Experience “Nature as Healer” Program at Flanders

On Sunday, October 18, learn how to quickly access Nature's restorative power, discover nature's subtle language and enhance your ability to access the healing qualities the natural world offers. 

Flanders hosts teacher, artist, and writer Marlow Shami, M.S. who will combine mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques and sensory ecology in this restorative afternoon.

Begin your journey beyond the deafening onslaught of the technology-saturated world with a guided meditation inside the historic Flanders Studio. Continue your experience with a peaceful excursion soaking up the natural beauty of the Flanders’ Van Vleck Sanctuary.

Specializing in the healing connection between humans and the natural world, Marlow Shami conducts Nature as Healer workshops and talks throughout New England.

The group will meet at the Flanders Studio which is located at the corner of Flanders and Church Hill Roads in Woodbury at 1PM. The Cost is $10 member and $15 for non members. Those wishing to lie down during meditation are invited to bring a yoga mat with them.

Registrations are being taken online at www.flandersnaturecenter.org.or call (203) 263-3711 Ext. 10 for more information.

For more area event information www.litchfieldhills.com

Ride a vintage train to the pumpkin patch at Danbury RR Museum

It's the Fall harvest season so what better way to celebrate and welcome in the cooler weather than with a short ride on a vintage train to the Danbury Railway Museum's Pumpkin Patch. This popular annual family event will take place on October 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25; Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. with the last train at 3:30 p.m. at the museum, with trains departing hourly beginning ½-hour after opening each day. Admission is $10.00 for ages 2 and over; children under 24 months are free.

Visitors will ride the Pumpkin Patch Train through the historic rail yard in a 1920's passenger coach, pulled by a vintage ALCo RS-1 diesel-electric locomotive* to the special pumpkin patch where each child will receive a free pumpkin. 

Of course, the exhibits, artifacts, and multiple operating model train layouts inside the restored 100-year old Danbury station will be open for your education and entertainment. The kids can also enjoy the free activities such as the "coloring station," temporary tattoos, cider & cookies, and more. There is a fully-stocked gift shop on the premises. No reservations are required; the event will be held rain or shine. Children are encouraged to come in costume.

The Danbury Railway Museum is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by volunteers, and is dedicated to the preservation of, and education about, railroad history. The museum is located in the restored 1903 Danbury Station and rail yard at 120 White Street, Danbury, CT and has many artifacts of area railroading on display, including over 70 vintage railroad cars and locomotives. For further information, visit the Web site at http://www.danburyrail.org, or call the museum at 203-778-8337.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Bruce Museum 34th Annual Outdoor Arts Festival

 The Bruce Museum’s 34th annual Outdoor Arts Festival takes place rain or shine on Museum grounds on Columbus Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 10- 11, from 10 am to 5 pm. More than 90 artists from across the country, many new to the Bruce Museum festival, will be showcased this year. The juried works include painting on canvas, board and paper, mixed media in 2D and 3D, drawings and graphics, including digital media, sculpture and photography. All works are available for purchase and artists are on hand to discuss their work.

“The Bruce Museum's Outdoor Arts Festival has been ranked in the top 100 nationally among Fine Arts Fairs, drawing strong competition among artists who want to participate in the show,” says Sue Brown Gordon, the Festival’s organizer. “We are delighted this year to be welcoming many new artists and award winning veterans to the festival. What makes this festival so special is that it is an originals only show. The works being displayed are considered one-of-a-kind and of collectable merit.”

Live music, varied menu offerings, and children’s art activities are all available to provide family fun. Festival admission is $8 and includes admission to the Bruce Museum galleries. The Festival is free to Bruce Museum members and children less than 5 years old. Not yet a member? At the Festival entrance visitors will be able to join the Bruce Museum at a discount, and will receive instant free admission and many discounts both at the Festival -- many exhibitors offer discounts for Bruce Museum members -- and in the Museum store.

Visitors are asked to park on Museum Drive and Steamboat Road or in the Island Beach Parking lot near exit 3 off I-95. The Museum is a short walk from MetroNorth’s Greenwich railroad station. For information, visit www.brucemuseum.org, or call (203) 869-0376. 

For more area information visit www.visitwesternct.com

American Museum of Tort Law opened in Litchfield Hills

The American Museum of Tort Law, the nation’s first museum devoted to the legal system,

opened on September 26 in the Litchfield Hills town of Winsted, the home town of the museum’s

President, consumers advocate Ralph Nader.

After dedicating nearly half a century to battling businesses over issues such as dangerous

products, the 81-year-old Nader is spearheading the museum in a former downtown bank

building to celebrate the branch of law that offers relief to anyone who suffers injury from

wrongful acts of others, from careless drivers or neighbors to negligent corporations. The

nonprofit, educational institution hopes to make people aware of the pivotal role of tort law in

the protection of personal freedom and safety. And it will celebrate the historical and

contemporary achievements of the civil justice system.

