Author: Janet

I like to share travel deals, destinations, and travel tips!

Survive & Thrive On Jan. 26 @ Institute for American Indian Studies

We often don’t think about the resources we use. We are displaced from them through processing, manufacturing, and shipping. For Native people living in the Northeast, using resources and preparing for winter was vital to survival. So how do you find shelter, make food, and stay warm when the weather is cold and your resources are diminished? On Sunday, January 26 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the public is invited to join the Institute for American Indian Studies educator, Griffin Kalin for a fun and informative program on how to survive in the Eastern Woodlands without twenty-first-century technology.

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. Visitors will even see examples of how Native Peoples of the Eastern Woodlands lived by visiting the replicated Algonkian village on the grounds of the Institute that is composed of wigwams and longhouses and the remnants of the three sisters garden.

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. This program is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children; members of the museum are free. 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 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village. Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518. New @ the Institute is an Escape Room- Wigwam Escape 1518.

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BUILD A LEGO® MARINE ANIMAL FOR BIG OCEAN SCENE DURING “LEGO WEEKEND” JAN. 26 & 27 AT THE MARITIME AQUARIUM AT NORWALK

Help create an enormous ocean scene using everyone’s favorite building blocks during “LEGO® Weekend” Jan. 26 and 27 in The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

LEGO experts from Play-Well TEKnologies will be on hand both days to oversee a big fun coral-reef scene made entirely out of LEGO blocks in Newman’s Own Hall (near the seals).

The experts will create an underwater environment, but it needs animals! Aquarium guests can build a small LEGO marine creature that will be part of the finished piece. Choose from such creatures as a jellyfish, seal, shark, sting ray, turtle and fish, or build an animal unknown to science from your imagination.

“If you’ve been to The Maritime Aquarium lately, you’ve had the chance to create a two-dimensional marine animal in the clever ‘Sketch & Release’ activity on our giant video wall,” said Aquarium spokesman Dave Sigworth. “ ‘LEGO Weekend’ adds a dimension – literally – by letting you use your creativity to assemble three-dimensional creatures.”

Also during “LEGO Weekend,” Aquarium guests can build motorized LEGO machines that will duel for superiority on LEGO Battletracks.

The fun runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, but Maritime Aquarium members can get to the LEGO tables first each morning beginning at 9 a.m. (with proof of membership).

“LEGO Weekend” is free with Aquarium admission: $24.95 for adults; $22.95 for seniors (65+); and $17.95 for children (3-12). Kids under 3 get in for free.

Learn more about “LEGO Weekend” and other events and programs at the popular South Norwalk family attraction this winter at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

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Booked for Lunch: Sisters In Law in Wilton

Come to a reading group that focuses on books with a historical bent. The new selection is Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World by Linda Hirshman, a New York Times bestseller.

The relationship between Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—Republican and Democrat, Christian and Jew, western rancher’s daughter and Brooklyn girl—transcends party, religion, region, and culture. Strengthened by each other’s presence, these groundbreaking judges, the first and second women to serve on the highest court in the land, have transformed the Constitution and America itself, making it a more equal place for all women.

Linda Hirshman’s dual biography includes revealing stories of how these trailblazers fought for recognition in a male-dominated profession—battles that would ultimately benefit every American woman. Hirshman also makes clear how these two justices have shaped the legal framework of modern feminism, setting precedent in cases dealing with employment discrimination, abortion, affirmative action, sexual harassment, and many other issues crucial to women’s lives.

Sisters in Law combines legal detail with warm personal anecdotes, bringing these very different women into focus as never before. Meticulously researched and compellingly told, it is an authoritative account of our changing law and culture, and a moving story of a remarkable friendship.

