Your guide to the heart of Litchfield County:
Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

An exciting new shop called Mecanica Antiques is the latest
to open in Litchfield County, featuring an eclectic mix of items from mid-century modern to primitive.

Living in the country often means embracing a more rustic and less formal style when decorating your home, and there is an abundance of great antiques stores and flea markets in this area with “country-style” offerings. For those who like to mix it up, or those who collect unusual items from the past, and for some who prefer iconic mid-century to shabby chic, there is now a shop called Mechanica, located on Route 202 in New Preston. What makes Mecanica different from other antiques shops in the area is its focus on industrial and mechanical treasures. Since it opened in June of this year, they have had a steady stream of customers.

The three business partners Sarah Hamilton, Joe Snow, and Tony Grazia all have ties to Connecticut. Joe Snow grew up in Gaylordsville, attended Rhode Island School of Photography, and has been buying and selling antiques for 25 years. He always had a passion for photography and antiques, but once he was out of college, antiques won out. Sarah grew up in Ridgefield, attended NYU, lived in New York City for 25 years, and spent 2 years in London, in the UK working as an actor. She was an actor for 17 years and also has a background in retail. A resident of Sherman, originally from Yonkers, Tony works in the TV industry, and has been a collector of antiques for years. Joe explains, “Our shop is unlike any antique store in the area. We have a love for mechanical things, the unusual, advertising, mid-century modern, and industrial, with some primitive thrown in. We are drawn to things that are fun and humorous, not formal.”

Inside, the space is set-up in vignettes highlighting bold colors from advertising signs, touches of distressed paint such as a lovely two-toned, triplex birdhouse, and typographical treatments that harken from the past. “That’s what really attracts us. We want our shop to be a curated place, with signature pieces, we aren’t filling the store with just stuff. Our goal is to bring you only the coolest, most unusual, and elusive items to add to your home,” says Sarah. “Our hope is that when people walk into the store, they say ‘wow’.”

Where do they source their unusual items? Surprisingly, most of it comes from attics, barns, and cellars in this area and the Northeast, in general. Scouting is an art in itself, and Joe seems to have a good eye for finding the gem in a room of everyday treasures.

While most of their customers stop in to browse, not looking for anything in particular, it seems that many folks are interested in vinyl records. So far, records are the most popular item. The partners plan to eventually sell online, but at this time their website is still under construction with just a landing page. If you see something you like and are daunted by the idea of getting it home, the shop does deliver large scale items for a fee—depending on the size of the item and the location it is being delivered to.

We asked the partners what hopes and plans they have for the future of Mecanica. “We hope in the future that we are able to travel in order to bring items from other areas into the shop. We would like to be the go-to place for antiques, which means expanding into a larger space. And one of long term goals is to offer prop rentals to the movie industry.

Since 2008, Fran Adams and Ron Pinto of Winding Drive Gourmet Specialties have produced a delicious line of jams, jellies, marmalades, barbecue sauces, and pickles.

Fran Adams always loved to cook and her husband Ron Pinto was great at sales. In 2007, when Ron lost his job in sales and marketing in the automotive industry, they put their two skills together by creating a line of jams, jellies, marmalades, and condiments and called it Winding Drive Gourmet Specialties. They hit the ground running when they sold out in their first hour at the Woodbury Farmers Market.

A self-taught cook, who drew inspiration from Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit magazines, Fran is the recipe developer and cook for Winding Drive. She was always interested in food and nutrition—as she fed her family in the 1980s, Fran cooked her way through every volume of The Grand Diplome, a series of 20 cookbooks.

During the time that she was honing her cooking skills in her home kitchen and working full time, Fran also acquired two degrees by going to night school for 12 years—a degree in Business Administration and an MBA. With past positions as an accounts payable clerk, an insurance underwriter, and as an I. T. business analyst under her belt, this is Fran’s fourth career change. All of this experience has helped in the back room of Winding Drive Gourmet Specialties.

Fran grew up in Southbury and later lived in Middlebury. Ron grew up in Prospect, between Waterbury and Cheshire. They now live in Woodbury and operate Winding Drive out of a commercial kitchen on Main Street.

While Fran’s focus is on the cooking, Ron’s strength is selling the products. After years of working in the automotive industry selling replacement parts, he mastered his skills as a salesperson. His friendly, outgoing personality along with a good sense of humor brings an upbeat energy to the business. He knows the products so well, he can talk up a storm about the business, from the growers to the flavor combinations. Other members of their small staff include a bookkeeper, a cook, and a part-time prep assistant.

The products are made by hand in small batches with seasonal, local ingredients. Many of their products are gluten-free and others are low-sugar. In addition to the traditional fruit flavors  such as English Style Orange Marmalade and the Black Raspberry Jam which was awarded Best Jam in 2015 by the Connecticut Specialty Food Association, they also have some unique flavor combinations, such as Mint Rosemary Chardonnay Jelly or Black Cherry with Pinot Noir. The alcohol in the wine brings forward the fruit flavor and pushes the sugars to the back. It doesn’t taste as sweet but has the same sugar content.

Their most popular products are the Blueberry Limoncello Jam (a 2013 Connecticut Specialty Food Award Winner) and the Habanero Gold Jelly. And there are customers who can’t wait when they run out of the Rasberry Chocolate jam and show up at their commercial kitchen to get their fix. Some eat it by the spoonful. There have been stories of wives hiding it from their husbands.

Fran and Ron only buy their produce from growers who use no chemicals. Their fruit and other ingredients are sourced first in Connecticut, then the Carolinas, and California. Their sour oranges are from a grower in the Dominican Republic, the blood oranges and apricots are from California. “Many of the fruits people buy in large grocery chains have been pulled from the tree before they have ripened, which results in a hard and flavorless fruit. The fruit we use in our products is freshly-picked and has fully ripened on the tree which guarantees the utmost flavor,” says Fran. The vanilla beans used in the Peach Vanilla and Strawberry Champagne jams are Grade A, fully-ripened and freshly picked Madagascar Vanilla beans, a much better product than the vanilla we get at grocery stores. The honey and the horse radish are both sourced locally.

The only fruit they pick themselves is blueberries when they are in season. Since July tends to be a quieter month for them as many of their clients go away on vacation, Fran and Ron can take the time to go to a local farm and pick the blueberries. Because blueberries are found at ground level, you don’t have to get on your knees nor climb tree ladders. They both enjoy it and find it to be therapeutic.

On Winding Drive’s web site are helpful facts like the difference between jam, jelly and marmalade. Jam is a fruit preserve consisting of fruit pieces and pulp. Jelly is the juice of the fruit, combined with sugar, and cooked until set. Marmalade is a jelly with clearly defined pieces of fruit, usually citrus, suspended in it. Over the years, they have learned about pairings and have had a chef working on and off making suggestions. One example is their Pear Chestnut jam which pairs well with blue cheese. A tip from Fran: Make a pound cake and slice it. Mix their Raspberry Chocolate Spread with whipped cream and use it as a filling between the slices. Stack the layers and top with more whipped cream and fresh raspberries, and serve.

