Tag: CT Travel

Tips on NYC at Lockwood-Mathews Mansion

On Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 11 a.m. at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue in Norwalk, CT, urban historian Justin Ferate will give a talk entitled, Nooks and Crannies of New York City. Based on his popular tours, this lecture will explore some of New York City’s great, but often overlooked, treasures.

Fonthill Castle.
Fonthill Castle.

Mr. Ferate will take attendees on a virtual tour through some of New York City’s rich, secretive landmarks, many unknown to even the most diehard New Yorkers. He will reveal fascinating, yet lesser-known points of interests in one of the most iconic cities in the world, including some of New York’s more offbeat treasures, secret gardens, hidden houses, and covert byways.

Justin Ferate is an internationally known guide and the Director of Tours of the City, a specialty tour company that has created educational tours of New York City, focusing on the architectural, social, ethnic, literary, and cultural histories of New York for over 30 years. He has a background in Architectural and Social History with a B.A. in Education from Antioch College with subsequent studies in Architectural History at the University of Washington, University of London, University of Pennsylvania, and Salve Regina College. Recently The AAA Guide to New York rated Ferate’s weekly tour of the Grand Central Terminal neighborhood as New York’s “Best Walking Tour!” The New York Times described Justin Ferate as New York City’s “revered city Tour Guide among Tour Guides.”

The lectures are $25 for members, $30 for non-members per session. Please RSVP by Friday, July 11, 2014. The price includes lecture, lunch and a first floor Mansion tour. Lunch is courtesy of Michael Gilmartin’s Outdoor Cookers. The chair of the Lecture Committee is Mimi Findlay of New Canaan. Please contact info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or 203-838-9799, ext. 4.

JanetLeave a comment

A Pet Parade in Litchfield to Celebrate the 4th of July!

The Litchfield Historical Society has planned a wonderful way to celebrate Independence Day by hosting the Society’s annual Pet Parade and Turn-of-the-Century Festival! The festival will take place on Friday, July 4th from 2:15 to 4:30 pm and all are invited to attend — with or without pets.

IMG_1603

The Litchfield History Museum and the Tapping Reeve House & Law School will also be open from 11 to 5 pm with free admission.

A highlight of the Turn-of-the Century- Fest is the ice cream social with ice cream generously donated by Peaches and Cream, a local ice cream maker that makes ice cream using traditional methods. Old-fashioned lawn games will be hosted on the Green after the parade. Fest participants will have the opportunity to compete in egg and spoon races, a tug of war, a sunflower seed spitting contest, and three-legged races.

The event is free and open to the public. Pets of any kind are welcome, but all pets must be either on a leash or in a cage and, where applicable, must come with a rabies certificate.

IMG_2282

To register for the parade, call the Historical Society at (860) 567-4501. Registration begins at 2:15 pm and the celebration kicks off at 2:30 pm. For more information or to register, please call Litchfield Historical Society at (860) 567-4501 or email registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org. Litchfield History Museum is located at 7 South St., Litchfield, CT. For more information about this or other programs, please see www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org or call (860) 567-4501.

JanetLeave a comment

Summer Stroll in New Preston on July 5

The summer stroll taking place on July 5 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the riverside village of New Preston is offering more activities this year than ever before. “Downtown” on this quaint Main Street (Rte. 45) will feature a a barbecue with hot dogs in front of Nine Main. The Smithy will be serving fresh, local lemonade and cookies, and Dawn Hill & Upstairs Antiques will host a sparkling Prosecco Porch Party with nibbles.

stroll7

Across the street in “Midtown” you can feast courtesy of the White Horse Country Pub. “Audrey” the vintage English taxi, there will there with bite size nibbles of British Raj chicken salad on chili dusted tortilla chips, and Key Lime and Raspberry Margarita pie bites. Pergola & J. Seitz & Co will be pouring a variety of beverages including refreshing Japanese grapefruit chuhai.

On the “Uptown” side, there will be Candy Bags at Sweets, Pamplemousse Royale at DK Shulman, and trays of Focaccia courtesy of Oliva Restaurant, while Privet House supplies the adult libations and New Preston Kitchen Goods sparkles with a summery white Sangria.

stroll8

A live band, The Social Gents Club, will perform on the corner of Main Street & East Shore Road, next to Dawn Hill Antiques. County Wines and Spirits, just down the road, will host an in-store cheese tasting.

Privet House and Vol.1 will throw open the doors of their two story shop stocked full of antiques and great finds for summer entertaining. Pergola will be offering their usual great mix of everything for the garden, and treasures from their last trip to Kyoto. D.K Schulman, will feature the best of summer gift ideas plus stationery and cards. J. Seitz will offer 25% off selected Men’s, Women’s and Infant clothing during Stroll hours.

Planning a barbecue? New Preston Kitchen Goods has everything you need and Dawn Hill Antiques is featuring The Grilling Book, published by Bon Appetit and photographed on location in Sharon, CT., plus a beautiful collection of celadon pottery by Frances Palmer. Upstairs Antiques welcomes a new addition, Antique Wicker and Garden, be sure to visit their cozy room filled with comfy 1920’s wicker that is ready for a porch or garden room.

JanetLeave a comment

Music Mountain Celebrates 85th Concert Season

Concert aficionados from around the country will want to mark their calendars for Music Mountain, America’s oldest continuing summer chamber music festival that is celebrating their 85th concert season this summer through September 14. To commemorate the milestone, Music Mountain located in the scenic Litchfield Hills of Connecticut will continue their season past Labor Day – making the 85th Anniversary Season the longest running season since the 1930s! The summer will include returning chamber ensembles, first time guests and the ever-popular Saturday Evening Twilight Series featuring Jazz, Country, and Folk Music. Concerts are scheduled through September 14.