“Vital…Part of what makes Hirshman such a likable writer — in addition to her wit and ability to explain the law succinctly without dumbing it down — is her optimism.” – Washington Post

Participants bring a brown bag lunch, the Society provides a beverage and dessert. There is no charge, but please register. By email: info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203- 762-7257

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New Art Show in New Canaan Through March 30

A New Deal for the Arts: The Federal Art Project Era 1933-1943 is open at the New Canaan Historical Society through March 30, 2019. This exhibit includes large scale works by Justin Gruelle, George Avison, Liacita Gregg, Clifton Meek, Ralph Nelson and Ernest Albert, Jr., as well as documents, works on paper, posters, and historical information. Also included are photographs of numerous important murals that have been lost or destroyed.

During the Depression of the 1930s, New Canaan experienced general, widespread unemployment, and the Town accepted relief from various governmental agencies set up under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Funds for artists came from both the Public Works Art Project and the Works Progress Administration. Through these programs, art was commissioned for New Canaan’s public places, including Town Hall and the public schools.

Come learn about this period in history where, for the first time, the United States Government subsidized artists. The exhibit will explore the impact the New Deal had on the development of American art, including the growth of abstraction, on the conversation that continues to this day on the role of government in supporting the arts, and on the socio-economic implications of this artwork. Events associated with this exhibit include: a bus tour of WPA art in New Canaan and Norwalk led by art historian Ed Vollmer on January 30; a documentary film on the New Canaan residents who rescued and restored this art followed by a conversation with Betty Branch, a member of the Town’s Commission, on February 10 from 3 to 4:30 pm; and a talk by Jeff Urbin, Education Specialist, FDR Presidential Library, on March 3 from 4-5 pm. The exhibit runs through March 30.

Reservations are now being taken for the WPA Bus Tour on January 30, 10 am – 2 pm. The cost is $60 per person and includes lunch. Call the Historical Society at (203) 966-1776 to reserve your seat. Space is limited.

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Kids Care in Norwalk MLK Day

On Sunday, Jan. 20 (Snow date, Feb. 3) from 1 to 4 p.m. there will be a free A free family-friendly Service Day Project supporting the non-profit organization Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants.

Create welcome bags for immigrants and refugees settling into Connecticut. Participating families are encouraged to bring individually packaged non-perishable snacks to include in the welcome bags.

Along with filling the bags with goodies, children will be able to create cards and decorate the bags!

In addition to the service project, children will get the opportunity to create peace doves, heart origami and learn more about Dr. King’s mission for peace, freedom, and justice for all.

Suggested Snacks to Bring for the Welcome Bags
Individually wrapped packages of cheese or peanut butter sandwich crackers
Individual boxes of raisins or dry fruit
Individually wrapped granola or dry fruit bars
Individually wrapped meat sticks
Individually wrapped pouches of fruit snacks or fruit leather
Individual bags of pretzels, crackers or popcorn

All children must be accompanied by an adult. To RSVP click here https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4021291

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Ring in the New Year Jan. 19

2019 should prove to be a year of exciting challenges including fundraising. “We wanted to find a new way to raise funds for the Sheffield Island Lighthouse,” said Mike Reilly, president of the Norwalk Seaport Association. The non-profit association is responsible for the preservation of the lighthouse. “We needed something that would resonate with the unique and special nature of our historic building. We heard that the Music on the Hill bell choirs were fans of the lighthouse and collaborating with them on this magical event was just what we were looking for” Reilly added.

Ring in the New Year will take place at the Unitarian Church in Westport on Sat. Jan. 19th from 7-9 pm and includes champagne, beer, wine and delicious shoreline appetizers provided by the award-winning Simply Delicious caterers of Norwalk. “Holding our event at the architecturally award-winning Unitarian Church is the perfect backdrop for the bell choirs and the church’s glass walls that look out on the sparkling woods, makes this a very special evening and a not to miss event” noted Reilly

Tickets for this tax-deductible event are $100 each is limited and only available online at www.Seaport.org or by calling 203-838-9444. “A fresh new year is always filled with hope & promise. We wanted to create an event that captures that magic,” said Reilly.

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