Rare Amur Leopard Cubs Made Debut @ Beardsley Zoo

Two of the rarest (and littlest) of the big cats on earth made their official debut today at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo! The Zoo’s Amur leopard cubs (Panthera pardus orientalis), a male, Orion, and a melanistic (an extremely rare black color variant) female, Kallisto, have slowly been acclimating to their new habitat, and are now available for Zoo guests to view from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and again from 2:00-4:00 p.m. daily.

Amur leopards are critically endangered, which means they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, with approximately 80 animals remaining there. There are approximately 200 in human care worldwide, with slightly more than 100 in Russia and Europe, and slightly fewer than 100 in the U.S.  With such a small population, each Amur leopard born is extremely important to the survival of the species. So far in 2019, there have been five births in accredited zoos, with only three cubs surviving, including Orion and Kallisto. 

 “We’ve worked with the cubs for the past few weeks, gradually acclimating them to the outdoors, their new surroundings, and the sounds, sights, and smells they’ve encountered for the first time,” said the Zoo’s Deputy Director Don Goff, who as exotic cat expert and co-chair of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)’s Felid Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) has overseen the care of the cubs from birth. “Our guests and supporters have anxiously awaited a chance to meet Orion and Kallisto, and we appreciate everyone’s patience. As always, the physical, emotional and mental welfare of the cubs is our first responsibility.”

The cubs will be out in their habitat from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and then again from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. each day, but Goff cautioned that the cubs will have free choice to their holding areas, and they may choose to go inside where they can’t be seen. “We want everyone to have a chance to visit these precious and rare leopards, but they’re still quite young and may need rest time out of sight of our guests,” he explained. “If they’re not visible from the viewing window, visit other parts of the Zoo and make another trip to the leopard habitat at a later time,” he advised. 

About Amur leopards

A rare subspecies of leopard that has adapted to life in the temperate forests from Northeast China to the Korean peninsula and the Russian Far East, Amur leopards are often illegally hunted for their beautiful spotted fur. The Amur leopard is agile and fast, running at speeds up to 37 miles per hour. Males reach weights of 110 pounds and females up to 90 pounds. 

They prey on sika, roe deer, and hare, but the Amur leopard has to compete with humans for these animals. They live for 10-15 years in the wild, and up to 20 years in human care. In the wild, Amur leopards make their home in the Amur-Heilong, a region that contains one of the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world, vast steppe grasslands, and the unbroken taiga biome. http://www.beardsleyzoo.org

Last Weekend of June @ Litchfield's White Memorial

White Memorial Foundation, the state's largest nature preserve located just off Rte. 202 in Litchfield has two big programs and a kids get in free week planned to end the month of June.

The Foundations popular "Star Party" takes place on June 28 and is organized by the members of the

Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy Club and the Mattatuck Astronomical Society. Weather permitting; there will be stargazing after the program. 8:00 p.m.,   Meet at the A. B. Cedar Room. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You are invited to bring your own telescope or binoculars. FREE… Donations will be accepted to help defray the Conservation Center’s programming expenses.

Starting on June 29 and going through July 5, kids under 12 will get free admission to the museum when accompanied by an adult.  There is so much to see and do in the museum before heading out to explore the grounds of this beautifully preserved sanctuary.

On June 29, David K. Leff will present a talk on Ash trees called Twilight for Ash Trees: Shadow on Craft and Culture.  Ash trees are noted as “one of the greatest gifts with which nature has endowed man … over the course of human history,” ash trees are rapidly disappearing from our roadsides and forests. Discover why they are dying and why the loss will likely have a larger impact on culture than ecology. Join award-winning author and former Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner David K. Leff for a slide-illustrated talk that will take you from forests to the workshops of craftsmen who fashion everything from snowshoes to museum-worthy baskets commanding tens of thousands of dollars.  Explore the deep connection between nature and culture! 6:00 p.m., A. B. Cedar Room, Dinner is included. Please BYOB and your own place setting. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Call 860-567-0857 or register online: www.whitememorialcc.org.  This program is $35.00 for both Members and Non-Members.

