A scavenger hunt in Plymouth thru May 15!

The Plymouth Library is inviting families to go on a town wide historic quest of Plymouth through May 15, 2017.  Here is how it works... Families can spend time together exploring Plymouth, Terryville and Pequabuck!

Visit at least 5 of the 20 stops, take a selfie at each and email or post it to our Facebook event page. Download a copy of a PDF and check off where you have been. Once you have completed the scavenger hunt you can bring this PDF in, with check marks next to where you went, and receive both a prize and a ticket to enter to win a family-oriented basket. If you visit all 20 places you can get an additional entry into the drawing! You have until Monday, May 15, 2017 to turn the PDF in to the Library located on 238 Main Street in Terryville to receive an incentive prize and a ticket for the drawing. You will be entering to win a basket full of family-oriented fun items!

Some of the stops include the following:
A Time in History Mural: Located on the wall in the lower parking lot of the Terryville Public Library. This mural was made possible by The Main Street Community Foundation, Art in Motion, Plymouth Beautification Committee and kind volunteers. Come inside the library to grab a separate “I Spy” just about the mural itself.

Tory Den: Located about one mile down the Tunxis Trail. The Tunxis Trail can be accessed about 1/2 mile north of St. Matthew’s Cemetery on East Plymouth Road. Tory’s Den is a cave that was a hideout for the “Tories” or those loyal to England during the Revolutionary War.

Plymouth Library: Located at 692 Main St Plymouth. The Plymouth Library hours are Monday, Wednesday & Friday 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Wednesday evenings 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Lock Museum of America: Located at 230 Main St Terryville, the Lock Museum of America is open seasonally from May 1st through October 31st. Tuesday through Friday 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., or weekends by appointment. Call Thomas Hennessy Jr. to schedule a visit - 860-480-4408. Admission is $3 (if you cannot pay the admission fee this can be counted as completed just by taking a selfie outside of the museum). The Museum houses an extensive lock collection that includes a Cannon Ball Safe, 30 early era time locks, Safe Escutcheon Plates, a large number of British Safe Locks, Door Locks, Padlocks, Handcuffs and Keys, and more. The museum is directly across from the original site of the Eagle Lock Company, founded in 1854.

Plymouth Reservoir Recreation Area: The recreation center located on North Street in Plymouth includes the Festa Forest Trails (map available at the Terryville Public Library). The Festa Forest Trails feature caves, stone walls, a natural swing and some beautiful views of fall foliage and the North Street reservoir.

Terryville High School Nature Trail: Located behind the Terryville High School, this blazed nature trail loops around a pond.

Hancock Brook Lake: Hancock Brook Lake is a flood control area managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Located in the southern part of Plymouth, it totals 721 acres, including a 40-acre reservoir that is ideal for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. Herons and beavers can often be seen here. Access to the reservoir is from the south end of the property at the dam off of Greystone Road.

Walking Tour of Plymouth Center: Take a stroll in the village of Plymouth Center, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The self-guided walk features the Burying Ground (with gravestones of 38 soldiers from the Revolutionary War), a house where George Washington stayed on his way to meet the Comte de Rochambeau, the Greek Revival Congregational Church built in 1838, a house that was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the Plymouth Land Trust’s new Carriage Shop Trail. A map of the “Walking Tour” as well as information about many of the places listed in this pamphlet can be found by going to http://www.plymouthct.us/, then clicking on Community and Interesting Places.

Toll House: The Plymouth Historical Society is located at 572 Main Street. It has two buildings, the Toll House Museum and the Alley House Museum. The maroon painted toll house was built in the early 1800s and was the home of the tollkeeper on the Hartford - Litchfield Turnpike. Inside the toll house is the completely restored 1852 Woodruff and Beach steam engine. It powered the Shelton and Tuttle carriage shop on Main Street in the mid-1800s. This is the only engine of its kind in the United States.

Alley House: The Alley House museum, a white Greek Revival house built by Augustus Shelton in the mid-1800s, contains a collection of Plymouth memorabilia, including items from the Civil War.

Plymouth Land Trust: The Plymouth Land Trust, Inc. is a local, non-profit organization formed to permanently protect land in Plymouth, Connecticut for its natural, recreational, scientific, scenic, historical, or agricultural value. The Land Trust is not a town agency. It depends on volunteers who want to make a difference and care about conserving land for future generations. There are a few locations open to the public for recreational uses. There are trails on North St, Armbruster Rd and Washington Rd. The website www.plymouthlandtrust.org has many more details.

