Connecticut Travel

The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield located on 2325 Burr Street in Fairfield has organized a early morning New Year’s bird walk at 9 a.m. on January 2.

This could be the perfect way to start off the new year especially if you have resolved to spend more time outdoors and enjoying nature in 2016. If this is one of your resolutions, you can get off to a good start on Saturday, Jan. 2 with a guided bird walk in The Connecticut Audubon Society’s magnificent Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield. The walk and talk is an excellent opportunity to explore the sanctuary’s varied habitats including wetlands, woodlands, ponds and meadows that are home to many species of birds.

All levels of birders, ages 12 and up, are welcome. Meet at 9 a.m. in the center’s parking lot by the trail entrance. Make sure that you dress for the weather and don’t forget your binoculars. After the walk, stop in the Nature Store to see the wide variety of identification books and other birding items that are available. The cost for this event is $2 per person. Please register in advance by calling 203-259-6305 ext. 109.

Visit Connecticut Audubon Society’s website at www.ctaudubon.org for a complete listing of programs and special events. For more information on Fairfield County www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Mark your calendars and plan to join the fun on January 3, 2016 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Derby Historical Society as they mark the end of the Christmas season with their annual “Twelfth Night Celebration” at the David Humphreys House. This event features tours of the 17th century David Humphreys house by costumed docents. You’ll take a trip back to an earlier time in American history when touring this beautifully preserved colonial home.

Try the mulled cider and punch alongside the buffet. Partake in samples of some items which would have been served in this house during the American Revolution. There will also be modern-day baked goods to enjoy.

Colonial skills such as spinning and weaving will be displayed. Before you leave, be sure to visit the Gift Shop, it will be open during this event.

For more information call 203 735 1908 or visit www.derbyhistorical.org. Limited parking is available in back of the house. Additional on-street parking is available on Elm Street (on the same side as the Humphreys House) and nearby Thomas Street.

Admission prices for 12th Night: $5.00 per adult/ $3.00 per senior citizen and child under 8 years old. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Westport Historical Society will unveil an exhibit of photographs of historic Westport homes taken in the 1930’s under the auspices of the federal Works Progress Administration. All of the homes were at least 100 years old when photographed, making the exhibit a rare peek into the town’s past.

To show how the homes have changed, the WPA images will be displayed alongside photos taken today.In all, the exhibit will include photographs of 131 dwellings. Some will be displayed in the Society’s Betty R. & Ralph Sheffer Gallery and the Mollie Donovan Gallery. The remainder will be set aside in folders for visitors to look through. In addition, there will be booklets of historical information on the homes and their owners.

One of the sets of photos is of a house on Long Lots Road at the corner of Long Lots and North Avenue. Built in 1840, it was home to generations of Westport’s Adams family, which traced its ancestry to a Greens Farms clergyman who met twice with George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The family tree also includes the founder of Adams Academy, which still stands on North Morningside Drive, the Sherwood triplets, clipper ship captains who plied the seven seas. More recently, this house was owned by Martha Stewart.

Window to Westport’s Past and Present, runs through March 26, Mon-Fri, 10 am to 4pm, Saturday, Noon -4 pm, Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, across from Town Hall. For more information about WHS: www.westporthistory.org. 203-222-1424.

For more area event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The much anticipated Great Trains Holiday Exhibit: An Interactive Wonderland is open through January 18 at the Wilton Historical Society. Dressed for the holidays, the Society’s historic 18th and 19th century buildings are transformed into a train-lovers delight with eight different train layouts winding through tiny towns with many different kinds of buildings, tunnels, cable cars, and two working Ferris Wheels!

New this year: a Wilton-themed HO layout; expanded “O” gauge layout; and a working Lego train set. The interactive display enchants visitors of all ages with lots of buttons to push and knowledgeable “train engineers” on hand to “talk trains”. In a special train room for the youngest guests, there are buttons galore plus Thomas the Tank Engine and a Brio set for hands-on fun.

