Tag: news

Salisbury Jumpfest and Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships Feb. 8 -10

Despite last week’s rain and 50 degree temperatures, there will be no shortage of snow at Satre Hill this weekend when the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) hosts ski jumping for the 87th year during Jumpfest Weekend in Salisbury, CT, drawing some of the best junior jumpers in the East- many with Olympic aspirations.

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SWSA president Ken Barker said “The night time temperatures dropped right after the warm spell and we’ve been making snow ever since.” Barker added “We have two snow guns that produce huge volumes of snow.”

With overnight temperatures remaining low this week SWSA directors will continue snowmaking to add extra cover to the landing hill.

photo credit Jonathan Doster
photo credit Jonathan Doster

“Our biggest problem,” Barker said “is that because there isn’t much snow on the ground out there, people may think that we don’t have any either. Right now, our ski jump facility looks like a big white patch in a otherwise brown world.”

The three-day Jumpfest will include Target-Jumping Under the Lights as well as the Human Dogsled Race, a crowd favorite where five humans pull one human on a sled around a .3 mile course. Teams get very creative with both their costumes and sleds.

photo credit: Jonathan Doster
photo credit: Jonathan Doster

Junior jumpers, many of whom have recently completed in the junior jump camp, will show off their new-found skills as they compete on the 20 and 30 meter hills.

Ice carving will return to the Scoville Memorial Library again this year, but with a new twist. In place of an actual competition, the event will feature multiple-block demonstration pieces by some the areas (and country’s) best carvers that will be sure to impress. To add to the fun, the areas best restaurants will compete in a chili cook-off. At night, Snow Ball revelers can dance to the rock and roll music of Common Folk and Treetop Blues featuring Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult fame.

Schedule of Events

Friday
Nite Lites

6:30 pm- Chili Cook-off
7 pm- Target-Jumping under the lights.
Following jumping- Human Dogsled Race

Saturday

9 am- Nordic Kids 20 and 30 meter competition
11am-noon- practice for Salisbury Invitational ski jumping competition
1pm-3pm- Salisbury Invitational Competition
11am-3pm- Ice Carving Demonstration featuring area’s best carvers, Scoville Memorial Library, free admission
8pm-midnight- Snow Ball, featuring opening band The Common Folk and treetop Blues with Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult fame, at the Lakeville Hose Co., admission: Adults $12, children 12 and under free.

Sunday

Pancake Breakfast at Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance building
11am- Practice 87th Annual Eastern Ski Jumping Championships
1pm- Competition including Junior Olympic hopefuls.

All jumping events held at Satre Hill in Salisbury.
Unless otherwise noted, admission for all events: $10 for adults and children 12 and under are free.

Proceeds from Jumpfest Weekend will fund SWSA’s children’s skiing programs.

For updates and program changes go to www.Jumpfest.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

JanetLeave a comment

Meerkats” And “Africa” Exhibits Extended Into 2013

Amazing Meercats Extend their Stay

Visitors to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk are getting more chances to be entertained and fascinated by a special collection of exotic African creatures, including six amusing meerkats.

The special exhibit “Africa: From the Desert to the Sea” will stay open for another five months, through Jan. 20, 2013. And its companion exhibit, “Meerkats,” has been extended through Labor Day 2013. Previously, both had been scheduled to close after this Labor Day (Sept. 3).

The meerkats are very popular with visitors young and old to the Aquarium. The extention of ‘Africa’ through the holidays and into the new year allows the Aquarium the necessary time to prepare for their next special exhibit.

Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are members of the mongoose family that live in social “mobs” in the Kalahari Desert, in the southern African nations of Botswana and South Africa. (Timon, the comical sidekick in Disney’s “The Lion King,” is a meerkat.)

The Maritime Aquarium’s “Meerkats” exhibit features six sibling meerkats – three males, three females – born in July 2009 at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their Aquarium exhibit offers lots of opportunities for climbing, digging and exploring. For young Aquarium visitors, a special viewing bubble lets children pop up right among the meerkats.

