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Dear Lounsbury Friend,
While watching the snowflakes fall through these
freezing January days we are busy inside the grand 'ole mansion
preparing for a busy upcoming season of fetes, frolic and so much
fun. Not to be missed is of course the Taste of Ridgefield on
Sunday, January 30. This event is annually sponsored by the Rotary
Club and is always enjoyed by hundreds of well fed and well attended
guests. For more information call 203 438-4585.
Dancing shoes
are coming out for the Crystal Ball which is being brought back after
a six year hibernation on Saturday, February 12th. The stellar
committee has planned a magnificent evening of dining and dancing
with all proceeds benefiting the historic restoration projects at the
Lounsbury House. Please call 203 438-6962 for your reservation and
spend your Valentine Saturday dancing with your loved one at the
magical Crystal Ball. Click here to
learn more.
RCC is
delighted to collaborate with the Youth Commission as they host their
fundraising gala on Thursday, February 24th to benefit
Youth projects in Ridgefield. More information will be coming along
soon but mark your calendars and plan to stop by to support the
Ridgefield Youth Commission in their effort to advocate and help
young folks in town.
The annual
AARP tax assistance program that takes place at RCC will begin on
Thursday, February 3rd and will take place each Thursday from 8-2pm
through April 14th. This is a great community service and
if you need any help with your taxes call Pete Massagli at 203
438-2755 for an appointment.
The
Philanthropic Youth Council will be stirring things up on with a
Fundraising Fashion Show later this spring. The Proceeds will benefit
various non-profit organizations which benefit our community and our
region. We are delighted to help them as they "play it
forward" and we will pass on information about dates so you can
offer your support as well.
Longtime
partners and great friends Caudatowa Garden Club will be sponsoring a
lecture series beginning February 2nd. For more information please click here or call 203 858-0850.
No reason to
hide away this winter when there is plenty to do at the Community
Center. We look forward to seeing you!
Di Masters
Executive Director
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Past events have seen great success!
Since our last eNewsletter, we've had lots of
activity at Lounsbury House, your Ridgefield Community Center
(RCC)! All of the events during this time were extremely successful
and if you missed out on them, you'll want to stay tuned to make
sure you take in as many of our future events as you possibly can.
Speaking of our eNewsletter, the first edition went
out just after our incorporators meeting in October. It turned out
to be very well read and we thank you for all of the positive
comments we received about it. We hope you will enjoy this and
future editions just as much!
Our Incorporators' Meeting in October continued to
exhibit the hard work and professionalism of our Board of Directors
as well as the Lounsbury staff. Thanks to them, everyone is
confident that Lounsbury House is in good hands. At the meeting,
several positive comments were voiced about the progress that was
being made, especially when compared to prior years. Afterward,
Incorporators were able to enjoy hors d'oeuvres and wine while
discussing ideas on how to make our Community Center serve an even
greater role as the heartbeat of Ridgefield community life.
Thursday, November 4 saw our Celebrity Bartender
event held at Toscana's Restaurant to benefit Lounsbury House. This
RCC Fundraiser was called "Party with Purpose" and proved
to be fun for everyone and succeeded in raising much needed funds
for Lounsbury House.
 The Gingerbread
Teas in early December (six seatings) were a tremendous success.
This new program at the Community Center was inspired by our desire
to join in the fun of the Holiday Stroll and do our part to add to
the local economy by inviting new shoppers to town while promoting
RCC. Ancona's sponsorship and the special help from Joe
Ancona ensured that the teas were a pure joy for all the guests and
added a generous contribution to the restoration projects at the
Community Center.
On Sunday, December 5, we kicked off the holidays in
great spirit at Lounsbury House with a wine tasting event to
benefit the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and the
Ridgefield Community Center. Everyone attending had a very fun
afternoon get together sampling red and white wines
along with specialty cheeses and enjoying a string trio
from RSO. Thanks to Cellar XV for their contribution!