Music Mountain, photo credit Joan Walden
Music Mountain, photo credit Joan Walden

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series begins on June 14 (6:30PM) with The West Point Alumni Glee Club. Evening concerts continue with New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (and the first of several pre-concert dinners, June 21); Jive By Five (June 28); The Sharon Playhouse (July 5); Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks (July 12); Gunsmoke (July 19); Swingtime Big Band (July 26); The New Black Eagle Jazz Band (August 2); The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (August 9); The Galvanized Jazz Band (August 16); Baroque Italian Opera Arias & Duets (August 23); and Michael Berkeley (September 6).

This year, the twilight series will broaden its variety of musical offerings to include folk music, opera and the golden age of Broadway. A special concert of Old Time Country Music by Tater Patch, whose bass player Richard Gordon is a grandson of Jacques Gordon, Music Mountain’s Founder, and the only descendant of the Founder ever to appear at Music Mountain, will also be presented as the final Twilight concert on September 13.

Orion300

Music Mountain’s 85th Anniversary Season will also include their annual Teaching Program — bringing master teachers and aspiring young musicians together. Artistic Director of The Next Festival of Emerging Artists at Music Mountain, composer, c. “America’s leading oboe recitalist,” Humbert Lucarelli returns to Music Mountain for his master Oboe Seminar Sunday, July 20 through Friday, July 25. Returning for the second year, Carol Kastendieck, faculty member at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, will teach an actors vocal training program in August.

Music Mountain is located in Falls Village, Connecticut on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring you to Gordon Hall atop Music Mountain. Free parking and picnic facilities are available. Food, wine & beer are also available for purchase.

Tickets for the Season Opening Concert & Reception on Saturday, June 7 and End of Season Benefit Concert & Reception on Sunday, August 31 are $75 and include a voucher for one regularly priced concert. Two special mid-summer benefit concerts on Sunday, June 22 with the Juilliard String Quartet and on Sunday, July 20 with Peter Serkin and the Orion String Quartet are $60 per ticket. Pre-concert dinners are $60 and include concert ticket. Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder (Music Mountain gratefully acknowledges children admission support by the Hellen Plummer Foundation for a gift in memory of James Merrill, Connecticut’s first Poet Laureate).

Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm on Sundays. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

For information on Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

JanetLeave a comment

Lost and Found Circus Exhibit at Bridgeport’s PT Barnum Museum

The Barnum Museum is featuring an amazingly original display, Lost and Found Circus: A Creative Balancing Act by Bridgeport artist Susan Tabachnick through August 30.

IMG_9524_Susan_Tabachnick

The exhibition features a circus-themed presentation of small sculptures created with found objects, many of them incorporating old industrial parts and small tools. The components are not altered in any way, but are assembled into whimsical sculptures suggestive of the lively energy and humor that characterizes the circus. The assemblages give “new life” to items originally made for other purposes. Tabachnick never forces the unions and she doesn’t weld or glue the pieces together; they must fit or balance.

Each of Tabachnick’s creations in this exhibition begins with a particular piece of salvaged material to which she is attracted. The sculptures often evolve as a balancing act, as Tabachnick experiments with finding just the right parts, using her own fluid and flexible approach to making art. All of the work in the show is assembled this way; none of the components are permanently affixed. Like a real circus, the components can readily be disassembled and transported to a new venue, and if the artist chooses, the found objects can come together in new ways.

“The Lost and Found Circus is always a work in progress,” explained Tabachnick, “an infinitely creative and organic assemblage of salvaged pieces that invites people to see new possibilities. What is most enjoyable to me are the reactions to my work, and the different references and perceptions that viewers bring to it. I never intended to make a circus. The pieces came together serendipitously, each with its own eccentric personality, not dissimilar to that of traditional circus characters. Over the years, the theme kept percolating to the point where there is now a troupe.”

The Barnum Museum is located on 820 Main Street, Bridgeport in the People’s United Bank Gallery. The entrance to the museum is located at the back of the historic building and the hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the PT Barnum Museum, call 203-331-1104 ext.100, M-F from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org.

JanetLeave a comment

15th Annual Ice Cream Social Woodbury CT

Bring your family, bring your friends and co-workers – come to New Morning Market located on 129 Main Street in Woodbury for the 15th Annual Ice Cream Social that is not only deliciously fun but also a benefit for Safe Haven Shelter for Victims of Domestic Abuse.

Sundae

The Ice Cream Social will take place on Friday June 20th, from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. New Morning is generously donating 100% of your $5.00 donation to Safe Haven Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence.

Get ready to build your own delicious ice cream sundaes (including dairy or gluten free options) with an array of scrumptious toppings while enjoying the live performance of Bill and Martha Bless. There is even a chance to enter a drawing to win a free folding bike courtesy of Seasnax!

New Morning will be Collecting Your Donations for Safe Haven all Month! The shelter is in need of pantry stuffs, personal care items, toiletries, new clothing and cleaning supplies. You can pick up a wish list at the store!

About New Morning Market
New Morning Market of Woodbury, CT is a leading natural and organic, independent retailer for healthy sustainable living. Owner John Pittari and his staff continually create an environment that fosters meaningful exchanges of knowledge, services and products. New Morning has been in business for well over 40 years and has been in their brand new facility at 129 Main Street North in Woodbury for almost 2 years. Boasting more than 9,000 square feet of retail space and a large community room for classes and presentations, New Morning has become a popular destination and an important part of the local community. More information can be found at www.newmorn.com, on Facebook or by calling 203-263-4868.

JanetLeave a comment