Last notes...

...at least for this season.

As night fell, Latin band Goza asked for (and got) permission to play one last song in the "Music at the Mansion" series. 

  The Friends of Long Hill again hosted four concerts on four consecutive Wednesdays. 

  Open Air Market there is Sunday, Aug 24, 2014.

"Music At The Mansion" Kicks Off Wed. Evening

The hugely popular "Music at the Mansion" concert series returns this Wednesday, July 2nd.

The outdoor shows at the Wadsworth Mansion begin with Goza, a Connecticut-based Latin jazz band (www.GozaBand.com). New performers take the stage each Wednesday in July.

The concerts are free and open to the public (but if you like them, throw what you can in the bucket when it comes around).

Picnicking begins at 5:30, music at 6:30.

If you can, budget a little time to explore the unique trails and grounds of the historic Long Hill Estate. 

You can find info about parking, performers, and future events here:
http://wadsworthmansion.com/events.php

Busy Night for EDC

The city council's Economic Development Committee dealt with a large agenda at its monthly meeting Monday night.  Some of the highlights:

30 PORTLAND ST.
Director of Planning Bill Warner said that preparations were being made to demolish the vacant house at 30 Portland Street, which the city acquired through foreclosure.  He said "a lot of people say it's going to collapse".  That prompted member Tom Serra to say that the city is liable in case the building does collapse.  "This should be an emergency situation," he said.  Councilman Joe Bibisi noted the roof had partially fallen in and he was concerned about any heavy rain.  "We own it, and it could all fall on Portland Street."

Chairman Gerald Daley said the building department, fire marshal or other authority should officially determine the building's safety.  Bibisi noted that the building was boarded up for security.  There was some question as to which city department would pay for the demolition.  The committee unanimously approved a resolution to make the demolition a priority.  Warner later said he would request a $30,000 appropriation so work could begin.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOB PROGRAMS
Jeff Pugliese of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce appeared before the committee to request funds for two jobs program.  The Worker Preparation Program provides job seekers help such as resume consulting, mock interviews, help with dressing professionally, and networking through chamber contacts and functions.  The committee unanimously approved $7500 for the program, as it had last year.

Pugliese also asked for $30,000 to support the chamber's "Youth @ Work" program.  The program, primarily funded by Workforce Alliance, placed 37 Middletown teens in jobs last summer.  Last year the city originally provided $20,000 for the program. It then provided an additional $7000 to match the $27,000 in private funds the chamber was able to raise.  Pugliese said that "city support definitely sparks private donations."  He said that the chamber hopes to raise even more in private donations this year.  The committee unanimously approved a resolution to recommend that the Mayor propose the funding in his budget.

RIVERFRONT PLANNING
As previously requested, Warner provided the committee with a report detailing the history of the "South Cove"section of the riverfront.  The land will become available for development after the decommissioning of the current sewage treatment plant there.  Warner said there has been great interest in future of the land.  Bibisi suggested that members visit the Norwich Harbor area, a similar area which has been developed with a miles-long walkway.

LONG HILL ESTATE
Connecticut Underwriters, which rents space from the city at the Wadsworth Mansion, has a new lease.   Any rental leases for the Long Hill Estate property must be approved by the Common Council.  The committee unanimously voted to recommend the council approve the new lease.  Said Daley "You couldn't ask for a better tenant."

Middletown Garden Club To Offer Plants At Wadsworth Mansion Open Air Market

The Middletown Garden Club will have a fall plant sale as part of the Wadsworth Mansion Open Air Market, Sunday, August 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Mansion, 421 Wadsworth St.

Admission to the Market is free and the event takes place rain or shine.

The club will be offering a variety of usual and unusual plants for the fall garden and landscape as well as divisions from members’ gardens. Shoppers can expect to find a selection of glorious perennials, including grasses and naturalizing mums. The club will also offer a selection of annuals for refreshing fall planters.

Bargain hunters should arrive early to shop the divisions section, where “tried and true” plants will be offered at a fraction of garden nursery prices. Club members will be on hand to offer advice on where to plant and what to expect from the divisions.

Whether you are adding to your fall landscape or planting with next year in mind, this sale is a must. Mid-August through mid-September brings perfect planting weather for many favorite New England plants.

