Tag: December events

Can you smell the gingerbread in Kent?

The sweet scents will tease your sense of smell as you enter the quaint village of Kent CT. The rolling pins are spinning and creative minds of all ages are working hard to create over 40 Gingerbread Houses. Ovens are filled to capacity and working overtime to get ready for the 3rd ANNUAL KENT GINGERBREAD FESTIVAL through Jan. 5, 2015.

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Gingerbread Houses of all shapes and sizes will be on display in over 40 beautifully decorated shop windows until the first week in January. As you approach Kent you will find yourself in what looks like a movie set of the perfect little New England town, twinkling lights will guide you through the unique one of a kind shops. What an enjoyable way to do your holiday shopping. Add to that, a little Naughty Gingerbread Man named FREDDIE and you have the recipe for the most exciting Holiday Destination in Connecticut.

FREDDIE and his crew of ten Gingerbread Bad Boys will be hiding out in the shop windows amongst the Gingerbread Houses. So bring the family and friends and put on your detective hats and gumshoes. Vote for your favorite Window Display and House and you can also enter for free to win a great prize. Download a Gingerbread Manhunt Walking Map to find FREDDIE and his girlfriend GINGER, the cute, hot & spicy Gingerbread Girl he rescued from the bakery. Even though FREDDIE has been NAUGHTY, while you are in Kent, you can complete your NICE shopping list, away from the crowded malls & parking lots. Here you will find smiling faces, and even get your gifts wrapped for free in most shops.

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Should you be hungry after your Gingerbread Manhunt Walk there are many temptations that will lure you, from a chocolate shop and baked goods to delicious culinary delights in one of Kent’s twelve restaurants & cafés. Join in the “Find Freddie Fun” and make Kent CT your Annual Holiday Destination.

For more holiday information and the latest on Freddie visit www.kentct.com and for holiday events in Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

JanetLeave a comment

Breakfast with Frosty and Friends at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo

Frosty the Snowman was a popular song written in 1950 and became an overnight classic by being adapted to a popular television special. The song of Frosty recounts the fictional tale of a snowman that is magically brought to life through a black top hat that a group of children place atop his head. Although Frosty enjoys frolicking and romping throughout town with the children who constructed him, the sun becomes too much for him to bear and Frosty is forced to leave town, promising his friends that he will return.

On December 15 & 16, 22 & 23: The Beardsley Zoo is getting into the holiday spirit by offering a special “Breakfast with Frosty & Friends” that will take place from, 9 a.m. – 10 am. Families are invited to join Frosty and his friends for breakfast at Connecticut’s only Zoo. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Amanda Bolanos at (203) 394-6574. The cost of this special event that includes Zoo admission and breakfast is $10 per person for Zoo members and $20 per person for non-members.

The Beardsley Zoo is also offering a special Holiday Crafts & Fun Photo Opps event on December 15 & 16, 22 & 23 from 10 am – 2 pm. Participants will enjoy making a variety of holiday crafts in the Zoo’s Research Station. Afterward, there will be a memorable photo session in the Zoo’s festively decorated, tropical greenhouse. A stroll through the grounds of the Zoo will allow families to visit their favorite animals and wish them happy holidays!

ZOO GIFT GIVING IDEAS:

As the holidays are approaching fast if you are looking for something unique you might consider picking up an unusual and thoughtful gift from the Beardsley Zoo for everyone on your list!

Membership to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo for example can be enjoyed year-round. Your loved one gets free admission to the Zoo and free or discounted admission to over 150 zoos and aquariums nationwide. Membership also includes ZooBucks, carousel rides & guest passes! Contact Amanda Bolanos at 203-394-6574 for more information.

If you are looking for a more permanent gift, consider purchasing and engraving a 90th Anniversary Brick for someone special. Bricks will be displayed at the Zoo’s Front Gate for all to see! Contact Emily Bobowick at 203-394-6569 for more information.

If you have a real animal lover on your list, consider a gift of Animal Sponsorship. With this gift, you will receive a Sponsorship Certificate, Fact Sheet & Photograph of your sponsored animal that you can visit at the Zoo.

