Connecticut Travel

The Kent Historical Society is convening a Historic House Tour, focusing on structures built in the 18th and early 19th century. The Tour will take place Sunday, December 10 from 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Advance tickets are available for $45 on our website and at the Heron Gallery, Kent Wine & Spirit, and the Kent Town Clerk’s Office. The price jumps to $60 on the day of the tour, so be sure to get your tickets early!

The Kent Historical Society has lined up seven architectural gems that have been preserved with great care. Some were grand dwellings in their day, others were much more modest, but nearly all of them date from the Colonial era. There are all sorts of curiosities and beauties to appreciate on this journey through the past of Kent Hollow. One house is even on the National Register of Historic Places.

The journey into the past starts at Swift House, where ticket holders will get a map to the houses, .which are mostly in Kent Hollow. Tickets may also be purchased that day at the Swift House from 11 a.m. through the afternoon. Afterwards, everyone will gather at Swift House at 12 Maple Street to share festive beverages at the wassail bowl. It promises to be a fun event — who doesn’t like peering back in time in old houses?

“Historical House Tour 2017,” a Kent Historical Society event, begins December 10, 2017 at noon at Swift House, located at 12 Maple Street, Tickets are $45 in advance, and $60 on the day. For more information, see http://www.kenthistoricalsociety.org

“I hear it everywhere I go” is a group exhibition that includes sculptures, text works, installations, and videos ranging from 1995 to today. The show aims, in part, to explore dissatisfaction around the pursuit of the American Dream and how it is expressed. The curatorial premise was inspired by artist Cady Noland’s (b. 1956) writings on and stated thinking about the American tendency to express violence through socially acceptable release valves such as figuratively “trashing” celebrities on the one hand and conning or preying on populations outside of dominant power structures – often in the name of entrepreneurship – on the other.

The exhibiting artists exponentially expand on and add to the show’s themes through a variety of strategies, including: performed fictions that resituate celebrity and commodity culture; collaborative text pieces that give institutionally marginalized voices visibility; appropriation of pop culture to explore the isolation of fame; the mining of distinctly American signifiers such as varsity sports and daytime TV talk shows; and juxtapositions of post-consumer objects that read on multiple levels and often indicate how a person’s race, class, gender, and sexuality can position them in a simultaneous state of hypervisibility and invisibility in American culture.

The Gallery is located on 41 Franklin Street in Norwalk and is open Tues. – Sun. from 12 noon to 5 pm. This show runs through January 7, 2018.

There will be a display of illuminating images at the historic Barnum Museum in Bridgeport on Sunday, December 10th at 2 p.m. Guests will enjoy this remarkable display of photographs by Jay Misencik and Geralene Valentine. The photographs are part of their “Poli’s Palace and Majestic Theatres Memories Project.” More information is available at
http://www.misencik-images.com/theatres.html

Misencik and Valentine operated their photo business from a studio in Bridgeport, CT for 16 years. They now work from their home in Monroe. Misencik taught photography at the University of Bridgeport and has given private seminars to both professional photographers and photo enthusiasts. Together they led “Kids with Cameras” walking tours in the Park City. As a co-founder and original board member of the Bridgeport Community Historical Society, Misencik has a wealth of knowledge about the historical importance of many buildings in the city of Bridgeport.

Misencik and Valentie’s personal Bridgeport projects include:

– Main Street, Bridgeport – Portraits of people with different occupations, 1989-1993
– The Thomas Merton Center, Bridgeport – “Portraits of People from a Sacred Place” 1994, 1999
– The Barnum Museum – “Faces on Main Street” exhibit, “Kids with Cameras” walking tours, 1993-1994
– Poli’s Palace & Majestic Theatres Memories Project – People share memories of times spent at the theatres – Current
– The Bridgeport Portrait Project – A cultural heritage project that will introduce you to the PEOPLE who make the City of Bridgeport more than just a PLACE – Current

To participate in the Poli’s Palace and Majestic Theatres Memory Project or The Bridgeport Portrait Project, please contact Jay or Geralene at 203-268-8306; misencik.images@gmail.com.

There is no registration required. A $5 donation is suggested. The event is free to members and children under 12.
For more information about this and other events, please visit barnum-museum.org or contact by phone at 203-331-1104 x100.

This year marks the 31st Holiday House Tour which has become a highly anticipated December tradition for many visitors and residents alike. This year’s holiday house tour is taking place on December 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature seven historic houses with festive seasonal décor. Five of the homes are Designated Historic Landmarks.

Each home was carefully selected for its architectural merit and interesting stories. All of these wonderful historic houses have been adapted to 21st-century living and are sure to enchant you with inspiring decorating ideas and nostalgic holiday cheer!

