Author: Janet

This year marks the 95th anniversary of Salisbury Connecticut’s ski jumping tradition that officially began in 1927. It all started in 1926 when Salisbury resident, John Satre soared off the roof of his barn with skis on to show his neighbors a sport he learned in his native Norway. Town residents became fans of the sport and formed the Salisbury Winter Sports Association that winter. The first ski jump competition was held in January 1927 and has become one of New England’s signature winter events.

This year ski jumpers and lovers of winter sports will converge in Salisbury at this highly anticipated in-person winter event, JumpFest, on February 12, 13, and 14, 2021. The ski jump complex is located at Satre Hill on Indian Cave Road in Salisbury. For updates and more information www.jumpfest.org. or info@jumpfest.org.

Although this is an in-person event, the Salisbury Winter Sports Association has initiated several changes in order to comply with all COVID-19 regulations to keep spectators and athletes safe. This is an outdoor event in a wide-open area. Attendance each day will be limited to the first 400 tickets sold. This number reflects 25% of the facility’s capacity as required by Connecticut regulations. Additional spectators will be admitted as people leave the venue. Tickets will be available at the gate and are $15 for adults on Saturday and Sunday, on Friday night there is no admission charge. Kids under 12 are free all three days. In compliance with CDC and State mandates six-foot social distancing should be adhered to and masks must be worn at all times throughout the facility.

For the Tri-State area and beyond, JumpFest offers a very special opportunity to watch these graceful athletes fly through the air — up close! The anticipation of watching competitors travel up to 200 feet through the air at more than fifty miles an hour and, guessing who is the fastest — and highest in real-time — is an unforgettable experience. It is so much fun to be part of the excitement! The crowds’ ring cowbells to cheer on their favorites and the jumpers take notice. The excitement reaches a crescendo when the slap of skis hits snow in a smooth landing with everyone hoping that this jump beats the Salisbury record, an impressive 231-foot jump. And, if you work up an appetite, no worries, there will be several food trucks on the grounds.

Festival Schedule
There are only half a dozen ski jump facilities on the East Coast, with Satre Hill in Salisbury being the southernmost location. Some of the best athletes will be here competing in JumpFest, an event that has launched many Olympians including three of the four men that participated at Sochi.

Friday, February 12, 2021
JumpFest kicks off on Friday, February 12 at 6 p.m. with practice jumps. Target Jumping under the lights begins at 7 p.m. Two large bonfires and warm food and beverages will be available for purchase from a variety of food trucks. The popular Human Dog Sled Race has been canceled this year because of the pandemic, and for this reason, there is no admission charge on Friday night.

Saturday, February 13, 2021
On Saturday morning, February 13, things warm up with the strongest Junior Jumpers from Lake Placid, New York, and the Salisbury Winter Sports Association competing on 20 to 30 meter hills. The action kicks off at 9 a.m. with these youngsters showing off their strength, skill, and conditioning that makes them fly effortlessly through the air. Medals will be awarded on the hill.

The real action of the day starts at 11 a.m. with warm-up jumps by the Development Team, composed of an elite group of jumpers from around the country. These competitors are the best of the best that have been in rigorous training at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex, which was built for the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. The competition begins at 1 p.m. This event is thrilling to watch as these expert flyers go from 0 to 50 miles an hour in seconds and seem to defy gravity with runs up to 70 plus meters.

Sunday, February 14, 2021
The highly anticipated Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships on Sunday, February 14th begin with practice jumps that run from 11 a.m. through noon. The long-awaited annual competition starts at 1 pm. At this event, there are often Olympic hopefuls competing. These expert jumpers seem fearless as they display the tremendous coordination, skill, balance, and strength that it takes to soar so far and so high in the air and to land smoothly. If you want to find some of the bravest athletes in sports just stand at the bottom of a ski jump and watch them soar through the sky. It is exhilarating. Even the most sedentary spectators will appreciate the extraordinary coordination and skill required to make a jump! After all, most jumpers tell you that it is the closest you get to flying…without the wings or a parachute.

ABOUT SALISBURY WINTER SPORTS ASSOCIATION
In the winter of 1926, John Satre a resident of Salisbury jumped off the roof of his shed wearing skis to show his friends and neighbors a sport he learned in his native homeland of Norway. Town residents were so amazed as they watched Satre soar through the air that they decided to build a proper ski run that summer, and form the Salisbury Winter Sports Association. The Association hosted the first ski jump competition in January 1927. JumpFest has become a highly anticipated event in Connecticut and throughout much of the East Coast.

The Gunn Historical Museum’s Washington History Club at Night will meet virtually on Zoom on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, at 6:30pm. Join them for a lively conversation led by long-time Washington resident, Dimitri Rimsky, about life in Washington, Connecticut during winters past.

Share your memories and stories of winter activities, sledding, skiing, ice skating, games, clothing, home, and school life, and things we did – or didn’t do then – that we do now!

