Celebrate Winter in Norfolk Feb. 24-25

It’s the perfect winter celebration: outdoor sports; a restaurant crawl and a pancake breakfast; concerts and art shows; kids’ activities, tours and open houses, ice carving and much more will be featured during Norfolk’s first WINter Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25. What’s even better, most of the events are free.

Event Highlights

The Norfolk volunteer fire department will sell fried dough and coffee during the ambulance squad’s ice-carving event, and will man a fire pit at Infinity Bistro for hot cocoa and S’mores. The Botelle School parent/teacher organization will serve refreshments and host kids’ games at the newly revived town ice skating rink. Cocoa will be available at the North Brook rail trail during a snowshoeing event sponsored by the Rails to Trails committee.

Revelers won’t go hungry. Norfolk Net has organized a restaurant crawl late Saturday afternoon at the town’s four restaurants and the Manor House Inn. The Immaculate Conception Church will host a free pancake breakfast on Sunday. And of course, sit-down meals will be readily available at almost any time of day.

Interested in sports? There will be plenty—skating on the town rink, cross-country skiing on one of Norfolk’s many trails, snowshoeing on the North Brook Trail (the committee has snowshoes to lend if you can’t bring your own) and sledding for all ages on the hill behind the Congregational Church on the green (bring your own sled). If you’re not into the outdoors, you can watch Olympic curling on TV and live action at a local club tournament during the Norfolk Curling Club’s open houses.

Music and art will be strongly represented. The Ryan Montbleau Band will perform at Infinity Hall Saturday night. On Sunday, Steve Dedman will be in the Bistro live, and Green River will be featured Friday night for those who arrive in Norfolk early. For classical music lovers, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival is sponsoring a performance by the Magari Quintet in the library on Saturday afternoon and offers the audience the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the music. As for art, there are shows by painters Tom Hlas and Alicia Mordenti, and work by 19th-century photographer Marie Kendall will be on display at the Norfolk Historical Society’s museum.

The library will host Magnificent Microscopes on Saturday morning, and the Norfolk Land Trust’s talk by “bear whisperer” Ben Kilham will be in the afternoon. The hands-on microscope session is intended primarily for kids, but the bear talk is for everyone.

To see a full schedule of events and times, go to weekendinnorfolk.orghttp://weekendinnorfolk.org/ or call 860-542-5829. For updates, follow Weekend in Norfolk on Facebook. And save the date: our annual Weekend in Norfolk is coming up August 3, 4 and 5…save the first weekend in August for three days of summer fun.

Celebrate Chinese New Year @ Beardsley Zoo

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, the state's only zoo, invites families to celebrate Asian New Year on Saturday, February 17, 2018, from Noon to 3:00 p.m. This year marks the year of the Dog and the Zoo will celebrate the new Mane Wolf Cubs just born at the zoo!  To the Chinese, the dog is almost the epitome of loyalty and honesty. If a dog comes into your house it symbolizes the coming of fortune. The invincible God Erland in Chinese legend used a loyal wolfhound to help him capture monsters.

At the Beardsley Zoo Year of the Dog festivities will feature activities for the entire family including a special children's parade around the Zoo grounds, storytime, crafts, and many more fun activities. Don't miss a visit to the colorful indoor Carousel. Here you will meet some of the Zoo's  special lizard guests and be invited to partake in the festivities.  Don't miss a peek at Chaigbai the Siberian Tiger that gave birth to two rare tiger cubs in November. The tiger cubs could be out by April or May!   The snow date for this event is Feb. 24.

About Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo celebrates its 94th birthday in 2016 and is closer than you think! Connecticut's only zoo features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Visitors won't want to miss our Amur (Siberian) tigers, Brazilian ocelots, Red wolves, and Golden Lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with "pop-up" viewing areas, the New England Farmyard with goats, cows, pigs, sheep, and other barnyard critters, plus the hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, and more. Visitors can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful carousel. For more information, visit http://www.beardsleyzoo.org

CT Food Fest in Naugatuck

Once again this year the Naugatuck Historical Society is hosting the popular Savor CT at the Naugatuck Portuguese Club located on 110 Rubber Ave. on Feb. 10 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. This event  features just Connecticut businesses that carefully craft a multitude of goodies from beer and wine to all manner of food from chocolate to cookies!

The event helps to support the mission of the Naugatuck Historical Society. The Society tells the stories of Naugatuck through programs, school visits, exhibits, articles and more. Currently, the museum is located at 171 Church Street in Naugatuck, and is looking forward to moving to the Tuttle House when renovations are complete.

