Connecticut Travel

On April 16 from 3 pm to 4 pm join the Westport Historical Society for one of its most popular walking tours, a stroll through Old Saugatuck accompanied by guide Bob Mitchell. The one-hour tour begins at 3:00 p.m. and ends with a drink on the house at one of Saugatuck’s favorite haunts, the Black Duck.

As you make your way through the neighborhood that sits along the tracks near the Westport train station, Mitchell will discuss Saugatuck’s past as a manufacturing hub and the tight-knit, predominantly Italian community it was to become. Most of what we now know as Westport was once called Saugatuck, after the river, though when the town was incorporated in 1835 from parts of Norwalk and Fairfield, it was given the name Westport.

The walk will begin at the train station, where rail service was launched in 1848, making Westport more accessible for visitors and, in turn, giving residents better access to New York City. Railroad construction brought an influx of jobs, filled mostly by Irish and Italian laborers, and the young community eventually was called Little Italy. In 1958, a swath of buildings bisecting Saugatuck was demolished to make way for the Connecticut Turnpike.

Here are some bits of Saugatuck lore you’ll learn about: The Saugatuck Grain & Supply Company (1929), Luciano Park, the Westport Bank & Trust branch office, the Hedenbury Tin Shop, the Banyan Coffin Tack Factory, the first Saugatuck firehouse, the mattress factory, the William F. Cribari Bridge (the oldest movable span in Connecticut), and the Saugatuck Manufacturing Company, which made buttons from Brazilian ivory nuts.

The tour was created to give participants insights into Westport’s history and show how resilient Westporters have been in retaining the character of our town, even as the landscape changes and Saugatuck undergoes an impressive renaissance.

There is a $10 suggested donation. No charge for children 12 and under. Reservations are recommended: (203) 222-1424.
Meet in the Saugatuck Railroad Station, New York-bound side.

For more event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington Connecticut has created a series of vacation week programs from April 20-22 from 1 .pm. to 3 p.m. that will teach kids new skills. The theme of the vacation fun series is “sticks and stones”!

Before metal was used widely by the Native Americans living in the Litchfield Hills, stones and bones were used to create tools. During this three-day program, children will learn how to identify different types of stone, animal bones and how Native peoples used these raw materials to create tools.

Join museum staff on Wednesday for an introduction to stone identification and use. On Thursday they will compare skeletal structures of a few common woodland animals. Friday, kids will watch their educators demonstrate techniques for using these materials to create items such as fishhooks, needles, combs, weapons, and projectiles.

Drop in from 1pm-3pm on April 20th, 21st, and 22nd to watch stones and bones turn into tools outdoors at our outdoor replicated Algonkian Village.
Included in regular museum admission: $8 Adults; $6 Seniors; $5 Children; IAIS Members FREE.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

April 9, the official opening of the fishing season in the Nutmeg State is the day when fly-fishing aficionados from near and far flock to the Annual Riverton Fishing Derby in the Riverton section of Barkhamsted, located in the beautiful Litchfield Hills.

The day starts before daybreak with a hearty breakfast beginning at 4 a.m. at the Riverton Fire Department on 3 Riverton Rd. in the center of town. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be available at the Riverton General Store located in the center of town in a mid.-19th century building that is the hub of activity for this village. Green mountain coffee, made to order sandwiches, homemade soups, chili, salad and pastries are just some of the things offered here. For more information on Riverton General Store http://www.rivertongeneralstore.com.

This exciting Litchfield Hills event takes place on April 9 th on the West branch of the Farmington River, a Nationally designated “Wild and Scenic” river that is known to host an abundance of rainbow, brown and brook trout. As a matter of fact, on Friday afternoon before this event, over 100 fish are purchased and released into the Farmington River adding even more incentive to catch the “big one.” The contest, complete with prizes, begins at 6 a.m. and lasts for about four hours, ending at 10 a.m. and it’s all-free; and there is no registration or fee required.

