18th Annual Celebratiton of Young Writers | ASAP! | Friday, June 23rd | 5:00PM-6:00PM

Summer Camp Registration Open | ASAP! | Washington, CT | July 31st -August 11th | M-F 9am-3:30pm 

Catherine’s Butterfly Party! | Fairfield Hills Campus – Newtown, CT | Saturday, June 10 | 12:00PM-4:00PM

Community Rooting Conversations with Farmer Ellie | Green Village Initiative | Every Wednesday at 6:30PM on ZOOM 

GirlTrek | Neighborhood Housing Services Waterbury | Every Saturday 10am
Take a walk. Join a movement. Beyond walking, GirlTrek’s active members support local and national policy to increase physical activity through walking, improve access to safe places to walk, protect and reclaim green spaces, and improve the walkability and built environments of 50 high-need communities across the United States. More details here.

SHAG Spring Hill Arts Gathering | Spring Hill Vineyards, Washington, CT | June 22nd-25th
SHAG is a multi-day event in June at Spring Hill Vineyards in Washington, CT.  Founded in 2021, SHAG’s vision is to welcome artists into the inspiring landscape of the Litchfield Hills, using art and collaboration efforts as catalysts to bring our neighbors together. View schedule + purchase tickets here!

Good photographs share information about your business instantly. Learn to recognize the difference between a powerful image and an ineffective photo. Understand the three elements that your photos need to engage the viewer. Simple tools and an inexpensive app on your phone will tweak and improve all your images.

Join percussionist, author, and Washington, DC radio host Craig Harris for a fun-filled, stress-relieving mix of songs, stories, and participatory music-making. 

Music historian, educator, storyteller, percussionist, photographer, and Bluegrass Country Radio show host, Craig Harris is the author of Crossing Borders: My Journey in Music, the memoir of Max Baca of the Grammy-winning Los Texmaniacs (2021), Bluegrass, Newgrass, Old-time and Americana Music (2018), The Band: Pioneers of Americana Music (2014/2017), Heartbeat, Warble, and the Electric Powwow: American Indian Music (2016), The New Folk Music (1993), and the forthcoming Rise Up Indigenous Music (scheduled for Spring 2023). 

Join us for an afternoon of interactive retro-groove of singing, dancing, history, stand-up piano playing, original sound bites, radio commercials, impersonations and attitude.  Explore the story of rock’s first fifteen years and its evolution through gospel, rhythm & blues and country and western. Meet the singers and rock groups from doo-wop, Motown, girl groups, surfin’, soul music, novelty songs and more; Little Richard to Coasters, Chuck Berry to Beatles, Elvis to Four Seasons. 

Join us on the first Thursday of each month from May-August for an hour-long program designed just for your young nature lovers. Every session will include a story, an encounter with a live animal, and an activity or craft. Parents/Caregivers, we ask that you stay for the duration of the program. Meet in the A.B. Ceder Room. 4-5pm. Advanced registration is required. To register, please call 860-567-0857 or visit whitememorialcc.org. Space is limited. Please inquire about financial aid as needed. Members: $9/child per session or $30/whole series, Non-Members: $13/child per session or $50/whole series

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Wildlife Division and White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield are working together to establish a series of Bat Cams in a barn at White Memorial where female big brown bats give birth to and raise their young every year. Join us as we share videos, images, updates, and data from this long-established maternity colony and also celebrate bats through several public events focused on bats and the Bat Cam. The Bat Cam installation is almost complete, in time for the big brown bats to emerge from their hibernacula and take up residence in the barn as the females prepare to give birth to their pups. On Friday, June 16, 2023, a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Bat Cam will be held at White Memorial Conservation Center. Attend this evening ceremony as we unveil the Bat Cam and meet the bats that call White Memorial home. Have the opportunity to watch the bats fly from the barn at dusk as they embark on their nightly feeding frenzy. Noted speakers and fun activities are planned. Follow the DEEP website for more details as June approaches. To register for this Family Friendly FREE event…click here: BATS COUNT REGISTRATION

Join us on the first Thursday of each month from May-August for an hour-long program designed just for your young nature lovers. Every session will include a story, an encounter with a live animal, and an activity or craft. Parents/Caregivers, we ask that you stay for the duration of the program. Meet in the A.B. Ceder Room. 4-5pm. Advanced registration is required. To register, please call 860-567-0857 or visit whitememorialcc.org. Space is limited. Please inquire about financial aid as needed. Members: $9/child per session or $30/whole series, Non-Members: $13/child per session or $50/whole series

Trails Day is a two-day national event (the first weekend in June) that pays tribute to all the wonderful trails our country has to offer. If there was ever a time to celebrate our amazing Connecticut trails, 2022 is it! Trails and open spaces have become the places to escape to and enjoy in recent challenging times.

