AUTHOR, CHEF AND EMMY-WINNING HOST LIDIA BASTIANICH ‘COOKS UP’ GREAT CONVERSATION AT THE PALACE THEATER

Following the October release of her latest book, Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to be a Great Italian Cook, Lidia Bastianich, the Emmy-winning host of Public Television’s Lidia's Kitchen and Lidia’s Italy, serves up an evening of conversation and storytelling celebrating our love of Italian food at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the show are $56, $46, and $36 and can be purchased online www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000, or in person at the Box Office, 100 East Main St.

Bastianich is a best-selling author and beloved ambassador for Italian culinary traditions throughout the world. Her multiple culinary endeavors have married her two passions in life – her family and food – which she discusses in detail during her live theater tour. The evening will be moderated by popular radio host Faith Middleton of "Faith Middleton's Food Schmooze" heard weekly on WNPR and WNPR.org.

Bastianich’s successful television series airs internationally in dozens of markets, and her extensive experience as a chef/restaurateur includes acclaimed New York City restaurants Felidia, Becco, Esca and Del Posto, as well as Lidia’s in Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Lidia and her team opened Eataly, the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in New York City, Chicago, and Sao Paolo and LIDIA's pasta and sauce can be found in supermarkets nationwide.

As part of a special promotion, the Palace has teamed up with four of its Entrees & Encores restaurant partners to offer patrons a special dinner-and-a-show package for the event. For $75 per person (excluding tax and gratuity), guests can enjoy a four-course, pre-fixe dinner at either D’Amelio’s Italian Eatery, Nino’s Trattoria, San Marino Ristorante or Vasi’s Restaurant and Bar, before heading to the theater to experience the show from prime orchestra seats at a discounted ticket price. The dinner-and-a-show package is available for purchase on the Palace Theater’s website, or by calling 203-346-2000. Dinner reservations must be made by the ticket purchasers in advance of the show by calling one of the four restaurants of their choosing.

Greenwich Choices: 50 Objects That Illustrate Our History at Greenwich Historical Society

Every town has a story to tell, and Greenwich's is 375 fascinating years old. Greenwich Choices: 50 Objects That Illustrate Our History explores defining moments in the town's growth and development through objects drawn from the collections of the Greenwich Historical Society. A shirt worn by Obadiah Mead, shot by a loyalist "cowboy," connects visitors with the American Revolution. 

This special exhibit at the Greenwich Historical Society, co curated by Karen Frederick, Christopher Shields and Anna Greco will be on display at the Greenwich History Museum located on 39 Strickland Road in Cos Cob through February 28.

A bill of sale for a three-year-old slave boy containing an emancipation clause speaks to changing attitudes toward slavery. Records from local manufacturing plants tell a tale of early entrepreneurs and opportunities for immigrant workers. A congresswoman's scrapbooks on the construction of the Merritt Parkway reflect changes that altered both the landscape and the movements of town residents.

All 50 objects reflect transformational moments in Greenwich's religious, social, economic, industrial, political or artistic lives and symbolize choices made by generations of residents that shaped today's community. Curated by Karen Frederick and Anna Greco, the exhibition also features responses to the objects by local high school students.

For additional area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Benedict Arnold, Connecticut’s Homegrown Terrorist hosted by the Kent Historical Society

 Once an accomplished military man ardently supporting the American Revolution, Benedict Arnold eventually turned on his friends, neighbors, and fellow soldiers to become the terrorist whose name is synonymous with the word “traitor.”

In a talk and book signing Sunday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. in Kent Town Hall, author Eric D. Lehman will share a historical look back at Arnold that he presents in his recent book, Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London. The story sheds light on the ethics of the dawning nation and the way colonial America responded to betrayal and terror.

The Kent Historical Society presents this as part of its Sunday Series program. The 2016 Sunday Series events are being supported through a grant from Connecticut Humanities. Connecticut Humanities, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, supports cultural and historic organizations that tell the state’s stories, build community and enrich lives.

Lehman, an historian and author of numerous books about Connecticut, teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Bridgeport.  His essays, reviews, poems, and stories have been published in dozens of journals and magazines.

The Kent Historical Society sponsors the Sunday Series every other month September through May. Free admission for members; $5 suggested donation for non-members.

