Month: January 2020

Are you up for some quirky winter fun? Get a group of your friends together to enter JumpFest’s Human Dogsled Race! This unusual winter event is part of the 94th annual Ski Jumping Championships in Salisbury, Connecticut taking place on Friday, February 7, Saturday, February 8, and Sunday, February 9.

The human dogsled team consists of six people, five pulling, and one rider. It is so much fun to watch these colorful sleds and costumed teams race against one another! The teams compete in timed, two teamed races, and the two fastest times in the men, women, and mixed categories run a second race. Trophies are awarded to the three fastest teams in each category. There is also a people’s choice trophy for the most unusual sled and costumes.

The Human Dogsled Competition takes place on Friday, February 7 around 9 p.m. after the ski jumps for the evening are over. The registration fee is only $25 (paid on February 7 at the event) and all human dogsled participants get into Jumpfest free! For detailed information http://www.jumpfest.org. To download the registration form click here.
The registration fee helps SWSA, a non-profit volunteer organization to continue to foster the sport of ski jumping and the Eastern National Ski Jumping Championship.

Festival Schedule
JumpFest kicks off on Friday, February 7 at 6 p.m. with Target Jumping beginning at 7 p.m. Target Jumping is followed by the infamously fun Human Dog Sled Race, a crowd favorite that begins between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Teams of six participate, five pulling the sled and one riding. The sleds and costumes, of course, boggle the imagination! Trophies are awarded for the best in men’s women’s, mixed categories. Competitors navigate a .3-mile course through the snow. It’s all in fun, and teams can get very creative with both their costumes and sleds. Two large bonfires and warm food and beverages are available.

On Saturday, February 8, things warm up with a Junior Meet that is followed by the practice of participating jumpers from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. The main competition begins at 1 p.m. It is thrilling to watch these Olympians in the making defy gravity and soar through the air with runs of up to 200 feet. Another tradition is the Snow Ball Dance taking place at the White Hart Inn with entertainment by the Steve Dunn Band. This is the perfect time to mingle with fellow sports lovers, bid at the silent auction, and take a chance on a raffle ticket that benefits the Salisbury Winter Sports Associations (SWSA) programs. The admission to the Snow Ball Dance is $15. The highly anticipated Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships on Sunday, February 9 begins with practice at 11 a.m.; the competition begins at 1 pm. At this event, there are often Olympic hopefuls that display the tremendous coordination, skill, and grace that have what it takes to soar so far and so high with a smooth and successful landing. Make ski jumping history and be there to see if the Salisbury record is broken – perhaps a new contender for the Olympics! Even the most sedentary spectators will appreciate the extraordinary coordination and skill required to make this jump! Judging from past history, some of the competitors here will go on to the Olympics.

Coffee, hot chocolate, wine, beer, hot toddies and food will be available at all events. As this is an outdoor event, and it is winter, please dress warm – don’t forget your cowbell and cellphone for great photo opportunities! On Friday, February 7, the event ticket booth opens at 6 p.m. and admission is $15; on Saturday, February 8, the event opens at 10 a.m. and tickets are $15, on February 9 the event opens at 11 a.m. and tickets are $15. The Snow Ball Dance is $15 at the door. The Human Dog Sled Race entry is $25 on Friday, February 7 with the downloaded pdf.

About Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA)

It all began in 1926 when a gentleman named John Satre (Say-tree) showed off the sport he had learned in his native Norway with the unlikely feat of jumping from the roof of a shed while wearing skis. To everyone’s surprise, instead of crashing Satre soared through the air and glided to earth. It looked like fun and by the next summer, several neighbors had gotten together to begin building a proper takeoff and ski run. A former cow pasture became the landing area. On January 29, 1927, the club, the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) held its first competition with a crowd of more than 200 spectators. This all-volunteer group has hosted several National Championships and, today continues to maintain Satre Hill, introduces young and old to the sport of ski jumping, and organizes the competitions.

Modern resources, gadgets, apps, and technology – we all use them to make our lives easier. But what if we didn’t have all of them to rely on? Native American communities living in Connecticut managed to live quite comfortably through the harsh New England winter. They spent the summer and fall preparing, storing, and foraging for winter by using a multitude of natural resources that are key to surviving in the winter.

on Saturday, February 1 beginning at 1 p.m. join museum educator, Griffin Kalin from the Institute for American Indian Studies to learn how to find shelter, make food, and stay warm when the weather is cold and your resources are diminished. An unusual highlight will be a demonstration of how to tan a hide in order to make leather for clothing. This program on how to survive in the Eastern Woodlands without twenty-first-century technology is fun, informative and thought-provoking. Best of all, the Winter Survival program is free with the price of a modest admission – adults $10, seniors, $8 and children $6.