Registration is required to attend this free virtual program. The Zoom link will be sent to your provided email address. Visit the Gunn Museum’s registration page to sign up: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/gunn-museum/museum-registration-page/

The Washington History Club at Night is a program of the Gunn Historical Museum where participants have an informal group discussion about the history of Washington, Washington Depot, Marbledale, New Preston, and Woodville. Share your stories with the group or just come and listen to the fascinating conversation about Washington’s past. Bring your related photos and objects for show and tell!

For more information contact the Gunn Museum in Washington, CT at 860-868-7756 or info@gunnhistoricalmuseum.org or view www.gunnmuseum.org

The Scoville Libary in Salisbury Connecticut is hosting a special program, Climate Change from New England to Global Climate Change on Saturday, January 23 at 4 p.m. via zoom. Dr. William H. Schlesinger, President Emeritus of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will lead this fascinating discussion.

The impacts of climate change are enormous. In the northeast, we haven’t seen as great a shift as in some other parts of the country but this region is far from immune. Coastal flooding is of great concern and Boston and areas south have seen some extraordinary impacts. There have been usual flooding events inland as well. Some bird populations are in decline. Maple sugaring in southern New England may be a distant memory.

Dr. William Schlesinger, President Emeritus of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, will examine the regional impacts of rapid climate change on the eastern United States, including implications for food, forestry, disease, and sea-level rise. He was on the faculty of Duke University for 27 years and was among the first scientists to quantify the amount of carbon held in soil organic matter globally, providing subsequent estimates of the role of soils and human impacts on forests and soils in global climate change.

While in many cases he thinks there are irreversible changes taking place now he also thinks there is hope. While certain communities are fragile “nature is resilient and systems can recover.” He will discuss one promising means to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions, namely through the use of solar photovoltaic panels, and the cost/benefits of doing so. Schlesinger currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Southern Environmental Law Center His presentation will be given on Zoom for the Scoville Memorial Library in collaboration with the Salisbury Association Land Trust on Saturday, January 23 at 4:00 pm. In order to register go to the library’s event page.

The Institute for American Indian Studies located in Washington Connecticut is keeping up a popular tradition in 2021 by offering a series of Native American-inspired craft workshops for kids and families every other Sunday in January and February.

The workshops will be conducted in a safe socially distanced environment with a maximum of just six participants. The silver lining to offering such small workshops is that museum educators will not only be able to give participants more individualized attention, they will also be able to modify the workshop in accordance with the abilities of the participants.

The second Sunday Fun Day craft workshop is taking place on Sunday, January 24 with one-hour time slots offered from 12 noon through 4 p.m. The focus of this workshop is on Native American beading.

Beadwork is an art form that has been practiced for centuries throughout Native American communities. Native Americans decorated clothing, dwellings, horse gear, and utensils with materials found in nature such as shells, pieces of bone, stones, seeds, and even porcupine quills. After European contact, many Native Communities began incorporating multi-colored glass beads into their designs. Glass beads were highly valued by Native Americans because they were durable and came in a variety of colors. The beading workshop on January 24 will focus on beading basics and introductory techniques that will get participants started on their own colorful beading project.

Sunday Fun Day in-person workshops that will highlight a specific Native American craft or art form are planned to take place every other Sunday in February from noon to 4 p.m. Unlike previous years, in order to maintain the highest standards of safety, all workshops require pre-registration for one of the four one-hour time slots. There will be no walk-ins. The cost of participation is admission to the museum ($10 for adults, $8 for Seniors and $6 for children) plus $10 for workshop materials. Members of the museum are free. Masks are required and hand sanitizer is always available. To make a reservation call the museum at 860-868-0518 or email them at events@iaismuseum.org to schedule a time slot.

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 a 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.

The Litchfield Historical Society has partnered with the League of Women’s Voters in Litchfield County to host a free Zoom presentation with Stephen McGarth on January 24 at 3 pm. Please sign up to join at registration@LitchfieldHistoricalSociety.org and the link will be sent to you.

Speaker, Stephen McGrath will address President Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court and discuss how these appointments might change the alliances on the Court, how they are likely to impact future decisions, and what these appointments mean for the elderly, women, and minorities.

The New York Times has recently said, “It’s normal for institutions to face challenges from events or from politicians who try to use them for their own purposes. When institutions survive a stress test, they may come out stronger or weaker.” Where we are heading now is what McGrath will try to clarify.

Steve McGrath, retired Adjunct Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, taught courses in American history and European revolutions. Previously, he had been department head of History in the West Hartford and New Milford Public Schools. He is co-author of “The First Congregational Church of Woodbury, Connecticut: 350 Years of Faith, Fellowship, and Service.” McGrath has also published articles in The Connecticut History Review and the former Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin.

He and his wife were 18-year residents of Litchfield before their move to Avon in 2016. McGrath is past president of the Connecticut Committee for the Promotion of History and a past member of the Board of Trustees at the Litchfield Historical Society.