The jams and jellies can last up to 2 years unopened. Once they are opened and refrigerated, they can last up to 3 to 4 months, depending on the temperature in the fridge. An 8-ounce jar costs $8.50 to $11.00, depending on the ingredients. Gift Boxes and Baskets are also available. They sell their gourmet specialties online and deliver only in the USA for now. They also sell at food fairs and festivals, farmers markets, and in local shops. Check out the website (see below) for a list of retailers.

Winding Drive also makes condiments such as ketchup, a sweet pepper relish, pickles, and dry mixes for scones and buttermilk biscuits. Recently, they launched two barbecue sauces which have become a huge hit. The Peach Mango Grilling Sauce has horse radish, chipotle pepper, lime juice, and a touch of Bourbon, which gives it a flavorful mix of sweet and spicy. The Smokey Apple Grilling Sauce is made with apples, tomato, and liquid smoke. Both go very well with chicken and pork. The Smokey Apple also goes well with seafood, such as salmon and shrimp because of the lime juice in it.

The Old Fashioned Bread & Butter Pickles are cut in very thin slices — great for stacking on hamburgers or sandwiches. Another flavor from the past, the Watermelon Rind Pickles are sweet with lots of cinnamon and are a perfect condiment with chicken, pork, or fish.

Looking forward, Fran and Ron would like to expand the line and are exploring the idea of fruit-flavored vinaigrettes and chutneys. They also would like to one day get their products into New York City and Boston, but there are so many competitors, it is a challenge to break into those markets.

Meanwhile, back in Litchfield County, we continue to be thankful to have such fresh and flavorful homemade products close at hand. Whether it’s a picnic by the lake with crackers, cheese, jams and jellies, and a nice bottle of wine; or breakfast on the patio with a warm croissant, marmalade, and a hot cup of coffee, Winding Drive makes our lives better.

Winding Drive Gourmet Specialties
744 Main Street South
Woodbury

203.263.6961
info@windingdrive.com
windingdrive.com

New Milford’s Harts Gallery is hosting a series of outdoor installations by Roxbury artist Lauren Booth, who draws inspiration from nature’s beauty. by carmen lopez abramson

A native of Northern California, Lauren Booth lived and worked in London and Australia before moving to northwest Connecticut with her family. Much of her work is about turning inward, paying attention to the dreams and thoughts that arise in meditation.

In 2015, Booth transformed The Lab at the Mattatuck Museum into an immersive, reflective space for the installation of The Illumination Show, a series of neon sculptures created in collaboration with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Bono, Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, among other celebrities and world leaders. Solo exhibitions of her work have been presented at the Mattatauk Museum, Waterbury; Westbourne Studios Courtyard, London; and Etienne Ozeki, London; group shows include the harts gallery, New Milford; Bedales Gallery, London; and Hortensia Gallery, London. Booth’s work is featured in the Rothschild Collection at Windmill Hill and the Mattatuck Museum, as well as distinguished collections around the world.

The harts gallery of New Milford is hosting a series of site-specific outdoor installations by Lauren Booth at the Great Hollow Nature Preserve, an 825-acre land preserve on the borders of Sherman and New Fairfield, containing 6 miles of hiking trails, wetlands, streams and forest, open to the public from dawn until dusk. Lauren Booth’s works will be on exhibit at Great Hollow from July 31 through September 10.

For her work at Great Hollow, Booth draws inspiration from the beauty and magic of nature, pagan rites, as well as the multiple relationships, both real and imagined, brought forth from interactions with her work, between humans, animals and non-physical beings.

Carmen Elsa Lopez Abramson, Founder & Director of the harts gallery interviewed Lauren Booth about her work at Great Hollow.

What brought you from California, London, and Australia to the Northwest Corner of Connecticut? How did you end up living in this area?

Travel has always been an important part of my life. I enjoy experiencing  different cultures and have been fortunate to live in many great places. My husband’s work brought us to both Australia and London. After several years of contemplating leaving London for a rural setting, we discovered this beautiful place and decided to go for it. In 2010, we moved to Roxbury for a lifestyle change.

Tell us about your background and your education. Where did you go to school?

I did my undergraduate studies at USC. In London, I took a 2-year sculpture course at Kensington and Chelsea College.

Did you always know that you would be an artist? What were you interested in as a young child?

I have always been interested in the arts. I took art classes as a child and in my teens. However, when I was at university and in my early 20’s I was working as an actress and singer/songwriter. When I moved to Australia in 1994, I switched my creative focus to the visual arts. In 2001, I got my first studio, in London, and began working and selling as an artist.

Was there anyone in your family who was an artist or had an interest in art, and who might have influenced your path towards the arts?

Yes. My parents are both artists, and my brother and aunt are successful also in creative fields. My mom is a photographer and my dad works with glass and mixed media. They have done many things, including business and music in their lives, but the arts have always been important in my life. I was also very close to my grandparents and my grandfather used to whittle little sculptures out of soap and my grandma would say, “he should have been a sculpture”. I think about him sometimes when I’m working and how lucky I am to get to do what I love.

How has your work changed and evolved over the years?

I have worked consistently with certain materials like neon and resin and metal at times. The bulk of my work has come through commissions, so I am often responding to what a client wants or likes. This collaborative spirit has moved my work forward over the years. I like to look at a space and be inspired by that place and time. For example, creating work for  Great Hollow Nature Preserve meant  considering the landscape and how my work could interact with that place in a new and fresh way. The piece, “Drops of Light”, along the stream and “Queequeg” near the house were both created using new materials in a new way in response to the trees and the sound of water. My way of working has not changed much however. I always start from a quiet place of contemplation and let the ideas come. Then I grab my sketch book and get to work.

Your work is made for human interaction; in Queequeg our own reflections in the mirrors separate us from the surrounding landscape, and in 4 Square Diamond the landscape morphs as seen through the resin. How does the concept of interactive art or experiential art dominate the design of your work?

Just as “no man is an island”, artwork also exists as part of a network. The connection that occurs between the person or people viewing the work is vital. Art exists in space and time and requires interaction with people. In your example of Queequeg the work is activated by both the movement of a person within the space of the sculpture as well as the reflections of oneself within the landscape. In the example of 4 Square Diamond, the different colored resin squares create a filter so it’s like looking at the world through colored glasses as well as playing with the idea of trail blazing.

Queequeg follows the structure of a five-pointed star. What is the meaning of this symbol to you?  An homage to our pagan ancestors?

I really like 5 pointed stars. They are strong, fun to draw and have both magical and celestial connotations. And yes, I am referencing paganism with this piece, although I hadn’t purposefully used a star for that reason. Queequeg is a character in Moby Dick. He is repeatedly called “savage” but he turns peoples preconceived ideas upside down as he proves to be actually a very connected and enlightened character.

The Greeks believed that mythology came from the Gods and the muses; inspiration meant the artist would go into ecstasy and would be transported beyond her own mind and given the gods’ or goddesses’ own thoughts to embody. Interestingly, Drops of Light was inspired by the unseen beings that visit the stream the piece is installed along. Do you go through a process of meditation before conceptualizing any of your work?

