Unwind from the Daily Grind!

Travel tips, sneak peaks, special events, and first hand travel destination information… around the corner, up the street and around the county

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Bike Tour of Greenwich Point

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 by:Janet Serra

J. Kennedy Tod built a forty-room mansion, a road system and a nine-hole golf course on his estate. When he died and the Town bought the Point for $ 550,000 in 1945, the mansion was remodeled into apartments for returning veterans. It no longer stands. Greenwich Historical Society

Summer is a great time of year to go on a two- wheel adventure and the Greenwich Historical Society’s Bike Tour of Greenwich Point fits the bill. -In partnership with the town’s “Experience the Sound” festival, the second annual “History on Wheels” family bike tour will take place at Greenwich Point on Sunday, June 23, 2013, at 2:00 pm. Participants will pedal around the point, stopping along the way to engage with historians and naturalists to discover how this idyllic 19th century island estate built by millionaire J. Kennedy Tod on the original 1640 Greenwich founders’ Elizabeth’s Neck, evolved into a beloved recreational facility.

Participants will learn bout Tod’s original beachfront golf course, the historic “Chimes” and other remaining buildings, how the eagle statue came to stand guard over the estate’s pond and much more. The group will also hear stories and see photographs from the Historical Society Archives taken at different times in the park’s history.

The tour is open to bike-riding singles, families and children over seven years old who are able to ride a bike. Kids will enjoy their very own scavenger hunt as part of the tour. Experience the Sound is co-sponsored by the Greenwich Shellfish Commission and To The Point, whose aim is to expand the community’s awareness of coastal marine life, nature, outdoor recreational pursuits and the environment by showcasing local organizations and educational institutions that care for and promote them.

To participate, on June 23 at 2 p.m., gather at the Innis Arden Cottage, Greenwich Point. It is suggested that participants bring bikes and wear helmets; water bottles are also recommended. Please note that participation is free but a valid park pass is required. For more information visit www.greenwichhistory.org and to reserve your space call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

Categories: General

Discover 19th Century Inventions at New Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum Exhibit

Friday, June 14, 2013 by:Janet Serra

Technology is a major part of our lives and our culture and the Lockwood Mathews Mansion has put together an exhibit that explores the roots of today’s technology by displaying the “futuristic” inventions of the Victorian Era. The Mansion was ahead of its time and one of America’s most technologically advanced buildings during the Civil War and the Victorian era so it makes the perfect backdrop for this new exhibit called What is It? Technologies and Discoveries of the Victoria Era.

Victorian era gadgets, technologies and breakthroughs will be on display at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum through October 6^th. What Is It? Technologies and Discoveries of the Victorian Era will tantalize student and adult audiences in the exploration of mid-to-late 19^th century inventions and discoveries in many diverse areas including communication, transportation, manufacturing, medicine, food and recreation. Visitors are sure to be surprised at how some of those historic breakthroughs are still very relevant today.

A highlight of the exhibit allows visitors to view cutting-edge Victorian Era technology that were precursors of some of today’s technologies, including telegraphs, Dictaphones, gas lighting and early examples of telephones, as well as burglar alarms, stock tickers and much more. Visitors will discover items still enjoyed today, from board games to food such as condensed milk and breakfast cocoa. Artifacts on display include loans from Connecticut’s Mattatuck Museum and the Museum of American Finance, New York City, among others.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark located at 295 West Avenue in Norwalk. Tours for the museum and exhibit are offered Wednesdays through Sundays, at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. Admittance is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children. Children under 8 are admitted free. For more information, visit www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.

Categories: General

Garden Club of America House and Garden Tour Celebrates 100 Years in Litchfield CT

Monday, June 10, 2013 by:Janet Serra

“Garden of Margaret Hicks Gage, Litchfield Garden Club Archives, Litchfield Historical Society, Helga J. Ingraham Memorial Library.”

