CoCo Key Water Resort Hotel & Convention Center – Waterbury Under New Ownership

The CoCo Key Water Resort - Hotel & Convention Center, formally the Holiday Inn Waterbury, announces that it is under new ownership and management. A private investor out of New York purchased Waterbury’s 282-room hotel, 40,000 sq. ft. convention center and attached 55,000 sq. ft. indoor water park during the February sale listed on Auction.com.

The transition took place on March 24, 2011.  The Denver based Sage Hospitality Resources will not be retained as the resorts management company.  Waterbury Inn, Water Park and Convention Center, Inc. will take over as the new management company.  The change in management will not affect current employees and has the potential to increase staffing levels throughout the property. A great sign after the state’s recent years of low employment rates.

Now that the dust is settling around the Waterbury destination, Coco Key Water Resort Hotel & Convention Center continues to reassure business and leisure guests that their doors will not close. Throughout this transition it has been business as usual, and it will continue to stay that way. The management and staff are eager for this new phase and are looking forward to the bright and exciting future the property holds.

CoCo Key Water Resort Hotel & Convention Center – Waterbury offers 40,000 square feet of convention space as well as 282 guest rooms and a fun filled 50,000 square foot Water Park. They offer everything from birthday parties to large galas. The property is centrally located at 3580 East Main Street, Waterbury, Connecticut on the Cheshire line. To learn more about the Water Park and to book a stay  visit:  http://www.cocokeywaterresort.com/locations/waterbury/index.aspx

Western CT Blog: Ride a Vintage Train to Visit the Easter Bunny !

Western CT Blog: Ride a Vintage Train to Visit the Easter Bunny !: "Western CT Blog"

The Danbury Railway Museum is planning to greet the Easter Bunny once again this spring.  The Easter Bunny will make his home in a authentically restored train car where he will greet young and old alike on special weekends this April!

To reach the Easter  Bunny you will first enter the historic Danbury Railroad Station where you will board a vintage train that will take you on a fun filled ride through the historic railyard to the Easter Bunny.   The short train ride in a fully-restored 1953 New Haven RR Rail Diesel Car (Budd RDC), will take visitors past the fully operational turntable, over 70 vintage railroad cars and locomotives, and many unique pieces of railroad history, including a Boston & Maine steam locomotive built in 1907. Of special note is the museum's beautifully restored circa-1910 Railway Post Office (RPO) car that will also be open.

The train ride will stop at the Easter Bunny's special railroad car.  Each child will receive a small gift from the Bunny making this a great time for memorable photos that will be cherished thoughout the years.

An extra treat for those visiting the Easter Bunny are the exhibits inside the restored 1903 Danbury Station that include  a coloring station, temporary tattoos, Thomas® play table, and  operating model train layouts.  A fully-stocked gift shop will also be open.
This popular annual family event will take place on Sunday, April 10; Saturday & Sunday, April 16 & 17; and Friday & Saturday, April 22 & 23.  Event hours are 10:00-4:30 on Friday and Saturday; noon-4:30 on Sunday;  trains leave every 30 minutes from 12:30 to 3:30.  Admission is $9.00 (age 2 and up). Reservations are suggested and may be made by visiting the museum's Web site at http://www.danburyrail.org.

The Danbury Railway Museum is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by volunteers, and is dedicated to the preservation of, and education about, railroad history.  The museum is located in the restored 1903 Danbury Station and rail yard at 120 White Street, Danbury, CT.  For further information, visit the Web site at http://www.danburyrail.org, email info@danburyrail.org, or call the museum at 203-778-8337.

Western CT Blog: Westport Country Playhouse Announces 2011 Restaurant Partners

Western CT Blog: Westport Country Playhouse Announces 2011 Restaurant Partners: "Western CT Blog"

Trade Secrets Is Set for a Sharon Return - Entertainment - The Litchfield County Times

Trade Secrets Is Set for a Sharon Return - Entertainment - The Litchfield County Times

daffodil hunt on in Litchfield Hills #iPhone #iPodtouch #perf... on Twitpic

daffodil hunt on in Litchfield Hills #iPhone #iPodtouch #perf... on Twitpic

Looking for the first signs of Spring in Litchfield Hills CT. Spring is a blooming bonanza in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut! Thousands of daffodils will bloom in the next three to four weeks over ten acres of woodlands and fields at Laurel Ridge Foundation in Northfield throughout April.

