OKTOBERFEST at Quassy Amusement Park

The 23rd Annual OKTOBERFEST is slated for noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27 and Sunday, Sept. 28, at Quassy Amusement Park here.

Two new bands will be performing for the event, which is held in the Fieldside Pavilion at the lakeside facility. They are: Joe Stanky & His Cadets on Saturday and John Stevens’ Doubleshot on Sunday. Both bands hail from eastern Pennsylvania and have played for years at festivals, amusement parks and other large venues. The live music starts at 12:30 p.m. both days.

The Harugari Junior Schuhplattlers dance group will entertain during band intermissions on Saturday with the Alpenland Tanzer Dancers performing on Sunday.

 Admission to the OKTOBERFEST pavilion is free, with fees for food, beverages, rides and attractions in the park. Parking for the event is $6 per car. Quassy Amusement Park is located at 2132 Middlebury Road.

Traditional festival food in the pavilion will include knackwurst, bratwurst, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, roasted pork and steamed vegetables. There will be a variety of other menu items available as well during the two-day festival. Complete dinners or individual entrees will be sold.

About The Park

Quassy Amusement Park is in its 105th year and features more than two-dozen rides and attractions. The lakeside property is also home to “Splash Away Bay” waterpark with the new “BulletBowl” water raft ride and “FreeFall” extreme body slides. In addition, a children’s splash pad titled the “Fish Pond” opened this year.

Quassy also features a new laser maze attraction in its huge arcade building.

  Rides include the award-winning “Wooden Warrior” roller coaster, “Music Fest,” “Yo-Yo” super swings, “Free Fall ‘N’ Drop Tower,” “Grand Carousel” and more.

The park also has a restaurant, redemption arcade, games, live entertainment and special events.  Season passes for 2014 are on sale now at the park office and through the Quassy Web site at www.quassy.com. Company picnics, school fieldtrips and other catered events are also being scheduled through the park office at 203-758-2913. Quassy is located at 2132 Middlebury Road, Route 64, in Middlebury, Conn., on the shores of Lake Quassapaug.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Antique Machinery Fall Festival in Litchfield HIlls

This year marks the 30th annual Fall Festival hosted by the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association on 31 Kent Cornwall Rd. in Kent on September 26, 27 and 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

This event features special demonstrations, vendors and food along with  the many permanent exhibits of the Association that includes Industrial Hall, a mining museum, a tractor hall, a narrow gage working railroad and the Cream Hill Agricultural School.

Highlights of this event include an American #1 sawmill with plenty of logs to be cut into planks.There will be demonstrations throughout the weekend of the sawmill, as well as other wood handling machinery including an antique planer, a splitter, and maybe even a drag saw.

Another popular spot is the blacksmith's shop headed up by Skip Kern who will be showing visitors the art of blacksmithing. In the Industrial Hall of Steam, Conrad Milster will be giving talks and live demonstrations of  various antique steam engines. The Association hopes to see their Nagle-Corliss engine in operation for this show. A highlight in Industrial Hall is the Associations newest acquisition, a very early (possibly Ames) engine, on loan from the New York Hall of Science.

In the Industrial Hall of Steam, Conrad Milster will be giving talks and live demonstrations of the Association's various antique steam engines. The Association hopes to see their Nagle-Corliss engine in operation for this show. Visitors will also see the Association's newest acquisition, a very early (possibly Ames) engine, that came to them in beautiful condition, on loan from the New York Hall of Science.

There will be Lumber Jack/Jill demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday of the Festival, featuring Shannon Strong, a well-known local fitness trainer and Lumber Jill. The show will feature demonstrations of handsaw and ax skills and is always very entertaining. Shannon is also a personal trainer, strength trainer, specializing in core training, and mind-body fitness. Demonstration times will be announced at the show.

Don't miss the Friday evening spaghetti w/meatballs and sausage. There's a limited number of tickets available, so buy them in advance at the food pavilion. The dinner is from 5:30 to 7:00 PM and will be held at the picnic pavilion unless inclement weather forces it inside the Industrial Hall. Tickets are $10 per person. Menu includes spaghetti with meatballs and sausage, salad, Italian bread, soft drinks, coffee and dessert. All proceeds benefit the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association.

Parking is free in the lower parking field and a free shuttle bus will bring you to the main gate.

For more information http://www.ctamachinery.com and for area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Fall fun at the New Canaan Historical Society

The New Canaan Historical Society located on 13 Oenoke Ridge in New Canaan has planned several exciting events to enjoy this fall. A new art show, "Commitment to Excellence in Art & Sport: A Fine Art Competition" and Exhibit is taking place through November 3 has been organized cooperatively with the National Art Museum of Sport. This is the Museum of Sport's 4th annual international show. The National Art Museum of Sport was founded in 1959 by Germain Glidden, a Silvermine painter and athlete.

