Author: Janet

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

Experience a New England Clam Bake On Sheffield Island Every Tuesday in August

New England clambakes are one of the pleasures of summer with their classic combination of lobster and clams fresh from the ocean, corn on the cob, and potatoes. The Norwalk Seaport Association’s New England Clambake on Sheffield Island is one of the best places to experience this time-honored seafood feast!
On Tuesdays, August 3, 10,17, 24, and 31 the Norwalk Seaport Association is offering the foodie event of the summer, a Clambake on Sheffield Island – at prices that won’t break the bank! Get ready to board the Seaport’s ferry at 6 p.m. and head to Sheffield Island. The vessel only holds 49 people, so this culinary adventure is delightfully fun and not overcrowded! Reaching the private island, tour the historic ten-room Sheffield Island Lighthouse that is on the National Register of Historic Places, see the outline of Manhattan and the beautiful coast of Connecticut through an antique telescope and take a walk along a nature trail that is part of the Stewart B. McKinney Nature Sanctuary.
If you have worked up an appetite, no worries, the Norwalk Seaport Association is serving up a feast that will be enjoyed in a beautiful wooden pavilion with picnic tables, fans, lighting, and, best of all, unbeatable views!
The Seaport Association offers three packages a clambake package @ $75 that offers a selection of chicken, salmon rib eye, pork, or vegetarian choices, and a lobster bake package at $85 whose main entree is a 1.5 lb. lobster with all the fixings. There are even ale Carte additions like Copps Island Oysters, fresh off the boat from Norwalk, littleneck clams, and a jumbo shrimp cocktail. Don’t forget to BYOB so that you can enjoy this feast sipping your favorite wine or beer as you watch the sun sink into the horizon. Reservations must be made in advance. For more information and to buy your tickets click here.
About the Norwalk Seaport Association 
The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 by a group of local citizens who had the vision to revitalize South Norwalk and preserve Norwalk’s maritime heritage. The Seaport Association offers a cultural, environmental, and historical journey to the Norwalk Islands. The Sheffield Island Lighthouse and the Light Keeper’s Cottage provide a unique historical and educational venue that strives to increase awareness, appreciation, and consideration for the environment and how the preservation of historic buildings contributes to our quality of life. The combination of the Lighthouse and the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge offers an unparalleled opportunity to educate children of all ages and adults about the importance of preserving Long Island Sound, our environment, and our maritime heritage.

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Summer Fun Abounds @ Weekend in Norfolk July 30, 31 and August 1

Summer brings family road trips, ice cream sundaes, and playing water tag. One of the best warm-weather activities for families that want to bond and have fun at the same time is to attend a festival like Weekend in Norfolk (WIN). This town-wide celebration was created to offer something for everyone, with activities that won’t break the bank, because all are free!

From an exciting water soccer event, and chalk painting sidewalks with professional artists, to visiting real-life New England farms, and live music galore, there is something to please every member of your family. This year WIN is being held throughout the timeless town of Norfolk on Friday, July 30, Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, August 1.

If you plan on getting out with your kids this weekend, here is a list of some of the activities WIN is offering to help you plan your visit.

On Friday, July 30, give your kids the lay of the land, by taking a short walk around Norfolk Green, one of the most beautiful in the state. The fountain at the south end of the green is picture-perfect. The marble fountain was designed by famous architect Stanford White in 1889 and has two basins including one for small animals! At 4:30 p.m. it is time to team up and head to the bocce court to test your throwing skills. At 5 p.m. there will be a live performance at nearby Station Place where you can grab a snack and listen to the music of the Grantville Dawgs. The Animal Embassy arrives at 6:30 p.m. and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser because it offers a hands-on experience with a variety of live animals that have been rescued. During this interactive program, your kids will learn about the diversity of life in a fun and entertaining way. And, at the same time and place, there will be all kinds of lawn games to enjoy!

The fun begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 31 with the Farmers Market offers fresh fruit and vegetables as well as an interesting array of arts and crafts. Just for Weekend in Norfolk, there’ll be an equestrian parade, starting at the market at 11 a.m. If your children love water, don’t miss the popular fire hose water soccer game that begins at 1 p.m. at the Town Playing Field on Mountain Road. For the budding artist in your family, head to the sidewalk painting area at Robertson Plaza in Station Place at 3 p.m. and let your imagination soar. Artist Susan Anderson well known for her pet portraits and scenic paintings will be on hand to offer stylistic tips and advice. The afternoon is rounded out by live music by Michael Cobb at Station Place beginning at 5 p.m.

