Connecticut Travel

The 10th Annual Watertown House Tour will take place on Saturday, September 26 from 11am to 3pm, rain or shine. Six fabulous properties will be featured in this year’s tour including: The Academy and Woodward Chapel at 25 and 39 The Green, The Coachman’s House at 57 Academy Hill Road, The Buzzee House at 31 Woodbury Road, Summit Farm at 1180 Guernseytown Road, and The Griswold House at 61 Warren Way. The Watertown Historical Society Museum and the Nova Scotia Schoolhouse at 22 DeForest Street will also be open for viewing.

The Watertown House Tour is a benefit for the Watertown Historical Society and Museum in Watertown, CT. The Watertown Historical Society is a private, nonprofit, all volunteer organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Watertown and Oakville’s history through the Museum.

Advance house tour tickets are $25 per person, and will be $30 the day of the tour. Tickets for this self-guided house tour and are non-refundable & can be purchased by mailing a check or money order to:
Watertown House Tour, 22 DeForest Street, Watertown, CT 06795. Checks should be made payable to the “Watertown Historical Society”. Tickets can also be purchased online with a credit card or Paypal at: www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org

Tickets and maps will be mailed to those that make advance purchases. Advance orders must be received no later than Friday, September 18. Requests for tickets after this date will be held for pick-up on the day of the tour at the Museum.

House Tour tickets are available to purchase at the following retail locations: LaBonne’s Market in Watertown, Chubba’s in Watertown, the Health Complex, The Watertown Library, Hosking’s Nursery, Depot Square Farm Shoppe, and Jimmy’s of Watertown. House Tour tickets will also be for sale at the Watertown Farmers Market on Sept. 12 and the Watertown Fall Festival on Sept. 19. On the day of the tour tickets will be available at all of the businesses, all of the houses, and at the Museum, which will be tour headquarters. Call the Museum at 860-274-1050 or view www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org for more information.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Naugatuck RR, Fascia’s Chocolates and Haight Vineyard have teamed up to offer Chocolate Decadence and Sunset Train Tour on Friday, August 28, 2015 and Friday, September 25, 2015. Participants will enjoy a cocktail party beginning at 6 p.m. featuring music, Haight-Brown wines and appetizers. The train departs at 7 p.m. from the historic Thomaston Train Station for a scenic train ride to Fascia’s Chocolate Factory in Waterbury. Along the way there will be chocolate and wine pairings.

When the train arrives at Fascia’s participants will tour the factory and learn how chocolate is made before trying their hand at making their very own chocolate bar. Guests will enjoy chocolate lava cake, more wine and chocolates on the return trip to Thomaston Station.

On October 30 there will be a Chocolate Train for Halloween that departs at 6 p.m. Ghosts & goblins and everyone else will board the train at the Thomaston Station for a 6pm departure heading to the Fascia’s Chocolates Station where local businesses will be supplying Treats for all costumed riders. Inside the Fascia’s Chocolates factory riders will enjoy complimentary Hot Cocoa and Apple Cider and take home a very special Treat. Once everyone has completed their Trick & Treating, the train will depart back to the Thomaston Station. The Halloween Chocolate Train fare is $25 per person with a $5 discount for anyone in costume.

For reservations and ticket information http://www.rmne.org. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Hollister House garden was one of only one of 50 to be included in the Garden Conservancy’s new book, “Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration – 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy. It was built over the past thirty-six years by the esteemed antiquarian dealer George Schoellkopf as an American version of an English manner, accommodating the Connecticut climate and soil, our New England landscape and history, and adding the special exuberance of lush English flower gardens. It’s a spectacular collection of distinct outdoor rooms— each with its own unique personality.