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RCC Wish List
One of the great ideas that surfaced at our
Incorporators' meeting was to publish an RCC "Wish List"
that could be seen by our members and show some of our smaller yet
very important needs. We'd really appreciate it if you'd take a
minute to look at it and if you can help us fulfill these needs
we'd greatly appreciate it. New or used items in good condition
will be gratefully accepted. Click here to email us here at the Center if you
can. Here they are:
Meeting Electronics:
- Phone
Jacks on first floor for Ball Room, Living Room, Dining Room
and Crystal Room
- Speaker
Phone for Conference Room
- Office
phones with intercom
Furniture:
- Card
Tables (10)
- High
Top Tables (8)
Linens:
- White
linen tablecloths for 72" rectangle (6)
- White
linen tablecloths for 60" round (6)
Fencing:
- Fencing
on stands to block driveways for private events (2)
Signage:
- Sign
- Closed for Private function
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A full slate of Events coming...
Lots to do at Lounsbury House!
- Taste
of Ridgefield sponsored by the Ridgefield Rotary Club: Sunday,
January 30
- The
Curious Gardener Lecture Series at the Ridgefield Community
Center beginning Wednesday, February 2 (click here to see separate article)
- Philanthropic
Youth Meeting: Sunday, February 6
- Life
Line Screening event: Wednesday, February 9
- Crystal
Ball: Saturday, February 12 (click here to see separate
article)
- Youth
Commission: Thursday, February 24
- RCC
Members Cocktail Party: Friday, April 8 at 6:00pm
- Mother-Son
Dance, Sunday, April 10 from 4-6:00pm
- Annual
Antique Show, Saturday, May 7 (click
here to see separate article)
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 A brand new event
this year...
It promises
to be a smash hit with gardeners.
Sponsored
by the Caudatowa Garden Club, this is a series of talks that answer
questions from both new and seasoned gardeners.
- FEBRUARY
2, "How do I maintain my garden?" Tessa O'Regan,
Cobblestone Landscaping LLC
- FEBRUARY
9, "What are the best plants for our Connecticut
gardens?" Keynote speaker, Page Dickey, author and
lecturer
- FEBRUARY
16, "Do the plants I use in the garden work in a
container?" Denise Sladek, Caudatowa Garden Club
- MARCH
2, "How do I make an attractive centerpiece?"
(workshop*) Joy Spellman, Caudatowa Garden Club
- MARCH
9, "How can I be sure starting plants from seeds will
work?" Joseph Keller, writer and owner The Garden of
Ideas.
All
sessions are 7-9 p.m. at the Ridgefield Community Center. $30 each
session; $75 3 pre-paid sessions; $130 all 5 pre-paid sessions;
*$30 workshop fee. For further information visit the Caudatowa web
site at www.caudatowa.com where
you can print out an order form or call 203-438-3221.
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Community
Center's Crystal Ball,
a sparkling
affair to beat the winter blues
 Committee members Barb Tully, Nita Mohler, LouAnn
Cazalet, Jeanne Manto, Celia Cesca, Maureen Maher, Peg Loehr, Di
Masters and Marcie Coffin are in readiness for the Crystal Ball at
the Community Center on February 12. Missing from the photo, but on
the committee, are Eileen Pambianchi, Cathy Delli Carpini, Laura
Leonard, Mary Hicks, Mary Pat Sexton, Michelle Oliver and Tina
Sturges.
Winter is
upon us, so rather than shovel the driveway one more time, gather
your fancy dress, your favorite friends and head over to the
Lounsbury House for its Crystal Ball, a sparkling affair designed
to lift the spirits as well as raise funds for Ridgefield's crown
jewel, our Community Center. The date is Saturday, February 12, 7
p.m. - 11:30 p.m., the invitations are out, so the time to respond
is now.
In addition
to dancing to the tunes spun by Dave Parks, the Spin Doctor and
dinner-by-the-bite sumptuous food by Tom Devine Two Steps Downtown
Grille Ciao! Catering and Events, there is the possibility of
divine destiny appearing in the form of an auction item just meant
to be. The live auction, with the incredible Ira Joe Fisher as the
auctioneer, will feature just a few items, but what items they are!