Sunday is Farm Funday with a special visit to each of Norfolk’s four farms. Start the day at Husky Meadow Farms where kids will see fields, barns, an ancient orchard, and greenhouses. Kids can watch how bees pollinate the crops and learn how vegetables and fruits are grown organically. At Autumn Harvest Orchard, a highlight is to learn about beekeeping when visiting the hives at the orchard’s apiary. Lost Ruby Farm is perfect for the animal lovers in your family. Here kids will get a sneak peek at the farm resident Saanen goats, a breed from Switzerland, plus chickens, pigs, and heritage breed turkeys. If you love tomatoes, stop in at Broad Field Farm to learn how they grow their heirloom tomatoes and to meet their two adorable farm dogs.

If you want to take a break from the self-guided farm tour, there is a nature walk of the North Swamp Trail at 10 a.m. and a photography session that will start out on Norfolk Green. For art lovers, there is a painting demonstration by watercolor artist Pamela Harnois at 1 p.m. in front of a wonderful arts and crafts shop, the Guilded Artisan, at 3 Station Place. To try out your artistic skills under the guidance of professional artist Turi Rostad head to Robertson Plaza, Station Place at 2 p.m. to try your hand at the sidewalk chalk painting event. WIN’s final concert, beginning at 4 p.m., features the acoustic music of singer, songwriter Jamal Ford-Bey.

For up to the minute details about Weekend in Norfolk, visit the website to plan your perfect family road trip to Norfolk, Connecticut, and don’t forget to bring your camera!

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Colonial Life Series: Chuckwagon Cooking with the Frontier Mess @ The Glebe House

Have you ever wondered what it was like to cook on the open range? Join the “Frontier Mess” chuckwagon cooking at the Glebe House Museum for two open fire cooking workshops. Participants will learn the history of cooking on the trail, how to make a fire appropriate for cooking meals, what cooking implements were employed and how to use them. Workshops will be offered in two sessions. Part I: Sunday, August 8th will focus on history, making a fire, cooking implements, and a simple recipe. Part 2: Sunday, August 15th use your skills to create a small meal and a dessert.

Each workshop will begin at 10:00 am and run until Noon. Workshops will take place in the Glebe House yard with the “Frontier Mess” chuckwagon. Participants will be broken into 4 groups with a maximum of 20 participants. Each group will be socially distanced with a comfortable space for all. Each workshop is $45 for Members and $55 for Non-Members and includes all supplies and take-home resource materials. Register online at www.glebehousemuseum.org, and for more information email the Museum Office Office@glebehousemuseum.org or call at 203-263-2855.

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In-Person Fun @ Weekend in Norfolk July 30, 31 and August 1

Are you ready to experience the beauty of nature, art, music, and the great outdoors? Do you want to learn about art by watching visual transparent watercolor artist, Pamela Harnois, hard at work? Or, would you rather go on an evocative Postcard Stroll of the historic Village Green, then explore the Freedom Trail? If your kids love the water… make sure to bring them to our famous water soccer event sponsored by the Norfolk Fire Department, or let their artistic spirit soar as they create colorful images on our Station Place sidewalks sponsored by internationally known artist Karen Rossi. There is so much to do and see in person at the 2021 Weekend in Norfolk (WIN) on Friday, July 30, Saturday, July 31, and, Sunday, August 1. To register for certain events and for up-to-the-minute information, check the WIN website Here are a few of our events that welcome everyone to come have a good time in Norfolk, Connecticut.
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Roam Norfolk’s Great Outdoors
Explore the Historic District  – Experiencing the historic heart of Norfolk is like stepping back in time to the turn of the 20th century when Norfolk was a summer resort. This self-guided walk lets you take in the beauty of Norfolk at your own pace. Highlights include the Norfolk Library with its fish-scale shingles and fluted terra cotta tiled roof, the granite 1868 Soldiers Monument, the imposing White House, home of the Yale Summer School of Music, the classic Church of Christ, the Battell Chapel built in the Romanesque Revival style, and the Norfolk Academy that now houses the Norfolk Historical Society. A favorite spot for photos is the Battell Fountain, constructed in 1898 with its trough for animals on one side and a fountain for people on the other. This is an easy walk that takes about an hour. Maps are available @ the Hub at Station Place.
 