The public is always welcome to attend this event and to cheer on their favorite fisherman. Last year some 500 enthusiasts participated in the derby. An even bigger crowd is expected this year. Prizes include items donated by local merchants as well as by Orvis and Cabela’s. The coveted grand prize is a village chair of Riverton donated by the Hitchcock Chair Company. The Hitchcock Chair Company Store is located in Riverton and stocks an excellent selection of this classic hand stenciled furniture. For information about the Hitchcock Chair Company visit www.hitchcockchair.com.

A bit further upriver a section of the flowing waters especially stocked for the occasion, is set aside for the “Kid’ Derby”. Any tot under 16 who is able to hold a fishing pole, can join in the fun. Special prizes are awarded to kids. To find out more about the Fishing Derby and other events in Riverton, visit http://rivertonct.com.

The easiest way of getting a fishing license is to visit the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s online sportsmen licensing at https://ct.outdoorcentral.net/InternetSales. Fishing licenses are also available from town clerks and this website has a complete listing of town clerks and businesses that sell fishing licenses. The website also has a weekly fishing report that runs from opening day through the end of November. The report is a summary of fresh and saltwater fishing activity in the state as reported by tackle stores around the state.

To celebrate spring, the Matthews Curtis House, an excellent example of Connecticut saltbox architecture located on 44 Main Street in Newtown is hosting an open house day on Sunday, April 17 from 12 noon to 4 p.m. When touring this house visitors will step back in time as docents will guide you through the house, explain the history of their collections and the people who lived in the house by taking you on a journey back in time.

This house was purchased by Matthew Curtiss Jr. in 1781 and is thought to have been built by him. For some time it was believed that he was the house’s builder and first resident and thus his name was attached to it. Subsequent research shows that the house was originally constructed about 1750.

Curtiss was a Lieutenant in Connecticut’s Revolutionary War militia and served Newtown in a number of civil offices, including hay warden, highway supervisor, member of the school committee, grand juror, keeper of the pound and selectman. For a short period he was a partner in a provisions business, dealing mostly in beef. Curtiss sold the house in 1807, but may have continued to live there until his death in 1824.

Today the house is furnished with items of the time that the house was built as well as some items of a later date; all tell the story of Newtown’s history. Among the most unusual features of the Curtiss House are the large basement fireplace with cupboard built into the chimney stones and meat hooks in the attic which are all that remains of an old smoke oven.

Weather permitting, join their docents for some colonial games in celebration of spring. If there is a chill in the air, they may even have an open hearth fire.

The Matthews Curtis House is open for tours one Sunday per month from March – June and September – December and there is no admission fee. The next dates are May 15 and June 12 from noon to 4 p.m.

The Bruce Museum, located on One Museum Drive in Greenwich is offering a new adventure into the world of animals with their new exhibition that runs through July 3 called Wild Reading: Animals in Children’s Book Arts.
Through more than thirty contemporary and historic illustrations, the show explores the colorful lives of wild animals, both realistic and exaggerated.

Original works by artists such as Quentin Blake (illustrator of books by Roald Dahl and others), Eric Carle, Wendell Minor, Maurice Sendak and others demonstrate the wide range of styles and visual elements used in children’s literature – from color, line, and shape to texture and composition.

A highlight of this exhibition will be taxidermy specimens including a fox, groundhog, rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel, raccoon, birds, and insects from the Museum’s natural history collection, which will be paired with their illustrated counterparts. Comparisons drawn between the illustrations and specimens address the characteristics that make each animal unique and the artistic techniques used to emphasize these features.

For example, a mounted gray wolf will be matched with John Hassall’s original 1926 drawing of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf from Mother Goose’s Book of Nursery Stories, Rhymes and Fables, while the Museum’s black bear associates with.Fred Banbery’s Paddington Bear and more naturalistic illustrations by Jeannie Brett and Carin Berger.

An accompanying family gallery guide and family day will foster exciting cross-generational experiences for Museum visitors of all ages. The museum is open daily Tues. – Sun. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com