Rudolph and the Reindeer Games through Dec. 30

Just in time for the coming holidays it is Rudolph and the Reindeer Games presented by Bridgeport's Downtown Cabaret Children's Theatre.

Family-friendly performances on Saturdays and Sundays continue through December 30 (2012) at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, located at 263 Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The 73rd annual Reindeer Games feature familiar names, characters and the well known basic story, but with just enough added twists and turns along with lots of music and dance to make this a memorable holiday event.

Santa's North Pole Team is hoping the odds are in their favor for the Games. Rudy, the young, new contestant who's a "chip off the old buck," looks like he may "sleigh" the competition, but five-time Champion Donner isn't giving up his title without a fight!

Spunky Rudy has everything going for him – but then he's disqualified because of his bright red nose! Even worse, it appears he's betrayed Dancer, the doe who "lights up his life." Humiliated, he runs off just as the worst blizzard to ever hit the North Pole is about to strike.

Now, not only is the North Pole Team in jeopardy of losing the Games, but it appears that due to the pending blizzard Santa may have to cancel Christmas for the first time in history! The storm's knocked out his GPS, and the Reindeer can't see a paw in front of their faces to guide his sleigh. So it's up to Rudloph...can he find the courage to win the games, get the doe of his dreams, and save Christmas?

Don't miss this all-new, modern, funny, heartwarming holiday take on the story of Santa's reindeer. It's a rollicking adventure highlighted by a montage of unique winter sports never before seen at the Olympics with a score of pop songs that will make everyone in the audience want to get out of their seats to sing and dance along!

Reserved tickets are: $18 & $24
Reserved tickets can be reserved:
By Phone: Box Office: 203.576.1636
In Person: at box office located 263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Online at downtowncabaret.org (24/7)
By US Mail:
Rudolph and the Reindeer Games
c/o Downtown Cabaret Children'sTheatre
263 Golden Hill Street
Bridgeport, Ct. 06604
Box Office Hours: 10:30am to 5pm – Sundays thru Saturdays
Box Office opens 90 minutes prior to scheduled performance times
Theatre seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance times
Closed Mondays

The Downtown Cabaret Theatre is wheelchair accessible. Please inform the box office of any special needs when ordering tickets.

For more information and up-to-date news about the Cabaret, upcoming performances, the performers, seating chart, parking and reserving tickets visit downtowncabaret.org

New Gallery at Greenwich Audubon opens Dec. 1

The Greenwich Audubon has combined forces with Joel Oppenheimer, the venerable natural history art gallery located in Chicago and Charleston.  This gallery is best known for the work of many outstanding naturalist artists and painters including John James Audubon.

The Greenwich Audubon, the first established nature education center in the country by the National Audubon Society has a long history of  protecting birds and their habitats as well as teaching people the principles of conservation.

The gallery will be located in the newly renovated Kiernan Hall and will feature four exhibits a year. The first exhibition, opening December 1  explores all the editions of Audubon’s work in the Nineteenth Century. A highlight of this exhibition is that it will show comparative examples of nine prints in the different versions including Havell, Bien, Octavo and watercolor editions.  The subjects that will be featured in the exhibit are the Osprey, the Great Blue Heron, the Carolina Parrot, the Gyr Falcon, the Great Egret, the Passenger Pigeon, the Louisiana Heron, the Ruby Throated Hummingbird and the Dusky Duck.

Joel Oppenheimer, president of his namesake gallery, author, and one of the foremost Audubon experts in the world, sees this collaboration as an opportunity to educate and bring Audubon’s rich history to life, “John James Audubon is considered to be perhaps the greatest natural history artist of all time.  His body of work in ornithological art is iconic.  Collectors and admirers of his works continue to be enthralled with his accomplishments and how he shaped the genre of natural history art. Audubon brought images of birds and mammals to life during his time of exploration and we want his work to continue to inspire current and future generations.  We are grateful to have this opportunity to collaborate with The Audubon Center of Greenwich both in its conservation efforts and in telling Audubon’s story,” said Oppenheimer.

It is the hope of the Audubon Greenwich that these ornithological masterpieces will inspire and engage people in the conservation of birds and their habitats.

