Category: Connecticut Travel

Pequot Library’s Mid-Winter Book Sale

Pequot Library’s Mid-Winter Book Sale is the little sister of the Library’s nationally known Summer Book Sale. The Mid-Winter Sale is smaller but more intimate with many treasures and bargains to be found. The sale runs from Saturday, January 17 – 18, 2015, from 9:00am – 5:00pm daily.

four_of_the_hundreds_of_lp_records_at_pequot_library_midwinter_book_sale

As the result of a mammoth donation, this sale will feature vinyl in outstanding condition, particularly in the Jazz and Classical categories. There are some sealed albums and many in pristine condition. Jazz includes albums from Verve, Jazzology, Citi, and Blue note, and Classical albums are ninety percent European imports. As always, there is plenty of Rock and Roll and other genres. The base price for albums remains highly affordable!

Two rare performances by former Paul Butterfield Blues Band keyboard player Mark Naftalin & Friends will be scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday. Mark Naftalin will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, in 2015. Naftalin, is known as one of the best blues piano players anywhere. He will hand-pick other equally renowned musicians to play acoustic music during the book sale. Go to pequotlibrary.org for confirmed times and performers.

Admission to the book sale is free and all Sale proceeds help fund Pequot Library’s over 500 annual programs, serving 30,000 participants of all ages. Categories include: Fiction; Classics; Mystery; Biography; History; Cookbooks, including Americana regional cookbooks; LP Records including Vocal, Stage and Screen, and World; CDs, DVDs, other Media; Comics 1970s – 1990s; and Connecticut/New England books.

If snow or weather-related conditions cause the Library to be closed on Saturday or Sunday, the book sale will resume on Monday, January 19th.

Please visit www.pequotlibrary.org to learn more about this vibrant library, educational, arts and cultural institution.

JanetLeave a comment

The Witches are back in Kent Connecticut!

Not many people know that Connecticut was New England’s most determined witch prosecutor – even fiercer than Salem. The record is terrible: The first person hanged for witchcraft in New England came from Windsor, and for a time every Connecticut woman indicted for witchcraft was convicted and hanged.

brooms (1)

In another of its continuing “Sunday Series” presentations, the Kent Historical Society will host Walt Woodward, the Connecticut state historian, giving a presentation on witch hunts that happened in Connecticut.

The lecture will be held Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 2 p.m. at the Kent Town Hall.
Walt Woodward animates this extraordinary, but neglected episode in a lecture that begins with the Protestant Reformation and continues through the Hartford Witch hunt of the 1660’s – a nightmare of trials and executions that preceded Salem by a generation. The story improves, too. Woodward documents how Connecticut’s Governor John Winthrop, Jr. played a role in ending executions for witchcraft 30 years before they even began at Salem.

Kent’s own Seger family was caught up in the madness. Elizabeth Moody Seger was accused of witchcraft three times. It is documented on the family’s web site http://www.onsegermountain.org/witchcraft.html

For more winter event information on the Litchfield Hills visit www.litchfieldhills.com

JanetLeave a comment

Pequot Library Mid.-Winter Booksale

Pequot Library’s Mid-Winter Book Sale takes place Saturday, January 17 – Sunday, January 18, 2015, runs from 9:00am – 5:00pm daily. Held in Pequot Library’s Auditorium/Concert Hall with free admission, the sale is open to the public. All Sale proceeds help fund Pequot Library’s over 375 annual programs and events for all ages.

blog

Pequot’s annual Mid-Winter Book Sale is the little sister of Pequot Library’s nationally known Summer Book Sale, which is considered, “The best book sale in New England.” The Mid-Winter Sale is smaller but more intimate with many treasures and bargains to be had, including the two new categories added, Cookbooks and Classics.

When asked why, two long-time book sale volunteers responded, “Cookbooks do well and people want different categories. We listen to the public’s requests; there have been requests for cookbooks at the Mid-Winter Book Sale, plus more classics.” In addition to the fiction category which is the highlight of the Mid-Winter Book Sale, there will be: Hundreds of hand-picked LP records; Vintage paperbacks; Audio books, CDs, DVDs; Children’s books; Biography; History; Books celebrating Town of Fairfield; Large collection of comic books, 1970s – 1990s; Magazines; Cookbooks; and Classics.

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 information: (203) 259-0346 ext. 15.

JanetLeave a comment

A trio of Jazz concerts hosted by the Westport Arts Center

The Westport Arts Center located on 51 Riverside Ave. is once again hosting a series of jazz concerts in January, February and March.

so-horn-section

The new year kicks off with the sounds of Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova as performed by Ali Ryderson and Joe Carter on January 11 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Jazz flutist Ali Ryerson teams up with longtime duo partner, guitarist Joe Carter, along with bassist David Finck and Brazilian percussionist Ze Mauricio, to perform an exciting program of Brazilian favorites from master composers Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa, Carlos Lyra and more. Admission is $30.