To fete their 100- year anniversary, the Litchfield Garden Club is hosting a flower show and house and garden tour including two Smithsonian Gardens on June 15 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Flower Show will take place at the Litchfield Community Center located on 421 Bantam Rd. (Rte. 202) in Litchfield and will feature outstanding horticulture and three exhibits one on garden history and design including details on four Smithsonian gardens, a second on the history of the Litchfield Garden Club and a third conservation exhibit on organic food. A boutique offering special garden items will also be a highlight. The Flower Show at the Community Center is free and open to the public.

In conjunction with the Flower Show, the Litchfield Garden Club has organized a very special house and garden tour of five members’ homes and gardens that includes judged design classes in each home. Tour tickets and maps are available for purchase at the Community Center and are $50 per person. Tour goers may also purchase a box lunch at Breeze Hill Farm Gardens for an additional $18 and enjoy lunch on the grounds of this spectacular garden. For tickets in advance visit www.litchfieldgardenclub.org for a printable registration form.

Houses featured for this very special tour include some of Litchfield’s most interesting homes and gardens.

The Ozias Lewis house, built in 1806 is a perfect example of a late traditional center chimney, 5 bay Federal style dwelling. The garden has newly installed stonewalls, terraces and imaginative gardens, including extensive beds of peonies. The gardens provide extensive views of Chestnut Hill to the east.

The Lismolin House named after a castle in Tipperary in Ireland is a gracious Colonial Revival style house complete with a Palladian window. The gardens with elegant stonewalls and garden beds afford wonderful eastern views and contain a former owner’s pet cemetery.

Perhaps one of the most interesting houses featured on this tour is the Oliver Wolcott House, built by Oliver Wolcott, Senior, the Colonial High Sheriff of Litchfield, a member of the Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Governor of Connecticut, in 1753-1754, is the oldest house in the Borough of Litchfield. Many of the leading figures of their day, including General George Washington, Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton were entertained here. During the Revolution, the statue of King George III, torn down by a mob from its pedestal in Bowling Green in New York City, was brought by oxcart to the orchard behind the house, where the women and children of Litchfield melted it and molded bullets for the Continental Army.

The current owners bought the house in 1978 and carried out extensive renovations under the direction of expert restorers. The house has the original, hand-routed, beaded clapboards on its exterior and oak floors with handmade nails throughout the first floor. The “keeping room” contains a cooking fireplace and beehive ovens. The delft tiles in the dining room were installed about 1790 and the paneling over the dining room fireplace is original 18^th century work. The rear terrace overlooks extensive gardens that are breathtaking.

Another beautiful home on the tour is the Ethan Allen House, the birthplace of Revolutionary war hero Ethan Allen in 1738. Today the house boasts a renovated kitchen, breakfast area and garden room. A landscape design is in process including renovating the parterres off of the terrace, originally designed in the early 1950’s. The gardens offer an extensive eastern view of Chestnut Hill.

Breeze Hill was built in 1800 as a summer home and the Oldmsted brothers were hired to landscape the grounds. In 2012, the owners of Breeze Hill Farm joined a select group of Garden Club of America homeowners whose garden documentation was accepted into the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Gardens. On June 15^th, you are invited to pick up your reserved boxed lunch here and enjoy a pastoral picnic lunch in these bucolic meadows and gardens.

Another Smithsonian Garden featured on the tour is Chestnut Hill Gardens that consists of a 240-foot perennial border composed of deer-resistant and native plants. The border surrounds a large vegetable garden, herb gardens, a water garden, pinetum, fruit trees and native shrubs.

For area information visit www.litchfieldhills.com

Categories: General

Steamin’ with Sadie at the Railroad Museum

Friday, June 7, 2013 by:Janet Serra

This June, Steamin’ With Sadie will be the star attraction at the Railroad Museum of New England’s Thomaston Station as restored Lehigh Valley Coal Company Engine #126 leads weekend trips over our scenic railroad between June 8 through 23, including Father’s Day Weekend. Sadie, an 0-6-0 coal-fired steam engine and big sister to Hank the Tank, will be pulling their vintage train cars on hour-long trips along the Naugatuck River. For more information http://www.rmne.org.