I love that idea of inspiration coming from a higher place. The Greeks thought big. This piece began at the end of a wonderful hike discovering some of Great Hollows’ trails. Towards the end of the hike we came upon this bridge and it was such a beautiful spot we all stopped to take it in. Evan Abramson [of the harts gallery] had the idea to place a sculpture relating to the stream and after he mentioned it I couldn’t get it out of my head. I went back to the stream with 21 six-foot tall triangular Lucite rods that had been embedded in logs. I wanted something to draw your eye down stream to make you want to stop and look at the river and listen to the sound a little bit longer. As we were installing the work and I sat contemplating the stream, the idea came to me that there may be other things that we can not see here in the same way that many people walking across this bridge may not see these little beams of light.

Do you design your work based on the environment where it’s going to reside?  Can you tell us about the process of conception and realization of your sculptures?

I am very influenced by the place in which a piece will live or be exhibited. In this case, we began by walking the trails and meditating on the nature at Great Hollow. I returned time and again to the preserve to consider the space.  I was obsessed with putting a neon in the apple cave from the first time I saw it. Five of the sculptures were created for this show and they highlight different aspects of the nature preserve. I made all of the new work from my studio in Roxbury in late spring of this year.

How do you describe your work for someone who has not seen it?

Not very well.

How does the natural environment where the art piece will reside communicate with the sculpture during the conception phase?

We touched on this earlier when I was describing discovering Great Hollow and considering this space. I wanted to put the tulips on a forested path for example as a way to have an unexpected pop of color through the dappled light. For Love is in the Air, I added the resin colored discs to the steel outline as I imagined it hanging high above the ground within the old zip line structure. Or in the case of Drops of Light, the work was created along the stream specifically with that space in mind. This is not to say the work can’t exist in a different environment, in fact I think it’s important that it can and does.

And when creating a sculpture for a home, how do the design elements of the home affect the art piece?

I have had a steady stream of commissions for nearly 15 years. I really enjoy the process of co-creating with a client. It is not just the environment of their home which is considered when we are creating a piece, it’s the personalities of the people, their likes and dislikes, the dynamics of the house hold, color choices, and dimensions. A neon commission often includes handwriting. So, all of these things need to come into play whether the work is being created for a home or an outdoor space such as Great Hollow Nature Preserve.

You have an exceptional collection of contemporary art including the work by Sol Lewitt and Richard Serra.  How has living with this caliber of art made by these Masters influenced your own work?

My husband and I both enjoy contemporary art. He has an excellent eye. It is my ambition that my work, whether its being shown in my own home or that of a collectors or a public collection, I aspire for my work to hold its own amongst these great artists. In the case of Great Hollow, nature is the master. So, the work there aspires to hold its own amongst that grandeur and potentially enhance that experience and connection.

From a gallerist perspective, the most interesting artists and collectors I meet are the bold ones with confidence and courage to look at art from within, rather than listening to the nays and nods from the art world.  I would definitely put you in that category! How does the criteria you use as a collector compare with your criteria as an artist?

My experience as a collector is very much connected to Mark and our journey together. Art is something that we share, enjoy and are moved by.  My work is influenced by the work that I am fortunate to live with. I work daily from my studio and it is a practice which requires spaced repetition and contemplation. I think the experiences are different. One is looking out and the other is looking in.

Our annual guide to the Farmers Markets and Pick-Your-Own Farms in Litchfield County where you can find locally grown fresh produce and artisanal foods.

FARMERS’ MARKETS

Cornwall Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9 am – 1:00 pm
June – October
413 Sharon Goshen Turnpike
(Rte. 128)
Cornwall

Kent Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 10 am – 12 noon
Fridays 3 – 6 pm
May – October
60 North main Street
Kent

Litchfield Hills Farm-Fresh Market
Saturdays, 10 am-1 pm
June 16 – October 25
Center School
125 West Street
(Route 202)
Litchfield

Litchfield Indoor Winter Market:
Saturdays, 10am-1pm
January 4-June 7
Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield
litchfieldhillsfarmfresh-ct.org

New Hartford Farmers’ Market
Fridays, 4 – 7 pm
June 1 – October 5
Pine Meadow Green
Rte. 44 & Church St.
New Hartford

New Milford Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9 am – 12 noon
May 12 – November 17
Town Green
1 Main Street
New Milford
www.localharvest.org/new-milford-farmers-market

Norfolk Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 10 am – 1 pm
May 14 – October 8; pre-Thanksgiving Market on November 9;
Holiday Market on December 3
Indoor winter markets continue January – April 2017
Town Hall
19 Maple Avenue
Norfolk
norfolkfarmersmarket.org

Salisbury Farmers’ Market
Sundays, 10 am – 2 pm
In front of Chaiwalla
Where Routes 41 and 44 split
Salisbury

The Morris Marketplace
Sundays, 11am – 2 pm
June 15 – November 2
On the grounds of the registered
historic “Sam Paletsky Cattle Dealer Barn”
21 Higbie Road
near the intersection of
Routes 63 & 109
Morris
www.themorrismarket.org

Thomaston Farmers’ Market
Thursdays, 2:30 – 6 pm
July 5 – October 25
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Intersection of Charles Street & Torringford West Street
Thomaston
nwctfarmersmarkets.com

Torrington Farmers’ Market
Tuesdays, 3 – 6 pm, Saturdays, 10 am – 1 pm
June 2 – October 30
Library
12 Daycoeton Pl.
Torrington
nwctfarmersmarkets.com

Washington Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 10 am – 1 pm
Rain or Shine
The Park
1 Green Hill
Washington Depot
http://www.theparkatonegreenhill.org/

Watertown Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9 am – 1 pm
July 14 – September 29
Library Parking Lot
470 Main Street
Watertown

Winsted Farmers’ Market
Fridays, 3 – 6 pm
July 6 – September 14
East End Park
1 Park Place
Winsted

Woodbury Farmers’ Market
Wednesdays, 3 – 6 pm
July – September
Hollow Park,
43 Hollow Road
Woodbury

PICK-YOUR-OWN FARMS

Angevine Farm
40 Angevine Road
Warren
860.868.7226
fall produce and pumpkins

Averill Farm
20 Calhoun Street
Washington Depot
860.868.2777
averillfarm.com
apples, pears, and pumpkins

Bunnell Farm
298 Maple Street
Litchfield
860.567.9576
bunnellfarm.net
flowers and pumpkins

Ellsworth Hill Orchard
& Berry Farm
461 Cornwall Bridge Road
(Rte. 4)
Sharon
860.364.0025
ellsworthfarm.com
apples, blueberries, cherries,
peaches, pears, plums, pumpkins,
raspberries, and strawberries

Evergreen Berry Farm
435 Bassett Road
Watertown
860.274.0825
evergreenberryfarm.com
blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries

Harris Hill Farm
99 Ridge Road
New Milford
860.354.3791
harrishillfarm.com
pumpkins

Litchfield Hills Blueberry Farm
23 Schrowback Road
Plymouth
860.283.9571
blueberries

Maple Bank Farm
57 Church Street
Roxbury
860.354.7038
maplebankfarm.com
blueberries

March Farm
160 Munger Lane
Bethlehem
203.266.7721
marchfarms.com
apples, blueberries, cherries,
peaches, pumpkins, and strawberries

Starberry Farm
81 Kielwasser Road
Washington Depot
860.868.2863
starberry@snet.net
apples, apricots, cherries,
nectarines, peaches, plums

Tonn’s Orchard
270 Preston Road
Terryville, Plymouth
860.585.1372
apples, peaches, plums,
pumpkins, and flowers

With the launch of Arethusa a Mano Bakery and Café,
the town of Bantam has become the destination for coffee
afficionados, pastry lovers, and those who like to linger.

