Stamford, CT -- There's lots going on in October at Stamford Museum and Nature Center. Just scroll through the Calendar of Events here:
EXHIBITIONS
The Art of Lolita Valderrama Savage: Nature of Tuscany, Stamford & Beyond
Through October 30
The Stamford Museum & Nature Center is proud to present an exhibition of 50 Impressionist-style artworks by internationally recognized artist and Stamford resident Lolita Valderrama Savage. The exhibition will include sketches, drawings, and oils created at various locations, with a focus on the tranquil beauty found in the landscapes of Tuscany, Italy, and Stamford, CT. The works have been chosen to illustrate the parallel elements of beauty found in all countries, while demonstrating the diverse color palettes and visual textures created by the differences in the seasons, sunlight and landscape composition found in each locale.
The Stamford Museum Galleries are open Monday – Saturday 9 am – 5 pm; Sundays 11 am – 5 pm. Members: Free /Non-Members: Included with gate admission. For more information, visit stamfordmuseum.org or call 203.977.6521.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Harvest Festival Weekend
October 15 & 16, 11 am–3 pm
Held this year on Saturday, October 15, and Sunday, October 16, from 11 am to 3 pm each day, the SM&NC’s Harvest Festival is chock-full of activities and events for members and visitors of all ages to enjoy. Watch farm-animal demonstrations on Heckscher Farm, see how apple cider is made, take part in an apple slingshot contest, children’s crafts, story-telling with Ms. Karen, and dance to live music from the ever-popular Jay and Ray.
This year’s Harvest Festival will feature a special celebration of Stamford’s 375th Anniversary, as the SM&NC hosts members of the 5th Connecticut Regiment for the weekend. Tour the Regiment’s encampment on Heckscher Farm and learn about colonial life and times through their recreation of camp life, military drills, crafts, uniforms, and weapons of the period. Just be sure to cover your ears when they fire their muskets!
The 5th Connecticut Regiment’s appearance at the SM&NC’s Harvest Festival is sponsored by the Stamford Downtown Special Services District. Founded in 1775 and re-formed in 1974, the 5th Connecticut Regiment is made up of people who are interested in the history of this country and teaching others through living history. It was formed as a family group, encouraging women and children to participate as well, which gives the Regiment the ability to teach about other aspects of colonial life beyond the military.
Wear your trick-or-treat costume and march behind the Regiment as they lead our daily costume parade. There’s also a scarecrow-making contest to view, a pumpkin patch to explore, and an amazing art exhibition in the Museum to tour. Hayride tickets will also be available for purchase, or do some leaf-peeping on foot along one of our nature trails, including the scenic, fully accessible Wheels in the Woods.
Feast on the delicious fare at an array of locally popular food trucks, from Booth Bay, Cowabunga, and Melt Mobile, to Skinny Pines, Taco Loco, Valencia, and more. And don’t forget to stop by Rose’s Cantina for more treats, like cauldron-cooked corn.
Daily admission fees are $5 per person for SM&NC Members; Family PLUS, Director’s Circle Members, and all children age 3 and under are admitted free of charge. Non-members are $10 per person. Visit stamfordmuseum.orgto purchase tickets in advance and for a schedule of the weekend’s activities.
ONGOING EVENTS
Astronomy Nights: Fall Fridays at the Stamford Observatory
Head to the Observatory on Friday nights to explore the night sky, planets, stars, and more through our 22-inch telescope.
October 14: Passport to Space: Capturing Space: The OSIRIS-Rex Mission (Jupiter Joe)
October 28: Fall Constellations (Tim Haag)
7 pm: Presentation (rain or shine)
8 pm: Telescope Viewing (weather permitting)
Please call 203.977.6537 for weather updates in regards to telescope viewing. Recommended for ages 5 and older. Location: Behind the Heckscher Farm, enter from Scofieldtown Road. GPS users enter – 151 Scofieldtown Road.
Members: Free | Non-Members: Adults $5, Children (5-17) $3
SM&NC Farm Market
Sundays, Through October 9
10am – 2pm
Join us on Sundays for fresh food straight from local farms. This year, we’ve added some new vendors to offer a wider variety of items. We’re also selling our very own Heckscher farm-fresh eggs, maple syrup made in our own maple sugar shack, and wool from our flock of sheep. There are weekly farm-related family activities with our “Market Madness” program led by one of our environmental educators.
Market Madness
Sundays, Through October 9, 10 am – 2 pm
Support local farmers and explore the SM&NC through hands-on activities. Our Sunday Farm Market is the home base for our Sunday programs. Join us weekly for a self-guided craft on the Meadow, farm animal meetings, and see our North American River Otter have lunch each week. At 12:30 pm, join us for “Treats and Eats,” where we’ll make or explore (and eat!) a yummy treat (weather permitting). Please visit www.stamfordmuseum.org for the complete and current list.