On September 12, is The Living Garden: Nature and Design https://www.gardenconservancy.org/news/hollister-weekend-v at the Heritage Hotel. This symposium is part of Geroge’s commitment to bring to Western Connecticut garden experts who can help garden enthusiasts, professionals, or those who just want a more beautiful home garden. It is a rare opportunity. Breakfast and lunch are provided. There will be a cocktail reception for networking, asking questions, and to buy plants ahead of the public sale the next day, and a book signing for the Conservancy’s book. Local Connecticut resident and garden author Page Dickey is the editor.

The Moderator for this event is New York Botanical Garden’s Todd Forrest, who is responsible for all aspects of horticulture activities and programs across the Botanical Garden’s 250-acre site, Todd was instrumental in the planning, construction, and planting of NYBG’s 11-acre Azalea Garden and the new Native Plant Garden. He also advises on seasonal events, exhibitions, and stunning horticultural displays.

A highlight of the weekend are the three highly knowledgeable speakers, Rick Darke, Sheila Brady and Bill Noble. Rick Darke is an author, photographer, lecturer, and biodiversity consultant and is considered to be a leading voice in the call for the home garden to be built around the constructs of biodiversity and sustainable beauty. His projects include parks, scenic byways, transportation corridors, corporate and collegiate campuses, conservation developments, post-industrial brownfields, botanic gardens, and residential landscapes.

Sheila Brady, from Oehme, van Sweden & Associates advocates for ecologically responsible design. She is a registered landscape architect and has been elected to the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Recent projects include designing the Native Plant Garden and the Azalea Garden at the New York Botanical Garden and the National World War II and Martin Luther King memorials in Washington, DC.

Bill Noble, garden designer and preservation professional is the director of preservation for the Garden Conservancy, Bill worked to restore dozens of gardens across the U.S. His own garden in Vermont is included in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archive of American Gardens and he lectures widely on garden history, design, and preservation.

A midday break will give garden professionals and enthusiasts an opportunity to meet and share ideas over lunch and to shop. Hickory Stick Bookshop will be at the Saturday symposium selling garden-related gifts and books and noted botanical illustrator Bobbi Angell will be selling her drawings.

After the symposium, participants are invited to a cocktail reception at Hollister House Garden in the nearby town of Washington, with early access to the Rare and Unusual Plant Sale that will be open to the public the following morning. Admission to the reception is included in admission to the symposium, but admission to the cocktail party and plant sale preview is also available separately.

Registrationsfor Saturday
Registration for the symposium and cocktail party, including early buying at the sale of Rare and Unusual Plants, is $180 per person for registrations for members of Hollister House Garden and the Garden Conservancy. To register on line http://www.hollisterhousegarden.org/event/

On Sunday, September 13 the weekend continues with the public portion of the plant sale at Hollister House Garden and the opening of exceptional Litchfield County gardens as part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. For information on other gardens https://www.gardenconservancy.org/events/all-events/litchfield-county-ct-open-day-4

Specialty vendors for the Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants will include:

Avant Gardens, North Dartmouth, MA
– Uncommon yet undemanding plants for New England garden
Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden, CT
– Rare, unusual, and garden-worthy plants
Cricket Hill Gardens, Thomaston, CT
– Rare and unusual peonies as well as perennial landscape edibles
Falls Village Flower Farm, Falls Village, CT
– Outstanding perennial plants for the Tri-State region
Opus, Little Compton, RI
– Unusual perennials—under-cultivated but garden-worthy

Admission to the Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants at Hollister House Garden is $10, including Open Days admission to the garden.

Each year, White Memorial Foundation and Conservation Center located in Litchfield celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of that time of year known as Indian Summer by organizing an annual event known as the Family Nature Day. This year, this popular event is taking place on September 26 and promises to be full of family fun with a plethora of events that will please young and old alike.

