Connecticut Travel

The Institute for American Indian Studies will present its Annual Maple Sugaring Festival on Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. What makes this Festival unique is Jim Dina who will present a full Native American Sugar-making demonstration in the Institute’s outdoor Algonkian Village.

Inside the Museum and Institute, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, staff members will serve pancakes with delicious local maple syrup. Fun activities for the children will run from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.

The Native American lore of sweet maple syrup is fascinating. The Mohegans believed that the melting snow caused the spring sap to run in the maples. They considered the sap to be the dripping oil of the Great Celestial Bear, who had been wounded by the winter sky hunters – according to their own Pleiades story. The bear, sometimes becoming the celestial bear and embodying the Big Dipper, repeats itself through many Indian origin stories.

Native People discovered in their woodlands the sources of seasoning and sweetening medicines and foods. Long before recorded history, their investigations unlocked the secrets of extracting many dietary substances from their natural environments. Lost in pre-history are the earliest experiences that led to “sugaring”.

It was usual for whole families to participate in the labor of sugaring, although in some tribes the women went first to the maple forests to make any necessary repairs to the camp and sugaring utensils. Among the Iroquois and the Ojibwa Indians, the women owned the maple groves, which they inherited through their maternal line. Seensibaukwut is the Ojibwa word for maple sugar, which means, “drawn from the wood.”

Tree sap is essentially water absorbed by the roots and mixed with some of the stored tree sugars. Sap will begin to run upwards from the roots on warm late-winter days followed by freezing nights. These conditions usually begin in late February in southern New England.

Once the sap had been collected, it needed to be boiled down (reduced). The sap was then put into a hollowed out log where fiery hot stones were placed into it. The purpose of the hot stones was to cause the sap to boil. This may have needed to be done several times to obtain the correct consistency.
This was the traditional “Native” way.

Please call for tickets 860-868-0518. Advance tickets $8 Adults/ $6 Children; Tickets at the door $10 Adults/ $8 Children.

Join the fun as this family favorite returns to the Stamford Museum & Nature Center (39 Scofieldtown Road) on Sunday, March 6, from 11 am – 3 pm! Adults and kids will delight in a visit to the little red sugarhouse at the Center’s Heckscher Farm. Here live demonstrations will show visitors how sap is turned into sweet maple syrup. The event admission which includes parking is $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

This event offers a multitude of activities sure to please everyone in the family! See how trees are tapped and sap is collected, make a maple-themed craft, enjoy the popular pancake brunch, go on a scavenger hunt, get your face painted and more. A special treat is to watch local chefs create delicious dishes using maple syrup in a winner-takes-all maple cook-off!

Additionally, people can help support the Maple Sugar Education Program at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center with their Sponsor-A-Bucket program! Your support will be acknowledged with a personalized name tag that will hang on your personal sap bucket throughout the season…with a “sweet” end result! At the end of the season each Sponsor will receive a pint of SM&NC’s very own pure Connecticut Maple Syrup. Each sponsorship opportunity is $50. To sponsor a bucket, call Carol at 203.322.1646 ext. 6548 or order online at http://www.stamfordmuseum.org.

For more information, call 203.977.6521, or visit http://www.stamfordmuseum.org.

Tourism is a multi faceted industry. Our State is blessed with diversity making the role of the Tourism Districts critical in branding the Regions that compose Connecticut.

Each Tourism Region brings many assets to the table. The Western Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau offers five important assets that have been developed, expanded and continually refined over the past 30 years that are integral to tourism marketing in the state.

1. HISTORY – We are proud of our 25-year history of a public private partnership with nearly 500 businesses and attractions that contribute marketing dollars to the organization in order to leverage state funds.

2. PUBLIC RELATIONS – We are proud that the Western Tourism District has a proven national public relations program. The advertising dollar amount of the Bureau’s national publicity is approximately 5 to 6 million dollars a year. This type of third party endorsed publicity cannot be bought – it takes a network of contacts and professionals that know their region well and are able to give the media the right hook in order to get the story.

3. NETWORK- We are proud of the vast network of travel trade contacts from meeting planners to group tour operators that we have relationships with. Leads are amassed and distributed to properties and attractions in order to help them generate their meeting and group businesses. Business that is the life blood of CT’s hotels and attractions of all sizes.

4. RESEARCH. We are proud that Western Connecticut measures the economic impact of special events of all kinds from the Norwalk Oyster Festival, Civil War Reenactments to the Litchfield House Tour and Salisbury Ski Jumps, to assist event organizers expand events and solicit sponsors. Research is a key element in planning for and expanding a regions tourism product.

5, WEBSITE: We are proud our Website and Social Media work has resulted in a vast treasure trove of intellectual property for the Western Tourism District. Western Connecticut’s website is rich in content with listings that go into the year 2012. Driving, hiking, biking, and boating tours have been developed and can be downloaded on handheld devices. Hundreds of travel writers, the traveling public and in and out of state residents follow the Bureau’s three blogs, facebook page and twitter accounts that are maintained and refreshed on a daily basis.