The animals are so popular that the Aquarium installed a “meerkat cam,” for visitors who want to check up on the animals’ activities remotely. (Click on it at www.maritimeaquarium.org.)

The “Africa: From the Desert to the Sea” exhibit displays some of the fascinating but lesser-known aquatic creatures of Africa, including lungfish, electric catfish and colorful cichlids and reef fish.

Both special exhibits are free with Maritime Aquarium general admission, which is $13.95 for adults, $12.95 for seniors 65+, and $10.50 for children 2-12.

A new special exhibit, “Dangerous Creatures,” is scheduled to open on Feb. 16 in the space currently occupied by “Africa: From the Desert to the Sea.”

For more information about The Maritime Aquarium’s exhibits, IMAX movies and programs, go online to www.MaritimeAquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700.

JanetLeave a comment

New Exhibits Open at the Silvermine Galleries

On Sunday, September 23 there will be an opening reception from 2pm to 4pm at the Silvermine Galleries located on 1037 Silvermine Rd. in New Canaan. This new exhibit will run from September 23 through November 3. The Gallery is open Wednesday – Saturday: 12p.m. – 5 pm; Sunday: 1 – 5 pm. For additional information visit www.silvermineart.org or www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

The art show will consist of four superlative artists and includes the work of

Camille Eskell: “Ezekiel Project”

“Dry Bones: Aurora” by New Canaan artist, Camille Eskell from her exhibit “The Ezekiel Project”

A new series of work reflecting the uncertainty, vulnerability and hope for restoring today’s cultural climate in 2- and 3-D media. The series title also alludes to the artists family name before it was Anglicized in the early 1900’s to better fit into American society. Close examination reveals hints of lace designs in her artwork, an emblem of a long-held family business.

“Creature Wood” by New York City artist, Mikhail Gubin from his exhibit “Splintery Configurations”

Mikhail Gubin: “Splintery Configurations”

The works in this new exhibit are all united by one idea, the use of recycled materials, and unified through the use of collage. The artist focuses the viewer’s attention on the issue of caring towards nature and to the earth’s dwindling resources and how it is manifested in our daily life.

“Untitled” by Easthampton, NY artist, Susan Halls from her exhibit “Head to Head”

Susan Halls: “Head to Head”

The scrutinizing ceramics faces fill the gallery with a continuous seam of small sculptures that penetrate the space and force the viewer to confront each piece as if they were looking at a criminal line up. The observer becomes the observed, the faces invite and repel, and hopefully, disturb. No one sculpture is larger than the hand, and the intimate sale draws the viewer in close.

Joan Wheeler: “Time Like a River”

This new exhibit of works consists of figurative, narrative oil paintings exploring mankind’s relationship with the natural world. The paintings reflect the cyclical seasons and interconnectedness of events over time. The title refers to the artist’s belief that events and relationships of today flow by us and become the past, while the events of the future inevitably flow towards us.

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A Taste of Litchfield Hills Aug. 25 – 27

From comfort food to gourmet dishes and live entertainment to an outdoor shopping bazaar, the 27th annual Taste of The Litchfield Hills will offer a menu of fine fare and fun at a new location.

New England’s oldest food and wine festival will be held Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 25-26, 2012, at its new location, Harwinton Fairgrounds, 150 Locust Road, Harwinton, Conn.

Since 1985, the festival has annually attracted thousands of guests for a sampling of the region’s food and wine, plus upscale shopping and live entertainment.

This year’s menu will feature such dishes as BBQ pulled pork, braised short ribs, chicken and black bean chili, fresh prosciutto Panini, lamb shawama pita wrap, lobster hush puppies, lobster mac and cheese, grilled pizza, New England clam chowder, seared sea scallops, sesame chicken and many other items. Sweet offerings will include apple cider cinnamon donuts, banana & toffee pie, fruit smoothies, old fashioned kettle corn, white chocolate apricot squares and many other delicious desserts. The 2012 Menu is available for download at www.LitchfieldFestivals.com.

