Category: Summer

Friends of the Norwalk Islands Cook-out Kayak Paddle Sunday August 21!

Experienced and novice kayakers are invited to join Friends of the Norwalk Islands for a day of exploration and a cook-out on Sunday, August 21. A guided Kayak Paddle to the Norwalk Islands will launch at 9:30 a.m. from The Small Boat Shop dock at 144 Water Street. Children (age 10 and above and weighing at least 100 pounds) are welcome to participate. Water safety and basic paddling techniques will be discussed before the tour to the Norwalk Islands begins.

“This is an opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the Norwalk Islands,” says Susan Snider, president, Friends of the Norwalk Islands. “After launching, we will head down the Norwalk River into Long Island Sound. Weather permitting we will stop for a cook-out on Shea Island followed by a visit to Chimon Island to learn about the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and meet Elliot Sudal and Jason Wheeler, the island keepers who are living and working on Chimon this summer.”

The Small Boat Shop is sponsoring this kayak paddle to support Friends of the Norwalk Islands. The event fee of $105 includes a kayak, paddles and life jacket, plus a $25 donation to Friends of the Norwalk Islands. Reservations are required by calling Friends of the Norwalk Islands (203-849-8341) or The Small Boat Shop (203-854-5223) or visit http://www.TheSmallBoatShop.com/kayaktours2011.html .

Led by Snider, the Friends of the Norwalk Islands has partnered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to conserve, protect and enhance the environmental, recreational and cultural significance of the Norwalk Islands and to promote the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Norwalk Islands of Chimon, Peach, Goose and Sheffield are part of the Norwalk Islands unit of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. To learn more, visit the web site at http://www.FriendsoftheNorwalkIslands.org

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B-17 “Aluminum Overcast” in Oxford Fly the Fortress At Waterbury-Oxford Airport! August 12-14

As part of its nationwide “Salute to Veterans” tour, EAA’s B-17 Flying Fortress “Aluminum Overcast” will be appearing at the Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Oxford, CT on Friday, August 12 through Sunday, August 14, bringing a living link of aviation’s and World War II’s past for residents of the surrounding area to enjoy.

The “Aluminum Overcast” presents an opportunity for the public to experience, firsthand, the allure of this historic warbird that helped turn the tide of World War II. EAA, a non-profit membership organization based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, embodies the spirit of aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. The Oxford stop of the tour is hosted by your local EAA chapter 1443.

Public flights and ground tours are available Friday, August 12 through Sunday, August 14

B-17 Flights are available at 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:15 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

B-17 Ground tours are available from 2-5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Ground Tour rates:
· $5 per person

· $15 per family (adults/children up to 17 – immediate family members)

· Free – Children under 8 (when accompanied by paying adult)

· Free – All Active Military or Veterans (and spouses)

Flight rates (pre-booking available at http://www.b17.org or call 1-800-359-6217.
· $425 EAA members ($399 before June 30)

· $465 non-members ($430 before June 30)

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Kent Sidewalk Festival Ready For July 28-31 In Litchfield Hills CT

The Kent Sidewalk Festival is scheduled for Thursday, July 28 through Sunday, July 31 and is sponsored by the Kent Chamber of Commerce.

I have enjoyed the sidewalk festival for many years and I am looking forward to visiting Kent this weekend for this festive event… If you like to treasure hunt for fabulous gifts amid a charming small town teaming with music and great food, this event is for you!

Every merchant and store up and down Main Street, in the Village Barns and on the Kent Green will be offering special discounted items, many in tents outside their stores. You will find great deals on women’s clothing at Terston, Country Clothes, Foreign Cargo and Wanda Elle, antique jewelry, glassware and collectibles at the North Main Street Market Place, David Armstrong prints and books at House of Books, shoes at Sundog Shoe and Leather, antiques galore at both Main Street and Rolling River Antiques, designer samples of wallpaper, pillows and more at LaVoie Color & Design, a designer tag sale at Kent Kitchen Works and a blowout on Reidel Glassware at Kent Wine & Spirit.

St. Andrews Church and the Kent Center School Scholarship Fund will have tag sales to benefit the work they do while the Library’s book sale will offer 10% off any purchases over $10. The volunteer fire department will celebrate their 100th anniversary with memorabilia and sale items near the library. As you go from shop to shop, be sure to enter the drawing for a Summer Shopping Spree at participating businesses. The drawing will be held Sunday at 2 PM on the Golden Falcon Field with a grand prize worth over $500 and 2 others worth $250 each.