All trips are on Saturdays and Sundays for three weekends beginning June 8 at 10 AM, 12 PM and 2 PM, boarding at historic 1881 Thomaston Station. They will also have extra displays, story book readings, live music and activities for kids of all ages at the Station. Tickets are Adults $20 and Children $15 (ages 3 – 12), age 2 and under are free. Purchase tickets online or call (860) 283-7245 to purchase from their agent. This is a special event you will not want to miss!

Between the 1830s and 1960, steam locomotives carried passengers and freight to every corner of America. They became part of our national history, a symbol of mobility and change. Over the years, steam locomotives became larger and more efficient. But technology advances after World War II changed the face of railroading forever. By 1948, steam engines were gone from the Naugatuck Valley, replaced by modern diesel locomotives on the New Haven Railroad from Bridgeport to Winsted, ending an important era in modern industrial history.

Lehigh Valley Coal Company #126 is a 40 ton coal-fired steam locomotive built by Vulcan Iron Works and put in service in 1931. It worked in Pennsylvania coal mines and was purchased by father and son team John and Barney Gramling from Indiana in 1993. Gramling Locomotive Works fully restored #126 to operating condition, completing it June 2011. Since then, #126 has traveled as far as Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and now to Connecticut as a living, breathing Ambassador of Steam.

About the Railroad Museum of New England

The Railroad Museum of New England is a not for profit historical and educational organization and an all-volunteer organization. We are located in historic 1881 Thomaston Station at 242 East Main St., Thomaston, CT. Our mission is to tell the story of the region’s rich railroad heritage through our educational exhibits and operation of the Naugatuck Railroad. The museum concept is more than artifacts; it’s also the story of the region and the development of society around the railroad. We offer an entertaining and scenic train ride along the Naugatuck River with vintage locomotives and restored passenger cars, also featuring displays of freight equipment and cabooses.

Categories: General

Jones Family Farm celebrates “the queen of fruits”

Thursday, June 6, 2013 by:Janet Serra

Strawberries from Jones Family Farm

This week, Terry Jones of Jones Family Farms will celebrate a tradition he began fifty years ago as a young teenager: setting out thousands of baby strawberry plants. Jones refers to this as the “Strawberry Red Anniversary” rather than the more typical “Golden Anniversary ” because it honors a half of a century of tradition as well as two years of plant production. In 2013, Jones Family Farms is recognizing the 50^th anniversary of planting the ‘Queen of Fruits’ and 2014 will mark the 50^th harvest!

According to the Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture, Steven K. Reviczky, Terry Jones may be the state’s oldest commercial grower having continuously planted strawberries for 50 years.

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Two aspects of strawberries have remained constant over the last half-century, according to Jones. First, the consistent challenge of the weather. This spring is no exception. The last week of May started with 28 degrees and frost at Jones’ ‘Valley Farm’ and ended with three days of highs in the mid-90s. In both cases, the plants and fruit were protected by irrigation sprinklers. The second constant is the excitement and passion of farm guests to harvest and to taste the sweet goodness of the first, ripe strawberries of the season! Jones’ strawberries are ripening now, as they normally do in early June, in contrast to last year’s record early start in May so it won’t be long before it is strawberry shortcake time!

Jones Family Farms is located in Shelton, Connecticut, off Route 110. For more information regarding hours of operation, picking locations, picking tips, and other information, visitors can call the Farmer Jones crop info line at (203) 929-8425, visit the Jones website at www.jonesfamilyfarms.com/farm/strawberries, their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jonesfamilyfarms, or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonesfamilyfarm.

Categories: General

Inheriting the Impressionist Tradition at Greenwich Historical Society

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 by:Janet Serra

Margaret Esmé Simon, Five Pears, Oil on Canvas Board

The Greenwich Historical Society will celebrate the work of local artists Maria C. Friscia, Perry Robinson, MD and Margaret Esmé Simon in a Community Artists exhibition entitled Inheriting the Impressionist Tradition. With still life paintings and landscapes rendered in colorful painterly strokes, the work represents a modern reflection on the American Impressionism that evolved at the Cos Cob art colony early in the last century. The exhibition will run from June 5 through July 31, 2013, with an opening reception on June 5, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

Riverside resident and artist Maria C. Friscia was born in Sicily and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Lehman College in New York. She is a member of the Stamford Art Association, the Greenwich Art Association, the Greenwich Arts Council and the Art Society of Old Greenwich.