If you are seeking something different, don’t forget to check out the gift shop at the Zoo. The Beardsley Zoo’s fabulous gift shop offers everything from children’s games and handmade jewelry to clothing and animal-themed Christmas ornaments. You’ll be amazed at the wide selection of gifts for him and her and for the little ones, too!

About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo celebrates its 90th birthday in 2012 and is closer than you think! Connecticut’s only zoo features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Visitors won’t want to miss our Amur (Siberian) tigers, Brazilian ocelot, Red wolves, and Golden Lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with “pop-up” viewing areas, the New England Farmyard with goats, cows, pigs, sheep, and other barnyard critters, plus the Grasslands trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, and more. Visitors can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful carousel. For more information, visit www.beardsleyzoo.org

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Holiday Fun Naturally at White Memorial Foundation

White Memorial Foundation is the largest nature sanctuary in the state located on 80 White Hall Road in Litchfield. To get in a holiday mood, the foundation is having an open house on December 14 where guests are invited to stroll through the Museum, sipping mulled cider and shopping for their last minute holiday gifts. Participants can take 10% off all purchases! This one Night only Open House Special: Buy a Membership for Yourself or a Loved One and Receive a WMCC Tote! (New members only). The event takes place from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

On December 15 at 6:00 p.m. White Memorial is hosting a very special event, “Comfort and Joy” Ilvi Dulac’s Readers Theater presents: A Christmas Carol featuring local thespian Ilvi Dulac. This year the Reader’s Theater brings glad tidings in the form of excerpts from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Sit back and listen to her dulcet tones breathing life into the characters of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, and Tiny Tim! Enjoy a light dinner, some mulled cider, and exit into the chilly evening overflowing with the warmth of the holiday season! Members: $20.00 Non-members: $30.00. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required.

Fabulous diorama at White Memorial Foundation
Fabulous
diorama at White Memorial Foundation

Winding up the month of December, White Memorial Foundation is showing a documentary film on Christmas in Yellowstone on December 29 at 2:00 p.m. This film, from the PBS series, Nature, take a breathtaking look at wintertime deep within America’s first national park. Stretching across more than 2.2 million acres of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho is one of the greatest expanses of unspoiled nature and wildlife anywhere on Earth — Yellowstone National Park. Designated America’s first national park in1872, Yellowstone now receives almost three million visitors each year. Yet only a small fraction of those who glimpse the park’s stunning vistas, geological wonders, and animal residents do so during the winter months, a time when nature’s inhospitality is matched only by its serenity.

For more information visit:http://www.whitememorialcc.org and for area information visit www.litchfieldhills.com.

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4th Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Workshop Through Dec. 24

It’s that magical time of year again when Santa and his LIVE reindeer, Dasher Dancer, Prancer and Blitzen, return to McArdle’s Florist & Garden Center, 48 Arch Street, in Greenwich, Conn, for the 4th Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival and Santa’s Workshop, through Christmas Eve, December 24, 2012. Last year, over 800 photos with Santa were taken and many more are expected this year.

At McArdle’s, where the reindeer will reside for one month, young and old can marvel at the reindeer and learn more about these special animals. The Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Workshop officially opens and Photos with Santa begin at approximately 3 p.m. Holiday refreshments will be provided for all at McArdle’s by Avenue Café, which recently opened on Greenwich Avenue.

Inside, McArdle’s will be transformed into Santa’s Workshop, an unforgettable holiday wonderland where families, children, corporate groups and even pets can have their photo taken with Santa. Photo packages begin at $29.99 and include special coupons to shop at over 100 participating downtown Greenwich stores and restaurants. This year’s festival will feature a new component – Reindeer Fun Facts – educational information about the animals, the mystery of their antlers, eating and sleeping habits and more.

The 4th Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Workshop will take place Monday through Friday, noon to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reindeer feeding times will take place daily at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The reindeer will head to the North Pole around 1 p.m. on December 23, but Santa will remain until 4 p.m. Christmas Eve before beginning his busy night.

