Halloween Spooktacular Cooking Class at The Silo Cooking School New Milford CT

For years, The Silo Cooking School has provided chefs of all ages with great learning experiences – combined with fun. The tradition continues on Saturday, October 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a Halloween Spooktacular Class – “It Came From the Kitchen” taught by Silo Cooking School Assistant Director Nancy Stuart Ploch. The class is geared for children ages five to eleven.

Little monsters will go batty conjuring ghoulish delights such as Vampire Blood (Tomato) Soup, Chopped Fingers, Monster Eyeballs, Warlock’s Brew and more! This hands-on full participation class teaches valuable skills in reading, math, and teamwork.

The class fee is $50 per child. For more information and to register visit www.hunthillfarmtrust.org, or call (860) 355-0300. Registration is also available at The Silo during regular business hours. The Silo Gallery and store are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The Silo Cooking School at Hunt Hill Farm, 44 Upland Rd, New Milford, CT. 860.355.0300; www.hunthillfarmtrust.org

The Silo Cooking School at Hunt Hill Farm offers recreational demonstration and hands-on culinary classes taught by local and celebrity chefs for students ages five to 85 in a unique country setting. Upcoming classes include October 23’s Autumn in France with Chef Mary Kravec and a two-part demonstration series featuring Celebrity Chef Sara Moulton on Friday and Saturday November 4th and 5th.

Although not a cooking class, The Silo is hosting a fascinating event– “The Silo and the Supernatural” on October 30 from 4pm to 6 pm. Participants will enter the realm of the paranormal with The Northwest Ct Paranormal Society’s professional investigator John Zontok and Bob Mills, a professional photographer who helps the team differentiate true paranormal pictures from forged images. Tools of the trade, the history of paranormal photography, and audio of ghostly voices and videos of what could be a revolutionary soldier will be shared and experienced. Local hauntings, including a Barkhamsted barn investigation featured on the Animal Planet’s “The Haunted” series and “My Ghost Story are highlights of this macabre evening of paranormal fun. Due to the nature of this program, ages 12 and up please. (860-355-0300). www.hunthillfarmtrust.org

About The Silo Cooking School and Hunt Hill Farm Trust

The Cooking School is part of the Smithsonian Institution affiliated Hunt Hill Farm Trust, a non-profit organization. Hunt Hill Farm Trust is a vibrant and unique regional resource, offering the public the opportunity to explore music, art, cuisine, crafts and literature in a setting of historic farm buildings and permanently protected open space.

Hunt Hill Farm also includes The Silo Gallery, The Skitch Henderson Museum, and The Silo Store, which sells giftware, tabletop, foods and kitchen items.

Drawing on the creative legacy of Skitch and Ruth Henderson, the Henderson Cultural Center at Hunt Hill Farm, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, is a vibrant and unique regional resource, offering the public opportunities to explore music, art, cuisine, and permanently protected historic open space.

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The Lights Are Back On — At Sheffield Island Lighthouse

It has been over one-hundred years since the lighthouse on Sheffield Island off the coast of Norwalk has cast it’s light across the waters of Long Island Sound. Tonight, that will all change thanks to NRG Energy Inc. A low-energy reflective light has been installed in the tower and will be turned on for the first time in over 100 years today. Activated in 1868, the Sheffield Island Lighthouse was in service for 34 years until its retirement in 1902. The lighthouse served as a navigational beacon before the Greens Ledge Lighthouse was built. Today, Greens Ledge Lighthouse is a beacon for pleasure and commercial boaters cruising Long Island Sound.

The Norwalk Seaport Association purchased the lighthouse in 1987 for $700,000 from Thorston O. Stabell, who bought the structure from the U.S. government years prior and used it as a summer residence. Today, the Sheffield Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is maintained by the Association. Visitors to the island can stroll along the shoreline of the island and explore the lighthouse museum and nature preserve that is home to a number of seabirds and other island wildlife.