At the December 1^st grand opening reception, Joel Oppenheimer will talk about the significance of Audubon’s contribution to art and conservation.  His remarks will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Private showings of the exhibit can be scheduled from 1:00 – 4:00 by appointment.  All prints in the exhibition can be purchased either framed, or without.  Thirty percent of the proceeds from sales will be donated on an ongoing basis to The Audubon Center of Greenwich.  The opening reception will be held on Dec. 1 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

To R.S.V.P. for the Grand Opening on December 1, 2012, or to make a gallery appointment, contact Audubon Greenwich by phone (203-869-5272 x239) or by email (greenwichcenter@audubon.org)

About Joel Oppenheimer

Established in 1969, the fine art galleries of Joel Oppenheimer, Inc. in Chicago and Charleston offer a stunning array of natural history art from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, as well as fine art framing, and complete conservation and restoration services.  As a natural history art gallery, Joel Oppenheimer, Inc. is dedicated to the connoisseurship of collecting and preserving the art of natural history and celebrating the contributions of the explorers who recorded the flora and fauna of the past three centuries.  Joel Oppenheimer, Inc. strives to provide collectors with an unsurpassed selection of the finest examples of prints and paintings from the golden age of natural history art including rare works by John James Audubon, Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Dr. Robert Thornton, John Gould, Basilius Besler, and many others.

A Good Light: The Artist's Studio in Cos Cob and Beyond, New Exhibition at Greenwich Historical Society

Julius LeBlanc Stewart,
In the Artist’s Studio, 1875, oil on
canvas, 21½ x 28¾ in. Andrea family
private collection, photograph courtesy
Sotheby’s, New York.

To celebrate the restoration of the room at Bush-Holley House that served at various times as the studio of Childe Hassam, John Twachtman and Elmer MacRae, the Greenwich Historical Society will present an exhibition exploring the changing concept of the artist's studio. Representations of an American art student's Parisian garret, William Merritt Chase's opulent Tenth Street studio in New York, Dorothy Ochtman's view of her father in the studio they shared in their Cos Cob home and the repurposed farm sheds used by artists in Old Lyme: these and other paintings will suggest the wide range of spaces in which turn-of-the-century artists worked and will provide a cultural context for the restored studio.

The studio originally doubled as bedroom and workspace for its occupants. To augment the natural light from windows on the northern and eastern exposures, the owners, the Holley family, added a dormer around 1900. Illuminated by windows on three sides, the room offered views of the abundant gardens behind the house, the millpond to one side and the bustling harbor across the street. Now when you visit the Bush-Holley house, you can more easily imagine the vistas the artists enjoyed.

Dorothy Ochtman,
A Corner of the Studio, 1928, oil on canvas,
30 x 25 in. National Academy Museum,
New York, Bequest of Dorothy Ochtman
Del Mar, 1971, 1749-P.

 In addition to depictions of American artists' studios in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the exhibition presents the models for Childe Hassam's work in Cos Cob and a sampling of work done outside the studio in the environs by Hassam, John H. Twachtman and Elmer MacRae. A complementary exhibition, Historic Artists' Homes & Studios, on loan from Chesterwood (the home and studio of Lincoln Memorial sculptor Daniel Chester French), will feature photographs that focus on the fascinating and eclectic living and workspaces of famous American artists including (among others) N.C. Wyeth, Jackson Pollock and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Attributed to Frederick MacMonnies
Atelier at Giverny, 1896 or 1897, oil on canvas,
32 x 17 in. Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1999.91,
Photography ©Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago.

A Good Light: The Artist's Studio in Cos Cob and Beyond will be on exhibition from October 3, 2012 to January 6, 2013. Wednesday through Sunday, Noon to 4:00 pm. Members: free; nonmembers: $10; seniors and students $8 The Greenwich Historical Society Storehouse Gallery is located on  39 Strickland Road in Cos Cob. For more information www.greenwichhistory.org.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Puppet Show At Stepping Stones Museum For Children

For most people, developing a handcrafted puppet show from scratch is not something that you do in your spare time. After all, putting together a high-quality, entertaining children's show is a daunting, time-consuming process. However, Alan Louis is not like most people.

