Tag: New England

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

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Learn the Most Embarrassing Things about George Washington Through Improv

On a one dollar bill, George Washington may appear to be an imposing figure, but did you know that he, too, was embarrassing sometimes? Join the Litchfield Historical Society in welcoming Christina Frei on Wednesday, January 8 at 3:00 pm as we explore the Top 10 Most Embarrassing Things about George Washington!

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No need to sit in front of a screen on this half-day—using games, magic, and comedy improvisation, participants will learn all about our first president. Through this funny and interactive program, your kids will learn all sorts of new and embarrassing historical facts to share at the dinner table. No stage experience is necessary!

Christina Frei is a motivational youth speaker and performer from Connecticut. She uses stories about the Founding Fathers and their “Revolutionary thinking” to turn children into confident leaders. A master at storytelling, Frei has also written a book, 5 Rockstars of the American Revolution: Surprising Stories and Big Life Lessons of the Founding Fathers. She has been featured on the History Channel, the Today Show, and NBC News.

This event is open to kids ages 9 and up, and is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Registration is required—please register by Monday, January 6 for this event by calling (860) 567-4501 or emailing registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

The Litchfield History Museum is located at 7 South Street, Litchfield, CT. For more information about this or other programs, please call (860) 567-4501 or see www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

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First Night Danbury

First Night Danbury 2013-2014, presented by Family & Children’s Aid and CityCenter Danbury, will salute the “Young at Heart.” Enjoying its 24th year as CityCenter downtown’s family friendly New Year’s Eve celebration, First Night takes place on New Year’s Eve, Tuesday, December 31st, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm in Danbury downtown venues, all within easy walking distance. The highly anticipated event, often shared by three or four generations of family and friends who’ve been attending since 1989 from throughout the Housatonic Valley and beyond, annually provides everyone a chance to close out a year and begin anew, with community enthusiasm and lots of surprises

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First Night will offer more than 30 entertainments and activities over its youthful and high-spirited 4 hours. A Vaudeville at the Palace Danbury traditionally anchors the evening, this year starring ventriloquist Kenny Warren & his “smarty pants” sidekick Leroy Cool. Seen on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” this extraordinary vocal illusionist has been one of the best known opening acts for many of America’s leading headline performers, including Jerry Seinfeld, Rosie O’Donnell, Richard Pryor, Robert Klein and Rodney Dangerfield. Of course, Leroy Cool is no slouch either. He’s always by Kenny’s side. They will be joined on the stage of Danbury’s 1928 vaudeville house by Connecticut’s newest improv group, A Work in Progress, and the jaw-dropping stunts of LuckyBob. Music, Variety, Children’s Activities, Arts & Crafts, Novelties & Exhibitions are planned for every age group, every interest, and every entertainment. There’s Magic, Giant Puppets, Storytelling, Ice Sculpting, special workshops with the Danbury Whalers hockey team, and much more.
Other artists, activities and participants include: Teen rock band Marmalade Sky, two DJ’s, Dave Wonsey’s Drum Circle, the Easton Banjo Society, the New Hope Mass Choir, and 8-year-old aspiring engineer Leo Luning. Food Truck fare on Liberty Street will keep First Night revelers merry and warm! And don’t forget to join everyone for the “Young at Heart” FINALE at 7:30pm on Library Plaza with carols and line dancing led by DJ Jim Fairchild, Linda Peck Juggling, Mortal Beasts & Deities Stilts & Large Puppets, Ice Matters’ Sculptures, and Hot Cider & Cookies courtesy of Danbury Parking Authority.

First Night buttons, perfect gifts for family, friends, neighbors, business colleagues and stocking stuffing, cost $10 – the price of a movie ticket! – or $8 (a discount of $2 each) if you purchase 20 or more. They are currently available Monday through Friday 10:00am to 5pm – and on Saturday, December 21st and Saturday, December 28th from noon to 3:00pm – at the CityCenter offices, 187 Main Street. Buttons in bulk (20 or more) can also be purchased through special arrangement outside of regular business hours. Look for buttons on sale at local outlets, including Union Savings Bank locations in Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield and New Fairfield; Savings Bank of Danbury locations in Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown, New Fairfield, and New Milford; Patriot Parking Garage, Danbury; Danbury Library; Danbury Museum & Historical Society; Appearances Hair Salon, New Milford; and The Sweet Spot, New Milford. You can also purchase First Night buttons through PayPal by visiting www.citycenterdanbury.com For information, call (203) 792 1711.

