5.3.12 The Lighthouse Kids Sea Shanty Chorus will be back this summer, with five performances already scheduled!
We proud to say that more that 25% of the in-school SEMI Lighthouse Kids (26 students) have signed on for the after-school Maritime History / Chorus practice at the Custom House. Classes meet weekly through May.
Working with public school SEMI instructor Jody Barthel, students learned about the metric system while making nautical flag / letter signals.
The highlight, however, was practicing their sea shanties and environmental songs with sea shantyman Geoff Kauffman.
5.3.12 The first 'audience' for Sgott MacKenzie's Further Adventures of the Giant Squid and the Seagull was the Lighthouse Kids Sea Shanty Chorus, here on Thursday after school for their Maritime History / Sea Shanty Chorus club. These kids are motivated and the first thing they did is open Sgott's book & follow the story through his illustrations on the walls.
5.2.12 New London artist / illustrator Sgott MacKenzie was back at the Custom House today finishing up installation of our new exhibition Sgott MacKenzie's Further Adventures of the Giant Squid and the Seagull. We're having the exhibition in anticipation of Sgott's new book (see the cover, below), which he shipped off for printing just last Friday. Sgott is shown, lower left, with Louise Pittaway, who was here to work on our museum shop.
5.3.12 Early on Thursday (7 AM!), Carolyn Leuze (far left) and her daughter Katie Beal (near left) brought examples of the small sail boats used in New London Comunity Boating to the Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School gymnasium.
The students appeared fascinated and somewhat perplexed.
From the group's Facebook page:
N.L.C.B. is about providing students with quality sailing lessons with lots of fun mixed in! Sign your child up today for one of our sessions and let them experience the Thames River in a whole new way!
Description
Free sailing program for New London youth (ages 9-16), program runs for 7 weeks, classes are one week long either morning (9am-12pm) or afternoon (1pm-4pm).
General Information
SEASON CALENDAR
June 27-July 1-- Week One --> AM- FULL...PM- 6 Spots Open
July 5- July 8 -- Week Two --> AM- 6 Spots Open... PM- 3 Spots Open
July 11- July 15-- Week Three --> AM & PM - FULL
July 18- July 22-- Week Four ---> AM- 12 Spots Open... PM - FULL
July 23- Fish Tales, Tugs, and Sails
July 25-July 29-- Week Five ---> AM & PM- FULL
August 1- August 5-- Week Six ---> AM & PM- FULL
August 8- August 12-- Week Seven ---> AM- 3 Spots Open... PM- 5 Spots Open
Also at the gym was City Council President Michael Passero talking about plans for a new Community Center for New London.
5.2.12 Thursday and Friday this week the USCG held a special U.S. Coast Guard History Program -- Developing a Strategic Plan to Chart the Program’s Future, with guests in from around the country.
The purpose was "to hold a conference with Coast Guard history professional stakeholders to identify recommendations for the development of a strategic plan for the Coast Guard’s History Program that will set the program’s course for the future. In addition participants will identify complementary activities to ensure unity of purpose among all those interested in Coast Guard history. Finally, participants will create COAs to better inculcate and integrate Coast Guard history fleet-wide so that all personnel employed by the Coast Guard will be able to draw from their service’s storied history to better serve the American public."
Yes, we tried to accomplish that purpose, but the highlight was an opportunity to tour the newly refurbushed national USCG Museum, a project of museum curator Jennifer Gaudio.
At left, Jen gives a tour of the museum to conference participants. And in fact, this group of USCG historians may have been her toughest audience -- and they were truly thrilled with what they saw.
The redesign takes visitors chronologically through USCG history, with stops at important points like the development of the Life Saving Service, the adoption if the U.S. Lighthouse Service, the story of the Eagel,- the USCG tall ship & training vessel.
Superindentant Sandra Stotz stopped in to talk about her interest in promoting the history program, as did an Admiral, who later told the Mayor of NL that the planned new national USCG museum would definitely be located in New London, and that shovels would be in the ground before Adm. Papp's term is through!