At the beginning it was just the farm in the bucolic, rolling pastures of the small town of Bethlehem. Anthony Yurgaitis and George Malkemus (of Manolo Blahnik shoes fame) bought Arethusa Farm and began raising award-winning purebred Jersey, Holstein and Brown Swiss cows. From those beautiful cows, they created all-natural, farm-fresh dairy goods with a truly exceptional taste. As they say, “Great milk comes from great cows, and great cows come from Arethusa.”

Next came the Arethusa Dairy, located on Route 202 in the center of Bantam, which features ice cream, yogurt, milk, cream, butter, and cheeses made from the milk of Arethusa Farm’s cows. A couple of years later, they opened Arethusa Al Tavolo next door, which has become everyone’s favorite restaurant and wine bar. And now there’s Arethusa a Mano, a bakery and café directly aross the street. One could say Arethusa is taking over Bantam… in a good way. They have put Bantam, Connecticut on the map.

Originally, the property across the street was purchased to handle overflow parking from the restaurant and dairy, but soon after they expanded the parking at the back of the restaurant. Then the coffee shop that was on the property went out of business, and and the Arethusa folks put their heads together to figure out what to do with it. Chef Dan Magill says, “Basically, we didn’t want whatever we put there to compete with the restaurant and dairy store. We wanted it to complement the other businesses.” The concept they come up with was what they felt was needed in the area: a bakery and café with great coffee.

Conceived by Dan Magill (chef at Arethusa Al Tavolo), the cafe’s interior combines modern clean lines with a rustic barn/farm aesthetic. The overall theme is a connection tied to all three of the other businesses, the farm, the dairy, and the restaurant. The first thing they did was remove the drop ceiling and exposed the peak, which gave the space an airy feeling. Then they replaced the typical red tiles with an antique oak floor, the same as the one in Al Tavolo, which provides a warm backdrop to the crispness of the decor.

The black and white decor is simple and inviting, a signature color scheme for the restaurant and dairy as well. The wainscoting in a white-washed finish and x-motifs on the cabinetry doors harken back to the barn and are a nice contrast to the black tables and chairs, industrial-style hanging black lamps, and chalkboard menus. A shelf above the counter area displays a collection of milk jugs in various shapes and sizes, which pays hommage to the dairy farm. The retro belt-driven ceiling fans were Dan’s idea to circulate the air. They are operated by a clever pulley system (which mimics a hay bale hook), set on slow, to move the air throughout the space. Instead of a stainless counter top, Dan had one made from zinc because it had a duller finish and was easier to keep clean from smudges. It was custom made, using nailheads to wrap the corner  and sides. The other counters are made of black granite, which are also used in the dairy store. On the walls are black and white photographic prints of cows from Arethusa Farm. The entire space all ties back to Arethusa Farm, to their roots, their heritage.

“A Mano” means “by hand” in Italian. Almost everything in the café is made by hand—from the simple, black tables and chairs to the delicious pastries crafted in the bakery in the back. Even the paper napkins have a hand made feel to them. Pastries are baked several times a day in the bakery in the back of the café, and so are always fresh. Pastry Chef James Arena who also works at Al Tavolo has trained the staff and oversees the bakery. Fresh bagels come in a variety of flavors and are served plain, with butter, with farmer’s cheese, cream cheese and/or smoked salmon. The bagels are shaped by hand (no two are alike), boiled in the bagel kettle, then baked in the oven, plain or with their toppings. Cinnamon rolls, a variety of doughnuts, seasonal muffins, brioche rolls, chocolate and almond croissants are just some of the other baked goods available for breakfast or all day. All are made on the premises to guarantee freshness. I especially loved the almond croissants with their flaky and crisp pastry (which made quite a mess on the table), and an almond cream interior that just melts in your mouth. The cruller, short for doughnut, was moist and delicious and went so well with my cappucino.

For lunch there are soups, a cheese & crackers platter, quiche with salad greens, panini sandwiches, and four types of salads: Tuna Niçoise, Curried Chicken, Egg Salad, or a Chef Salad. On separate occasions, I tried the quiche with greens and the Niçoise salad for lunch, and both were delicious. You can have your salad over mixed greens, on a croissant, or on Pain au Lait bread. Their grilled cheese sandwich is very popular, made with their own Pain au Lait bread, buttered with their own butter, and layered with a trio of Arethusa cheeses that can be bought at the dairy retail shop: Cry Baby (their version of a Swiss cheese), Bella Bantam (their youngest cheese, which is softer and meltier), and finished with their Europa, which is a yellow cheese similar to Gouda. For afternoon snacks, there are almond bars, pecan squares, and more earthly delights.

For coffee lovers, there’s lots of choices such as Espresso, Americano, Machiato, Cappucino, or a Latte. The coffee comes from the satellite office of Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Brooklyn. Stumptown Roasters was founded in Portland, Oregon and has become synonomous with outstanding coffee. The company roasts high-quality beans, using sustainably safe methods. Not only do they use fair-trade practices, they go one step further, and have a direct trade with their partners who grow the beans. Unlike other roasters who do a dark roasting which causes the oil to exude from the bean, Stumptown makes a medium roast, which keeps the oils inside the beans for ultimate freshness and flavor. With dark roasted cofffee, you are tasting the roast, not the bean. This is why their coffee is so good, and why your Americano will taste like no other.

The coffee comes in a variety of hot and chilled beverages. The cold-pressed brew appears to be a big hit—the coffee is cold brewed without heat for over 12 hours, then it goes through a double filtration process to procure the end result: “a complex, smooth and full-bodied brew with low-acid and a chocolate finish.” Another specialty made with coffee is their Afagado, which is an espresso shot poured over ice-cream. They also serve milkshakes, yogurt shakes, cold bottled drinks, and a variety of teas. To complement your cup of coffee, try a bon bon, maccaron, or a linzer cookie, just a few of the small sweets that come out of the bakery.

Whether you are meeting a friend for coffee, getting a box of doughnuts to bring home, or going solo with a good book, the atmosphere at Arethusa a Mano is relaxed. Locals and visitors alike come from near and far to enjoy a sip, a bite, a few good minutes. The scene is in constant flux as people come and go, and the friendly staff periodically go from table to table checking that customers are satisfied with their experience.

With three different food destinations in Bantam, the folks at Arethusa have covered all of the bases, ensuring that we have a place to go for every culinary craving we desire. And Litchfield County couldn’t be happier.

