CT Explored/Inbox
Fall 2025: Our Environment. Our newest issue is hot off the press! Learn about the Elm City Freddy Fixer Parade and Connecticut's Wild Visionary. Plus the 29th Annual Venture Smith Day & more events.
“Present from the Start: People of Color in Connecticut’s Revolutionary Era, 1763-1836” conference is free and open to the public! To receive the included lunch, we request an RSVP. Register here.
The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Connecticut’s Wild Visionary: Children’s Author Maurice Sendak
Connecticut Explored and our podcast, Grating the Nutmeg, have featured many of the heritage trails that mark the important histories and sites of Connecticut’s people. Preservation Connecticut has undertaken a survey of LGBTQ+ heritage sites across the state. Now, Grating the Nutmeg and Preservation Connecticut have teamed up to bring you a three-episode podcast series that pairs new research on LGBTQ+ identity and activism with accounts of the Connecticut places where history was made.
Artist and author Maurice Sendak was able to achieve significant and enduring success in art and children’s literature during his lifetime. But what secrets did he had to keep from his family, publishers, parents, librarians, and readers as a gay, Jewish man negotiating the field of children’s literature? In our second episode, my guest is Dr. Golan Moskowitz, author of Wild Visionary, Maurice Sendak in Queer Jewish Context, published by Stanford University Press in 2021. Dr. Moskowitz is an Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and a faculty member of the Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience at Tulane University.
Listen: Connecticut’s Wild Visionary: Children’s Author Maurice Sendak
Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show.
This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was supported by Preservation Connecticut, preserving the state’s heritage for 50 years and a Quick Grant from CT Humanities.
Making History with Reese L. McLeod
State Historian Andy Horowitz interviews people who are bringing the past into the present.
State Historian, Andy Horowitz, talks with the President of the Elm City Freddy Fixer Parade, Reese L. McLeod, about one of the oldest African American parades in the Northeast. When a group of Black New Haveners started a cleanup campaign in 1962 of New Haven’s Dixwell neighborhood, they jokingly suggested calling it “Freddy the Fixer” not realizing that not only the name would stick, but also the initiative would grow into something much bigger.
Read the entire interview in our Fall 2025 issue.
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Out and About: Family fun at Marlborough Day and photos from the Green Corn Festival
The Schaghticoke Women’s Traditional Council is “a group of Indigenous women working to preserve, protect & pass on our history and culture to future generations.” For more info, see https://www.schaghticokewomen.org/
Connecticut Explored’s long-time organizational partner, The Institute for American Indian Studies, organized the 20th Annual Green Corn Festival in Woodbury this August.
CT Explored staff also enjoyed tabling at Marlborough Day and chatting with enthusiastic visitors. Local businesses, live music, and food trucks were just a few of the highlights at this annual community event. Witch hazel packaged in bottles was handed out to guests, along with other goodies! Did you know that nearly all of the world’s witch hazel comes from Connecticut’s state forests?
Read more about CT’s witch hazel: Mary M. Donohue, “Witch Hazel–Connecticut’s Wonder Shrub” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2020-2021.
Wishing for a September as vibrant as fall foliage- see you at our upcoming events!
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
29th Annual Venture Smith Day
The 29th annual Venture Smith Day Connecticut Freedom Trail Celebration will be held on Saturday, September 6th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the First Church Cemetery, 499 Town Street (RT. 151), East Haddam, Connecticut, where Venture Smith (1729-1805) is buried. Please bring a chair or blanket to sit on outside. Refreshments will be served following the event. A new Venture Smith exhibit is on display at the East Haddam Historical Society and Museum, 264 Town Street in East Haddam. The Museum will be open from noon to 5:00 PM on Venture Smith Day.
Adults and children, who are interested in learning more about Connecticut history in the 1700 and 1800s, are encouraged to attend. For questions, please call (860) 873-9375.
Interested in learning more about Venture Smith’s life? Check out our book, Venture Smith’s Colonial Connecticut, by Elizabeth Norman.
18th Annual Old-fashioned Flea Market
Join us this September at Lockwood-Mathews Mansion's old fashioned flea market in Norwalk. Flea Market enthusiasts will find the park brimming with vendors selling a treasure trove of unique items including antiques, repurposed furniture, upcycled collectibles, jewelry, crafts, household items, clothing, toys, specialty farm-to-table foods and more. Tasty treats and refreshments will be available at several food trucks. This event will be free to the general public.
The Mansion’s Volunteers will manage a White Elephant Table, selling items generously donated by supporters. The Gift Shop will be opened and feature museum-centric accessories and an eclectic mix of gift items including logo embroidered totes, vintage and designer jewelry, elegant scarves, and books relating to history and preservation. Mini-tours will be offered to the public for $5 on the first floor from 12–4 PM. All proceeds will benefit the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum’s educational and cultural programs.
September 14, 2025, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Ave, Norwalk. lockwoodmathewsmansion.com; 203-838-9799
River Art and Fall Cruises
On view through October 19, Watermark: Capturing the Connecticut features the work of four New England photographers. Viewers will rediscover the majestic beauty of the river and connect with the surrounding landscape and communities. Don’t miss Swallow Cruises through September 28 and Fall Foliage Cruises between October 1 and October 26.
Connecticut River Museum, 67 Main Street, Essex. ctrivermuseum.org; 860-767-8269
Fall at the Ancient Burying Ground
The Ancient Burying Ground is the oldest surviving colonial site in Hartford, established in 1640. This fall, join us to commemorate Connecticut Freedom Trail Month and the fascinating history of the 17th-century witchcraft trials.
The Ancient Burying Ground, 679 Main Street, Hartford. theancientburyingground.org; 860-337-1640
Editor’s Picks:
Clarissa Ceglio, “Our First Official Labor Day” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2013-2014.
Gene Leach, “Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2012-2013.
William J. Mann, “A Brief History of Connecticut Gay Media” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2020-2021.