Derby Public Library exhibit to mark 70th anniversary of 1955 Flood in Valley

DERBY - Join Christine Boulay, Derby Public Library's local history coordinator, to mark the 70th Anniversary of the 1955 Naugatuck Valley Flood. 

A photo exhibit will be on display throughout the Derby Public Library of photographs taken by local resident Harold B. Yudkin.
Through donations from a generous patron the library was able to digitize and print all of the pictures, all 85 images.

This August marks the 70th Anniversary of the flood. The display will coincide with the 350th celebration of Derby.

All are welcome to the reception for light refreshments.
https://derbypubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/14709749

Shared from the Derby Public Library Facebook page.

Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby to host artist reception today

 

Crosby Commons in Shelton hosts couple's 65th wedding anniversary celebration

Crista Hernan, UMH Director of Spiritual Life at Crosby Commons, performs a wedding vow renewal ceremony for Vito and Barbara Scodese. 

Crosby Commons residents Vito and Barbara Scodese celebrate 65 years of marriage during a special wedding vow renewal celebration hosted by the community. 

SHELTON - Wedding bells were ringing at Crosby Commons Senior Living Community during a recent vow renewal ceremony and wedding reception Aug. 30 for Crosby residents Vito and Barbara Scodese, who celebrated 65 years of marriage in the company of family and friends. 

With the help of members of the Crosby team and under the direction of Activities Director Lauren Donovan the community hosted a series of wedding festivities which culminated with a vow renewal ceremony in the community’s front lobby and a reception in the resident dining room.

The entire Crosby community, along with members of the Scodese family, was invited to attend the wedding celebration. 

“We sent out invitations, we sampled champagne and hosted a cake-tasting, we arranged flowers and photos and even had a special wedding ‘reveal’ event to announce the bride and groom,” said Donovan. “There was a great sense of anticipation; everyone was very excited.” 

Arrangements were made for the bride to have her hair and nails done at the Crosby spa, and make-up applied by Crosby team member and C.N.A., Jailene Pellot. 

A special chef-prepared luncheon was held in the Crosby bistro for the Scodese family, who traveled from across the local area to attend the event. Rows of chairs were set up in the Crosby front lobby and the dining room was prepared with centerpieces, wedding favors, and entertainment by D.J. Jeff. 

Piano music by Rosemary Allen welcomed guests to their seats while the room filled with applause at the arrival of Vito and Barbara, who walked down the aisle together to renew their vows.

Crista Hernan, Director of Spiritual Life, performed the ceremony, which began with a few heartfelt words from the Scodese’s daughter, Lori Todice, and a flower presentation to the bride from flower girl, Addison Fife, daughter of Crosby Commons Executive Director David Fife. 

Hernan presented the renewal of wedding vows, followed by a kiss shared by the couple and a champagne toast.

“Married life over 65 years has lots of ups and downs,” Todice said, “but here we are today, remembering all the lives you’ve touched and wishing you many more years together.”

Following the ceremony, guests mingled in the Crosby Dining Room for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, the customary cake-cutting and dancing. As a special surprise, Crosby Chef Manager, Hector Velez, prepared a favorite dish of the groom’s (frog legs!) and presented it to the couple during the reception before they cut the wedding cake.

Crosby residents, staff, and family members danced together to classic wedding favorites, from The Twist to The Chicken Dance, along with musical hits from Motown to Frank Sinatra. Perhaps the most memorable moment of the day, however, was the dance Vito and Barbara shared in the center of the room as their wedding song played, “Because of You” by Tony Bennett.  

“Moments like these are what life at Crosby Commons is truly all about - a shared celebration of relationships, memories, special lives, and special people. It was an honor for our entire community and team to be part of this wonderful day for Vito and Barbara and their family,” said David Fife, Crosby Commons Executive Director.

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes. Crosby Commons is at 580 Long Hill Ave.

Recuperation journey: A special day

I took this photo of the Connecticut River Thursday before my daughter's wedding reception!  

Local artist to exhibit work in October at Oxford Baking Company

 

Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby to host artist's exhibiition

DERBY - Come enjoy original artwork by Agnes Wnuk at the Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave.  

A collection of her acrylic and watercolor pieces is the featured exhibit for the month of June. Guests are invited to enjoy the works and walk the Kellogg Estate gardens. 