5.4.12 Meanwhile, at the top of State Street work progresses on the Courthouse, above.
5.7.12 There were goslings on Waterfront Park, (left) to greet the students, then they walked over to the Custom House, above.
5.6.12 Thanks in large part to the expertise of NLMS trustee Louise Pittaway, our Museum Shop is certainly coming along. We had a slew of new items this week -- deep sea diver & yellow submarine ice cubes, and an ice boat ice-cube mold, fish-shaped bottle openers, and a new game of Stack the Bones, which perfectly fits with our pirate theme.
5.7.12 A visit from Nancy Bulkeley was a good occasion to visit Sweetie's and then go out on the pier to greet students visiting from UCONN Avery Point. Nancy is the Community Affairs Representative for Dominion Nuclear, and she not only helps fnd our Lighthouse Kids program, but also Project Oceanology. And the class, coincidently, was coming over to New London by boat on Project O.
5.7.12 Helen M. Rozwadowski, Coordinator of Maritime Studies and Associate Professor of History, University of Connecticut Avery Point, brought her students to New London & the Custom House by boat to the Custom House Pier.
5.7.12 The Day photographer Sean Elliot caught the UCONN kids getting off the boat. Here is his photo, left, and a link to The Day.
5.7.12 An important budget hearing took place this evening at New London's High School and the New London Maritime Society was there to support the schools and our partnership with ace teacher Jody Barthel and the SEMI Lighthouse Kids. Here was the scene before the hearing began (upper left).
Above, another reason why we love New London.
5.9.12 Good to see our mural installed at NL's Union Station, & also the signs of a new restaurant, the Stone Fleet, at the foot of State Street (upper right).
5.9.12 Spent half a day at the lovely Mark Twain House, in Hartford (above), for Part 1 of a Social Media workshop, sponsored in part by the CT Humanities Council. Today we start a BLOG!
New London is lovely, too, especially the view across to State Pier from the ferry dock. Here, left and above the MT House photo, is the scene in today's fog.
5.11.12 Sadly, today we finally said good by to docent-volunteer & friend Brandy Baltimore. Brandy is leaving for Texas with the Navy!
5.10.12 Today the Lighthouse Kids Sea Shanty Chorus met and, in addition to singing and working on props for their performance, they designed and named their own lighthouse. There are some in the wondow.
5.11.12 The day began early as George Sprecace and
John Desjardins took the lighthouse models to Waterford
& Make Mine Wine at the Eugene O'Neill Theater.
5.11.12 The lighthouse models and several hundred friends had a night out at Make Mine Wine (NLMS trustee Carolyn Leuze, left). New volunteer Gay Clarkson,above, donated limoges china, which brought over $225.00 in the silent auction.
5.11.12 Congratulations to Jennifer Gaudio, who oversaw the redesign of the USCG Museum at the Academy, which formally opened Friday night.
Thanks, too, to head docent Bill LaRoue, left, who mesmerized a group of Groton Seniors who took the Custom House tour on Friday.
MAKE MINE WINE was Great!
Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a fun & splendid evening! Thank you to George Sprecace, Harry Smith & John Desjardins for moving the models over to the theater & back, to Gay Clarkson & George for helping to round up silent auction items, to the Mystic Whaler, SailFest & Neff Productions, On the Waterfront, Muddy Waters Cafe, Alan Lyon & his kayaks, and John Johnson & OpSail, for providing silent auction prizes, and to those of our board of trustees & friends who attended the event. THANK YOU! And a special thank you to the Waterford Rotary for selecting the New London Maritime Society - Custom House Maritime Museum as a beneficiary of the event, and especially to organizers Aaron Rogovin, Anne Ogden and Karen Ward for their many hours of hard work!
5.22.12 The National Maritime Day ceremony at Fort Trumbull was followed by chowda', generously provided by Captain Scott's, and served up at the Custom House!
4.22.12 National Maritime Day 2012 was foggy and damp at Fort Trumbull. But a hearty crowd assembled for the cannon salute and ceremony. New London is rich with the deeds and steeped in the traditions of the United States Merchant Marines. Once a year, on May 22, we take a day to thank them.