The Harts Gallery presents an exhibition of work by legendary British photographer Martin Parr, who takes an anthropological and satirical approach to his images. by carmen lopez abramson & tealia ellis ritter

Martin Parr is a British documentary photographer, photo- journalist, and photobook collector. He is known for documenting the social classes of England. With about 40 solo photobooks published and with 80 exhibitions worldwide—his work has been exhibited internationally in countless museums and galleries, including the Tate Modern, London; the Louvre, Paris; the Haus de Kunst, Munich; the Sprengel Museum, Hannover; Barbican Art Gallery, London; Danziger Gallery, New York; Janet Borden Gallery, New York; and Aperture, New York. He still finds time to be president of Magnum Photos, a photographic co-operative that provides photographs to the press, publishers, advertising, television, galleries and museums across the world.

Martin Parr’s enthusiasm for photography began when he was fourteen. His grandfather George Parr, an amateur photographer, was an early influence. Martin says of his own work, “I make serious photographs disguised as entertainment. That’s part of my mantra. I make the pictures acceptable in order to find the audience, but deep down there is actually a lot going on that’s not sharply written in your face. If you want to read it, you can read it.”

Parr’s exhibition at the Harts Gallery in New Milford —guest curated by Tealia Ellis Ritter—is titled Strange Paradise. Featured in the show is work from several of Parr’s series dating from the 1980s through today, including a number of images from The Last Resort. Though the photographs bridge multiple subjects and almost a quarter of a century of image-making, the theme of leisure emerges again and again, in the settings depicted, the attire worn and the food consumed. The dynamic nature of Parr’s compositions creates icons out of the mundane, but behind these symbols of modern life there is an awareness of the ephemeral nature of the Now. In time, food, fashion and even our concepts of pleasure will evolve. The images will remain as artifacts of this specific moment in the ever-changing human narrative. Following is a conversation Parr had with Carmen Lopez Abramson, co-director of the Harts Gallery and photographer Tealia Ellis Ritter:

What inspires you as a photographer to get out every day and photograph?

I don’t do pictures every single day, in fact, because I have a lot of other things I have to do. I want to get out there as much as possible because this is a crazy place and it needs to be documented and interpreted.

What do you feel your role as a photographer is?

Well, to try and make sense of the crazy world we live in and to shape and form it into some kind of different projects in the form of books and exhibitions, etc.

What makes a subject interesting to you?

All subjects are interesting. I just don’t have the time to do them all. I like to go anywhere. I mean people send me anywhere and I can find photographs anywhere. I have specialisms like UK and tourism and such like, but I have done a lot of work in America.

You have discussed the democratic nature of photography; can you elaborate on that concept?

Well, everyone is a photographer now, if everyone does it? It’s the most wide spread art form on the planet. And of course, now we have all the platforms on the internet where people can share these pictures. That’s awful, but in that sense, it is an absolute global phenomenon.

Yeah. Which makes it more difficult to make it as a photographer in a way. 

Not so, because if you’ve got something to say and you are good at it, then people will notice. You know, I am a curator as well so I am constantly looking for new interesting people to emerge. Then I can do things with them. I can exhibit them, I can show them, I can promote them.

Well that’s good to know. What makes an image successful to you?

It’s an intuitive thing as to whether an image works or not. It’s very difficult to describe but usually there’s some kind of tension or some kind of story that will evolve as of that. A contradiction and an ambiguity well expressed.

Many of your images are people in public spaces, seemingly unaware of your presence, how do you approach your subjects?

With stealth. Also, what you don’t see is all the pictures where people are looking at me—and they don’t work.

If you were to describe a human to a being not from this planet, what would you say?

I would say that we are all different tribes and you have to look at the tribes and try to understand them before you try to constitute the planet that we live in.

Have you noticed any changes in humans since you started photographing?

Well, some behavioral things like how we handle the internet and smart phones. And the world is becoming wealthier, more problematic, and more globalized. Other than that, it is what I am saying.

So as the world is getting wealthier, it’s become more problematic?

Yeah, I mean one of the issues we have is global warming, too much… you know, we’re too wealthy. There’s too much money in the world. It would destroy it. Like all the values you have in America, everyone else wants now and it’s unsustainable.

I am from Peru and we have a powerful indigenous race with beautiful rich black hair, high cheekbones and dark eyes. I’ve noticed that a lot of the women dye their hair blond to look like the American women from Sex and the City. When I visit, instead of taking me to the amazing Peruvian restaurants, they take me to TGIF. 

Oh, Heaven forbid, yeah.

I agree completely with you about other countries desiring the American values. Ok, so let’s get philosophical. What are you trying to understand or get to with your obsession of the contemporary world?

Photographing is partly therapeutic and partly a way of revolving and trying to understand your own relationship to the world we live in.

Are you getting close to understanding that?

No, I never really expect to. Just the documentation of the things I’m interested in is building up into, I hope, a substantial archive, which will be partly my legacy.

What is the function of photography in contemporary western and globalized societies?

It can tell us a lot about who we are and the personal obsessions that we all have and it’s a very good way of throwing light about the world through the subjective opinions of photographers.

There have been so many changes in the past 2 decades within the medium of photography and the larger visual culture with the introduction of digital technology. What would you like to see happen in the next 20 years within the world of photography?

I guess recognition of photographers’ global status. That’s always more welcome. I mean more people buying photographs that therefore support photographers, especially emerging ones. Those two things.

You are an avid collector of photo books. How do you distinguish between the world of the photo book and for instance an individual’s Instagram page or website?

Well, ultimately, the book is what you want because it has a series of pictures. I mean you could have a one-off picture that could work but the most satisfactory way of viewing photography is through a body of work. All the images and all the bodies of work that we remember are the ones that really move us.

Do you think the current obsession with people photographing anything and everything on their phones will end anytime soon?

No, I think it’ll just continue to grow.

How do you feel about selfie sticks?

Love them.  I’ve done a whole series on selfie sticks. I mean I photograph them, I don’t have one myself. I don’t really use a smartphone apart from recording a book when I see one in a museum or a shop that I haven’t bought that I must go and buy.

Do you see any changes in the role of a gallery in the art world and if so, how do you think that’s going to affect emerging photographers?

It’s tough to sell emerging work but those people who are bold enough to see the potential of someone’s talent, then it can be very well rewarded with great pictures for a very reasonable price. I don’t know much about the market place in the American small town or small cities selling photography. I mean, partly you’re there must mean you must be able to sell something, so that’s a good sign.

What photographic moment will you most remember on your deathbed?

I suppose photographing in the UK would be probably my best subject matter. I guess if I had to think about one moment, it’s when I discovered New Brighton had the color camera for the first time or color film for the first time. That was very exciting to know that you’re onto something that was interesting.
I have a crazy life which isn’t a bad thing is it?

Local author Sally Cook will be at the Annual Sharon Summer Book Signing on July 5th with her new book How to Speak Golf, beautifully illustrated by Ross MacDonald.