A ‘Meet the Artist Reception’ will be held from 2-4 p.m. June 26. Guests will visit the Center to view the paintings of florals and garden scenes, meet Agnes to learn about her methods and inspirations, and enjoy her travel sketchbooks documenting her trips and travels. 

Each year Connecticut’s Historic Gardens collaborative hosts a poster contest promoting CT Historic Gardens Day. 

Agnes is the featured artist on this year’s poster.  CT State Parks is proud to have the Osborne Homestead Museum as the featured site and Agnes’ original painting is part of her show at the Center. 

In the last six years, Agnes has expanded to exploring colored pencil, oils, pastels, watercolors, and urban sketching. 

She has sketched on location in Bermuda, St. Maarten, Mallorca, Spain, and Key West, as well as around New England, New York State and Colorado. She also took part in the annual Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam in July 2019, completing an entire sketchbook during a weeklong excursion.

For further information or directions please email DEEP.Kellogg@ct.gov or call 203-734-2513. 

Established in 1913, the mission of the Connecticut State Park System is to provide natural resource-based public recreational and educational opportunities through a system of state park and forest recreation areas, environmental centers, and nature centers that provide an understanding of, access to, and enjoyment of, the state’s historic, cultural and natural resources.

This is a press release from the Kellogg Environmental Center.

Main Street Gallery in Ansonia readies Journey of Dreams exhibition

 

Mixed media artist to exhibit work at Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby

DERBY- All are invited to visit mixed media artist Karen Kalkstein’s exhibition of artwork at Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave. 

Her collages, wall-hangings, and sculptures created from natural and human-made material will be exhibited Feb. 4-28. 

Using items that have been collected from her walks through nature Karen creates beautiful, other worldly images of the environment. 

A ‘Meet the Artist Reception’ will be held from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 12.

The public is invited to visit the exhibition and meet Karen to learn more about her inspirations and the methods used to capture the beauty of nature and the feel of the outdoors. 

Visitors may also enjoy a walk around the grounds and trails of the Kellogg Environmental Center and Osbornedale State Park before or after the reception to see the beauty of winter landscapes as captured by Karen and her works. 

Karen graduated as an art major from Scripps College in California and earned a MA in art education at New York University. 

She has instructed elementary and high school art and has also taught private classes for children and adults. For 20 years she had a custom tile business designing, hand making, and glazing ceramic tiles for clients across the country. 

She has shown her artwork on the east and west coasts and her works are in numerous collections including the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Collection in New Jersey. Karen lives and works in Stamford and Waitsfield, Vt. 

Registration for the program is requested and can be done through the Connecticut DEEP Calendar of Events, https://www.depdata.ct.gov/calendar/listevs.asp?selecttype=all . If you have questions or need assistance registering, please contact donna.kingston@ct.gov. 

The Kellogg Environmental Center, a facility of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For further information or directions please email donna.kingston@ct.gov or call 203-734-2513. 

The New Normal Health & Safety Guidelines for CT State Parks provides important guidance for participants and visitors (https://portal.ct.gov//media/DEEP/COVID-19/Health_Safety_Flyer_NN_Final.pdf). 

This is a press release from the Kellogg Environmental Center. 

Sons and Daughters of Italy in Derby to host Columbus Day celebration

Sharing information from Derby Town/City Clerk Marc Garofalo:

Valley Regional Lodge #151
Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America

In cooperation with
The Cities & Towns of the Naugatuck River Valley


You are cordially invited to help us celebrate

Columbus Day 2021
Celebrating the legacy of Italians in America

11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 11, at the Sons and Daughters of Italy, 73 High St., Derby 

Program
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance & National Anthem
Italian Flag Raising
Tribute to Columbus & Brief Remarks
Benediction

Lunch reception following
Please RSVP  ASAP - puglianello@comcast.net

Art exhibit on tap in October at Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby

Contributed photo

DERBY - Visit the Kellogg Environmental Center throughout the month of October to view the work of award-winning artist Mary Burk Smith.  

Her clay and collage pieces reflect the many components of the natural world.  Her virtual gallery will be accessible through the DEEP website starting in October.   

At 3 p.m. Oct. 16 the Center will host an in-person reception where visitors will be able to meet Smith and gain a deeper understanding of her work. 

Smith works in a variety of mediums, including clay, mixed media, printmaking, and assemblage.  

With more than 50 awards to her credit, she is a member of the New Haven Paint & Clay Club, the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, Connecticut Women Artists, the Guilford Art League and the Blue Ridge Mountain Art Association of Blue Ridge, Ga. 