Louis, the Public Programs Manager at Stepping Stones Museum for Children, has had a nearly 30-year career in puppetry. There isn't a type of puppetry he has not performed with: shadow puppets, hand puppets, rod puppets, marionettes – even larger-than-life-sized puppets in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Louis has performed with a variety of touring companies, taught puppetry workshops in the United States and Eastern Europe and spent a decade as the Education Director for the Center of Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.    Needless to say, Louis knows a high-quality puppet show when he sees one and he definitely knows what it takes to bring one to the stage.

After attending a puppet festival in New York last December, Louis was inspired to start working on a production of The Frog Prince that has grown into an awe-inspiring and magical production of The Frog Prince and Other Tales. Created exclusively for Stepping Stones Museum for Children, four classics of children's literature will come alive on November 10th when this enchanting puppetry spectacle debuts at the Museum.

The enduring tales of kindness, determination and loyalty will be performed with beautifully handcrafted puppets and scenery. These tales of fantasy and imagination are sure to provide an unforgettable children's theater experience. Each 40 minute performance is followed by an art of puppetry demonstration and question and answer session with the puppeteers.

The show is free with museum admission; however, seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a limited engagement with performances scheduled from November 10th through December 14th.   For more information and performance times, visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/frogprince.

Fairfield Museum Opens with Election Day Programs & More

Fairfield Museum and History Center escaped Sandy’s wrath and, aside from power loss, which was restored yesterday, November 5^th, the Museum re-open today for two special Election Day programs and we are excited about our upcoming programs, which are listed below along with a full range of other exciting, upcoming programs.

On November 6 there are two Election Day programs. The first, Election Day 1864 is from 1:30pm - 3pm.  This program is Free with admission.  Participants are invited to draw a political cartoon, write and deliver a speech and try out a Scavenger Hunt in the galleries.  Also from 1:30 - 3 pm is a History Day Workshop that is free for teachers, parents and students in grades 6 and up. History Day encourages students to build valuable inquiry and research skills, developing fascinating research projects that are entered into a series of regional and national competitions.

On November 8 at 7 pm there is a lecture titled Men of Color! To Arms! The call to arms from impassioned abolitionist Frederick Douglass echoed the overwhelming sentiments of nearly 190,000 men of color that joined the Union cause for the promise of freedom. Learn more with David Koch, Housatonic Community College and David Naumec, Mashantucket Pequot Museum / Manchester Community College. Suggested Donation: $5, Members; $7, non-members.

On Sunday, November 11 there will be a lecture titled Living History: The Civil War Doctor's Wife at 2 pm that is co-sponsored with the daughters of the American Revolution..  The lecture will focus on the story of Dr. George Bronson, who marched off to war with the 11th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment and his wife, Mary Ann, comes to life. Mary Lou Pavlik assumes the role of her ancestor and shares observations of the War from a Northern lady's point of view and relates her husband's harrowing experiences through original letters.  Suggested Donation: $5, Members; $8 non-members.

On Veterans Day, Monday, November 12 there is a workshop for kids and a family scavenger hunt.  Hardtack & Haversacks   takes place from 10am - 12pm.  Kids 9 and up will learn about the hardships of a soldier's life in the 1860s.  Kids will make their own hardtack and put together a haversack for storing the important items no soldier would be without.  $10 Members, $15 non-members. Please pre-register.  At 1 pm there is a Family Scavenger Hunt that is free for teachers, parents and students in grades 6 and up.  Participants will learn about the stories of Fairfield's soldiers and more on a special, family-friendly Scavenger Hunt for Veteran's Day.

The Fairfield Museum and History Center is located on 370 Beach Rd. in Fairfield. For more information contact 203-259-1598 or visit  www.fairfieldhistory.orgwww.fairfieldhistory.org

For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Bush Holly House Restoration

To celebrate the restoration of the room at Bush-Holley House that served at various times as the studio of Childe Hassam, John Twachtman and Elmer MacRae, the Greenwich Historical Society will present an exhibition exploring the changing concept of the artist's studio. Representations of an American art student's Parisian garret, William Merritt Chase's opulent Tenth Street studio in New York, Dorothy Ochtman's view of her father in the studio they shared in their Cos Cob home and the repurposed farm sheds used by artists in Old Lyme: these and other paintings will suggest the wide range of spaces in which turn-of-the-century artists worked and will provide a cultural context for the restored studio.

