Thursday, June 2, 3-6 p.m.
Traces of the Trade Screening and Discussion with Constance & Dain Perry
Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme CT
In Traces of the Trade, film producer Katrina Browne tells the story of her forebears — the deWolf family, the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. The film follows Browne and nine family members as they retrace the triangle trade and begin to think about how to address legacies of racial violence and the meaning of reconciliation.
Dain and Constance Perry, who traveled on the pilgrimage, will lead a discussion following a showing of the film.
The deWolf family’s role in the slave trade started in Old Lyme, where sawmill owner and carpenter Edward deWolf enslaved Mingo before 1704.
Today, a Witness Stone placed at the Sill Lane green remembers Mingo’s contributions to the development of the early town.
Constance R. Perry is a national consultant working in economically disadvantaged communities and specializing in workforce and community development. For more than 20 years, she managed, designed, and implemented programs for at-risk youth and adults at the municipal, state, and national level.
Born and raised in Boston, she is a descendant of enslaved laborers in North Carolina.
Dain Perry had a 30-year career as a Financial Representative with the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network (NMFN) in Boston. He is a past President of the Boston Estate Planning Council and was named Boston Estate Planner of the Year in 1999.
Prior to joining NMFN he was deputy director of the Massachusetts Council on Crime and Correction, and Acting Director of the Crime and Justice Foundation, both private non-profit community groups which promoted reform in the criminal justice system. He attended the U S Naval Academy.
Friday, June 3, 10 a.m.
Witness Stones Old Lyme Installation Ceremony: A Celebration of Music and Poetry
Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes (PGN) Library, 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme
The community is invited to gather on the lawn of the Old Lyme PGN Library to celebrate the second installation of Witness Stones on Lyme Street, extending this year to McCurdy Rd.
The program will include music, poetry, and words from community partners and guest speakers.
Frederick-Douglass Knowles II will read his poem Shoots of Plants Blooming in Spring at the ceremony. He joins guest speakers Dain Perry and Constance Perry.
World-renowned soprano Lisa Williamson and acclaimed saxophonist and U.S. Coast Guard Band conductor Richard Wyman will provide music.
Twelve members of the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) chorus, led by Laura Ventres, will also contribute to the program.
Seventh-grade students from the LOLMS will read biographical poems they wrote to tell the life stories of Harry Freeman and Margaret Crosley Lewia. Using primary documents, the students researched these two enslaved town residents, making the story of local slavery tangible, personal, and relevant to their own lives.
Frederick-Douglass Knowles II is an Educator and Activist fervent in achieving community augmentation through literary arts. He is a Professor of English at Three Rivers Community College in his native city of Norwich, CT and the inaugural Poet Laureate of Hartford.
He is the recipient of the Nutmeg Poetry Award and the Connecticut of The Arts Fellow in Artist Excellence for Poetry/Creative Non-Fiction. Knowles is a Pushcart Prize nominee and the author of BlackRoseCity.
Constance R. Perry is a national consultant working in economically disadvantaged communities and specializing in workforce and community development. For more than 20 years, she managed, designed, and implemented programs for at-risk youth and adults at the municipal, state, and national level.
Born and raised in Boston, she is a descendant of enslaved laborers in North Carolina.
Dain Perry had a 30-year career as a Financial Representative with the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network NMFN) in Boston. He is a past President of the Boston Estate Planning Council and was named Boston Estate Planner of the Year in 1999.
Prior to joining NMFN he was deputy director of the Massachusetts Council on Crime and Correction, and Acting Director of the Crime and Justice Foundation, both private non-profit community groups which promoted reform in the criminal justice system. He attended the U S Naval Academy.
OLD LYME — A Celebration of the Life of Charles Townsend Ludington, Jr. will be held at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme on Saturday, June 4, at 11 a.m.
Friends and family are invited to join the service.
A reception/lunch at 2 Lyme Street (next door to the church) in Old Lyme will follow the service.
