Fresh Off the Easel – Plein Air Painters Deliver Again

One day last week, I was on kind of a “scavenger hunt” on Museum grounds. My job was to find some of the 27 award-winning artists who were chosen to participate in the annual Plein Air Painters event at Mystic Seaport.  I didn’t have to go far.

Across from the Galley Restaurant was Howard Park. The focal point of his oil painting was the waterfront scene immediately in front of him, but off in the distance the Morgan still made her presence known on his canvas. As I sat next to him on the bench, I marveled at this artist’s talent and concentration despite my interruption and questions; his paintbrush never stopped working.

 Howard Park is no stranger to Mystic Seaport. He has lectured at the Museum’s Maritime Gallery and over the years has had many of his paintings exhibited there. Still, like other artists I met, he considers it a “treat to paint on campus” and feels honored to be among those chosen for the annual Plein Air Painters event.

"Seaport Scene" by Howard Park

Moving on, I found artist, Neal Hughes, fine tuning his oil painting of the Life Saving Station. In my eyes, it never looked so good! This is the 3^rd year that Neal has been a part of Plein Air Painters. He teaches oil art classes in Moorest, NJ, and says he enjoys meeting fellow artists at Mystic Seaport. He feels that the Museum grounds offer many great choices in where and what to paint.

"Tilghman Island Sunrise" by Neal Hughes

After watching over the shoulders of these talented artists, I, for one, am looking forward to viewing their completed works at the Museum’s Maritime Gallery. The exhibit will be featured there until the end of August. Undoubtedly some paintings will have been sold, but perhaps you will still find just the Plein Air painting you’ve been looking for to complement your home or office décor.

Mystic Seaport’s Maritime Gallery is open daily from10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Do yourself a favor. Come take a look.

Blog posted by Trudi Busey.

The WoodenBoat Show Returns to Mystic Seaport

In June many people’s fancy turns to thoughts of the WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport. Well, get ready – it will be back June 25-27.

For wooden boat aficionados (or not) – this show lives up to its billing as “the most dynamic wooden boat show in the country” by WoodenBoat Magazine. As many of today’s boats are now made of fiberglass, these wooden boats are in a beautifully different category of their own. The owners’ pride shines as bright as the finish on their boats, and many are delighted to have visitors board their prize possessions.

The 19^th annual WoodenBoat Show features both contemporary and classic boats of every class – power, sail, oar and paddle.  Also on tap are workshops where you can learn some tips and skills on building and/or preserving wooden boats.

Under the tent, vendors of all things nautical will entice you with unique gifts or boaters’ necessities that you’d be hard-put to find in your average store.

As a car dealer would say, this is a “cream puff” of a show.  Mark your calendar now:

The Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport, June 25-27. We’ll see you here!

Lobster Days at Mystic Seaport = Food and Fun

I remember the first time we cooked a lobster. It was in the kitchen of our Cape Cod cottage and it was a new cooking experience that summertime. 

Since that day, our family has enjoyed the succulent sweet taste of lobster meat. If you’re a lobster lover, you can enjoy it as well this Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-31, at Lobster Days at Mystic Seaport, courtesy of the Mystic Rotary Club. This is the Club’s annual fundraiser that benefits many local charities. 

Lobster Days at Mystic Seaport

Best deals: 

• Mystic Seaport members get a $2 coupon toward a lobster dinner when they present their membership card at the Visitor Center. Have a family membership? Then you get six coupons.
•  Non-members: get your admission ticket stamped and you can return for an additional day during the three-day weekend for free! That means more lobster, more fun activities, more time to explore Museum grounds and time to experience Decoration Day and remember what Memorial Day is all about.

 Here’s the scoop: A special combination ticket of Museum admission and a single lobster dinner is available for $39, offering a $6 savings. The youth combination ticket (ages 6-17) is $32, offering a $4 savings. A senior combination ticket (ages 65 and older) is available for $37, offering a $6 savings.  

A lobster dinner can also be purchased separately from Museum admission for $21 (single lobster) and $37 (twin lobster). 

Yum, a lobster platter with coleslaw, corn on the cob, drawn butter and choice of iced tea or lemonade sounds so……delicious!  Okay, for non-lobster people, Mystic Seaport’s own food service provider, Coastal Gourmet, will offer hot dog platters ($7), clam fritters, New England clam chowder, a raw bar and a cash bar. 

Mystic Seaport is offering so many activities and choices for visitors of all ages this Memorial Day Weekend. What a great way to welcome summer! 

 Blog posted by Trudi Busey.

Labor Day Weekend Fun a No-Brainer at Mystic Seaport

The early bird gets the worm, as the saying goes.  So here’s what you need to do this Labor Day weekend… 

Set your inner shopping alarm.  Flap your wings and fly over to Mystic Seaport for a fantastic Labor Day Sidewalk Sale. Gates are open at 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Believe me, you’ll find lots better fare than worms!

Ties, scarves, books, note cards, glassware, posters, etc. for $10 or less. Some things even bear that irresistible sign – FREE!  For art enthusiasts, Mystic Seaport’s Maritime Gallery is offering select prints at reduced prices.

