Tag: Litchifeld Hills CT

Treasure Hunt in the Book Basement and Dining in Washington Connecticut

The Gunn Memorial Library in Washington Connecticut is cleaning house through June 13. If you are a book lover, don’t miss this chance to fill up a grocery bag of great books at the library’s book basement sale that includes fiction, non-fiction, hard cover and soft cover books. There are over 10,000 books available on just about every topic imaginable and for every age.

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The quality of the books is outstanding and are being offered at $5 a bag — a regular sized grocery bag that is. The library is asking you to be “green” and to BYOB — bring your own bag! In addition to the bag of books sale, the library is also offering a sale of DVDs, music CDs, books on CDs as well as books that are deemed “special” that will are priced at $5 and up. All the “special” books are priced at 1/3 lower than prices found on the Internet.

The book basement hours are Thursday – Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. The Library is located on 5 Wykham Rd. in Washington at the junction of Rte. 47 opposite the Green.

After browsing for books, stop in at the Gunn Memorial Museum located next to the Library to view their new exhibition titled The Great War. This exhibition commemorates the 100th anniversary of WWI.

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For a delightful lunch or dinner Washington offers three fabulous restaurants to choose from.
GW Tavern www.gwtavern.com on 20 Bee Brook Road offers a rich blend of contemporary and traditional food sure to please any palette. GW has gorgeous decks perfect for seasonal outdoor dining that overlook Bee Brook.

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The Pantry located on 5 Titus Rd. offers an enticing selection of daily specials, salads, sandwiches, and more including excellent baked goods that are perfect for a quick light lunch, tea or takeout. It is fun to sit amid gifts and housewares while dining.

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The Mayflower Inn, www.gracehotels.com/mayflower/ on 118 Woodbury Road in Washington has an award -winning restaurant that offers a range of classic and grand New England dining experiences from their prix fixe and a la carte menus. Dishes here are locally sourced and inspired by the international experiences of Chef Jonathan Cartwright. In the summer months there is spectacular al fresco dining on the terrace overlooking the gardens.

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For more information on the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

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Keeler Tavern Museum To Host First Annual Spring Artisans’ Show

Distinguished artists and craftspeople from across the region will be present when the Keeler Tavern Museum hosts its inaugural Spring Artisans’ Show on Saturday, April 26, to be preceded by a special Preview Party on Friday evening, April 25.
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The Museum campus at 132 Main Street in Ridgefield—with its distinctive Cass Gilbert Carriage Barn, picturesque gardens, and charming Garden House — will be the setting for this premier event curated by VS Shows. The collection will feature fine art, high-quality handmade furniture, fiber, and home décor items, distinctive jewelry, and a wide range of one-of-a-kind offerings. A multi-media exhibit titled “Expressions: Spring – painting, sculpture & photography,” will be staged in the Carriage Barn. While Saturday visitors browse, children will be able to enjoy games and crafts of their own. Food will be available for purchase.

Some 20 notable artisans and artists from all over the region are expected to participate, including Ridgefield artists Peggy Thomas who will be displaying her pottery; Kokoon Jewelry designer Debbie Thornton; and painter Spencer Eldridge whose works will be shown in the Carriage Barn as part of “Expressions: Spring.” Among the regional artists featured are Pamela Dalton who will be showing her intricate paper cuts – Scherenschnitte; Heidi Howard, who paints 18th and 19th century trade and tavern signs; doll-maker Eva-Maria Araujo; Kathleen McDonald who makes chalkware figurines handcrafted from a collection of antique chocolate molds; and Robert Ferrucci, an artist of abstract action art, drip art and contemporary American Folk Art.

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Saturday show hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; admission that day is $8 ($7 with presentation of pre-show announcement postcard or advertisement). The special wine-and-cheese Preview Party on Friday evening will offer early purchasing from 6 – 9 PM, as well as opportunities to engage with artisans and artists; admission is $40 ($30 for Museum members). Proceeds from ticket sales on both days benefit the Keeler Tavern Museum, a non-profit historical site that is entirely self-funded.