Back By Popular Demand - Docktails and Oysters A Special Event Hosted by Seaport Association, Norwalk

It's that time of year again to put on your best Hawaiian shirt and join the Seaport Association at their popular Docktails and Oyster special event at Norm Bloom and Son, a fourth-generation oyster farm in Norwalk on Saturday, June 29 from 5 pm to 7pm.  

This popular event celebrates the bounty of our Connecticut coastline and maritime heritage with the treasures of the sea - grown right here in Norwalk, clams, and oysters in bountiful quantities.  The highlight of this event is the unlimited raw clam and oyster bar.

If you have never tasted oysters and clams literally fresh off the boat this is an unforgettable opportunity to eat your fill of them, our advice is to come hungry!  It's fun to watch the pros shuck the oysters before your eyes (they make it look so easy) and set them on trays with lemons and an assortment of sauces.  

In addition to the unlimited clam and oyster bar, this Luau-themed event complete with ukulele music also offers passed and tabled appetizers.  In keeping with the island vibe appetizers will include  La Cochina Mojo roasted pork in mini taco's with pineapple salsa, Kings Hawaain beef brisket sliders, gulf shrimp gazpacho shooters, smoked salmon on cucumber with smoked Vidalia aioli plus chorizo and vegetable empanadas.

Another added bonus is the opportunity to explore the dock at Norm Bloom Oysters and Son, one of the few remaining traditional oyster farms in the United States to learn about how these oysters are grown and harvested.  Some of the oysters are incubated under the dock and, afterward planted on the sandy bottom of the sea that is all around you. Because of the meticulous process of the way these oysters are raised, Norwalk oysters are prized worldwide and known for their sweet briny flavor and plump meats.  

As a maritime organization, the grand finale of this event is the annual Blessing of the Fleet. Tracing its origins back centuries to Mediterranean fishing villages, the annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony hosted by the Seaport Association is based on a tradition meant to ensure a safe and bountiful season for the area's commercial fishing community as well as for the Seaport's vessel, C. J. Toth, that offers cruises to Sheffield Island from May through September.

This unique experience is limited to only 200 special guests so be sure to get your ticket early as this event is expected to be a complete sellout.  Tickets are $75 online and, at the door if space permits. This event welcomes adults 21 and up only.  For Tickets click here.  And, after this fantastically fun event, there is still time to explore all that Norwalk has to offer.

About the Seaport Association

Formed in 1978 by a group of local citizens the Seaport Association offers a cultural, environmental, and historical journey to the Norwalk Islands.  The Sheffield Island Lighthouse and the Light Keeper's Cottage provides a unique historical and educational landmark that strives to increase awareness, appreciation, and consideration of our environment and how the preservation of historic buildings and nature contribute to our quality of life.

It is our belief that preservation strengthens the perpetual partnership between the past, present, and future. As an Association, we are dedicated in our efforts to preserve our maritime heritage, the environment of Long Island Sound, and helping children experience our 150-year-old lighthouse on Sheffield Island.

About Copps Island Oysters

Norm Bloom and Son founded in 1994 have spent countless hours on the water doing what they love most, harvesting and farming oysters.  The Bloom family has been involved in the oyster business since the 1940s and today, Norm Bloom and Sons is one of the largest oyster farms on the east coast.

With an eye to the future, Norm Bloom and Sons have teamed up with marine biologists and local oystermen to preserve Long Island Sound in order to create a sustainable breeding and farming environment for the shellfish industry.

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Bristol Historical Society Presents Letters from the Trunk June 20

On Thursday, June 20 at 7 p.m. the Bristol Historical Society located on 98 Summer Street will present a program, Letters from the Trunk about the J.H. Sessions and Son. Co. that had a longtime presence in Bristol's manufacturing history. 

Established by John Humphrey Sessions in 1854, the business flourished until near the end of the 20th Century. Historian Bob Adamczyk will explore the influences of the Sessions family and their business on Bristol and beyond. A display of family photographs and vintage clothing add to the flavor of the stories. The J.H. Sessions and Son factory made significant contributions to America’s military conflicts from WWI to the Korean War. Bristol men wrote home from faraway countries about seeing Sessions hardware on trunk lockers, chests, cases, and shipping containers.

