860 355 0271 or visit them at http://www.whitesilowinery.com.

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Snowy Owls Now On Exhibit At Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo


Harry Potter fans are in for a treat this spring at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo! The Zoo is pleased to welcome four Snowy Owls, two males and two females that were born last July at the Hannover Zoo in Germany. The four birds are brothers and sisters. One pair is currently on exhibit in the former Lynx exhibit, between the Amur tigers and Andean bears. A date for the other pair to make their public debut has not yet been determined.

“A lot of folks will recognize the Snowy Owl from its Hollywood debut in the “Harry Potter” series,” explained Gregg Dancho, Zoo Director. “Harry’s owl, Hedwig, served as a trusted ally to the young wizard. Our Snowy Owls won’t be delivering mail anytime soon, but we’re sure they will be a hit with the public.”

Like other northern species of raptors, these birds have proven to be very susceptible to West Nile Virus, resulting in their loss at a number of zoos and nature centers, as well as breeding facilities, over the last few years. Because conservation is a core part of the Zoo’s mission, efforts to locate an unrelated pair with which the birds may mate.

Weighing in around four to five pounds, the owls have an average wingspan of five and a half feet and stand about two feet tall. While the males are primarily white, the females have gray and black barring on their chests and wings making it easier to tell them apart. As the female birds get older, they will become whiter much like their brothers. The average lifespan of Snowy Owls in the wild is only about 10 years, but in captivity they can live for up to 25 or more years.

About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is closer than you think and features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Visitors won’t want to miss our new Bald Eagle exhibit, Andean condors, Amur (Siberian) tigers, ocelots, red & maned wolves, Andean (spectacled) bear, llamas, vampire bats, and golden lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with “pop-up” viewing areas, the New England Farmyard with goats, cows, pigs, sheep, and other barnyard critters, plus the hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, and more. Visitors can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove and enjoy a ride on our colorful carousel. For more information, visit http://www.beardsleyzoo.org

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Fairfield CT – Fairfield Museum and History Center Plans Interactive Graveyard Tour

Fairfield Museum and History Center will hold an interactive graveyard tour at Fairfield’s East Cemetery, located at the end of the Old Post Road in Fairfield, Conn. from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 14th. According to Museum genealogist Roderick MacKenzie, this tour is particularly important, because 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War and there are 14 Fairfield Civil War veterans buried in the East Cemetery.

“We have been particularly careful to create detailed histories of our various subjects and are involving volunteer actors who really will bring their spirits to life,” MacKenzie said.

The tour will include authentic portrayals of Fairfield individuals like Major John Morehouse, lst Cavalry in the Civil War, Christopher Wells, Sr., lst rural mail carrier and Civil War veteran, Charles W. Thorpe, in John Morehouse’s regiment in Civil War, Captain Hanford Nichols – Civil War veteran, Amelia Sturges, who married J. Pierpont Morgan; John Bunker who lived in the Sun Tavern during the middle 1800s and a War of 1812 veteran; and Revolutionary War veterans, Abel and Aron Turney, whose family lived in the area of the East cemetery. One served on The Fence, a Revolutionary War ship; And the other on the Alliance, another war ship.

The cemetery is also the resting place for Edwin Randolph, a slave who lived to be about 100 and worked for the Jennings family in Fairfield and enjoyed going to Long Island Sound for clamming.

Tour participants will also learn about the history of the cemetery and about the symbols on the gravestones.

The Rain Date for the Cemetery Tour is Saturday, May 21 at 2 p.m. The cost of the tour is $7, non-members, $5 members and registration is preferred. For more information, please contact the Museum visitors center at 203-259-1598 or visit the website at http://www.fairfieldhs.org.

ABOUT THE FAIRFIELD MUSEUM AND HISTORY CENTER

The Fairfield Museum is located at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, CT. Hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends from Noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free for members, $5 for adults, $3 for students and free for children age 5 and under. For more information on exhibits and upcoming programs, visit http://www.fairfieldhs.org or call the Fairfield Museum at 203-259-1598. The Museum annually hosts more than 18,000 visitors.

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New Show at GREGORY JAMES GALLERY in Litchfield Hills CT

The Gregory James Gallery, located at 13 Main Street on New Milford’s historic green, announces its first show of the new season. The show opens Saturday, April 30, and runs through May 29, 2011.

The public is invited to an opening reception, Saturday, April 30, 5-7 pm. The group show will feature prominent regional artists including; Joel Spector, Bill Rice, Thomas Adkins, Christopher Magadini, Alain Picard, Scott Zuckerman, Julie Hopkins, James Coe, and Frank Federico.

Joel Spector was chosen as one of 20 finalists out of 1750 entries in the 2011 International Portrait Competition hosted by the Portrait Society of America. The Woodson Art Museum has named James Coe as its 2011 Master Artist who will be honored during the Museum’s 36th annual Birds in Art exhibition this fall. Frank Federico and Christopher Magadini will be featured in one-man shows later in the year.

The gallery hours are Monday through Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-4. For more information, please call Gregory James Mullen at 860-354-3436, or visit the website: http://www.gregoryjamesgallery.com.

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