For more information and a list of the over 100 participating retail stores and restaurants, visit www.GreenwichReindeerFestival.com. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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Bethlehem New England’s Christmas Town

Over 70 special holiday cache’s to choose from

To get into the proper holiday spirit early, the place to be the first weekend in December is the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. Festivals galore start the season right in this region that is always as pretty as a Christmas card, and there are numerous opportunities to check off your holiday shopping list in scenic settings. The only dilemma is where to go first.

One good place to start is Connecticut’s own little town of Bethlehem, a quaint, village that is transformed each December, when it becomes New England’s favorite Christmas Town.

Thousands of visitors arrive to mail their Christmas cards with a Bethlehem postmark and to enjoy the 30th annual gala Christmas Town Festival, set this year for Friday night December 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a tree lighting at 6 p.m. and Saturday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The town green is transformed for the occasion with some 70 vendors offering crafts and good food. Bring the family for musical entertainment, hayrides and the chance for a photo with Santa. Find the complete schedule at www.christmastownfestival.com

Bethlehem’s historic Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden will be festively decorated for the weekend, with themed decorations in each of the first floor rooms. Children will enjoy games, prizes and surprises and refreshments in the Visitor’s Center. This house will be open during festival hours, December 7 and 8 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. For details, phone (203) 266-7596. For details, phone (203) 266-7596 or visit www.ctlandmarks.org

Bethlehem also offers the chance to visit a rare museum-quality 18th century Neapolitan Crèche housed in a barn at the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Check the hours at www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com

The Bethlehem Post Office is also offering extended hours. Bring your holiday cards and stamp them with a special cache. There are 76 stamp designs to choose from as one new design is added each year. The post office will be open with extended hours for the festival. The post office is open on Fri. Dec. 7 from 8 am to 8 pm; on Sat, December 8, 15, & 22 from 8 am to 3 pm and Mon.- Fri. 8 am to 5 pm the month of December

For area information on where to stay, shop and dine, please visit www.litchfieldhills.com.

JanetLeave a comment

Holiday Lights at Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce is proud to announce their first annual “Lake Compounce Holiday Lights”, a brand new family event taking place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings beginning on November 30th. The park will open at 5 p.m. on Fridays, and at 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The event goes until 9 p.m.and will run November 30, December 1 – 2, 7-9, 14-16, 21-23. The park is located on 822 Lake Ave in Bristol Connecticut and can be reached at 860-585-9987 or by visiting http://www.lakecompounce.com.

Holiday Lights will provide full family entertainment for all ages, and include festive activities such as a spectacular Holiday light show every half hour at the main gate, which will feature tens of thousands of lights dancing to holiday music. Kiddeland rides and family themed rides will be in operation. The Train will be transformed into the North Pole Railway, operated by a very special uniformed train conductor with a Holiday story to tell.

There will be indoor activities such as cookie decorating and gingerbread house making. Children will be given the opportunity to customize their very own letter to Santa, and will then receive a personalized letter sent directly to them, from Santa, just a few days later. On the Kiddeland stage children can enjoy Story Time with Mrs. Clause. There will be carolers strolling throughout the park, an ice carver creating unique, frozen creations, and lots more festive entertainment. The childhood favorite photos with Santa is not to be missed in the Starlight Theatre. The park’s gift shops will also be loaded with Holiday themed merchandise for sale, so guests can get their Holiday shopping done, too.

Admission is $14.99 per adult, $10.99 for children ages four though ten, and free for children three and under. Season pass holders may enter for free with their 2012 or 2013 pass. Admission fees are plus tax. Tickets may be purchased online now, or at the park gate once the event begins. Nominal fees will be charged for various activities. Season Passes are being offered at the park at a special sale price of $69.99 plus tax. They can be purchased as holiday gifts and will include special holiday wrapping.

About Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce, part of the Palace Entertainment family of parks, is New England’s Family Theme Park and the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America. With the largest water park in Connecticut, and a brand new water slide called Riptide Racer, the park is now in its 168th season. This is the first year the park will be celebrating Holiday Lights, which they hope will be a family tradition for years to come. 2013 Season passes, regularly $75.99, will be on sale for a discounted price of $69.99 plus tax, for the duration of the event. More information can be found at www.lakecompounce.com.

For area information contact www.litchfieldhills.com.

JanetLeave a comment