Experience the Freedom Trail – On this self-guided walk, you will find the grave of James Mars (1790-1880) in the Center Cemetery on Old Colony Road. Mars was a Connecticut slave that refused to follow his master to Virginia where he would have been denied emancipation guaranteed to him at age 25 under Connecticut law. With the help of the citizens of Norfolk, he remained in Connecticut. Mars helped to organize meetings to promote freedom for slaves and to improve conditions for African-Americans. James Mars is buried next to his father, Jupiter Mars, who served in the American Revolution.
 
Take the Challenge – One of the most popular events of WIN is the Hike the Peaks Challenge that dares lovers of the great outdoors to hike six of Norfolk Land Trust’s peaks: Pine Mountain, East Summit Ridge, Beech Hill, Dennis Hill Gazebo Pavilion, and Haystack Mountain. For trail maps click here.
If you prefer a guided tour of the village green, reserve a spot for Friday, July 30 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. or Sunday, August 1, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. On Saturday, July 31, there will also be a Historic Postcard walk from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. All tours begin at the Norfolk Historical Society Museum.
For nature lovers, sign up for the 1.5 mile guided walk of North Swamp Trail on Sunday, August 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Keep your eyes peeled for beavers that are known to be active at the southern end of the swamp! To brush up on your photography skills, don’t miss your chance to shoot with the pros on Sunday, August 1 from 10 am to 12 noon. This session is limited to ten people, who will meet at the Battell Fountain at the south end of the Village Green.
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Calling all Art Aficionados
On all three days of WIN, the Immaculate Conception Church will be open for viewing stained glass windows. The Battell Chapel will be open on all three days at various times so people can see beautiful stained glass windows created by Tiffany that were installed in 1929. A guided tour of the Battell Chapel is being offered on Saturday, July 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and on Sunday, August 1, from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m. To see more stained glass windows including a window created as a tribute to Mark Twain’s wife, Olivia head to the Church of the Transfiguration that will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. – noon and Sunday from noon to 1 p.m. Pick up a map to guide you on your tour.
Pamela Harnois, a watercolor artist, designer, and instructor will be giving a watercolor demonstration at the Guilded Artisan @ Station Place on Sunday, August 1, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. that is sure to inspire the inner artist in you An added bonus is to browse through this colorful shop that offers a wide array of arts and crafts, made by local artisans in every imaginable genre.
Artistic kids will love having a once-in-a-lifetime chance to paint Norfolk’s sidewalks. Sidewalk chalk will be available for two-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday, at Station Place, complete with one or more of Norfolk’s many resident artists to offer encouragement.
The Brentano String Quartet will perform music by Beethoven and Hayden, in a concert rebroadcast by the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Photo by Bruce Frisch
 
For Music Lovers
On Friday, July 30 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the Grantville Dawgs spark up the night at Station Place with their special blend of music, and from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the Miro Quartet will be live-streamed at the Norfolk Hub performing the works of Puts and Dvorak. On Saturday, there will be an emerging artist showcase by the Norfolk Fellows live-streamed to the Norfolk Hub’s big screen from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. presenting fresh interpretations of famous composers. On Saturday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Michael Cobb and his group will perform on Station Place. The last Saturday evening concert is @ the Hub and will feature the works of Kernis, Yi, and Dvorak from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Concerts @ the Hub, located at Station Place, are limited to 30 people. The final concert of WIN is on Sunday, August 1 at on Station Place from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
 