During World War II, the Sessions company made a commitment to the country’s effort to keep morale high between the home front and the troops. The president and workers exchanged correspondence with employees who were serving their country in the Armed Forces. Long lost letters from those perilous times were recently discovered and are now in the Bristol Historical Society collection. For this program, Carol Denehy, of the Memorial Military Museum, chose the letters of Robert Brault who was with Bristol’s National Guard when it was federalized in 1941. Mr. Brault’s letters are a mini-history of the illustrious 169th Regiment of the 43rd Division (“Winged Victory”), and we follow the men from training through combat years in the South Pacific under the command of General Douglas McArthur.

Veterans Dick Fitz, Joe Christophero, Bob Barnett, Ed Little, and Bob Montgomery will read excerpts from the "Letters From the Trunk." WWII censorship prevented Mr. Brault from divulging specific locations and details of the battle. However, artifacts and memorabilia from those island battles will be shown to illuminate the wartime experiences of Mr. Brault and the 169th Infantry. Most of the items were donated after the war by those men who served in the 169th. Join us to see how the letters and the historic items continue to preserve their stories and honor their memories today.

 

New Art Show @ Sharon Historical Society

The Sharon Historical Society & Museum has opened the next exhibit in Gallery SHS, of contrasting works by the two local artists KARIN WEXLER and INGRID FREIDENBERGS at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum Art Gallery through July 12.

Karin's work is inspired by the rhythms and patterns of nature. Working in oils on large canvases, she begins each painting with a color scheme that dictates the mood or expression of the painting. The works hint at an observed landscape or seascape but are abstracted to capture not the physical reality but a fleeting moment in time, a mood, a feeling. A thirty-year resident of Sharon, Karin's paintings are informed by her private practice in Healing Arts and Feng Shui.

Ingrid, a Lakeville resident, has exhibited her work in numerous solo and juried exhibitions. Born in Latvia during the Second World War, she has made sense of a shattered world by constructing collages of fragments of fabric, images and found objects that are both formally beautiful and evocative of the past. Working here on a very small scale and in what the New York Times called "the most exquisite and sensitive layering of found materials," Freidenbergs' jewel-like works invite close contemplation.

Both artists invoke memories - of landscape or a mysterious past - to create works of great sensitivity by employing color, texture, and form, albeit on very different scales. A portion of all purchase proceeds will support the Sharon Historical Society & Museum's mission.

Gallery SHS is located in the Sharon Historical Society & Museum at 18 Main Street in Sharon, CT. Museum hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from noon to 4:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and by appointment. For more information and directions to Gallery SHS, call (860) 364-5688 or email director@sharonhist.org. For additional information about the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, visit www.sharonhist.org

FOCUS ON ART EXPANDED AT HOLLISTER HOUSE GARDEN

The Hollister House Garden located in Washington Connecticut is a classic garden in the English manner with a loosely formal structure informally planted in generous abundance. Begun in 1979 by George Schoellkopf, the garden since that time has evolved under George’s direction into a unique synthesis of the formal and the natural, the right angles of paths, walls, and hedges melting seamlessly into the lush surrounding landscape, which forms a magnificent backdrop to the garden’s exuberant plantings. Since 1993 Gerald Incandela has contributed greatly to the garden’s development with his artist’s eye trained on redefining the surrounding landscape.

This year Hollister House Garden announces a series of art workshops for this season and special opening hours for artists and photographers.

A new two-day workshop, ‘For the Love of Roses’, a is scheduled for June 28-29^th.  A botanical drawing class, “The Stars of Summer: Clematis Rendered in Pan Pastel and Colored Pencil”, on July 11-12^th, will be led by nationally recognized artist Jeanne Reiner. Later in the summer, Betsy Rogers-Knox will bring new life to beautiful garden favorites through her class ‘A Day with Daylilies’ held on August 2nd. For registration details visit https://hollisterhousegarden.org/events/categories/workshops/. 