The studio originally doubled as bedroom and workspace for its occupants. To augment the natural light from windows on the northern and eastern exposures, the owners, the Holley family, added a dormer around 1900. Illuminated by windows on three sides, the room offered views of the abundant gardens behind the house, the millpond to one side and the bustling harbor across the street. Now when you visit the Bush-Holley house, you can more easily imagine the vistas the artists enjoyed.

In addition to depictions of American artists' studios in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the exhibition presents the models for Childe Hassam's work in Cos Cob and a sampling of work done outside the studio in the environs by Hassam, John H. Twachtman and Elmer MacRae. A complementary exhibition, Historic Artists' Homes & Studios, on loan from Chesterwood (the home and studio of Lincoln Memorial sculptor Daniel Chester French), will feature photographs that focus on the fascinating and eclectic living and workspaces of famous American artists including (among others) N.C. Wyeth, Jackson Pollock and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

A Good Light: The Artist's Studio in Cos Cob and Beyond will be on exhibition from October 3, 2012 to January 6, 2013. Wednesday through Sunday, Noon to 4:00 pm. Members: free; nonmembers: $10; seniors and students $8 The Greenwich Historical Society Storehouse Gallery is located on  39 Strickland Road in Cos Cob. www.greenwichhistory.org.

Area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town

On Saturday November 3, Historic New England and the Litchfield Historical Society host an event with local author Rachel Carley to award Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town Historic New England's eighteenth Book Prize.

The afternoon starts at 1:00 p.m. with a reception and remarks by the prize winner Rachel Carley, followed by a book signing. The award-winning book, published by the Litchfield Historical Society is available for purchase at the event.

To attend, please call 617-994-5934 or e-mail Events@HistoricNewEngland.org. The event is free, but space is limited. The Litchfield Historical Society is at 7 South Street, Litchfield, Connecticut.

Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town is a lively exploration of the town's history and architecture, not only during the colonial period but also during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book is generously illustrated with maps, photographs, and paintings of this quintessential New England town, including many that are published for the first time. Carley is a preservation consultant and architectural historian. Her previous books include Building Greenwich, Architecture and Design, 1640 to the Present; The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture; Cuba: Four Hundred Years of Architectural Heritage; Cabin Fever; A Guide to Biltmore Estate; and Wilderness A to Z. She is a resident of Litchfield.

About Historic New England's Book Prize
The Historic New England Book Prize recognizes works that advance the understanding of the architecture, landscape, and material culture of New England and the United States from the seventeenth century to the present. This includes works in the decorative arts, archaeology, historic preservation, and the history of photography. To qualify, works need not deal exclusively with New England but must make a significant contribution to our understanding of New England and its relation to the wider world.

About Historic New England
Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the nation. We bring history to life while preserving the past for everyone interested in exploring the authentic New England experience from the seventeenth century to today. Historic New England owns and operates thirty-six historic homes and landscapes spanning five states. The organization shares the region's history through vast collections, publications, public programs, museum properties, archives, and family stories that document more than 400 years of life in New England. For more information visit HistoricNewEngland.org.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Kick off the Winter Season at Mohawk Ski Area!

To kick off the winter season, Mohawk Mountain Ski Area is presenting Warren Miller's 63rd  film called Flow State on Friday, November 9 and Sat. November 10 at 7 p.m at the Ski Lodge located on 46 Great Hollow Rd. in Cornwall CT.  The doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $12. Buy your tickets by visiting www.mohawkmtn.com by phone at 860.672.6100 or at the door.

 Warren Miller’s Flow State  kicksoff the winter sports season for the 63rd time and will  connect audiences with inspiring mountains and sensational athletes from around the globe. If you love ski or snowboard action of amazing magnitude this show is a must see. 

Flow State gives viewers the ultimate experience and is where the mountain meets the mind. An instant classic, Flow State takes its viewers to the tallest peaks and most extreme climates for the most exhilarating action possible on snow. Skiers and snowboarders of all ages will be inspired, entertained and motivated to get out on the snow - and to win great prizes in our door prize drawings!  