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First Night will offer more than 30 entertainments and activities over its youthful and high-spirited 4 hours. A Vaudeville at the Palace Danbury traditionally anchors the evening, this year starring ventriloquist Kenny Warren & his “smarty pants” sidekick Leroy Cool. Seen on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” this extraordinary vocal illusionist has been one of the best known opening acts for many of America’s leading headline performers, including Jerry Seinfeld, Rosie O’Donnell, Richard Pryor, Robert Klein and Rodney Dangerfield. Of course, Leroy Cool is no slouch either. He’s always by Kenny’s side. They will be joined on the stage of Danbury’s 1928 vaudeville house by Connecticut’s newest improv group, A Work in Progress, and the jaw-dropping stunts of LuckyBob. Music, Variety, Children’s Activities, Arts & Crafts, Novelties & Exhibitions are planned for every age group, every interest, and every entertainment. There’s Magic, Giant Puppets, Storytelling, Ice Sculpting, special workshops with the Danbury Whalers hockey team, and much more.
Other artists, activities and participants include: Teen rock band Marmalade Sky, two DJ’s, Dave Wonsey’s Drum Circle, the Easton Banjo Society, the New Hope Mass Choir, and 8-year-old aspiring engineer Leo Luning. Food Truck fare on Liberty Street will keep First Night revelers merry and warm! And don’t forget to join everyone for the “Young at Heart” FINALE at 7:30pm on Library Plaza with carols and line dancing led by DJ Jim Fairchild, Linda Peck Juggling, Mortal Beasts & Deities Stilts & Large Puppets, Ice Matters’ Sculptures, and Hot Cider & Cookies courtesy of Danbury Parking Authority.

First Night buttons, perfect gifts for family, friends, neighbors, business colleagues and stocking stuffing, cost $10 – the price of a movie ticket! – or $8 (a discount of $2 each) if you purchase 20 or more. They are currently available Monday through Friday 10:00am to 5pm – and on Saturday, December 21st and Saturday, December 28th from noon to 3:00pm – at the CityCenter offices, 187 Main Street. Buttons in bulk (20 or more) can also be purchased through special arrangement outside of regular business hours. Look for buttons on sale at local outlets, including Union Savings Bank locations in Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield and New Fairfield; Savings Bank of Danbury locations in Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown, New Fairfield, and New Milford; Patriot Parking Garage, Danbury; Danbury Library; Danbury Museum & Historical Society; Appearances Hair Salon, New Milford; and The Sweet Spot, New Milford. You can also purchase First Night buttons through PayPal by visiting www.citycenterdanbury.com For information, call (203) 792 1711.

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First Night Venues & Performers
Artist bios and other program information are listed under the host site chronologically so that when you visit, you may check out what’s happening there all in one place.
DANBURY ARENA 1Independence Way
Kids’ Crafts with Kerri LuBell (NY)
4:00 – 7:00pm
Go creative! Kerri’s clever arts and crafts creations have always insured that a child of any age goes home with playful memories… and a keepsake souvenir.

Danbury Whalers Workshops (CT)
4:30 – 5:15pm & 6:00 – 6:45pm
Danbury’s own Federal Hockey League Champion Danbury Whalers, based at the Danbury Ice Arena, invite you into their home-on-ice for a whirlwind introduction to what they do best – Skate! Their name comes from the Hartford Whalers who were a professional ice hockey team based in Connecticut and played in Hartford from 1975-1997 before relocating to North Carolina.

Public Skate (discount with button)
5:00 – 7:00pm
Admission is only $3 for everyone with a First Night button. If you don’t have your own skates, you can rent a pair for $4. Get on the ice tonight!

DANBURY LIBRARY 170 Main Street
Coconuts (CT)
4:00 – 5:15pm on the Main Level
A family-friendly music and comedy show that will have you laughing, clapping and singing along to the music of The Beatles, Four Seasons, Neil Diamond and lots of other classics. You’ll also hear hilarious parodies of some of your favorite songs. The band you won’t forget.

Marty the Magician with Lee Winters (NY)
4:00 – 7:00pm in the Farioly Room
Marty joins First Night Danbury with a decade with us under his top hat. A popular fixture on New Year’s Eve, his prestidigitation entertains children of all ages with a personal flair! He is past president of the Danbury Top Hatters Society of American Magicians. Kid Magician Lee Winters is a 2nd Place Winner at The Tannen’s Magic Camp.