Mildred “Maggie” Adamson Taylor
OLD LYME — A memorial service will be held for Mildred “Maggie” Adamson Taylor, who passed away peacefully on December 25, 2021. She was the wife of the late Lloyd Douglas Taylor who predeceased her in 1992.
Maggie’s service will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 2 p.m. at The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme located on the corner of Lyme Street and Ferry Road in the village of Old Lyme.
Maggie was the beloved mother of her Adamson children; Maren, Dagney (Liz Lewis), Brooke (Phillip Schaller) John (Cathy Hall) and Stuart. She also leaves her grandchildren Alex and Siena, also her best-loved cousin Paula Idarola, and adored Jeff Taylor and his wife Maura and their children Katie and Margaret and their six great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Maggie’s name to SPCA animal rescue or the charity of the donor’s choice.
To share a memory of Maggie or send a condolence, please visit www.rwwfh.com.
The Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home in Centerbrook is in care of the arrangements.
Visit this link to read the original post of Mildred “Maggie” Adamson Taylor’s obituary.
OLD LYME — On Wednesday, June 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Ted Zalewski will perform his one-man show Vincent: A Portrait by the Postman Roulin in the Community Room at the Old Lyme PGN Library.
The scene opens in an 1890 Café in Auvers, France. and will explore the close relationship between Vincent van Gogh and the Postman, Joseph Roulin.
Admission is free but registration is required to hold a seat for the performance.
The Library is located at 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme, CT, 06371.
This is one of the stunning floral arrangements featured in ‘Blooms with a View’ at the Florence Griswold Museum.
OLD LYME — As part of Connecticut’s Open House Day, Museum admission to the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is free this Saturday, June 11. No advance registration is required.
Celebrate art, history, and nature in one place. Visitors can enjoy a new art exhibition, including “Blooms with a View,” floral arrangements that play off a selection of artworks, stroll lush historic gardens and the riverfront Artists’ Trail, and tour the historic Griswold House.
The gardens of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme are ablaze with color at this time of year. Enjoy them for free on Saturday, June 11.
Yevshan Ukrainian Vocal Ensemble of CT will perform at the Sill House at 1 pm
OLD LYME — On Sunday, June 12, the newly-created ‘Welcome’ mural at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) will be dedicated at a ceremony starting at 1:30 p.m. and running through 2:30 p.m.
All are welcome to attend the ceremony and view the mural.
The mural is part of the Sister Murals Project sponsored by Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE), which was officially launched March 1, 2021.
The primary mission of PARJE is to utilize the broad appeal of art and education to confront racial injustice.
One mural has already been unveiled in Norwich and murals have now been completed in Old Lyme and New London.The lead artists for the Old Lyme mural is Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal, who is an alumna of Lyme Academy College of Fine ArtThe Old Lyme Sister Mural has been installed inside Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, adjacent to the gymnasium.
In addition to her role as lead artist, Oyola-Blumenthal worked with school faculty to develop student workshops, which coordinated with the project.
Oyola-Blumenthal and her counterpart for the New London mural, Marvin Espy, were selected from a field of nearly 20 applicants.
In her application, Oyola-Blumenthal referred to the ability of art to inspire people to talk to one another, commenting, “Art is a neutral vessel that can bring forth conversations that can be uncomfortable and promote opportunities to open dialogue on racial justice and education.”
OLD LYME — Today, June 14, is Flag Day and appropriately, this evening at 7 p.m., the Old Lyme Historical Society Inc. (OLHSI) presents another talk in its 2022 Series of Events. This one will be given by James Meehan and will cover the History of the Stars & Stripes.
The event will take place at the Society’s building at 55 Lyme St. in Old Lyme. All are welcome and admission is free.
This is the second in a series of speaker events sponsored by the OLHSI.
Donations are welcome for the Carol Noyes Winters Scholarship Fund.