A walk among the daffodils at Laurel Ridge Foundation is a rare early spring outing in an unspoiled oasis. The wild natural landscape of gently sloping woodland, fields and aged stonewalls overlooks a small lake dotted with two tiny islands. The park land and one of the islands is completely carpeted with gold and white blossoms, a glorious sight that is nirvana for photographers.

We are also keeping tabs on Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton CT. Most daffodils here are found on the historic property surrounding the Visitor Center. You will also find them in open fields and growing alongside the site's many stone walls.

Once the home and workplace of J. Alden Weir (1852-1919), Weir Farm is now considered to be the best preserved landscape associated with American Impressionism

Western CT Blog: Free Lift Ticket Day at Mohawk Mountain Ski Area March 27, 2011

Western CT Blog: Free Lift Ticket Day at Mohawk Mountain Ski Area March 27, 2011: "Western CT Blog"

MapleFest Coming Up at Auduon Sharon March 19

This Saturday  take a tour of the  Sharon Audubon Center's Sugarhouse to see how maple syrup is produced fresh at the Audubon Center.  In the sugarhouse, a favorite stop along the tour, the sweet aroma of boiling sap and syrup will fill the air as samples of fresh syrup are handed out to guests to taste. Tours go out continuously throughout the day so there is no need to pre-register.  Tours  are scheduled between 10:00am and 4:00pm $5.00 adults, $3.00 children.

While you are at the center, don't miss the Raptor Aviaries.  Here you will find 22 Birds of Prey (16 different species) that have been determined non-releasable, meaning that they would not be able to survive on their own in the wild. The majority of these beautiful birds are housed in large outside, predator-proof aviaries that are filled with natural vegetation and various perching options.  Birds that you will see at the Audubon include: bald eagle, merlin, several types of owls, hawks  and vultures, a peregrine falcon, an American Kestrel, dove and raven.

Audubon Sharon, consists of the Sharon Audubon Center and Emily Winthrop MilesWildlife Sanctuary, and is owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. The Sharon Audubon Center has over eleven miles of scenic hiking trails, and includes 1,147 acres of mixed forest, meadows, wetlands, ponds and streams.The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of the Earth's biological diversity and humanity.

The Sharon Audubon Center strives to meet this mission through education, conservation and environmental research to encourage the responsible usage and stewardship of natural lands.The Sharon Audubon Center offers educational programs for all ages, a seasonal newsletter, nature programs, wildlife rehabilitation, research, live animal exhibits, a children's adventure center, a nature store, and a natural history library.

DRAW ON! RETURNS TO SILVERMINE ARTS CENTER

The Silvermine School of Art located in New Canaan in partnership with the Aldrich Museum, will be participating in the annual community event, Draw On! On Saturday, March 26th from 9am until 6pm, the School of Art will conduct DRAW UNTIL YOU DROP!

This one day event is open to the public and provides an opportunity for continuous, intensive figure drawing with a model, or models, in sustained poses.  Participants of all skill levels, ages 16 and up, will be able to work alongside Silvermine faculty, Guild Artists members and students to develop their artistic vision, sharpen skills and energize studio experience through drawing.

Using all the studios in the School of Art, participants will have the opportunity to work with female and male models in a range of different poses, from short and athletic, to extended poses, as well as portrait study.  Participants who would like to work with still life set ups will also have a variety to choose from.

The fee for the day is $30 and half day is $15.  Registration can be made in advance or you can register the day of the event.  Tables, easels, drawing horses, drawing boards and basic drawing supplies will be available.    For more information call 203-966-6668 ext. 2 or visit our website at www.silvermineart.org.

The 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

Western CT Blog: New Canaan Nature Center Annual Syrup Saturday & Pancake Brunch

Western CT Blog: New Canaan Nature Center Annual Syrup Saturday & Pancake Brunch: "Western CT Blog"

Maple Sugaring and the First Americans at The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies will present its Annual Maple Sugaring Festival on Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm.  What makes this Festival unique is Jim Dina who will present a full Native American Sugar-making demonstration in the Institute's outdoor Algonkian Village. 

Inside the Museum and Institute, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, staff members will serve pancakes with delicious local maple syrup.  Fun activities for the children will run from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. 

The Native American lore of sweet maple syrup is fascinating. The Mohegans believed that the melting snow caused the spring sap to run in the maples.  They considered the sap to be the dripping oil of the Great Celestial Bear, who had been wounded by the winter sky hunters – according to their own Pleiades story.  The bear, sometimes becoming the celestial bear and embodying the Big Dipper, repeats itself through many Indian origin stories.