Ice Matters (CT)
4:00 – 8:00pm on Library Plaza
A First Night staple, this award wnning ice carving company always captures First Night’s theme with artistry and good humor. A National Ice Carving Champion, owner Bill Covitz began his career as a graduating chef from the Culinary Institute of America. He now spends some of his time creating ice instruments on the mountaintops of Norway.

The Storycrafters (NY)
5:45 – 6:30pm & 6:45 – 7:30pm on the Main Level
Jeri Burns and Barry Marshall have been working together as The Storycrafters since 1991. Their natural, energetic style has been featured in major festivals, schools and libraries in the US, Europe, and the West Indies. With awards from Parents Choice, The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and Storytelling World, they specialize in original retellings and modern renditions of world folklore – crafted with pizzazz!

DJ Jim Fairchild (CT)
6:00 – 8:00pm on Library Plaza
Jim has been packing dance floors for nearly 30 years for a laundry list of Who’s Who. His clients have included Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys, Sally Jesse Raphael & Michael Bolton, plus many others in the public’s eye. Jim is one of the top DJ Entertainers in our region.

Mortal Beasts & Deities (CT)
6:00 – 8:00pm wandering Main Street beginning at Library Plaza. Parade with them back to Library Plaza for the closing gathering at 7:30pm
Mortal Beasts & Deities, led by Mark Alexander of northwestern Connecticut,
has been creating Controlled Mayhem and Earnest Frivolity with their Larger Than Life Puppets and Splendiferous Stilt Dancers around the United States and Internationally since 1996. Look for a Flock of Doves!

Linda Peck (MA)
6:30 – 8:00pm on Library Plaza
Linda Peck will light up the night for First Night Danbury as Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” Her moving muse “has audiences spellbound” as she spins an orb on a parasol, all the while standing on a golden globe There may even be a meteor shower of light as Linda swings and juggles fire.
“Young at Heart” Finale
7:30 – 8:15pm on Library Plaza
Featuring DJ Jim Fairchild, Linda Peck, Mortal Beasts & Deities, Ice Matters, and Hot Cider and Cookies courtesy of the Danbury Parking Authority.

DANBURY MUSIC CENTRE 256 Main Street
Dave Wonsey (CT)
4:00 – 5:00pm
Dave has facilitated Synergy Drum Circles since 1996. Dave became a World Champion drummer at the age of 16. In a career that has him to Carnegie Hall at the Cathefral of St. John the Divine, he covers a variety of styles including Jazz & Rock, Orchestral Percussion & World Percussion… even Snare Drum for Bagpipe Bands. His communal Drum Circles always are an uplifting jam. Just show up and play, hard and loud.

Masque Theatre (CT)
5:30 – 6:15pm & 6:45 – 7:30pm
Masque Theatre’s Larry Hunt is an actor, director, mask maker, and educator. He has performed throughout most of the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Australia, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Bulgaria, Serbia, Czech Republic and more. Since 1980, Larry has produced and performed his own original theater works that combine historical mask traditions with innovative approaches to body movement and improvisation.

PALACE DANBURY 165 Main Street
Easton Banjo Society (CT)
4:00 – 4:30 pm, 5:00 – 5:30pm & 6:00 – 6:30pm in the Lobby
Entertaining audiences of all ages for over half a century since founded in Easton, CT in 1957, the group serves up an unique American sound, drawn mainly from the mid-1800’s to the easily 1930’s, with banjos, sousaphone, drums, and washboard.

Kenny Wilson & Leroy Cool (NY)
Vaudevilles: 4:30 – 5:15pm; 5:30 – 6:15pm; 6:30 – 7:15pm
Seen on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” vocal illusionist extraordinaire Kenny Warren has been one of the best known opening acts for many of America’s leading headline performers, including Jerry Seinfeld, Rosie O’Donnell, Richard Pryor, Robert Klein and Rodney Dangerfield. Of course, Leroy Cool is no slouch either. He’s always by Kenny’s side. The team’s comic antics will headline the Palace Danbury vaudeville with A Work in Progress and LuckyBob.

A Work in Progress (CT)
Vaudevilles: 4:30 – 5:15pm; 5:30 – 6:15pm; 6:30 – 7:15p
Connecticut’s newest improv group serving Fairfield County and based out of A Common Ground right here in the heart of downtown Danbury. Members include founder James Diamond, improv veterans Andree Lambertson and Christopher Dube, and newcomer and rising star Ryan Cummins. Together they have over 40 years of combined improv experience.

