5.2.11 May began with a special field trip to the United States Coast Guard Museum, where curator Jennifer Gaudio showed 4th & 5th-grade Winthrop Lighthouse Kids and SEMI instructor Jody Barthel around. We will be lucky to get these next school visits in before the end of the month, when the museum closes for one year for rennovations.
In addition to guarding our shores, the US Coast Guard maintains the nation's lighthouses. Among the favorite objects at the museum are an immense Fresnel lens and the original masthead from thebarque Eagle--which also is immense!
5.5.11 Today NLMS Librarian Brian Rogers assisted Michelle Morgan with her research about the Amistad.
A PhD student in American Studies at Yale, Michelle is preparing to write an essay for & about the Custom House, the Amistad, and freed slave Ben Jones as a part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas celebration of Connecticut's Freedom Trail. Michelle is shown, at left, in the museum's Frank L. McGuire Maritime Research Library. She will read her essay, and poet Randall Horton will present his new poem, at the Custom House on Saturday, May 21. They both will repeat their recitals in late June, as a part of the New Haven Festival.
5.5.11 Today was the first meeting of our fledgling Lighthouse Kids Sea Shanty Chorus. A baker's dozen students will meet weekly for the rest of the school year, thanks to SEMI instructor Jody Barthel, who coordinated the complicated logistics to bring students from two grades and four schools together. Shantyman Geoff Kauffman is leading the practices. The group's first performance will be in another two weeks at the Hope Week Parade on Saturday, May 21.
All over town, the first downtown banners are showing up, thanks to the City of New London! Public Works (see below). This year, the banners feature New London Harbor Light! New London Main Street reports they have sold a record number of banners and, for the first time, also will be installing banners along Waterfront Park. Thank you Main Street!
5.7.11The USCG barque Eagle left its home port of New London today to cross the Atlantic to Waterford, Ireland.
5.7.11 You might recognize the young woman to the left. Amanda Ballassi has appeared several times on our Web pages for her activities with the Sea Scouts. Now finishing her first year at Mass Maritime, Amanda is about to undertake her final Sea Scout project--and it involves New London Harbor Light. Below right: Amanda & her parents tour the lighthouse where, recently, a window was broken and a pidgeon created quite a mess.
5.13.11 Thank you Aaron Rogovin (below), Waterford Rotary & Gordon's Yellow Front Package Store.for supporting Sound Community Services & the Custom House Maritime Museum with Make Mine Wine tonight at the O'Neill Theater. It was a lot of fun! We'd also like to thank our donors to the silent auction: Blissworks Yoga, the Connecticut Historical Society, Cross Sound Ferry, Muddy Waters,Mystic Seaport, Mystic Whaler, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, SailFest, Stonington Historical Society, & Studio 33.
Earlier this afternoon, we were invited to a meeting of the Connecticut Freedom Trail in East Haddam, near where Venture Smith is buried (see Freedom Trail Committee at left).
5.12.11 Yes, tent-time again. Led by NLMS treasurer John Desjardins, our merry band of trustees Rob Groves, George Sprecace, Bill Laroue & Jennifer Hillhouse, and volunteer Mike Hillhouse put up the aluminum framework (see above).
In fact, it took the additional man-power of our local New London Bank Street firemen to assist with the canvas tent (see above right).
5.12.11 Our friends Bill & Jennifer Argyle atFour Color Inc in Niantic (far left) are going to help with display issues relating to Tobey Leske's current project: a timeline/exhibition about the Thames River Harbor. Tobey is shown at the near left on Monday, meeting with ISSAC art teacher Chris Blackshaw, whose classes will be
studying the harbor for the rest of the year. Our plan for the exhibition is to create an overview of the port's history as well as a place that allows visitors to share their own stories & experiences.
5.9.11 Despite the bomb scare, we managed to host several classes from New London's Multicultural Magnet School this week (below).
5.11.10 Wednesday night was the Spring Food Stroll in downtown New London. We offered music rather than food, with a group of sea shanty singers (upper left) led by Geoff Kauffman.
At left: New London firemen help raise the courtyard tent.
5.19.11 May's Third Thursday brought paper conservator Sarah Dove to the Custom House. Sarah took time, both before and after her program, to examine several of the museum's real treasures. Near left, Sarah shows Vinnie Belbruno and Marilyn Graham details of the 1833 Robert Mills folio. This 18-page presentation book contains the preliminary architectural drawings of the Custom House--a very rare set. Unfortunately for us, the pages are fragile, many have tears, and there are signs of wear. On the positive side, the colors are fresh as when they were created--an item crying to be restored.
