Category: Connecticut Travel

On Saturday July 29th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Torrington Historical Society will host a jazz concert and fundraiser with the Litchfield Jazz Camp Faculty All Stars on the grounds of the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum located on 192 Main Street. The tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at the Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street or on-line at http://www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org

In the event of inclement weather the concert will move indoors to the Carriage House gallery behind the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum. Although outdoor seating will be available, concert attendees are encouraged to bring a comfortable lawn chair and a picnic basket.

The Concert

The jazz performed will be rhythmic, forward leaning and exciting. The musicians have shared the stage with many of the important figures of the jazz idiom in their long careers and this is an opportunity to hear these players performing some new compositions as well as some of their previous work.

This ensemble of well-known jazz artists includes: Mario Pavone, bass; Peter McEachern, trombone; Dave Ballou, trumpet and Mike Sarin, drums will include special guest Oscar Noriega, on saxophone. Noriega has just won the rising star category in the 2017 Down Beat critics poll. Oscar Noriega is also on Mario Pavone’s recent CD “Vertical” along with Dave Ballou, Peter McEachern and Mike Sarin.

The concert will feature music from Mario Pavone’s recent CD Vertical on Clean Feed Records and Peter McEachern’s upcoming CD Double Helix. The concert will be held in the garden of the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum 192 Main Street, Torrington. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at the Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street or on-line at www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org

Musician’s Bios

Mario Pavone: Bass

Bassist/composer Mario Pavone has collaborated with both legendary innovators and today’s most respected young musicians to consistently define the cutting edge of jazz for the past 40 years. He has anchored the trios of Paul Bley (1968-72), Bill Dixon (1980’s), and the late Thomas Chapin (1990-97), and co-led a variety of notable ensembles with Anthony Braxton, Wadada Leo Smith, and Marty Ehrlich. Unlike most artists whose careers span five decades, his most recent recordings are his most widely acclaimed, appearing on best-of-the-year lists from Slate.com, AllAboutJazz.com, All AboutJazz-New York, Coda, the Village Voice , and the New York Times among others.

Dave Ballou: Trumpet

Trumpeter/Composer Dave Ballou has released nine internationally recognized CD’s as a leader or co-leader. He has performed or recorded with ensembles led by Rabih Abou-Kahlil, Steely Dan, Michael Formanek, Woody Herman, Andrew Hill, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble, Sheila Jordan, Oliver Lake, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Dewey Redman, and Maria Schneider . Ballou has performed Bach’s Brandenberg Concerto #2 with the Bella Musica Orchestra of New York, Larry Austin’s Improvisations with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Gunther Schuller’s Journey into Jazz with the Spokane Symphony and Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Mike Sarin: Drums

Since moving to New York in 1989, Mike Sarin’s unique style and approach to the drum set has been highly sought after by NYC and European musicians looking to expand the definitions of jazz and improvised music. He has contributed to recordings of Thomas Chapin, Frank Carlberg, Anthony Coleman, Mark Dresser, Marty Ehrlich, Mark Helias, Denman Maroney, Simon Nabatov, Mario Pavone, Ned Rothenberg, and Fred Wesley–recordings found on numerous music critics’ Top Ten CD year-end lists. Sarin performs all over the world–in major and minor festivals. He is currently on staff of the Count Basie Theatre Performing Arts Academy and is a member of the teaching faculty of the New York Jazz Workshop.

Peter McEachern: Trombone

Peter McEachern, has toured and recorded three CDs for Polygram with Blues legend Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown; has worked and recorded with minimalist composer Lamonte Young, and is featured on several important CDs: “Insomnia” with the Thomas Chapin Trio on Knitting Factory Works and “Song for Septet” with the Mario Pavone Septet on the New World Countercurrents label. Peter has been a teaching artist at the Litchfield Jazz Camp since 1998. He has released 3 CD’s in the past year “No Chordtet” featuring Dave Santoro, George Sovak and Hamir Atwal,”Shockwave” featuring the late Thomas Chapin, Steve Johns, Mario Pavone and Jamie Finegan, and No Chordet’s 2nd CD “Subconscious Love” on Truth Revolution Records.

Oscar Noriega: Saxophone

Multi-instrumentalist and composer, Oscar Noriega has lived in Brooklyn since 1992.
He has worked with Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Gerry Hemingway, Dewey Redman and Paul Motion. He is currently performing with Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, Endangered Blood (Chris Speed, Jim Black, Trevor Dunn) and is co-leader of the Mexico-inspired Banda De Los Muertos. He plays alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet and drums.

