Connecticut Travel

On April 2 from 1 – 3 p.m. the Wilton Historical Society is hosting a Ukrainian Egg decorating workshop just in time for the Easter Holiday.

Participants will learn the colorful and venerable craft of decorating eggs in the Ukrainian style, known as pysanky (their name is derived from the Ukrainian verb meaning to write). Expert egg decorator Susan Clark will lead this workshop for adults and children and explain the importance of this tradition to the people of Ukraine. This ancient craft uses symbols and motifs to create a jewel-like egg. Intricate designs can be created with geometric forms, or with more naturalistic, flowing patterns. Participants will be using a kistka, a pointed implement a bit like a pen, filled with beeswax and heated, to draw designs on the eggs between bathing them in colored dye. Decorate eggs in a traditional design, or create your own.

This workshop is limited to 20 participants and will take place at the Abbott Barn. Family groups will be seated together. The fee is $30 for members and $40 per non-member, per person, and includes materials. This event is suggested for children 9 years old and older and for adults.

Did You Know?
“According to Ukrainian folklore, the fate of the world depends on pysanky, intricately decorated dyed Easter eggs. As long as people make pysanky, it is said, a monster personifying evil will remain chained to its cliff and the world will be safe.” – The New York Times, , 4/5/1984

The sugaring off the process in the Litchfield Hills has a long history that began with the Native Americans living here. They were experts at knowing the perfect time to collect the sap which is when the days grow warm and the nights are still cold, and before the trees begin to bud. They would boil the sap down using time-honored techniques and materials collected from the environment. On Saturday, March 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. visitors to the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut can join IAIS educators at an event that demonstrates and celebrates this golden syrup of spring.

At 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm, IAIS Educator and Ecologist, Susan Scherf will demonstrate various traditional Native American techniques of collecting sap and boiling it down into syrup for sugar. It is interesting to watch how Native Americans used tools made from a variety of natural materials in this labor-intensive process. Visitors will learn about the importance of maple sugar to the diet of Native Americans as well as its usefulness as an item of trade.

Historic records indicate that the collecting and processing of maple sap was a social as well as a working occasion. Women would tap the trees, men would cut the wood for the fire needed to boil the sap, and children tended the sap as it bubbled and boiled. In keeping with the convivial nature of traditional Native American maple sugaring, listen to Traditional Native American stories recounted by Education Director Darlene Kascak, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation at 12:00 and 2:00 pm. Throughout the day, there will also be traditional family-friendly games and activities to enrich the visitor experience at the Institute’s Maple Sugar Festival. If you have worked up an appetite, the Institute is serving up pancakes topped with real maple syrup sure to satiate your taste buds from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Coffee and orange juice will also be available.

The annual Maple Sugar Festival at the Institute teaches visitors about the importance of the maple season to local Native American cultures. Pre-registration for this event is requested by visiting www.iaismuseum.org to register for this event via Eventbrite. If you have any questions, please call the Institute at 860-868-0516 or email events@iaismuseum.org. The price to attend this very unique festival is $15 for Adults, $10 for Children, and $5 for Members. Pancakes are an additional $5. For the safety of the guests and staff of the Institute, masks are required inside the museum and research buildings regardless of vaccination status. Social distancing is practiced at all outdoor events.

The little village of Norfolk, Connecticut has organized Winter Weekend in Norfolk, consisting of a series of in-person and Zoom events taking place on Saturday, February 26 through Sunday, February 27 that are sure to chase the winter blues away.

If your kids are bored and like sports, take them skating at the Norfolk Skating Rink on Mountain Road where kids can warm up next to a roaring bonfire while enjoying steaming hot chocolate and s’mores on Saturday afternoon. A highlight at the rink will be a demonstration of an ancient Scottish game, curling, by the Norfolk Curling Club. Best of all, visitors are welcome to try their hand at learning this skill with experts.