Every year the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon hosts their Annual Sharon Summer Book Signing. It is a big event in the Northwest Corner drawing many celebrated authors and illustrators. This year Cornwall resident Sally Cook will be signing her new book How to Speak Golf, which is the latest addition to a series of books by Sally on different sports lingo and trivia. Sally has written other books as well, and co-authored the New York Times bestseller Another Season: A Coach’s Story of Raising an Exceptional Son with legendary football coach Gene Stallings. Sally is also the special advisor for the book club at Project Sunshine, a nonprofit organization that provides free social, educational and recreational programs to children living with medical challenges. She works collaboratively with Ross MacDonald, a seasoned artist from Newtown, whose work has appeared in many books and numerous magazines over the years. They have worked on 5 books together and have more ideas in the works. In How to Speak Golf, his whimsical drawing style and witty sense of humor bring the content to yet another level. It is the perfect book for sports fans of all ages. We spoke with Sally Cook about golf, sports, and her process in creating the How to Speak series.

Do you play golf? 

I have tried to play golf on many occasions. The game fascinates me in part because it’s hard to believe that a tiny white ball can be so frustrating to hit.

What motivated you to write a book about the language of golf? 

The game has a rich history beginning in Scotland and is the game of kings and queens. When I found out that Mary Queen of Scots was considered to be the “Mother of Golf” I was completely hooked—wanting to know more!

What got you interested in writing a book series on the language of different sports? Are you a sports fan? 

My father used to take me to Yankees games when I was growing up. After I had written a couple of books, my agent, Holly McGhee, and I went to a Yankees game together and shared that both of our fathers were big fans.

Holly suggested that I write a book about how teams got their names. When I started researching that, I realized how much the sport had changed in the last 100 plus years. That’s when I called our family friend, James Charlton, who was the editor of the Society of American Baseball Researchers (SABR).

James and I ended up writing a book called Hey Batta Batta Swing! The Wild Old Days of Baseball and Holly got Ross MacDonald to do the vintage illustrations. Ross was the perfect illustrator to depict the history of the game. We included slang terms that were used back then and now and defined those terms in the margins.

Hey Batta won several awards and people especially loved some of the lingo. That’s when James and I  came up with the idea to write an entire book on the language and funny stories of baseball. which became How to Speak Baseball. That book was so well received that Ross and I wanted to make a series of books together. Our publisher Flatiron (a division of MacMillan) asked for golf, football and soccer.

What are your favorite sports?

I was a competitive swimmer from the age of 6 on and ended up swimming for my college. I was also the pitcher for my softball league. We won the softball championship a few years in a row. I have been playing tennis a couple of times a week with a wonderful group of friends.

What is your background?  

I was born in Roanoke Virginia—that’s where I started swimming competitively. When I was 9, my family moved to Westfield, NJ. I graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. I’ve always loved sports, the theater, and writing.

Are you a journalist or a non-fiction writer? 

I wrote features for the Associated Press for many years interviewing such people as Jimmy Carter, Merle Haggard and Little Richard. I also wrote for women’s magazines and my first interview was with Meryl Streep.

How did you end up in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut? 

I went to visit a friend in Cornwall  25 years ago and fell in love with Cream Hill Lake. I swim across it every day in the summer.

What kind of research did you do to find 125 golf terms and the tidbits of historical info and anecdotes? Did you hang out at the golf course? Did you consult an expert golf advisor? 

The first thing I do is consult with experts in the field. Chris Millard, the author of The Golf Book was hugely helpful. So was Judith Powell, an avid golfer and former executive director of First Tee, a nonprofit that teaches golf to help  youth with life skills. I also pour over any and all books pertaining to golf and go to golf courses and ask pros and golfers lots and lots of questions. I also cross-check things on several different sites on the internet.

Ross MacDonald’s illustrations appear in many of your books. What is it about Ross’s work that you like? 

Ross uses colored pencils, ink, and watercolors. His work has a retro feel to it—he is heavily influenced by the late 19th century and early 20th century. He is an ace designer and also has a marvelous sense of humor in his work. I’m drawn to Ross’s work because I love history and humor. How could I not adore his stunning and brilliant work?

Who decided which golf terms to illustrate—you or Ross? 

I try and choose the most colorful terms and stories that I can. Ross is the designer on these books and he decides which terms to illustrate.

What has the response been from the public on the book? 

We have been doing a lot of book signings this spring and summer. I’m amazed at how many books an individual will buy at a time. One woman recently bought ten copies of How to Speak Golf and gave them to all of her golfing friends. When we signed How to Speak Baseball people were buying multiple copies for their coaches and for their little league teams.

What other sports lingo can we expect in the future from your book series? 

How to Speak Football comes out in September 6, 2016 and How to Speak Soccer comes out in the Spring of 2017. Ross and I  have some more ideas up our sleeves, too,  which I can’t divulge quite yet.

Through his mentoring programs, local resident Jake Horne guides students through greater self-awareness as they transition from highschool into college and onto a successful career path.

Jake Horne runs The Student Compass in Litchfield, a mentoring organization for young millennial and Z Generation students. From the college application process to mentoring and career planning, he helps students sort out how to get to where they want to be in life. The organization is broken down into 3 areas which are a blend of individualized mentored programs. One is a mentoring model for college students offering one-on-one mentoring over time. Another is for high school students interested in a Gap Year Program. And the third is a mentoring program for small groups, includinging workshops series, often for under-sourced inter-city kids.

Vince Pappas is a 23-year-old who recently graduated from Dickinson, a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. He attended the Forman School in Litchfield and in his junior year began college counseling with Jake Horne. “Jake found me and helped me to flourish.” Vince found Jake easy to talk to as they discussed his interests, and  helped him to figure out what he would want to take in college. They worked on this for 5 years, which Jake Horne says is an ideal model. They started off on how to mold the college admissions essays, how to choose courses, and what trends are coming in the future, such as 3-D printing and artificial intelligence.

Vince says he is an “ideas guy”, a late millenial with a fertile mind and a strong sense of independence. He is data-driven and tech savvy—a metaphor for thinking ahead. He has already developed a tutoring app called GUURU and he has run his own clothing line. “I am an entrepreneur.”

Since graduating from college, Vince has been working at Breeze, a flexible car-leasing platform,  for 3 1/2 months and is already thinking, “what is my next step?” For his generation, staying at a job for the longterm is not realistic. Things have changed considerably in the job market over the last ten years and Vince is constantly enhancing his skill set—he recently took a course on product management.

Jake and Vince continue their mentoring relationship even though Vince is now out of college and working. They have a regular Skype appointment every other Saturday, and every few weeks, they meet regularly in Boston or talk on the phone. “It is the ultimate mentorship,” says Vince. “Jake makes me feel important. He is like a father-figure. He pulls the creativity out from within me.”

Not all students are as lucky as Vince Pappas. Most kids go through the most important transitions of their lives with minimal guidance from family members and teachers. Kids will talk to Jake about their concerns, but not so much with their parents. For a highschool student, thoughts on graduating, how to get into college, how to transition to college, how to manage themselves with new independence are huge concerns, and then “Now what?”

