See Seabirds in the Wild with the Seaport Association of Norwalk August 17

If spotting seabirds are on your birding to-do list, don't miss the August 17 Birding Cruise organized by the Seaport Association in Norwalk that departs from the Seaport Dock on 4 North Water Street at 8 a.m. For tickets to this exclusive cruise click here.

This special three-hour summer cruise will be accompanied by birding expert and enthusiast, Preston Lust, who will help participants spot and identify seabirds. Preston is an officer in the Connecticut Young Birders Club who has a special interest in nocturnal migration and has conducted research on nocturnal flight calls for the last three years.  He has also participated in bird-watching competitions such as the World Series of Birding and the Megabowl of Birding (the latter of which placed first place for three years straight!).  

Among the types of birds, you may see on these National Geographic styled cruises are nest sites and nesting colonies of ospreys and long-legged egrets with their graceful S-curved necks and long dagger-like bills.  Other seabirds passengers should watch for include American oystercatchers, herons, terns, gulls, cormorants, and many others.

The importance of Sheffield Island to wildlife, especially migratory birds is enormous, and these special bird cruises give passengers the chance to spot these magnificent creatures on and off the water at an awe-inspiring and safe distance with a knowledgeable guide.

The bird watching cruise will depart at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 17. Passengers are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to departure. The boat leaves from the Seaport Dock at 4 North Water Street adjacent to the Stroffolino Bridge at the corner of Washington and Water Streets in South Norwalk.  Parking is available at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium Parking Lot. Tickets are Adult: $28, Members and seniors: $23, Children 4-12 years old: $16 and Children 3 and under are $7.  For Reservations contact 203-838-9444.  On the day of the cruise contact the dock phone at 203-838-2898.  For Tickets click here.

Celebrate Litchfield's 300th birthday with a live performance Aug. 22

Celebrate the 300th birthday of Litchfield Connecticut at a live theatrical performance with Tammy Denease, "Colonial Lives Through the Eyes of Freedwoman with Clo Pratt on August 22 from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. 

Although born into slavery, Clo Pratt is willed her freedom by her late mistress. As a free woman, she earns her living by making clothes with her loom and cleaning local homes.

Join educator and performing artist Tammy Denease on a trip to colonial Connecticut, where you will learn about some of the events that led to freedom for the Colonies through the eyes of freedwoman Clo Pratt. She will recount important events such as the 1781 meeting between General George Washington and General Rochambeau in Wethersfield, Connecticut, where the two generals met at the home of Joseph Webb to map out their strategy for the Battle of Yorktown. Other stories will touch upon the trials and tribulations of being an enslaved person.

In her series “”Hidden Women,” storyteller, playwright, actor and living historian Tammy Denease brings to life fascinating women who have been hidden in history prominent in the United States and beyond. From her research, Tammy has developed one-woman performances that teach life lessons. Among her favorites are Bessie Coleman, first internationally licensed pilot in the world, Elizabeth Keckly, former enslaved woman who worked as a dressmaker in Lincoln’s White House, and Margru, an Amistad captive.

Through the Lens: Torrington Photographs 1870 - 1970 @ Torrington Historical Society

Photography takes an instant of time and captures that moment forever.  Historical images bring us back to the time and place where they were taken, it is part of an areas' cultural heritage. A new photography exhibition has just been mounted by The Torrington Historical Society that will be on display through October 31, 2019, called, Through the Lens: Torrington Photographs 1870-1970.

This exhibition focuses on the work of several local photographers, both professional and amateur, who are well represented in the Society’s collections.  Included in the exhibition is the work of Christie Siebert, F.O. Hills, Sidney Jennings, and Thomas Wootton.  Also featured in this exhibit are images from the Charles Harris Photo Album, acquired by the Society in 2018.  The album features approximately 80 photographs of downtown Torrington from the late 1900s through the early 1930s.

the highlight of this exhibition is that many of the images have been recently acquired by the Torrington Historical Society and are on display for the first time. Visitors will find images that depict scenes of daily life that include downtown Torrington in the 1870s with its wooden buildings, dirt roads, and early factories. Other images give visitors a bird’s-eye views of Torrington; a turn of the 20th-century birthday party; O&G truck moving a small building along a north end street as neighborhood children look on, and photos of various businesses from the late 19^th century through the 1970s. 