Get inspired and celebrate the arts at the 3rd Annual Stamford Art Festival at Harbor Point, taking place on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30 from 10 am to 5 pm, rain or shine. Admission to the Festival is free.

A juried event featuring more than 125 artisans selected locally and from across the country and Canada, the Stamford Art Festival offers a selection of paintings, photography, drawings, prints, sculptures, mixed media, jewelry, ceramics, fiber, metal and glass pieces that are original works and available for purchase in every price range.

Held at the beautiful Harbor Point waterfront in Stamford, exhibitors will display their work on the gorgeous boardwalk overlooking Stamford Harbor – an extraordinary backdrop for this visual feast. Visitors will be able to browse and buy from a wide variety of artisans, all of whom will be present to showcase their work and, with demonstrations and text, inform patrons about their creative process.

The Festival includes live musical performances on both days, as well as free arts activities and demonstrations for children and adults, plus a variety of food temptations ranging from gourmet food to homemade desserts. There will be a “Poet’s Corner” coordinated by Connecticut poet and spoken word artist Jerry T. Johnson. On Sunday, July 30 the Farmers Market will be open. And it all happens under tents, rain or shine.

The event is held on Pacific Street and Harbor Point Road, which is easy to reach via Connecticut Exit 7 on I-95 northbound and southbound. There is ample free parking. It is also a short ride from the Stamford Train Station.

The center of New Milford located in the scenic Litchfield Hills is noted for its long traditional village green laid out in 1872. Here you will find monuments from past wars as well as a bandstand, first built in 1891 that is a symbol of New Milford’s sense of community.
You can also explore many exceptional galleries, boutiques, restaurants and antique shops that are clustered in the heart of this village. Many are located in beautifully restored 18th and 19th century homes and buildings. Town Hall, facing the Green, marks the home of one of New Milford’s most illustrious citizens, Roger Sherman, the only Connecticut man whose signature is on all key documents of the founding of this nation.

On July 28 and July 29, 2017 the New Milford Green becomes a hive of activity with the many activities and family fun offered up at the 50th Annual New Milford Village Fair Days.

Organized by the Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce, this is the largest annual event in New Milford. Hundreds of vendors including: local businesses, organizations, church groups and clubs exhibit their unique offerings. If you like crafts, you won’t be disappointed as many skillful crafters offer their wares.

There are three new attractions making their debut at this 50th anniversary fair.

Touch a truck will be a highlight from 11 am – 3 pm on Bank Street where kids are invited to come out and actually touch a truck!

The Wishing New Milford Well is an exciting way to celebrate the Fair’s 50th anniversary with a give-back to the community. Fair organizers are offering all non-profit organizations that are Chamber members in good standing an opportunity to participate in the bandstand replica wishing well fundraiser – Wishing New Milford Well. The bandstand replica is being built by a local resident and will be located in the Food Court area. The wishing well will have slots that correspond with non-profit organizations. Fairgoers will have the opportunity to donate to whichever organizations are near and dear to their heart.

The final new feature is the Five Gets You Plus Fifty contest. Try you luck at opening a locked box by guessing the five number digital combination. At no cost, eligible persons will be able to input a 5 digit code. If their code unlocks the combination, they will win the prizes inside. We will also offer a second chance to win. If no one guesses the correct combination, we will hold a “second chance to win” drawing. The contest will run from noon to 7 pm with the second chance drawing being held at 8 pm.

Food is a big element of any Fair and New Milford’s food vendors won’t disappoint. There is even a dining tent and two days of entertainment that add to the festivities. A wide variety of food vendors serve up delicious fare to satisfy every palate.

Exploring the south Green you will find a variety of businesses, organizations, church groups and clubs, while the north Green hosts master crafters. Food vendors can be found in the mid-section of the Green where fair goers will find everything from tasty snacks to a wonderful meal that can be enjoyed in the large sit-down dining area.

The Fair opens on July 28 at 10:00 am and closes at 10:00 PM on both days. A highlight of Friday’s event is the the Kid’s Fun Run at 6:00 PM. On Saturday, July 29th the Fair opens at 10:00 am and closes at 10:00 PM. Highlights on the 30th include: the 50th Annual 8 Mile Road
Race & 15th Annual Fair Days 5K at 8:30 am.

For further information, please contact the Chamber of Commerce at 860.354.6080 or visit http://www.newmilford-chamber.com for up to the minute information.