But here’s the catch. The sidewalk sale items are first come, first served, and carry the warning – while supplies last. How’s that for motivation to get you bargain shoppers up, out and over to Mystic Seaport this weekend?

You’ve seen the mall store displays already hinting that it’s not too early to think Christmas gifts. Distasteful as that thought may be, we won’t tell anyone if you decide to make some great early Christmas purchases.

Mystic Seaport this Labor Day weekend offers two bonuses for making the Museum your destination. The Fish & Ships seafood festival is going on, the Sidewalk Sale is going on. Both are tantalizing but in different ways – one for the tummy; one for the pocketbook. How can you resist?

Enjoy fresh seafood this weekend at our Fish & Ships festival!

Come. Enjoy the food; find a bargain; take a ride on the steamship, Sabino; climb aboard a tall ship; play a 19th-century game on the Village Green; gaze at the stars in the Treworgy Planetarium; explore the exhibits.

What a terrific way to celebrate this last official summer weekend!

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Dog Days – A Real Dog Treat this Weekend!

Rufus, the 2006 Westminster Best in Show Champion Bull Terrier dressed in a Cat in the Hat outfit? You might be thinking – how humiliating! But this dog is a “cool cat.” As representative of the National Education Association’s Read Across America, Rufus dons the Cat in the Hat costume for his official duties. The weekend of August 28-30, Rufus is the celebrity guest at the first-ever Dog Days event at Mystic Seaport.

Meet Rufus this weekend at Mystic Seaport.

Museum visitors have a couple of opportunities to meet and greet Rufus. The first is during story time, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Museum’s Stillman Building. (For a nominal fee, visitors can pose for pictures with Rufus with all proceeds benefitting the Charles W. Morgan restoration.). Then it’s off to the playscape area where Rufus will meet visitors from 2 – 4 p.m. As a certified Therapy Dog, Rufus is obviously calm and friendly and used to greeting strangers.

Although 9-year-old Rufus brings star quality to Dog Days with an impressive 35 Best in Show titles to his name, plenty of other awesome dogs will amaze visitors with their skills and talents throughout the weekend. Take a look at some of the things going on:

 Special Friday events:

• Canine search and rescue demonstrations
• A visit from Connecticut Humane Society Therapy dogs

 Special Saturday and Sunday events:

• Newfoundlands demonstrate their life-saving water rescue skills;
• police dogs show their mettle; hunting dogs show off their special aptitudes;
• guide dogs for the blind demonstrate their remarkable abilities and intuitive talents;
• therapy dogs visit, epitomizing the gentle side of dogdom;
• a canine flyball demonstration introduces visitors to a fun and competitive sport for dogs.

During Dog Days, even menu choices will be dog-themed! Enjoy hush puppies, slush puppies, hot dogs and more.

So all you humans out there don’t need to whine or bark to enjoy this special weekend treat. Just visit Mystic Seaport during Dog Days this weekend, August 28-30. You’ll be happy as a pup!

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Pick Your Favorite at Garden Days at Mystic Seaport

I must confess, gardening is not my strong suit. My attempt to grow herbs didn’t work; I’m nervous about dividing my humongous hosta plants come fall; my one healthy African violet plant also should be divided, but I fear killing it totally. You get the picture.

So….Garden Days weekend at Mystic Seaport, August 21-23, may provide just the inspiration and confidence I need. There are so many interesting demonstrations and talks to choose from, for novice gardeners like me as well as seasoned gardeners whose passion for getting down and dirty in the soil is their idea of heaven.

The Burrows Garden at Mystic Seaport.

Tovah Martin, a regular on the PBS series Cultivating Life, will be the featured speaker for Garden Days, talking about houseplants and terrariums. She will be available for signings of her authored books after her 1 p.m. presentation on Saturday, the 22nd.  

Who hasn’t enjoyed the sight of colorful butterflies? There will be a lecture on how you can create your own backyard garden that attracts these beauties of nature. It’s just one of the myriad of activities and presentations offered in the Demonstration Tent on the Museum’s Village Green.

Overall, an impressive roster of Master Gardeners, landscape designers, plant science educators and vendors knowledgeable in various aspects of horticulture, pest control and invasive plant species will all be on hand to answer questions and give demonstrations.

As always, there are activities geared especially to kids – like a garden scavenger hunt in the Children’s Museum. Also, the first 150 youth visitors each day during Garden Days weekend will be given a free sapling to take home and plant, courtesy of Sprigs and Twigs Landscapes.

For a complete listing of all the demonstrations and activities, log on to   www.mysticseaport.org/gardendays. Then plan your visit  – August 21-23. I suggest you come equipped with paper and pencil so you can jot down all the great tips from the experts on grounds!

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Mystic Seaport’s Neverland

The age span of children having fun at Mystic Seaport’s playscape area sometimes surprises me. One would expect the appeal of climbing on the boats “anchored” there would be limited to the younger set – but not always.  I think of that song “I Won’t Grow Up” from the Peter Pan soundtrack. The lyrics start like this: I won’t grow up; I don’t want to go to school….

