Artists Day at Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury

Artists are invited for the Fifth Annual Artists' Day at Flander's Nature Center in Woodbury on Saturday, Sept. 10.  Artists are invited to draw inspiration, sketch or create work en plein air on the grounds.  These works or works inspired by Flanders and done anytime before or after Artists' Day will be received on Oct. 6 for a show at the Woodbury Public Library.

Participants are welcome all day, with light refreshments, a map of the center and check-in available at the Flanders Welcome Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 11.

Artists will have several weeks during which to create or finish work before the Flanders Artists' Day exhibit that will be held on Oct. 8 through 30 at the Woodbury Library.  Work for the show will be received at the library on Thursday Oct. 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. Artists Peter Seltzer will judge the artwork and cash prizes will be given, including the Natalie Van Vleck Best in Show award.  Other cash awards will be for best work in the following categories:  "Farm" including animals, agricultural crops and machinery; "Nature" including landscapes and natural habitats; and "Structures," including barns and houses on the property. 

The public is invited to a wine and cheese artists' reception at the library on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. Artists Day follows the tradition of founder of the center, Natalie Van Vleck, an early Modernist artist whose paintings and drawings were very original and ahead of her time.  Ms. Van Vleck was also an accomplished gardner and livestock farmer who raised prize winning sheep and turkeys. 

Pre-registration is requested by calling Flanders Nature Center at 203-263-3711, ext. 10.  Flanders Nature Center is located 5 Church Hill Road in Woodbury.   On Artists' Day, participants are asked to check-in at Flanders' Welcome Center to register and to receive a map and information on Artists' Day and the planned exhibit.  There is a $10 registration fee.

All Is Not Lost Video by OK Go Shot in Woodbury.

In March, the band OK Go in a collaborative effort with the international dance troupe, Pilobolus, filled and released its' music video on YouTube.  The Wordwide Debut of "All Is Not Lost." The music video was filed for an entire week in the Old Town Hall during the month of March. The ceiling of the Old Town Hall was used as a backdrop in the video. 

OK Go has earned considerable fame for their creative but often low-budget music videos, most of which have been promoted through Internet video sharing sites like YouTube. Many of these have become viral videos; the 2006 video for "Here It Goes Again", where the band performed a complex routine with the aid of motorized treadmills, has received over 50 million views four years later, according to Wikipedia.com.

"We were very willining to accomodate their request and assist them in the filming and production of this video," said First Selectman Gerald Stomski. 

Mr. Stomski said during the week of filming, the group of about 30 production and film staff stayed in area hotels, ate meals in local restaurants, had catered food purchased throughout the day and hired local temporary production and support staff.

"This was a great boost to our local economy, it continues to follow our plan to help revitalize our local economy by utilizing Woodbury's infrastructure of art, history and culture," said Mr. Stomski.

Just A Bus Ride Away

Writer’s Note: For this blog post, I am stepping away from the theme of blogging about “The Things We Get” and sharing with our readers about my trip to Baltimore, Maryland.  Enjoy!

While many escape to the hills of Litchfield County during the summer months to bask in the beauty of the rolling hills and pristine places such as Lake Waramaug State Park in Kent and New Preston, or to take long hikes through White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield (www.whitememorialcc.org), I ventured south during the Fourth of July weekend. I took a trip to visit one of my oldest friends Sara in Baltimore, Maryland.

I can’t begin to share what a wonderful time I had down there. I left on Friday morning by way of the Mega Bus (www.megabus.com) out of New York City. It was my first time taking a trip by bus beyond my own hometown. I’m use to taking the independent route by just taking off in my own car. This was a different experience for me; I was excited about my adventure which only took over three hours.

My adventure began when my friend greeted me at the park and ride area outside of Baltimore. My first real taste of Baltimore was the National Bohemian Beer sign, a face that lights up at night and winks at you. It casually known to the locals as “Natty Boh.”  (www.nationalbohemian.com) I stayed with Sara and her roommates through the weekend and had such a good time. 

We started my first evening at the local beach bar and restaurant, The Bay Café in the Canton area of Baltimore (www.baycafeusa.com). Each neighborhood, I learned, has its own area of bars, restaurants and shops that are easily accessible by the cheapest and most eco-friendly way—walking. 

I quickly learned, too, that most buildings in Baltimore are built with brick and that brunch popular on Saturday and Sundays throughout Baltimore. I learned Old Bay Seasoning is put on everything from chicken to French fries. I had my first taste of this salty-yet-spicy seasoning on my first night at the local pub, Canton’s Portside Tavern.  (www.portsidetavern.com)

The beauty of Baltimore, I found throughout the weekend, is in its row homes, which are all attached to each other, but each is given its own sense of character by those who live in them and almost, if not all, have roof-top decks that offer everyone an opportunity to see the beautiful harbor. All the neighborhoods surround the harbor, which is filled with a ton of boats and yachts in the marinas. The row homes are long and rectangular inside and have three to four floors going straight up to the roof for many.