Get close to some of the most strangely beautiful ¬– but painfully dangerous – animals in the sea as The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk offers a newly expanded exhibit of jellyfish.

With “Journey with Jellies,” The Maritime Aquarium now displays the most jellyfish species in the region. Jellies – as they should be called, because they’re not fish – have been among the most popular animals in The Maritime Aquarium for more than 20 years.

This bigger new space builds around the tall centerpiece display of moon jellies, and offers large new displays with such non-native species as Pacific sea nettles, flower hat jellies, Japanese sea nettles and more. Journey with Jellies” has traditional “window” displays of jellies, but also unique displays of jellies living in cascading globe and half-dome habitats.

Jellies are among the most simple animals, thriving without a brain, heart, lungs, gills and really any of the other organs that we believe an animal must have to survive. Yet survive they have, for millions of years, in forms and colors that are fascinating.
Jellies, of course, also have stinging cells, and Aquarium guests can learn about how jellies sting and about their unique life cycles. In addition to jellies, this new exhibit space also includes a big new natural habitat for the Aquarium’s giant Pacific octopus, as well as a new display featuring lionfish, a species with a large splay of venomous spines that are a troubling invasive presence on the Atlantic coast.

“Journey with Jellies” is included with Aquarium admission. For more details about exhibits, programs and IMAX® movies, go to www.maritimeaquarium.org.

There is always something fun, interesting and educational going on at the historical Barnum Museum in Bridgeport. On Sunday, July 23rd at 2:00 PM in the Museum, guests can enjoy Lanterns of Magic! Dick Moore, noted Historian and Collector of Magic Lanterns, will present an exciting, rare and unique show featuring magic lantern images that will showcase vivid and breathtaking views of early circus spectaculars! Magic Lanterns are descended from the ancient camera obscura, and are the equivalent to today’s Power Point presentations, but offer a wondrous, magical opportunity to step back in time and experience the thrill of acrobats and performers of bygone entertainment times.

Moore’s presentation, “Day at a Circus” will provide a brief glimpse of the working life of the circus as seen through the lens of the masterful photographer Frederick. W. Glasier. Glasier is renowned for his extensive work as a publicist and documentarian of circuses, Wild West shows and fairs from 1890-1925, the heyday of American circus entertainments.

Immediately following “Day at a Circus”, there will be the scintillating, stupendous, stimulating, stunning Magic Lantern show, Cirque d’Magique. Popular in the 19th century, Magic Lantern shows were a combination of projected images, live narration and live music that preceded film projection movies. By 1895 there were more than 60,000 ‘lantern showmen’ traveling the United States giving tens-of-thousands of performances every year educating, entertaining and mystifying audiences in small communities and large cities. Cirque d’Magique is unique to the glorious epoch of the American circus and the lantern projections will feature daring high and low wire acts, trapeze artists, leapers, lions and tigers, clowns, bareback riders, jumping dogs, snake charmers, juggling frogs and of course, no circus should be without them: the Performing Ponderous Pachyderms!

There is no registration required. A $5.00 donation is suggested. The event is free to members and children under 12. The Barnum Museum is located on 820 Main Street in Bridgeport.

The fragrant Colonial Herb garden at the Wilton Historical Society is a fitting location for a gardening talk. Local herb expert and gardening guru Sal Gilbertie will give a talk there titled “Micro Greens and Super Greens” followed by a book signing, conversation, wine and cheese.

Sal Gilbertie has appeared on numerous national radio and television programs, including “Martha Stewart Living,” “Home Matters” on the Discovery Channel, the “Home Show” on the Lifetime Channel and “Sara’s Secrets” on the Food Network. In 2011, NOFA named him Connecticut Organic Farmer of the year. He is a frequent lecturer on herb gardening and hosts year-round workshops held at Gilbertie’s retail shop in Westport.

All are welcome, suggested donation $10.

Did you know?
Microgreens are young plants that are harvested a few weeks after germination. We’ve all heard of the nutritional virtues of kale, for example, but did you know that the microgreen versions of many plants hold anywhere from 4 to 50 times the nutrients per volume as the same plants in mature form? Microgreens truly are the new superfood. Chefs and gardeners around the country are discovering that these easy-to-grow plants can be raised in the convenience of your own kitchen in a few weeks’ time. And the range of flavor profiles is amazing-from spicy radishes or daikon to fresh-from-the-farm corn flavor in miniature corn microgreens.