Foodies will enjoy “grazing-sized” portions of house specialties prepared by chefs from regional restaurants, bistros and other purveyors of fine food with prices ranging from $4.00 to $8.00 per item. Table seating will be available in the festival’s Culinary Tent and outdoor picnic pavilions. Plus, guests are invited to picnic on the grounds with their own lawn chairs and blankets.

Participating culinary vendors will include @ The Corner (Litchfield), Backstage Restaurant (Torrington), Faddy’s Donuts & Ice Cream (Bloomfield), The Green Room Café (Winsted), Indochine Pavilion (New Haven), Infinity Bistro (Norfolk), Jake’s Wayback Burgers (Torrington), Kelly’s Kitchen (Winsted), KJ’ Grilled Pizza (Torrington), La Cupola Ristorante & Inn (Litchfield) and Noujaim’s Specialty Foods (Torrington).

An assortment of imported Italian wines from Don Tomasi Winery will be available for purchase by the glass. Samuel Adams Boston Lager beer, plus a variety of soft drinks also will be available for purchase.

Live entertainment will include country singer-songwriter Courtney Drummey (Saturday, 12-3 p.m.), jazz recording artists The Christine Spero Group (Saturday, 4-7 p.m.) and blues artists The Andy James Band (Sunday, 1-4 p.m.).

Guests will also enjoy an upscale shopping experience in the festivals outdoor bazaar featuring such unique gift items as artisan-crafted jewelry, gourmet food products, kitchenware and other products and services.

Hours for A Taste of the Litchfield Hills will be 12 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012.

Ticket prices are Adult (age 12-64): $10 On-Site or $8 Advance Purchase; Senior (age 65+): $8 On-Site or $6 Advance Purchase; and Child (Under 12): Free admission. Advance tickets and more information are available at www.LitchfieldFestivals.com. Admission does not include food and beverage, which are purchased separately.

Harwinton Fairgrounds is located off Route 4 on Locust Road in Harwinton, Conn., just a few minutes from the intersection of Routes 8 & 118 and is an easy day-trip from Albany, The Berkshires, Hartford, The Hudson Valley, Metro New York, New Haven and Springfield.

With its antique shops, art galleries, covered bridges and quaint villages, the Litchfield Hills is an ideal vacation destination for the three-day holiday weekend. Lodging options include dozens of bed and breakfasts, country inns, resorts, hotels and motels. Tourism information is available from the Western Conn. Convention & Visitors Bureau at 860-567-4506 or www.LitchfieldHills.com.

About A Taste of The Litchfield Hills

Since 1985, A Taste of The Litchfield Hills has annually attracted thousands of guests for a sampling of the region’s food and locally-produced wine, plus live entertainment and upscale shopping. More Info: http://www.LitchfieldFestivals.com

JanetLeave a comment

Sharon Audubon Festival August 11th and 12th

Wendy with Sophia

The 45th annual Sharon Audubon Festival will be taking place at the Sharon Audubon Center, located on Route 4 in Sharon, CT on Saturday and Sunday, August 11th and 12th. The Audubon Festival is an event where people of all ages can learn about nature in a fun and interactive way, and features two full days of nature walks and programs, live animal presentations, children’s activities, food, music, exhibits, vendors and more. Whether one is a seasoned naturalist or a young explorer, there are activities for all ages and experience levels.

Erin with a Red Hawk

Two keynote presentations will also take place each day. At 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm on Saturday, Talons will engage visitors with a falconry demonstration. These amazing birds of prey will also be on display throughout the day on Saturday. A live animal show presnted by Rainforest Reptiles known for their dynamic educational programs will take place at 1:00 pm on Sunday afternoon. The festivities will close on Sunday with Flight of the Raptor, another exciting falconry demonstration back by popular demand.

Scheduled programs take place at 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 and 2:15 each day. Examples of programs include Exploring Bog Meadow by Canoe, Porcupines, Tree Identification Walk, Swarming Behavior of Honey Bees, Bird Banding, Orienteering, Reptiles, Bears, Pressed Flower Bookmarks and much more. Ongoing activities such as a live animal exhibits from the Beardsley Zoo and Wonders on Wheels and the children’s Merry Marsh Activity Tent, as well as various vendors, will be on hand throughout each day. Food is also available for purchase.