Wadsworth Mansion Daffodil Day Sunday

From Deborah Moore, Executive Director, Wadsworth Mansion
---------------
The Friends of Long Hill Estate and the Long Hill Estate Authority will host their annual Daffodil Day on Sunday, April 22, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, 421 Wadsworth Street, Middletown. This family event will be held rain or shine and there is no charge for admission.

A plethora of daffodils will still be in bloom to greet visitors as they follow the entrance drive leading to the Beaux Art style mansion for this annual celebration of spring. Guests are encouraged to enjoy the meadows planted by volunteers over the last decade. Throughout the afternoon there will be numerous activities for visitors wishing to celebrate spring.

Ongoing throughout the afternoon, docents from the Friends of Long Hill Estate will lead guided tours of the Mansion providing a narrative that details the history of the Estate. Furniture donated by the Wadsworth Family will be on display in the History Room.

Join Lucy Meigs of Everyone Outside between 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the pool to the east of the Mansion. Come see all the amazing creatures (tadpoles, salamander & insect larvae) that live in a vernal pool in the spring (viewing scopes provided). Learn what letterboxing is all about (think scavenger hunt) and try your hand at finding some with beautifully hand carved stamps. Sponsored by Everyone Outside and the Rockfall Foundation.

Between 1:30 and 3:00, thanks to ArtFarm, guests will enjoy roving musician Michael Pestel who will be playing the flute, penny whistle, and bird whistles, dressed in medieval garb. He will be accompanied by talented juggler Xaq Zukas.

Information will be available at the Wadsworth Mansion by calling (860) 347-1064 or HERE.

Mid-July Goings-On (Part 1)

Tuesday July 13:

The Wesleyan Center for the Arts "CFA Days" series presents Bill Sherman (class of '02) at 12:10 p.m. in the CFA Hall (formerly the CFA Cinema.)  Sherman, a composer who created the orchestrations for classmate Lin Miranda's award-winning "In The Heights", also serves as music director for "Sesame Street."  His latest work, "Barrio Grrrl", was commissioned by the Kennedy Center and has been nominated for a Helen Hayes Award. The title of his talk is "From Vine Street to Sesame Street - A Musical Journey."  The event is free and open to the public. 

The Summer Sounds series, sponsored by the Middletown Commission on the Arts, continues this week on the South Green with Bange's Jazz Jents, a local musical ensemble that plays music from the classic "Big Band" era. The small yet powerful aggregation commences playing at 7 p.m.  In case of rain, the free event moves into South Church. 

The "Cary Grant & His Leading Ladies" film series continues at the Goldsmith Family Cinema inside the Center for Film Studies, Washington Terrace, with the 1938 screwball comedy classic "Bringing Up Baby."  Grant's co-star is Katharine Hepburn and they share the screen with "Baby", a leopard.  The movie, free and open to the public, is free and open to the public.  If you're one of the few people who have never seen this Howard Hawks production (or you have only seen it once), this is a very comfortable atmosphere to watch a movie.




Wednesday July 14:

The Music at The Mansion Concerts Series presents Ed Fast & Conga-Bop at 6:30 p.m.  The event, free and open to the public, takes place on the back lawn of the Wadsworth Mansion at the Long Hill Estate, Wadsworth Street.  Ed Fast (pictured left), based in Hartford, is a very busy musician.  A list of his gigs include that he was the drummer on the national tour of "Chicago", working with Chita Rivera on the national tour of "A Dancer's Life, in New York City, on Broadway as drummer for  "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", Radio City Music Hall and a sub for "Chicago". He also performed with Broadway touring shows in Moscow, China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan and was Music Director of the Hartford-based youth group, Latin Flavor, at the Havana International Festival of Jazz (Cuba).  Conga-Bop, an ensemble with as many as 8 musicians, lives up to its name with an infectious blend of many different Latin rhythms, not to forget different genres of jazz. 
The grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for those who wish to picnic. In case of rain (we need it but not this week with all the different outdoor arts events), the concert is canceled.  For more information, go to www.wadsworthmansion.com.