LuckyBob (MA)
Vaudevilles: 4:30 – 5:15pm; 5:30 – 6:15pm; 6:30 – 7-15pm
LuckyBob is perfect blend of magic, juggling and comedy. From beginning to end, LuckyBob’s superb skill and affable personality will entertain, mystify and keep you wanting more. High-Energy, Jaw-Dropping Stunts and the wit of a seasoned comedian, LuckyBob proves he can do anything with his uncanny juggling skills.

ST. JAMES’ CHURCH 25 West Street
Linda Parker (CT)
4:00 – 4:45pm
Ms. Parker has sung at St. James Church for many years, performs with the Danbury Chorus, St. John’s Chorale in Washington CT, and at New Milford Fair Days. Her repertoire includes classical and sacred works as as pieces from the legenday Broadway songbook. A 2012 First Place winner of the National Association of Teachers of Singing award, Linda is currently a member of the Waterbury Chorale.

New Hope Mass Choir (CT)
5:15 – 6:00pm
The New Hope Baptist Church Mass Choir (Reverend LeRoy G. Parker) was formed in 2003. With their mission to spread the “good news,” The choir has had a long history of serving the Greater Danbury community and many other cities inside and outside of New Hope’s entire music ministry is comprised of the mass choir, the male chorus, the Praise Team, the Youth Choir and the Sounds of Joy children’s choir. The choirs are under the musical direction of Minister of Music Brother Jonathan Hill and choir director Sister Corean Strong.

Mad Hatters Barbershop Chorus (CT)
6:30 – 7:15pm
A non-profit fraternal organization the Mad Hatters are affiliated with the 24,000 member Barbershop Harmony Society. Since 1966, Danbury’s popular a cappella troupe has promoted in song one of the city’s historic industries, singing four-part harmony in the ” barbershop style,” featuring a rich repertoire of love songs, movie and Broadway Show tunes, folk, doo-wop, patriotic and 19th century vaudeville melodies.

UNION SAVINGS BANK AT THE GALLERIA 225 Main Street
DJ/MC Man-u-iLL (CT)
4:00 – 7:30pm
Considered among Hip-Hop’s best, Man-u-iLL was discovered as the proprietor of iLL iNK Graphic & Printing Services on Main Street. “Music is a reflection of life, opinions, thoughts, and feelings… Words are power and my aim is to spark brain cells and move hearts.”

Portuguese Traditional Games (CT)
4:00 – 7:30pm
Always welcomed at First Night and CityCenter events throughout the season, this group demonstrates the key components of games: goals, rules, challenges, and interaction. For the past 15 years under mentor Antonio Heitor, this group of young people find that the best feeling of all is when the older crowd expresses their memories of playing the same games.

Masque Theatre Istallation (CT)
4:00 – 7:30pm
A cascade of Larry Hunt’s exquisitely handcrafted and evocative masks.

HEIRLOOM ARTS THEATRE 155 Main Street at the end of Palace Walk
Marmalade Sky (CT)
4:45 – 5:30pm, 6:00 – 6:45pm
Jason, Josh and Ben – friends for over 10 years – started jamming together at Band Camp three years ago, where they met drummer Max. The boys were later joined by Amber on vocals. Marmalade Sky has been rocking crowds throughout CT & NY, winning the Ridgefield BandJam competitions in 2012 & 2013. Audiences are wowed by the professional quality music, spot-on covers & remarkable originals. Most importantly, the band has fun!

ESCAPE TO THE ARTS 293 Main Street
Craft Projects
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Fun new craft! Create and take home your own miniature yarn doll. Face painting will also be available.

Gallery Exhibition: For Emilie
5:00 – 7:00 pm
View exhibit of colorful paintings created by artists of all ages in honor of former ESCAPE student and Sandy Hook victim Emilie Parker.

PLAY N TRADE 147 Main Street
4:00 – 7:30pm
Video gaming (discount with button)

CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF WESTERN CT @287 287 Main Street
BlueBossa (CT)
4:30 – 7:00pm
This Danbury-based group plays bossa nova, Latin jazz, samba from Rio and folkloric traditional songs. The group featuresTom Wolff on guitar and flute, Colin Mayo on guitar, João Nunes vocals, Fernanda Franco vocals, Keith McDade on bass, and Jake Habegger on drums. A great way to celebrate Danbury’s rich Brazilian history.

