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Free Museum Passes at Greenwich Library

gb — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:00:22 +0000

Florence Griswold Museum , Old Lyme, CT

Greenwich Library now has museum and park passes available for circulation. The passes entitle the user to free or in some cases reduced admission to some museums and parks in Connecticut and New York State. The list includes:

Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield CT (valid until 12/31/2011)

Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT: Admits two adults and two children

Connecticut State Parks and Forests (valid through April 30, 2012)

Connecticut’s Old State House, Hartford CT (no expiration)

Earthplace, Westport, CT: Admits one family of four.

Florence Griswold Museum , Old Lyme, CT: Admits 2 adults and 2 children under 12. Valid through 12/31/11.

Maritime Aquarium, Norwalk CT (expires December 31, 2011)

Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration, Mystic CT (valid from 5/1/10 – 4/30/11)

Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase NY (no expiration)

Wadsworth Atheneum Hartford CT (valid through 12/31/2011)

The passes may be checked out at the Patron Services desk at the main library.

To Borrow a Pass:

You must have a Greenwich or Perrot Library card.

Loan period is 7 days. Due to demand, overdue fines are $1.00 per day; replacement cost for a lost pass varies depending on purchase price. Passes cannot be renewed.

Passes are circulated on a walk-in basis only. No reservations are taken. However, if you call and speak with a staff member at Patron Services, (203-625-6524 — no phone messages), and the pass you are looking for is “Available” they will hold this pass for you for one hour.

The pass may be used only once per day.

Some passes may not be valid for special events.

Please call the museums to verify hours or visit their web sites.

Were you married in Greenwich?

gb — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:39:20 +0000

Ethel Skakel and Robert Kennedy Wedding, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Greenwich, Connecticut - June 17, 1950

Greenwich Historical Society
39 Strickland Road
Cos Cob, Connecticut
Through March 6, 2011

From This Day Forward: Looking Back at Greenwich Weddings

Note: The Historical Society is asking members who were wed in Greenwich to participate in a digital Community Wedding Album by sending in a wedding photo to be featured in the exhibition. Photos will be added and displayed throughout the run of the show. Scanned images may be sent to clizasoain@greenwichhistory.org. Please identify the bride and groom and include location and date of the wedding in your email. For more information visit: greenwichhistory.org

“From This Day Forward: Looking Back at Greenwich Weddings,” a major new exhibition, explores wedding celebrations from colonial times through the mid-twentieth century, using individual wedding stories to illuminate the larger history of the community. It examines how wedding traditions have changed over generations, influenced by historical events and trendsetters alike. The show also delves into the origins of today’s elaborate “white wedding,” which emerged as a result of Queen Victoria’s choice of nuptial attire in 1840.

Treasures on display include spectacular wedding dresses from different eras (one worn by five generations of Greenwich women), period photographs (including one taken of 87 Greenwich brides in front of Christ Church for a 1964 Bulova watch advertisement), original prints and paintings, invitations, albums and announcements — all from the Greenwich Historical Society Archives and Museum and private collections. The exhibition features a gown from an Italian-American family setting down roots in Cos Cob as well as wedding items from the Binney, Benedict, Mead, Reynolds, Ferris and Seton families.

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, Noon to 4:00 pm

Admission: Adults $10, Seniors and Students $8, Members Free, Children 6 and under Free

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Also wedding related at the Historical Society:

The Forbidden Wedding
A Lecture by Historian Missy Wolfe
Tuesday, January 25, 2010, 7:00 pm

Greenwich historian and author Missy Wolfe will explore the Puritan politics of the 1640s that threatened the life of Elizabeth Winthrop Feake Hallett, Greenwich’s English female founder. This illustrated lecture, held in conjunction with the Historical Society’s current exhibition, From This Day Forward: Looking Back at Greenwich Weddings, looks at how Winthrop was used as a political pawn between battling New Haven and Connecticut colonies, how she challenged the conventions of the day and how she moved from New England to Dutch New Netherland to save her family.

