Month: February 2016

Venture out on Sat., March 5 for a rare close-up look at five historic lighthouses in central Long Island Sound during a special boat outing offered at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

Participants aboard the Aquarium’s unique new hybrid-electric research vessel, R/V Spirit of the Sound™, will make passes by five century-old beacons: Peck Ledge, Greens Ledge and Sheffield Island lighthouses in Norwalk, Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield and Stratford Shoal (Middle Ground) Light.

This 4.5-hour Central Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruise departs at 10 a.m. Advance reservations are required.

“As we see firsthand with our annual ‘Festival of Lighthouses Contest,’ people have a special fondness for lighthouses,” said Tom Naiman, the Aquarium’s director of education. “There’s a respect there for the role that lighthouses play in our maritime history, and an appreciation for the different ways that they were designed and built. These cruises are a great chance to see these unique structures up close and from the water.”

The cruises will pass by:
• Greens Ledge Lighthouse, a cast-iron “sparkplug” lighthouse southwest of the Norwalk harbor (and south of the Five Mile River). It was built in 1902 and automated in 1972.
• Sheffield Island Lighthouse, one of Norwalk’s iconic structures. Built in 1868, the granite-block lighthouse with a white lantern tower was deactivated in 1902 upon the debut of Greens Ledge Lighthouse. The Norwalk Seaport Association bought the lighthouse in 1986 and re-lit it in 2011, though not for navigational purposes.
• Peck Ledge Lighthouse, a cast-iron “sparkplug” lighthouse at the southeast approach to Norwalk Harbor. It was built in 1906 and automated in 1933. A recent online auction to place the lighthouse – but not the light’s operations – into private hands drew a top bid of $235,000.
• Penfield Reef Lighthouse, a charming granite-block lighthouse with a short lantern tower rising from the white mansard roof. It was built in the early 1870s and automated in 1971.
• Stratford Shoal Lighthouse, a granite-block house whose location is still debated: is it actually in Connecticut or New York? Built about 8 miles off Bridgeport on the Sound’s dangerous Middleground Shoal in 1877, the light was automated in 1970.

All the lighthouses are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Maritime Aquarium educators will offer details, histories and anecdotes about the lighthouses, and also point out the Sound’s visiting winter waterfowl.

Binoculars will be provided. Naiman said the Aquarium’s lighthouse cruises are a special photo opportunity for both lighthouse buffs and bird-watchers, so bring your camera!

R/V Spirit of the Sound has a climate-controlled cabin and two deck levels. The country’s only research vessel with hybrid-electric propulsion, the $2.7 million, 64-foot catamaran is bigger, quieter and greener than the Aquarium’s former boat.

More lighthouse cruises targeting these same beacons are planned for April 2 and May 7.

Tickets for a Central Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruise are $70 (or $60 for Aquarium members) and include a box lunch.

In addition, the Aquarium’s Western Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruises will visit eight historic lighthouses on March 26, April 23 and May 28. Tickets for these six-hour outings are $75 (or $65 for Aquarium members) and include a box lunch.

Advance purchase is required for all Aquarium lighthouse cruises. Reserve tickets online at www.maritimeaquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206. For more event information on Fairfield County www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Maritime Aquarium is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to educate visitors about – and to create stewards for – Long Island Sound. It accomplishes this by allowing visitors to get close to more than 250 species native to the Sound and its watershed, including sharks, seals, sea turtles, river otters, jellyfish and other animals. One of the top places for family fun in Connecticut, the Aquarium also features hands-on educational programs and displays, public study cruises out onto the Sound, and Connecticut’s largest IMAX movie theater, with a screen that’s six stories high. TripAdvisor.com reviewers rate The Maritime Aquarium as one of the Top 25 aquariums in the U.S. and the best aquarium in New England.

Blogger and raconteur, Greg Van Antwerp has been digging in Connecticut for treasures from the past for over 35 years. His one-of-a-kind discoveries will amaze, delight and even make you chuckle. It’s a whole different take on America’s obsession with estate and garage sales. Among the many items he will share on February 28 from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Westport Historical Society located on 25 Avery Place during will be items from some Westport estates.