According to museum director Richard L. Newman, former president of the Connecticut Trial

Lawyers Association, the new facility will include a timeline of the development of tort law and

a theater. Exhibits will tell in compelling fashion of cases large and small where tort law and the

right to trial by jury has protected individuals against wrongful injury.  Two dramatic examples

are Liebeck vs McDonalds, a case concerning scalding coffee, and Cipollone v. Liggett, where 

the plaintiff alleged that cigarette manufacturers knew -- but did not warn consumers -- that

smoking caused lung cancer and that cigarettes were addictive. The public will learn a lot more

than they generally know about these and other important issues, Newman promises.

Details of museum hours and events will be available on the web site tortmuseum.org.

For information about lodging, dining and other activities in the area and a free copy of UNWIND, a full-color, 152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay, shop and dine throughout 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 their web site at www.visitwesternct.com

October at White Memorial Foundation - Fun Naturally!

October is a great month to get outdoors and enjoy the firecolors of fall foliage and one of the best places in Litchfield Hills to explore the great outdoors is White Memorial Foundation in Litchfield located off of Rte. 202. The staff has organized some wonderful events in October starting on October 3 with Dave Paton from the Sharon Audubon that will share his knowledge about mushrooms beginning at 10 a.m. Participants will spend a couple of hours in the forest with Dave learning do's and don'ts , basic identification, and stories behind all of the fungus among us! 10:00 A.M., Meet in front of the A. B. Ceder Room. Dress for the weather! Members: $10.00, Non-members: $15.00, Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Class is limited to 30 participants! 

On October 7, there is a program with Gerri Griswold called hiking and healthful eating that begins at 6 p.m. Participants spend the evening taking a brisk walk with Gerri, then settle into a delicious and simple to prepare super tasty meal. The objective is to share recipes, learn how to use herbs and spices to create wonderfully delicious meals that will keep you focused on your goal and to use this beautiful property to help you become the very best you can be. Dress for the weather and don't forget your flashlight! Members: $15.00 Non-members: $25.00. Limited to 20 people! Pre-registration and pre-payment are required.

There are two events on October 10. The first is an early morning walk to Laurel Hill, Cat Swamp, Apple Hill and back that begins at 7 a.m. rain or shine. This event is free. The second event begins in the Museum parking lot at 10 a.m. and is an autumn tree identification walk with White Memorial's forest superintendent, Lukas Hyder. This event is free.

On October 16 White Memorial is hosting a "Star Party"! This astronomy program is organized by members of the Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy Club and the Mattatuck Astronomical Society. Tonight's topic: Life in the Universe. 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. This event is free.

On October 17, Marlow Shami leads a quiet sensory walk that is a guided meditation especially designed to enhance your ability to "speak" nature's sensory language. Discover the natural world's subtle vernacular as you soak-up the Sanctuary's exquisite beauty. Mindfully walk through the deafening onslaught of an all too often technology-saturated world, in peace! Learn to quickly access nature's restorative power. Marlow Shami combines Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques and sensory ecology in this restorative afternoon journey down the Lake Trail. 10:00 A. M., Meet in front of the A. B. Ceder Room. This event is free.

There are two events on October 24 - the first is Celebrating Connecticut's Apples with Barr Weeks and Russell Powell from the New England Apple Association as she weaves the delicious story of apple growing in Connecticut. Learn about apple history, their growing cycle, Connecticut's ten most popular apples and some rarer New England varieties. Samples will be available in raw form as well as pie form! 2:00 P.M.  This event is free.

Also on October 24, David Leff will entertain with supernatural tales of Connecticut. Join poet and essayist David Leff for dramatic readings about the ghostly and weird around us. Meet the headless horseman of Canton, the vanishing hitchhiker of Chester, the Jewett City vampires, and the black dog of West Peak, among others. We share a landscape laced with mysteries. Dare to believe or endure a skeptic's regret! www.davidkleff.com . Mr. Leff's reading will be at the fire pit, weather permitting. A comfy dinner will be served! 7:00 P. M., At the Keinholz Fire Pit. Members: $25.00 Non-members: $30.00, Pre-registration and pre-payment are required.

On Halloween, there will be a Super Spooky Halloween Walk with Gerri Griswold and Bradley the Wonder Dog!  Begin Halloween afternoon dressing up yourself and your four-legged best friend for a stroll along the Pine Island Trail to Little Pond and then onto the Litchfield Greenway via Gallows Lane (chills) passing the cemetery (BOO!) and finishing up at Mallard Marsh. Look for signs of life and a good deal of pointing and staring along the way! All dogs must be on leads! Spooky treats for everybody after the walk! 12:00 P.M., Meet in front of the A. B. Ceder Room! The program is free but you must register by calling 860-567-0857.