In addition, Smith has taught art courses at Southern Connecticut State University and Housatonic Community College.  

A Norwalk native, she began her art studies at the Silvermine School of the Arts and Housatonic Community College. She went on to get her bachelor’s and master’s degree in studio art from Southern Connecticut State University. She also attended the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Her works are held in public and private art collections in the United States, Japan, and the Philippines.

Registration is required for the reception. Please register through the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection calendar of events webpage: https://coeearegistration.wufoo.com/forms/zhc37vv11qz4ca/ or call 203-734-2513 for assistance.  

The Kellogg Environmental Center, a facility of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is open 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is located at 500 Hawthorne Ave. 

For further information or directions please email donna.kingston@ct.gov or call 203-734-2513. 

This is a press release from the Kellogg Environmental Center.  

Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby to host exhibit of landscapes

DERBY - Visit the Kellogg Environmental Center during the month of August to view photographer Mallorie Ostrowitz‘s exhibit, “From the Expansive to the Intimate: Landscapes of America.”  

Her landscapes and macro Earth surfaces demonstrate the wonders of her travels throughout North and South America.

Ostrowitz is a member of West Hartford Art League and Connecticut Women Artists.  

Born and raised in New York City, Mallorie studied art at the City University of New York.  

She received her BA in Fine Arts from Queens College and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Herman Lehman College.  

She has shown her work across the country and has pieces in the Embassy of Peru in Washington, D.C. and in the Consulate of Peru in Hartford.  Her work has also been featured in several magazines and newspapers including FX Magazine, Artis Magazine, South Dakota Magazine, the Glastonbury Women’s Club Calendar, Otis Elevator annual report, and the Hartford Courant.

Register for the online reception seminar at 3 p.m. Aug. 15 to meet Ostrowitz and gain a deeper understanding of her work. 

Registration is required for this seminar to receive a Zoom link.  

Please register through the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection calendar of events webpage or contact susan.quincy@ct.gov for assistance.  

Please note Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave., is following The New Normal Health & Safety Guidelines for CT State Parks which provides important guidance for participants and visitors.  

It is available for review  at https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/COVID-19/Health_Safety_Flyer_NN_Final.pdf.

This is a press release from the Kellogg Environmental Center.

Valley Community Foundation slates annual reception in Orange

Save the date: Valley United Way to hold annual meeting in April

SEYMOUR - The Valley United Way will reveal its new strategic path for the future at its annual meeting from 5:30-8 p.m. April 30 at The Inn at Villa Bianca, 312 Roosevelt Drive.

*This information is shared from a Facebook event page.

Derby Historical Society to celebrate Spector Furniture's anniversary

Connecticut's oldest furniture store marks 130 years of business

ANSONIA - Howie and Ken Kreiger, brothers and co-owners of Spector Furniture are inviting you to their celebration at noon Feb. 9 of 130 years of serving the Naugatuck Valley. 

Come and be a part of this momentous occasion as Spector Furniture and Mattress Gallery, 385 Main St., commemorates their achievement with the very public that has made this possible.

The Great Depression, World War I, Prohibition, the Flood of 1955 are all ingrained in the history of their legacy, yet Spector Furniture is still there - family owned and operated since 1890.

The Derby Historical Society is proud to support this historic occasion which helps us to "Preserve Our Place in History."

* * *

Spector Furniture asks that you kindly RSVP to spectorfurniture@aol.com if you intend to join in the ceremony and reception to follow. Spector Furniture will be open to the public this day as well from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is a press release from Dan Bosques, executive director, Derby Historical Society.

Wanted: Arts, photography for exhibit at Main Street Gallery in Ansonia

Get ready for Fright Night at Main Street Gallery in Ansonia

Valley Arts Council seeks art, photos for Fright Night at gallery in Ansonia

Artfish 42 Gallery in Milford to host opening reception Thursday

Opening reception for Patrick Cox a.k.a. MR. PJC. His pop culture portraits will be on display through Aug. 29.

'Go' exhibit to open Saturday at Main Street Gallery in Ansonia

Assumption Church in Ansonia to host farewell reception Sunday

Sharing from a Facebook event page:

"Please join us in bidding farewell to Fr. Sullivan, who departs for his new assignment, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, on January 29.

"NO reservations required. Light reception will be right after the 10:30 am Mass in the church hall.

"All are welcome! Please feel free to share with family and friends."