4.19.12 Two great activities today: first, the Custom House House Lighthouse Kids Sea Shanty Chorus gave their first performance of the year. A part of New London Public School's Hope Week activities, the chorus performed on the CIty's Parade Plaza.
Our second Saturday event was artist Sgott MacKenzie, who was at the Custom House this afternoon to read from his new book: The Giant Squid and the Seagull Meet the Leviathan. Below are photos of Sgott with his inter-generational fans. At left is the Sea Shanty Chorus with teacher Jody Barthel and chorus director Geoff Kauffman.
4.17.12 Governor Dannel Malloy, who knows his Connecticut history, at left, addressed the state conference on tourism today in Hartford. In an abrupt about face, the state has begun refunding tourism in a major way. The new state logo: Connecticut, still revolutionary, reflects the Governor's and deputy commissioner Kip Bergstrom's affinity for the era of the American Revolution.
4.16.12 New London's Spring Food Stroll was fun, filling and unusually full of Ancient Mariners, who seemed to turn up everywhere throughout the night. Great to see Gaspar's finally open & serving meatloaf cupcakes with masjed potato frosting.
4.15.12 There was a certain degree of manuvering, controversy and pushiness, but in the end, New London won out as the first Connecticut city to unveil a mural from the state's Department of Economic Development City Scapes project grants.
On the wall of the parking garage, four works by Chester artists Jan Cummings and Peter Good create a Cabinet of Curiosities, said to relate to the exotic shells at the New London County Historical Society. But between us, that's a bit of a stretch as Cummings & Good frequently use single shells in their work. Looks good, in any event, and should be a memorable sight to catch from the train.
5.23.12 Lots going on outside in the streets: new murals going up, old murals looking great, and on our roof work being done, again...
5.23.12 Wednesdays are our day for Lighthouse Tours. Today our friends J.D. and Ava made the climb.
5.24.12 A grey morning for our year-end Lighthouse Kids trip to Stonington and the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House.
5.24.12 Students toured the house with Mary Beth Baker, left, director, and Candace Sanford, above, docent and author of the biography of Captain Palmer that these students read over the holidays.
5.24.12 Just before noon, the Jennings Lighthouse Kids walked the .9 mile into Stonington to visit NESS and take a ride out in their small boats. The goal was to collect algae samples..
5.25.12 Deep-sea dive gear collector Ed Uditis found more great stuff: another hand-made deep-sea dive helmet, and a spear gun and vintage Scuba tanks--and he's loaned them to us! Thanks Ed!
5.25.12 And speaking of deep-sea diving, divers are beginning to appear in another of the City Canvas murals, this one going up on the Eugene O'Neill site of Homeward Bound Treasures.
In the background, above, to the right, is the third mural, Portraits of the City, painted by various New London aritsts of New London residents. It is on the back wall of the Hygienic Art park theater.
5.27.12 Sunday brought a private tour of the lighthouse (you can do it, too, by appointment, call 860-447-2501) and a private party at the Custom House. Six children arranged a party for their mother and three of her friends. The mother + friends all turned 90 this year!
5.25.12 We've opened New London Harbor Light for tours to small groups.
For a suggested donation of $35 for adults or $15 for youth ages 8 - 14 visitors can learn the history of this magnificent structure and climb its 119 steps to the lantern level and be afforded spectacular views of Long Island Sound. Proceeds will go toward restoration of the lighthouse.
Tours will be given at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. each Wednesday in June . Individuals or small groups who wish to take advantage of this opportunity should call the Custom House Museum at 860-447-2501 Tuesday through Sunday between 1 and 5 p.m.
5.29.12 Ed Condon (left), the Essex Woodcarver, appeared today with a new, hand-carved sign for the Museum Shop! We've been working on the shop this spring and hope to have it together in time for SailFest/Opsail 2012!
Thank you, Ed, for such beautiful work.
5.29.12 Great meeting this morning at Sweetie's for members of NL's cultural community--here, pictured, are the first to arrive. The idea is to coordinate downtown events this summer. A good start is to check out NL Waterfront's facebook page, where many upcoming events are listed.
1 (860) 443-2517