The new light on the island will not be used for navigational purposes, rather its intermittent light, visible from the Norwalk side of Long Island Sound is a reminder of the history of this important maritime landmark and a beacon that will welcome visitors to Sheffield Island.

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CELBRATE THE FALL HARVEST AT STAMFORD MUSEUM AND NATURE CENTER OCT. 15 AND 16

The crisp days of fall are a glorious time of year in Connecticut and part of our New England Heritage. What better way to celebrate the fall than to visit the Stamford Museum and Nature Center www.stamfordmuseum.org this weekend for the Harvest Festival. The fair is located on 39 Scofieldtown Rd. in Stamford and takes place on October 15 and 16 from 11 am to 3 pm.

Kids will enjoy hayrides, apple cider demonstrations, a scarecrow contest, pumpkin carving, llama trekking, farm animal demonstrations and many other fun activities.

As Halloween is just around the corner, children are encouraged to wear a costume and participate in the Harvest Festival parade led by a special guest! Many other activities will keep families busy including an apple slingshot, corn husk dolls, live music, face painting, farm tool demonstrations, cauldron-cooked corn, storytelling, and children’s crafts.

A special highlight of this year’s harvest festival includes the chance to meet the newest members of Heckscher Farm – two female guinea hogs. Families are invited to help name these two new residents during Harvest Festival Weekend. Visitors can make suggestions for the piglets’ names as part of Stamford Museum and Nature Center’s “Name Our Pigs” Challenge. The people who suggest the winning names will receive free admission for four to the Maple Sugar Weekend (in March 2012) and Spring on the Farm Weekend (in May 2012) at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center.

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Last Chance to Win A Harley

Have you ever wanted to win a Harley — and to cruise the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut amid the beautiful firecolors of fall? If this is a dream of yours then take a chance with the clever raffle offered by the New England Carousel Museum (http://www.thecarouselmuseum.org) in Bristol.

There are only three weeks left until the New England Carousel Museum draws the winning ticket for the lucky winner of its annual raffle! The 2500 tickets that benefit the Carousel Museum are running out, fast — to avoid disappointment buy your tickets today…it might be your lucky day!

For only $20.00 per ticket, you have a chance at this year’s first prize, a fabulous 2011 Harley Davidson Fat Boy! The second prize is a 5′ x 8′ trailer, and the third prize is a $100.00 gift certificate redeemable at Yankee Harley Davidson in Bristol.

Tickets can be purchased on line by visiting their homepage (http://www.thecarouselmuseum.org), just scroll down the page and look for the “fat boy” and download the raffle form. Fill out the form and send it along with your check for $20 to: The New England Carousel Museum, 95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010 to receive your ticket and a chance to win a classic Harley Fat Boy! Make sure to make your check payable to the Carousel Museum!

The Fourteenth Annual Raffle ends on Saturday, October 29th. There will be a public drawing at 7 P.M at the New England Carousel Museum when the three winners will be revealed! Everyone is welcome to attend the drawing, but the winner need not be present. The winner will be contacted immediately upon completion of the drawing.

Tickets may be purchased at the Carousel Museum at 95 Riverside Ave in Bristol and are also availabe at Andy’s Hair Studio, Hamelin & Sons Garage, Pine Street Package Store, Martino’s Market, Farmington Bank in Farmington, Webster Bank on Pine Street, Mikes Hair Design, the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Wine & Spirits, Yankee Harley Davidson, Greer’s Chicken, South Side Market, Harvest Bakery, Bristol Glass, Trim Unlimited. Chute Gates in Terryville, the Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford, Jerzie Joe’s in Southington and Sam the Clams in Plantsville also sell raffle tickets on behalf of the museum.

The Museum is located at 95 Riverside Avenue, Route 72 in Bristol. For more information, call the Carousel Museum at (860) 585-5411. Fax: 860-314-0483, E-mail: info@thecarouselmuseum.org, Web site: www.thecarouselmuseum.org.