For all "free" events. donations will be accepted to help defray the Conservation.  For more information about White Memorial Conservation Center visit www.whitememorialcc.org

Walking Tour of Historic Westport October 3

The Westport Historical Society is hosting a walking tour, led by Edward F. Gerber, of Kings Highway North Historic District on Saturday, Oct. 3. The tour will be an opportunity for participants to learn about one of the town's oldest settled areas, some homes of which date to the mid-1700s.

Kings Highway North was established as a local historic district in 1972 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It encompasses 106 "contributing buildings" – structures that add to the district's historical qualities – and four historic sites. Most of the contributing buildings are homes in the Colonial style. The historic sites include a small triangular green at the intersection of Old Hill Road and Kings Highway North that was used as a military drill ground, the adjoining Christ and Holy Trinity and Church of the Assumption cemeteries across Kings Highway from Old Hill Road, and an earlier graveyard, laid out in 1740, at the northwest corner of Kings Highway North and Wilton Road.

Originally, Kings Highway North was part of a postal road laid out between New York and Boston in 1762. Unlike the Post Road, which was built later, it followed a circuitous route through town, crossing the Saugatuck River over an old wood bridge just upstream from the present one.

According to the filing information for the district's National Register of Historic Places certification, "The two earliest houses in the district are the c. 1730 Lt. John Taylor House and the 1736 Daniel Freelove Nash House." The Taylor house was destroyed by fire in 1935 and replaced by a replica on the original foundation. It was the home of film and stage actor Arthur Kennedy during the 1950s and served as the model for the home of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo when the "I Love Lucy" television show moved to Westport for its final season.

Gerber will be accompanied on the tour by Edward Hynes, a specialist on the history of Westport during the American Revolution. Hynes will discuss the planned ambush by Continental troops under Benedict Arnold to fire cannons from the high ground on Old Hill down on British soldiers returning from a raid on Danbury to prevent them from crossing the river on the bridge below. But the British outsmarted the Colonials and crossed upriver near the site of present Ford Road.

"Kings Highway North Walking Tour," Saturday, Oct. 3, 3 to 4 p.m. Meet at the cemeteries across from the foot of Old Hill Road; park along Kings Highway North. There is a $10 donation. Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, across from Town Hall. For more information about the WHS, call (203) 222-1424 or go to westporthistory.org.

A trio of food festivals in Western Connecticut

The aroma of steaming chowder, the tantalizing scent of garlic, and the chance to sample the best specialties of Iceland await autumn visitors to Western Connecticut, home to three of the season's top food festivals.

Chowdafest, New England's largest cooking competition, will be held at Westport's Sherwood Island State Park on October 11, a new location spacious enough to accommodate the growing fan base, while another popular event, the tenth annual Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival takes place October 10-11, 2015 at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds. The following Saturday, October 18, the fifth annual Iceland Affair and Fire and Ice Music Festival once again will bring fans to Winchester, CT. for a rare treat, one of only two such festivals in the United States.

YOU ARE THE JUDGE AT CHOWDAFEST

At this SOUPerbowl of festivals to benefit the Connecticut Food Bank, attendees are the judges as more than two dozen of the regions best restaurants compete in four categories: classic New England Clam Chowder, Traditional Manhattan and Rhode Island chowders, "creative" chowders that might be anything from sweet potato to Cajun shrimp, and bisque soups such as Butternut Squash and Golden Corn. Everyone receives a spoon, pencil and ballot and can sample unlimited chowder and soups, grading entries on a scale from 7 to 10. Winners are announced at the end of the event.

For tasting variety, samples are offered at the Cheese and Cracker Corner, at ChowdaMex featuring salsas and chips and at a beverage center stocked with beer and wine. The ChowdaKIDS area will provide samples of ice cream and milk as well as free chef hats, coloring books and stickers provided by Stop & Shop, the event sponsor.

Admission is $10 in advance for adults, $15 at the door on October 11. Ages 6 to 12 pay $5, children under 6 are free. Hours are 12 noon to 4 p.m. Proceeds from this food festival to fight hunger have provided over 100,000 meals for the CT Food Bank. For information, see www.chowdafest.org

GARLIC IN ITS GLORY

Foodies flock each year to the Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival where they enjoy cooking demonstrations, informative food talks, lessons in growing garlic, plus free samplings of garlic dips, spreads, cheeses and oils from specialty food vendors. Visitors can buy farm-fresh garlic as well as other bounty from the fall harvest. All of that is the warm-up for some serious eating that includes treats like homemade roasted garlic sausage with peppers and onions, garlic marinated steak sandwiches, garlic roast pork sandwiches, deep fried garlic, and even garlic ice cream.

Live bands add to the festive feel, fine artisans are on hand offering hand made crafts and young visitors will find rides and games to keep them entertained.

