FREE ADMISSION OFFER* FOR KIDS, PLUS BONUS FAMILY FUN, OCT. 22 & OCT. 28-29 AS THE MARITIME AQUARIUM TRANSFORMS INTO THE AQUASCARIUM

Kids in Halloween costumes can get free admission to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk on the final two weekends in October when the popular family attraction transforms into the AquaScarium.

Children age 3 to 12 who come to the AquaScarium in costume on Oct. 21, 22, 28 and 29 will get free admission (a $15.95 value) with each paying adult. Adult admission is $22.95. (The offer requires one paying adult for each free costumed child.)

“Here’s the chance for free apparition, er, admission for your little ghouls and goblins,” said Dave Sigworth, the Aquarium’s spooksperson. “It would be a grave mistake to not bring them. Of corpse.”

Plus, each of the four weekend days, kids can stop by seven special activity stations to earn stamps on AquaScarium Cards. Challenges include a witch-hat ring-toss game, a skeleton puzzle and more. Fully stamped cards can be exchanged for a free popcorn in the Aquarium’s IMAX^® Theater.

Also during AquaScarium:

•  face-painters will enhance Halloween alter egos between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., turning guests into wild creatures, superheroes, princesses and more. There’s a $5 fee.

•  a dragon will be loose … but not too loose … at a free “Meet the Dragon” station, where Aquarium educators will invite guests to touch or hold a live bearded dragon. Times are 10:30-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-1:30 & 2:30-3:30 p.m.

•  And the normal Toy-Boat Workshop will become a Pirate Toy-Boat Workshop from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  There’s a $5 fee to build a boat.

The AquaScarium itself will be ghoulishly decorated for Halloween, with jack-o’-lanterns, seasonal accessories and staff dressed in costume. What might seem to be the scariest part of AquaScarium will occur at 12:15 and 2:15 p.m. each weekend day, when divers enter the “Ocean Beyond the Sound” exhibit to mingle with the Aquarium’s large sand tiger and lemon sharks. However, as one of the divers will explain to guests from inside the exhibit, humans are far more dangerous to sharks.

Maritime Aquarium admission includes an IMAX movie. Film choices during AquaScarium include “Amazon Adventure” and “Dream Big,” the co-winners of the Giant Screen Cinema Association’s 2017 Achievement Awards’ top prize of “Best Film, Short Subject.”

For more details about AquaScarium, exhibits and IMAX movies, go to www.maritimeaquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700.

Phantomphest @ The MATT

The Phantom of the Opera is here…in Waterbury! In honor of The Phantom of the Opera playing at the Palace Theater and some of the original costumes on display at the Mattatuck Museum, the two organizations are pleased to co-host PHANTOMPHEST on Friday, October 27 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Join the Palace Theater and Mattatuck Museum for a masquerade cocktail reception and exclusive preview of the original Maria Björnson costumes from the first production of The Phantom of the Opera. Enjoy music, hors-d’oeuvres and surprise guest appearances in the Museum’s Orton P. Camp, Jr. History Exhibit surrounded by exquisite costumes from the original production of The Phantom of The Opera.

Phantomphest, the first event co-hosted by the Museum and the Palace, marks the perfect start to the Halloween weekend and an opportunity to celebrate the Phantom’s arrival in Waterbury. The costume exhibit and opening event is sponsored by Frank & Sandy Monteiro.

Food is by Verbena Catering with signature dessert provided by Sweet Maria’s. Special entertainment is also planned.  Tickets are $75 per person and include beer, wine, and plentiful hors-d’ouevres. To purchase tickets please visit mattmuseum.org or call           (203) 753-0381 x130.

THE MARITIME AQUARIUM AT NORWALK WELCOMES ITS FIRST LITTLE LOGGERHEAD INTO NEW “SEA TURTLE NURSERY”

Follow a rescued baby loggerhead sea turtle through its first year of life as The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk raises it in a new “Sea Turtle Nursery” exhibit for release into the Atlantic Ocean next fall.

The guest sea turtle will live at The Maritime Aquarium as part of a loan program of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, whose staff and volunteers inspect turtle nests on beaches to look for “stragglers” – newly hatched turtles that, for various reasons, didn’t make it out of nests. These young turtles are rescued and then raised for a year at loan institutions, such as The Maritime Aquarium, before being returned to North Carolina the following fall for release into the Gulf Stream.

Tom Frankie, director of Exhibits for The Maritime Aquarium, said Aquarium staff will repeat the process each October: travel to North Carolina to release a year-old loggerhead and then bring a new hatchling back to Norwalk.

The hatchling turtle – only about 3 inches long at first – will live in a new habitat near the Aquarium’s exhibit that features two large green sea turtles.

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) were named for their relatively large heads, which support powerful jaws that allow them to feed on hard-shelled prey, such as whelks and conch. They generally grow to weigh about 300 pounds and are found around the globe in nine “distinct population segments” – five of the populations are considered to be “Endangered,” and the other four – including the loggerheads off the U.S. Atlantic Coast – are considered “Threatened.” Their biggest threats are from coastal development that destroys nesting habitats and from accidental capture in fishing gear.

“We are very excited to welcome this loggerhead hatchling to the Aquarium,” Frankie said. “Besides the unique opportunity to give the turtle a safe environment for its first year, the exhibit also provides an important chance to talk about sea turtle conservation and to inspire our guests to support conservation efforts.”

The “Sea Turtle Nursery” will open Oct. 21 and is free with Aquarium admission.

Watch The Maritime Aquarium’s website and Facebook page in November for information about a contest to name this year’s turtle.