Gates are open from 9:30am-5: 30pm each day. No pets are allowed inside the gates. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and under. A complete schedule and description of programs can be found at www.sharon.audubon.org or by calling 860-364-0520 for more information.

JanetLeave a comment

A Duo of Two Revolutionary Events July 7

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The Burning of Fairfield 223 Year Commemoration & Walking Tour

On Saturday, July 7th the Fairfield Museum and History Center has planned an evening walking tour from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm to commemorate the 1779 Burning of Fairfield.

On July 7, 1779, the people of Fairfield awoke to a warning shot from the fort at Black Rock, signaling that a British fleet was spotted off the coast.    For two days, Fairfield was under British attack with troops burning virtually all its buildings.  This attack was actually one of three attacks, including New Haven and Norwalk, along the Connecticut coastline.

Following the Burning of Fairfield in 1779, there was ongoing worry among citizens about a repeat attack and this concern eventually led to the construction of the Powderhouse in Fairfield, which is located behind the site of Tomlinson Middle School.

This year marks the 223 rd. anniversary date of the destruction of Fairfield by British troops. This year, the animated walking tour brings to life an exciting piece of Fairfield’s history and will include stops at various homes on or adjacent to the town green with actors portraying prominent citizens. The event is so authentic that actual letters and depositions from 1779 are used. This is living history in action because you can hear the actual dramatic words of Fairfield citizens who were witnesses to the burning of Fairfield.

The rain or shine walking tour will begin at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, located at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield.  Each tour is $5 for museum members and $8 for non-members.

The Fairfield Museum is located at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, CT. Hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free for members, $5 for adults, $3 for students and free for children age 5 and under.  For more information on exhibits and upcoming programs, visit www.fairfieldhs.org or call the Fairfield Museum at 203-259-1598.  The Museum annually hosts more than 18,000 visitors. For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

 

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Hopkins Vineyard Celebrates 225 Years

On July 7 from noon to 5pm (rain date July 8th) Hopkins Vineyard, a National Bi-Centennial Farm (25 Hopkins Rd.) located in New Preston Connecticut will be celebrating 225 years of ownership by the same family.

The Hopkins Family has organized the Heritage Festival and is inviting the general public to come and experience this colonial themed event for free! The Heritage Festival, will be replete with music and costumes representing the year 1787.

In 1787, Elijah Hopkins, returning from the Revolutionary War, chose this rich and fertile site on Lake Waramaug to settle his family and start the Hopkins Farm. The farm, has witnessed many diversified forms of agriculture over the years including the raising of sheep, racehorses, grain crops, tobacco, and in the more recent past dairy farming.

In 1979, Bill Hopkins planted the first vines and converted his 19th century barn into a state-of-the-art winery that overlooks the serene waters of beautiful Lake Waramaug. The rest is award winning winemaking history.

Now in business for over 30 years this premier Connecticut Vineyard is celebrating its’ heritage in style. The events from noon to 5 pm at the Heritage Festival will include: Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard Parade at Noon followed by a Proclamation of the Anniversary, honoring American Patriot, Elijah Hopkins.

Adding ambience to the festival, there will be 18th Century Music by Hanford & Finlay, who will play Tavern Songs in addition to performing a family program called “In the Good Old Colony Days”.

There will be quilting, spinning and weaving, candle making, rope making, black smithing, kettle corn and open fire cooking displays. The festival will have plenty of fun children’s activities and games that will be provided by the Charles Merriman Society. The DAR will be on hand to help with genealogy research and an interesting selection of Colonial Era Arts and Crafts will be for sale.  Refreshments, baked goods and food catered by the Hopkins Inn will also be available.

For more information visit http://www.hopkinsvineyard.com. For area information and places to shop, stay and dine visit www.litchfieldhills.com.

 

 

 

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