“Colleges don’t offer advice on how to use your interests. Rapid change will happen, being driven by the economy, by sociology, and those changes bring new jobs and new careers. Colleges are not good at orchestrating a longterm direction.” If a child has an interest, Jake Horne asks, “Why? Where does the interest come from? Is it your parents’ idea? Or is it yours? He says it is a reflective process. “Unpacking who I am, unthinking who I want to be. This is something you need to learn when you are young because you will have to do it over again and again, all your life,” he explains. And the constancy of reflection needs to be reinforced later on as well.

“I truly believe we are in the midst of huge change. A big wave is heading our way. Substantial fluxes in the distribution of wealth, social dislocation, substantial changes in the environment, housing issues in cities, the pressure on all systems is already there. It will require talented young people to redesign and rethink because all is fragile. This generation of kids will be good at it. The connectedness of things, this new generation, they are inheriting it.” Jake Horne sees opportunities for architects, designers, engineers, and active problem-solving in a more global way.

Jake Horne was born in Boston, attended public school until 4th grade, then switched to a private school called The Fay School from 5th to 8th grade. From there he went to Simsbury Westminster Prep High School, then Harvard, where he received a Harvard A.B. in Cultural Anthropology. Later, while raising a family with his wife, he attended Trinity College and the University of Hartford and received a Masters in Education and American Studies. Jake spent 31 years in independent secondary schools as a teacher of History and American Studies.

His father was a surgeon and fertility specialist (and the chief medical officer at Nagasaki). Jake’s parents were Unitarians, and were involved with the Charter movement of the United Nations. He was raised with an international philosophy.

His family came from the “Boston Brahmins”—a class of wealthy, educated, elite members of Boston society in the nineteenth century, including many founding fathers. He grew up in this environment, the nobless oblige, where community work was important. As a teenager, he spent some time in Framingham working on farms. “Nobody in this world actually gets there on their own.”

When Jake Horne was a young student, he needed a mentor and had to go find one. He was a seventh generation Harvard student, attending from ’68 to 71, and from ’77 to ’78. Jake took 6 years off between his junior and senior years of college due to “what is the purpose” life-angst, and hitch-hiked across the country. He found different mentors across the country during this period. Red Hinkley was one, an old conservative Vermonter, full of wisdom and circumspection.

During his in-between Harvard years, in 1974, Jake lived on a hippie commune in Maine with a bunch of Harvard students growing soy beans. He later worked in the Massachusetts Solar Energy office on the development of windmills, and then was then hired by the State of Connecticut to develop a hydro-electric power policy. (There are hundreds of small dams in Connecticut.) During this time, he and his wife Lisa lived in the backwoods of Avon. In 1984,  he got a job teaching at the Forman School, stayed there for ten years, then returned for another nine years. In 1987 Jake and his family moved, and he built his own house on 7 acres in Milton, in the town of Litchfield. He built a barn and raised farm animals. He enjoys living in the Northwest Corner, but says the down side is that there is no access to universities. “This is a part of the world that is preserved, safe, lovely, quiet, and nurturing. And as an outdoorsman, I love it here.

The mentoring thing became really important to him after he became a teacher. His learning disabled students were struggling and he became a mentor to them. All of this gave him a certain sensibility: Life is a series of experiences and events.

Much of his mentoring has to do with transitions – between high school and college, between college and career. Jake promotes the Gap Year and encourages his students to open their global vision. “The Gap year is a rite of passage, you learn a lot about yourself. It is very common in Europe, but not so much in the United States. In today’s world, companies are expecting their young hires to be more experienced in differences, in cultures.” Jake believes the Gap Year is an integral piece of the mentoring continuous conversation. He recommends a Gap Year to everyone. He suggests doing language study, culture study, internships, community service, home stays, such as living in Costa Rica. “For growth to happen, it is important for them to be out of their comfort zone.”

Jake is a generalist mentor, unlike commonplace mentors today who are “specialist” mentors, usually in business. Because people grow and evolve over time, Jake Horne believes that the entrepreneurship program should be in every area of the Liberal Arts, not just in the Business Curriculum. As Jake Horne guides his students, the focus is on greater self-awareness, social and emotional changes, self-sufficiency, and affective skills. “I am a humanistic capitalist,” states Horne. “The American impulse is if you want to be successful, you need to be in a technology realm. But what makes that relevant is the application of that technology on our lives. Human skills are needed to be a good leader.”

Jake Horne offers summer workshops on Writing Your College Application Essay. He also gives a presentation on The Relationship Between College, Future Careers, and Trends at community centers, libraries, schools, and other organizations.

For more information, you may contact Jake at 860.921.6158 or visit: thestudentcompass.com

Held at the Mayflower Grace, the Day of Design brings together architects, interior designers, stylists and writers to tell their stories and inspire those who love design. by sarah parker young

“It is just as disastrous to have the wrong accessories in your room as it is to wear sport shoes with an evening dress.”
— Dorothy Draper

Most of us know to strap on the heels with evening wear but falter when it comes to the styling and decorating of our own home. The big questions….what to add, what to take away and how it will all work together are endless. Day of Design’s experts will share secrets about revealing beauty through simplicity, embracing cultural references, making statements with objects and how to integrate the interior with the outdoors. All these discussions will take place on Saturday, June 18th in a charming shingled tea house where participants and panelists can arrange themselves on comfortable sofas and armchairs.

The first morning panel is entitled The Beauty of the Undone: Discovering Simplicity in Design and pairs interior designer Michael De Perno and Andrew Fry with Kyle Hopener, Editor in Chief of New England Home Magazine. De Perno and Fry are the owners of the latest design shop destination in New Preston, Plain Goods. Both De Perno’s portfolio of work and the interior of Plain Goods are perfect examples of this aesthetic. This will be followed by The Allure of the South: How the Region tells its Narrative through Design headlining an authentic group of Southern style arbiters including Elizabeth Ralls, Editor in Chief of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles as well as designer duo Michael Mitchell and Tyler Hill who hail from Charleston, SC. They will be joined by Washington’s own Kathryn McCarver Root, originally from Memphis, TN, and the owner of the fine art photography gallery KMR Arts.

Lunch is al fresco, overlooking the Shakespeare Garden, on a patio with round tables shaded by white umbrellas. A day at this iconic New England Inn is a time for these design professionals to relax, share resources, make connections and discuss the subtleties of interior design with the attendees. When asked what he found special about the event, Robert Couturier aptly said, “Maybe, because  in such an idyllic and calm atmosphere it is easier to think, we don’t have to go anywhere, there is no time pressure and it is always enriching to find out how the others think and to discuss how differently we all work. I love doing it!!”

Kicking off the afternoon is a discussion with design maven and author Susanna Salk about the subject of her latest Rizzoli published book, It’s the Little Things: Creating Big Moments in Your Home with the Stylish Small Stuff. Joining her on the panel are Stacy Kunstel, stylist and co-owner of Dunes and Duchess (with her partner, photographer Michael Partenio) and Kati Curtis, an interior designer who has been getting rave reviews for her room at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

This will be followed by a panel with the world renowned architect and interior designer, Robert Couturier and the talented Washington-based architect Harold Tittmann. This panel, Architecture: Connecting Interiors with the Landscape, is certainly an apropos subject for one of the most popular counties for country homes. Moderator for this panel, as well as Allure of the South panel, is the insightful Stacey Bewkes of the premier design blog Quintessence.

