Author: Janet

Flanders Nature Center located on Church Hill Road in Woodbury is offering springtime wildflower walks on their botany trail on three Sunday afternoons, April 24, May 1 and May 8 beginning at 2 p.m. Stroll along this award winning botany trail with members of the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club that will be on hand to point out the beautiful flowers that line the trail.

The Botany Trail at Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust was developed and is maintained by the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club since 1965. The trail is a refuge for wildflowers and native plants that have been rescued from area development. The trail is approximately one mile in length and features gentle terrain suitable for any age level. Since its inception, this Botany Trail had taken many awards and has delighted wild flowers enthusiasts. Flanders Botany Trail meanders through woodlands and fields and features more than 250 species of native perennials, trees, shrubs and ferns. It is at one of its loveliest times in the spring when there are over 150 wildflowers on the trail blooming at different times.
The walks are offered free of charge to the public but donations are welcomed. The group will meet in the Flanders Sugar House parking lot, which is located off Church Hill Road, approximately 1/4 mile from the intersection of Flanders and Church Hill Roads in Woodbury. In the event of rain that day’s walk will be cancelled. For further information, call Flanders at 203-263-3711, ext. 10 or at www.flandersnaturecenter.org. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

About Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust
Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental education, and on the acquisition, conservation, and stewardship of open space. Through its land trust initiatives, Flanders actively works to protect important natural sites and the area’s landscape character and quality of life. Flanders manages over 2,100 acres of preserved land in Woodbury and neighboring towns. Educational programs for children and adults are offered at the Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary, Flanders’ main campus in Woodbury. Trails at its major nature preserves are open to the public at no charge from dawn to dusk. Flanders’ Welcome Center is located at the corner of Church Hill and Flanders Roads in Woodbury. For more information, call 203-263-3711 or flandersnaturecenter.org

The Hickory Stick Bookshop located on 2 Green Hill Road in Washington Depot will join over 420 other independent bookshops across the nation to celebrate the second annual Independent Bookstore Day on April 30th, 2016.

The Hickory Stick Bookshop will sell exclusive merchandise created especially for Independent Bookstore Day by major publishers and authors. There will be in-store activities throughout the day featuring a table of prizes to win, a dance party and much, much more! Additional activities will include:

A Literary Costume Contest – ALL AGES – Don your favorite bookish character or author costume and join us for a parade around the bookstore and prizes awarded to crowd favorites at 4pm!

TWO Storytimes: At 11am and 3pm, The Hickory Stick Bookshop welcomes all children to come and enjoy a Duck and Goose and Curious George storytime!

Rad American Women Dance Party- Join us for a dance party featuring the Rad American Women vinyl album (an exclusive Independent Bookstore Day item) at 5pm right here in the store! Even if you are not a Rad American Woman, you are welcome to this party!

A Bookish Scavenger Hunt! – Think you know books? Challenge yourself with our literary scavenger hunt through the bookshop and enter to win prizes!

Make Your Own Bookmarks – ALL AGES – We have the supplies, you just need your imagination!

SO MANY PRIZES!! – All day long (until 4:30pm) you can earn tickets to enter to win one of their many prize packages. For every book purchased in our store on Independent Bookstore Day, you earn 1 ticket. Buying an Independent Bookstore Day exclusive item? You get two tickets! Drawings will be held at 4:30pm.
This event is free and open to the public. For further information about this event please visit www.hickorystickbookshop.com or email books@hickorystickbookshop.com. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

– In collaboration with Silvermine School of Art, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum kicks-off its 50th Anniversary with a new exhibition by artist and professor of photography Bruce Dunbar. The exhibition titled, Endangered & Re-envisioned: Iconic Landmarks and Interiors will open to the public on April 7, 2016, 12-4 p.m. at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT.

This exhibition will feature some of Mr. Dunbar’s analog and digital work focusing on several Connecticut structures built between 1870-1940, both private residences and public spaces, seeking to place them in their contemporary context of adaptive reuse. “I am seeking to unite the past history of the landmark with the present context in which it exists,” said Dunbar, “including both images of interiors and exteriors, in order to draw attention to the rich history of each landmark, it’s various past import and current status as landmark.”

Born in Stratford, CT, Mr. Dunbar received his BA from Boston University and his MA from New York University. His photographs and mixed media have been exhibited in numerous group and solo shows in Connecticut and New York City. Currently, he teaches black and white and digital photography courses at Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, CT, as well as several workshops exploring different aspects on the art of photography.