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Free off-premises parking is available nearby. To make reception reservations, and for directions or other information, visit www.keelertavernmuseum.org or call (203) 438-5485. For information about the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

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Art and Dining in Falls Village – In Litchfield Hills

Falls Village is a bucolic town located in the far northwest corner of the Litchfield Hills. In addition to several excellent hiking trails, the village has several shops, a library boasting an art gallery, a museum and a fabulous country inn making this a wonderful spring destination.

Mullins, Deep End
Mullins, Deep End

The David M. Hunt Library, located on 63 Main Street in Falls Village, CT in the center of town has planned an art exhibit that will run through May 17. The featured painter is Patty Mullins whose exhibit, “Collected Stories,” presents a selection of the artist’s narrative and landscape canvases.

Patty Mullins, a resident of Sharon, is well-known for her evocative paintings, the narrative elements of which are a natural fit for the Queen Anne architecture of the David M. Hunt Library which has, like the paintings, numerous spaces to be alone, quiet, and thoughtful. The intimate landscapes of our region are also found in Ms. Mullins’ canvases, particularly the ones inspired by wetlands in Lakeville, Cornwall, and Sharon.

In a recent statement, the artist described her work: “For me, painting is a process of discovery. Like an archeologist, I start with an idea of what I’m after, but don’t know exactly what I’ll find; images trigger memory and emotion, and as I paint I follow the emotion and find layers of meaning…elements in my paintings include personal history, the history of painting, loss, desire, skewed vision, vertigo, self-absorption and self-containment. My current body of work includes landscapes, figures, portraits of objects, and a recurrent theme: for the real subject of my work is time; the spaces and the things that people leave behind.”

Mullins Orpheus
Mullins Orpheus

Patty Mullins exhibits her paintings locally in New England, as well as in New York and Philadelphia. Her work has been shown at the National Academy Museum, and is in the collections of Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy, Bianca Jagger, Campbell Scott, and Jamie Wyeth. Ms. Mullins’ work can be previewed on her website, www.PattyMullins.com.

Falls Village Inn
Falls Village Inn

After viewing this art show, stop into the Falls Village Inn located on 33 Railroad Street in the heart of this bucolic village. The Falls Village Inn features a lunch, taproom and dinner menu that acknowledges a desire for classic American comfort fare. Gorgeous accommodations are also available in comfortable rooms designed by Bunny Williams.

For more information call 860-824-0033 visit http://www.thefallsvillageinn.com.
For information on Hunt Library http://www.huntlibrary.org. For information on the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

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Two New Exhibits at Five Points Gallery, Torrington

Five Points Gallery, a Downtown Torrington gallery, located on 33 Main Street is featuring contemporary work by professional artists, is presenting two new exhibitions that will run through February 2nd.

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In the West and North Galleries, the show, curated by Michael Shortell is “Cut and Paste: The Art of 21st Century Collage and Assemblage”. Featured artists include: Caryn Azoff, Nancy Doherty, Jon Eastman, Anne Gilman, Jane R. Lubin, M.D., Jane Rainwater, Rashmi Talpade, Paul Theriault and Deborah Wadswort. The art of collage has become more sophisticated since the early 20th century when artists like Braque and Picasso first used scraps of newspaper in their drawings. For this show, Michael Shortell has chosen a variety of works to illustrate the field of contemporary collage and assemblage and its evolution since the early 20th century. This exhibit shows how far contemporary artists have come in technique and content from the simple newspaper cutouts of early Cubism.

Danielle Mailer is the featured artist in the East Gallery with her show called Body Language 2013.. With influences ranging from Matisse to Klimt, to Miriam Shapiro, to Niki De Saint Phalle, Mailer creates dynamic works that offer her interpretation of the patterned silhouette. This installation features numerous 11-foot figures in acrylic paint on aluminum. An artist talk will take place at the Gallery on Friday, January 24th at 6 p.m.

Five Points Gallery is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 1-5 and Sunday 1-3 and by appointment.

On February 1 at 2 p.m., three of the artists – Rashmi Talpade, Deborah Wadswort and Jane R. Lubin, M.D. will be at Five Points Gallery for a collage workshop. The workshop is free and open to the public. Space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. To register www.fivepointsgallery.org.