Maria C. Friscia, Naturewalk, Oil on Canvas

Dr. Perry Robinson studied art and design in New York and attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His career took a turn when he decided to attend medical school at Columbia University, completing a surgical internship and landing in the business/medical world and Wall Street. Now a biomedical consultant, this is Dr. Robinson’s first show.

Architect Margaret Esmé Simon, who has painted all her life, attended New York City’s High School of Music and Art (now La Guardia High School) as an art major. Graduating with a BA in English from Cornell University, she went on to receive a MArch from Columbia University. In 2008, she decided to dedicate herself to the study and pursuit of art full time.

Perry Robinson, Summer Jardiniere, Oil on Canvas

The Community Artists series was established to support and encourage contemporary local artists by offering a welcoming venue for the exhibition of their work in a unique and historic setting. All works on display will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds going to the Greenwich Historical Society. The show is on view at the Storehouse Gallery Museum Shop Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to 4:00 pm and admission is free. To read the artists’ statements, visit www.greenwichhistory.org. To attend the opening reception, please call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10.

Categories: General

Greenwich Concours d’Elegance June 1 & 2

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 by:Janet Serra

The poster car of the 2013 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance is a 1955 Jaguar XK140MC, with a custom aluminum body by Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin, Italy. Photo by Bruce Wennerstrom

This year’s Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, 1 and 2 June at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park will feature an interesting car that defies identification at first – or second or third – glance, baffling even knowledgeable collectors. Its smooth lines, lustrous red paint and Carrozzeria Ghia crest confirm its Italian heritage, but what, exactly, is it?

Selected as the Poster Car for the 2013 Greenwich Concours it is a 1955 Jaguar XK140MC, with a custom aluminum body by Ghia of Turin, Italy. The MC suffix signifies that the engine was upgraded to produce 20 more horsepower, for a total of 220 hp. It was built for Marge and Gower Champion, the Hollywood musical stars, who later sold it to fellow actor, Ricardo Montalban; it is currently owned by Greenwich-collector Michael Schudroff. Thanks to its hand-made aluminum body, the coupe is substantially lighter than a stock XK140. Its greenhouse has slender roof pillars and greater glass area for a bright and airy interior. The greatest owner satisfaction though, comes from the exclusivity and the stir it creates wherever it appears at a gathering of car enthusiasts.

This 1966 Sunbeam Tiger, with a hot 289-hp Ford V8 engine, was the favorite ride of Andy Rooney, the famous “60 Minutes” TV commentator will be shown at the Greenwich Concours.
Photo by Russ Rocknak

Also making an appearance at the Greenwich Concours this year is Andy Rooney’s 1966 Sunbeam Tiger. The outspoken “60 Minutes” television commentator was a passionate “car guy.” He lived in Rowayton, Connecticut, and his station car, the 1966 Sunbeam Tiger, was a class of car known at the time as a “hybrid.” Not the politically correct electric/gasoline hybrids of today; Rooney’s Sunbeam was Brit-built but was powered by a hot 289-hp American Ford V8. Such cars were called hybrids because they combined European coach work with American power trains, an amalgam of Yankee horsepower and sleek European curves. His Sunbeam was a light-weight two-seat sports car, painted, of course, in British Racing Green.America II and Lionheart, the Greenwich-based ex-America’s Cup yachts will again be berthed by the Greenwich Concours and will offer two days of match racing. The association of classic cars and America’s Cup yachts is appropriate, for the yachts are truly classic, in the same sense that the cars are, being the finest craft that yacht designers, builders and sail makers could create, and conceived for the sole purpose of defending the America’s Cup during a series of challenges from sailors of other nations over a period of decades.

The Greenwich Concours – considered one of the premier concours in the country – is unique. Since its founding in 1996 it has comprised two separate concours, back-to-back; Saturday’s Greenwich Concours Americana features American cars from the 1900′s to the present, while Sunday’s Greenwich Concours International is exclusively for imported sports, competition and touring cars, again from the 1900′s to the present. From the beginning there has been a Best-of-Show trophy for the American cars, and a Best-of-Show for imported cars, with over a hundred classic cars and motorcycles on display each day.