DANBURY INNOVATION CENTER 158 Main Street
4:00 – 7:30pm
The Danbury Innovation Center, newly opening, will be the home of the Danbury Hackerspace, Western Connecticut Score, and will be a co-working and event space. Guest innovator is Leo Luning, a third-grader at Hudson Country Montessori School. His favorite activities are those where he can express his creativity using things he has learned about the world. Inspired by seeing a 3-D printer at Danbury’s First Night last year, Leo not only wanted to use one, but built a 3-D printer himself!

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Closer: The Graphic Art of Chuck Close at The Bruce Museum

The Bruce Museum in Greenwich is presenting Closer: The Graphic Art of Chuck Close in the main Love, Newman Wild Galleries through January 5, 2013 with a portion on view in the Lecture Gallery through January 26.

With a body of work composed almost entirely of portraits, the American artist Chuck Close has been astounding us with his artistic verisimilitude for more than four decades. His prints, especially, are adventures in problem solving: working from the particularities of each print medium – woodcut, etching, silkscreen, linocut, aquatint, pulp-paper multiple – he gives his imagination free rein to reconceive their aesthetic possibilities. Although a spirit of experimentation characterizes Close’s work across all media, it is particularly evident in the wide-ranging scope of his printed production.

Chuck Close announced his arrival on the contemporary art scene with his large-scale, black-and-white airbrushed heads, paintings based on photographs he had transferred to canvas by means of a grid. Recognition came quickly: his work was shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, in 1969, followed by a solo exhibition at New York’s Bykert Gallery in 1970 and a one-man show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1971. In 1972 he created the first print of his professional career, a mezzotint, which began a life-long engagement with the aesthetics and technology of printmaking. The collaborative nature of this work has been vital to the artist’s creative process: working with master printers, Close alters one or several variables to create endless permutations in a wide variety of print techniques, usually recycling past portraits of himself, his family, and his friends.

The Bruce Museum is also sponsoring a lecture on Dec. 12 beginning at 7:30 p.m. It is titled Closer: The Art of Chuck Close in the Context of the 1970s that is being led by Kenneth Silver, PHD, Professor of Art History, New York University, Adjunct Curator of Art, Bruce Museum. There will be a dessert reception for both lectures from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and reservations are required. Visit www.brucemuseum.org to make reservations.

Closer: The Graphic Art of Chuck Close is accompanied by a generously illustrated catalogue by the same title. A lecture series and film series will also complement the exhibition.

About the Bruce Museum
Explore Art and Science at the Bruce Museum, located at One Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students up to 22 years, $6 for seniors and free for members and children under 5 years. Individual admission is free on Tuesday. Free on-site parking is available and the Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For additional information, call the Bruce Museum at 203 869-0376 or visit the website at www.brucemuseum.org.

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Celebrate the holidays PT Barnum Style!

During December, Bridgeport’s Barnum Museum is offering a limited, yet glorious, series of Victorian Christmas events as part of the Celebrate the Season programming.

On Wednesday, December 11, at 11 a.m. the musuem is hosting a reading of The Night Before Christmas by Sonya Finch Bridgeport’s First Lady. Mrs. Finch will read Clement Clarke Moore’s timeless holiday tale, the enchantingThe Night Before Christmas, under the twinkling lights of a Victorian Christmas tree. Children attending the nearby Early Learning Lab at Housatonic Community College have been invited, but the public is also encouraged to bring their pre-school children for a $2 suggested donation to participate in this traditional way to ring in the holidays.

Lady in Wheeler Room

If you are a fan of Tom Thumb, don’t miss Eric Lehman’s Tom Thumb Lecture on Sunday, December 15, at 2 p.m. . Attendees will get a first look at Eric D. Lehman’s new biography of Bridgeport’s own Charles Stratton, Becoming Tom Thumb. Lehman tells the full story of this iconic figure for the first time. The book details his triumphs on the New York stage, his epic celebrity wedding, his meetings with Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria, and his around-the-world tour, drawing on newly available primary sources and interviews. From the mansions of Paris to the deserts of Australia, Stratton’s unique brand of Yankee comedy not only earned him the accolades of millions of fans, it helped move little people out of the side show and into the lime light. Eric D. Lehman teaches travel literature, history, and creative writing at the University of Bridgeport. He is the author of seven books about Connecticut, including A History of Connecticut Food andInsiders’ Guide to Connecticut. Admission $5.

