Month: September 2021

Brand new to town? A resident for 50 years? A visitor that wants to learn more about this quintessential New England town? No matter, you will be amazed at what you don’t know about Wilton’s history, and the Wilton Historical Society is information central!

The History is Here! The Wilton Scavenger Hunt will kick off on Saturday, October 16. Come to the Wilton Historical Society’s Great Wilton Pumpkin Fest between 2 – 4 to register, pick up your Scavenger Hunt Kit, and set out to follow the clues to a dozen places around town. This is a great opportunity for family fun, to get outside, explore Wilton, and maybe even win a prize!

As you follow the clues, the History Is Here Wilton Scavenger Hunt will take you north, south, east, west, and in between as you discover places with a surprising past. Learn about war heroes, sports history, suffrage, sensational murder, and life in Wilton long ago. Follow the map (can your kids read a map?) to each location. Use your powers of observation to find and scan the QR code there – you will be rewarded with a short video with clues, historical photos, and a fascinating nugget of information about what happened at the very spot where you are standing. Put stickers on the map to mark the places you have found. Do it all in one day, or over the course of a week.

Return to the Wilton Historical Society on Saturday, October 23 from 3-4 pm for doughnuts and cider to celebrate all you have learned. There you can find out if you have won any of the amazing prizes that all registered participants have a chance at.

At the Great Wilton Pumpkin Fest, on Saturday, October 16th from 2:00 – 4:00, there will be pumpkins and mums for purchase, cider and doughnuts, blacksmith demonstrations, lawn games for kids, pumpkin decorating, and much more! Wilton Historical Society members free; non-member families $25.
Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 203-762-7257

White Flower Farm is an icon in the Litchfield Hills that is known nationally for its extraordinary plant offerings and beautiful display gardens. If you like to plan ahead for the holidays, then check out the website offering of their glorious Amaryllis plants that will be in full bloom in December.

White Flower Farm is offering over 70 Amaryllis varieties and provides one of the best selections of this festive plant in the country. Their Amaryllis blubs are the top size commercially available, larger than what is generally available at retail stores, and produce incredible, ruffled blooms in a range of rich colors. White Flower Farm’s Amaryllis bulbs have been fully prepared at the proper temperature.

Given warm temperatures, strong light, and water upon arrival, they will put on a spectacular show 8 to 10 weeks later with blooms that will brighten up even the gloomiest winter day.

​If your children love early American history and want to delve into it the Glebe House is the place for them to be! The young Marshall Family Docent program beginning on Thursday, October 7, for five Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. will give children the chance to learn what life was like for families who lived in Woodbury, Connecticut during the Revolutionary War.

Children will learn how to conduct guided tours of the museum in period costumes and will be taught candle making, quill writing, and other colonial crafts. Highlights include a colonial cooking class, visiting area museums, and having lots of fun while learning about colonial life in one of the state’s most historic house museums.

The Marshall Children Young Docent Program is named for the nine children of John and Sarah Marshall who lived in the Glebe House from 1771-1786. These young docents are our greatest ambassadors in the community and participate in events like the Memorial Day Parade and the Woodbury Christmas Festival. All Hollow’s Eve, a wonderfully spooktacular event, now in its 18th year, would not be the same without the inclusion of young docents in the roles of some of Woodbury’s earliest citizens. This experience gives children a sense of history and expands their knowledge of our state’s cultural heritage that they can share with family members and their friends.

Please call the Museum Director for more information or to register at 203-263-2855.
Information, registration forms, and scheduled dates are available on our website at
www.glebehousemuseum.org. The cost for the Fall Session is $75 Members / $95 Non-Members. *All CDC and State Health & Safety guidelines will be followed. Activities will be held outside whenever possible. All children will be required to wear a mask when indoors.

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There is nothing like fresh produce and one of the best places in Litchfield Hills to find it is at Kent’s Farmers Market that is open every Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. through October 29 on 9 South Main Street across from NAPA Auto. There are so many choices so grab your bag and come on down and browse an assortment of offerings from fresh veggies, steaks, baked goods, and prepared foods to fruit and arts and crafts.

