Stamford, CT -- Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s has announced its March 2017 CALENDAR OF EVENTS. See below for details:
FESTIVAL
Maple Sugar Festival Weekend, March 4 & 5, 2017
Presented by First County Bank, Maple Sugar Festival Weekend takes place at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, 11 am to 3 pm.
March 4 & 5 at the SM&NC will be chockful of fun family activities like scavenger hunts, face painting, live music, arts & crafts, and close-up views of the animals of Heckscher Farm as well as the exotic denizens of our Heckscher WILD! exhibit.
Visit the little red sugarhouse on Heckscher Farm to see firsthand how sap is turned into maple syrup. Learn how trees are tapped, find out how sap is collected, and make a maple-themed craft. There are also demonstrations of how Native Americans of the area made maple sugar using vessels of bark and wood and cooking the sap with the "hot-rock method."
Saturday, March 4, brings a special treat: In the comfy confines of the SM&NC's Bendel Mansion, festival-goers can watch local teen chefs create delicious dishes using SM&NC maple syrup and vote for their favorites in the First County Bank Teen Chefs Challenge. The event starts with the tastings at 11:30 am and ends at 1:30 pm with the winner declared by popular vote and celebrity judging.
On Sunday, March 5, enjoy the popular Pancake Brunch from 11 am to 2 pm in Bendel Mansion and tour the latest exhibition in the Stamford Museum Galleries: Powerful yet Fragile: Connecticut's Waterways. And don't forget to purchase a pint of fresh maple syrup to take home!
Daily Admission Fees:
Members: $5 per person | Non-Members: $10 per person
Director's Circle & Family Plus Members and all children 3 & under: FREE
Pancake Brunch (SUNDAY only, 11 am - 2 pm) Additional $6 fee per person.
(Please note that dogs are not allowed on SM&NC Grounds.)
Save time and purchase your tickets in advance for the Maple Sugar Festival and Sunday's Pancake Brunch at stamfordmuseum.org.
SM&NC BENEFIT DINNER
Thursday, March 9, 6 pm, Rockimmon Country Club
The Board of Directors of the Stamford Museum & Nature Center will host the First Annual Benefit Dinner on Thursday, March 9, 2017, at Rockrimmon Country Club in Stamford. A special “kick-off” to the SM&NC’s signature fundraising event, the 20th Annual Food & Wine Celebration in June, this elegant new dinner event replaces the Diamond Reception that has been held prior to the Food & Wine Celebration for the past six years.
Tickets are $250 per person and are tax-deductible; proceeds from the First Annual Benefit Dinner and 20th Annual Food & Wine Celebration help support the SM&NC’s mission and educational programs. To reserve your seat at the SM&NC’s First Annual Benefit Dinner on March 9 at Rockrimmon Country Club, please visit stamfordmuseum.org or contact Danielle Lynch Thompson at 203.977.6536 or dlthompson@stamfordmuseum.org.
EXHIBITIONS
POWERFUL yet FRAGILE: Connecticut’s Waterways
Images from Women Photographers of Connecticut
Through May 29, 2017
The Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s latest exhibition, Powerful yet Fragile: Connecticut’s Waterways, runs through May 29, 2017. How important is water in our lives? How does human activity impact the waterways of Connecticut? How can impacted waterways be reclaimed and natural ecosystems restored? Explore these themes through dramatic and poignant images captured by the Women Photographers of Connecticut, a diverse group of women photographers from across the state.
The Stamford Museum Galleries are open to the public Monday-Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm; Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm. Admission is free to SM&NC Members and children age 3 and under. Admission for non-members: $10 per adult; $8 seniors (65+); $6 students (18+, with valid ID); $5 children (4-17).
In conjunction with this Exhibition, the Stamford Museum is also conducting the following adult programs:
Passion to Profits — Photography Workshop, with Julie Avellino
Wednesday, March 8, 6 pm
This interactive and insightful workshop is designed to move you from the idea and hobby you love to a profitable and scalable business opportunity designed by you, for you, and in support of your life goals.
Everyday Photos to Professional Photos, with Heather Liebensohn
Sunday, March 26, 10 am - 1 pm
At this hands-on workshop, Heather will invite you to follow her on a journey from taking everyday photos as a hobby to becoming a professional photographer.