Best of all your admission ticket is  a BUY ONE, GET ONE COUPON Lift Ticket offer valid at Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, through April 1, 2013.

For regional information visit www.litchfieldhills.com.

STEPPING STONES MUSEUM FOR CHILDREN HOSTS ITS ANNUAL MONSTER MASH: A PUMPKIN PARTY ON OCTOBER 27

Don't be bored out of your gourd this Halloween.  Celebrate the haunted holiday the Stepping Stones way at Monster Mash: A Pumpkin Party on Saturday, October 27 from 6:00 – 8:30 pm.  You're sure to have a monstrously-good time during the museum's annual kid-friendly costume party!

Monster Mash: A Pumpkin Party will be a jam-packed night with not-so-scary family fun.  Guests can make oodles of pumpkiny crafts, get their faces painted in our Pumpkin BOO-tique, play a variety of pumpkin-themed games, meander through our special Halloween maze, strut their stuff during our spooktacular costume fashion show and boogie the night away during our BOO-tiful dance party featuring Dre Towey with Sugar On Top.  Don't fret about bringing the littlest visitors.

There will be age-appropriate activities for all visitors, so that the whole family can enjoy this costume party.

Tickets for this event cost $10 per person for museum members and $12 per person for non-members.  Children under the age of one will be admitted for free.  Monster Mash tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.  Registration is required.  Space is limited, so register early.  Call 203 899 0606, ext. 247 or visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/monstermash.

5th Annual Washington Green Cemetery Tour Oct. 26

The 5th Annual Washington Green Cemetery Tour, with a special Gunnery theme, will take place on Friday October 26th from 6:30-8:30pm.

Costumed guides will lead groups of visitors every ten minutes from the Gunn Museum to the Washington Green Cemetery where the town's departed citizens will be stationed at their gravestones to tell their tales of tragedy and triumph.

Tour groups will follow a path of 1,000 luminaries spanning a quarter of a mile through the shadowy cemetery and will hear the dramatic experiences of past students and faculty from the Gunnery.

Features of this magical theatrical evening will include tales of murder, town controversies, the Titanic disaster, Civil War soldiers, abolitionists and more. This event is not to be missed!
Tours depart every ten minutes from the museum and last about 45 minutes, bring a flashlight.

Complimentary refreshments will be served in the Gunn Library. While this event is free, donations are greatly appreciated. The rain date is Sunday October 28.

The Gunn Museum is located at 5 Wykeham Road, at the intersection of Wykeham Road and Route 47, on Washington Green, Connecticut. Call 860-868-7756 or view www.gunnlibrary.org for information.

Sharon Audubon Enchanted Forest and Kids' Day

A Bear Greets Children in the Enchanted Forest 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 20th. 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 8:00pm. Participants should bring an extra flashlight.   Admission is $4 per person. Children under 2 are free. Pararde on Kids Day! Audubon Kids' Day is taking place on Sunday, October 28th from 12-3pm. This is a fun, autumn afternoon for young children and their families and features brand new carnival-type games for 2012, kids' crafts, live animals from "The Nature of Things," a haybale maze, haywagon rides, professional face painting with glitter tattoos and food. Children are encouraged to come in costume and join in the costume parade 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 http://sharon.audubon.org.

Meerkats” And “Africa” Exhibits Extended Into 2013

Adorable 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.

For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Design Show at Peter Lawrence Gallery

The Peter Lawrence Gallery is proud to announce a new exhibit “The Design Show” which will run from October 12-November 11, 2012, with an opening reception on Sunday, October 14, 2012 from 1-5 pm.

The Design Show will feature handmade, sustainable, live-edge furniture by award winning woodworker Peter Lawrence Scalera, and assemblage pieces by Arista Baltronis made of antique tools that have been refurbished and covered with Swarovski Crystals.

Scalera, who is co-owner and regular exhibitor at the Peter Lawrence Gallery will premiere a new series of “wood under glass” pieces at this show. Scalera has been working in wood design for over forty years, and recently completed a full, custom furniture fit-out at CraftBar in NYC. Additionally, he has completed major projects at Eva Scrivo Salon, Craft Restaurant, Colicchio and Sons restaurant (also in NYC), and numerous residential interiors in NY and CT. The 2010 “Best in Show” recipient at the Providence “Fine Furnishings and Craft Show” says of his own work: “I’ve always thought of my work as ‘Functional Art.’ Function plays a large part in my designs.”