Whether pretending their playscape boat is being attacked by pirates; or that they are fishermen hauling in a net full of fish; or they are on the lookout for whales,  harpoon at the ready – it’s refreshing to see that outdoor play can once in a while  trump indoor video games. Childhood imaginations remain alive and well as boys and girls act out their own playscape adventures.

But as the carefree days of summer vacation draw to a close, it will probably get a little quieter and less raucous outside our office window. The toddlers and preschoolers will reclaim the playscape boats for themselves  until one day they, too, will grow up and have to go to school. Peter Pan’s followers shouted – “Not me! Not me! No sir! Not me!” But alas, we all do.

The sound of children at play is music to my ears and a reminder of just how sweet those childhood years are.  I hope I never grow up past the point of vicariously joining the children at Mystic Seaport’s playscape.

Blog written by Trudi Busey.

Who Doesn’t Love a Clambake?

Mystic Seaport food festival season is right around the corner. Our 2^nd Annual Wine & Food Festival kicks it all off August 14 -16, is quickly followed by our Fish & Ships Seafood Festival during Labor Day Weekend and capped off with our annual Chowderfest in mid-October. Until all that tasty goodness, here’s a classic Summer clambake recipe (currently featured in the latest issue of Mystic Seaport magazine) to whet your appetite…

 
Butter-Poached Stovetop Clambake

You don’t need to serve butter alongside. The butter (and no, the amount below isn’t a typo!) gives a velvety, buttery taste as the ingredients poach in the mixture. You can also strain and freeze the cooking liquid so you can use it again. It’s a messy meal, so have lots of napkins on hand!

• 1 ½ quarts water
• 3 cups clam juice or seafood stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 shallot sliced
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 sticks of butter
• 8 small new potatoes, washed
• 1 cup chorizo, chopped
• 4 new shell lobsters
• 4 ears of corn, husked
• 1 ½ pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed

1. In a large enameled stockpot or Dutch oven, bring water, stock and wine to a simmer.

2. Add garlic, shallot, thyme and butter. When butter is melted, add potatoes and chorizo, and return to a simmer for 5 minutes until potatoes are partially cooked.

3. Add lobsters, bring back to a boil and cook for 5–7 minutes.

4. Add corn and layer the clams on top. Return to boil and cook another 8–10 minutes or until lobsters are bright red and clams are open. Discard any clams that do not open. Serve all ingredients on a large platter and garnish with fresh herbs, lemon slices and a nice loaf of crusty bread.

Serves 4.

Jean Kerr is the author of Mystic Seafood: Great Recipes, History, and Seafaring Lore from Mystic Seaport, as well as Union Oyster House Cookbook and the forthcoming Windjammer Cooking. She is the editor of Taste of the Seacoast magazine and co-owner of Smith Kerr Associates Publishing.

A Whale of a Marathon

When’s the last time you read Moby-Dick? Have you ever? Brace yourself for a huge admission: I was an English major in college AND am a current employee of the nation’s leading maritime museum, and I’ve never read it. Sigh. I’m ashamed.

Well, if you’re like me — slightly surprised that this classic slipped through your reading list cracks and quite curious what all the fuss is about — get on down to Mystic Seaport. Our annual 24-hour reading of Moby-Dick begins today at noon. A costumed roleplyer kicks off the event reading chapter I, “Loomings,” and after that, it’s your turn. The round-robin reading continues into the  night aboard the nation’s last surviving wooden whaler in our shipyard (what a setting, huh?) and concludes tomorrow in the late morning.  

Note Melville's famous line quoted on this colorful whale found in our Playscape area...

Quite the event for quite a book. Join us and rediscover (or discover) one of the greatest novels in the English language. Don’t live a life of Melville shame like me.

- Erin Richard

A Lovely Day at Mystic Seaport

I love a day like this at Mystic Seaport!

There are loads of children of all ages on Museum grounds, and their excitement over new discoveries and accomplishments fills the air with laughter and shouts of success.

At the Discovery Barn, staff member Jon Capozzoli was explaining the Cleat knot to Alex. Good teacher; Alex completed the knot and his smile said it all.

Lots of cheers and the sound of a successful Skittles game resounded throughout the barn while others took on quieter pursuits with shells and blocks. Just outside, a long line of eager children waited to put their heads through the cut-outs for a Kodak moment on the high seas.

Catching a cool breeze along the river, while awaiting today’s Tale of a Whaler performance, was the Accetta family from Clinton, CT.  They say Mystic Seaport is a favorite destination, and visiting at least 3 or 4 times a year is the norm.

Mom says there seems to be something different each time they visit, while dad never tires of the history the Museum unfolds in so many different ways.

Son Scott’s favorite thing is boarding the boats, especially the Charles W. Morgan. Sister Jess agrees, but adds “Mystic Seaport is just fun to visit regardless of weather” and sisters Jillian and Jennifer sum it all up with the comment, “We like everything!”

The whistle on the steamboat Sabino signals its departure for a cool trip down the river- offering visitors a chance to catch a breeze on this very warm summer day.  Old Joe clomps by with a wagon full of sightseers.

It’s a lovely day at Mystic Seaport.

Blog written by Trudi Busey