Category: Connecticut Travel

There will be a musical benefit, Wanda Loves William on Sunday, September 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. to make Twelfth Night happen in the summer of 2021. This event will be held at River Walk Pavilion Lawn in Washington Depot, CT.

Wanda L. Houston sings the great American Song Book, jazz standards, rhythm and blues, soul, and rock. She has lived and performed professionally throughout the U.S, Europe, and Australia. She has performed on Broadway stages, in films, on television and has recorded extensively.

She has worked with Barbara Streisand, Natalie Cole, Eartha Kitt, Patti LaBelle, Eddie Izzard, John Tuturro and Sam Harris on the stages of Pasadena Playhouse, Universal Studios, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. Locally, she has been on the stages of the Bushnell, Goodspeed, Infinity Hall, Stamford Performing Arts Center, The Mahaiwi in Great Barrington.

Wanda is delighted to come with her HBH Band to celebrate with us her joy and belief in the power of music and its effect on the hearts of all of us. She is a huge fan of Shakespeare and is thrilled to support our efforts to bring Shakespeare back to The Litchfield Hills in 2021. This will be an afternoon to remember!!

Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children under 14. Sponsor tickets are $250 for two tickets which include preferred seating and special mention. Box Picnic prepared by the Pantry may be reserved for $25. Thank you, Michael Ackerman. By Governor Lamont’s order and the Town of Washington, we are limited to 125 people at the event. There will be will designated pods and markings for social distancing. Masked volunteers will escort you to the seating area. Please bring your own lawn chairs. Please reserve quickly by calling 203.754.2532 or by clicking the banner at the top of the homepage at www.shakesperience.org

Getting to the library in Falls Village is half the fun, the ride there is so beautiful especially this time of year. The David M. Hunt Libary sits in the center of town and is offering a new art exhibition that runs through November 14, 2020 called Girls, Girls, Girls, Painting, and Sculpture by Robert Cronin, Robert Andrew Parker, and Sam Posey. All visitors to the library are required to wear masks and will register at the door and have their temperature checked. Social distancing allows for only five people at a time. For more information, or to make an appointment, call the library at 860-824-7424 or visit huntlibrary.org/art-wall, where the full exhibition can be seen beginning September 25. 63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT 06031. Hours: Tues & Thurs 10-5, Fri 3-7, Sat 10-1.

The Hunt Library celebrates in its upcoming exhibition the power and significance of the female who has been recognized by artists from paleolithic times to our own. She has been seen through art as goddess, virgin, loving mother, saint, pixie, child, diva, seductress, she-devil, wench, etc. As a muse, she has for centuries inspired the creativity of, mostly male, artists. But as with so many recent revelations, we are now seeing ourselves and our genders in a different light while female and LGBTQ artists join and expand the male tradition of “muse inspiration.”

GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! Is a feast of female images of grace, grit, and humor. The artists here are three GUYS! GUYS! GUYS!: Robert Cronin, Robert Andrew Parker, and Sam Posey — all “old masters” and all internationally recognized in the art world. Each has lived and worked among us for decades. Although all three have embraced a vast range of media and subject matter, many of their “Girls” are people known or admired, while others live in their imaginations. Please do not miss this opportunity to have serious fun and be able to acquire gems from these magnificent artists.

The artists will donate a portion of their proceeds to benefit the Hunt Library. The full exhibition can also be seen virtually at huntlibrary.org/art-wall, where works can be reserved for purchase.

About the Artists

Robert Cronin received his degrees at RISD and Cornell University and has taught at Bennington College and Brown University. His work is in the permanent collections of many major museums including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the National Academy Museum (New York), the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston). The artist’s webpage is at robertcroninart.com.

Robert Andrew Parker’s artworks have appeared in the pages of Time Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Esquire just to name a few. His drawings and paintings have accompanied the writings of Franz Kafka, Vladimir Nabokov, W. H. Auden, and Marianne Moore. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Morgan Library and Museum, and private collections throughout the world. Parker is also a working musician, a drummer, performing with his band mates locally at the Interlaken Inn. The artist’s webpage is at robertandrewparker.wixsite.com.

Sam Posey received his BFA at RISD and has works in the permanent collections of the Tate Gallery (London), the Walker Art Museum (Minneapolis), the Phillips Gallery (Andover, Ma.). A designer of cars, furniture, houses, a school, and a firehouse, he is universally known as a racing driver including drives in the Indy 500 (5th), U.S. Grand Prix, and Le Mans (3rd). He was a TV commentator with ABC Sports, Speedvision and, most recently, NBC Sports. He won an Emmy for best writing in 1990. In addition, he is the author of The Mudge Pond Express (G.P. Putnam, 1975), Playing With Trains (Random House, 2004), Where the Writer Meets the Road (2015), and articles for The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Sports Illustrated, Road and Track. The artist’s webpage is at https://www.obergallery.com/sam-posey.