Pictured is Richard Stravitz's V Seat which was inspired by the flexibility, strength, and balance that helped Kurt Thomas excel in the world of gymnastics during the late 1970s.

The Little Red Schoolhouse built in 1868 located on Carter Street is the site of the Rotary Club's annual Lobsterfest on September 26 & 27 that will take place on the Society's great lawn. Tickets for this event are available in the Historical Society's office. A special treat on September 27 is the open house at the Little Red School House from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. The school closed in 1957.

To celebrate 125 years, the New Canaan Historical Society is hosting a special "Colonial Day" on Saturday, October 11 (rain date Oct. 12) from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. This colonial themed premiere event will start off with a fife and drum performance and will be followed by militia drills and games. Take time to explore the general store and watch demonstrations of weaving, spinning, printing, and early learning. Make sure to pay a visit to the herb garden and follow it with a visit to the Cody Drug Store where many medicinal herbs will be on display.

About the New Canaan Historical Society
Founded in 1889, the New Canaan Historical Society has carried out its mission "to bring together and arrange the historical events of the town of New Canaan, the genealogies of the families who have lived in the town, to form a library and to collect relics and curiosities, to form a museum.
At the Society's headquarters, in the 1825 Town House, the Society maintains a research library of more than 3,500 volumes, along with scores of manuscripts, deeds, newspapers, photographs and other documents dating to the colonial era.
The Society owns or operates eight museums and buildings, including the 1764 Hanford-Silliman House, the 1960 Gores Pavilion, and the Rogers Studio and Museum, which, with Philip Johnson's Glass House, is one of only two National Historic Landmarks in New Canaan. For more information http://www.nchistory.org.

INTRIGUE IS AFOOT AS LITCHFIELD, CT CELEBRATES SPY WEEKEND

The serene and beautiful village green in Litchfield, Connecticut hardly seems the setting for spies and intrigue. But during the Revolutionary War, this classic New England town in Western Connecticut was a hotbed of activity.  This surprising history will come to life during the Litchfield History Museum's Spy Weekend, September 19 to 21.

The special activities are added reason to discover Litchfield, a town also noted for its early architecture, Colonial inns, fine dining and great shopping. 

The fun begins on Friday night when a showing of the film, The Scarlet Coat, a 1955 swashbuckling historical drama starring Michael Wilding, Cornel Wilde, and George Saunders.  The movie tells of the creation of the first "American Secret Service," with Litchfield's own Benjamin Tallmadge in the main role (though Hollywood has changed his name).  The film will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Litchfield Community Center. Admission is free and popcorn will be served!

Author Richard Welch will discuss his new book on Benjamin Tallmadge, "General Washington's Commando." on Sunday at 3 p.m.  Welch will describe Tallmadge's roles during the Revolutionary War, including his work as intelligence and counter-intelligence officer, as well as dragoon commander and master of combined land-sea operations.  The program is free for members; $5 for non-members.

 A guided walking tour on Saturday at 10 a.m. will relive Litchfield during the Revolution, when families were divided by those loyal to the British crown and those seeking independence and intrigue were in the air. Guides will point out historic sites where prisoners of war were jailed, and where a military presence guarded stores and provisions.  The tour is free to members, $10 for non-members. Registration is required for the Saturday and Sunday programs, by email at registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org or by phone at 860-567-4501.

On Sunday afternoon, there will be an added bonus as the Litchfield Fire Company hosts the 131st annual state Firefighter's Convention ending with a parade featuring over 1,000 firefighters from all over Connecticut.

For information about lodging, dining and other activities in the area and a free copy of UNWIND, a full-color, 163-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 www.litchfieldhills.com

Free for All at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children on Sept. 20

On Saturday, September 20, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Stepping Stones Museum for Children opens its doors to all for FREE!  It’s Nickelodeon’s 11th annual Worldwide Day of Play and Stepping Stones is an official registered Nickelodeon site, and to join the fun is simple!

Step One: Turn off your TV, video games, computers, mobile phones and tablets. Parents too!

Step Two:  Come on over to Stepping Stones Museum for Children, beginning at 10:00 am through 5:00 pm, and join us for a day packed with physical activities, amazing performances and cool activities.  The event will feature outdoor field games, interactive sports and fitness demonstrations, awesome educational activities and amazing live performances – all for free and guaranteed to keep your family moving.