The Garlic Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday October 10 and 11
at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds, Route 61 just north of town. Adult admission is $7, under age 12, just $1. Find more details at www.garlicfestct.com

TAKE A TRIP TO ICELAND

One woman's love affair with Iceland was the spark that began this unusual festival. Gerri Griswold, a former chef and current broadcaster, visited the "land of fire and ice" and fell in love.

She has made over a dozen trips to Iceland since 2002 and in 2009, decided to introduce more Americans to their northern neighbor in what she thought would be a one-time event in her home town. Instead, the Iceland Affair keeps growing. At this year's fifth edition at Winchester Center's Grange Hall visitors will hear experts talk about Iceland's arts and amazing nature, see prize photography of the land's lavish geysers and waterfalls, and will be able to sample authentic Icelandic foods such as goat sausage, smoked and dried fish, sensational chocolates and licorice, the special local yogurt known as skyr, pure Icelandic water, and what Griswold calls the best hot dogs in the world. On the Winchester Center Green the public will meet Iceland's biologically pure animals including Icelandic horses, sheep, sheep dogs, and chickens. The event will be held on October 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All the day's activities are free.

 For details on the festival, see http://icelandaffair.com.

Family Nature Day at White Memorial Foundation

Each year, White Memorial Foundation and Conservation Center located in Litchfield celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of that time of year known as Indian Summer by organizing an annual event known as the Family Nature Day.  This year, this popular event is taking place on September 26 and promises to be full of family fun with a plethora of events that will please young and old alike.

Brain Bradley,  from Skyhunters in Flight will be at this event with his beautiful hawks and falcons. Creature Teachers will be offering "The Nature of My Backyard" that features a cavalcade of animals native to the Litchfield Hills like Woodchuck, Gray Fox, and even a Fisher!

Fair goers will learn about our imperiled allies as Gerri Griswold aka "The Bat Lady" teaches you about bats. Riverside Reptiles' with the highly regarded Brian Kleinman will bring many of his friends along for you to meet... including  the North American Porcupine!

There will be music by Robert Messore and the Switch Factory that will make your heart soar. The day is filled with live animals, guided nature walks, information booths, and even horse drawn wagon rides.  If you are a shopper, you won't be disappointed as you browse through the many unique items offered at the artisans market.

A highlight is the silent auction and the bake sale -- that is always a crowd pleaser.  There are lots of nature crafts for the kiddies too! This year's first prize in the raffle is a trip for two to  Iceland with Gerri Griswold in January courtesy of Krummi Travel LLC.

There is so much family fun on September 26 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., admission is $6.00.  Members of White Memorial Foundation and children under 12 are FREE!

Photo credit: Katherine Griswold 

Night (1947-2015) at The Glass House

The Glass House, once the home of architect Philip Johnson was built between 1949 and 1955 and is a National Trust Historic Site located in New Canaan, Connecticut. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises fourteen structures, including the Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions. Tours of the site are available in May through November and advance reservations are recommended.

A special exhibition beginning Sept. 27 and  running through November 30 called Night (1947-2015) has been guest curated by Jordan Stein. The exhibition is predicated on a statue that was never returned to The Glass House. Sometime in the mid-1960's, a rail-thin white plaster sculpture called Night (1947), by Alberto Giacometti, walked away from the Glass House and never came back.

One of very few artworks ever displayed in the Glass House, Night's rawboned figure was granted pride of place atop the Mies van der Rohe glass coffee table. Over time, the sculpture began to shed its outer layer and was eventually sent to the artist's studio for repairs. But Giacometti died before the work was restored and the sculpture never returned. Neither repaired nor replaced, its absence still lingers; a Modern ghost.

In place of a traditional artist-in-residence program, Night (1947 – 2015) is instead a sculpture-in-residence program; an unfolding sculptural exhibition held in the same spot where Giacometti's Night once stood. A series of contemporary artists will contribute works that contend with the legacy of Giacometti's sculpture and Johnson's architectural opus. On display for three to six months at a time, the sculptures in Night (1947 – 2015) will "disappear" after their run, making room for new work and new absences.

Although world-class painting and sculpture populate Johnson's property, Night (1947 – 2015) is the first formal art exhibition to be held on-site. The slowly unfolding exhibition places Johnson's collection in dialogue with contemporary sculptural practice while positioning the architecture itself – long a site of critical discourse – as both backdrop and collaborator.

Night (1947 – 2015) is primarily comprised of never-before-seen works by a number of mid-career and established artists. Special attention will be paid to artists who grapple with themes raised by Giacometti's vanished Night — themes that largely work in contrast to those of Johnson's transparent temple. Works will explore unreliability, looping, curving, transparency, reflectivity, and doubt. Additionally, works will have a significant relationship to architecture and design. For more information http://theglasshouse.org.  

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

photo by Robin Hill (c)