On February 1 from 3 pm to 5 pm, the Westport Arts Center is hosting a “Jazz Jam.” Admission: $15.00 WAC Members and $30 for non-members. Guests are invited to join the Center’s Artistic Director Brian Torff, for a free-wheeling jam session with some of the community’s most active musicians. The sessions are intended to be a spontaneous exploration of Jazz, Blues, and other music styles. The Center encourages students and semi-professionals to drop in and jam for free!

628x471

On March 22, the Center is hosting the Hartford Jazz Orchestra at the Pequot Library on 270 Pequot Ave. in Southport from 3 pm – 5 pm. The Hartford Jazz Orchestra will perform songs from the great American songbook with vocalist Nicole Pasternack. Since it’s inception in 1965, the Hartford Jazz Orchestra has performed concerts with the Woody Herman, Stan Kenton band along with joint appearances with jazz greats Zoot Sims and Clark Terry. Among its notable band members was Chic Cicchetti, who joined them as a trombone player and later rose to lead the HJO. Admission is $30 for non members and $25 for members of WAC.

For more information and to register http://westportartscenter.org/programs/jazz/

JanetLeave a comment

MOMIX: The 35th Anniversary A Celebration of Company Favorites at the Warner Theatre

On Saturday, January 17, 2015 and Sunday, January 18, 2015 the Warner Theatre will once again welcome the irrepressible Moses Pendelton and the internationally acclaimed dancer-illusionists troupe, MOMIX, as they celebrate 35 years of presenting works of exceptional inventiveness and physical beauty.

botanica-6-1

In this performance, the MOMIX 35th Anniversary Celebration features a collection of company and audience favorites, creating a show that breaks the bounds of the conventional and enters an aesthetic orbit all its own.
MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists based out of Washington, CT and under the direction of Moses Pendelton. Known internationally, MOMIX performs on stage world-wide and recently appears in nationally-televised commercials. With nothing more than light, shadow, props and the human body, MOMIX has astonished audiences on five continents for over 30 years.

Warner Theater
Warner Theater

Performances are Saturday, January 17 at 8 pm and Sunday, January 18 at 2 pm. Tickets start at $43 and are available by calling the Warner Theatre Box Office at (860) 489-7180 or online at www.warnertheatre.org

JanetLeave a comment

LEGOS AND LIGHTHOUSES BRIGHTEN THE SEASON IN CONNECTICUT

There’s no merrier place to be this season than Fairfield County in Western Connecticut where two of the most original exhibits in New England brighten the season at local museums.

A lavish moving landscape made of a billion LEGO® bricks delights visitors to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center while the 13th annual Festival of Lighthouses contest at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk shows off dozens of fabulous new miniature creations.

WIDE WORLD OF LEGOS®

Trains and planes. Cars, tractors and trucks. Ships, shuttles and monorails. Helicopters and spaceships

Just about anything that moves on land, sea, air and space will be seen as colorful LEGO® sculptures, moving through a three-dimensional imaginary landscape at the Billion Bricks 2 exhibit at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center. Everything in the amazing exhibit is made of LEGO blocks.
Master builder Bill Probert & I LUG (LEGO® Users Group) NY return to the Museum Galleries for a sixth season of their popular displays, promising a LEGO world that is even bigger and better this year. The exhibit runs from November 22 to January 25.

billionbricks2014

Starting in January, families are invited to make their own LEGO® creations in weekend workshops. Participants on Saturday, January 3 will build and race a LEGO® car while the group on Sunday January 4 will build and fly a Lego helicopter or space ship.

Lights! Camera! Action! Animation Workshops on Saturday and Sunday January 17 and 18 for ages 10 and up will be led by Alex Kobbs, of KooberzStudios. Kobbs will teach techniques for film stop action animation using LEGO® creations and mini figures.

Workshops are limited in size and advance reservations are required. Phone 203-977-6521 to register and see www.stamfordmuseum.org for more information.

LIGHTHOUSES LIGHT UP THE SEASON

Some are funny. Some are clever. Some are beautiful.

For the 13th year, artists and would-be-artists will compete for the most original entry in the Festival of Lighthouses at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk from November 22 through January. 19.

Aquar.lighthouse2012.Sudell

The rules are simple. Entries must be three to six feet tall and have a working light. They may not include animal remains such as shells. Beyond that, it’s up to the creators’ imaginations and the results are guaranteed to amaze. Past entries have been made of stained glass, stone, yarn, clay, candy and tiny coffee cups. One entry was made of holiday greeting cards, another included computer animation. One memorable entry featured all the makings of the 12 days of Christmas.

This year’s exhibit will showcase 24 lighthouses and there is no telling what the creative results will be. Aquarium visitors will follow these one-of-a-kind beacons through the galleries and then cast a vote for their favorite. The winner takes home the $1,500 first prize. Runner-ups divide the rest of the $3300 in prize money. To learn more, see www.maritimeaquarium.org.

Aquar.lighthouse2012.Sudell

For more information about holiday events and a free copy of Unwind, a full-color, 152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay, shop and dine in Fairfield County as well as in the Litchfield Hills, contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506, or visit their web site at www.visitwesternct.com.

/x

JanetLeave a comment