For information on Litchifeld Hills where to stay, shop and dine visit www.litchifeldhills.com

JanetLeave a comment

Falls Village Holiday House Tour

The Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society is hosting the 3rd Annual Holiday Historic House Tour on Saturday, December 7 in Falls Village (snow date Sunday, December 8). Tickets can be purchased to benefit the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society at the advance price of $25 or $30 on the day of the tour. Children ages 8 to 16 are free.

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The tour will begin with a brief welcome and introduction to the five houses on the tour at P.D. Walsh’s Country Store (107 Main Street) at 10:30 a.m. and at 11:00 a.m. ticket holders may begin their self-guided tour. Four of the five locations on the tour will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Houses on the tour are not wheelchair accessible and strollers are not permitted in the houses.

There will be a Musical Review by the Children’s Theater at 2 pm (tickets for that event are $12) at the Center on Main located on 103 Main Street in a former Methodist Church. The Center will be open from 11am to 1pm on the day of the tour.

A superbly maintained single story Cape Cod style house known as “Twin Chimneys,” that was probably built by Charles Belden, Jr. in 1778 is a stop on the tour.

Another stop is the Samuel Robbins House built in 1790 that was once the main house at Robbins Farm that originally comprised more than 1000 acres. Ten direct descendants of the original Samuel Robbins have lived here including one Samuel Robbins that helped form the Robbins Burrall Trust Company that later merged to become the Salisbury Bank and Trust.

On Point of Rocks Road, leading out of the village center, is an 1840 barn at the home of Bunny Williams and John Rosselli. Repurposed with Mr. Roselli’s keen eye, it has become a relaxing space for entertaining while keeping a rural rustic feeling. An ongoing shopping quest for accessories that fit that goal goes on to this day.

On the day of the tour the Toymaker’s Cafe (7 AM-4 PM) and The Falls Village Inn will be serving guests and tour goers. The Falls Village Inn will be donating $5 to the Historical Society per meal for tour guests (Brunch 11 AM-3 PM, Dinner 5-10 PM). Be sure to show your tour ticket at either venue. There will also be a bake sale benefitting the Historical Society at P.D. Walsh’s Country Store.

Tickets: $25 in advance; $30 day of tour. Children 8 to 16 are free. Tickets may be purchased at the following locations: P.D. Walsh’s Country Store, Toymaker’s Cafe, The Falls Village Inn, Jacob’s Garage, D.M. Hunt Library, Falls Village Town Hall and at the Douglas Library and Stadium Systems in North Canaan or by calling the Historical Society at 860-824-8226. Cash or checks only.

Proceeds from the tour will help the Society renovate the museum at the Falls Village Railroad Depot.

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Sharon Audubon Enchanted Forest and Kids’ Day in Litchfield Hills

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Family fun is in the works at the Sharon Audubon Center the last two weekends in October. Both events are “non scary” and geared toward families with children pre-K through 2nd grade.

The Audubon’s popular Enchanted Forest will be held on Saturday, October 19. Guided groups will meet friendly costumed animal characters along a candlelit trail and hear how the animals live their lives on the Audubon grounds. After the tour, which lasts approximately 45 minutes, participants can enjoy a cup of hot chocolate inside the Center building before taking a hayride back to the parking area. This non-scary program is ideal for children up to 8 years old and their families. Tours begin every 10-15 minutes between the hours of 6:00 and 7:30 p.m.. Participants should bring an extra flashlight. Admission is $4 per person. Children under 2 are free.

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Audubon Kids’ Day is taking place on Sunday, October 27 from 12-3 p.m. This is a fun, autumn afternoon for young children and their families that features carnival-type games, kids’ crafts, a hay bale maze, hay wagon shuttles, and food to name a few of the fun activities. Children are encouraged to come in costume and join in the costume parade that will be lead by a real life marching band around the Center grounds at 2:30. The event is held rain or shine. Admission is $7.00 per carload.

The Sharon Audubon Center is located on Route 4 in Sharon, for more information, contact the Audubon Center at (860) 364-0520 or visit http://sharon.audubon.org.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

JanetLeave a comment