Children can experience gymnastics and yoga, meet some of their favorite sports mascots from local professional teams, dance the afternoon away at our rocking dance party featuring local bands, play chess against the experts and enjoy our garden book walk where visitors can exercise their bodies and their brains. In addition, there will be plenty of experts on hand from the community to provide ideas on ways families can take charge of their health.

Now in its 11th year, Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play is an entire day dedicated to active play.  The day is part of a larger movement to reduce childhood obesity and reinforce lessons about the tremendous benefits of healthy lifestyles among children.  Stepping Stones is proud to serve as a local host of this event for the 7th consecutive year.

Make the most of this day-long worldwide movement all about the power of play.  For more information, call 203 899 0606 or visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/dayofplay.

Stepping Stones is located at 303 West Avenue, exit 14N or 15S off I-95 in Norwalk. Museum hours are Labor Day through Memorial Day, Tuesday – Sunday and holiday Mondays from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; and Memorial Day through Labor Day,

Monday – Sunday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. To learn more, call 203 899 0606, ext. 264.

HiSTORYtime at the Litchfield Historical Society

The Litchfield Historical Society is inviting children aged 3 and up, along with their caregivers, for "story time" at 10:30 a.m. on September 18. After the stories are read and discussed with an educator from the Litchfield Historical Society, kids will be entertained with a craft project or game.

On Thursday, September 18, the funny tale about Noah Webster, one of Connecticut's most famous residents will be the highlight. The book Noah Webster and His Words, written by Jeri Chase Ferris and illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch, provides a fun chronicle of Noah Webster. 

Webster, whose father wanted him to be a farmer, grew up to write schoolbooks, language, and grammar books, and the dictionary. Kids will hear the tale of how this school teacher united the 13 colonies using words and language. The story will be read aloud and then a game will be played or a craft project will be presented that relates to Noah Webster's words.

This program is a suggested $2 donation. It is for children aged 3 and up. It will be from 10:30 am to 11:30 am at the Litchfield History Museum. No registration is required. Litchfield History Museum is located at 7 South St., Litchfield, CT. For more information about this or other programs, please see www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org or call (860) 567-4501.

WWI Posters on View at the Litchfield Historical Society

The exhibit Join the Brave Throng: Poster Art of WWI at the Litchfield Historical Society will highlight a selection of WWI posters from the Museum's collection. It will be on view through November 30, 2014.

When the Great War broke out in Europe in 1914, the town of Litchfield was actively involved in war efforts from the start. Ranging from work of the local Red Cross chapter to the collection of medical supplies, Liberty Loan campaigns, food conservation efforts, and enlistment of local soldiers, the residents of Litchfield did whatever they could to show their patriotic zeal. To rouse the public's interest in the war, colorful posters dotted walls and billboards across the county. Designed by some of the nation's most talented artists, these propaganda items appealed to the public's patriotic side, while others incorporated shocking anti-German imagery.

Come see some of the posters that ignited Litchfield residents to actively support the national war effort.  The Litchfield History Museum's hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Litchfield History Museum is located at 7 South St., Litchfield, CT. 

For more information about this or other programs, please visit www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org or call (860) 567-4501. For information about the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

By Land and Sea and Air - paintings, drawings and etchings

The David Hunt Library  located bucolic village of Falls Village in the Litchfield Hills on 63 Main Street is hosting an art exhibition featuring the work of Robert Andrew Parker through October 10. 

The poet Marianne Moore said, "Robert Andrew Parker is one of the most accurate and at the same time most unliteral of painters. He combines the mystical and the actual, working both in an abstract and in a realistic way." Ms. Moore's is an apt description of Parker's recent work in this exhibit including serial images of an Avro Bison aircraft combining print and watercolor and a series of ships in the far distance, possibly warships. These are accompanied by landscapes, images of animals, and water conveying an overall sense of movement and adventure.

Besides being a foremost American artist, illustrator, and printmaker, Parker is also a writer and a working musician. Bob continues to perform with his band mates locally at the Interlaken Inn and other spots.

Parker's artworks have appeared in the pages of The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Esquire just to name a few. His drawings and paintings have accompanied the writings of Franz Kafka, Vladimir Nabokov, W. H. Auden, and Marianne Moore. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Morgan Library and Museum, and private collections throughout the world. Most recently, Parker was the subject of a Century Masters career retrospective at The Century Association in New York.

For more information www.litchfieldhills.com and www.huntlibrary.org

Story Book PJ Party at Stepping Stones Museum for Children

The life size Berenstain Bears will be the highlight at the Pajama Party hosted on Friday, Sept. 12 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk located on 303 West Ave.  So put on your most furry or comfy pajamas, perfect for hibernating like a bear (!), and head over to the Museum!