OLD LYME — Two new exhibitions are on view at Lyme Art Association (LAA), Ship to Shore and Renaissance in Pastel. An opening reception and award presentation for both exhibitions is being held Friday, June 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Celebrating all aspects of sea and shoreline life, Ship to Shore is a member’s exhibition, which features a broad range of styles and mediums including paintings, drawings and sculptures. The exhibit is juried by Anthony Tomaselli, who is a painter based in Providence, R.I. He apprenticed with Gene Tonoff and Joseph Rotundo and is represented by a variety of galleries.
Lyme Art Association Gallery Manager Paul Michael says, “Our coastal communities are a vital part of New England life. This show acts as a survey of contemporary maritime artwork, celebrating the seas that connect us.”
Concurrent with Ship to Shore, the Connecticut Pastel Society will display Renaissance in Pastel. The exhibition includes the finest pastel work from the Connecticut Pastel Society member artists. Lyme Art Association is delighted to welcome back the Connecticut Pastel Society for this always impressive show.
The exhibition’s awards are juried by Eileen Casey. Casey is a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies Master Circle and graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston.
In addition to these two exhibitions, Lyme Art Association’s youth exhibition, Water All Around Us, will be on display in the Mile Brook Gallery.
The shows run through Aug. 4, 2022.
Lyme Art Association is located in a building designed by Charles Adams Platt and located within the national historic district at 90 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT.
Ship to Shore is made possible by the generous support of the LAA’s premier sponsor, Essex Savings Bank.
The LAA was founded in 1914 by the American Impressionists and continues the tradition of exhibiting and selling representational artwork by its members and invited artists, as well as offering art instruction and lectures to the community. Admission is free with contributions appreciated.
Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10 to 5 p.m.
For more information on exhibits, purchase of art, art classes, or becoming a member, visit the LAA website or call (860) 434-7802.
An informal Memorial Service celebrating the life and memory of Graham Nelson Raynolds of Hadlyme will be held on Saturday, June 18th at 11:00 a.m. at one of Graham’s favorite spots: the picnic area on the bank of the Connecticut River just north of the Hadlyme Ferry landing. All are welcome, please bring a folding chair if you need one.
Read his full obituary at this link.
OLD LYME – The Witness Stones Poets will join the Nat Reeves Quartet in a Juneteenth celebration of jazz and poetry on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum on Saturday afternoon, June 18, at 2 p.m.
The acclaimed Connecticut poets – Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward and Antoinette Brim-Bell – will read a verse cycle written in collaboration with the Old Lyme Witness Stones Partnership. The poems commemorate 14 African-descended persons once enslaved in Old Lyme.
The internationally-renowned bassist and bandleader Nat Reeves will offer a musical tribute to those once held in bondage in the community.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The celebration takes place outdoors from 2 to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Limited seating is offered. Lawn chairs or blankets for additional outdoor seating are recommended.
Admission is free.
The event has received generous support from the Side Door Jazz Club and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the federal ARPA program.
The Old Lyme Witness Stones Partnership’s goal is to expand the understanding of local history and honor the humanity and the contributions of those formerly enslaved in the community.
The partnership’s founding members include the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, the Florence Griswold Museum, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, and the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.
Community partners include the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center, St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau, and the Old Lyme Historical Society.
The Partnership has received generous support from a Health Improvement Collaborative of Southeastern Connecticut (HIC) Partnership Grant for Racial Equity.
Witness Stones Old Lyme partnered with The Witness Stones Project, an organization that seeks to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities.
For further information, visit https://www.witnessstonesoldlyme.org.
Editor’s Note: The Florence Griswold Museum is at 96 Lyme St. in Old Lyme, CT.
OLD LYME — Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds on Lyme St. in Old Lyme offer a vibrant, artistic environment owned and managed by acclaimed international sculptor Gil Boro, who lives on the property.