After the panels, there will be a Meet the Designer cocktail party on the porch of the Tap Room, as well as a book signing coordinated by the Hickory Stick Book Shop. Designing Paradises by Robert Couturier as well as a selection of Susanna Salk’s books will be available for purchase.

The presenting sponsor of this event is John-Richard, a global luxury furnishing company based in Greenwood, MS. The media partner for Day of Design is New England Home, one of the very best design publications in the country. For the third straight year, the 5 Star Relais & Chateaux property, The Mayflower Grace will be the host of the event.

Saturday, June 18th
Program  starts at 10:00 am

The Mayflower Grace
118 Woodbury Road
Washington, CT 06793

To book your place for the Day of Design, please contact:
Allison Fodor 860-868-9466
allison.fodor@gracehotels.com

On May 14th, as grey skies turned sunny over LionRock Farm in Sharon, the popular Trade Secrets Rare Plant and Garden Antique Sale drew 1,650 visitors from far and near.

Early Saturday morning, as the fog lifted, Martha Stewart arrived in Sharon with her crew and two trucks. She has attended the Annual Trade Secrets Rare Plant and Garden Antique Sale for the last 16 years. She says she wouldn’t miss it for anything.

Trade Secrets, better known as the “northeast’s garden event of the year”,  is a spectacular two-day event that brings loads of gardeners to the Litchfield Hills every spring. On May 14 and 15 of this year, Elaine LaRoche once again hosted the show at her 600-acre farm, a beautiful spot in the hills of Sharon.

Founded by Bunny Williams, Trade Secrets is the signature fundraiser for WSS (Women’s Support Services) of the Northwest Corner of Connecticut. The WSS mission is to create a community free of domestic violence and abuse through intervention, prevention and education by offering free, confidential, client-centered services focused on safety, support advocacy and community outreach.

On Saturday morning serious gardeners headed for the rare plant specimens brought in by specialized growers and nurseries, while others browsed the garden antiques, statuary, and wrought iron fencing. Outdoor furniture came in many different forms, and there were plenty of pots, bird baths, and watering cans to choose from. Early buying started at 8 am, which included breakfast. Regular buying started at 10 am.

The Trade Secrets Sale features growers, dealers, and artisans from all over the Northeast. There were more than 60 vendors and garden antiques dealers displaying their items under tents at LionRock farm this year. Along with our favorite local artisans and shop/curators, such as Pergola, Guy Wolff Pottery, Michael Trapp, and RT Facts, there were also quite a few new vendors joining the show: The Sugarplum Antiques from Wilmot, NH; Eastern Plants from Bath, ME; Ashfield Tools from Ashfield, MA; and Churchill Building from Lakeville, who launched his new furniture line at the event.

Antiques collectors were excited to check out the sterling silver pitchers, vintage wrought iron tables and chairs, vintage conveyer belts, and old gardening tools. The sun came out, the skies cleared and the beauty of the Litchfield Hills was the perfect setting for yet another great year at Trade Secrets.

On Saturday, there was a special book signing to celebrate three new gardening books: “Outstanding American Gardens; A Celebration – 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy” edited by Page Dickey; “At Home in the Garden” by Carolyne Roehm; and “The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques” from Chanticleer. Three other books were also represented at the book signing event: “The Rooftop Growing Guide” by Annie Novak; “The Plant Lovers Guide to Magnolias” by Andrew Bunting; and “Garden Revolution” by Thomas Christopher. All of the authors were there and the book signing tent had a steady flow of fans and gardening book lovers streaming in and out.

On Sunday, the Trade Secrets Garden Tour included five superb Litchfield Connecticut gardens. The rarely visited private garden of Michael Trapp, designer and antiques dealer,  is as striking as his house and barn are. Around the house, there’s a flavor of Italianate formality, with tall columnar evergreens marshaled in straight lines, yew and thuja, not your typical New England farmyard planting. The doors of his living room and bedroom open onto a stone terrace, with 17th c. columns supporting a grape arbor, and a picturesque view of hayfields beyond. Geometric pools of water offer reflection and a series of ‘Donald Wyman’ crabs, underplanted with variegated liriope and ‘Tide Hill’ box, lend an air of grace to the house entrance.

Carolyne Roehm’s Weatherstone was built in 1765 and is listed in the Historic Registry. The house is surrounded by formal gardens consisting of boxwood topiaries and sargentina crabapples, silver lindens with a hornbeam allee on the south side and a rose garden surrounded by boxwood borders on the west façade.

The orchard is under planted with thousands of naturalizing daffodils. Red brick paths outline a cutting garden with a potager: hundreds of hybrid  roses bloom next to the perennial and peony borders. The pool is decorated with blue and white ornamental Chinese pots planted with boxwood and are bordered by a raised bed of tulips and crabapple trees.

Judy and Patrick Murphy opened Old Farm Nursery in 1988 on land that had been a general farm for generations. The extensive plantings include a large kitchen and herb garden, several perennial borders, fruit tree allee, a formal white garden, woodland shade garden with Japanese maple collection, a secret garden/swimming pool and a new river garden, about five acres in all.

Bunny Williams and John Rosselli’s garden around their Falls Village home is sublime. Not only are there tulips and bulbs galore carpeting the formal garden, but John’s vegetable and cutting garden was gearing up. The mock-coliseum poolhouse (featured in House & Garden) appears at the end of the old orchard with heirloom apple trees blossoming. Visitors strolled around the primrose and wildflower-dense woodland pond (featured in Garden Design) and its charms were popping out all over. Promenading through the arbors, one could see not only the wildflowers, but the wildlife as well – doves and various other fowl fluttering around. Plus, on the property’s final frontier, winged houseguests feathered their nests in the new “birdhouse village.”

Twin Maples features a trove of brilliant ideas wrought on a magnificent scale. Sumptuous and thoughtfully designed, there’s a little of everything at Twin Maples. Visitors took the promenade past intensely fragrant dianthus-filled beds overlooking a pool framed in crabapples. On the woodland walk filled with potentilla, primulas, foamflowers, woodland peonies, jeffersonia, maidenhair ferns, blue cohosh, corydalis, ginger, and Iris cristata—the scene was spectacular. A living moon gate framed the Litchfield Hills swathed in Hydrangea petiolaris. Everyone enjoyed the primitive labyrinth, the orchard, and the shad allée underplanted with white daffodils and snowdrops. This was a rare opportunity to visit a noteworthy private garden that rivals some of this country’s grandest public arboreta.

Tickets for the tours sold out very quickly. The tours were self-guided and each garden had a healthy share of visitors until 4 in the afternoon.

It was a day to remember, for a good cause, leaving us with plenty to think about as our gardens get underway with the plants and objects we brought home. Only one more year to wait until the next Trade Secrets!