Stepping Stones is excited to bring this classic, lovable Bear Family who recently celebrated their 50th anniversary to their museum. Participants will hear the tale “The Berenstain Bears Go To School.” In the story, Sister Bear, nervous about entering kindergarten, overcomes her fears when she discovers that school is really fun.

After the story, kids will have the opportunity to meet Brother and Sister Bear!  The museum's friends at  Berenstain Bears describes these two lovable characters:

Sister Bear is a highly-competitive, born-to-win, self-reliant third-grader, who is often braver than she imagines. She loves acting, her Bearbie dolls and the color pink.  Sister is very outdoorsy and sports-minded, but she also loves fairytales,  writing and jump rope

Brother Bear is 10-years old and a stand-up guy.  He is very sports- minded, with his favorite being soccer. He is also a big fan of T.  Rex dinosaurs, model airplane building, and "wheels" of all kinds.  Brother is computer literate and into video games. He often acts as protector and stands  up for Sister and the smaller cubs at school.

In addition to listening to the story and meeting Sister Bear and Brother Bear, pajama party guests can participate in a variety of school-related activities throughout the evening. Practice packing a backpack with school supplies and have fun with apple stamping – stamp real apples with paint! Make a 3-D bus model out of paper and “Be the Teacher” using white boards and markers to draw and write like a teacher.

Kids can even create  their own text book cover by tracing an illustration of the Berenstain Bears using a light table. In the bedtime story corner, kids can enjoy a quiet family snuggle time reading other Berenstain books while relaxing on beanbags.

At the end of the evening, kids are invited to hold their  3-D bus model high as they march and sing along with the Wheels on the Bus Parade.  Then, it’s time to go home for a little hibernation, like bears do in the winter, but only for the night – and maybe some extra sleep because it’s the weekend!

Tickets for this event cost $10 per person for museum members and $15 per person for non-members.  Children under the age of one will be admitted for free.  Storybook Pajama Party tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.  Registration is required.  Space is limited and tickets are selling briskly, so register early.  Call 203 899 0606, ext. 264 or http://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/ to register.

Stepping Stones is located at 303 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT, exit 14 North and 15 South off I-95. Museum hours are: Labor Day through Memorial Day, Tuesday—Sunday and select holiday Mondays from 10 am-5pm; and  Memorial Day through Labor Day, Monday-Sunday from 10 am-5 pm. Admission is $15 for adults and children and $10 for seniors. Children under 1 are free. To learn more, visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.

Renowned Author to Lecture on Celebrated Gilded Age Romance at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

On Wednesday, September 10, 2014, 11 a.m., at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue in Norwalk, CT, author Jean Zimmerman will give a talk entitled, Love Fiercely: A Gilded Age Romance. A book signing courtesy of Elm Street Books in New Canaan will follow the lecture.

A famous John Singer Sargent portrait inspired Ms. Zimmerman to research its subjects and write their love story. Edith Minturn was a beautiful heiress and Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes, a wealthy young architect. Contemporaries of the Astors and the Vanderbilts, Stokes became a passionate preserver of New York history, Minturn the supermodel of their day, and together they battled on behalf of New York's poor and powerless as reformers. This lecture will explore the couple's era and their world, one of fantastic wealth, when a Madison Avenue scion was moved to create model tenements and a beautiful heiress found herself cast in gold, floating above the modern landscape of America.

This will be the fourth in a series of lectures entitled, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion: Seventy-Four Years of Culture - Art, Life, and Love, 1864-1938 by curators and experts in the field of Victorian era material life. The lectures are $25 for members, $30 for non-members per session. Please RSVP by Friday, September 5, 2014. The price includes lecture, lunch and a first floor Mansion tour. Lunch is courtesy of Michael Gilmartin's Outdoor Cookers. The chair of the Lecture Committee is Mimi Findlay of New Canaan. Please contact info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or 203-838-9799, ext. 4 to purchase tickets.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark. For more information on schedules and programs please visit: www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.

Baby Clothing from 1800- 1950 Exhibition at the Wilton Historical Society

The Wilton Historical Society's fall show called White Linen and Lace, Baby Clothing from 1800- 1950 that will be on display through October 4. Pure yet practical, white has been the traditional choice for baby clothing for hundreds of years. In this small exhibition, tiny garments made with love and lavished with fine needlework are on display. There are christening gowns and slips, night gowns, caps, bonnets, bibs, dresses and petite shoes created between 1800 and 1950. The delicate attire is shown with some of the furnishings of childhood – a cradle, blankets, highchair, silver mugs and utensils, baby bottles and rattles.