It's the time of year when our school friends decide to get out of the classroom and visit the Custom House. Despite this week's rain, we had several classroom visits. Helping with the discussion of the lighthouse Fresnell lens (formerly in Ledge Light) was Robert Pittaway (far left). Above is a class from the Regional Multicultural Magnet School.
5.18.11 If it's Wednesday then George Sprecace can be found hosting New London Maritime Matters on Metrocast cable television. This week's guest was photographer, filmmaker, amateur magician, and president of the Ledge Light Foundation Todd Gipstein. A good friend to the Custom House, Todd had lots to talk about. First he showed the film he created about Ledge Light three years ago when he & wife Marsha Gipstein started raising money to preserve the iconic NL lighthouse. Next, Todd related the trials and challenges of managing a decaying property located on an island! The good news is that Ledge Light now has regular crews scraping, painting and generally working hard to bring the lighthouse back. This summer, Todd & Marsh will open an information center in the lighthouse and you can visit! Your trip can be scheduled with Project Oceanology at Avery Point. The Ledge Light Information Center should open about July 2.
5.17.11 Missed this month's Third Tuesday Jibboom GAM to take lunch with Niantic painter Pat Kelbaugh & her husband Paul. Paul had great stories of fellow area fishermen, and Pat showed me her paintings, many of which feature area lighthouses. Theo Maryeski introduced me to Pat's work, which can be seen at Campbell's Music in downtown New London. We plan to carry her prints at the Custom House, and hope she will keep her exhibition up at Campbell's through the lighthouse weekend, July 1-3.
5.16.11 What a delightful surprise to walk by the State Street window of pinc! and see it full of great gifts with a New London theme. Owner Kimberly Petty (near left) created a fabric strewn with familiar New London landmarks: the Soldiers & Sailors Monument; the Eagle; Ledge Light, Avery Point and New London Harbor lighthouses; Hygienic Art, to name just a few. The material, in a viaiety of luscious colors, has been stitched into attractive tote bags, pillows, baby onesies. The sketches even have been printed onto chocolates! The large chocolate blocks are so great we'll be purchasing them as gifts to our speakers on the Sentinels on the Sound weekend. Great work, Kim!
Super SEMI instructor in the New London Public Schools, Jody Barthel (far left) is shown transporting the Jennings School's model of New London Harbor Light to the yearly Science Fair. The model was a project of the Lighthouse Kids!
5.21.11 It's the last day of HOPE WEEK, a show of support for students in New London's Public Schools.There was a Parade, the Whale Tail Fountain finally was turned on by three exemplary students & the mayor, and the Custom House SEMI Sea Shanty Chorus made its debut! Jennings School made a great model of New London Harbor Light (above). Too bad Whale Tail Lottery winner, Bruce Hyde, missed the event--it tool a little earlier than scheduled!
5.21.11 The next event was the International Festival of Arts & Ideas CT Freedom Trail celebration with poet Randall Horton, who read an original work about the Amistad in New London--its leaving the port rechristened as the Ion.
5.21.11 Poet Randall Horton visited the Custom House several times to develop his piece and, at the museum, head docent Bill LaRoue was his guide. Near left is Randall with Bill following the reading. Far left shows Bill giving a tour of the Amistad exhibition following the Arts & Ideas event. Our friends the Spinellis helped us to get the word out to New London's poetry fans. We were very happy to see them at the Custom House this afternoon.
Meanwhile, out back, the 3rd Annual Chowda' Fest continued, this year with six chowders from Captain Scott's, Captain's Pizza, Chaplin's, East Coast Catering, Filomena's, & Illiano's Trattoria.
5.21.11 My favorite of all the Custom House annual happenings is the Chowda' Fest. For a while, it had been a New London County Historical Society event, but when they gave it up three years ago, we took it on. The idea of the Chowda' Fest originated with New London's storied Jibboom Club, so it's a tradition we all share. And everybody loves chowder...