Additionally, Bonhams auction company will hold an auction of rare and important collector cars and automobilia on Sunday, 2 June. The cars offered will be on display for the day prior to the sale and open to prospective bidders and the public.

Automobile Magazine is the Title Sponsor of the Greenwich Concours. Renowned radio host Bob Long, will be broadcasting live from the Concours for two hours each day. AmeriCares, the respected international relief organization, ranked best by Money magazine, is the charitable beneficiary.

In addition to classic Duesenbergs, Pierce-Arrows, Packards, Auburn Speedsters, 16-cylinder Cadillacs, Mercedes 300SL gullwings, and the popular post-war American muscle cars, spectators
can also check out the very latest offerings from the Concours’ sponsor companies in a relaxed no-pressure setting. The new-car offerings of BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Hyundai, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and other sponsor companies will be on display for viewing by show attendees,
plus Chubb Personal Insurance has all the answers for insuring collector cars.

Greenwich Concours Basics
A great attraction of the Greenwich Concours is the stunning beauty of its waterfront site, Roger Sherman Baldwin Park – a verdant peninsula at the head of Greenwich Harbor – which affords cooling sea breezes and a delightful water-side setting for alfresco lunches.

The Greenwich Concours Americana and the Concours International are open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The admission is $30 per day, or $45 for a two-day pass, and children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Parking is free, and food service is available on site. The dates for 2013 are 1 and 2 June, rain or shine.

The ease of getting to the Concours also contributes to its popularity, for it’s immediately off Exit 3 of I-95, and within a block of the Metro North train station with express service from New York and Boston. And, within walking distance, is Greenwich Avenue – the Rodeo Drive of the East – with all of its many restaurants, antique shops, luxury stores, and numerous boutiques. Hotels, ranging from the modest to ultra-luxe, are also close by, with the Delamar, the host hotel, right at the Concours site.

The Concours web site, www.greenwichconcours.com includes a map, driving directions, and contact information.

Categories: General

The Lorikeets are here!

Saturday, May 25, 2013 by:Janet Serra

This summer the The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk will welcome colorful exhibit of lorikeets that are native to the south Pacific. Visitors will step into a lush aviary to share a laugh and a squawk with beautiful tropical birds that will sip food right out of your hands !

“Lorikeets” will be open from May 25 through Sept. 2 on the Aquarium’s riverfront courtyard and will feature about a dozen varieties of lorikeets, which are colorful medium-sized parrots native to the south Pacific (SE Asia, eastern Australia, Polynesia). They’re naturally found in rainforests and woodlands, but also in wooded urban areas, where they primarily feed on the nectars of various blossoms and fruits.

Visitors will be invited to purchase a small cup of nectar before you go into the exhibit, that will encourage the lorikeets to land on your hand, or your arm, or even your head to get to your nectar.

Lorikeets are specially adapted to their sweet diet through their specialized tongue. Tiny hair-like appendages called papillae form a U shape on the end of the tongue. When the tongue is extended, these papillae stand up like bristles on a brush, expanding the tongue’s surface area and allowing the birds to easily soak up nectar. Unique to lorikeets, these papillae have earned the birds the nickname “brush-tongued parrots.”

Entry into “Lorikeets” will be free with Aquarium admission. There will be a small fee for the nectar cups.

For visitors with an aversion to close encounters with birds, viewing of the lorikeets will be possible from outside the aviary.

Categories: General

Page 1 of 2412 3 Last »

Unwind from the Daily Grind!

Bike Tour of Greenwich Point

Discover 19th Century Inventions at New Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum Exhibit

Garden Club of America House and Garden Tour Celebrates 100 Years in Litchfield CT

Steamin’ with Sadie at the Railroad Museum

Jones Family Farm celebrates “the queen of fruits”

Inheriting the Impressionist Tradition at Greenwich Historical Society

Greenwich Concours d’Elegance June 1 & 2

The Lorikeets are here!

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