New at the Beardsley Zoo this Winter

The Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport Connecticut has new guests this winter.  The rare and beautiful Amur leopards are now on exhibit.  The pair of Amur leopards we received from the Copenhagen Zoo are now on exhibit. The male can be seen quite often perched on the rock in front of the exhibit. Both are beautiful cats. They hope to receive a breeding recommendation for this endangered species. To make room for this pair, Zoo staff sent their  female Amur leopard, Sofiya, to the Maryland Zoo.

The new year is bringing new animals to the Zoo. While many of them still need to go through their quarantine procedures or wait for their new exhibits to be completed, this year you will enjoy seeing a male Amur tiger from the Indianapolis Zoo, a male Pygmy marmoset from Fort Wayne Children's Zoo and a female from Brevard Zoo, a male and female red wolf pair from the Wolf Center, three male vicuna from the Berlin Zoo,and a male and a female giant anteater from Dreher Park Zoo. Beardsley Zoo has also recently received two yellow-spotted turtles, a purple gallinule, three black-bellied whistling ducks and three giant river turtles.

As part of these moves, many made as part of accredited breeding programs for endangered and threatened species, the Zoo removed a male Amur tiger, two male and three female river otters, one male common marmoset, one male pygmy marmoset, and two male and three female red wolves.

This may seem like a lot, but they tend to relocate animals during cooler months when they will be most comfortable, so a lot of movement happens at once.

For more information about the Beardsley Zoo visit http://beardsleyzoo.org and for area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Popular Music of WWI at the Greenwich Historical Society

On February 26, 2015, 7:00 pm and Sunday, March 1, 2015, 4:00 pm the Greenwich Historical Society is presenting a program on music during WWII.  The Society is located on 39 Strickland Road in Cos Cob.  The event will take place in the Vanderbilt Education Center on the grounds of the Society.  Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers
Purchase tickets at http://greenwichhistory.org or call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10.

Music played a key role in the development of popular opinion during WWI. Lyrics and sheet music art were often designed to influence public opinion As the political climate shifted from neutrality to support for the allies, so did mainstream music.

Prior to US involvement in 1917 many songs supported neutrality with more than one song invoking a mother's love as a reason enough for a son to stay at home. After 1917, when the United States joined the conflict, patriotic themes became more popular.

Led by Stefanie Kies and Bea Crumbine, the program will juxtapose performances of period music with background information and slides. Also, performing are vocalist Dan Swartz and John Goldschmid on piano.

Curator for a day and more at Litchfield History Museum

February is a busy month at the Litchfield History Museum.  On February 22 for example, at  3pm a lecture, The Colonial Revival as Collective Memory and Consumer has been scheduled.  The lecture will be presented by Thomas Denenberg, director of the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT. The development of a culture of consumption in the decades that bracketed the turn of the twentieth century created unprecedented opportunity for the dissemination of images, objects, and texts that engendered historical consciousness in the United States. Antiquarian activities, the province of social outliers, the wealthy, or the creative such as the painter Edward Lamson Henry (1841-1919), became normative behavior in the new middle-class America.

Gathering, collecting, and sorting historical material culture, once an end unto itself in the nineteenth century, gave way to the creation of a widespread aesthetic that prized idealized "native" forms. Entrepreneurial individuals, including the minister-turned antimodern colporteur Wallace Nutting (1861-1941), employed the very modern platforms of advertising, publishing, department stores, and mail order merchandising to encourage and fulfill middle-class desires for objects and myths that answered contemporary social needs in an era of rapid economic and geographic change.

Often termed "the" Colonial Revival—an aesthetic assumed to be, monolithic, sui generis, and whole upon arrival, this illustrated lecture will look at the phenomenon as a complex and carefully constructed collective memory that matured over time.  This program is free for members and $5 for non members.  Register at registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

If you have ever wondered what it's really like to be a curator at a history museum, you are invited to shadow the curator of the societies collections on February 26 from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  Participants will study artifacts from the Historical Society's collections, get a behind-the-scenes peek at object storage, a hands-on experience with some of a curator's day-to-day work, and assemble a hypothetical exhibit. Please register for this program by Tuesday, February 24. Non-members are required to pay the registration fee in advance of the event. Your registration will not be considered complete until we have received payment and the cost is $10 for members; $15 for non-members. Register at registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

For more ideas about what to do and see in Litchfield Hills visit www.litchfieldhills.com

February Fun at White Memorial Foundation

Litchfield's White Memorial Foundation is planning late February events that will entertain the whole family.  On Feb. 20 for example, visitors are invited to a "star party".  This astronomy program is organized by members of the Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy Club and the Mattatuck Astronomical Society. Weather permitting, there will be Star gazing after the program. 7:00 P.M., A.B. Ceder Room. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You are invited to bring your own telescope or binoculars.

