Walter Woodward, State Historian and Robert Frost scholar, will return to Bushnell Farm in Old Saybrook on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 4 p.m. for the program Frost at the Farm. The program, which includes Robert Frost’s poetry and music, is free and open to the public with on-site parking at 1445 Boston Post Rd. in Old Saybrook.
This well-reviewed program includes Woodward’s reading, appreciation and sometimes musical interpretation of New England’s favorite poet. Bring your own chair if the weather is fair for this outdoor program; in the case of rain, folding chairs will be set up in the barn.
The fields, stone walls and apple trees of this 17th century farm are the perfect setting for this outdoor appreciation of the Pulitzer Prize winning poet, who contributed so many memorable lines to the American lexicon. The private, 1678 Bushnell Farm is owned by Herb and Sherry Clark of Essex and is open seasonally for public programs. The buildings will next be open on Nov. 7, for the annual Harvest Home event.
Dr. Walter Woodward is an author of scholarly works and Assistant Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. As State Historian he works with the Connecticut Humanities Council, the Museum of Connecticut History, teachers through the Connecticut Council for Social Studies, and many other organizations. A long-time admirer of Robert Frost, Woodward admits to being an English major in his younger years. Woodward is also an Emmy Award-winning songwriter, who plays guitar. This year he will be joined by a musical foursome, his Band of Steady Habits.
Robert Frost was a four time Pulitzer Prize winner for volumes of his poetry. Although somewhat under-appreciated today, Frost made the phrases, “Good fences make good neighbors” and “Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in,” part of the language. Time magazine called “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” one of the loveliest poems ever written. His poems are said to begin with delight and end with wisdom.