10 am – 2 pm Self-Guided Craft, weather permitting
11:30 am Meet a Farm Animal, at Farm Market
1 pm Otter Feeding Demonstration, at Otter Pond
Treat & Eats Schedule:
Oct. 2: Make your own Quick Pickles
Oct. 9: Roll your own Cinnamon Dough Snakes (over the campfire!)
Members: Free | Non-Members: Included with gate admission
(Free entry to Farm Market does not include Market Madness programming.)
OCTOBER PROGRAMS
Scarecrow Making
Sundays, October 2 & 9, 2–4 pm
Session I: Oct. 2, 2–3 pm; Session II: Oct. 2, 3–4 pm
Session III: Oct. 9, 2–3 pm; Session IV: Oct. 9, 3–4 pm
Bring your family to our 7th annual scarecrow making program and create a life-sized scarecrow! Your creation will be exhibited and entered in our scarecrow contest at Harvest Festival, Oct.15 &16. You can then take your scarecrow home to decorate the lawn for Halloween. Although some materials are provided, families are encouraged to bring clothing or accessories to help with their creation. One scarecrow per family. Supplies are limited to 12 families per session, pre-registration is recommended due to popularity. Participating families must agree to leave the scarecrow for the Harvest Festival, Oct. 15&16, and pick it up the week after the Festival. Members: $5 per family | Non-Members: $5 per family, in addition to admission
Fall Break Out Days: Fabulous Fibers Monday, October 3, 11 am–3 pm
No school? No problem!Join us for a day of special programs and self-guided activities for all ages during select school holidays. Come for a few activities or stay for the day. The complete schedule of events will be posted on-site and on stamfordmuseum.org. Join us on Monday, October 3, for our Fabulous Fibers program, 11 am-3 pm. Get wild about wool and fawn over flax as we celebrate National Wool Week. Learn about the farm animals that we can get fibers from as you meet our goats, sheep, alpacas and llamas. Try your hand at washing and carding wool, practice dying wool, and create other crafts. Trek a llama and meet other animals that have body coverings other than fur. We’ll celebrate the end of the day with our favorite treat over the campfire, S’mores!
Free for Members; Non-members, included with admission. Registration is not necessary.
Slimy, Scaly, Creepy, Crawly
Friday, October 28, 6–7:30 pm
Get into the Halloween spirit by meeting some super slimy, scaly, and crawly critters! We’ll discover if animals such as snakes, spiders, toads, and cockroaches are truly creepy and icky, or if they just look different! Meet some of our live teaching animals up close, touch Connecticut’s longest snake, and even hold one of our tarantulas, if you dare! We’ll end our evening adventure with a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach race, where the winner will take home a fun prize! Limited enrollment. Call 203.977.6521 register. Meet at the Overbrook Nature Center.Recommended for ages 5 and up.
SM&NC Members: $5/person | Non-members: $8/person
Trick-or-Treat on Heckscher Farm
Sunday, October 30, 1–3 pm
Don your Halloween costume and head up to Heckscher Farm to trick-or-treat with your favorite farm friends! Make your first stop at the otter pond to get your first clue. Follow the clues to find all six trick-or-treat stations. Then, stop by Heckscher WILD! for Ick Fest to get slimy with our slime table, visit live reptiles and bugs, and create crafts around some of our favorite Halloween critters.
Members: Free | Non-members: Included with admission
Ick Fest
Sunday, October 30, 1–4 pm
Celebrate all things creepy and crawly at our annual Ick Fest. After trick-or-treating on the Farm, stop by Heckscher WILD! to visit our snakes, tarantulas, lizards, worms, and other animals! Explore our slime table, make crafts featuring bats and spiders and more!
Members: Free | Non-members: Included with admission
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Stamford Museum & Nature Center
Stamford Museum & Nature Center, a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of art and popular culture, the natural and agricultural sciences, and history. The Museum is a vital cultural and educational resource for the community, and a focal point for family activity and interaction, seeking to inspire creativity, foster self-discovery, promote environmental stewardship and nurture an appreciation for lifelong learning through exhibitions, educational programs, and special events that enhance the visitor’s experience of its unique site.
Stamford Museum & Nature Center is located at 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT (3/4 mile North of Merritt Parkway Exit 35.) For more information call 203.322.1646 or visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.
Hours: Heckscher Farm, daily 9 am – 5 pm; Nature’s Playground, daily 9 am – 5 pm; Stamford Museum (main building), Mon. – Sat. 9 am – 5 pm; Sun. 11 am – 5 pm; Heckscher WILD!, Tues. – Fri. Noon – 4 pm, Sat. & Sun. 10 am – 4 pm.
Admission Fees*: SM&NC Members – Free; Adults $10; Seniors (65+) $8; Students (18+ with valid ID) $6; Children (4-17) $5; Children (3 and under) Free
*excludes festival days & special events