Some highlights include:
• a circa 1800 barn that was adaptively re-purposed into a charming residence, the Eliphalet Sturges/George Hand Wright house that was originally built in 1764 as a simple two-room farmhouse and extensively remodeled in the Colonial Revival Style by the Dean of Westport Artists George Hand Wright in 1910, “Duck Haven” a house and cottage on the Saugatuck River adjacent to the historic low-tide crossing point
• the David Judah House, circa 1760, that has gone through a meticulous restoration by its current owner, who preserved every nail, piece of timber and window
• a circa 1840 Italianate house whose current owners uncovered an original back staircase hidden by 20th-century renovations
• a reproduction Saltbox c 1966 designed and built by well-known architect George White, which won a Historic Preservation Award this year.
• Westport’s first one-room schoolhouse west of the Saugatuck River, that includes a large collection of signed prints by abstract artist Frank Stella

Tickets are $50 for members and $60 for non-members in advance; Tickets are $70 on the day of the tour. Pre-order tickets in advance online

The National Iron Bank in Norfolk CT is presenting an exhibition of Leslie Watkins’ nature prints from October 30th through December 30th, 2017. The illustrations are featured in the Norfolk publication Norfolk Now and accompany Watkins’ monthly gardening column Through the Garden Gate. The column discusses a wide array of garden and nature subjects ranging from the practical to the philosophical.

The illustrations depict familiar and not so familiar animals, insects, plants and landscape vignettes. Many of the pictures are iconic and serve not only to illustrate their subjects but also function as decorative elements.

Watkins began writing her column in April of 2015 and the articles have become popular with the residents of Norfolk CT where many of the natural subjects abound. All 30 illustrations are on exhibit for the first time along with the original articles. The subjects vary from gardening to history, and from design to mythology. In addition to practical gardening advice the column has covered topics such as toads, honey bees, snowflakes, chickens, ticks and even garlic mustard.

Watkins has combined several areas of her expertise in these columns including painting, non-fiction nature writing and gardening. Leslie Watkins is an artist specializing in oil landscapes and nature inspired watercolors, a garden designer, and writer. She is the owner of Dandelion Gardening Arts, LLC, a garden design and maintenance business providing service to Norfolk and the surrounding towns. She has exhibited her paintings in New York City, Japan and throughout New England. She offers art workshops including painting, journal making and paper crafts. She occasionally lectures on art, gardening, and chickens. Currently she is working an illustrated collection of her writings for publication.

The individual hand painted prints are available for purchase at the Iron Bank in Norfolk. Orders for additional framed, prints may be placed with Watkins. Because each print is signed and hand colored each one is unique and original. The cost per print is $200. and each one comes with a copy of the article.

To place an order call (860) 542-3920 or email: lesliewatkins@lesliewatkins.com

Visit the Bellamy-Ferriday House Museum on Sunday, December 10th for a special day celebrating the holidays and the work of social philanthropist Caroline Ferriday, the inspiration for New York Times bestselling author Martha Hall Kelly’s novel Lilac Girls at the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden.

Experience the Hay, Caroline’s beloved Connecticut home, staged in the traditional Polish fashion as inspired by her house guests. Rooms will also sport beautiful arrangements by Floral Designer Melissa Beard, owner and head designer at Floral Design by Melissa in Newtown, CT. Learn about Advent and Polish Christmas traditions, including holiday delicacies and customs. Meet Martha Hall Kelly in Caroline’s kitchen and have her sign your copy of Lilac Girls. Tour sessions begin at 1 and 1:30 pm. Greenery will be available for sale to benefit the Bellamy Ferriday House & Garden.

Then, carol your way to Memorial Hall to enjoy a Polish beverage and desserts followed by an author presentation with a question and answer session. Martha will discuss Lilac Girls, including her research process, and where she took artistic license. Get insight into Martha’s next book about Caroline and her mother Eliza.

Tickets are $35/$25 for CTL Members; limited availability. Purchase tickets by Monday, December 4th by visiting www.ctlandmarks.org or calling 860.247.8996 x 23. All proceeds benefit the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden.

Lilac Girls is based on the true story of Caroline Ferriday and the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp survivors known as lapin (rabbits), whom Caroline championed. This acclaimed debut novel, also available on audiobook, reveals a story of love, redemption and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades. For more information on Martha Hall Kelly and her work, visit http://www.marthahallkelly.com.

The Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden is located at 9 Main Street North, Bethlehem, CT. It is open for tours May through October. For hours and more information, visit www.ctlandmarks.org ; https://www.facebook.com/BellamyFerridayHouseGarden ; or call 203. 266.7596.

About Connecticut Landmarks
Connecticut Landmarks’ mission is to inspire interest and encourage learning about the American past by preserving selected historic properties, collections and stories and presenting programs that meaningfully engage the public and our communities.