Connecticut Travel

On Thursday, March 8 the Greenwich Historical Society is hosting a luncheon, lecture and book signing featuring Richard Keith Langham beginning at 11:30 a.m.

For the last 25 years Alabama-born, Manhattan-based Richard Keith Langham has been creating elegant spaces for some of New York’s most legendary ladies (think Mrs. William F. Buckley and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis). His pedigreed town and country homes, grounded in tradition and enlivened with a fresh and imaginative perspective, feature lush color and pattern, a mixture of old and new and are particularly characterized by couture details.

Langham studied at Parsons School of Design and London’s Study Center for the History of Fine and Decorative Arts and earned a degree from The Fashion Institute of Technology in interior design. Before launching his own firm he apprenticed under the legendary Mark Hampton and honed his skills at Irvine & Fleming. His name has appeared on Architectural Digest’s AD-100 as well as on Elle Decor’s A List, and his work has appeared in publications too numerous to list. Add to that notable resume: Honorary Design Chair of Antiquarius 2017.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear firsthand the stories behind the unique and elegant homes featured in his luscious new book, About Decorating, The Remarkable Rooms of Richard Keith Langham. Tickets are available online.

White Memorial Foundation, the state’s largest nature conservation center is offering an interesting evening on March 3 on “dreaming with animal powers.

Where do we go every night? Why? Is it really “Just a Dream?!” Are you being “stalked” in your dreams – or in your waking life! – by a certain Animal? Get to Know Your Inner Tiger – or Dolphin or Eagle or Bear or…! Active Dreaming is a synthesis of modern dream work and ancient shamanic practices which views dreams as experiences of the soul. The Active Dreaming process respects the dreamer as the only authority on the meaning of his or her dreams – and thus, his or her Life.

As part of this lively evening, we will learn the Lightning Dreamwork process – a quick, fun and respectful way to share dreams or Waking experiences that helps us to develop our intuition and creativity, and helps us to bring their healing into our daily lives. We will learn about the many ways in which the Animals show themselves to us – in our Dreams and in our day-to-day lives – and how to discern their messages.

Come ready to learn more about the Magical world in which we live! Please bring a drum or rattle if you have one, your Dream journal if you keep one, and your Imagination! 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., A. B. Ceder Room, Members: $ 30.00 , Non-members: $45.00, Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Call 860-567-0857 or register online.

​This past November, two tiger twins were born at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. They are rare, endangered Siberian tigers whose species in the wild have just under 500 animals left.

A group of men and women from around Fairfield County have banded together to support the endangered species programs that the Beardsley Zoo is part of and they have organized an Endangered Species Gala that will take place on November 3 at the Patterson Club in Fairfield. The committee is co-chaired by Kathy MacGhee of Shelton and Cathy Fell of Fairfield.​

The guest speaker for this event will be world class explorer, Richard Weiss. He is also an Emmy award winning producer and author of the book, “Born to Explore: How to be a Backyard Adventurer.”

If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Amanda Bolanos, associate development director, at 203-394-6574, or at abolanos@beardsleyzoo.org. There are several level of sponsorships that include the $25,000 presenting sponsorship, $10,000 to the Amur Tigers, $5,000 to the Golden Lion Tamarin and $2,500 for the Red Wolf.

It’s the perfect winter celebration: outdoor sports; a restaurant crawl and a pancake breakfast; concerts and art shows; kids’ activities, tours and open houses, ice carving and much more will be featured during Norfolk’s first WINter Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25. What’s even better, most of the events are free.

Event Highlights
The Norfolk volunteer fire department will sell fried dough and coffee during the ambulance squad’s ice-carving event, and will man a fire pit at Infinity Bistro for hot cocoa and S’mores. The Botelle School parent/teacher organization will serve refreshments and host kids’ games at the newly revived town ice skating rink. Cocoa will be available at the North Brook rail trail during a snowshoeing event sponsored by the Rails to Trails committee.

Revelers won’t go hungry. Norfolk Net has organized a restaurant crawl late Saturday afternoon at the town’s four restaurants and the Manor House Inn. The Immaculate Conception Church will host a free pancake breakfast on Sunday. And of course, sit-down meals will be readily available at almost any time of day.

Interested in sports? There will be plenty—skating on the town rink, cross-country skiing on one of Norfolk’s many trails, snowshoeing on the North Brook Trail (the committee has snowshoes to lend if you can’t bring your own) and sledding for all ages on the hill behind the Congregational Church on the green (bring your own sled). If you’re not into the outdoors, you can watch Olympic curling on TV and live action at a local club tournament during the Norfolk Curling Club’s open houses.

Music and art will be strongly represented. The Ryan Montbleau Band will perform at Infinity Hall Saturday night. On Sunday, Steve Dedman will be in the Bistro live, and Green River will be featured Friday night for those who arrive in Norfolk early. For classical music lovers, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival is sponsoring a performance by the Magari Quintet in the library on Saturday afternoon and offers the audience the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the music. As for art, there are shows by painters Tom Hlas and Alicia Mordenti, and work by 19th-century photographer Marie Kendall will be on display at the Norfolk Historical Society’s museum.