The Great Trains Holiday Exhibit will runs through Monday, January 18, 2016 on Thursdays – Saturdays, 10-4; Sundays 12-4; and Wednesdays by appointment. Admission is free for members of the Society, and $10 for non-member adults. Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road/Route 7, Wilton, CT 06897 More information at www.wiltonhistorical.org

For more holiday event information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

Let 23 large model lighthouses light your way through the galleries of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and then vote for your favorite through January 18 at the Aquarium’s 14th annual holiday “Festival of Lighthouses Contest.” Seeing the lighthouses is free with Aquarium admission.

This all-new display, open through Jan. 18, works like a juried art show except that thousands of Maritime Aquarium visitors are the jury. Guests follow the homemade beacons through the Aquarium and cast a vote for their favorite. The lighthouse that gets the most total votes wins $1,500. There are cash awards for five runners-up too.

This year’s 23 lighthouses were built by local artists looking for a challenge, by hobbyists with a vision and by students fulfilling a school assignment. Some lighthouses are modeled after actual lighthouses; others are wildly whimsical.

Entering the annual contest seems to be an addiction for some: 17 of this year’s 23 entrants are return competitors; many of them are “regulars.” Three have won the contest more than once. Rules of the “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” are kept to a minimum to allow for maximum creativity. Lighthouses must be 3 to 6 feet tall and have a working light, and may not include animal remains, such as shells. Beyond that, it’s up to the creators’ imaginations.

Contestants this year are from both near (Norwalk, Darien, Stamford and Bridgeport) and far (Monroe, West Haven and Shelton in Connecticut, and Cortlandt Manor, Katonah, White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle and Hartsdale in New York).
Besides the contest’s $1,500 top award, other prizes are: $750 for second place, $375 for third; $300 for fourth; $225 for fifth; and $150 for sixth. Winners will be announced at an evening reception on Jan. 21.

The 2015 “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” is free with Maritime Aquarium general admission, which is $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for youths (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $12.95 for children ages 3-12. For more details about Maritime Aquarium exhibits, IMAX® movies and programs, call (203) 852-0700 or go online to www.maritimeaquarium.org. For more event information on Fairfield County www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Mattatuck Museum is pleased to celebrate the holiday season with a concert featuring renowned tenor Michéal Castaldo and guest soprano Marissa Famiglietti on Sunday, December 20, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.

Michéal Castaldo, a classical crossover tenor and light Italian opera singer, songwriter and composer, is an Italian-born Canadian who currently resides in New York. Castaldo studied voice with Maestro Pisapia, a protégé of the great Italian operatic tenor, Enrico Caruso. He also studied at Oakwood Collegiate Institute in Toronto and Berklee College of Music in Boston. Opening and performing with Castaldo is Waterbury native Marissa Famiglietti. Ms. Famiglietti has been featured as a guest artist with the Concert Pops of Long Island and has been heard on tour throughout the East Coast as duet partner to renowned tenor and recording artist Michael Amante. She is a graduate of the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music programs at the esteemed Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where she was featured in numerous leading operatic roles.

A limited number of tickets will be available at the door so purchase your tickets early. Before December 18, tickets are $15 for Members, $20 for Non-Members. On or after December 18, tickets are $25 for Members and $30 for Non-Members. VIP (1st or 2nd rows) are $35 each. Cash bar. Light food and one drink are included in admission. Full payment must be received by December 18 for the discounted price. To register contact (203) 753-0381 x 130 or email informationdesk@mattatuckmuseum.org.

Located in the heart of downtown Waterbury’s architectural district, the Mattatuck Museum is a vibrant destination known locally and regionally as a community-centered institution of American art and history. The Mattatuck Museum hosts numerous changing exhibitions each year as well as a permanent collection, which features 300 years of work by American artists. Explore the region’s history through interactive displays in the history exhibit and examine the intriguing Button Gallery featuring 10,000 buttons from all over the world.

For more information on all of the museum’s programs, events, and exhibits visit the website at mattatuckmuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381. The Mattatuck Museum is operated with support from the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development/CT Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of 18 world-class museums and historic sites (arttrail.org). Located on the green in Waterbury, CT at 144 West Main Street, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Convenient, free parking is located behind the museum in the lots on Park Place.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com