The event is like a big block party--very local--attracting all our neighbors and friends. Today's Chowda' Fest made us close to $1,000, if not more (we still have to toal the silent auction items). None of this would be possible without support of the whole neighborhood.: 6 restaurants: Captain Scott's, Captain's Pizza, Chaplin's, East Coast Catering, Filomena's, & Illiano's Trattoria; and our donors to the silent auction. (The following list includes donors to last week's Make Mine Wine event): Blissworks Yoga, the Connecticut Historical Society, Caruso Music, Cross Sound Ferry, Lyman Allyn Museum, Montville Veterans of Foreign Wars, Muddy Waters, Mystic Seaport, Mystic Whaler, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, New London County Historical Society. Pinc!, SailFest, Stonington Historical Society,Studio 33, The Day. Special thanks to Alexander MacDonald, who managed this event.
5.22.11 Today was National Maritime Day. Outdoors beneath the Custom House tent, we watched as cannons fired over at Fort Trumbull and then, following the Maritime Day ceremony, we hosted a chowder lunch for our local Merchant Marines .
5.21.11 Everyone's asking, so here goes: the 3rd annual Custom House Chowda' Fest Chowda' Champ is Captain's Pizza, which won in two categories! This year, we had chowder tasters rate the chowders in a variety of ways and, although it wasn't our intention, each of the six restaurants won in at least one category!
best overall & best non-clam chowda' Captain’s Pizza
best clear chowda’ Captain Scott's
best traditional chowda’ a tie Chaplin’s &Illiano’s Trattoria
best non-traditional chowda' East Coast Catering
best cream chowda’ Filomena’s
5.24.11 Thanks to the Frank Loomis Palmer Fund, this spring we received $7,000 towards fixing some of the water-damaged plaster inside the museum.
Two years ago, before the roof was fixed, water leaked into the 2nd-floor US Customs Office (yes: that is the longest continously-operating customs office in the country) to the degree it seeped down to the ground floor ceilings! To repair the damage in the customs office, this week Marshall Plastering has come to our rescue. Plastering should take about 10 days, and then we've got to paint... But finally, a reworked US Customs exhibition will be installedand the working office in place, with luck, by mid-summer.
Below: New London's Whale Tail Fountain, as intended.
5.22.11 Among the guests at our National Maritime Day Chowda' Lunch was Navy veteran Lewis Tew, of Gales Ferry. Mr. Tew was one of the so-called 'Barefoot Boys' -- Poor southern farm boys, who got shoes and much more from military life (Read about them in a Day article from 2009 - clickHERE). Mr. Tew graciously brought us some additional materials for the Frank L. McGuire Maritime Research Library--including this book outlining the US Merchant Marine's contributions in World War II.
We'll end for now with a few more photos (below & left) from the working Whale Tail Fountain and the NL Public School's Hope Week Parade. We are proud to partner with the schools on this day & throughout the year.
5.27.11 It's getting towards the end of the school year and classes come in to the museum just about every day. This Thursday and Friday we had students from the Regional Multicultural Magnet School, who had studied the Amistad incident! They were a great audience for all of our our stories: deep-sea dive gear, lighthouses of Long Island Sound, but especially for the Amistad story.
We ran into these last students Friday at around noon up on the Parade Plaza. See their photos, at top, with these same good students cutting loose and splashing in the Whale Tail fountain!
Plaster progress is chronicled below--days 4 & 5 of the process.
11.28.11 And the 2011 Chowda' Fest Champ is Captain's Pizza, which won in two categories! This year, we had chowder tasters rate the chowders in a variety of ways and, although it wasn't our intention, each of the six restaurants won in at least one category!
best overall & best non-clam chowda' Captain's Pizza
best clear chowda' Captain Scott's
best traditional chowda' a tie Chaplin's & Illiano's Trattoria
best non-traditional chowda' East Coast Catering
best cream chowda' Filomena's
Thank you all for making the 3rd Annual Chowda' Fest & SIlent Auction such a succulent success.This event would not be possible without the support of the neighborhood. In addition to our six restaurants, we also had our donors to the silent auction (the following list includes donors to last week's Make Mine WineWaterford Rotary event): Blissworks Yoga, the Connecticut Historical Society, Caruso Music, Cross Sound Ferry, Lyman Allyn Museum, Muddy Waters, Mystic Seaport, Mystic Whaler, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Montville Veterans of Foreign Wars, New London County Historical Society. Pinc!, SailFest, Stonington Historical Society, Studio 33, The Day.
11.27.11 Thanks to Bob Getman, who has taken on organizing the Sentinels on the Sound Lighthouse Symposium. Over the past two minths, Bob has researched speakers and made the connections to create our seminar schedule. Bob is on vacation for the next week, and will be missed!
At left are fifth-grade students from New London's Regional Multicultural Magnet School,..