On Wednesday, December 18, at 12 p.m. Kathleen Maher, the Museum’s Executive Director will present Celebrate the Season. This presentation will take participants on a fascinating journey back in time to holiday festivities of bygone days. Maher will present the evolution of the tales and traditions of a Victorian age Christmas. $2 suggested donation.
The Barnum Museum is located on 820 Main Street in Bridgeport in the People’s United Bank Gallery, entry located at the back of the historic building, or McLevy Green on Dec. 5. Call for more information 203-331-1104 ext.100, M-F, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Barnum Museum Holiday schedule:
Sat, Dec. 21 through Weds, Dec. 25 – The Barnum Museum will be closed
Thurs. & Fri., Dec. 26 & 27 – Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Weds. Jan. 1 – The Barnum Museum will be closed
Thurs. & Fri., Jan. 2 & 3 – Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The back exhibition hall of the museum, featuring artifacts that belonged to P.T. Barnum, Tom Thumb and others, is open for viewing and exploration on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To learn more about The Barnum Museum’s current programs visit http://www.barnum-museum.org. You can also visit the museum on Facebook, view past programs at www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org or communicate on Twitter @BarnumMuseum.

The original Barnum Institute building is owned by the City of Bridgeport and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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BETHLEHEM (CT) OFFERS A FESTIVE START TO THE HOLIDAY SEASON

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They call this little town in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut “Christmas Town” with good reason. Bethlehem’s Christmas Town Festival scheduled for December 6 and 7, celebrates its 33rd birthday this year as one of New England’s favorite ways to kick off the season. Wherever you turn, special treats are waiting, from the town green to the post office to the Abbey of Regina Laudis and the 1754 Bellamy-Ferriday House. Some of the unique attractions continue when the festival is over.
Vendors and More On the Green

The quaint town green, centered with a giant tree, is home to over 70 vendors with unique gift items, wreaths and delicious foods for sale. Strolling carolers and musicians help keep things lively, Santa will be waiting at the firehouse to pose for pictures with young friends, and everyone is invited to climb aboard for hayrides offered in front of First Church. Collectors can garner this year’s unique limited edition Christmas Town pewter ornament, sold only during the Festival.

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Bethlehem’s beautiful eighteenth century Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden will be festively decorated and open for tours and holiday cheer during festival hours. Guides will offer house tours and there will be hot cider and a scavenger hunt for children. The home is located at 9 Main Street North, information can be found at www.ctlandmarks.org

Hours for the Christmas Town Festival are Friday, December 6 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, December 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, see http://www.christmastownfestival.com or phone 203-266-7510, ext. 300.

Christmas Town Mailings at the Post Office

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The Bethlehem post office is busy in December serving the many who come every year to mail holiday cards with their unique postmarks. Visitors can select favorites among the “Christmas Cachet” designs, hand-stamp and mail these unique greetings to friends and family. The idea of the special stamps dates to 1938, when a local Postmaster, the late Earl Johnson, designed a “cachet,” a special rubber stamp featuring a tree and lettering that said “From the Little Town of Bethlehem, Christmas Greetings.” New cachets have been added almost every year since. Over 70 designs are now available and nearly 200,000 cards are mailed each year from this small post office. Located at 34 East Street, the post office will have extended hours during the festival, Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Precious Crèches at the Abbey

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One of Bethlehem’s not-to-be-missed jewels is open all month for visitors. The museum-quality eighteenth century Neapolitan crèche on view in a vintage barn at the Abbey of Regina Laudis includes hundreds of beautiful hand-carved figures. Made of wood, terra cotta, and porcelain, the figures portray the Holy Family, angels, the Three Kings, merchants and peddlers, children, peasants and farm animals. This fabulous gift from artist and philanthropist Loretta Hines Howard is similar to the one Howard donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is prominently displayed every Christmas.

A second Crèche, The Lauren Ford Crèche, created by a favorite Connecticut artist, is displayed in a farm shed near the Lower Abbey Chapel. This charming rustic Nativity scene displays figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph dressed in typical New England garb.

The Monastic Art Shop on the property offers crafts, cheeses, jams, herbal teas, flavored vinegars, herbs and honey, and all created on site by the Abbey’s residents.

The Abbey of Regina Laudis, located at 249 Flanders Road, is open to visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.abbeyofreginalaudis.org

For more information about holiday activities and a free copy of UNWIND, a full-color, 152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay, shop and dine in Fairfield County and the Litchfield Hills of Western Connecticut, contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506, or visit their web site at www.visitwesternct.com

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