Holiday Craft Show @ Wadsworth Mansion 12/5

Vendors listed below - click on vendors to see their work

Alforno's Artists for World Peace Barb's Bags Bela Designs Bittersweet Ridge Dancing Shakti Yoga and Gifts From My Neighbor's Garden Hometown Bakery Jacqueline White Fine Art Killam & Bassette Farmstead Kim's Cottage Confections Meriano's Bake Shoppe Middletown Garden Club

Pamela Roose The Purple Pear by Tina Quilibet Rotters Potters The Shade Tree, LLC Silver Moon Herbals Susan Parks Soap Twigs & Tweeds Wendy Black-Nasta Designs Westmont Mosias Windgate Farms Woolen It Be Nice

Holiday Craft Show @ Wadsworth Mansion 12/5

Vendors listed below - click on vendors to see their work

Alforno's Artists for World Peace Barb's Bags Bela Designs Bittersweet Ridge Dancing Shakti Yoga and Gifts From My Neighbor's Garden Hometown Bakery Jacqueline White Fine Art Killam & Bassette Farmstead Kim's Cottage Confections Meriano's Bake Shoppe Middletown Garden Club

Pamela Roose The Purple Pear by Tina Quilibet Rotters Potters The Shade Tree, LLC Silver Moon Herbals Susan Parks Soap Twigs & Tweeds Wendy Black-Nasta Designs Westmont Mosias Windgate Farms Woolen It Be Nice

Seventh Open Air Market and Festival at the Wadsworth Mansion

From Deborah Moore, Executive Director, Wadsworth Mansion

As the sultry summer slides towards fall it is once again time to celebrate the bounties of Connecticut. The Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, 421 Wadsworth Street, Middletown is hosting their seventh annual Open Air Market and Festival on Sunday August 23, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. rain or shine. The event is free.

The historic Mansion will transform its 700 foot vista into a marketplace and festival where a variety of vendors will gather to sell their Connecticut grown or made products. One can stroll from tent to tent purchasing fresh produce, fruit, cheese, breads and prepared foods. Local artisans, such as potters, painters, and jewelers have been invited to sell their work. Visitors will be encouraged to lounge on the lawn with lunch and listen to live music performed on the patio. Families can bring their children and spend the day. It will be a day to discover the Wadsworth Mansion, enjoy music and art, and experience the tradition of shopping at an open-air market.

Over seventy Connecticut vendors will be participating this year including: Rose’s Berry Farm, Wayne’s Organic Garden, Stonewall Apiary, The Farmer’s Cow, Ballek’s Garden Center, Malabar Glass, Silks by Lucia, Zhe Feng Pottery, fine artist Adele Johnson as well as hand spun yarns from Tidal Yarns.

The Middlesex County Community Foundation will head the Non-profit corridor raising awareness for its ‘Live Local Give Local’ initiative. Children’s and musical entertainment will be featured throughout the day. There will be horse drawn carriage rides by Allegra Farms from 10:00-2:00. There will be face painting from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Docent-led historical tours will be given by the Friends of Long Hill Estate throughout the day. The Middletown Commission on the Arts will be sponsoring the musical entertainment.

9:30 - 11:30: The Middletown Symphonic Band
11:45 - 1:45: Tune Chick
2:00 - 4:00: The Bluelights

Convenient shuttle parking will be available from Snow School. Additional parking is available at Mercy High School. For a complete listing of performers and vendors visit www.wadsworthmansion.com.

Planet Zydeco at the Mansion

The biggest crowd of the season so far turned out for Music at the Mansion on Wednesday evening, when Planet Zydeco brought Western Louisiana dance music to Wadsworth.  Rose Sinclair provided a magnificent accordion core to the music, and Peter Petengill and Nick Keil sang tunes that had everybody tapping and got at least a few New Englanders dancing on the grass.

The last concert of this wonderful series will be on Wednesday, July 29th, when Eight to the Bar brings a mix of swing, boogie woogie, rhythm & blues, soul, and Motown to the Mansion.  

From 1909: Wadsworth Home will be Palatial

This article is from the June 21st, 1909 Hartford Courant. 

Colonel Clarence S. Wadsworth and his wife Katharine Fearing Hubbard built their Long Hill estate as their country summer residence.  The house was designed by Francis Hoppin in the Beaux Art style, and the 600 acres of farmland and orchards were landscaped by the nation's preeminent landscape architect firm, The Olmsted Brothers.  The landscaping included farmscapes, formal gardens, grand colonnades of trees, and more naturalistic forests.  

The Dennis O'Brien construction company of Middletown was awarded the contract for its construction.  A few weeks before this article in the Courant, there was a very short article reporting that groundbreaking had taken place.  