Join the Society for this sixty minute interactive presentation, when Greg Van Antwerp provides us with a look at some believable and unbelievable discoveries, taking pleasure in the shared experience as the audience reacts to the images that accompany each story.
Greg Van Antwerp confesses that from early in his life he has been looking for odd and interesting items at tag, estate, and yard sales. While in college, he would search these sales before going to work at a summer job. Thirty years later, this hobby has turned into a passion for research, restoration and storytelling.

In 2009, Greg began writing about his discoveries for a website he created called, “Confessions of an Urban Archeologist” (www.urbanarcheologist.net). There, he provides over 600 accounts of his most interesting “finds” with photos, short-subject documentaries, and background stories of how each item was uncovered. Greg’s take on urban archaeology is like most who visit these sales. “I am amazed at what is offered for sale – lifetimes of work, art, writing, travel, photography; evidence of the joys of living, and the challenges of surviving.” So much of what has come before ends up in a dumpster. While much of it should end up there, there is an equal amount that should be saved if only long enough to appreciate it one more time.

There is no limit to the things Greg has found – poignant, important, humorous. For example: the Purple Heart documents and news clippings of a soldier lost in Africa during WWII; the childhood home movies of a famous Broadway playwright; Glass negatives from the 19th century; a 1879 baseball catalog hidden inside an 1871 schoolbook; a doctor’s kit from 1920 . Every weekend brings another opportunity for a new discovery and another story to tell.
Space limited, registration is required, please call 203-222-1424, $5 Donation, Light Refreshments will be served.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Parents with preschoolers can share hands-on discoveries about sharks, turtles and other animals in a series of “mommy-and-me”-style programs in March at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

The programs, called “Seal Pups,” let 3- and 4-year-old children participate together with their parents (or caregivers) in age-appropriate activities, up-close meetings with live animals and storybooks that relate to the week’s topics. The stories and animal encounters encourage preschoolers’ natural curiosity while also providing opportunities for parent-child fun.

“ ‘Seal Pups’ programs afford a chance to encourage curiosity in 3- and 4-year-olds in ways that go beyond what’s possible during a casual recreational visit,” said Tom Naiman, the Aquarium’s director of education. “And having parents or caregivers participate with the child means everyone will be comfortable and able to enjoy some memorable shared fun.”

Each program meets from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Choose a topic, and then choose between the weekday and the weekend presentation. Sign up for one, two or all three. Topics and dates are:
• “Sharks!” – Wed., March 16 or Sat., March 19.
• “Turtles!” – Wed., March 23 or Sat., March 26.
• “Body Coverings” – Wed., March 30 or Sat., April 2.

Price per session is $12 for one child and parent/caregiver ($10 for Aquarium members). Additional Aquarium admission is optional.

Advance registration is required for all “Seal Pups” programs. Call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206, or register online for public programs at www.maritimeaquarium.org under the “Fun & Learning” tab.

For more area event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

When you can’t dig the dirt outdoors, garden inside. Tovah Martin teams with Westport’s new Nordic home furnishings store, Eleish van Breems, at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, February 24 at Eleish van Breems at 22 Railroad Street in Westport to demonstrate a new spin on indoor gardening that elevates houseplants to art.

The author of The Indestructible Houseplant and nationally recognized brown thumb buster, Tovah shares the secrets to greening your living spaces with foolproof plants. “Tovah’s take on bringing the outdoors in melds beautifully with our Scandinavian inspired use of light and natural materials.” says interior designer Rhonda Eleish “In this information packed event, Tovah will discuss her latest book and create for us several compliment-fetching containerscapes ranging from 18th century Swedish pottery and baskets to contemporary silver and copper vessels.”

Eleish van Breems is proud to be a sponsor of the Westport Historical Society’s 2016 Garden Tour and all proceeds from the sale of “The Indestructible Houseplant” at the Nordic by Nature event will go towards the tour, now celebrating its 25th anniversary. “Forget the homely plastic pots,” says Tovah, “we show you how to live with nature beautifully.”

