Tag: Fairfield County

ArtFest at Silvermine Arts Center Sept. 15

Howard Fishman and the Biting Fish Brass Band

The lush grounds of the Silvermine Arts Center, located in New Canaan will host the second annual ArtsFest on Saturday, September 15th from 2pm to 4pm. Participants will enjoy a fun-filled day of music, puppet shows, and hands-on art activities at this free outdoor event.

Silvermine’s popular Sculpture Walk can be enjoyed by young and old in addition to listening to the music of Howard Fishman and the Biting Fish Brass Band, a five-piece New Orleans-style brass band. This high-energy, contagiously exuberant band will perform originals, mixed with a classic brass band repertoire of spirituals, blues, gospel and funk. Howard Fishman is a critically acclaimed singer, guitarist, composer and bandleader.

Fishman’s Biting Fish band is a tribute to the Big Easy, his former home, which features the singer-songwriter along with his band members on tuba, trombone, trumpet, drums and vocals performing an eclectic, funky repertoire that careens from street-beat style traditional gospel, to surprising covers, to Fishman’s own quirky, fun originals. Fishman has headlined in some of the most prestigious venues in the U.S. and abroad, including: Lincoln Center, The Steppenwolf Theatre, the Blue Note, the Great American Music Hall and the Le Petit Journal in Paris. A testament to his wide-ranging appeal, Howard Fishman has appeared on bills with such diverse artists as Odetta, Yo Yo Ma, Madeleine Peyroux, Allen Holdsworth and Nellie McKay. You won’t want to miss this wonderful opportunity to see and hear this small band with a mighty, infectious sound, suitable for both happy listening and ridiculous dancing.

In addition to music, kids of all ages will enjoy the puppetry of WonderSpark Puppets, who will perform “Kid Lancelot’s Birthday Quest” at this year’s ArtsFest. Once upon a time, there was a brave knight and a beautiful princess who bravely saved the Kingdom of Lockheart! It’s up to Kid Lancelot or Princess Petunia to defeat bullies, help wizards, ride a dragon and save the day. This medieval adventure includes lots of laughter and a cast of hilarious characters. Founded by husband and wife team Chad Williams and Lindsey “Z.” Briggs, WonderSpark Puppets infuse fun and whimsy into all their performances. “Z” Briggs has been a professional puppeteer for the last 7 years as a performer and builder on numerous projects. Chad Williams is a filmmaker turned puppeteer, and has shot and edited two puppetry documentaries. WonderSpark Puppets present the sweet, funny puppet shows that engage the imaginations of kids and adults alike!

Other happenings of the day will include a variety of hands-on activities for children and adults led by the distinguished faculty of the School of Art.

And, of course, there is the opportunity to see the end of summer exhibits in the Silvermine Galleries that will run through September 16th. The exhibits during ArtFest feature a juried Guild show, “Collective Vision,” a Historical Exhibition, “Silvermine, Milestone Graphics and the American Print Renaissance, 1979-1989,” and “Full Tilt” a solo exhibition of the works by Silvermine Guild artist Robert Gregson.

For more information about ArtsFest, call 203-966-9700, ext.22, or visit www.silvermineart.org. For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountryct.com

About Silvermine Arts Center

Silvermine Arts Center located in New Canaan, Connecticut is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. Located on a four ½ acre campus, the center is comprised of a nationally renowned artist guild; award winning school of art offering multi-disciplinary art classes for ages 2 to 102; and a gift shop and galleries, offering over twenty contemporary and historic exhibitions annually. The center also provides innovative arts education in Norwalk and Stamford schools through its outreach program, Art Partners, and hosts a lecture series and special programs throughout the year. Silvermine Arts Center is a nonprofit organization.

Silvermine Arts Center Mission

Grounded in the belief that art is vital to the spirit, creativity and wholeness of human beings, the mission of Silvermine Arts Center is to cultivate, promote and encourage growth through the arts; to showcase and serve artists; and to foster arts education and appreciation opportunities for the greater community.