Finding the perfect end of the summer outing can be a challenge. Not to worry, the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington, Connecticut is offering two good options on August 29 and 30. The special programs planned will get parents and children out in the fresh air and participating in a variety of activities that make the Institute a perfect spot for a late August day trip. These innovative programs are sure to bring you and your family closer to nature creating the perfect backdrop for a hands-on experience.

The first program, on Saturday, August 29 takes place from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you want to learn more about river ecology and bugs, this program is a must! Families and youngsters will take a half-mile walk to the Shepaug River to look for the creatures that live in and around the water. This interactive program will teach families about the bugs and the animals and fish that live in and near the river. Kids will enjoy the challenge of spotting bugs, frogs, and other creatures. A highlight will be to learn about what these animals tell us about the health of this ecosystem and the steps we can take to help preserve it. It is suggested that participants wear water shoes so that they can get into the action on the river.

The second outdoor program offered by the Institute will take place on Sunday, August 30th from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will focus on the natural history of birds, bears, and beavers. Lead by Susan Scherf, museum educator, and former wildlife rehabilitator, attendees will participate in an interesting discussion about the wildlife that can be found in northwest Connecticut. It is fun to learn about the habitat that these wild animals live in. This wildlife experience will bring out the “naturalist” in all participants and give tips on how to spot local wildlife and the steps we can take to protect these beautiful animals.

These two events at the Institute for American Indian Studies are included in the price of admission; $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 children. Members are free. Due to COVID-19, the Institute is practicing social distancing at all outdoor events. The museum is also open and if visitors want to visit it before or after an event, masks are required.

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 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.

The Glebe House, built about 1740, is celebrating its 93rd year in operation in 2018 as a historic house museum and garden. It was the home of Rev. John Rutgers Marshall, his wife Sarah, nine children, and three slaves from 1771 to 1786 and is furnished with period furniture including a wonderful collection of furniture made in Woodbury during the 18th century.

In 1771 Woodbury’s first Anglican minister, John Rutgers Marshall of New York City arrived with his wife Sarah. By the end of the Revolutionary War, John Marshall and his family had endured the oppression suffered by many New England Anglicans who were often presumed to be loyal to the king.

Only weeks after American independence was secure, a group of Connecticut Anglican clergy met secretly at the Glebe House to make a momentous decision; to take part in the building of a new nation while upholding their religious heritage. The group elected the Reverend Dr. Samuel Seabury to go to London to argue before Parliament to become the first Bishop in the new world, a decision that assumed both the separation of church and state and religious tolerance in the new nation.

After the Marshalls had moved from the Glebe House, Gideon B. Botsford, a silversmith, lived in the house. Botsford lived and worked at the Glebe House with his wife and family of eight children through the mid-19th century. By the 1920s the house had passed through several owners and fallen into great disrepair.

As plans were discussed to tear down the house, it was saved by the Seabury Society for the Preservation of the Glebe House, which repaired the building, began collecting furniture, and raised funds to ensure continued operations as a museum.

The Glebe House was restored in 1923 under the direction of Henry Watson Kent, a pioneer of early American decorative arts and founder of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. One of the early historic house museums in the country, The Glebe House opened its doors to the public in 1925.

The Glebe House Museum will be reopening for reserved guided tours beginning Friday, August 7th. The Museum is following all current State & CDC guidelines for the health & safety of their visitors, volunteers & staff. Guided tours will be limited to the first floor of the historic Glebe House. Tour length will be limited to 15 minutes within the Museum with extra time in the Garden for Docents to answer questions or elaborate on areas of interest. Masks and social distancing protocols are required. Each tour is limited to 4 adults traveling together. Groups will not be mixed.

A limited number of tickets will be available for each time-slot. Tickets are available up to 24 hours in advance, through Eventbrite by following the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/glebe-house-museum-tours-tickets-114193495820?aff=ebdssbeac

The Tapping Reeve Meadow, named after Judge Tapping Reeve, the gentleman that started the first law school in America is hosting crafts week from August 18-20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Located in Litchfield, behind the Tapping Reeve House and Law School participants will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment. There are many newly installed outdoor exhibits and, visitors are invited to take part in crafts and games inspired by the fight for women’s right to vote.

A highlight of this event includes Ballots for Both: The Fight for Equal Voting Rights Exhibit! Visitors are invited to explore the newest outdoor exhibit exploring the battle for woman suffrage in Litchfield and the state of Connecticut. Kids can make their own Votes for Women pin and discover historic buttons in the Society’s collection and make a suffrage-inspired button. Participants will also see the artwork of Adelaide Deming, painter, and a local leader of the suffrage movement. Be inspired by her paintings and paint your own landscape. To top off the fun there is also croquet on the lawn.

To protect the safety of attendees and to eliminate overcrowding, we are requiring attendees to pre-register for an arrival time. Visitors required to wear a mask at all time, to stay with their family groups, and to stay at least six feet from other groups. All equipment used by visitors will be thoroughly cleaned between groups. In the event of rain or inclement weather, the program will not be held.