Blue Trails in Plymouth: There are over 10 miles of hiking trails in Plymouth that are part of the statewide Blue Trail system maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (www.ctwoodlands.orghttp://www.ctwoodlands.org). The trails include the Mattatuck Trail, the Whitestone Cliffs Trail, and the Tunxis Trail. The Mattatuck Trail runs through the southern portion of Town for 7.7 miles. This trail can be accessed at Marino Pond off of Wolcott Road, from Town Hill Road, at the end of Todd Hollow Road, and on Carter Road.

Buttermilk Falls: Buttermilk Falls is a lovely series of cascades off of Lane Hill Road. They are easily accessible by following the blue-marked Mattatuck Trail from a pulloff on the side of the road. During the winter, Lane Hill Road is closed, but the trail is only 500 feet from where the road is closed, so the falls can be enjoyed year round.

Water Wheel: Located at 264 Main St. The water wheel is the oldest water wheel in the United States with original parts. The wheel was built in the 1830s.

Lake Winfield: Parking available off of Holt Street or Seymour Road. Lake Winfield is one of Plymouth's most popular recreational facilities. It has a 9-acre pond for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking, encircled by a 0.8 mile walking path. There is also a playscape, picnic gazebo, horseshoe pit, bocce court, and tennis courts.

Plymouth Skate Park: Located behind the Plymouth Town Hall at 80 Main St Terryville, CT. Skaters and bikers now have a place to go to have fun while in a safe environment.

Disc Golf: Located on the Terryville High School grounds is a 9 hole disc golf course. What is Disc golf? Visit pdga.com (Professional Disc Golf Association) to learn more. The first hole of the course is located to the left of the track at the start of the soccer field.

Baldwin Park: Baldwin Park is on Main Street in downtown Terryville, across from the Lyceum. It is the site of the summer concert series sponsored by the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. There are many interesting trees in the Park, including a Copper Beech planted in 1995 for Plymouth's Bicentennial, a rare Kentucky coffee tree, and a pin oak that was grown from an acorn from the Constitution Oak on the Plymouth Green. There are also a few historical markers on location (or nearby) including the Veteran’s Memorial, and Dorence Atwater Monument.

Horseshoe Falls: The best place to view the falls is from the bridge on Canal St (Ted Knight Bridge). In 1851, Eli Terry built a dam on the Pequabuck River to supply water power for a new factory, the Terryville Manufacturing Company. Water from the pond was diverted down a canal to turn a water wheel that generated 35 horsepower at full speed. In 1864, the factory became the Eagle Bit and Buckle Company, manufacturers of harness bits and buckles for the Union Army during the Civil War. Eventually, locks for mailbag pouches were made here. Later, a sawmill occupied the site, and by 1908, it was a woodturning plant.

A duo of walking tours in Litchfield & new exhibit

The Litchfield History Museum located on 7 South Street in the heart of Litchfield is offering a series of four themed walking tours of this iconic New England town on May 13, June 10 and July 1.  Each of these themed walking tours begins at 10 a.m. and starts at the Litchfield History Museum. The cost is $5 to participate for non members and registration is appreciated at registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org. Each walking tour lasts about one hour. 

The Litchfield History Museum is opening its new exhibit for the season, Thoughts, Words, and Deeds: Exploring the Litchfield Female Academy, that will be on view through November 27, 2017 at the Litchfield History Museum. The exhibit introduces Miss Sarah Pierce's school and highlights newly discovered information about the students and their legacies.

If you have admired the colonial architecture found in Litchfield be sure not to miss the second tour, Architectural Litchfield that is planned for May 13. This tour explores the questions of why the center of Litchfield have such a large green and so many white homes? Take a walk with the Litchfield Historical Society's Curator of Education, Kate Zullo, and learn how the history and stories of old Litchfield are preserved in the architecture of the town. The walk will begin at the Litchfield History Museum and cover North and South Streets. 

The Social Lives of the Litchfield Female Academy  and Litchfield Law School Students will be the highlight of the walking tour planned for June 10.  Participants will join an educator for a tour about the social lives of students who attended the Litchfield Law School and Litchfield Female Academy. Participants will hear  about their activities, social events, and even romances between students...and even the several marriages that took place!

The final walking tour will be held on July 1 and will explore Revolutionary Litchfield. Guests are invited to join an education staff member for a walking tour through Litchfield's Revolutionary history! Litchfield was a hotbed of activity during the Revolutionary War. Prisoners of war were jailed in this safe town, a military presence guarded stores and provisions, families were divided by those seeking their independence from the British crown.

For a free monthly newsletter on things to do and see and travel tips  visit http://www.litchfieldhills.com

Weekend Garden Extravaganza Celebration Set for Mother’s Day Weekend

Trade Secrets is back and better than ever! The oh-so-popular two-day garden event drawing thousands of garden enthusiasts to Connecticut's Litchfield Hills includes the rare plant and garden antique sale on Saturday, May 13, followed by a self-guided four-garden tour on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14.