A trip to some exotic place perhaps? And in the silent auction,
well, that is where to find the fun things you have always wanted,
but thought were out of reach; however by combining the want with
the thought of contributing toward the Community Center, well, why
not indulge.
As it turns
out, this step into a Crystal Palace, designed to resemble an
elegant and welcoming ice storm, comes just two days before
Valentine's Day, so with a double billing like that, there is very
little reason to stay home.
The cost
for this step-out-of-winter-into-an-elegant-ball (black tie
optional) is $125 per person; for further information or to reserve
a spot or two, call the Community Center at 203-438-6962 or email
us at rcc@snet.net.
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Community Center's Annual Appeal making progress
 This year's
Annual Appeal kicked off November 1st with a mailing to
all members, incorporators and other Ridgefielders. The goal this
year is significant, $70,000, and will allow us to make substantial
and needed repairs to Lounsbury House. An example of need are the
once beautiful mouldings in the main room of the house
(pictured on the left). Initial results are very promising
with an increase of more than $35,000 over the prior appeal.
However, the goal is much higher this year and is absolutely
necessary to maintain our town treasure. If you haven't already
donated to this worthy cause, please do so right away. Checks can
be mailed to Ridgefield Community Center, 316 Main Street,
Ridgefield, CT 06877. You can also visit our website at www.lounsburyhouse.com/
and make your donation on-line. Thank you in advance for your
contribution!
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Cord Shows Ltd.
Returns to Promote Antique Show
This year
our Annual Antique Show will again be run by Ed and Vivian Cord of
Cord Shows Ltd. To get an idea of what to expect at this year's
show we interviewed Vivien Cord, owner and president of Cord Shows
Ltd. Our questions and her answers follow:
What is a Cord Show?
We promote
antiques! We do not
promote collectibles and do not promote reproductions. We wish to
remain true to our focus, which in the case of the Ridgefield
Community Center Antiques Market is antiques.
It sounds
like you have a long history, when did the Cord shows begin?
Cord Shows
Ltd started in 1970 when it produced its first event, a fund-raiser
for The Westchester Dance Council in the suburbs of NYC. I started
my working career at age twenty, after extensive training in ballet
and modern dance, by opening The Progressive School of Dance in
Mamaroneck, NY. At the same time with a couple of friends
enjoyed selling antiques at shows with various promoters under the
name of Windfall Antiques.
Where was your first show?
The first
show at the Hudson River Chateau in Yonkers, NY was under the name
of Cord and Fitzgerald. That show was followed by a major success
at the Hudson River Museum.
How have your shows progressed?
After 15 years the dance school was discontinued to make time for a
growing list of shows. Bill Fitzgerald moved on to open a flower
shop in Mahopac, NY and in 1993 Ed McClure and I became a working
team and life partners.
What kind of shows do you have today?
The
Art/Crafts events have been replaced by two Vintage Clothing shows
and Cord Shows continues to ride a wave of popularity. We owe this
to their loyal dealers, customers and to their niche of shows,
which are manageable in size and fun to visit and participate in.
Where are your shows?
Cord Shows can be found in Tarrytown, Katonah, Cross
River, Patterson and South Salem, NY; Danbury, Old Greenwich,
Ridgefield, and Stamford, CT.
Do you have
special standards for your shows?
Cord Shows
Ltd. is a Charter Member of the Professional Show Managers
Association (PSMA) and I have been on the Board of Directors since
its inception. Merchandise selling at our shows is guaranteed by
the dealers as to age, condition and authenticity (to the best of
the dealer's ability). The aim of our Cord Shows is to keep all
reproductions and new merchandise out of the shows and we are
working hard toward this end.
What is the date of your Ridgefield Show?
Saturday, May 7th we will be set up on the lawn of
the Ridgefield Community Center at the Historic Lounsbury
House. For more info, please visit: www.cordshows.com
or email us at rcc@snet.net.
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