Rain fails to dampen gathering of Valley Experience group in Shelton

 It wasn't raining when we arrived at the winery. I love the flag decorating the barn. 

SHELTON - My husband, Ralph, and I attended a Valley Experience Meetup event Friday held at Jones Family Farms Winery Wine Down.

It was fun and we thank Valley Experience organizer Kayleigh Apicerno for inviting us to join the group.

I didn't get any photos of the folks we met, but I did take a few scenic shots.

There were a lot of bees buzzing in this lavender patch next to where we were sitting and sipping Jones' wines.

A beautiful double rainbow appeared Friday evening as we were leaving. I am re-posting the photo because it's so pretty!  

We're looking forward to attending another Meetup with members of Valley Experience this summer. 

Rain fails to dampen gathering of Valley Experience group in Shelton

 It wasn't raining when we arrived at the winery. I love the flag decorating the barn. 

SHELTON - My husband, Ralph, and I attended a Valley Experience Meetup event Friday held at Jones Family Farms Winery Wine Down.

It was fun and we thank Valley Experience organizer Kayleigh Apicerno for inviting us to join the group.

I didn't get any photos of the folks we met, but I did take a few scenic shots.

There were a lot of bees buzzing in this lavender patch next to where we were sitting and sipping Jones' wines.

A beautiful double rainbow appeared Friday evening as we were leaving. I am re-posting the photo because it's so pretty!  

We're looking forward to attending another Meetup with members of Valley Experience this summer. 

Rain fails to dampen gathering of Valley Experience group in Shelton

 It wasn't raining when we arrived at the winery. I love the flag decorating the barn. 

SHELTON - My husband, Ralph, and I attended a Valley Experience Meetup event Friday held at Jones Family Farms Winery Wine Down.

It was fun and we thank Valley Experience organizer Kayleigh Apicerno for inviting us to join the group.

I didn't get any photos of the folks we met, but I did take a few scenic shots.

There were a lot of bees buzzing in this lavender patch next to where we were sitting and sipping Jones' wines.

A beautiful double rainbow appeared Friday evening as we were leaving. I am re-posting the photo because it's so pretty!  

We're looking forward to attending another Meetup with members of Valley Experience this summer. 

Victorian Tea workshop planned at Kellogg Center in Derby

DERBY - Come and learn about Victorian culture and Osborne Family life at a Victorian Tea etiquette workshop at Kellogg Environmental Center from 1-2:30 p.m.  July 9.

Fans of Downton Abbey and tea drinkers alike will enjoy this program that takes visitors back in time to the late Victorian Era (1837-1901) when Frances Osborne Kellogg would have been a young lady in her 20s hosting and going to tea parties.  

During the workshop, visitors will learn Victorian tea etiquette and the difference between the types of tea services, such as low and high tea.  

Participants will understand and demonstrate the social “do’s and don’ts” of a tea party.  

There will also be a special presentation about the history of the Osborne family as seen through the lens of the award-winning television series Downton Abbey.  At the end of the program, visitors can take home handcrafted teas and teabags and tour the Osborne Homestead Museum where antique tea sets will be on display.  

The workshop fee is $5, and refreshments will be served.  The Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave., is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.  It is operated by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.  

To register or for more information contact 203-734-2513 or email donna.kingston@ct.gov. Space is limited. 

This is a press release from DEEP.

Seymour Historical Society to host talk on women's health issues in Colonial times

SEYMOUR - Health and hygiene challenges for women in Colonial America will be the focus of a program at the Seymour Historical Society at 2 p.m. July 17.

Photo from Electronic Valley

Presenter Velya Jancz-Urban is well-versed in Colonial history. 

She and her family bought and restored a 1770 farmhouse in Woodbury. 

That led to her writing the novel “Acquiescence,” which is set partly in Colonial times. 

In this popular program, “The Not-So-Good Life of the Colonial Goodwife,” Jancz-Urban makes audiences both laugh and cringe as she offers intimate insight into topics that made being an 18^th-century woman so difficult: sickness and medicine; sex and birth control; childbirth and menstruation.

Due to the subject matter, admission is restricted to adults. 

The Seymour Historical Society is located at 59 West St. near Trinity Episcopal Church. 

The program is free to Seymour Historical Society members and $5 for non-members. Doors open at 1 p.m., and light refreshments will be served. 

For more information, contact psussman@snet.net, call 203-881-2156 or visit www.seymourhistoricalsociety.org.

This is a press release from Seymour Historical Society.