Brain Bradley, from Skyhunters in Flight will be at this event with his beautiful hawks and falcons. Creature Teachers will be offering “The Nature of My Backyard” that features a cavalcade of animals native to the Litchfield Hills like Woodchuck, Gray Fox, and even a Fisher!
Fair goers will learn about our imperiled allies as Gerri Griswold aka “The Bat Lady” teaches you about bats. Riverside Reptiles’ with the highly regarded Brian Kleinman will bring many of his friends along for you to meet… including the North American Porcupine!
There will be music by Robert Messore and the Switch Factory that will make your heart soar. The day is filled with live animals, guided nature walks, information booths, and even horse drawn wagon rides. If you are a shopper, you won’t be disappointed as you browse through the many unique items offered at the artisans market.

A highlight is the silent auction and the bake sale — that is always a crowd pleaser. There are lots of nature crafts for the kiddies too! This year’s first prize in the raffle is a trip for two to Iceland with Gerri Griswold in January courtesy of Krummi Travel LLC.

There is so much family fun on September 26 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., admission is $6.00. Members of White Memorial Foundation and children under 12 are FREE!

The Torrington House Tour, scheduled for September 12, 2015, will feature six Historic homes ranging in age from 1850 to 1956.

The homes that will be open to the public on September 12, 2015 are as follows:

The George B. Goodwin House is a Colonial Revival Built ca. 1908. This Colonial Revival farmhouse replaced a much older farmhouse that was once known as the Waterman Farm. The house has a hip roof, dormers and a first floor wrap around porch. Inside the house retains many original features and has been attractively decorated and furnished as a bed and breakfast inn.

The Doolittle House / Excelsior Dairy Ca. is a 1850 Greek Revival house. Historically known as the Doolittle Farm, this mid-nineteenth century farmhouse was likely built by Nathan B. Phelps around 1850. The house was constructed in the Greek Revival Style with its gable end facing the street. The current owners have restored the 1850 house, preserving the original moldings and wide floor boards. Contemporary additions utilize original architectural detailing while providing for modern conveniences and the entire home is tastefully furnished and decorated.

The Cavagnero House built in 1956 is a Mid-Century Modern house. This home with its distinctive modern style, highlighted by shed roofs, stands out in a neighborhood of more traditional ranch houses. The design is based on a home in Spokane Washington and this house was hand built by the first owner, Chet Cavignero and his cousin. The interior is largely original and features a period kitchen, bathroom and living room. The present owners have decorated the entire house with historic furnishings from the 1950s.

Major William E. Besse House ca. 1890 Victorian, Stick Style This home was built by Albert P. Hine around 1890 and was acquired by William E. Besse in 1903. The stick style is characterized by a steeply pitched front gable and exterior decorative banding. William E. Besse was superintendent of the Brass Mill and lived here until 1954. The home is a well preserved example of this unusual type. Once utilized as an office, the current owner’s have restored the interior of the home to its turn of the century appearance while adding a modern kitchen at the rear. The home is decorated it with many period furnishings and fixtures.

The Bronson House is an 1860 Italianate style house. This home was built by Luther Bronson around 1860 as a residence for him and his wife Flora. The house is a fine, well-preserved example of an early Italiate structure in Torrington. Since 2002 it has been restored and many made major improvements were made to the kitchen. The house is beautifully decorated and furnished.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church is a 1889 Victorian Gothic structure. This church was completed and dedicated on June 5, 1889. It was used by the Seventh Day Adventists until they built a new church in 1969. The old church was sold and has been home to a number of artists over the last 45 years. Today the main floor of the church serves as a performance studio for pianist, Timothy Alexandre Wallace. The building retains much of its original exterior decorative detail and the interior furnished is an interesting and eclectic blend of overstuffed chairs, tapestries and a grand piano.

Tickets for the historic house tour are $30 each and may be purchased in person at the Chamber of Commerce or at the Torrington Historical Society. On line ticket sales are available through the Torrington House Tour website: www.torringtonhousetour.org.

A House Tour Preview Party featuring a tour of several homes followed by a reception with music and refreshments will be held on Friday evening September 11th from 5 to 9 pm. Tickets for the preview party are $75 and include one ticket to the complete tour on Saturday.