Participants will learn how to start a fire in the snow, how to find food in the forest, and how to make a shelter from the natural environment. This is an immersive experience for program participants because they will actually visit the 16th century replicated Algonkian village on the grounds of the Institute that is composed of several wigwams, a longhouse, a fire circle, drying racks, and the dormant three sisters garden cultivated every summer by the museum.

It is exciting as well as an engaging experience that is suitable for all ages. The experience will make you feel as though you have stepped back in time as you explore the forest and learn the ways of the Eastern Woodland Indians.

To participate in this event be sure to dress warm and wear appropriate footwear because some of this program will be outside. In addition to this program, entrance to the museum with its fascinating exhibits and wonderful gift shop featuring locally made handcrafted Native American art, crafts, and jewelry among other items is also included.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies
Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo continues to grow in exciting new ways as it executes its mission of conservation, education, research and recreation. The Zoo is now home to Pipoca, an almost two-year-old ocelot, and Leao, a seven-year-old Golden Lion tamarin. Both of the new arrivals have spent the past several weeks in quarantine, required for any new arrival. Managed by the AZA’s Species Survival Plan (SSP), inter-regional transfers are arranged with careful attention to gene diversity when placing animals in their new homes.

“Pipoca and Leao are both beautiful young animals that we are sure will quickly become Zoo favorites,” said Gregg Dancho, zoo director. “The Rainforest Building features multiple animals from tropical South America, including a black howler monkey, white-faced saki monkeys, Goeldi’s monkey, two-toed sloth, vampire bats, Yacare caimans and more. It’s a wonderful place to learn about the diversity of life found in rainforests.”

Pipoca, the Brazilian Ocelot

Pipoca was born on March 13, 2018. She can be found in the Zoo’s Rainforest Building. For a short period, the glass walls of the habitat will be fully or partially covered with paper to allow Pipoca to gradually adjust to her new surroundings in semi-privacy. As Pipoca becomes more comfortable, the paper will be removed, allowing guests to view her in a newly refurbished habitat.

Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) are medium-sized, solitary cats native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. Ocelots once ranged in large numbers from Arizona to Arkansas and Louisiana, but the fur and pet trades decimated the population. In the United States, fewer than 60 ocelots remain in two small populations 20 miles apart in south Texas near the Mexican border. These largely nocturnal cats use keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs. They also take to the trees and stalk monkeys or birds. Unlike many cats, they do not avoid water and can swim well.

Leao, the Golden Lion Tamarin

Leao arrived several weeks ago and has been undergoing a period of adjustment to his new surroundings. He can be found in the Rainforest Building as well. Considered the most beautiful of the four tamarin species, the Golden Lion tamarin is named for the thick mane of hair around his neck, reminiscent of the great cats of Africa. Golden Lion tamarins live primarily in the trees. They sleep in hollows at night and forage by day while traveling from branch to branch. Long fingers help them stay aloft and snare insects, fruit, lizards, and birds.

About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo:

Let your curiosity run wild! Connecticut’s only zoo, celebrating its 98th anniversary this year, features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Guests won’t want to miss our Amur tigers and leopards, Mexican and red wolves, and South American rainforest with free-flight aviary. Other highlights include the new Spider monkey habitat, the Natt Family Red Panda Habitat, the prairie dog exhibit with “pop-up” viewing areas, plus the Pampas Plains featuring maned wolves, Chacoan peccaries and Giant anteaters. Guests can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful, indoor carousel. For more information, visit beardsleyzoo.org.

Linking shadow and light with the lore of Marmota monax, aka Punxsutawney Phil, kids will enjoy learning about the curious history of Groundhog Day on Saturday, February 1 from 11:00 – 12:30 at the Wilton Historical Society. Museum educator Katherine Karlik will be talking about the origins of the holiday in Candleman’s Day, as well as the many amusing names associated with these large ground squirrels. The project for this Groundhogs, Shadows and Light Workshop for Kids is making a paper-punch design for a votive to cast interesting shadows. Includes snack.

Suggested for children ages 6-12. Wilton Historical Society Members $10; Non-members $15. Please register: info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257.

Did You Know?
“Groundhogs are also variously referred to as woodchucks, whistle-pigs, or land-beavers. The name whistle-pig comes from the fact that, when alarmed, a groundhog will emit a high-pitched whistle as a warning to the rest of his or her colony. The name woodchuck has nothing to do with wood. Or chucking. It is derived from the Algonquian name for the critters, wuchak.” – Jason G. Goldman, 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Groundhogs, Scientific American Online.