Sounds of Spring

I heard spring peepers for the first time on Saturday!


Allison

Keeler Tavern Women's History Event

It was most unfortunate that the original speaker for this event took ill at the last moment. But our substitute speaker proved to be a wonderful experience. Christine Soper, Vice-Regent from the Hudson River Patriots Chapter of the DAR spoke about the "Role of Women in the American Revolution". She provided little known facts and stories about some of the unsung heroines of the Revolution.

Her list of women proved that it is just lack of good press that kept them out of the history books. Women proved some very essential information to the Patriot cause. Sally Townsend exposed Benedict Arnold. Lydia Barrington Darragh, Deborah Champion, Anna Strong, Patience Wright to name a few, risked everything to provide intelligent information. Deborah Sampson Gannett and Margaret Corbin battlefield actions resulted in Army pensions. Boycotting British goods created lots of extra work for many a housewife. But some ladies like Ester dee Berdt Reed and Penelope Barker not only boycotted but organized groups of women to put more teeth into it. In all it brought to the mind how in all wars, women may rarely get into the history books but their roles are essential.

After the talk, Keller Tavern lived up to its tavern heritage and provided some lovely refreshments and for those interested, a tour of the historical site.

Mar 28 - Draw On at Park & Rec

"Draw On" at Park and Rec this weekend had some extra added attractions. Those lucky enough, witnessed the beginning of the Red-Shouldered Hawk mating ritual. One hawk was flying in circles around the river, making loud screams. Then it disappeared only to return screaming loudly while carrying a snake in its talons. We were briefly able to check it out through the spotting scope. According to further research, this appears to be courting behavior of the male trying to prove to the female that he is a good provider and that his territory is a great place to "raise the chicks".

As part of the open air drawing, Discovery Center provided some "stationary" wildlife. These included three mounted animals fox, raccoon and otter. Also we were able to catch a frog for our our portable aquarium. Luck was with us. In our river water bucket we could show the participates some aquatic nymphs and three small almost transparent fish fry. The spotting scope provided some of our youngest participates with their first up close view of turtles in the wild. For some, just being able to close one eye to look through the scope was a new experience.

For those concerned - all live animals were returned to the wild.

Women's Hiking Group Week of March 30

The Discovery Center Women's Hiking Group will hike this week Tuesday (3/31) and Thursday (4/2) at 9:30 am at West Mountain Refuge in Ridgefield. Take Barry Ave. which turns into West Mountain Rd. Take a left onto Oscaleta Rd. Parking is on the side of Oscaleta Rd.

Celebrate Women's History Month with Keeler Tavern and The Discovery Center on March 29

Due to an unexpected illness, Nicole Eustace from NYU will be unable to make her scheduled presentation on Sunday. Our replacement speaker will be Christine Soper, Vice-Regent, Hudson River Patriots Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mrs. Soper's presentation, titled "The Role of Women in the American Revolution: "Little-known Facts and Stories About Celebrated Women and Unsung Heroines of the Revolution," will begin at 2:00 pm in the Garden House at Keeler Tavern Museum, 132 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT. Please stay for refreshments and guided tours of historic Keeler Tavern following the presentation. This event is $10 for members of Keeler Tavern or The Discovery Center and children sixteen and under, $15 for non-members, and is co-sponsored by the Keeler Tavern Museum and The Discovery Center at Ridgefield. For reservations please contact The Discovery Center or Keeler Tavern Museum.

Women's Hiking Group Week of March 23

The Discovery Center Women's Hiking Group will meet this week Tuesday (3/24) and Thursday (3/26) at 9:30 am and hike Topstone Park in Redding. Directions: From Rt. 7 take Topstone Road, and follow the road across the railroad tracks. Continue on till it turns into a dirt road. A short way down there will be a parking lot on the right side.

Celebrate Women's History Month with Keeler Tavern and The Discovery Center on March 29

The Keeler Tavern Museum and The Discovery Center at Ridgefield will be hosting a special event to celebrate Women's History Month on Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 pm. Guest speaker Nicole Eustace, Assistant Professor of History at New York University, will give a presentation about women's roles during the American Revolution, followed by coffee and dessert and guided tours of historic Keeler Tavern.

Ms. Eustace regularly writes and teaches about colonial and revolutionary America. She also periodically co-directs the NYU Program in the History of Women and Gender. She earned a B.A. in history from Yale University in 1994 and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. Her first book, titled “Passion Is the Gale: Emotion, Power, and the Coming of the American Revolution,” was published in 2008.

This special event takes place on Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 pm at Keeler Tavern Museum, 132 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT. This event is $10 for members of Keeler Tavern or The Discovery Center and children sixteen and under, $15 for non-members, and is co-sponsored by the Keeler Tavern Museum and The Discovery Center at Ridgefield. For reservations please contact The Discovery Center or Keeler Tavern Museum.

Globe at Night 2009 on March 28

The Discovery Center is hosting an astronomy program for Globe Night, one of the special events for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 ("IYA 2009"). Join thousands of students, families, and citizen-scientists around the world in observing the nighttime sky at 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 28 at Lake Windwing, South Shore Drive, Ridgefield. As part of the program, participants will learn about light pollution and record the darkness of the night sky by observing the sky in the constellation of Orion. The results will be reported through the Globe at Night website www.globe.gov/GaN/. The 2008 Globe at Night campaign received measurements from 62 different countries.

The IYA 2009 in part celebrates the 400th anniversary of the first use of a telescope for astronomical observations by Galileo. The Discovery Center's telescope will be used to view the ringed planet Saturn and the Orion nebulae, as well as other deep sky objects. The line of sight between Earth and Saturn determines how much of Saturn's rings we can see, and soon we will be looking directly at the edge of Saturn's rings, which will make them appear to have disappeared.

Please contact The Discovery Center for reservations. The program is free for Discovery Center members, $5 per person for non-members, and is co-sponsored by the Ridgefield Parks & Recreation Dept. Please check the Discovery Center website for more info at www.ridgefielddiscovery.org.

St. Patrick's Day Family Scavenger Hunt

The Discovery Center hosted a St. Patrick's Day Family Scavenger Hunt in Ballard Park on March 14, and what a great day it was! We had more than 25 families participate, and Ballard Park was filled with kids exploring all areas of the park and garden. The weather was perfect and the children had a great time searching for hidden clues and learning about Irish folklore. They even found some leprechauns and their hidden pots of gold!

Women's Hiking Group Week of March 16

The Women's Hiking Group will hike the Rock Lot and Scott Preserve in Redding this week, Tuesday (3/17) and Thursday (3/19) at 9:30 am. Directions: If you are travelling South on Rte 7, turn left onto Old Redding Road. Right after you go under the RR bear right onto Mountain Rd. Take Mountain Rd to Peaceable St and turn left onto Peaceable. The parking for the open space is on the left.

The Discovery Center Maple Sugaring at Topstone Farm

The Discovery Center took a trip to Topstone Farm in Redding yesterday for a demonstration of maple sugaring. Mr. Bronson showed us how he taps trees, collects sap, and boils it down to delicious real maple syrup. He had lots of helpers with Discovery Center kids who helped drill the hole in the tree, put in the tap, read the thermometers, and of course taste the sap!