Gallery Hours: Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday, 12p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1pm to 5 p.m. For more information, call (203) 966-9700 ext. 20 or visit the website: http://www.silvermineart.org.

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Norwalk Oyster Festival September 7-9

Fun for families and friends from nine to ninety, the 35th annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival will be held this year from Friday, September 7 through Sunday, September 9. This year’s entertainment highlights include music from nationally known-bands such as: The Rising on Friday, Village People on Saturday and Lou Gramm on Sunday. Festivalgoers will enjoy a wide variety of rides, cooking competitions, arts and crafts and a diverse assortment of attractions and entertainment that promise unforgettable fun.

New this year the festival will feature the action packed Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Festival that will feature world champion lumberjacks demonstrating their log rolling, axe throwing, chopping, sawing, tree climbing and dragster chainsaw skills. Another new event venue will offer hands on interactive race-themed attractions by nationally recognized Fast Action Motorsports Entertainment. These dynamic additions to the Oyster Festival are awe inspiring and unforgettable.

For the Kids

The festival’s Pirates Coast Adventure will wow children of all ages. Here, kids can meet real life pirates and look for booty in treasure hunts, hear storytelling and join in other fun-filled activities. The Kids’ Cove includes games, rides and entertainment. This interactive pirate encampment gives kids a taste of what seafaring was like during the golden age of piracy from 1650-1750. In addition, there will be an action-packed performance by Marvel Super Heroes.

Sunday is Family Day with special family and children’s packages for entrance, rides and meals. The perk of family day on Sunday is that one child under 12 gets in free with each adult paid admission and for a mere $15 can ride all the amusement rides free from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. To round out the family fun there will be live shows for kids on the festival’s main stage.

For the Whole Family

The festival offers a wide array of attractions the whole family will enjoy, including continuous entertainment by local musicians and national acts. A multitude of fine artists and crafters display whimsical as well as practical items that appeal to all tastes, budgets and ages. For on the water fun, head to the festival docks to tour historic vessels and to cruise the scenic and historic Norwalk Harbor.

For the Foodies

Food demonstrations and competitions, including the always-popular chowder and chili cook-offs will take place throughout the fesitval. A highlight of the Festival is the wide variety of great food from around the world that is available at the International Food Court. This culinary fare is prepared by dozens of local nonprofit organizations allowing them to raise vital funds for their charitable causes. At the Oyster Pavilion, learn about Norwalk’s oystering history while watching slurping and shucking contests.

The event is held at Veteran’s Park, adjacent to Norwalk Harbor on Seaview Avenue in Norwalk, CT. Admission for adults is $5 on Friday, $12 on Saturday and Sunday. Senior tickets are $10 all days. Children 5-12 year’s old are $5. Children under 5 and U.S. military personnel on active duty are free. Sunday is Family Day with special pricing on that day only — 1 child (age 5-12) free with each paid adult admission. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.seaport.org. Free Parking and Free Shuttle Bus service is provided from four (4) local parking lots, just follow the signs to Oyster Festival Parking.

Festivalgoers can save on admission and rail fare when they purchase the Metro-North Railroad/Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival discount package. Packages are available at all ticket offices and ticket machines (except South Norwalk Station) or by visiting www.mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_oyster_fest.htm

About the Norwalk Seaport Association

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, education and public awareness of Norwalk’s maritime environment and heritage. The Seaport Association and its volunteers are solely responsible for organizing and financing the Oyster Festival. In addition to the Oyster Festival, the Norwalk Seaport Association owns Sheffield Lighthouse and its volunteers maintain the lighthouse and grounds as a museum and nature preserve. For more information, visit www.seaport.org or call (203) 838-9444.

For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

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Maritime Aquarium’s Cruises Go Daily in July

Study Cruise aboard the Oceanic

Share a memorable boat ride with crabs, fish, lobsters and other creatures brought up right out of Long Island Sound right before your eyes during daily study cruises this summer with The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

The Aquarium’s exciting Marine Life Study Cruises will begin their daily schedule on July 1, departing at 1 p.m. each day through Labor Day. (In June, they push off at 1 p.m. on Saturdays.)