Dedicated to arts education and appreciation, Boro vigorously pursues his mission to create a bond between art, nature and community by inspiring and promoting participation in the arts.
Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds’ 8th annual Summer Sculpture Showcase exhibition provides a unique opportunity for artists to showcase their sculptures in a stunning environment specifically designed to nurture the creative arts. This year, the Showcase features a variety of sculptures from 15 national artists, who represent a broad range of artistic communities, which, in turn, creates an exhibition of diverse sculpture.
All works on the grounds are available for sale.
On Saturday, June 18, an Opening Reception is being held from 5 to 7 p.m. to celebrate the 2022 Summer Sculpture Showcase. It will feature live music by Ramblin’ Dan Stevens, light refreshments, and the opportunity to tour the ground and view the artwork at leisure. All are welcome.
Boro comments, “I’m delighted to be able to open my grounds to these exceptional sculptors whose work intrigues me. Each one offers original creative thinking resulting in a combination of contrasting conceptual designs in a variety of media. I think any visitor to the exhibition is going to be thoroughly engaged by what he or she sees – including children.”
Boro is somewhat unusual as a professional sculptor in that he loves to see folk of all ages directly interacting with his sculptures, noting that he has a strong aversion to exhibitions, “… where people can’t touch my work.”
The Sculpture Grounds are thoroughly invested in the vibrant Old Lyme arts scene and anticipate this exhibition will attract art-loving visitors from near and far. Boro is committed to the important public mission to enrich the cultural life of the region for the education, enrichment, and enjoyment of the community. In previous years, the exhibition has drawn over 7000 viewers to the 4.5-acre sculpture garden located on the Connecticut shoreline.
Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds is located at 80-1 Lyme St., less than a minute from Exit 70 on I- 95. The Sculpture Grounds are open 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free. Children, field trips and group visits are all welcome.
For further information, visit the Sculpture Grounds website or call 860-434-5957.
OLD LYME — On Wednesday, June 22, at 1 p.m., Caryn B. Davis will present her book “Connecticut Waters: A Celebration of Our Coastline & Waterways” at the Lymes’ Senior Center, 26 Town Woods Road, Old Lyme, CT.
Read a review of Connecticut Waters by LymeLine Editor Olwen Logan at this link.
Davis is a published writer and architectural, garden and travel photographer. whose images and articles have appeared in the NY Times, Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, Town & Country, Connecticut Magazine, among others.
Call (860)-434-4127 or email [email protected] and register to attend this special event virtually or in person.
Books will be available to buy, and the author will also sign copies after the presentation.
OLD LYME — On Wednesday, June 22, Phoebe’s BookCellar at the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library will be hosting a Half-Price Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale will continue on Saturday, June 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Pre-loved books, DVD’s and more will all be on sale at half price — in fact everything will be on sale except historic maps!
Every dollar earned at the BookCellar goes directly to support the Library.
The BookCellar is open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Phoebe’s BookCellar is a highly successful, volunteer-run used bookstore managed by the Friends of the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library. Besides the special editions, there is a wide range of gently-used books in what is now the only remaining general interest bookstore in Old Lyme.
If you have not yet visited, readers are invited to stop by and shop, drop off book donations, or complete a volunteer application. Choose from thousands of books available on such topics as art, business, classics, computers, cooking, language, literature, medicine, music, parenting, pets, reference, religion, sports, world history as well as books for children, young adults, modern fiction and non-fiction.
There is also a large collection of DVDs, CDs and Audiobooks. The BookCellar gratefully accepts “gently used” books, but respectfully requests no damaged, mildewed, moldy or musty books (these should be recycled.)
The BookCellar also features a large collection of Rare Books at very reasonable prices. Click here to see catalogs.
For further information, contact the BookCellar at [email protected], call 860.434.1684 or visit www.oldlyme.lioninc.org
The Library is located at 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme CT 06371. Opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 9am to 7pm; Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm. The Library is closed on Sunday.