Water Street

The exhibition will be of special interest to photography buffs because of the variety of photography mediums on display. Original images, including albumen prints, glass-plate negatives, black and white prints, and color slides that were digitized and enlarged make it easy for visitors to study the fascinating details of these historic images.  

The Torrington Historical Society is located on 192 Main Street and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For additional information visit their website.

Turn the Clock Back to 1969 @ the Maritime Aquarium @ Norwalk

Turn the clock back to July 1969 and see newspapers, collectibles, rocket models and other items celebrating the Apollo 11 mission to the moon – including a piece of the moon itself – in a special display coming to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

Open from July 1 through Labor Day (Sept. 2), the special Apollo 11 display will commemorate the historic moon landing on July 20, 1969, and also enhance the Aquarium’s daily presentations of the IMAX movie “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition.” Among the items to be displayed are newspapers from the day, buttons and patches, View-Master^® slides, spacecraft models, NASA documents, booklets and other items relating to the infamous giant leap for mankind.

Most interestingly, the collection includes a book autographed by Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, as well as a small piece of the moon: part of a lunar meteorite found on Earth.

There’s no extra charge for Aquarium guests to view the display in the IMAX Theater lobby. (It also can be viewed for free by entering through the IMAX Theater entrance.)

The display ties perfectly with the IMAX movie “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition,” which lets audiences relive the wonder and drama of the first mission to land men on the moon, presented daily on The Maritime Aquarium’s six-story screen – the largest IMAX Theater in Connecticut.

With never-before-seen 70mm footage and newly discovered audio recordings, director-editor Todd Douglas Miller reconstructs the Apollo 11 mission in seat-gripping detail: the final preparations, countdown, liftoff, moon landing and splashdown return. The movie has no narration; for its 47 minutes, audiences follow the mission just as the entire world watched it unfold during those incredible eight days in 1969.

Show times from July 1 to Labor Day, show times will be 1 & 4 p.m. daily, with one exception: on Sat., July 20 (the actual 50th anniversary of the moon landing), “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition” will be the only film to play in the IMAX Theater.

Ahoy Mateys! The Pirate Adventure on Sheffield Island August 10 and 11, 2019

Scallywags of all ages can step into a world of swashbuckling rogues, dastardly villains, infamous she-pirates and wicked wenches on August 10 and 11 when purchasing a ferry ride ticket to Sheffield Island for the annual Pirates Weekend hosted by the Seaport Association in Norwalk.

Find your sea legs and hop aboard the C.J. Toth Ferry for a cruise to Sheffield Island. Arriving on the Island, guests will be greeted and entertained by a roving gang of rowdy pirates. Kids can hunt for treasure on the beach, play games, sing sea chanteys, watch swordplay, listen to tall tales of thrill and danger, and hear colorful stories of pirates near and far. Who knows what secrets they will reveal!

This is the weekend to experience the freedom of a pirate’s life, and to learn about their lore and history! The pirates that invade Sheffield Island every summer are different. They enjoy taking a break from their adventures on the seven seas and come to Sheffield Island to have a boatload of fun with those lucky scallywags visiting during the Pirates Weekend.

All pirate fun and games are free with the purchase of a ferry ticket. The ferry departs the dock at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. on both days, Saturday and Sunday. It is best to arrive 30 minutes before the boat departs the dock that is located on 4 North Water Street in Norwalk in the parking lot of the Maritime Aquarium. Parking is available at the Maritime Garage. For tickets click here.

About the Seaport Association

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 by a group of local citizens who had the vision to revitalize South Norwalk and preserve Norwalk’s maritime heritage. 

The Norwalk Seaport Association offers a cultural, environmental, and historical journey to the Norwalk Islands. The Sheffield Island Lighthouse and the Light Keeper’s Cottage provide a unique historical and educational venue, which strives to increase awareness, appreciation, and consideration for 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, the present, and the future. The combination of the Lighthouse and the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge offers an unparalleled opportunity to educate children of all ages and adults about the importance of preserving Long Island Sound, our environment and maritime heritage.