During each 21/2-hour Marine Life Study Cruise aboard the research vessel Oceanic, animals are collected from different water levels and bottom habitats of the Sound. A video microscope provides a magnified look at wriggly plankton gathered at the sunlit surface. Tiny crabs and worms emerge from a sampling of the anaerobic muddy bottom. A biodredge reveals a hidden world of sponges, snails and mollusks. And everyone inspects the trawl net’s bounty – varieties of fish and crabs, lobsters, sea stars, squid and always a few surprises.

The outings are much more than a boat ride. Maritime Aquarium educators involve participants in the processes, from sorting through samples to helping to pull in the trawl net and returning animals to the water. These animal encounters have immediate and incredible value in showing participants that the Sound is very much alive and worthy of our protection.

Besides being fun and eye-opening, Marine Life Study Cruises also contribute to local scientific research. Water-chemistry and weather readings are taken. And details about the animals brought onboard are entered into the Aquarium’s Long Island Sound Biodiversity Project, a database on the physical and biological features of the Sound. The database, available online for teachers and researchers, will reveal any changes in the Sound over time.

Also during the study cruises, as part of a Horseshoe Crab Census conducted by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, The Maritime Aquarium tags and records data about all horseshoe crabs collected.

Cost of a Marine Life Study Cruise is $20.50 per person ($18.50 for Maritime Aquarium members). All passengers must be at least 42 inches tall. Reservations are strongly recommended; walk-up tickets will be sold space permitting. The Oceanic can accommodate 29 passengers. Marine Life Study Cruises also are available for private 9 a.m. charters for summer camps, Scouts and other groups. Cruises depart from the dock near the Aquarium’s IMAX Theater entrance. To reserve your spot on a Maritime Aquarium Marine Life Study Cruise, or for more details, call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206. For more information visit www.MaritimeAquarium.org. For regional information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

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Art in Parking Places Opens Exhibit at Maritime Garage Gallery Senses of SoNo Begins in May

Fisherman’s Restaurant, I Ryan

The Norwalk Parking Authority will be launching another Art in Parking Places when The Maritime Garage Gallery opens The Senses of SoNo, Anatomy of a Bustling Hub with an opening reception on Wednesday, May 16 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. The event is free and open to the public and parking will be free for the event. The Gallery is located at 11 North Water Street in the Maritime Parking Garage in South Norwalk.

Senses of SoNo exhibit, which runs through July 27, kicks off a yearlong series of exhibits themed on a variation of the traditional five senses: sight= urban elements, smell= food, touch=music, taste= fashion, hearing (sound)= LI Sound. Senses of SoNo includes works of all media from selected artists, including Dana Laird, Joan Jardine, Phyllis Sinrich, Lisa Black, Donna Cassarro Hughes, John Hetzel, Jana Ireijo, David Hollier, Jane Bennett, Loren DePalma, Lynn Stevens Massey, Lorraine Ryan, Mari Gyorgyey, Debra Schaffer, Ellen Hackl Fagan, and Mary Jo Lombardo.

Norwalk Parking Authority Director Kathryn Hebert said, “This exhibit is another exciting project of the Authority’s ‘Art In Parking Places’ series that is being implemented in various parking venues around Norwalk. The Parking Authority and the City of Norwalk are delighted to be bringing artistic creative place making activities for residents and visitors to Norwalk to enjoy.” Currently, another Art in Parking Places exhibit is being installed at the South Norwalk Railroad Station.

Jardine

The Maritime Garage Art Gallery is collaboration between the Norwalk Parking Authority and the Norwalk Arts Commission in an effort to support art in public spaces. The gallery is free and open to the public from 9:00am -5:00pm daily. For more information call 203- 831-9063 or e-mail: maritimegallery@norwalkpark.org.