Saturday features over 60 vendors. Garden enthusiasts will find rare plant specimens from specialized growers and some of the nation's best-known small nurseries; and furniture, antiques, cloches, wrought iron fencing, garden statuary and so much more
from the choicest purveyors of garden antiques.

Sunday's garden tour includes four exquisite gardens. The handsome eighteenth century General Ashley House sits on a
breathtakingly romantic piece of land, with lawn and meadow sloping down to a wide and quiet bend on the Housatonic River.

Pom's Cabin Farm is a richly-varied twenty-seven-acre piece of land along the Housatonic River that is nurtured and celebrated by its owner, Dale McDonald, and her dedicated team headed by horticulturist, Robin Zitter.

Over the past fourteen years, Juliet and John Hubbard owners of Coltsfoot Garden have created an enchanting cottage garden around the colonial house that has been in the Hubbard family for almost 100 years.

Trade Secrets founder, Bunny Williams' and husband John Rosselli's beloved garden has been a favorite on tour for the past 16 years. This year Bunny introduces her brand-new woodland studio with its fantastic views of the Litchfield hills.

This year for the first time, due to popular demand, the Garden Tour tickets are limited and will only be sold in advance for $75.
Tickets for Saturday's sale at LionRock Farm in Sharon, CT., can be purchased in advance or day-of. Tickets: Early Bird $125 from 8 – 10 am with continental breakfast; Regular Admission $50 from 10 – 3 pm; and Late Bloomer $25 from 1 – 3 pm. Tickets go on sale April 1st. For more information or to purchase tickets visit tradesecretsct.com or call 860-364- 1080. 

Street Smart: Photographs of New York City, 1945-1980 @ Bruce Museum

A new exhibition, Street Smart: Photographs of New York City, 1945-1980  is on display at the Bruce Museum located on One Museum Dr. in Greenwich through June 4. This exhibition provides a glimpse at life in the Big Apple during the post-war period.  Featuring 30 black-and-white works drawn from the Bruce Museum’s permanent collection, the show records both cacophonous scenes of urban life and moments of quietude and respite from the chaos. The Museum is open Tues. - Sun. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Leon Levinstein (1910-1988)

Man Holding Cup, no date

Gelatin silver print, 10 x 13 ¼ in.

Gift of Peter and Barbara Noris,
Bruce Museum Collection

In the decades that followed World War II, New York City was a world cultural center hosting a whirlwind of activities from protests and race riots to jazz performances. At the same time, the role of photography in American life was changing. As exposure to wartime propaganda made the public question the objective truth of photographic imagery and as cameras became more affordable and easier to use, many American photographers began to imbue their pictures with a more personal approach. The exhibition features works by the 5 photographers Larry Fink, Herman Leonard, Leon Levinstein, John Shearer, and Garry Winogrand, who record in intimate detail how street-savvy New Yorkers navigate the bustling landscape.

In photographs like Stan Getz, Birdland, from 1949, Herman Leonard places the viewer in the center of the action, in the audience or right on stage,to see some of the most important musicians in American history perform. “The vibrancy and the excitement in the jazz clubs are palpable’” explains Mia Laufer, exhibition curator and PhD candidate at Washington University in Saint Louis.

In pictures of anonymous strangers like Leon Levinstein’s Man Holding Cup, where the heads are cropped and the camera angle tilted, the impression may appear candid and off-the-cuff, but Levinstein carefully composed this photograph to create the impression that we are walking down the street ourselves.

“Photographers working in New York were fascinated by both the glamorous lives of the rich and famous, and the darker undercurrents of urban poverty,” notes Laufer. “Despite the drastically different settings and circumstances surrounding their work, the photographers whose pictures are showcased in this exhibition.

For a free monthly newsletter on things to do and see and travel tips  visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Torrington Historical Society hosts John Brown Birthday Party

           Abolitionist John Brown was born in Torrington on May 9, 1800

and this year on  May 9, 2017, the Torrington Historical Society will host a party

to commemorate Brown’s birth.

Kevin Johnson pastor of AME Zion Church in Torrington and research assistant at the CT State Library will present his widely acclaimed and deeply moving performance of  William Webb, an African-American Civil War Soldier from Connecticut.

Private Webb was an actual soldier, a native of Hartford. He was recruited in 1863 and served in the Twenty-Ninth (Colored) Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in several battles in Virginia. Johnson’s presentation of Webb is told from an emotional and exciting first-person perspective that vividly illustrates the struggle of the African-Americans in the Colored Infantry during the Civil War. He tells of his early life in Hartford, his recruitment and training, and the traumatic final battles of the Civil War. The presentation is based on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History at 231 Capitol Ave, opposite the State Capitol in Hartford.

