Bring your pets of any shape or size to one (or more!) of the blessings being held throughout Old Lyme on Sunday. This photo shows the Rev. Dr. Anita Louise Schell, Rector of Saint Ann’s, blessing a fluffy pup.
OLD LYME—Several area churches will offer blessings for creatures great and small to commemorate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on Sunday.
The South Lyme Union Chapel on 308 Mile Creek Road invites all pets – including mammals, reptiles, birds and fish – to its third annual blessing in the historic setting from noon to 1:30 p.m. Pets must be leashed, in a container, or held. Refreshments will be available free of charge.
Saint Ann’s Episcopal Parish at 82 Shore Road will hold its traditional Blessing of the Animals outside the church at 1 p.m. All animals should be leashed or caged.
Christ the King Church, at 1 McCurdy Road, will also host an animal blessing at 1 p.m. in the church parking lot.
St. Francis was born in the 12th century and is the patron saint of ecology and animals.
Potted perennials and annuals of many varieties will be on sale this weekend at the OldLymeHistoricalSociety‘s Annual Fall Plant Sale. Photo submitted by the OldLymeHistoricalSociety.
OLD LYME — The OldLymeHistoricalSociety hosts its Annual Fall Plant Sale Saturday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The sale will be held at the Society‘s 55 Lyme Street location
Potted perennials and annuals of all types and sizes will be on sale at competitive prices.
Proceeds will support the mission of the Society, which is to collect, preserve, and interpret the rich history of Old Lyme, Conn. and its environs for the benefit of residents and visitors.
Tessa Lark will help open Musical Masterworks’ 35th season in Old Lyme on Oct. 5 and 6. File photo by Richard Bowditch.
OLD LYME–Musical Masterworks will begin its 35th season at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme in a concert weekend featuring Artistic Director and violinist Tessa Lark.
Performances will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m.
Musical Masterworks in a press release said the weekend’s ensemble features Lark, pianist Inon Barnatan, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, cellist Efe Baltacigil and double bassist Tim Cobb. The program pairs Schubert pieces including the Trout Quintet and the Arpeggione Sonata with Lark’s Appalachian Fantasy, blending the timeless and contemporary.
“This season, I’m drawn to music that feels deeply personal, exploring the sublime worlds of specific composers and sharing the places I love most,” Lark said. “I hope these programs invite our concertgoers to linger, discover, and experience something new and meaningful along the way.”
The season runs from October to April at the church, 4 Lyme Street.
OLD SAYBROOK–The Estuary’s Delivering Hope fundraiser earlier this month raised $35,000 in support of Meals on Wheels and its mission to nourish and connect homebound seniors.
The organization in a press release said a highlight of the Sept. 6 event was a live auction led by professional auctioneer Mike Nuzzo that generated over $17,000. Attendees not only bid on auction items, but also raised their paddles to pledge money for specific needs within the organization.
Guests also had the opportunity to hear testimonials from local Meals on Wheels recipients and their families highlighting the importance of this program.
The Estuary credited event sponsors including platinum sponsors Essex Savings Bank and Gladeview Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.
Heather Milardo, Director of Development for The Estuary, expressed gratitude for the “outpouring of support” from the community.
“From our sponsors and auction donors to each guest who bought a ticket, raised their paddle, or placed a bid—thank you for helping us deliver more than just meals. You’re delivering hope,” she said.
Proceeds from Delivering Hope will directly support the delivery of meals, wellness checks, and caring connections to older adults across the region.
For more information or to support Meals on Wheels, visit www.yourestuary.org.
The Wee Faerie Village opens Saturday at the Florence Griswold Museum. This year’s theme is “Gardener’s Grove: a Growing Community.” Photo courtesy of the Florence Griswold Museum.
OLD LYME — The perennially popular Wee Faerie Village and a new exhibition titled, ‘Fall Into Impressionism‘ open today at the Florence Griswold Museum In Old Lyme.
The theme of the Wee Faerie Village this year is Gardener’s Grove: a Growing Community! and it celebrates the growing world with a wee community that is inspired by plants. Each site will be place for a faerie to live, work, play, or shop that is based on a single flora or plant type…flower, vegetable, bush, or tree.
The event will feature at least two dozen faerie installations as well as a roster of special events to compliment the theme.
Since 2009 over 190,000 visitors have immersed themselves in the spirit of imagination and whimsy that comes from visiting at least two dozen pint-sized installations across the Museum’s campus on a perfect autumn day.
Autumn Sunlight (1888) by.Theodore Robinson (1852–1896) is a signature painting of the ‘Fall Into Impressionism’ exhibition opening Saturday at the Florence Griswold Museum..OThe painting is oil on canvas and a gift of the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company. Photo courtesy of the Florence Griswold Museum.
‘Fall Into Impressionism’ features selected artworks from the Museum’s permanent collection, which celebrate the appeal of fall to the Impressionists, whose flecks of paint capture the textures and colors of autumn.
For artists including Fidelia Bridges, Charles Ebert, Frank Vincent DuMond, Breta Longacre, Willard Metcalf, and Theodore Robinson, fall presented the opportunity to contemplate nature in transition. They appreciated both the season’s vibrance and its gradual movement toward much more muted colors.
Many of these painters spent August in cooler climes like Maine, but come Septeber, they flocked back to Connecticut as the weather cooled to paint outside in the drier air, particularly in locales like Old Lyme.
During the fall, leaves dazzled with reds, golds, and a multitude of other colors before falling to the ground. The artists would concentrate on the play of light and shadow in these autumnal months before the weather turned cold and maybe the first snow fell. At that point, they headed back to their studios in the city for the winter.
The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am-5pm. Special event pricing is in effect at this time as follows: $23 Adults, $22 Seniors (62+), $21 Students (13+). Entry is free to Children 12 and under, and members.