Hollister House Garden will welcome artists and photographers in the garden each Wednesday 8am-12pm from June 5^th through August 28^th.   Both amateurs and professionals are invited to be inspired by the beauty of the garden in the morning light. Reservations are requested: a contact form can be found on the Hollister House Garden website under Special Events.  A $5 per person donation is suggested.

Hollister House Garden, a non-profit corporation, is one of only 16 exceptional gardens currently designated a Preservation Project by the Garden Conservancy, whose mission is to identify and preserve important private gardens across America for the education and enjoyment of the public.  Hollister House in 2010 achieved its prestigious listing on the National Register of Historic Places and the property was also named a Town Landmark Site by the Town of Washington.

Hollister House Garden is open to visitors through October 12th. Wednesday and Friday's hours are 1-4PM and Saturdays 10-4PM. Private group visits are welcome weekdays by appointment only.  Directions to the garden’s 300 Nettleton Hollow Road location are also available on the website.  

2019-2021 Season @ Warner Theatre in Torrington

The historic Art Deco styled Warner Theatre located in downtown Torrington has just announced it's new 2019-2020 Season that is presented by the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital.  This season get ready to be entertained by five musicals on the main stage and five productions including the 8th annual International Playwrights Festival, in the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre.

The productions that will be produced on the Main Stage this season includes “THE FUNNIEST MUSICAL COMEDY IN AT LEAST 400 YEARS” TO BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 1 (November 2019), JEKYLL and HYDE THE MUSICAL (February 2020), and Mel Brooks’ THE PRODUCERS (May 2020).  

The productions to be produced in the Nancy Marine Studio include WAIT UNTIL DARK (September 2019) 8th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL (October 2019), A CHRISTMAS CAROL (A Dramatic Solo Performance) (December 2019), DOGFIGHT (March 2020), and THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (June 2020).

Season Subscriptions are now available. Season Subscribers get the BEST seats in the house at the BEST prices! Want to become a Subscriber? Call the Warner Box Office at (860) 489-7180! Tickets go on sale to the General Public in July. For more information https://www.warnertheatre.org

Strawberry Moon Festival June 15 Institute for American Indian Studies

 In the honor of the Strawberry Moon that will shine brightly in the sky this June the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut is holding a Strawberry Moon Festival on June 15 from 12 noon to 4 pm.

Early Native Americans didn’t track time by using the Julian or Gregorian calendar. For millennia, many Native American communities kept track of time by observing the change of seasons by following the lunar full moon cycle. American Indians named each full moon cycle after activities or events that they associated with that time of year that reflected the season. Colonial Americans adopted some of the Native American full moon names and applied them to their own calendars. These descriptive names are still in use today.

The Algonquin’s of Connecticut named June's full moon the "Strawberry Moon" because of the red strawberries that began to ripen at this time of year. This is the most colorful of all full moons because things are lower in the sky. The shallow arc of the June full moon means moonlight must travel through more of the earth’s atmosphere, which filters out all the colors of the moon’s spectrum except the oranges and yellows. Best of all no telescopes are needed, just look up!

It is difficult for most of us to resist a perfectly ripe strawberry; which is one of the most popular fruits in the world. There are ten varieties of strawberries that differ in flavor, size, and texture and yet all of them have the same heart shape and leafy green cap. To fete the strawberry, that has a long history in Native Culture, the Institute for American Indian Studies is hosting the Strawberry Moon Festival on June 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a delicious celebration not to be missed! This year the Strawberry Moon will be 100% illuminated on Monday, June 17, 2019.

To celebrate the Strawberry Moon, the Institute for American Indian Studies has organized games, food, and stories that honor the importance of this season to Native American culture. Strawberries have been used for centuries as a medicine, in cuisine, and ceremonially by Native Americans. Strawberries generally represent life and good health.  

At the Strawberry Moon Festival, visitors of all ages will enjoy traditional Native American Music, and stories told by a traditional Native American Storyteller. These stories are life lessons that teach the importance of giving thanks to the bounty of the Earth. A highlight of this event will be samplings of complementary food such as strawberry tea and strawberry bread made from locally grown fruit. Special activities for children are planned from 12 noon to 4 p.m.  There will be live music from 1 p.m. to 3 pm.

The cost of this event is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for children.