Click! Snap! Like! From April 7, 2016 through May 1st, visitors are invited to participate in a photo contest sharing their talent and favorite photo of the Mansion on the Museum’s Facebook wall. All photos must be of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum’s exterior and submitted no later than May 1st. The winner will be announced on May 3rd. Prizes will be awarded on May 18.

The exhibit will be on view as part of LMMM’s tours, Wed.-Sun. at noon, 1, 2, and 3 p.m. General Admission: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for children and young adults, ages 8-18.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, a National Historic Landmark since 1971, reopens to the public on Wed. April 6, 2016. For more information on schedules and programs please visit: www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The historic Merwinsville Hotel, located on 1 Browns Forge Road in Gaylordsville is holding its first annual Spring Arts & Fine Craft Show on April 30th and May 1st from 10am – 5pm. to celebrate spring and Mother’s Day. This event is in Gaylordsville is conveniently located 15 minutes from Kent, Sherman, New Milford and the Harlem Valley/Wingdale Railroad Station.

Just in time for Mother’s Day shopping this show will feature exceptional pieces of work from over 50 local artists and artisans representing glass, jewelry, blacksmithing, woodturning, painting, photography, pottery and more. For the first time, they will be offering live artist demonstrations throughout the weekend that will include blacksmithing, woodturning and metal smithing. Fairgoers will have an opportunity to watch local artists in action, ask questions and discuss their craft. There will also be a fine selection of locally grown delights from Meadowbrook Garden and The Village Farm Shop and Greenhouse!

A $2.00 donation per person is requested. Children under 12 are free. For further information, please call 860-350-4443 or visit www.merwinsvillehotel.org. For more area event information visit www.litchfieldhills.com

The City of Norwalk Parking Authority’s Maritime Garage Gallery unveils its new exhibit “Aqua” with an opening reception on April 13, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. “Aqua” runs through July 8, 2016. The Maritime Garage Gallery is located within the Maritime Parking Garage at 11 North Water Street in South Norwalk, Connecticut.

The pieces in “Aqua” take their inspiration from water. Gallery curator Sooo-Z Mastropietro explains. “With the 71% of the earth’s surface covered with water, we are constantly reminded of the beauty, the magic, the strength, and the importance of this substance. These pieces represent water in it’s many forms, powerful yet fragile, peaceful yet tremendous, abundant yet scarce.” Exhibiting artists include Kathy Conway of North Haven, Karen Kalkstein of Stamford, Bronislava Slagle of Wilton, Steve Wallerstein of Norwalk, and Gregory Dolnikowski of Boston, among others.

The Maritime Garage Gallery is part of the Parking Authority’s “Art in Parking Places” initiative, an effort to support art in public spaces making Norwalk a more vibrant destination. The gallery is free and open to the public from 9:00am -5:00pm Monday through Friday. For more information, call 203- 831-9063, or visit www.norwalkpark.org/public-art

On Sunday, April 24, 2016, from 4:00pm – 6:00pm, world-famous, Rudy Pensa, guitar player, maker, collector, shop owner, and author comes to Pequot Library to talk about his extensive collection, his craft, and to play. This program is free and open to the public.

“About 38 years ago, Rudy Pensa opened a guitar shop on Manhattan’s 48th Street called Rudy’s Music Stop, which soon became a world-famous destination for guitarists seeking the finest vintage and new guitars. Pensa has also had a great sideline career as a guitar builder, crafting axes for the likes of Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, Lou Reed, and Lenny Kravitz.” – Guitar Aficionado

Rudy Pensa moved to New York from his native Argentina in 1975 and immediately found employment in a music store on 48th Street, New York’s famed Music Row. In 1978, Rudy married his fiancée, Fran, and a few months later the newlyweds opened a small guitar store on the second floor of an old building in the heart of 48th Street. It didn’t take long for Rudy to earn the respect of the music industry and to become well-known throughout the world as a trustworthy, knowledgeable purveyor of guitars. He is especially interested in archtop guitars and owns a sizable collection of archtops that were crafted by master luthiers of their day. Rudy is the author of the book, Archtop Guitars: The Journey from Cremona to New York. The book was the inspiration for the exhibition “Guitar Heroes” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011. Rudy closed the store on 48th Street in August 2015 due to rising rent and imminent development of the area. SoHo is the new home of Rudy’s Music where Rudy and Fran are still at the helm of their “mom and pop” establishment. The couple lives in Westchester County, New York. Join other music, instrument, and guitar history lovers on Sunday, April 24 for this free program at Pequot Library.

Please visit www.pequotlibrary.org to learn more about this vibrant library, educational, arts and cultural institution. All classes and programs are open to everyone. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com