The library will host Magnificent Microscopes on Saturday morning, and the Norfolk Land Trust’s talk by “bear whisperer” Ben Kilham will be in the afternoon. The hands-on microscope session is intended primarily for kids, but the bear talk is for everyone.

To see a full schedule of events and times, go to http://weekendinnorfolk.org/ or call 860-542-5829. For updates, follow Weekend in Norfolk on Facebook. And save the date: our annual Weekend in Norfolk is coming up August 3, 4 and 5…save the first weekend in August for three days of summer fun.

Meet Ed Vebell. He is 96, a nonagenarian, and he’s probably lived a more interesting life than you have. Like most of your older relatives Ed has stories to tell, but his span the globe, span time, and span famous events and his work will be presented at the Westport Historical Society through April 28, 2018.

It may sound cliché but it all started when Ed was shipped off to war. Ed nearly started out as an aircraft gunner, an occupation with a notoriously short lifespan, but when his superiors were alerted to his artistic ability he was quickly transferred to the US Army’s military newspaper, Stars and Stripes, as a field illustrator. As it turns out, illustrating battles was only the beginning of a decade’s long journey through odd, extraordinary and potentially lethal experiences.

Mr. Vebell spent years overseas in exotic places like Morocco and the cabarets of Paris. His decades as an illustrator, for publications like Sports Illustrated and Reader’s Digest,connected him with a cavalcade of characters including Grace Kelly and Matisse. Oh, and did we mention he also competed at the 1952  Olympics in fencing?

Like any traveler he collected some souvenirs along the way. A century gives you opportunities to acquire interesting life experiences and trinkets; only Ed’s trinkets aren’t the knick knacks you find in grandma’s attic but treasures like Buffalo Bill’s hat and a spear from the Maasai, an African lion hunter tribe.

Join us and become immersed in the life of arguably Westport’s most interesting man, and be sure to look for Ed’s recently published book “An Artist at War”. Signed copies will be available for sale at the exhibit opening and in our gift shop.

The Curious Case of Ed Vebell, runs through April 28 @ Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place across from Town Hall.  Donations Accepted, For more information call 203-222-1424 or vistiwestporthistory.org. 

The Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington has a perfectly unique way to top off Valentine’s Day week. On Saturday, February 17 from 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Ojibway artist, and musician Allan Madahbee will explain the cultural significance and the hauntingly beautiful sound of the Native American courting flute. In Native American culture, the flute is deeply rooted in the traditional Eastern Woodland Indian traditions as well as in the culture of indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Traditional Native American flutes are known by several names, one of the most common being the courting flute. As the name suggests, the courting flute was played during courting rituals by a young man serenading his intended bride. Courting was not a private affair, and this formal ritual normally took place in front of the entire tribe. It is said that once the young man and young woman were joined together, she would break the flute in half so he would never play it for anyone else. This is why some tribes do not allow, or at least discourage females from playing these sacred flutes.

Today, makers of Native American Flutes like Ojibway artist and musician Allan Madahbee craft their personal style and sound into their creations. Madahbee began to research the Chippewa flute culture and was influenced and mentored by Joseph Firecrow of the Cheyenne nation. “We became friends and he provided guidance and feedback and explained some of his methods of flute making. With his passing last year, we have all lost a great Native American flute maker and musician. I am proud to continue our flute making traditions.” The sound of the courting flute that is usually made of cedar has an uncommon scale for Western music and is entrancing.

Born on the shores of Lake Huron, Allan Madahbee is a registered Ojibway (Chippewa) Indian that has pursued the traditional arts and crafts of his ancestors. He has been making Native American flutes for about ten years. “I had always thought they were a product of the Southwest Indian tribes, but a book that I found that was written during the 1800s about Chippewa culture, had a passage about the Chippewa flutes, along with pictures. This made me realize that they were indeed a part of my Chippewa culture. Knowing that my ancestors constructed these flutes for hundreds of years has inspired me to continue this tradition. Also, the haunting sound from these mystical instruments is a large part of my inspiration.”

Along with constructing Woodland flutes, beaded moccasins, woodcarvings, Native American regalia, and rock sculptures, Madahbee always returns to his artistic roots in paintings. Mainly self-taught, Madahbee had high school art courses with fellow Ojibway artists Blake Debassige and James Simon – two well known Anishnawbe artists that are respected and have their paintings displayed around the globe.

Space is limited and reservations are suggested. To make sure you get a spot call the Institute for American Indian Studies at (860) 868-0518 or email general@iaismuseum.org to reserve your spot. The program is included in the price of admission: $10 adults; $8 seniors; $6 children; IAIS Members free.