The evening’s festivities will include a proclamation by Mayor Elinor Carbone, remarks by Mark McEachern, executive director of the Torrington Historical Society, Mark Linehan of the Torrington Trails Network and Torrington resident Conrad Sienkiewicz, co-ordinator of the event.

 Rounding out the program will be a drum circle led by Angaza Mwando of the AME Zion Church followed by birthday cake and coffee.

Take a trip to Peony Heaven in Litchfield Hills Connecticut

When Kasha and David Furman founded Cricket Hill Garden in 1989, it was one of the first nurseries in the United States to focus on rare Chinese tree peonies. These special plants have blossoms that are among the largest, most colorful and most fragrant of all flowers. They cultivated over 500 different hybrid peonies, choosing the hardiest, most vigorous and fragrant to propagate and sell. Over the years a rocky, wooded hillside has been transformed into a six-acre peony display garden they call Peony Heaven. The family, now including son Dan Furman, enjoys sharing the beauty of the garden in peak bloom in May and June.

This year the visitors are invited to join peony lovers from near and far at Peony Heaven to see a rare collection of mature peonies in a lovely, peaceful setting. Some of the tree peonies in the display garden are reaching an impressive size and age, with many plants now over 25 years old. The tree peonies will begin to bloom the week of May 15th. Expect a good show of tree peonies to about May 31st. Cricket Hill anticipates that the herbaceous and intersectional peonies will bloom as they usually do, starting near the third week of May. Call them at (860) 283-1042 or email info@crickethillgarden.com for bloom updates.

Cricket Hill located on 670 Walnut Hill Rd. in Thomaston is hosting a special garden event on Sunday,  May 14th, May 21st and May 28th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A highlight of the day is when Dan Furman leads a garden walk to discuss what they are growing and what is in bloom. Be sure to bring your walking shoes for the spectacular tour of the hillside garden that takes place from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The garden and nursery is open through June 18th, Tuesday-Sunday, from 10am-5pm. They are closed on Mondays. The exception will be Memorial Day Monday, which is always a good bloom day. After June 18, the garden and nursery is open by appointment only, please call ahead before visiting in late June and during the summer.

Authors Speakers Series @ White Hart Inn in May

The White Hart Inn located on the Green in the center of Salisbury is hosting two special events this May. This speaker series in May will host two authors that will be at the Inn to talk about their books in this intimate setting. Admission to these events are free; books discussed will be available at each event for purchase.

The first event is hosted by AnitaShreve, the New York Times best-selling author of The Weight of Water andThe Pilot's Wife (an Oprah's Book Club selection) comes The Stars are Fire, an exquisitely suspenseful new novel about an extraordinary young woman tested by a catastrophic event and its devastating aftermath, based on the true story of the largest fire in Maine's history.  This event begins at 6 p.m.

Anita Shreve grew up in Dedham, Massachusetts, the eldest of three daughters. After graduating from Tufts University, she taught high school for a number of years in and around Boston. In the middle of her last year, she quit (something that, as a parent, she finds appalling now) to start writing. "I had this panicky sensation that it was now or never." Joking that she could wallpaper her bathroom with rejections from magazines for her short stories, she published her early work in literary journals. One of these stories, "Past the Island, Drifting," won an O. Henry prize. Despite this accolade, she quickly learned that one couldn't make a living writing short fiction. Switching to journalism, Shreve traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, where she lived for three years, working as a journalist for an African magazine. One of her novels, The Last Time They Met, contains bits and pieces from her time in Africa. She is the author of 13 other novels, among them the best selling The Weight of Water (made into a movie starring Elizabeth Hurley and Sean Penn), The Pilot's Wife (also a major feature film starring Christine Lahti), A Wedding in December, Body Surfing, Testimony, and A Change in Altitude. She is the recipient of the PEN/L. L. Winship Award and the New England Book Award for fiction. Author image by Elena Seibert.

On May 18 Dani Shapiro, best selling novelist and memoirist delivers her most intimate and powerful work in Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage: a piercing, life-affirming memoir about marriage and memory, about the frailty and elasticity of our most essential bonds, and about the accretion, over time, of both sorrow and love.

Shapiro is the best-selling author of the memoirs Still Writing, Devotion, and Slow Motion, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, One Story, Elle, Vogue, The New York Times Book Review, the op-ed pages of The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, and has been broadcast on This American Life. Dani was recently Oprah Winfrey's guest on Super Soul Sunday. She has taught in the writing programs at Columbia, NYU, The New School, and Wesleyan University; she is co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. She is also a contributing editor at Condé Nast Traveler.

For a free monthly newsletter on things to do and see and travel tips  visit www.litchfieldhills.com