Litchfield Hills Road Race June 13

This summer, the Litchfield Hills Road Race is 39 years old and "running strong'.  It has been described as "The best little race you have ever heard of"  by Runners World Magazine. This race takes place, rain or shine the second Sunday of every June in the center of Litchfield, a beautiful village in the Litchfield Hills that is known for fine dining, great shopping and interesting architecture and natural beauty.

The Litchfield Hills Road Race dates back to 1977 and was based on the the famous race held in Falmouth, Massachusetts. From the first race, one of the notable observations from runners and spectators alike, was that there is a feeling of equal appreciation between them. LHRR has seen runners from all over the world, representing Ireland, New Zealand, Kenya, Great Britain, Belgium, Tanzania, Canada, Yugoslavia, Morocco and Poland, keeping pace with some of our more famous American runners, including Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit, Dave Dunham, Randy Thomas, Patti Catalano and Vin Fleming to name a few.

The challenge of this race for participants is to conquer "Gallow's Hill, rated #8 by Runner's World Magazine in their list of the greatest, most daunting hills in U.S. races— the hill that made Olympian Bill Rodgers shift to ninth gear! And of course no one wants to miss out on Death Valley" or as our younger generation calls a stretch of the race, the "Microwave Mile."

Don't miss the fun at one of the pre-race, race day and after race parties The race begins at 1 p.m. sharp on June 13!  For more information visit http://lhrr.com.

Sharon Audubon Festival June 13

The Sharon Audubon Festival is back and will be taking place at the Sharon Audubon Center, located on Route 4 in Sharon, CT on Saturday, June 13th with several refreshing changes. The Sharon Audubon Festival is an event where people of all ages can learn about nature in a fun and interactive way, and features a full day of nature walks and programs, live animal presentations, children's activities, food, music, exhibits, local craft vendors and more. Whether one is a seasoned naturalist or a young explorer, there are activities for all ages and experience levels.

This year's festival will feature several new highlights, including multiple live musical performances throughout the day, including bluegrass music by the bands Mama Tried and Too Blue at 10:30 and 2:30 respectively. Wildcat Creek will perform during a live contra-dance from 12:30-1:30 pm and the lively show will close out the day with a special fun, family performance by The Bossy Frog Band.

The 2015 festival will also showcase a variety of local crafters and vendors, who will be selling beautiful hand-crafted wooden bowls, archery bows, wildlife and nature paintings and prints, cards, children's books, painted feathers, jewelry, natural soaps and much more. StrEAT Italiano and When Pigs Fly will be offering delicious food items for  hungry festival goers and the Sharon Fire Department will be selling ice cream throughout the day!

Concurrent program sessions take place starting at 10:00 a.m. and include canoeing, bats, bobcats, bees, frogs, bugs, pond and stream searches, mushrooms, tracking, birds of prey, edible plants and more. There will be many ongoing exhibits and hands-on activities from other local environmental organizations and a children's craft tent as well.

A falconry demonstration will take place at 11:30 a.m. Festival gates are open from 9:30 am-5:30 pm each day. The event takes place rain or shine. No pets are allowed inside the gates. Admission is $10 per person OR $25 per carload. A complete schedule and description of programs can be found at www.sharon.audubon.org or by calling 860-364-0520 for more information.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Torrington Historical Society Open through Oct. 31

The Torrington Historical Society, located at 192 Main Street, is open for the season and will remain open through October 31st. The Society is home to three cultural attractions: the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, the permanent exhibit, No Place Like Home: The History of Torrington, and the Hendey Machine Shop exhibit Pursuit of Precision: The Hendey Machine Shop 1870-1954. The Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum and the two exhibit areas are open to the public Wednesday - Saturday, 12-4 p.m.

Fodor's Guide to New England described the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum as "one of the better house museums in Connecticut". Built in 1900, this grand Victorian mansion was commissioned by Orsamus and Mary Fyler and was designed by New Haven architect William H. Allen. The house was built by Hotchkiss Brothers Company, a Torrington firm. The Torrington Historical Society acquired the home in 1956 when Gertrude Fyler Hotchkiss, daughter of the original owners, bequeathed the house and its contents to the Society. Today, visitors to the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum can see the home as it was when last occupied by Gertrude Fyler Hotchkiss. This grand home is rich in details: mahogany paneling, ornate carvings, stenciled walls, murals, parquet floors and ornamental plaster. Family furnishings include impressive collections of porcelain, glass and oriental carpets as well as paintings by Ammi Phillips, Winfield Scott Clime, E. I. Couse, George Lawrence Nelson and Albert Herter. Guided tours of the house museum are available for $5 per person; children 12 and under are free. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 12-4; the last tour is at 3:30 p.m.

The Torrington History Museum, adjacent to the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, contains an award-winning permanent exhibit, No Place Like Home: The History of Torrington. This self-guided exhibit explores the city's history while showcasing photographs and artifacts from the Society's collection. Audio and video components and hands-on interactive stations are featured in this exhibit. Admission is $2; children 12 and under are free. Another exhibit, Pursuit of Precision: The Hendey Machine Company 1870-1954, is located in the Carriage House. This exhibit features an operational belt-driven machine shop, a video kiosk, and a photographic history of the Hendey Machine Company, a former Torrington manufacturer of lathes, shapers and milling machines. Admission is free.