About the New England Carousel Museum

The New England Carousel Museum was founded as a nonprofit educational organization in 1990, in Bristol, Connecticut. Visitors to the Museum will tour two floors of fascinating displays, exhibits and galleries including: The New England Carousel Museum, The Museum of Fire History, The Fine Art Gallery and The Greek Museum of Art and History. In season the New England Carousel Museum also manages the historic Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford CT.

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WACky at Westport Art Center!

Sometimes “WACky is fun! On Sunday, October 23, from 2 to 4 pm toddlers, children, parents and grandparents are invited to the Westport Arts Center to have some “wacky” fun that will feature all new creative mixed-media arts projects inspired by Halloween. Participants are encouraged to come in costume to really enjoy this festive event!

Families will build 3-dimentional haunted houses, create “WACky” Halloween hats, and make costumes using fabric and an eclectic mix of materials…sounds like fun already! Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore the current exhibition, “Love: In the Eye of the Beholder,” coinciding with Westport Country Playhouse’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night, or What you Will.”

In chatting with the Director of Education, Danielle Ogden, she told me that “it’s the only program of its kind in the area that provides creative arts experiences that attract a multi-generational audience. This particular Family Day is one of our most popular programs. It is a festive event, where kids dress in wacky costumes and enjoy creating Halloween-themed projects with their families.” To me this is an event that should not be missed!

Admission is $10/child; admission free for adults and kids under two.

About The Westport Arts Center

The Westport Arts Center is a visual and performing arts organization dedicated to creating arts experiences that enrich the lives of area residents and the entire community. For more information, contact Westport Arts Center at 203-222-7070, http://www.westportartscenter.org. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., at 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT.

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Civil War Artifact Appraisal Day at Gunn Museum in Washington, October 15


This year marks the 150 Anniversary of the Civil War and Connecticut is one of many states that have commemorated this important anniversary in our nations history with a vast range of evocative events. The Civil War was perhaps the most trying time in our nation’s history, as this war rocked our nation to its very core. It is estimated that 620,000 soldiers perished and every aspect of society was impacted in the north as well as in the south.

Connecticut sent 55,000 men to war; a figure that reflected 12% of Connecticut’s total population and for men that were between the ages of 15 and 50, this number reflects 47% of the population, a figure that is unparalleled in Connecticut’s history. Connecticut organized 29 regiments and supplied a full third of Union weaponry.

Support for the Union and its War against the South is only one aspect of Connecticut’s history, as 40% of the state’s population opposed the war and gave tremendous political strength to the Peace Democrats, a group that tried to stop Governor Buckingham from supporting President Lincoln and the war. Understanding the history of the Civil War helps to define Connecticut’s past as well as our future. The many events that commemorate the Civil War helps us to understand where we have been, where we are and where we are going.


A special Civil War artifact appraisal day will take place on Saturday October 15 from 12-3pm in the Gunn Museum in the charming town of Washington. The public is invited to bring their Civil War artifacts to be evaluated by Thomas Zanavich, a long-time dealer and the guest curator of the current exhibit. He will answer your questions and verbally appraise items for estimated age and value. Do you have artifact that you suspect might be from the Civil War? It is always interesting and fun to bring in a suspected “treasure” for evaluation by an expert that knows the period and can identify authentic artifacts.

There is no charge for admission or appraisal, but donations are greatly appreciated. Registration is required, call 860-868-7756 to reserve your spot.

The Gunn Museum’s exhibit, Letters from the Battlefield: Stories of Washington’s Civil War Soldiers, will be open for viewing from 10am-4pm this day. The exhibit ends on October 30th. The Gunn Museum is located at 5 Wykeham Road, at the intersection of Wykeham Road and Route 47, on Washington Green. Call 860-868-7756 or view www.gunnlibrary.org for information.

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