Not to be left out, the restaurants in town will offer discounts and special food items. The Villager is open for breakfast and lunch, the Fife’n Drum will feature pulled pork sliders under their tent and popcorn at the Gift Shop, Millstone Café will serve Mexican churros, Smoked will have discounted prices while Webster Bank is bringing in their ice cream truck and Backcountry Outfitters will have Cheeseburgers in Paradise on Friday night.

Children will enjoy a Sidewalk Art Contest Saturday morning, face painting each day thanks to Kent Children’s Center. Fire truck rides from the new firehouse, several family exercise opportunities, a Petting Zoo at Three Monkeys and Me and Dancing on Main Street with the Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts are all part of family fun in Kent.

Music is another big part of the Sidewalk Festival with actors from Tri-Arts in Sharon performing excerpts from their current production, Hairspray. At Kent Coffee and Chocolate you can stop and listen to an Elvis impersonator that will sing your favorite hits. There will also be concerts on the porch at Richard Lindsey Bookseller on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. This year the Concerts will benefit the Fisher House of Connecticut. This house, next to the VA Hospital in West Haven, affords military and veteran’s family’s a place to stay near their loved one during recovery. The line up for the Concerts includes Andy and Jeannette Hicks, students from the Litchfield Jazz Camp, John Couch, Homegrown Band, the Joint Chiefs, Joe Bouchard and Bruce Wheeler.

Many merchants will also offer demonstrations and activities to inform and entertain. Fitness Matters Studio will offer free Juice Plus+ tastings as well as a polarity therapist, a resistance/stretching trainer and an energy healer Reiki Master (for a fee). Black Sheep Yarns has fiber related artisans doing demonstrations and selling materials, and Rolling River Antiques will offer chair caning demonstrations. You can get a Henna Tattoo at Terston for a $10 donation to the Kent Food Bank or try various fitness methods at Curves and Mountain Falls Fitness and afterward sample wine at Kent Wine & Spirit.

New this year and sure to be a big hit is Kent Cruise Night Saturday. This is a chance to show off your car, truck or hot rod. The event will also feature great food and music.

Not all events take place all hours each day, but there will be fun for all four days! Parking is available on the street and on the Kent Green property. For the most up to date information contact the Kent Chamber of Commerce at 860-927-1463 and check the website http://www.kentct.com. The mission of the Kent Chamber of Commerce is to bring local businesses together to develop and promote balanced economic growth that enhances the quality of life in our community.

JanetLeave a comment

Fairfield County CT The Historical Society of Easton holds Antique Car Show August 7

The bucolic village of Easton located in Connecticut’s Fairfield County is well known for it’s beauty. Scenically stunning, almost half of the town’s land is owned by the Aquarion Water Company, a major supplier of water for Fairfield County. A drive along the Hemlock Reservoir and Aspetuck Reservoir is pleasant anytime of year.

As you explore Easton, you will see the Bradley-Hubbell House built in 1816. This excellent example of Colonial architecture with a center-chimney plan and Federal-style ornaments is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1912, Bradley descendants sold the property to the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, which flooded much of the farmland for a reservoir and leased the house to one of its employees. In 1998, the house was donated to the Easton Historical Society, which is restoring it.

On August 7 from 1 pm to 4 pm the Historical Society of Easton will hold its 3rd Annual Antique Car Show on the grounds of the historic Bradley-Hubbell property. A grand exhibition of Model T-Fords and vintage cars will be displayed by Easton residents and Connecticut’s Crankin Yanks, a Model T Ford antique car association. Visitors are invited to view the antique cars and take a tour through the Bradley-Hubbell Museum and the 1860 historic barn.

The Bradley-Hubbell property is a landmark treasure which serves to educate adults, children and Easton’s 3rd grade students about the region’s rich agricultural history. The 1860 barn was a tool for the farmer who worked the land. Its existence tells a story of farming, family and community. A rare manuscript was found that was written by John Dimon Bradley, a descendant who lived on the property as a boy in the early 1800’s who describes in detail his family’s farming activities. Tours will include docent led demonstrations of the extensive collection of historic 18th and 19th century farm and kitchen tools used by farming families in the region.

Suggested Donation: $5 per person, children free; to benefit the Barn Restoration Fund. For more information contact HSEastoncCT@gmail.com. The Bradley-Hubbell Museum is located on Westport Rd. in Easton CT.

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Summer Sunday Concerts at Stamford’s CT’s Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

In 1913, Francis A. Bartlett, a well known dendrologist and founder of the internationally known F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company, acquired 30 acres of North Stamford woodlands to use as his residence, training school and research laboratory for his successful tree-care company. Over the years he assembled a large number of woody plant specimens on the property from all over the world in particular from North America, Europe and Asia.