The photograph below is from the Wadsworth Mansion site.  

Building $90,000 Place in Middletown

The new $90,000 residence, which is being erected by Clarence S. Wadsworth, in the Laurel Grove District of the town, will undoubtedly be one of the finest residences in this section of the country. Mr. Wadsworth owns a large estate, and the house will have several drives leading up to it. The building will be almost entirely of concrete construction, and is planned to contain in the neighborhood of 200 rooms.  The building will be divided into three wings, built round a large court yard.  The work is being done by Denis O’Brien.  A large number of trees and shrubs have already been set out on the estate.  

New Freight Station Established.

The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company announced Saturday that a public freight section had been established on the siding near the Rockfall woolen mill, to be known as Maplewood.  Robert W. Merriam has been appointed agent of the new station. 

Fifteen Graduates to Enter College.

Fifteen members of the class of 1909 at the Middletown High School are planning to enter college this fall.  Clarence Bengston, Leo DeMore, Payson Hayward, Walter James, C. Everett Bacon, Victor McCarthy, and Benjamin Luntz will go to Wesleyan.  Theodore Greene and Dudley Butler will attend Amherst, and Sylvester Butler will go to Yale.  Philip Tormay, jr., has chosen Dartmouth, and Earl Nettleton, Worcester Polytechnic.  Miss Ruth Wilson will enter Smith and Miss Marean Bradley Wellesley.  

Decorate Graves of Members.

Apollo Lodge, No. 33, K. of P. decorated the graves of their dead members who are buried in the local cemeteries, yesterday afternoon.  The lodge will hold their annual memorial exercises in the fall. Nex Sunday S.M. Bacon Company, U.R., K. of P., will attend the memorial exercises of the combined Hartford lodges.

Real Estate Transactions.

During the week ending June 19, there were recorded at the office of the town clerk four mortgage deeds, one mechanic’s lien, one attachment, one lease, four quit claim deeds, one release, one probate district certificate and six warranty deeds.

Notes.

Rev. Raymond Maplenden, a former pastor, preached at both services at the Baptist Church yesterday.

Ernest A. Inglis returned yesterday from the Yale Law School to spend the summer with his parents on William street.

Benjamin North took a party from Mattabessett Council of the Mechanics down the river in his launch yesterday, a stop being made at Cold Spring, where dinner was served.  

Miss Edith Rogers of Springfield, Mass., is spending a few days in town as the guest of her uncle, De Forest Rogers of Burr avenue.

The body of Mrs. Samuel Bowers of New Haven was brought here for interment in Miner Cemetery, Saturday afternoon.

Special children’s day exercises were held at Bethany Chapel yesterday afternoon. 

Souled Out at Wadsworth Mansion

The Wadsworth Mansion lawn came alive last night with the sounds of Motown classics, as Souled Out took the stage and rocked the 2008 Music at the Mansion Series. The ensemble’s harmonic singers, funky sounds and fun choreography made this performance an interactive experience, as many couples and kids were up on their feet, shakin’ their groove-thangs. The band also, at one point, instructed those sitting up front to begin what was a very successful mambo line (love train)! Upbeat dance songs like The Temptations’ “Can’t Get Next to You” interspersed with the slower “My Girl,” and “Gimme All You’re Lovin’” made the night a truly enjoyable one for concertgoers of all ages. And, as always, the lawn was filled with picnic blankets and lawn chairs, wine glasses and pizza boxes, kids with soccer balls, dancing babies (and their parents), dogs (on leashes) and bicycles (not on leashes), and residents from age 0 to 99 (also not on leashes...mostly).

Though Souled Out will be, literally, a hard act to follow, next Wednesday’s performance sounds just as enticing… Prelude, a New England band specializing in 80s and 90s pop music, will surely have us on our feet once again! The final show in the 2008 Music at the Mansion Series will bring us back to present day, a perfect completion of this year’s “Music Through the Decades” theme. Can’t wait!

Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem at the Wadsworth Mansion

The beautiful Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown is hosting a series of free, Wednesday evening concerts this summer.

The season kicks off with a 6:30 PM show, this Wednesday July 9, with Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem.

Pull up a patch of lawn; open the picnic basket. Dance.

(Rani rehearses. The neighborhood posse dances.)