Arista Baltronis will exhibit work from her ‘hardware on the rocks” series of assemblage pieces. Baltronis meticulously refurbishes old tools of all kinds before applying Swarovski Crystals to the surface of each piece, transforming old tools into works of art. Baltronis, whose past exhibitions include the Alexandria Museum in Los Angeles, and the Viridian Gallery in NYC says of her work “I am having such fun with this new direction of work. It is very exciting and challenging to learn new skills and new techniques and apply them to an everyday object to make it into something completely unique.”

The Peter Lawrence Gallery is located at 703 Kent Road in Gaylordsville, CT, and is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12-5pm. There is no admission charge to the gallery or to any gallery event. We are continuing to exhibit sculptures by James Travers in the sculpture garden through November. For more information please visit www.peterlawrencegallery.com. For travel information www.litchfieldhills.com

New Canaan Nature Center's Fall Fair Oct. 13

Traditional Fall Fair activities will return to New Canaan Nature Center's annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 13 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m such as pony rides, a "haunted" woodland trail, apple sling shots, a hay maze, cupcake and pumpkin decorating, and fire engine rides on New Canaan's antique fire engine, Old Faithful.

The giant bungee jump, one of last year's most popular attractions will also be back along with the "Kids On The Go" obstacle course and other inflatable rides.A new highlight this year will be a special visit by the New Canaan Rams Varsity Football team and coaches!  The team will greet kids at 11:00am and face off in a "red" vs. "black" tug-o-war which kids 10 & under can participate in.

The Fall Fair will feature a wide range of entertainment and live music throughout the day.  The 5th Annual Apple Pie Eating contest will also take place with categories for youth and adults.  There is an entry fee ($5 for youth and $15 for adults) and prizes will be awarded. Other live shows include birds of prey and live animal demonstrations throughout the day.

A wide range of fresh foods will be available to purchase throughout the day, including grilled hot dogs, pulled pork and vegetarian sandwiches, corn dogs, pizza, hot soup and hot and cold beverages.
A variety of homemade baked goods will be for sale courtesy of Nature Center volunteers.

Admission to the Fall Fair is free and parking is available at St. Mark's and the First Presbyterian Church.  Tickets can be purchased for $1 each for the activities and food, which range from 1-7 tickets.    For more information about the Fall Fair visitwww.NewCanaanNature.org of call (203) 966-9577.

Mattatuck Museum Presents Connecticut Art from the Depression Era Federal Art Project

Beatrice Cuming, Saturday Night, New London, 1938, Collection of the Lyman Allyn Museum

The Mattatuck Museum celebrates the opening of its exhibition Art for Everyone: The Federal Art Project that will be on display until February 5, 2013.

During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration set up the Federal Arts Project to create jobs. As a result of this project, 173 Connecticut artists created over 5,000 works of art many of which disappeared.

The Mattatuck Museum and the Connecticut State Library have been working together to collect and catalogue both known and unknown works. Art for Everyone examines art produced for the Federal Art Project in Connecticut. Ralph Boyer, Beatrice Cuming, James Daugherty, George Marinko, Spencer Baird Nichols, Joseph Schork and Cornelia Vetter are among the artists represented in this exhibit of more than 80 works.

George Earle, Bridgeport Parking Lot, courtesy of Southbury Training School

This exhibition is the culmination of a multi-year, multi-part project that was instigated in 2007 by the work of Amy Trout, Connecticut River Museum, and draws upon the archives and data base of the Works Progress Administration artists at the Connecticut State Library. This exhibition places the art and artist in the broader context of American artists during the Depression Era.

Ralph Boyer, Westport WPA Art Committee

 Visit www.MattatuckMuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381 for more information on all of the museum’s adult and children’s programs, events and exhibits. The Mattatuck Museum is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of sixteen world-class museums and historic sites (www.arttrail.org). Located at 144 West Main Street, Waterbury, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Free parking is located behind the building on Park Place.

For area information on where to dine, stay and shop visit www.litchfieldhills.com.