By 1965, Mr. Bartlett’s research laboratory had moved to North Carolina and his Stamford home, which now covered some 64 acres, was purchased by the State of Connecticut and was designated the Connecticut State Arboretum.

Today, the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is a unique natural preserve whose 91 acres highlight the best of what Connecticut’s native landscape has to offer: magnificent award-winning Champion trees, charming gardens, wildflower meadows, red maple wetlands and boardwalks, woodland walking trails, varied wildlife and native habitats.

On Sunday’s in the Summer, visitors to the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens can experience a very special treat as Sunday Concerts in the garden are offered through August 7th.

Morning concerts are held in the garden from 10:00 am – 11:00 am and feature student soloists from the Yale School of Music graduate program. Bring a chair and your newspaper and relax as the classical music blends with the sights and smells of their beautiful gardens in their own version of aromatherapy-a sure-fire way to recharge your batteries for the week ahead!

Evening Pops on the Lawn takes place from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Guests are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket, your favorite beverage and a light snack — (sorry no cooking allowed ) and enjoy a great evening of music surrounded by the natural beauty of the Arboretum and it’s gardens. On July 24 the soft, silky warm voice of singer song writer Ellen Woloshin performs; on July 31, Bluegrass award winning guitarist and mandolin player Orrin Star & the Sultans of String perform under the stars. The final summer concert on August 7th brings a performance by Katie Wilson and the Two Time String Band whose modern all acoustic bluegrass sound has pleased audiences throughout southern Connecticut. For more information call 203-322-6971.

For concerts, members are free, non members are free with garden admission. Garden admission is $6 per adult and free to children under the age of 12.

About The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is open to the public every day of the year. The grounds are open from 9:00am – 7:00pm. Admission is free to members and $6.00 per adult. Children under the age of 12 are free and Wednesdays are free to all.

The Bartlett Visitor Center, is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm and is closed on national holidays. Please call for weekend Visitor Center hours.

Visitors to the Arboretum are allowed to walk their dog on the forest trails. Stamford charter and city code Section 111-1 through 111-12 requires that dogs be leashed at all times on the property and that visitors pick up after their dog.

The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is located on 151 Brookdale Road Stamford, CT
Tel: 203 322 – 6971 Fax: 203 595 – 9168 or visit http://www.bartlettarboretum.org.

JanetLeave a comment

Annual Green Corn Festival in Litchfield Hills Connecticut

The Institute for American Indian Studies Museum and Research Center in Washington CT is hosting it’s Annual Green Corn Festival on Saturday, August 6 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm on the grounds of the Museum located on 38 Curtis Road. The event will be held rain or shine. Adults: $10; children: $6.

Traditionally corn has been an integral part of the annual cycle of life for Native American People and this Festival celebrates the first corn of the season. Fun filled activities for the whole family including drumming, dancing, face painting, kids’ crafts, and more make this event memorable.

Highlights of the event include exciting Native American ceremonies including traditional Eastern Woodland song & dance with the Wampanoag Dancers & Singer, guitar music of Ojibwa musician & artist, Allan Madahbee and singing and drumming with the Sint-Sink Singers. A favorite of young and old alike are the Native American folktales told by storyteller, Janis Us of Mohawk-Shinnecock descent. Kids will enjoy Native American inspired crafts and facepainting.

Two not to be missed features of the Festival are the crafts for sale by local Native American artisans and a taste of traditional cooking including Pow-wow style food for sale in the outdoor Algonkian Village hosted by Dale Carson, of Abenaki descent.

About the Institute for American Indian Studies Museum and Research Center

The focus of the Institute has always been stewardship and preservation. In 1991, the name was changed to the Institute for American Indian Studies. With the name change there was a shift in focus to include education in conjunction with research.

The ethnographic collection of the Institute for American Indian Studies contains over 6,000 cultural items. While focusing on the Eastern Woodlands Peoples, the collection represents indigenous communities throughout the western hemisphere. Items vary in raw material composition – textiles, wood, stone, clay, glass, shell and semi-precious jewels – function and style from moccasins, rugs, baskets and leggings to containers, weaponry, personal accessories, recreational objects and fine art.

The Research & Collections Building is artifact-friendly with a climate controlled vault and spacious laboratory. It is home to an abundance of collections, both ethnographic and archaeological. It also houses both an education and research library, containing over 2,000 books and journals and is open only by appointment (860-868-0518 ext.109).

For museum hours and other special events visit: http://www.birdstone.org.

JanetLeave a comment