A winter walk with staff member Gerri Griswold at 10 a.m. is a "pot luck" walk on the trails.  Participants will figure out what trails are most favorable for a stroll! On this walk you are sure to drink in the beauty of winter! 10:00 A.M., Meet in front of the A. B. Ceder Room.

To round out the month, on Feb. 28 there will be a program titled:  Magic Light Show: the Science and Beauty of the Aurora Borealis with Tom Alena.  Participants will  learn about one of nature's most striking and compelling phenomena, The Northern Lights, with Conservation Center favorite Tom Alena. Tom has the extraordinary ability of taking complicated science and making it easy to understand. This afternoon's program will be beautifully illustrated with photographs by the Keeper of the Northern Lights, Olgeir Andresson www.olgeir.com  beginning at 2:00 P.M., A.B. Ceder Room.

All events are free but donations are appreciated to help defray the cost of programing.  For more information on White Memorial visit http://www.whitememorialcc.org

For more event information on Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

Discovering the “New World”: Maps & Sea Charts from the Age of Exploration

There is a time honored fascination with maps and sea charts.  The new exhibition at the Bruce Museum is featuring maps to be admired... not for navigation!

This exhibition features more than thirty maps and charts dated between 1511 and the 1757. The maps — woodcuts or metal-plate engravings, many with original hand-applied color — represent Renaissance-period attempts by European ateliers to edify their clientele by revealing our "new" hemisphere and its approaches, as discoveries and claims came ashore from those daring enough to pack their sea bags and head for the unknown.

Today, we live in routine harmony, with cartography: on television and the Web; in newspapers, books and magazines. Satellite maps signify weather; detail maps illustrate locales of crucial events; GPS screens send us, often correctly, to new locales. On land, at sea, and in the air—digitized geography helps deliver goods and people everywhere, often without human intervention.

It was not always so. More than five hundred years ago, two European empires began daringly (and competitively) seeking the most efficient seaborne routes to the riches of Arabia and The Orient—Spain sailing west; Portugal sailing east. Mapmakers back home (nearly all landlubbers happy to sit by the fire) scrambled to gather the latest explorers' reports to enable them to draw up-to-date maps, print them as separate sheets, and sell them largely to the wealthy as bound atlases—massive compendia that glorified leather-filled libraries and enriched cultural reputations.

But much of the news sent home was erroneous, owing to imperfect navigation, honest misreadings of reality, or deliberate misrepresentations. (As he wandered around the Caribbean Sea, for example, Columbus believed he had found India.) Altogether, these factors make historic "New World" maps a fascinating study in geographic and human progress—and occasional regression.

The Bruce Museum is  open Tuesday - Sunday 10 am - 5 pm, Doors close 1/2 hour before closing, and the last admission is at 4:30 pm. For additional information call 203-869-0376 or visit https://brucemuseum.org.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Dust and Shadow at the Sharon Historical Society

The Sharon Historical Society located on 18 Main Street in the quaint village of Sharon Connecticut in the northern Litchfield Hills has curated a new art show, Dust and Shadow: Paintings by Judy Albright.

Dust and Shadow features pastel still life and landscape paintings by local artist Judy Albright. Albright is intrigued by the "spaces between and behind objects" and often features the shadows of objects in her work. A quote from The Odes of Horace ,"Pulvis et umbra sumus. (We are but dust and shadow.)" inspired the focus of this exhibition.

Albright teaches classes in drawing and painting at the Northlight Art Center in Sharon, CT. To see more of her work or for a schedule of classes visit www.judyalbrightart.com.

The Sharon Historical Society is open Wed. - Fri. 12 noon - 4 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  For more information visit http://sharonhist.org. 