The John H. Thompson Memorial Library houses archives pertaining to Torrington history. Researchers may visit the library Wednesday-Friday 1-4, or by appointment. For more information about the Society or to become a member, please visit www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org or contact the Society at (860) 482-8260.

Beautiful Nuances of Childhood Captured in Portrait Exhibit at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum has opened a new exhibition entitled, Childhood Portraits: Our Children, Our Future, in collaboration with the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists (CSOPA) and Stepping Stones Museum for Children. This exhibit runs through June 28 at LMMM, 295 West Ave., Norwalk, CT.  

The Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum and Stepping Stones Museum for Children have brought together 21 original portraits of children by 21 professional artists into public view. Many of the participating families never dreamed of such an opportunity and kids are sure to be excited to see their photo in the magnificent setting of this museum.

From Ancient Greece's depiction of deities to Andy Warhol's celebrity portraits, not to mention today's selfie craze, the art of portraiture has been a part of society since its inception. This exhibit will explore this enduring artistic form with portraits of children created exclusively by CSOPA members after a "Matching Event" which was held on November 15, 2014 at Stepping Stones Museum for Children. At this event children also explored the art of self-portraiture under the guidance of CSOPA artists and Stepping Stones educators.

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.

Shakespeare’s ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ set for Pinkney Park in June

Shakespeare on the Sound has selected "All's Well That Ends Well" as its 20th anniversary presentation and named nationally renowned Mary B. Robinson to direct The Bard's subtle and poetic comedy in Pinkney Park June 11-28.

The provocative challenge to the conventions of gender unfolds under the stars in the natural outdoor amphitheater of the park in Rowayton where a family-festive audience assembles on blankets and low-slung deck chairs with picnic baskets crammed with goodies. Admission is free and so is parking nearby. At the same time, donations are collected at the gate, $20 suggested for adults, $10 for seniors and students. Reserved seating is also available for $50. To reserve: www.shakespeareonthesound.org or call (203) 299-1300.

"All's Well That Ends Well" was selected for the theater's 20th anniversary from Shakespeare's inimitable 34-play palette that poetically synthesizes what it means to be human and crackles with wordplay and wit. The sheer lyrical force of Shakespeare's top layer is engaging but Robinson is committed to adding a dimension that reveals the Bard's intense passion and extraordinary mastery of the rhythms of life and perplexities of human behavior.

A 3 ½-week-run of the play "Intimate Apparel" at the Westport Country Playhouse last fall—recounting the relationship between an African-American seamstress and a Jewish tailor—is among the 60-plus productions Robinson has directed in New York City and across the U.S. over the past three decades. Judith Ivey has appeared on Robinson's stage. So have Cynthia Nixon, Jeff Daniels and Buck Henry. Her productions have gained her acclaim from Hartford to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, from Louisville, KY to Seattle and from Cincinnati to Milwaukee.

Her book "Directing Plays, Directing People: A Collaborative Art" (Smith and Kraus, 2012, 188 pages) meanwhile has been described by Pulitzer Prizewinner Edward Albee as "an intelligent and useful guide for both the professional and the casual theater lover." Robinson intends to mount "All's Well That Ends Well" in the round," meaning the audience in Pinkney Park would encircle the stage, just as the so-called "groundlings" did at Shakespeare's Globe Theater 400 years ago outside London. As opposed to the Elizabethan era, however, she is setting the play in an Edwardian time bend, the early 1900s.

The production runs Tuesdays through Sundays—Mondays are dark as they say in the theater—with patrons permitted to stake out space on the grounds with a blanket or deck chair starting at 4 p.m., 3 ½ hours before the curtain. Most night, one hour in advance, there is a special preview presentation for children.

A Lecture at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum Explores the Gilded Age Conservatory

On Wednesday, June 10, 2015, 11 a.m. at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue in Norwalk, CT, Curator Jim Donahue will give a talk entitled, Gilded Age Conservatories.

The late 19^th and early 20^th centuries witnessed the culmination of private and public conservatory construction in the United States. Elaborate arrangements of exotic orchids, tropical palms, and a myriad of ferns filled these extravagant glass structures. Private conservatories of the Gilded Age were part of the family’s living space, decorated with specimen plants, and used for entertaining guests. Fueled by new technologies and horticultural discoveries from faraway places, the Victorians displayed their collections while the associated costs of building and maintaining the conservatory and its contents affirmed the occupant’s aristocratic aspirations. Often, the cultivation process did not take place within the conservatory itself, but in an offsite greenhouse.

Elms Conservatory 1901

Jim Donahue is Curator of Historic Landscapes and Horticulture at the Preservation Society of Newport County. He holds a Master’s Degree in Landscape Design from the Conway School of Landscape Design in Massachusetts. He is currently putting together a conservatory-themed exhibit, focused on 19th century collectors' plants, for the upcoming Newport Flower Show, June 19-21 at Rosecliff.

This will be the second in a series of lectures 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, June 5, 2015. The price includes lecture, lunch and a first floor Mansion tour. Lunch is courtesy of Michael Gilmartin's Outdoor Cookers Catering & Event Planning.  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 additional information on schedules and programs please visit: www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.

For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com