Ridgeway farm will be there offering a wide assortment of veggies from winter squash and musk melons to carrots, garlic, kale, and even ground beef, ribs, sausage, and kielbasa, and much more, perfect for an autumn feast. The Village Farm offers locally grown apples and pears, colorful fall mums, purple-red sun and red Norland potatoes, shunkyo radishes, leeks, garlic and shallots, and much more, all certified and naturally grown. Kent Market Garden has a fine assortment of kale, swiss chard, eggs, and heirloom tomatoes while Sharon Mountain Microgreens offers delicate microgreens year-round. If you are in the mood for red meat don’t miss the De Hoek Farm’s NY strip steaks, brisket, flank, flap, and flat iron steak, perfect for grilling. For some sweet relief, head to Falsonwood Farms for wildflower honey, knotweed honey, and pure beeswax candles, and, then check out Sophie’s Restaurant and Bakery that is offering a fine selection of tempting goodies.

If you have worked up a thirst, no worries, stop off at New Park Brewing that is offering blender double raspberry and Laurel DIPA, and Cloudscape IPA. If you are not in the mood to cook, check out My Chef to Go who is offering Greek favorites, and Soups by James Fox who has cooked up a variety of tasty homemade soups, stews, and gumbos, ideal for a cool autumn night. For a healthy snack, An Average Jill offers wholesome Moon Mix and Sunrise granola, for something with a little zest, check out Rachel’s Salsa, and don’t miss Free Range Pickles that come in a variety of flavors.

Why not treat yourself or a friend to a special gift… Vine Gate Lavender is offering a number of lavender-inspired products including dried lavender bunches and the Cozy Cottage, which has an interesting variety of unique embroidered items for sale.

For up-to-date information and the recipe of the week visit the Kent Farmers Market website.

The Maritime Aquarium located on 10 North Water Street in Norwalk has a new attraction, Pinniped Cove. Visitors will be thrilled with the close-up views of the Aquarium’s five female harbor seals – Rasal, Ariel, Leila, Polly, and Tillie – as they explore their enormous new habitat, which also is now The Maritime Aquarium’s largest display.

“Pinniped Cove” lets you follow the seals from three sides and two levels: underwater at floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor; and above the surface on the second floor. This 22-foot-deep exhibit is more than eight times larger than its original exhibit!

“Pinniped Cove” celebrates seals – members of the pinniped group along with sea lions and walruses – as a conservation success story, through graphic displays that explain how their populations have rebounded greatly in New England.

Be sure to catch a “Seal-Training Demonstration” to learn more about seals and watch them being fed at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. daily.

White Memorial Foundation is hosting the 39th Annual Family Nature Day Upscale Tag Sale on September 25, 2021.

To bid on a beautiful book, blanket, artwork, antique, High Tea with a Turtle, or Owl Prowl with Fran Zygmont visit https://www.32auctions.com/NatureDayAuction2021 This year they are taking their silent auction online! You’ll never feel left out again! All of these riches are now available to you! A handy donation button can be found on the upper right-hand side of the page! Funds raised will support the Conservation Center’s end of fiscal year expenses.

About The White Memorial Conservation Center
The White Memorial Foundation is the result of the vision of two generous and creative people, Alain C. White and his sister, May W. White. Between 1908 and 1912 they purchased several tracts of land surrounding their family’s Whitehall property on the north shore of Bantam Lake. In 1913 these lands were conveyed to the White Memorial Foundation, an organization that was incorporated in May of that year as a memorial to Alain and May’s parents, John Jay and Louise.

In 1964, the Trustees of The White Memorial Foundation established The White Memorial Conservation Center to further the Foundation’s education role through the implementation of natural history education and research programs for the public. Located in the heart of the Foundation property, the Conservation Center is housed in “Whitehall,” the former White family home.

The Center, whose mission is to instill understanding, appreciation and respect for the natural world, provides year-round programs for people of all ages. Programs are directed by full-time professional staff, assisted by a core of volunteers and part-time employees.

The Center also operates a Nature Museum with exhibits focusing on the interpretation of local natural history, conservation, and ecology. Over 20,000 people of all ages visit the Center each year to walk through the Museum or take part in an education program.