lost ruby farm
Norfolk’s Farms – Naturally
Norfolk’s famous Farmers Market on 19 Maple Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the ideal way to start your morning. It offers the bounty of the season as well as, arts and crafts created by local artisans.
Sunday, August 1st, is “Farm Day” with all four of Norfolk’s farms welcoming the public to take an insider’s peek at life on a New England farm. The first stop of the day is Husky Meadows, a certified organic farm offering tours from 9 a.m. to 12 noon giving visitors the rare opportunity to see the tricks of the trade. Your next stop is Autumn Harvest Orchard an organic farm, growing apples and blueberries using beehives to aid in pollination. They will be welcoming visitors to their farm from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Next, Lost Ruby Farm is open to the public from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. This small farmstead is a micro goat dairy creamery specializing in crafting small-scale handmade cheeses. The cheese-making process is fascinating and the goats are adorable making this a must-see stop for animal lovers! And, finally, Broad Field Farm promises to allow visitors a tour of their professional greenhouses where organic heirloom tomatoes and other produce are grown.
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ABOUT THE WIN (WEEKEND IN NORFOLK) COMMITTEE
Now in its seventh year, the all-volunteer WIN Committee organizes two town-wide events annually: the Summer WIN and the Winter WIN. Norfolk’s town officials, the Economic Development Commission, and many local organizations, institutions, and individuals support these two town-wide festivals.
Cordially,
Janet L. Serra

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Artifact Identification Day @ Institute For American Indian Studies

Do you have any stone artifacts or Northeastern Native American cultural items that you would like to have identified? Do you want to know about the who… what, how, and when of your mystery items? If you do, then register to participate in Artifact ID Day at the Institute for American Indian Studies with Dr. Lucianne Lavin on Sunday, July 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. This program will be in small groups of people with one-hour time slots. The cost to participate is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors,  $11 for children, and $5 for members. To register click here and if you have questions please call 860-868-0518.

Dr. Lavin is the author of Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History, and Oral Traditions Teach Us About Their Communities and Cultures.” and, “Dutch and Indigenous Communities in Seventeenth-Century Northeastern North America: What Archaeology, History, and Indigenous Oral Traditions Teach Us About Their Intercultural Relationships.”

This event will give participants the opportunity to learn about the objects that they have questions about with an expert in this field of archaeological and cultural study. Dr. Lavin will provide interesting insights and commentary on your items but will not appraise or speculate about the value of an object.

To better identify your object, you should have some information available. If a family member gave it to you, ask them for any details they might remember. To better identify your object, it is helpful to know the general location of where it was found. For cultural artifacts, it is helpful to know approximately when it was found.

This program features a mix of commentary and the methods of stone and cultural artifact identification in a manner that is useful to newcomers, hobbyists, collectors, the curious, archaeologists, and researchers.

About 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.

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The Art of Flintknapping July 10, 2021 @ IAIS

Have you ever wondered how Native Americans survived in the wilderness without any modern tools? If you have, then make sure to attend the flintknapping workshop at the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington with Jeff Kalin, a primitive technologist on Saturday, July 10, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Space is limited for this in-person event and pre-registration is required. To register, visit the website, call 860-868-0518, or email events@iaismuseum.org.

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Flintknapping is the traditional way that Native Americans created sharp-edged tools and weapons from stone. The use of implements made from flint was widely practiced in New England because survival depended on flint because it could be used to produce sharp tools. The composition of flint when fractured causes it to break into sharp-edged pieces. Native Americans recognized this property of flint and learned how to fashion it into knife blades, spear points, arrowheads, scrapers, axes, drills, and other sharp implements using a method known as flintknapping.
During this flintknapping workshop participants will discover the fascinating history of Native American flintknapping from primitive technologist expert, Jeff Kalin, of Cherokee ancestry. During the workshop, Kalin will explain the historic importance of flintknapping. Implements made from flint touched every aspect of daily life by providing implements to use in hunting and fishing. Flint needles were used to make clothes, and flint tools were used to make canoes and structures. Participants will learn percussion and flaking techniques from Kalin that will turn an ordinary piece of flint into a useful tool. This workshop is best for adults and children 12 years old and up.
About Jeff Kalin 
Jeff Kalin, owner of Primitive Technologies has more than 25 years of experience in the field of primitive technologies and is a consultant to museum curators and archaeologists in the analysis of artifacts. He is a recognized expert in Clovis point replication and other types of stone tools. He has constructed prehistoric sets and props for filmmakers and his pottery, handcrafted from river clay is in many public and private collections. Kalin has built nearly 200 aboriginal structures, either free-standing or congregated in villages.
 
 The Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS) 
 Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. We have an outdoor replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village, the 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 in Washington Connecticut.

JanetLeave a comment