And learn more about exhibits, IMAX^® movies, cruises and events this fall – including the Halloween “Aqua-Scarium” weekends Oct. 21-22 & 28-29 – at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

6th Annual Stamford Health, Health Wellness & Sports Expo

The 6th Annual Stamford Health, Health Wellness & Sports Expo 2017 presented by WABC-TV will return to Chelsea Piers Connecticut, 1 Blachley Road, in Stamford, Saturday, October 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, October 22, 2017, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

This is the premier health, wellness and sports expo in Connecticut where visitors will find health education provided by Stamford Health, fun activities for children, special guests, plus the latest information, products, services and demos from over 100 exhibitors and much more. Visitors are encouraged to bring nonperishable food for The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County and receive a free raffle ticket or raffle tickets can be purchased for $5 each. Over 100 raffle prizes will be announced throughout the weekend, including two grand prizes: a two-night weekend stay for two at the Stamford Marriott with breakfast and an Agora Spa signature couples massage and a tour for 10 of WABC-TV which includes watching a live broadcast of Eyewitness News at Noon.

All visitors will receive a Passport For Life, provided by Healthcare News, to record their Expo participation. Those who visit 40 exhibits can receive a complimentary day pass to Chelsea Piers Connecticut.

New attractions this year include “Discover Scuba” classes with Capt. Saam’s Scuba School at the Chelsea Piers pool on Sunday, October 22 from noon to 5p.m. There will be four two-hour sessions which will include one hour of instruction on land and the second hour in the pool environment. Equipment will be provided. The cost is $35 per person and participants will also receive a $50 coupon towards future lessons at Capt. Saam’s in Stamford. The class is open to children 10 and over. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent.  Contact Capt. Saam’s a 203-327-2822 to register and download the waiver at www.hws-expos.com

Special guests include Gillian Neff of News 12 Connecticut and Billy Blanks Jr. of Shark Tank fame who will conduct his popular Dance It Out fitness class on Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Chelsea Piers Athletic Club. To register for the free class, download the waiver at www.hws-expos.com Visitors can meet additional “As Seen on Shark Tank” wellness entrepreneurs at the Expo’s Shark Tank Health Zone.

Expo 2017’s Healthy Restaurant Sampling Zone will showcase 18 area restaurants and food and beverage exhibitors offering healthy cuisine tastings. This year, Expo 2017 is also introducing The Loft Healthy Seminars, a series of ten 45-minute presentations in a lounge setting on timely food topics such as, the Benefits of Indian, Thai and Mediterranean foods by representatives from The Mumbai Times, Bedford Thai Restaurant and Myrna’s Kitchen; a discussion about organic wines and eco-friendly vineyards with Jeb Fiorita from Val’s Putnam Wines & Liquors; Mindful Eating: How to Stay Present and Enjoy Your Food by Jenna Hourani, RDN, retail dietitian Grade A ShopRite; and Fuel Your Body Naturally: how Rise Brewing Co. is redefining the Energy drink space with Jarrett McGovern of Rise Brewing Co. Visit www.hws-expos.com for updates and schedule information.

There will also be flu shots provided by CVS Health (insurance and/or cash payments accepted) and many interactive exhibits, such as martial arts for kids with EBMAS CT Martial Arts, blood pressure screening by ReCor Medical which is conducting a clinical trial with Stamford Health to reduce blood pressure, essential oil sampling from Young Living, product sampling from the Hemp Lifestyle Network, new health apps from AT&T, an introduction to Sacred Heart University’s new center for healthcare education, health product information from Costco which is donating 1,000 cans to The Food Bank, and more.

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum Offers Ghostly Fun for Halloween Season

Whether you like tricks or treats for Halloween, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum has a Halloween event for you. The Museum is inviting visitors of all ages to celebrate Halloween by exploring the darker history of this iconic landmark with vampires and ghost tour. All proceeds will benefit the Museum's educational and cultural programs.

Ghostly Sightings Tours October  20, 21,22,27,28 and 29 and run from 5 p.m. to 8 pm. The 5 pm and 5:30 tours are children friendly. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

This year the tours will feature a troupe of living history volunteers. The Witches, Vampires, & Ghosts Tours at the Mansion will highlight the history of witchcraft, from colonial times to the Victorian era, the New England Vampire Panic, the darker Mansion history, and real life ghostly sightings.The Ghostly Sightings Tours are $20 per person.

The tours will take place inside the Mansion cloaked in darkness, on the first and second floors, where interpreters, dressed in costume, will lead visitors by candlelight and share the haunting history of Connecticut's witch-hunts and their famed trials. Tours will expose how The New England Vampire Panic began and reveal several ghost sightings that have taken place at the Mansion in the past several decades.

Ghosts, Vampires, and Witches will share center stage with the Mansion's interpreters during these very spooky tours. As doors open and close, rooms are entered and left behind, visitors can expect the unexpected. Ticket buyers beware...visitors may run into a Victorian era witch, vampire, or ghost, but only during these very special and spooky Halloween tours.

About Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark located at 295 West Avenue in Norwalk. Tours are offered Wednesdays through Sundays, at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Admittance is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children. Children under 8 are admitted free. For more information on tours and programs, visit www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.

Ride a Train to a pumpkin patch

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 Museums Pumpkin Patch. This popular annual family event will take place on  Saturday, October 14, 21 and 28 and on Sunday, October 15, 22 and 29 s from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with the last train at 3:30 p.m. The train will depart hourly 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm. Admission is $12.00 for ages 2 and over; children under 24 months are free.

This ride includes a free pumpkin for every child plus free cider and cookies.  Kids will ride the vintage train through the railyard
see  the restored 1903 station and rail yard,look at the museum displays and operating layouts.  A highlight is the option to explore inside real trains and to have fun at the coloring station or to get a temporary tattoo.

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.