Participants in Savor Connecticut includes four breweries, two vineyards and four distilleries.  There will also be a great variety of food, all made in Connecticut to sample including the specialties of Nardelli’s, Mr. D’s Tavern, Fascia’s Chocolates, Avery Soda, Pepperidge Farm, Hummel and much, much more.  There will be over 30 vendors featured at the event.  Guests at the event will enjoy drinks, a commemorative glass as a souvenir, food, music, and raffles from around the state. 

The snow date for this event is February 12, but only will be used in extreme weather conditions. Tickets are available at the museum on Church Street which is open 11-4pm on Saturdays or at Fine Wines and Liquors. Tickets are $15 for members of the Society or Portuguese Club when purchased in advance.  Tickets for non-members are $20 when purchased in advance.  All tickets at the door are $25.

For information on how to become a vendor, donate a raffle prize or to purchase tickets contact Wendy Murphy 203 218 5349, wendy.murphy@snet.net

Mardi Gras Party at the Carousel Museum

The New England Carousel Museum will be in full New Orleans-style celebration mode during its 28th annual Mardi Gras party on Saturday, February 10, 2018 from 7:30 PM - midnight.  Come join us for an evening of fun and frolicking with great music, good food, bourbon, and beads.

The Big Easy evening features music and dancing in the magnificent museum ballroom. Along with a 50/50 raffle and live entertainment that will include face painters, temporary tattoos, balloon twisting and magic, there will be bourbon and wine tastings in the Speakeasy, beads and doubloons, and a catered dinner!  This is a BYOB event.  "This unique party brings a taste of New Orleans to Bristol." said Louise DeMars, the museum's Executive Director. Attendees are encouraged to wear an optional mask or come in full costume. Masks are available to purchase in the museum gift shop. 

The evening's festivities will culminate in the crowning of a king and queen of the ball.  Gather your friends and come kick up your heels to help us celebrate our 28th Anniversary year, while supporting the wonderful programming and events produced by the Carousel Museum for the Greater Bristol community.

Tickets are on sale at the Carousel Museum or you may order them by mail, by phone, or on-line. RSVP by Monday, February 5, 2018. The cost is $50 per person and pre-paid tables of 8 may be reserved. The event will be held at the New England Carousel Museum, 95 Riverside Ave, Bristol, CT.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact The New England Carousel Museum at (860) 585-5411 or email manager@thecarouselmuseum.org.

BOOK ONLINE:

www.thecarouselmuseum.org/book-online

Cruise the Sound for Seals and More....

February brings annual visitors from the north into Long Island Sound, and you can chance to see them during "Seal-Spotting & Birding Cruises" offered this winter by The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. The Aquarium's 2018 season of "Seal-Spotting & Birding Cruises" will run on many weekends through March 31, 2018.

These invigorating 2½-hour outings seek out some of the harbor seals and gray seals that migrate down into Long Island Sound from northern waters – such as off Cape Cod and the Gulf of Maine – which serve as their summer breeding and pupping areas. During the Aquarium cruises, seals often can be seen near the Norwalk islands resting on rocks and shoals exposed at low tide. Aquarium educators will point out these federally protected marine mammals and talk about their natural histories.

These cruises also give birders unique "on-the-water" access to see and photograph visiting winter waterfowl, such as buffleheads, mergansers, Brant geese and long-tailed ducks.

"Although we've been displaying seals for nearly 30 years now – and explaining to guests that seals are out there in the Sound during the winter – it's still a revelation for participants to actually see them during our cruises," said Dave Sigworth, the Aquarium's associate director of communications. "It is these exciting first-hand experiences that really emphasize that Long Island Sound is an important habitat to protect."

Danbury's Chili Winter Warm Up Feb. 18

The Danbury Westerners have figured out a clever way to warm up to winter by sponsoring the highly anticipated annual Chili 5K Run that is being held on February 18 @ 10 a.m.at the Danbury Sports Dome.

Runners will be treated with refreshments in the Dome following the race including a hot bowl of chili. Age group awards will be presented in seven different categories and winter ski caps will be provided to the first 250 registrants.  Entry fee is $25 thru February 15, 2018 - $30 after and Race Day. Race day registration is between 8:30-9:45am at Danbury Sports Dome

There will also be two free Kids Runs inside the Dome starting at 9:15AM. Children ages 5-8 will run one lap, and children ages 9-12 will complete two laps. There is no entry fee, and all registered children will receive a free t-shirt (while supplies last).