During our walk through the local shops in Fells Point, a historic waterfront in Baltimore, I found that, like Litchfield County, its history is preserved everywhere you look. Many of the old buildings and warehouses have been refurbished and beautified to accommodate all the different restaurants and shops that Baltimore has to offer, similar to Litchfield County’s Old Pin Shop Factory in Oakville.

The shops in the neighborhoods outside the center of Baltimore all have boutique mom-and-pop shops and pubs with names such as Café Latte'Da (www.cafelatteda.net), and Claddaugh Pub (www.clauddaughonline.com). While I walked through these different places in the various neighborhoods, I thought of West Street in Litchfield and of the many pocket streets in Washington Depot where, during the summer months, everyone is outside enjoying the beautiful weather by eating outdoors or taking long strolls in and out of shops.

Later in the evening on Saturday, my friend and her friend, Lindsay, and I ventured outside of Baltimore to Hydes, Md., with picnic snacks to Boordy Vineyards (www.boordy.com), which was having a music festival with wine tastings and music from a cover band. This was one of my many special moments during the weekend, the opportunity to taste a variety of wines. Listening to music from the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett was just perfect way to spend a Saturday evening.  

On Sunday, Sara, Lindsay and I began the day with early afternoon drinks on the Tiki Barge (www.tikibargebaltimore.com), a floating bar and restaurant right on the harbor in the Federal Hill area of Baltimore. We then ventured over to Little Havana (www.littlehavanas.com) and had a late brunch. Sara later took me to the shops in the Federal Hill area. I loved Federal Hill because, like many of the neighborhoods around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, a seaport filled with shops, culture and restaurants, it reflects our nation’s history.  

 View of  the Inner Harbor

Federal Hill in the early colonial period was the site of a paint pigment mining operation. The hill has several tunnels beneath the park, which overlooks the entire center of Baltimore. The hill got its name in 1789 when it served as the end location for a parade celebrating the ratification of the new “federal” constitution of the United States of America.

For much of the early history of Baltimore, the actual hill was known as “Signal Hill” because it was home to a maritime observatory serving merchant and shipping interests by monitoring ships sailing up the Patapsco River and signaling their impending arrival for downtown businesspeople, according to Wikipedia.com.

Following the Baltimore riot of 1861, the hill was occupied by Union Troops under the command of General Benjamin F. Butler who, against orders from Washington, entered the city from Annapolis by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad in the middle of the night. During the night, Butler and his men erected a small fort, with cannon pointed toward the central business district.

Their goal was to guarantee the allegiance of the city and the state of Maryland to the federal government under threat of force. The fort and the Union occupation continued for the duration of the Civil War. A large flag, a few cannon and a small Grand Army of the Republic moment remain to testify to this period of the hill’s history.

The views from the hill were breathtaking. You saw life in every corner of the city of Baltimore, whether it was sailing boats in the harbor or residents and visitors walking the streets enjoying the beautiful summer day.

Maryland is known for its crabs and the trip would not  have been complete without my first experience of taking a crab apart with my bare hands and the help of a mallet. Needless to say, it was a messy experience, but a memorable one filled with much laughter for both Sara and me. We went to Canton Dockside (www.cantondockside.com) for our crab feast.

On the Fourth of July, the day began with a long walk for a cup of coffee and breakfast at Café Latte Da, and then we spent the rest of the day preparing for a barbeque and fireworks at Sara’s friend’s home in Federal Hill. The fireworks were amazing and I could feel the closeness among the neighbors when for 15 to 20 minutes everyone stopped what they were doing and enjoyed the firework show and paid tribute to our nation’s beginnings. I truly felt proud when we all began to sing, “I’m Proud to Be An American.”

I left Baltimore the next morning and headed back to New York. When I look back on this year (I am a very nostalgic person), this will be one trip I won’t ever forget. It was an opportunity for me to enjoy something different with a friend I’ve known for many years. I hope I can return again soon.

A Daughter's Story

I recently sat with Woodbury resident Joan Judson and spoke to her about her first book, “A Mother’s Heart: Beverly’s True Story.”(Authorhouse/$22.49 or $13.49 in paperback) Mrs. Judson tells the story of the horrific night her daughter Beverly was severely injured in a car accident in 1977.

“I faced all parents’ worst fear. I answered a knock at our door to find a police officer standing there. He had come to tell that almost two hours earlier the car our precious 19-year-old daughter was driving had been involved in a head-on collision,” Mrs. Judson relays in her book.

Ms. Judson told me in a recent interview at the Woodbury Public Library, where she will sign books on July 9 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., that over the years there was much that prodded her to write her daughter’s story. 

“I truly believe it was a miracle. I think we all have little miracles that happen in our life, but if we don’t tell them to people. They just dissipate,” said Mrs. Judson, who became serious about writing the story three years ago.

Mrs. Judson began taking writing classes through Woodbury Parks and Recreation.

“I finally just decided I had to get busy and do it. For some reason my birthdays were going the wrong way and I was getting older,” joked Mrs. Judson. “I just had this really strong feeling it was supposed to be told.”

Mrs. Judson feels it is important to tell her daughter’s story and wants people know what she has been through and how far she’s come. 

“Beverley is an incredible woman for everything she has been through. She still has this sparkle—she has this secret that nobody else knows, and her secret is that life is good, live every day,” said Mrs. Judson.