Norfolk is an art lover’s dream that comes alive during the Winter Weekend in Norfolk. Visitors will have the chance to tour Tiffany Stained Glass Windows at the Battell Chapel as well as windows designed by one of the most prestigious firms named by Pope Leo XII as a Pontifical Institute of Christian Art at the Immaculate Conception Church. Other stops for art lovers are the Norfolk Libary that is hosting “Hidden Doorways,” photographs by Angus Mudge, and a photography display, “In the Woods,” of Norfolk’s Land Trust Properties at The Hub @ 2 Station Place where maps and event information is also available.

To experience the natural beauty of Norfolk’s great outdoors, don’t miss the Wildlife Walk at 10 a.m. on Saturday or the Photography Safari beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Both of these in-person outdoor events will lead you through some of Norfolk’s unspoiled scenery that it is famous for.

If you can’t make it to town, no worries, the Winter WIN organizers have that covered with a series of fascinating programs. If you like to cook don’t miss the cooking demonstration with Martiña Gago, which will transport you to sunny Spain, where the culinary culture is as rich and varied as the country itself. Paella, Spain’s National dish is on the menu today. This video will be available on-demand throughout the Winter WIN Weekend along with concerts by the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in addition to several other virtual programs. For links visit the WIN website.

Two Zoom programs are also scheduled. If you enjoy historic architecture, don’t miss the program. Ladies, Legends, & Lakeside Dwellings – Alfredo Taylor in Norfolk presented by Ann Havemeyer and the Norfolk Library on Saturday, February 26 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Alfredo Taylor arrived in Norfolk in 1902 at the time when Norfolk was being transformed into the beautiful village that it is today. For sports-minded historians, the Norfolk Historical Society has teamed up with author and coach, Ariel Picton Kobayashi on Sunday, February 27 at 4 p.m. This Zoom talk will highlight the popularity of ski jumping across the northeast including Norfolk, which was introduced by Norwegian immigrants. Learn how ski jumping became popular in the area and how and why it changed in the 1980s.

Winter WIN is one of Connecticut’s most beloved winter traditions. The entire town of Norfolk has rolled out a “winter white carpet” for in-person and virtual events. This is the best way to warm up to winter! All these and more events are listed on the Weekend in Norfolk website (weekendinnorfolk.org), along with links for the virtual events and a downloadable copy of the schedule.

ABOUT THE WIN (WEEKEND IN NORFOLK) COMMITTEE
Now in its seventh year, the all-volunteer WIN Committee organizes two town-wide events annually: the Summer WIN and the Winter WIN. Norfolk’s town officials, the Economic Development Commission, and a multitude of local organizations, institutions, and individuals support the festivals.

Celebrate the season as winter begins to wane and maple sugar begins to flow at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center located on 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford on Feb. 27, and March 6 and 13 from 10 am to 2 pm.

Join staff at the center as they make their very own line of maple syrup from the 200+ mature maple trees found right here our 118-acre campus. We’re one of only two official maple sugar producers in Fairfield County!

Each Sunday we’ll open our site at 10 am with added attractions, enhanced programming, and fun seasonal offerings including free giveaways and traditional favorites like colonial and Native American demonstrations.

To add to the fun there will be food trucks at this event in addition to the sock skating rink, a kids game zone, p[ocprm. ,isoc.storytelling, roving farm animals, and the Food for Thought exhibit.

Admission to this event is Director’s Circle Members: FREE, Family plus Members: One FREE Pre-registered Sunday ($10/person thereafter)
Members: $10/person, and Non-Members: $20/person. Standard admission rates apply after 2pm.

The Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) is hosting the U.S. Junior Nationals this year at Satre Hill on Indian Cave Road in Salisbury, Connecticut for the Ski Jump Competition. Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Cornwall will be the site for the Nordic Combined competition. This exciting National Olympic styled event begins Tuesday, February 22, and concludes on Saturday, February 26.

This event offers the rare opportunity for a close-up view of some of the best young athletes from across the country competing in these challenging sports, that we usually only see on TV. The U.S. Junior Nationals include separate individual and team scoring jumping competitions and cross-country ski races for the Nordic Combined titles. Nordic Combined adds a cross-country ski race to jump results to determine winners. Podium ceremonies for the winners of each event immediately follow each set of competitions. Best of all, this exciting sporting event is free of charge.

The Schedule of Events is as follows – Be Sure to Check https://jncjn2022.com for updates, schedule changes, and additional information before setting out.

Tuesday, FEBRUARY 22nd
10:00AM – 12:00PM Open Training — Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury
2:00PM – 4:00 PM Open Training – Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury
6:30PM Opening Ceremonies – The White Hart Inn Lawn, Rte. 44, Salisbury, CT

Wednesday, FEBRUARY 23rd
9:00 AM Ski Jumping Official Training — Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury
3:30 PM Cross Country Official Training — Mohawk Ski Area, 46 Great Hollow Rd., Cornwall

Thursday, FEBRUARY 24th
NORDIC COMBINED & SPECIAL JUMPING INDIVIDUAL EVENTS – Satre Hill
9:00AM Competition begins, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
10:00 AM 1st Round Jump, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
11:00 AM 2nd Round Jump, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
Immediately following Podium Ceremony – Bottom of Jumps, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
NORDIC COMBINED – INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSEN EVENTS – 5KM
3:30 PM Cross Country Race – Mohawk Ski Area, 46 Great Hollow Rd., Cornwall
Immediately following Podium Ceremony – Mohawk Ski Area, 46 Great Hollow Rd., Cornwall

Friday, FEBRUARY 25th
(back up day for official competitions)
6:00 PM Elimination Jump –“Under the Lights” – Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT

Saturday, FEBRUARY 26th
NORDIC COMBINED & SPECIAL JUMPING TEAM EVENTS – Satre Hill
9:00 AM Competition begins, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
10:00 AM 1st Round, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
11:00 AM 2nd Round, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
Immediately following Podium Ceremony – Bottom of Jumps, Satre Hill, 80 Indian Cave Road, Salisbury, CT
NORDIC COMBINED TEAM SPRINT – 2 X 5KM – Mohawk Ski Area
3:30 PM Cross Country Relay Races – Mohawk Ski Area, 46 Great Hollow Rd., Cornwall
Immediately following Podium Ceremony & Photos – Mohawk Ski Area, 46 Great Hollow Rd., Cornwall
6:30 PM Awards Banquet – White Hart Inn, Rte. 44, Salisbury
8:30 PM Closing Ceremonies – White Hart Inn Lawn, Rte. 44, Salisbury

About the U.S. Junior Nationals
The U.S. Junior Nationals is part of the United States Nordic Sport (USANS) and is the premier national leadership organization for ski jumping and Nordic combined in the United States for jumpers aged 17 and younger, a key step toward international competition, including the Winter Olympic Games. USANS works with 30+ clubs and more than 700 young athletes nationwide.

ABOUT SALISBURY WINTER SPORTS ASSOCIATION
The mission of the Salisbury Winter Sports Association is to acquaint the public with Nordic ski-jumping, cross–country, and Alpine skiing, and to teach the skills necessary for their enjoyment. One way of fulfilling this mission is to host the annual Jumpfest Competition on Satre Hill to sustain and ski jumping in Salisbury, Connecticut, and the Eastern United States.

The New Canaan Historical Society is presenting an interesting program on mid-century modern architecture on February 15 @ 7 pm. Lovers of architecture are invited to join director/producer Jake Gorst as he recounts twenty years of documenting U.S. mid-century modern architecture and design. His most recent project, “New England Modernism: Revolutionary Architecture in the 20th century,” is currently in production for release in theaters and through Amazon Prime.

Jake has produced many films for Design OnScreen, including the documentary series Frey (2018-20) as well as The Nature of Modernism: E. Stewart Williams, Architect (2014); Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island (2012); William Krisel, Architect (2010); Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler (2009); and Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs (2006). His films Farmboy (2006) and Leisurama (2005), have been in national US public television distribution.

Jake is the author of the book Andrew Geller: Deconstructed (2015, Glitterati Inc.), an Emmy award-winning producer, and the director of Mainspring Narrative Films. He is also a contributing writer to The Architect’s Newspaper, VOX Hamptons, HOME Miami, Modern, and Modernism magazines.

Please note this event is now via zoom. A link and login credentials will be emailed to all registered participants. To register click email the Society @ info@nchistory.org.