About the Kent Historical Society

The Kent Historical Society's mission is to collect, preserve, interpret and present the rich history of Kent as well as to provide educational and research material to enrich the public understanding of Kent’s artistic and cultural heritage.  For more information, see www.kenthistoricalsociety.org or call 860-927-4587.

Fierce and Fragile: Big Cats in the Art of Robert Dallet at The Bruce Museum

The Bruce Museum located on One Museum Dr. in Greenwich Connecticut has organized a new exhibition called Fierce and Fragile: Big Cats in the Art of Robert Dallet that will run through March 13, 2016. Best of all proceeds from this exhibit will benefit Panthera.

Interestingly, Hermès, the Parisian luxury house, and Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, have joined forces as leaders in their fields to mount this first ever major exhibition of the works of the master French animal painter Robert Dallet on the tenth anniversary of his death. The exhibition is a celebration of the beauty and allure of big cats and a call to protect their wild populations for generations to come. The paintings have been selected from Hermès' own collection and from that of Dallet's son, Frederic.

The show will feature approximately 60 of the artist's paintings, drawings, and sketches, illustrating the eight big cat species: tiger, lion, leopard, cheetah, cougar, jaguar, snow leopard and clouded leopard. True to Dallet's passion as a wildlife naturalist, the exhibition offers an in-depth look at the science and biology of the big cats while examining the conservation challenges the animals face today. Offering a cross-disciplinary approach that brings together art, design, and science, this exhibition provides a visual framework for a powerful conservation message. The exhibition will launch at the Bruce Museum and is scheduled for an international tour throughout Europe and Asia in 2016 - 2017.

Thanks to a collaboration between the Bruce Museum and Hermès of Paris, general admission will be free from January 10 - March 13, 2016, during regular gallery hours. By waiving admissions, the Bruce and Hermès illustrate their commitment to the understanding and appreciation of art and science to a greater audience.

For more area information on Fairfield County www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Eagles Soar in Southbury

Debuting new telescopic lens viewing equipment and building updates, FirstLight Power Resources, the operator of the Shepaug Hydroelectric Power Station in Southbury, will open the Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory December 19.  The observatory will be open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. from December 19, 2015-March 13, 2016. 

Over 30 years in operation, the Shepaug Bald Eagle Observatory has hosted more than 150,000 visitors from all over the U.S. and the world.  This observatory provides families, bird enthusiasts, and nature lovers a unique opportunity to see the eagles in their natural habitat. 

“This is a great place to watch these raptors fish and hunt alongside other birds and water fowl such as red-tailed hawks,” said Howie Person, Plant Manager for the Shepaug Station.  “We’ve made some significant improvements to the observatory and invested in all new equipment this year, so we hope to see many people come out.” 

Specialists will be on-site with high-powered telescopes to help visitors see the eagles in action and to answer questions about America’s national symbol.  Visitors are encouraged to dress warmly and to bring binoculars if possible to augment use of onsite telescopes. 

All are welcome and admission is free of charge, but advance reservations are required.  To make reservations individuals, families, and groups can go online at http://www.gdfsuezna.com/shepaug/ and click “Book Now”.  FirstLight will be hosting a celebration in early-January to rededicate the facility and showcase its newest improvements.

FirstLight is a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ Energy North America, which manages a range of energy businesses in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, including electricity generation and cogeneration, natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution and sales, and retail energy sales and related services to commercial and industrial customers.  GDF SUEZ Energy North America is a part of the international energy group ENGIE. For more information, please visit www.gdfsuezna.com.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

A Flanders Nature Center Adventure Jan. 18

On Monday, January 18 while off from school for the Martin Luther King Day holiday, kids in grades kindergarten through 5th are invited to come to Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury to experience  “A Flanders Adventure” !  

Participating children will spend the day learning about the animals that live at Flanders and in the wild in the northwest Connecticut woodlands.  Kids will take a guided  hike with a naturalist to find tracks to see who is active in the snow. 

This will be a fun filled day packed with exploring the great outdoors, and age appropriate stories, games and crafts. Preregistration is required. 

A Flanders Nature Adventure takes place  from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.and offers before and after care for an extra fee. The cost per child is $35 for Flanders members and $45 for non members. Parents are asked to have their children dress for the weather and to bring a bag lunch.

Register online or call Flanders at (203) 263-3711, extension 10. For more information, visit www.flandersnaturecenter.org.  For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com