The Norwalk Parking Authority is a financially self-sustaining organization responsible for the operation and maintenance of the municipal parking system in Norwalk. It is not financed by taxpayer dollars. The Authority is committed to collaborating with community organizations while providing exceptional customer service to parking customers. The Norwalk Parking Authority can be reached at (203) 831-9063 or at the website: http://www.norwalkpark.org

Sound!

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Study Cruises at Maritime Aquarium Opens Through June 20

Oceanic Research Vessel

Share a memorable boat ride with crabs, fish, lobsters and other creatures brought up right out of Long Island Sound right before your eyes in a new season of hands-on study cruises with The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

The Aquarium’s exciting Marine Life Study Cruises will depart on Saturdays at 1 p.m. through June 30. They’ll push off at 1 p.m. daily in July and August.

The recent ‘FINtastic RefurbFISHment,’at The Maritime Aquarium’s exhibits are devoted to teaching visitors about Long Island Sound. The best exhibits can’t top the immediacy and impact when study-cruise participants see these animals come up onto the boat right in front of them.

During each 21/2-hour Marine Life Study Cruise aboard the research vessel Oceanic, animals are collected from different water levels and bottom habitats of the Sound. A video microscope provides a magnified look at wriggly plankton gathered at the sunlit surface. Tiny crabs and worms emerge from a sampling of the anaerobic muddy bottom. A biodredge reveals a hidden world of sponges, snails and mollusks. And everyone inspects the trawl net’s bounty – varieties of fish and crabs, lobsters, sea stars, squid and always a few surprises.

The outings are much more than a boat ride. Maritime Aquarium educators involve participants in the processes, from sorting through samples to helping to pull in the trawl net and returning animals to the water. These animal encounters have immediate and incredible value in showing participants that the Sound is very much alive and worthy of protection.

Besides being fun and eye-opening, Marine Life Study Cruises also contribute to local scientific research. Water-chemistry and weather readings are taken. And details about the animals brought onboard are entered into the Aquarium’s Long Island Sound Biodiversity Project, a database on the physical and biological features of the Sound. The database, available online for teachers and researchers, will reveal any changes in the Sound over time.

Also during the study cruises, as part of a Horseshoe Crab Census conducted by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, The Maritime Aquarium tags and records data about all horseshoe crabs collected.

Cost of a Marine Life Study Cruise is $20.50 per person ($18.50 for Maritime Aquarium members). All passengers must be at least 42 inches tall.

Reservations are strongly recommended; walk-up tickets will be sold space permitting. The Oceanic can accommodate 29 passengers.

Marine Life Study Cruises also are available for private weekday charters for schools, summer camps, Scouts and other groups at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Cruises depart from the dock near the Aquarium’s IMAX Theater entrance.

To reserve your spot on a Maritime Aquarium Marine Life Study Cruise, or for more details, call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.

JanetLeave a comment

Beardsley Zoo Invites Public to Share 90 Years of Photo Memories!


To help kick off its 90th birthday, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo launched “Picture Yourself at the Zoo,” a new program that invites the public to share favorite photos, both new and old. Both amateur and professional photographers are invited to participate and photos of people, animals, and scenery are welcome. Throughout the year, the Zoo will select photos to feature on its Web site, http://www.beardsleyzoo.com and on their Facebook page, and winners will receive a Family Four Pack of tickets to the Zoo.

“It never ceases to amaze me what fond memories folks have of the Zoo, from generation to generation, and these memories are often captured in cherished family photo albums that only a handful of people ever see,” stated Gregg Dancho, Zoo director. “What better way for us to showcase these special moments than by creating a community photo album for all to participate in and enjoy?”

Anyone may enter by e-mailing photos with the photographer’s name, e-mail address, and any details about the photo he/she would like to share publicly to PictureYourself@BeardsleyZoo.org. By submitting photo(s), the photographer retains ownership but gives Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo permission to use and publish the pictures without restriction in the future.

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 the Amur (Siberian) tigers, Brazilian ocelots, Red wolves, and Golden Lion tamarins. Other highlights include 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 hoofstock 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 a colorful carousel. For more information, visit www.beardsleyzoo.org.

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