Ms. Judson said she found her experience with writing very hard.

“I put my whole self in here. I said, ‘People are going to know me more than I ever wanted them to,’” Mrs. Judson said. “You will find a strong religious thread throughout [the book] but I think the people I would like to reach with this book, if it were too religious, would put it down. That is why I toned it down a couple times.”

Since the accident, Mrs. Judson’s daughter has not had it easy. She contracted Lyme disease, which went undetected for more than a year.

“The Lyme disease had gone into every part of her that was injured in the accident,” said Mrs. Judson. “She is still under constant medication and is no longer able to work. It is from the Lyme disease and arthritis attacking all the parts of her body that were hurt.” 

Mrs. Judson said her daughter had a spinal cord injury and severe internal injuries from the accident that left her with limited lung capacity. She has no memory of her childhood: for her, memory of life begins as she recuperated from the accident.

“The moral of the story is that you don’t give up,” said Mrs. Judson. “The doctors are in a hard position. They cannot simply say, ‘Well, we think she is going to be okay.’ They don’t always give you the best picture. Life’s a mystery answered after death”

Mrs. Judson believes she is the most unlikely person to write a book but added, “Since I started doing this, I started getting some really good feedback.”

“I wanted to keep it very factual. This is really what it is. My hope—and Beverly’s hope, too—is that somebody will read it and get help from it,” said Mrs. Judson.

Mrs. Judson continues her new love for writing by working on a new fiction book called “The Mirror.”

She has four children, Beverly being the youngest. 

“A Mother’s Heart” can be ordered directly through the publisher at www.authorhouse.com. The book is also available through Amazon.com, on Kindle and the Hickory Stick Book Shop in Washington Depot and at The Woodbury Library.

Woodbury Junior Women's Club Makes Donation to Youth Work Force Program

The Woodbury Junior Women's Club of Woodbury recently made a generous contribution of $1,000 to the Youth Work Force Program. 

The program, was initiated to create summer paying jobs for area youth.  The jobs are funded 100 percent through donations from civic groups, area businesses and fund raising efforts. Program participants will work in the town park systems by creating, marking and clearing hiking and hiking trails.  Upgrading athletic fields and parks along with creating and implementing clean-up programs for the river systems.  Twelve area youth are expected to participate in this six week job program.




TV reporter, Tina Martin interviewed area students who were chosen to participate in the Towns Youth Work Force Program.

 

For the Love of Books

When I was a child one of my favorite parts of summer was the summer reading program at my local library. Even before the program began, I already had ideas in mind about which books I was going to read for the summer. You had to choose five books and, if I remember correctly, if you achieved the five-book goal, you received an award of some sort followed by a small party with all the other readers of the program.

I have carried my love for reading well into my adulthood. I enjoy it very much, simply for the escape of it. I recently created my own book blog just so I could get through massive piles of books stacked in my closet (http://www.booksfrommycloset.wordpress.com/) Unfortunately though, I don't get to my local library very often anymore, so I don’t join any book programs during the summer months. I guess it will remain a childhood memory that is forever cherished.

The Morris Public Library is hosting its 2011 Summer Reading Program. It will begin with an ice cream social on June 23, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Hall.

The theme of this year’s program is “One World, Many Stories.” All children in pre-kindergarten through grade 6 are eligible. Prizes available are based on the following goals: Read five books—win an ice cream cone at Popey’s; read 10 books—win a $5 gift certificate from Hickory Stick Bookshop; read 15 Books—qualify to attend the wrap-up, “We are the World,” on the town green (August date will be announced) where there will be a drawing for eligible participants. Prizes will be two $15 gift certificates from Hickory Stick Bookshop; two $15 gift certificates from Mother Goose, and three certificates for a large cheese pizza from Don Giovanni’s.

All participants win a “Read to Ride” ribbon for a free ride at Bethlehem Fair donated by Bethlehem Fair Association.

Register at the Library through Friday, June 22. For more information, call the library at 860-567-7440.

"Spring Fling" Fashion Show

Spring is in the air everywhere throughout the region, especially in Woodbury on April 16, with the "Spring Fling " Fashion Show that will benefit community concert series.  The Friends of the Woodbury Senior/Community Center are sponsoring the fashion show.

Just as the '50s and '60s are back so are the elements of the '70s.  There are two main aethetics: '70s bohemian and '70s sophisticated glamour.  So, if you've been dreading looking in your closet to figure out what to wear this spring, look no further. 

The event, which begins at 2 p.m. will feature well known community members modeling trendy spring outfits that will give you plenty of ideas for brightening your wardrobe.  Items from Red Barn Thrift Shop, Off The Rack and deja vu consignment shops in Woodbury, men's and women's clothing will be on sale at reasonable prices at the show. 

Pictured are Virginia Garms of the Red Barn Thrift Shop in Woodbury and Members of the Friends of the  Woodbury Senior/Community Center Planning Committee.  

Admission fee is $5 and will be charged at the door.  Proceeds from the fashion show will benefit the sponsorship of a community concert series at the center. For more information contact 203-263-2840.