Native People discovered in their woodlands the sources of seasoning and sweetening medicines and foods.  Long before recorded history, their investigations unlocked the secrets of extracting many dietary substances from their natural environments.  Lost in pre-history are the earliest experiences that led to “sugaring”.

It was usual for whole families to participate in the labor of sugaring, although in some tribes the women went first to the maple forests to make any necessary repairs to the camp and sugaring utensils.  Among the Iroquois and the Ojibwa Indians, the women owned the maple groves, which they inherited through their maternal line.  Seensibaukwut is the Ojibwa word for maple sugar, which means, “drawn from the wood.”

Tree sap is essentially water absorbed by the roots and mixed with some of the stored tree sugars.  Sap will begin to run upwards from the roots on warm late-winter days followed by freezing nights.  These conditions usually begin in late February in southern New England.

Once the sap had been collected, it needed to be boiled down (reduced).  The sap was then put into a hollowed out log where fiery hot stones were placed into it.  The purpose of the hot stones was to cause the sap to boil.  This may have needed to be done several times to obtain the correct consistency.

This was the traditional “Native” way.

Please call for tickets 860-868-0518. Advance tickets $8 Adults/ $6 Children; Tickets at the door $10 Adults/ $8 Children.

Flander's Maple Mist - A Toast to Morning Dove and Thunder C

Western CT Blog: First County Bank Maple Sugar Sunday at Stamford Nature Center

Western CT Blog: First County Bank Maple Sugar Sunday at Stamford Nature Center: "Western CT Blog"

What Tourism Districts Do!

Tourism is a multi faceted industry. Our State is blessed with diversity making the role of the Tourism Districts critical in branding the Regions that compose Connecticut.

Each Tourism Region brings many assets to the table.  The Western Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau offers five important assets that have been developed, expanded and continually refined over the past 30 years that are integral to tourism marketing in the state.

1.  HISTORY – We are proud of our 25-year history of a public private partnership with nearly 500 businesses and attractions that contribute marketing dollars to the organization in order to leverage state funds.

2.  PUBLIC RELATIONS - We are proud that the Western Tourism  District has a proven national public relations program.  The advertising dollar amount of the Bureau’s national publicity is approximately 5 to 6 million dollars a year.  This type of third party endorsed publicity cannot be bought – it takes a network of contacts and professionals that know their region well and are able to give the media the right hook in order to get the story.

3. NETWORK- We are proud of the vast network of travel trade contacts from meeting planners to group tour operators that we have relationships with. Leads are amassed and distributed to properties and attractions in order to help them generate their meeting and group businesses. Business that is the life blood of CT’s hotels and attractions of all sizes.

4. RESEARCH. We are proud that Western Connecticut measures the economic impact of special events of all kinds from the Norwalk Oyster Festival, Civil War Reenactments to the Litchfield House Tour and Salisbury Ski Jumps, to assist event organizers expand events and solicit sponsors.  Research is a key element in planning for and expanding a regions tourism product.

5, WEBSITE: We are proud our Website and Social Media work has resulted in a vast treasure trove of intellectual property for the Western Tourism District. Western Connecticut’s website is rich in content with listings that go into the year 2012.  Driving, hiking, biking, and boating tours have been developed and can be downloaded on handheld devices. Hundreds of travel writers, the traveling public and in and out of state residents follow the Bureau’s three blogs, facebook page and twitter accounts that are maintained and refreshed on a daily basis.

Regional Tourism Districts  must be funded at appropriate levels.   The two tier system of state and regions works and is the cornerstone of all tourism programs in the United States.  Connecticut’s Tourism Regions have a thirty year proven track record…something that the State Legislature has supported and funded and should be proud of too.

Western CT Blog: HOW SWEET IT IS! MAPLE SYRUP SCENTS ARE SURE SIGNS OF SPRING IN WESTERN CONNECTICUT

Western CT Blog: HOW SWEET IT IS! MAPLE SYRUP SCENTS ARE SURE SIGNS OF SPRING IN WESTERN CONNECTICUT: "Western CT Blog"

Western CT Blog: The Viking School At Winvian Launches in Spring 2011 with a Scruptious Range of Italian and French Cooking Classes

Western CT Blog: The Viking School At Winvian Launches in Spring 2011 with a Scruptious Range of Italian and French Cooking Classes: "Western CT Blog"