For event information on Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

Valentine's Day in Southport

Love is in the air in the small coastal town of Southport Connecticut, especially at the Pequot Library!  To get ready for Valentine's Day, the Pequot Library, located on 720 Pequot Ave. is offering a kids's candy making workshop on February 13 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Kids, grades K-8 will learn how to make professionally looking chocolate treats to use as a Valentine's Day dessert.  The workshop will also teach kids how to create a beautiful gift box to present their goodies in .

On Valentine's Day, the Southport Library is hosting the Opera Singers Initiative with a special Valentine's Day theme from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. At this very special event, Young Artists New York City Opera Singers perform works celebrating love! Opera Singers Initiative is committed to providing classical singers with the critical skills and support they need to build a sustainable and successful career in the arts. They provide career development, mentoring, and performance opportunities for emerging professional classical singers. This program is free and open to the public.

Steps away from the Pequot Library is the very romantic Delmar Hotel and Restaurant.  This elegant hotel offers its guests 44 ndividually-designed luxurious rooms and suites and a full service spa. Once inside the uniquely decorated lobby with its custom designed furnishings, antique marble floors, museum-quality art and French limestone hearth, the stage is set for an unforgettable Connecticut escape.  Check their website out for specail deals and packages at http://www.delamarsouthport.com.

Westport Historical Society New Exhibit: Saugatuck @Work – Through May 30

In the early years of the Connecticut Colony, the area known today as Westport was called Saugatuck and was a part of the towns of Fairfield and Norwalk. The river was the boundary between the two towns. But by 1835, the river's growing economic importance moved Saugatuck's business leaders, concerned that their river was playing second fiddle to ports closer to the centers of Norwalk and Fairfield, to have Saugatuck incorporated as a town to be called Westport.

Saugatuck's Past Come Alive in Westport's Artist Mural. Robert L. Lambdin's meticulously researched mural depicting Saugatuck as a center of manufacturing and river commerce in 19th century Westport will anchor the exhibition "Saugatuck @ Work – Haven of Community, Commerce and Innovation" hosted by the Westport Historical Society on 25 Avery Place.

Saugatuck's location near the mouth of the river, allowing raw materials to be delivered by boat and products to be shipped to New York and other ports, made it an ideal setting for manufacturing and maritime commerce. One of Saugatuck's longtime employers was Elonzo Wheeler's button factory, and some of Wheeler's buttons, produced from ivory nuts imported from Brazil, along with local produce, can be seen in the foreground of Lambdin's mural waiting to be loaded onto a market boat. Saugatuck eventually became a tight-knit community of Irish and Italian immigrants who came to Westport to work in factories and as stonemasons, gardeners and laborers on the railroad.

The late Westport artist's large wall painting, "Saugatuck in the 19th Century," was created for the Westport Bank & Trust Company's Saugatuck branch when it opened in 1970. It measures 6 by 10 feet and shows the various types of vessels that plied the river over the course of the century, as well as such long-gone landmarks as the Saugatuck Bank, precursor of Westport Bank & Trust, and the Methodist Church, and those that still survive: Saugatuck original firehouse and the village's historic swing bridge and train depot. Though I-95 did not come into being until the mid 20th century, its bridge over the river appears as a huge arc framing the riverfront scene.

The exhibition will also display historic photographs of workers and workplaces of the village, antique maps of Saugatuck harbor, vintage tools made there, patents by Saugatuck inventors, costumes, and ship and railroad logs.

A companion exhibit devoted to the life of those immigrants, "Framing Saugatuck," will run in the WHS's Mollie Donovan Gallery concurrently with "Saugatuck @ Work."

For more information on the Westport Historical Society http://westporthistory.org/

THRILLS AWAIT AT SALISBURY JUMPFEST

Imagine flying through the air the length of almost a football field—with skis strapped on your feet.  That’s what many daring young competitors will do with ease at the annual Jumpfest Winter Festival. This much-anticipated annual event celebrates its 88^th year February 7 to 9 at Satre Hill in Salisbury, in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills.

On Sunday, February 9, plan to start your morning off right with pancakes and eggs at the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance fundraiser breakfast. The highlight, the Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships begins with practice at 11 am, the competition begins at 1 pm. and shows off the tremendous coordination, skill and grace it takes to soar so far with a happy landing. Everyone will be hoping to beat the Salisbury record, an impressive 231-foot jump.