Greenwich Historical Society, Vanderbilt Education Center, 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob

For more information call 203-869-6899, ext. 18.

Greenwich Historical Society to Host Story Barn

gb — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:08:37 +0000

Greenwich Historical Society
Vanderbilt Education Barn
39 Strickland Road
Cos Cob
November 18, 2010
7pm

Happily Ever After? Henny Youngman once said, “The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.” A talented group of raconteurs will regale you with their own not-so-secret musings on weddings, marriage and commitment at the Greenwich Historical Society’s upcoming Story Barn on Thursday, November 18. The lineup will include Reverend Jim Lemler of Christ Church, cartoonist and columnist Jerry Dumas, board member Roxanne Vanderbilt, hotel exec Scott Williams, travel guru Kathleen Snodden, Greenwich realtor Chris Finlay, event and wedding planner Deanna Marano, and local storyteller David Luhman.

Emceed by Historical Society board member and comedienne Bonnie Levison, Story Barn is a contemporary approach to oral tradition inspired by Themoth.org, a New York organization dedicated to “celebrating the ability of stories to honor the diversity and commonality of human experience.” At this program, held in conjunction with the Historical Society’s current exhibition From This Day Forward: Looking Back at Greenwich Weddings, each storyteller will relate his or her own no-holds-barred, five-minute tale about the most “cherished” institution. Doors open at 7:00 pm and show starts at 7:30. Light refreshments are included in the ticket price of $15 for nonmembers and $10 for members.

For tickets visit www.greenwichhistory.org or call 203-869-6899, Ext. 18.

Story Barn: All You Need is Love

gb — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:19:05 +0000

Historical Society
39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob
Thursday, February 25, 2010
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
$15 per person, $10 for members
Beer, wine and light refreshments included

Story Barn at Greenwich Historical Society: All You Need is LOVE

Greenwich Historical Society will present the second in its story barn series, on Thursday, February 25, 2010, and the topic will be “LOVE” in honor of Valentine’s Day.

Story Barn, which debuted at the Historical Society last November, is a unique way to experience oral tradition, explore local lore and get a whole new perspective on the lives of your friends and neighbors. Each storyteller tells a five-minute tale on a given theme. The program is inspired by www.Themoth.org, a New York organization dedicated to “celebrating the ability of stories to honor the diversity and commonality of human experience.”

The first Story Barn played to a packed house and met with rave reviews. Greenwich Historical Society board member, program organizer and standup comic, Bonnie Levison, served as emcee and introduced nine other raconteurs. The audience, seated at round tables, sipping wine, beer or cider and nibbling popcorn, listened raptly as each of the evening’s lineup shared personal experiences centered on the inaugural topic: Life in Greenwich. (To see a clip on YouTube, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjIZ7tyfGNE).

To attend the next in the series of Story Barn programs, reserve online at www.hstg.org. or call 203-869-6899, Ext. 18. Space is limited.

If you are interested in participating as a storyteller, please contact the Historical Society.

Abe Lincoln Exhibition at the Bruce Museum

gb — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:56:48 +0000

Lincoln, Life-Size
Bruce Museum
One Museum Drive
February 13, 2010 – June 6, 2010
Drawn primarily from the extensive archival collections of The Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation, this exhibition will explore the rise and presidency of Abraham Lincoln on the human scale. Photographs from the period will be digitally enlarged to life-size and will be juxtaposed with the original photographs, glass negatives and daguerreotypes. Other objects on exhibition will further bring history to life including a Lincoln life mask, bronze sculptures, nineteenth-century ephemera, and Civil War artifacts. This exhibition is being organized by guest curator Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr., Assistant Director, The Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation, and Robin Garr, Director of Education, Bruce Museum. The exhibition is underwritten by Fieldpoint Private Bank & Trust; New England Land Company, Ltd; a Committee of Honor co-chaired by Tom Clephane and Nat Day; and the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund.