Docent led house tours of Miss Edith's Cottage at Topsmead run the second & fourth weekends of the month through October 12th, 2025. First Come, first served. Tours start at noon and run for approximately 30 minutes; last tour at 4:30 p.m. Free but donations are appreciated to support maintenance of cottage interior/exterior including gardens, the scholarship fund, and educational programming. Meet at the front door of the cottage. For GPS directions, designate Buell Road as your destination. We look forward to seeing you!

"Opera" on our Theater Screen

Doors Open: 5:30

Join fellow opera lovers to view and discuss Falstaff

Running time is approx. 3 hrs and there will be one short interval when coffee will be available.

FREE, Donations Welcome

* Pre-registration encouraged

Join local historical costuming enthusiast Abigail Yanaway to...

• Ask questions about 18th century sewing Access resources related to 18th century sewing
• Get help with your own 18th century projects
• Meet other people interested in historical sewing
• Join other historical sewing enthusiasts to work on projects together

In-Person & on Zoom discussing her latest novel: The Lost Library of Dollhouses

In The Library of Lost Dollhouses, when a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, overlooked history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing familial revelation. Spanning the course of a century, The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that embraces the importance of illuminating overlooked women.

About the Author:

A native New Englander, Elise Hooper spent several years writing for television and online news outlets before getting an MA and teaching high-school literature and history. Her debut novel, The Other Alcott, was a nominee for the 2017 Washington Book Award. More novels—Learning to See, Fast Girls, and Angels of the Pacific—followed, all centered on the lives of extraordinary but overlooked historical women. Hooper now lives in Seattle with her husband and two teenage daughters. 

The Curious Cat Bookshop will have books for sale the night of the event.

Registration is required to attend in-person

CT's 17th State Troubadour & Band

"A Musical Celebration Honoring Juneteenth”

Food Truck: Meraki

BYOB & lawn chairs, blanket / Rain (Indoors) or Shine

Full Summer Sunset Concert Series:

Friday June 13: Scott Hopkins Band

Thursday June 19: Nekita Waller & Band

Friday July 25: Caribbean Vibe Steel Drum Band

Friday August 22: Al Fenton Big Band

Friday September 12: Potter's Field

Presented by Robert Piazza

Rekindle your creative fire! Poets of all levels, from beginner to advanced, come together to read, write, and recite. During this weekend intensive, we will explore three new strategies for poetry: motion, shift, & contrast. Seeking inspiration in the poetry of Rilke, Machado, Longfellow, Dickinson, and others, we’ll view their work as springboards or launchpads into our own creativity. Join us for a weekend workshop in which we experiment with applying these strategies to our own writing. Bring pencils & notebooks. Poems will be provided. Enjoy opportunities to nurture your inner Muse! 

All meals are included: Dinner on Friday through Lunch on Saturday

Presented by Maureen O’Brien

This daylong program will explore guided journaling as a path toward deepening our relationship with God. Themed prompts, built upon focused reflections from the Psalms, the Miracles of Jesus, insights from saints, and other spiritual writings, will inspire retreatants to respond with writing full of truth and beauty. Whether familiar with journaling, or just emerging, this program will provide support and space to fill pages and find, within them, the Beloved. All seekers welcome! 

Lunch is included.

Bring your own chair and join us at the The Station, home of the Litchfield Land Trust, for Music on the Solstice.

We are delighted to show you our office in the renovated train station, our maps of protected regional land, the new plantings and the caboose being renovated along the Greenway and our non-profit campus.

Live music will feature some very talented regional musicians, including John Stey with Al Cattey and Jim Katzin. Light appetizers and beverages will be provided.

This event is rain or shine!

June 23 - August 30 - Registration link will be available mid-June!

OWL’s Fully Booked Summer Reading Challenge is back for 2025!

Register online, then come to the library to receive your challenge card. Starting Monday, June 23, the first 30 people who register AND come to the library to pick up their challenge card will receive a $5 gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Your challenge card includes a list of 16 different prompts for you to try throughout the summer. However, you are not required to complete all of them. Participate at your own pace in whatever way works best for your reading habits!

One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a bookish prize basket. For each completed challenge, participants earn one entry towards the prize. Be sure to visit the library before the end of the program to enter your prize slips for the drawing.

Participants who complete at least 6 challenges will gain entry to an exclusive finale event on Tuesday, September 2nd at 6 PM. At this event, Vanessa Fasanella will help attendees create their own floral grapevine wreaths!

Join local historical costuming enthusiast Abigail Yanaway to...

• Ask questions about 18th century sewing Access resources related to 18th century sewing
• Get help with your own 18th century projects
• Meet other people interested in historical sewing
• Join other historical sewing enthusiasts to work on projects together

Litchfield Historical Society Summer Camps 2025

Litchfield Historical Society Summer Camps 2025

Litchfield Historical Society Summer Camps 2025

Presented by Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, OP

Calling on examples in her own life, Sr. Jo-Ann Iannotti, will reflect on the themes of creativity and self-discovery through her practice of the two arts of poetry and photography. Her presentation will include examples from her new book, “I Know Myself As Thief”.

A book signing will follow the presentation. All book sale proceeds will support the mission of the Dominican Sisters of Hope.

Lunch will be available for purchase.

Weekly starting June 7 through August 16

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: The Litchfield History Museum

Cost: Free for Members, $10 for non-Members

Registration Requested

The Litchfield Historical Society’s weekly walking tours are the perfect way to discover Litchfield’s vibrant history and explore the town’s celebrated Historic District. The history and stories of old Litchfield are preserved in the architecture of the town. Each tour provides visitors with an overview of Litchfield’s history - from the stories behind famous landmarks to anecdotes about past residents to appreciation of prominent buildings. 

The walk will begin at the Litchfield Historical Society (7 South Street) and lasts approximately 1 hour. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water. Walking tours are free for members and $10 for non-members.

Walking Tours are sponsored by Berkshire Alarm

The Hickory Stick Bookshop is delighted to welcome author Mary Dixie Carter who will be signing copies of her new book “Marguerite By The Lake” on Saturday, June 28th at 3 pm.

ABOUT THE BOOK

This May, Mary Dixie Carter returns with an atmospheric, tense, upmarket suspense novel.  In “Marguerite By The Lake” Marguerite Gray is a lifestyle icon known for her garden parties, high-end business ventures, and being the muse behind the famous Serge Kuhnert painting, Marguerite by the Lake.  Her presence is overpowering, her taste, legendary.  For the last few years, Phoenix has been the gardener on the famed Rosecliff grounds, home of the Gray family: Marguerite and her husband Geoffrey.  Phoenix came from humble beginnings, and now she works hard to craft the landscape that underpins Marguerite’s brand.

When a storm threatens the launch party for Marguerite’s latest book, it’s Phoenix who spots the danger to the guests and rushes to Geoffrey’s side to save him from a falling tree.  Geoffrey is grateful - perhaps too grateful.  Marguerite is…jealous.  Phoenix senses the danger of being drawn deeper into their lives but can’t resist the attention, becoming embroiled in an affair that could destroy her career. But soon after the affair begins Marguerite falls to her death, from the same high point at Rosecliff where she posed for Marguerite by the Lake.  Now Phoenix has another secret, one that haunts her even as Geoffrey invites her to move into the manor with him.  A secret that Detective Hanna and Marguerite’s daughter—her spitting image—are circling closer and closer to.  Phoenix tries to put it all behind her and find her rightful place at Rosecliff. But as every gardener knows, nothing stays buried forever.

“Marguerite By The Lake” is an addictive, beautifully written story about art, nature, and obsession set among the glamourous backdrop of a perfectly manicured garden and all the secrets that lie beneath.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Dixie Carter is the critically acclaimed author of “The Photographer”. Her writing has appeared in TIME, The Economist, San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and more.  She worked at The Observer for five years as the publishing director and has worked as a professional actor.  Mary Dixie has an honors degree in English Literature from Harvard College and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School.  She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two young children.

Author photograph – Beowulf Sheehan.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

"Shiver-inducing . . . Carter brings readers into Phoenix's fraying mind, wringing some delightfully gothic fireworks out of her struggle to avoid detection and stake her claim as the new mistress of Rosecliff.  The result is a winning homage to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca."-- Publishers Weekly

"Dazzling and atmospheric, Marguerite by the Lake is impossible to put down.  A modern-day ghost story, with tinges of Gothic horror, it's as haunting and gorgeous as the painting at its center.  I was gripped until the very last page--a final scene I still can't stop thinking about."--Jenny Hollander, USA Today bestselling author of Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead

"Tense and richly emotional, Marguerite by the Lake is a deep dive into toxic love and the danger of wanting another person's life.  Carter's prose shines, hypnotic and lyrical as she paints characters and a setting that pop off the page, but it's the story's overarching sense of doom that makes it unputdownable.  An engrossing read with an ending that lingers."--Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Paris Widow

This event is free and open to the public.  If you are unable to attend this event, you may reserve signed copies of “Marguerite By The Lake” by calling The Hickory Stick Bookshop at (860) 868 0525, or shop our website 24/7 at www.hickorystickbookshop.com.  

Docent led house tours of Miss Edith's Cottage at Topsmead run the second & fourth weekends of the month through October 12th, 2025. First Come, first served. Tours start at noon and run for approximately 30 minutes; last tour at 4:30 p.m. Free but donations are appreciated to support maintenance of cottage interior/exterior including gardens, the scholarship fund, and educational programming. Meet at the front door of the cottage. For GPS directions, designate Buell Road as your destination. We look forward to seeing you!

Join local historical costuming enthusiast Abigail Yanaway to...

• Ask questions about 18th century sewing Access resources related to 18th century sewing
• Get help with your own 18th century projects
• Meet other people interested in historical sewing
• Join other historical sewing enthusiasts to work on projects together

Date: Friday, July 4

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Location: The Litchfield History Museum

Cost: Free for Members, $10 for non-Members

Registration Requested

Celebrate Independence Day with our popular Heroes of the Revolution Walking Tour on Friday, July 4 at 10:00 a.m. Discover Litchfield's Revolutionary history and how Litchfield's residents young and old contributed to the founding of the nation.

The walk will begin at the Litchfield Historical Society (7 South Street) and lasts approximately 1 hour. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water. Walking tours are free for members and $10 for non-members.

Walking Tours are sponsored by Berkshire Alarm

Come learn about the terrifying and heroic deeds of these two important men, their families and their friends who were ALL pivotal in securing American Independence! This family oriented outdoor rain or shine event includes Rev War costumes! *Warning for pets and HSPs, there is LOUD cannon and musket fire, TWICE!*

Come Join the Celebration as we are only one year away from America250! (1776-2026)

Could you have a Revolutionary War patriot in your family tree? Ask your family what they know and feel free to approach any of us at the event. We love to help people connect to their ancestors who aided in American Independence!

MaryFloydTallmadgeDAR.org

Weekly starting June 7 through August 16

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: The Litchfield History Museum

Cost: Free for Members, $10 for non-Members

Registration Requested

The Litchfield Historical Society’s weekly walking tours are the perfect way to discover Litchfield’s vibrant history and explore the town’s celebrated Historic District. The history and stories of old Litchfield are preserved in the architecture of the town. Each tour provides visitors with an overview of Litchfield’s history - from the stories behind famous landmarks to anecdotes about past residents to appreciation of prominent buildings. 

The walk will begin at the Litchfield Historical Society (7 South Street) and lasts approximately 1 hour. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water. Walking tours are free for members and $10 for non-members.

Walking Tours are sponsored by Berkshire Alarm

Presented by Sandy Carlson

Whoever we are and wherever we come from, we are children of the Earth and inheritors of her creative, healing energy. By being ourselves and being in nature, we can realize deeper levels of creativity. While enjoying the natural beauty surrounding Wisdom House, we'll consider some nature poetry and then explore the creative process for ourselves as we write and share our poems.

Lunch is included.

Weekly starting June 7 through August 16

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: The Litchfield History Museum

Cost: Free for Members, $10 for non-Members

Registration Requested

The Litchfield Historical Society’s weekly walking tours are the perfect way to discover Litchfield’s vibrant history and explore the town’s celebrated Historic District. The history and stories of old Litchfield are preserved in the architecture of the town. Each tour provides visitors with an overview of Litchfield’s history - from the stories behind famous landmarks to anecdotes about past residents to appreciation of prominent buildings. 

The walk will begin at the Litchfield Historical Society (7 South Street) and lasts approximately 1 hour. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water. Walking tours are free for members and $10 for non-members.

Walking Tours are sponsored by Berkshire Alarm

Docent led house tours of Miss Edith's Cottage at Topsmead run the second & fourth weekends of the month through October 12th, 2025. First Come, first served. Tours start at noon and run for approximately 30 minutes; last tour at 4:30 p.m. Free but donations are appreciated to support maintenance of cottage interior/exterior including gardens, the scholarship fund, and educational programming. Meet at the front door of the cottage. For GPS directions, designate Buell Road as your destination. We look forward to seeing you!

Weekly starting June 7 through August 16

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: The Litchfield History Museum

Cost: Free for Members, $10 for non-Members

Registration Requested

The Litchfield Historical Society’s weekly walking tours are the perfect way to discover Litchfield’s vibrant history and explore the town’s celebrated Historic District. The history and stories of old Litchfield are preserved in the architecture of the town. Each tour provides visitors with an overview of Litchfield’s history - from the stories behind famous landmarks to anecdotes about past residents to appreciation of prominent buildings. 

The walk will begin at the Litchfield Historical Society (7 South Street) and lasts approximately 1 hour. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water. Walking tours are free for members and $10 for non-members.

Walking Tours are sponsored by Berkshire Alarm

Band Camp with Region 20 music teachers