Join White Memorial Staff ,Kelly Orr and Mike Berry, as they lead you down the beautiful Lake Trail to visit the old ice house ruins then over to Butternut Brook in search of otter tracks, beaver signs, the calls of frogs , and any other treasures Nature can provide! The hike is easy and mostly level but you should bring a hiking pole and sturdy shoes. Dress for the weather! Approximately 2.5 miles. 10:00 a.m – 11:30 a.m., Meet in the Gift Shop. FREE…donations will be accepted to help defray the Conservation Center’s operating expenses

In the garden behind the White Memorial Museum, we will practice gentle, Vinyasa yoga as we listen to the birds, feel the morning breezes, and celebrate the warmth of the summer sun. Class will be followed by a brief guided meditation for those who would like to participate. This is an all levels, all ages program and requires no prior yoga or meditation experience! Recent studies have shown the benefits of yoga, which include stress reduction, improvement in strength, flexibility, and balance. Please bring a mat and water (sunscreen/bug repellant if desired). Each class is $10 (with $1 of each going to White Memorial). Come to one, several, or all! For information and to check in event of rain, please call 860-309-9489 for more information.

Please join us from 9 am until 5pm as we celebrate Connecticut Open House Day with FREE ADMISSION all day! Now in its 19th year, Connecticut Open House Day is an annual event held on the second Saturday of June. Its purpose is to inspire Connecticut residents to learn about all of the tremendous the experiences they can enjoy in their own backyard, anticipating that this will convert them into ambassadors who will recommend these experiences to other visitors. We look forward to seeing you and sharing our beautiful Museum with you on Open House Day!

Join Pam Velez on a jaunt to find those sleek and slimy creatures we call amphibians. We’ll look under rocks and boards and visit a pond armed with dip nets in order to reveal as many frogs, toads, and salamanders as we can. After identifying and marveling at these cool critters, all amphibians will be safely returned to their hiding spots. Wear long pants and shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy! 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Meet in the A.B. Ceder Room for a brief introduction on our native amphibian species before we head out on the property. FREE…donations will be accepted to help defray the Conservation Center’s programming expenses.

Come and explore the great outdoors in a way that your child can get excited about! The third Thursday of every month we will enjoy a hike with your child in a babywearing carrier or follow their pace if they are mobile.  There will only be expectations of exploring the world around us, not of a mile mark or speed.  Depending on the energy level of the group we will use our bodies to move in nature for 30 minutes, followed by an activity.  We will read books about the outdoors, enjoy touch and feel stations, use sand and water bins and more! This will be a year-round program. The goal is to encourage family time outdoors in all seasons.  We will still play outside in rain, snow, heat, and cold.  Unsafe weather will push us indoors.  Plan to get a little dirty, and come with weather appropriate clothing, sunscreen and bug spray as needed.  Caretakers must stay for the duration of the program. Please park in the horse trailer parking and meet in the Pollinator Garden.  

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., Members: $9/child per session or $30/whole series, Non-Members: $13/child per session or $50/whole series Pre-registration is required by calling 860-567-0857 or register online here: www.whitememorialcc.org  Space is limited. Please inquire about financial aid as needed.

Members of the Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy Club and the Mattatuck Astronomical Society organize this astronomy program. Weather permitting; there will be star gazing after the program. 8:00 P.M, MOTT VAN WINKLE CLASSROOM, Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You are invited to bring your own telescope or binoculars. FREE… Donations will be accepted to help defray the Conservation Center’s programming expenses.

Today is Iceland’s Independence Day! A week ago, Gerri Griswold returned from her 55^th visit to the Land of Fire and Ice! Today she’ll take you on a pictorial journey through Iceland’s rugged, romantic, and often otherworldly landscapes. Meet the people who define the nation that captivated Griswold over 20 years ago. You’ll learn many secrets the armchair tourist is clueless about…Like how to pronounce BREIDAMERKURSANDUR and EINA PYLSUR MED OLLU! Family Nature Day Raffle Tickets go on sale today! You could win a ten-day trip for two to Iceland’s West Fjords in June 2024! 12:00 p.m., A. B. Ceder Room and ZOOM. Members: $5.00, Non-Members: $10.00. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Call 860-567-0857 or register online: www.whitememorialcc.org

Tom and Gerri have collaborated four times escorting well-mannered adults who behave like children, around Iceland’s Ring Road. Along the way, Alena interprets geology while Griswold controls the candy bag. Route 1 or the Ring Road, runs around the island and connects most of the inhabited parts of the country. The total length of the road is 821 miles. Some of Iceland’s most significant geosites (including waterfalls, glaciers, and black sand beaches) are found on or just off the Ring Road. The road was completed in 1974, coinciding with the 1,100th anniversary of Iceland’s settlement. Join Tom and Gerri as they take a geological trip down memory lane recapping their tours in 2012, 2015, 2017. and 2023!! 3:00 p.m., ZOOM, Members: FREE, Non-Members: $10.00. Pre-registration is required: www.whitememorialcc.org  A ZOOM link to the presentation will be emailed to you on June 16.

You’ll learn so much more about Alain and May White and their generous gift to us, by spending time with Museum Docent, Tom Saunders! Tom is available to give tours on the first and third Sundays of every month at 2:00 pm or by appointment. Admission is FREE to Members and $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 12 – 6. There is free admission for children under the age of 6.

Dave Paton is just plain giddy about mushrooms and wants to share his enthusiasm with you! Spend a couple of hours in the forest with Dave learning do’s and don’ts, basic identification, and stories behind all of the fungus among us! The program begins with a brief introduction in the Ceder Room to view some specimens. 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., A. B. Ceder Room, Dress for the weather! Members: $15.00, Non-members: $30.00, Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Call 860-567-0857 or register online: www.whitememorialcc.org Class is limited to 20 participants! Sign up early! Foraging is not allowed on White Memorial property.