Regional Tourism Districts must be funded at appropriate levels. The two tier system of state and regions works and is the cornerstone of all tourism programs in the United States. Connecticut’s Tourism Regions have a thirty year proven track record…something that the State Legislature has supported and funded and should be proud of too.

Even though Valentine’s Day has passed — there is another opportunity to celebrate the “love” of chocolate at the annual Chocolate Carnival on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 6:00 to 10:30 pm. at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury.

This dinner extravaganza is a benefit for programs at the Audubon Center at Bent of the River in Southbury- a 660-acre outdoor sanctuary with 15 miles of walking trails, and an environmental education center for all ages.

Attendees will be greeted by host Charley Monagan, Editor of CT Magazine, and enjoy music by the rocking Zydecats while sipping wine from three Connecticut Vineyards. The featured menu is the creation of two Chocolatiers that provide a magical ambience for dinner featuring “Inspired Creole Cuisine with Dark Chocolate and Accents of the Caribbean,” created by Executive Chef Carol Byer-Alcorace of New Morning Natural & Organic.

The menu introduces dark organic chocolate in every form imaginable from Crayfish Étouffée in Phyllo Cups to Chunky Chicken Gumbo, to All Fools Chocolate Cake. Taste the difference local products make – veggies from Fort Hill Farm in New Milford, pork from Rowland Farm in Oxford, Soffer Farm eggs from Branford, milk from Arethusa Farm Litchfield, herbs from- Castle Rock in Bethlehem, Wave Hill Bread from Wilton and first time ever, new hot, new-spiced cocoa from Coffee, Tea, Etc. of Goshen.

As it is an event for the Audubon, don’t forget to bring your camera and meet birds of prey from the Audubon Center at Sharon.

And, don’t forget your mask – it is Mardi Gras – if you wear a mask you could win a prize!!

Tickets are $75.00/person. Details and ticket sales at: http://www.newmorn.com, http://www.bentoftheriver.audubon.org Call Jennifer- 203-264-5098 for special diets and table reservations.

The Philip Johnson Glass House will place 2011 tour tickets on sale beginning at 9 a.m. on February 15. The upcoming tour season, which runs from May through November, represents the fifth year that the Glass House has welcomed visitors to the site. To mark this milestone, the Glass House introduces three new tours and launches a new program, Third Thursdays: Conversations in Context, in addition to its existing tour options. Tickets may be purchased online at philipjohnsonglasshouse.org or via phone at 866-811-4111.

The Philip Johnson Glass House, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers its 47-acre campus as a catalyst for the interpretation of modern architecture, landscape, and art; and as a canvas for inspiration, experimentation and cultivation honoring the legacy of Philip Johnson and David Whitney.

New Tours: Architecture, Art and Landscape

Three new two-hour tours ($45 each) offer visitors the opportunity to dive deeper into the essential elements of the 47-acre site – architecture, art and landscape – by focusing on the unique details surrounding the fourteen structures and the world-class private art and design collection.The Architecture tour offers guests the opportunity to learn how the Glass House campus serves as a 50-year Diary of architectural history by exploring the architects, theories and history; buildings, materials and technologies; and preservation challenges of Modern architecture.

The Art tour will illuminate how Philip Johnson and his partner, David Whitney, played significant roles in cultivating and commissioning the work of world-renowned creative talent that defined an era. Visitors will examine works featured in the Glass House collection including artists Lynn Davis; Michael Heizer; Donald Judd; Andrew Lord; Robert Morris; Bruce Nauman; David Salle; Julian Schnabel; Cindy Sherman; Julius Shulman; Frank Stella and Andy Warhol, among others.

The Landscape tour features a walk through the grounds and a discussion centered on the history, design, flora and fauna of Johnson’s 47-acre curated landscape. Visitors will learn to identify the various influences at play including English and French landscape details, Johnson’s Midwestern farming roots and his relationship with the historic New England countryside. Additional highlights include original stonewalls, trees deemed landmark-worthy and David Whitney’s inventive succulent gardens.

Third Thursdays: Conversations in Context

Leading minds in the fields of architecture, art, design, history, landscape and preservation will serve as hosts of this special curated tour. Figures such as Paul Goldberger, New Yorker Architecture Critic; Barry Bergdoll, Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, MoMA; Theodore H.M. Prudon, Founding President, DOCOMOMO US; Hilary Lewis, Philip Johnson Scholar; Donald Kaufman + Taffy Dahl, Donald Kaufman Color; Charles Renfro, DILLER SCOFIDIO + RENFRO; Gregg Pasquarelli, SHoP Architects; and Tod Williams + Billie Tsien, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, will provide narrative, interpretation, and personal inspiration while walking the Glass House site with an intimate group of visitors. Following the tour, guests will gather for a reception on the site. ($150 per person, per evening)

Additional 2011 Tour Offerings

In addition to the newly added tours, visitors may also choose from the following options: 90-minute guided Site tour ($30 per person); Two-hour guided Extended tour ($45 per person); Glass House Modern Friends Tour ($100 per person); Twilight Tour ($150 per person, October only); Private Tour ($250 per person); Glass House Private Tour + Four Seasons Dinner Package ($450 per person); and Group Tours (beginning at $30 per person). For more information, visit http://www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org.