These Salon Series Workshops are offered free of charge. Donations are most welcome to help support these and other SM&NC Salon Series events. For more information or to reserve your seat, please visit stamfordmuseum.org.
MARCH PROGRAMS
Maple Syrup Open House
Sunday, March 19, 1–4 pm
Missed our Maple Sugar Festival Weekend, or just want one more sweet experience before the maple syrup season ends? Join us for our last public syrupping demonstration of the year! Create some great maple-themed crafts in Overbrook Nature Center, meet some animals that live in trees in Heckscher WILD!, and visit our sugarhouse to see how we turn sap into syrup. At 3:30 join us for some ice cream with Maple Syrup, too (while supplies last)!
SM&NC Members: FREE | Non-members: Included with admission
Outdoor Adventures: Amphibian Amble
Session I: Friday, March 31, 7–8:30 pm
Session II: Friday, April 7, 7–8:30 pm
This series of family programs, led by the Stamford Museum & Nature Center Environmental Education team, explores the amazing natural wonders found right here on our campus. Grab your flashlight and hiking boots to discover some of the unique creatures – like wood frogs, American toads, and spotted salamanders – that visit our vernal pools once a year for breeding season. Register early for this spring favorite! Limited enrollment; recommended for ages 5 and older. Meet at Overbrook Nature Center. Pre-payment and pre-registration are required. Call 203.977.6521 to register.
SM&NC Members: $5/person | Non-members: $8/person
Sunday Explorers
Sundays, March 26–May 14, 12–4 pm
Our popular Sunday drop-in programs return for the Spring season. Join us for a weekly hike on our nature trails or to meet and feed some of our Heckscher WILD! animals. Explore Heckscher Farm as we greet goats, plant in our organic vegetable garden, peak into our historic barns, and more! We will have some great self-guided crafts and additional animals and exhibits, too, in Overbrook Nature Center. Recommended for ages 5 & up. (No Sunday Explorers programs on April 16 and April 30.)
12-4 pm Self-guided Crafts
1 pm Trail Hike
1:30 pm Animal Meet & Greet
2:30 pm Explore Heckscher Farm (meet at chicken coop)
3 pm Animal Meet & Greet
SM&NC Members: FREE | Non-members: Included with admission
March WILDness at Heckscher WILD!
March 4–April 7 (Drop-in during Heckscher WILD! hours)
Cast your vote for our 2nd annual bracket challenge in Heckscher WILD! All of our animals are awesome, but we know everyone has their favorites! Is yours Hot Dog the Tree Frog? Wallace the Red-Footed Tortoise? Thor the Savannah Monitor, or another? Each week will feature a specific group of animals that will compete for your votes to move on in our bracket challenge. The top two vote getters will battle it out to be the March WILDness winner. Votes can be cast in person at Heckscher WILD! during open hours or on the SM&NC Facebook page (1 vote per person per day). Stop by weekday afternoons in March (Tues-Fri) at 3 pm to meet one of the animals from our weekly group when casting your vote. Voting begins during our Maple Sugar Festival Weekend, March 4–5.
First Round (March 4–11): Mammals
Second Round (March 12–18): Amphibians & Inverts
Third Round (March 19–25): Turtles and Snakes
Fourth Round (March 26–April 1): Lizards
The Terrific Two (April 2–7): 2 Highest Vote Getters
Heckscher WILD! Hours:
Tuesday – Friday, Noon–4 pm
Saturday & Sunday, 10 am–4 pm
School Vacation Days, 10 am–4 pm
After School Programs
WILDlife Warriors (ages 5 – 9)
Wednesdays, March 15–April 5, 3:45–5 pm
Our newest “Afters” offering will give participants the best of both worlds as we explore the coming of spring in the forest and vernal pools and get up close with our animals in Heckscher WILD! Learn the proper way to hold a snake, race a cockroach, search for the first signs of salamanders in our vernal pools, help to create habitat for spring birds, and more! Limited to 12 children for a great small-group experience. Register online at stamfordmuseum.org. Code: EE1S
SM&NC Members: $55 | Non-members: $65
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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 – 4 pm; 9 am – 5 pm after March 12; 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