Tovah Martin’s passion for gardening inside her home led to her most recent books, The Unexpected Houseplant (Timber Press, 2012) and The New Terrarium (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2009). These newest publications are added to more than a dozen titles that Tovah has authored including Tasha Tudor’s Garden (Houghton Mifflin, 1994). Tovah’s successes, foibles, and travels are enjoyed by gardeners everywhere through her articles inCountry Gardens, Traditional Home, Martha Stewart Living, House Beautiful, Cottage Journal, Better Homes & Gardens, at Home magazine, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, Flower magazine, Horticulture, Coastal Living, Coastal Home, Old House Interiors, Early Homes, Westchester Home & Garden, This Old House Magazine, and The Litchfield County Times as well as many other publications. Recently, she proudly served as the 2012 Writer-in-Residence for Victoria magazine. In other media, Tovah has appeared on the CBS Early Morning Show, the Martha Stewart Show as well as many other broadcasts including the PBS television gardening series “Cultivating Life,” where she served as editorial producer.

Among the most moving moments in her life occurred when Tovah was awarded an Honorary Membership in The Garden Club of America and the Litchfield Garden Club in May 2010 and when she became the recipient of the GCA’s medal for outstanding literary achievement. In 2013, she received the Gustav Mehlquist Award—the highest honor bestowed by the Connecticut Horticultural Society.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Westport Country Playhouse’s Family Festivities Series will present “Charlotte’s Web,” a musical based on E.B. White’s story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte, on Sunday, February 28, for three performances, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. Running time is approximately one hour. Produced by TheaterWorksUSA, the show is recommended for grades K – 5. Tickets are $20.

Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman. She weaves in her web a solution which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig, but ensures his place on the farm forever. This treasured tale, featuring mad-cap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love, and the true meaning of friendship.

Family Festivities shows are presented on selected Sundays from November through April. Family Festivities Corporate Sponsors are Pitney Bowes and Northwestern Mutual. Family Festivities Partner is Darlene Krenz. The Family Festivities Series is also supported by the Westport Young Woman’s League.

Upcoming Family Festivities presentations are “Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey,” on Sunday, March 20, 1 and 4 p.m., a cosmic adventure with music about Marvin, the mouse, produced by Lightwire Theater; and “Are You My Mother?,” on Sunday, April 10, 1 and 4 p.m., a musical based on P. D. Eastman’s whimsical and well-loved picture book, produced by ArtsPower.

In conjunction with the Family Festivities Series, the Playhouse will once again host a book collection for Read to Grow, Inc., a statewide nonprofit organization that helps parents take an active role in their children’s literacy development by providing free children’s books to families with limited access and to community resources that serve them. At each Family Festivities performance, bins will be located in the Playhouse lobby for donations of gently used and new children’s books which will be given to families and programs in the greater Fairfield County area through Read to Grow. During last season’s Family Festivities series, the Playhouse collected nearly 300 books.

Everyone in the audience requires a ticket. For more information or tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), or view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse). For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Superstar comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy will reunite on the RFD-TV presents: We’ve Been Thinking Tour to bring an unforgettable night of comedy to Torrington’s Warner Theatre on Friday, March 4. During this momentous event, both comedians will deliver a laughter-packed evening of all new material before they come together on stage for an uproarious encore you won’t want to miss!

Jeff Foxworthy is one of the most respected and successful comedians in the country. He is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy Award nominee and bestselling author of more than 26 books. Widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature, a style that has been compared to Mark Twain’s.

Larry the Cable Guy is a multiplatinum recording artist, Grammy nominee, Billboard award winner and one of the top comedians in the country. He has his own line of merchandise and continues to sell out theatres and arenas across the United States. He is the spokesman for Prilosec OTC and most recently launched his own comedy channel on SIRIUSXM with Jeff Foxworthy.

For tickets call the Warner Box Office at 860-489-7180 or visit warnertheatre.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com