The championship, often featuring future Olympic hopefuls, is the climax of a weekend of thrills and fun beginning under the lights Friday with a chili cook-off at 6:30 p.m., followed by target jumping and the human dogsled race. The dogsled race, a crowd favorite, has competing teams of five humans pulling a sled and driver around a .3-mile course. It’s all in fun, and teams can get very creative with both their costumes and sleds.

Saturday events start with the youth Nordic 20 and 30- meter jumping competition, followed by the Salisbury Invitational Competition for ski jumpers.

Popular Saturday features include the annual ice carving demonstration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. of creative sculptures on display at the LaBonne Square in the center of Salisbury and a bourbon tasting and chef demonstration at the Interlaken Inn on Rte. 112 in Lakeville. Everyone is invited to attend the Snow Ball Saturday night at the Lakeville Hose Company, 9 Sharon Road in neighboring Lakeville. 

The all-volunteer Salisbury Winter Sports Association, host of the annual championships, maintain cross country ski trails for SWSA members in Salisbury and provides scholarship funds for downhill ski programs at four area schools.

           

For happy viewing, the Association recommends that spectators dress warmly in lots of layers and bring a cowbell, the traditional way to cheer on the jumpers.  Hot food and beverages are available each day to help watchers keep warm. Limited bleacher seating is provided or viewers can bring their own lawn chairs.

Satre Ski Hill is located on Indian Cave Road, off Route 44 in Salisbury. Signs in the center of Salisbury point the way to ample free parking. For further information, see www.jumpfest.org

Litchfield Historical Society celebrates Black History Month

The Litchfield Historical Society is offering a special program on March 18 from 3:30- 5 pm to commemorate Black History Month.  They will be reading Glory Be, by Augusta Scattergood. This book tells the story of a segregated public pool in Mississippi, set in 1964. Follow Gloriana June Hemphill as she struggles with friendships and her own identity during these changing times of American history. Pre-register by February 13th to receive a copy of the book.

On Wednesday, March 18, we will delve into the hysteria of witchcraft with the book The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Kit Tyler, a teen who moves from Barbados to Connecticut in 1682 finds a friend in her new town. Soon, suspicions arise about her friend's life and she is accused of witchcraft. Kit must decide what she believes as truth and convince the town as well. Pre-register by March 13th to receive a copy of the book.

The Leather Apron Book Club is open to children ages 8 and up, and is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Space is limited. Registration is required. Payment is required at time of registration. To register, please call (860) 567-4501 or email registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

The 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.

For area information visit www.litchfieldhills.com

A Valentine Tribute in Song

Westport singer-actress Leslie Orofino will perform some of the best-loved works from the American songbook in her one-woman Valentine's show, "Affairs of the Heart, at the Westport Historical Society on February 8, 2015 from  4 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Blues and cabaret lovers can look forward to hearing a selection of Orofino's favorite songs from the likes of Peggy Lee and Alberta Hunter. "I love to tell a story when I sing," said Orofino, and one story she loves to tell is that of Hunter, who grew up in poverty in the American South and became a popular blues artist here and in Europe before leaving the stage to become a nurse and take care of her ailing mother. After the death of her mother, and while Hunter was in her early 80s, she returned to singing and became a sensation once again. Orofino's show will include Hunter's gritty blues riff, "Handy Man."

The singer describes her Valentine's show as "a celebration of all things that make your heart beat a little faster, through the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Alberta Hunter, Harry Warren and many others."

After seeing Orofino perform her act "Red Hot and Blues" at New York's Laurie Beechman Theatre, cabaret icon Julie Wilson said, "Leslie has a certain elegance mixed with sex appeal that sells each and every song. She's also a great comedian."

Ms. Orofino has also performed at such New York cabaret haunts as the Algonquin's Oak Room, Danny's Skylight Room, the Waldorf and the Plaza. She has appeared locally at Fairfield University's Quick Center and the Fairfield Theater Company and as Kay Goodman in the musical "Nite Club Confidential" at the Westport Country Playhouse. In 2002, Orofino released the CD "Moonlight Cocktails," a collection of moonlight standards of the '30s and '40s.