A circa 1870 sewing box reminds us of the countless hours women spent laboring over their precious snowy creations, working by the light of candles, oil lamps, or by rays of sunlight through a window. Exquisite clothing with nearly invisible stitches, tiny tucking, tatting, crochet, soutache, cutwork, drawn work and embroidery -- their needle skills are remarkable.

Of particular interest are the family connections many of these heirlooms have with Wilton. Do these names sound familiar? Sturgis, Hurlbutt, Ambler, Belden, Davenport, Evans, Nash, Marvin, Parisot, Rounds – many are now memorialized as road names, while others still boast descendants living in town today.

Another exhibition, Changing Times: Hand Tools Before the Industrial Revolution, features Connecticut Tools of the Trades from the Walter R.T. Smith Collection.  Mounted on the walls of the Burt Barn Gallery, the setting compliments the sculptural appearance of the old tools. They have an almost folk-art quality, with their worn wood and rather eccentric shapes. The machines that supplanted them in the Industrial Revolution would never have the soul of these antique implements.

Both exhibitions will continue through October 4, 2014. The Wilton Historical Society is located on 224 Danbury Road and is open Tuesday—Saturday, 10:00-4:00.  There are house tours every day at 2:00, and by appointment.  For more information http://www.wiltonhistorical.org

The Abbott Blacksmith Shop, also on the property, with a working blacksmith, is open most Saturdays, except in winter.

Hollister House Garden Rare Plant Sale and More Sept. 6 -7

The Garden Conservancy and Hollister House Garden located in the Litchfield Hills has announced the fourth biennial Hollister House Garden Study Weekend, to be held the weekend of September 6 - 7. For more information about the Hollister House Garden in Washington Connecticut visit www.hollisterhousegarden.org.

On Saturday, September 6, New Plants/New Gardens, a symposium at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury, CT, will provide an opportunity to hear some of the most interesting voices in landscape architecture, ecological design, and horticulture at work today.  The symposium will be moderated by garden writer Stephen Orr,  and will begin with breakfast on Saturday at the Heritage Hotel. Speakers include: Dan Hinkley, plant explorer, founder of Heronswood Nursery, and winner of the Royal Horticultural Society's Veitch's Medal, presenting "Shade, Shadows, Sun: Life and Living in Two Gardens" Margie Ruddick, Cooper-Hewitt National Design award-winning landscape architect, sharing her pioneering approach to landscape design in a talk entitled "Wild by Design" Darrel Morrison, native plant expert and landscape architect, whose work includes Storm King Art Center, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the Native Flora Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, exploring the idea of landscape design as ecological art Ed Bowen, proprietor of Opus Nursery and working gardener, introducing new plants that will serve as the garden archetypes of the 21st century

The day will continue with a Plant Show-and-Tell with noted plant connoisseur Marco Polo Stufano, garden writer Page Dickey, and nurseryman Adam Wheeler showing favorite plants and discussing the special merits of each. Hickory Stick Bookshop will be at the Saturday symposium selling garden-related gifts and books. After the symposium, participants are invited to a cocktail reception at Hollister House Garden in Washington, CT, with early access to the Rare and Unusual Plant Sale that will be open to the public the following morning. A silent auction of a few choice plants will also take place that evening.

Admission to the reception and early buying is included in admission to the symposium. Admission to just the cocktail party and plant sale preview is also available to those not participating in the symposium. Registrations for Saturday-- for the symposium and cocktail party, including early buying at the sale of Rare and Unusual Plants, is $175 per person for registrations purchased by August 1 and for members of Hollister House Garden and the Garden Conservancy. After August 1, registrations for non-members are $190 apiece. A special rate at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury is available for symposium participants by contacting the hotel directly at 800.932.3466 and mentioning "Garden Study Weekend." Tickets for cocktails and early buying for Rare and Unusual Plant Sale (held at Hollister House Garden, Washington, CT) are $40 for Hollister House Garden members, $45 for all others. 

On Sunday, the Litchfield County Open Day Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants brings on the public portion of the plant sale at Hollister House Garden and the opening of five exceptional gardens (Hollister House Garden, Greyledge Farm, Maywood, Lagniappe Garden, and the Pearsall garden) in Washington, Bridgewater, and Roxbury as part of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program. For more information on the Litchfield County Open Day, including hours, maps, and descriptions of each garden, visit the Open Days schedule on www.gardenconservancy.org No pre-registration is necessary for Sunday programs. Open Days admission is $5 per person, per garden. Children 12 and under free.