For additional information and registration for the Big Chili 5k, please visit www.hitekrecing.com or call (203) 241-4655. For registration for the Kids Run, please visit http://www.hitekracing.com/bigchili5k/

About Danbury Westerners

The Danbury Westerners compete in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, the premiere summer league for college athletes to play competitive, wooden-bat baseball in the New England region. The mission of the Danbury Westerners is to provide summer professional development baseball entertainment in the Greater Danbury CT and NY area to enhance social and economic development and add value to the quality of summer living and vacationing throughout the region. Funded in part by Major League Baseball, in 2017 the Danbury Westerners will be celebrating 23 years in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. To date 20 former Danbury Westerners have made the Major Leagues, and over 50 former Westerners were playing professional baseball in 2016

Winter Wonderland Children's Ball at Stepping Stones on Feb. 10

Calling all little princes and princesses! Stepping Stones is rolling out the red carpet as the museum transforms into a snow-kissed wonderland for its sixth annual Winter Wonderland Children’s Ball on Saturday, February 10 from 4:00 – 8:30 pm.

Children are invited to dress up in their party best for a memorable evening of fun and entertainment. Moms and Dads, sons and daughters will be treated like the princes and princesses that they are as they enjoy a magical wintry celebration featuring dancing and full access to all the exhibits in the museum. Families will enjoy posing for the paparazzi as they arrive, learning ballroom moves from the experts and making wonderful winter crafts.

Be sure you bring your camera.  Photo opportunities abound as we celebrate the magic and wonder of the season amidst a whimsical winter backdrop of a lighted courtyard, a play-sized igloo, a life-sized snow globe, spectacular winter murals, snowflake-adorned galleries and a myriad of snow people.  Bring your appetite as well.  The Stepping Stones Cafe will be open for purchases of their healthy fare.

Bubbleology - The Secret World of Bubbles" is a mesmerizing performance for audiences of all ages. Be dazzled by a bubbly Eiffel Tower or a dancing snow-white snow-man, while learning about the art and science of soap bubbles. Bubble artist Keith Michael Johnson uses bubbles—large and small—to explain liquids, solids and gasses, geometry, tension and pressure. He has appeared on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic TV. Performance times are: 5:00 pm, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.

Get your tickets early as this event traditionally sells out. Early bird tickets for Members are $8/person, Non-members $13/person. After Friday, February 2^nd, tickets for Members are $10/person, Non-members $15/person. Register online at www.steppingstonesmuseum.org, call 203 899 0606, ext. 264, or visit the Welcome Desk. Reservations are required. 

About Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Conn., is an award-winning, private, non-profit 501(c)(3) children’s museum committed to broadening and enriching the lives of children and families. Located on five acres in Mathews Park, the LEED Gold certified museum encompasses five hands-on galleries, state-of-the-art Multimedia Gallery, Family and Teacher Resource Center, cafe and retail store. Stepping Stones is located at 303 West Avenue, exit 14N or 15S off I-95 in Norwalk. Museum hours are Monday – Sunday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Admission is $15 for adults and children. Children under 1 are free. To learn more, call 203 899 0606 or visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.

Flanders Offering Handmade Collaged Valentine Card Workshop

Led by professional artist Dita Carley, Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust is hosting a workshop on handmade collaged valentines. The class is being held on Saturday,  February 3 at 10AM.

Carley has given workshops in collage at Guilford and Brookfield Craft Centers and has exhibited her work nationally with a number of pieces becoming part of private collections. She will be bringing examples of valentines she has created.

Appropriate for adults and kids at least 8 years old accompanied by an adult, at the workshop participants will make handmade collaged valentines for their sweethearts. Collage materials and cards will be provided but bringing your own wrapping paper, photos, magazine pages or any type of collage material to customize your valentines is encouraged.

The workshop will be held at the Flanders Studio on the corner of Flanders and Church Hill Road in Woodbury. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members with an additional supply fee of $5 per person.

Those interested may register online at www.flandersnaturecenter.org or call 203-263-3711, ext. 10, for more information.

                                               About Flanders

Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust acquires, preserves and manages land; and uses the land to promote understanding and appreciation of nature, art and the environment. Founded by artist, farmer and environmentalist Natalie Van Vleck, Flanders provides a variety of environmental education programs year-round, designed to bring a deeper understanding of art, nature and farming to children, youth and adults in the Woodbury region and throughout Connecticut.