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Welcome to your free bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, programs and exhibitions from our partners to see/watch this month, and more!
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Explore all the Juneteenth Celebration activities here!
Connecticut Explored Behind the Scenes: AM Lithography Corporation Builds a Business on Ink and Paper
AM Lithography Corporation (AM Litho) prints Connecticut Explored and has for over a decade. AM Litho is located just over the Connecticut state line in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Launched in 1983 by Al Meadows, it has grown to be a multi-million dollar printing company that has managed to prosper in the current digital age. Twelve years into the business, AM Litho’s competition against the internet started getting serious. Executive Producer of Grating the Nutmeg Mary Donohue details the company’s evolution in her Spring issue article. The need for printed materials decreased starting around 1995 and has continued to this day. By offering digital services, commercial print, packaging, direct mailings, and ordering portals seven days a week, AM Litho continues to thrive. They also credit investing in the right technology at the right time for some of their success. Their new innovative and successful production line is high-end packaging for luxury goods. The company also prints medical packaging, which helped keep them going during the worst of the Covid-19 lockdown. Donohue writes:
But our print magazine is still our crown jewel… (We) hope to continue to work in both ‘old media’ and 'new media' to share the people and places that have made a difference in Connecticut’s history. AM Litho’s successful evolution in printing production demonstrates the ingenuity and persistence we count on.
Read the entire story with your Connecticut Explored subscription.
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
New Haven’s Pioneering Grove Street Cemetery
It’s Spring in Connecticut and this episode is part of our celebration of May as Historic Preservation Month. Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven is the first planned cemetery in the country. The design of Grove Street Cemetery in the 1790s pioneered several of the features that became standard like family plots and an established walkway grid. It is also one of the most beautiful places in Connecticut and is designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. It is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.
The guests for this episode are Michael Morand and Channing Harris. Michael Morand is Director of Community Engagement for Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. He was just appointed the official City Historian of New Haven and currently chairs the Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery. Channing Harris is a landscape architect. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the New Haven Preservation Trust and on the Board of the Friends of Grove Street Cemetery. At the cemetery he's been involved with replanting the next generation of trees, enhancing the front border garden, and assisted with the certification of the cemetery as an Arboretum.
Listen: New Haven’s Pioneering Grove Street Cemetery
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Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
Get a Clue TOURS with Sea Tea Improv
May 24 | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM | Mark Twain House
Who killed that varmint Pap Finn? Was it Tom Sawyer in the Library with the Wrench? The Prince (or was it the Pauper) in the Bedroom? Twain House and Sea Tea need YOU to solve this mystery! Inspired by the classic murder-mystery board game, the GET A CLUE Tours use the various rooms of the Twain House — and some of the author’s favorite literary characters portrayed by costumed actors from Sea Tea Improv — as part of the game. This funny evening is perfect for people ages 10 to 110.
Members of Mark Twain House & Museum should login to access their member discount.
Docent Tours
May 25, 2024 | 11:00 AM and 2:00PM | Slater Memorial Museum
Slater Memorial Museum offers drop-in Docent Tours of the permanent collection on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Tours begin at 11am and 2pm and last approximately 45 minutes. Docent Tours follow unique thematic narratives individually crafted by the docents. These narratives allow visitors to make connections across art styles, periods of history, and countries of origin. With guidance from a well-educated docent, visitors interactively explore the museum galleries, learning new ways to analyze and appreciate artifacts. Docent Tours are included in museum admission and registration is not required. Tours are appropriate for all ages.
Building and History Tour
May 18, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Pequot Library
Pequot Library is included on the National Register of Historic Places and is the recipient of the 2018 Connecticut Treasures Award. Learn about the history of the library, which was founded by Southport resident Virginia Marquand Monroe in 1889, while exploring the building’s iconic Tiffany & Co. stained glass windows, original steel stacks wing, glass floor, and historic reading rooms. The cost is $10 per person. Space is limited to 20 participants. RSVP is required.
Editor’s Picks
Want to explore the topics featured in this edition of the e-Newsletter? Check out these stories and podcasts from the archives.
“How to Start a Local History Magazine” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2022.
“Waterbury: Three Generations in the Newspaper Business” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2010.
“The Height of Fashion in Funerary Art” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2021.
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