Among her treasured memories are the times she sang with her father, a businessman who also sang professionally, at the Oak Room. "I have always loved the music of the '30s and '40s mainly because my dad filled our home with his gorgeous tenor voice singing those songs. ... I love performing and for a few years had the honor of having my darling dad as my special guest singer at the Algonquin." The song they sang together was Dorothy Field's "Just the Way You Look Tonight."

For her WHS concert Orofino will be accompanied by award-winning musician Daryl Kojak on piano. The show is directed by Louis D. Pietig. In addition to performing, Orofino gives private voice and piano lessons. To learn more about her career, go to her website, www.leslieorofino.com.

"Affairs of the Heart," Sunday, Feb. 8, 4 p.m. $25 for Members, $30 for Non-Members and reservations are suggested: (203) 222-1424. A Valentine Reception with champagne and chocolate will follow. Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, across from Town Hall. For more information about the WHS, go to http://westporthistory.org. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

February Fun at the Greenwich Audubon

The Greenwich Audubon located on 613 Road in Greenwich has planned a fun filled February for the entire family.  The month starts off on February 1 with the FIrst Sunday Bird Walk at Greenwich Point Park from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.  Participants will enjoy a coastal bird walk in one of Greenwich's most important bird areas.  Participants should meet at the flag pole near the second concession stand at 9:00 am.  This event is free and guided and all  skill levels are welcome.  If you are not available for this walk on the first or if you want to repeat it, the Audubon is also offering this walk on the 8th.

On February 4, the Audubon has teamed up with The Avon Theatre in Stamford for a screening of  "Pelican Dreams" from 7:30 pm - 9 pm at the Avon Theate.  This documentary follows a wayward, starving California brown pelican from her "arrest" on the Golden Gate Bridge into care at a wildlife rehabilitation facility, and from there explores pelican nesting grounds, Pacific coast migration and survival challenges. Following the film, Audubon Naturalist Ted Gilman will discuss waterbirds and ways Audubon is working to conserve birds in Important Bird Areas across Connecticut. Avon or Audubon Members: $6 or $11 otherwise. Purchase online: www.avontheatre.org or call 203-967-3660, x2 for tickets.

On February 4, the Audubon has teamed up with The Avon Theatre in Stamford for a screening of  "Pelican Dreams" from 7:30 pm - 9 pm at the Avon Theate.  This documentary follows a wayward, starving California brown pelican from her "arrest" on the Golden Gate Bridge into care at a wildlife rehabilitation facility, and from there explores pelican nesting grounds, Pacific coast migration and survival challenges. Following the film, Audubon Naturalist Ted Gilman will discuss waterbirds and ways Audubon is working to conserve birds in Important Bird Areas across Connecticut. Avon or Audubon Members: $6 or $11 otherwise. Purchase online: www.avontheatre.org or call 203-967-3660, x2 for tickets.

A Winter Vacation Nature Exploration Days is taking place from Feb. 10-18 from 9:30 am - 3:30 pm. Audubon's solution to the winter vacation blues! Explore the season with us as we enjoy learning how animals and plants survive New England's harsh winter conditions. Pack the winter gear and snacks and sign now up for 1 or 2 days. Grades K-6. For registration forms, visit website and send to Gigi at glombardi@audubon.org.

The Audubon is a proud participant in this unique citizen-led scientific bird count, whose  results are reported online to Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology and will aid research on where bird species are spending the winter. To learn more, visit www.birdcount.org or join the Audubon on Feb. 13 - 16 for one of these wonderful programs. Please register for these free programs. RSVP to Ted at 203-869-5272 x353. Bring binoculars or a spotting scope if you have them. Loaner binoculars will be available.

On February 22 from 1 pm - 2:30, the Audubon is hosting a program on Coyotes and Foxes. Eastern coyotes and red foxes play important ecological roles and have become more common in our region. Frank Vincenti, founder of The Wild Dog Foundation, will explain how people and predators can live in harmony. Chris Nagy, Director Research & Land Management, for the Mianus River Gorge Preserve will discuss coyote biology and the unique Gotham Coyote Project. Q&A will follow. Proceeds directly benefit Audubon's local conservation initiatives. $10/adult. $5/child. Ages 7 & up suggested. RSVP to Jeff at 203-869-5272x349.

For more information on the Greenwich Audubon http://greenwich.audubon.org.  For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com