"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Welcome to summer in the Northeast and also to our July issue of INK! The pages on the calender seem so temporary these days. It feels like I just flipped a month and zip-bang where did that go. For me personally time has been moving like the crack of a whip.
I hope you have set aside some space this summer to kick-back, relax and take it all in. The beach, the grill, and a motorcycle ride can all happen in one day here in Connecticut. Maybe you and a few of your favorite people can go up to Stonington and spend an evening at Kingdom of the Hawk? Share a few glasses of wine, some laughs and stories from the good old days. It’s a beautiful setting to create another memory. The options are bountiful from here until fall so cash it!
The magazines we put down each month consistently have been blowing off the shelves. Each month we release stack, after stack into the wild and I can’t help but wonder where they end up. They have shown up all over the place up to and including over including a Laundromat in Maine.
The magazine your are currently holding happens to be the 222nd issue. Hard to believe that for two-hundred and twenty-two months we still haven’t even scratched the surface as to the interesting and inspired people that make up the whole of New England. Support Main Street, support our sponsors!
Happy July 4th. Enjoy!!
Contributors
Deanna
Advertising
On the Cover: Atruim of The Bushnell photo by unknown
Jeffery Lilly founder / publisher
Neal Hughes, Chesapeake Bugeye, Oil, 18 x 24”
Rosier Smith,
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t actually all began back in the 60s in Hawaii.
They first called it, “Dress Down Friday,” a day when office workers were allowed and actually encouraged to wear their Aloha shirts to work instead of shirts, ties, jackets, dresses, and suits.
Then, like so many other trends, it evolved. It gained popularity, the name changed to Casual Friday, and the fever caught on in California where trends, fads, and crazes often are born before the rest of us even have an inkling. From the West Coast, Casual Fridays swiftly made its way across the country, and suddenly not just office workers, but medical personnel, retail employees, and workers of all stripes were kicking off the high heels, retiring their ties and jackets to the back of the closet or the nearest Goodwill, and relaxing into a more comfortable fashion trend filled with tee shirts, running shoes, and faded jeans with rips in the knees...and not just on Friday.
“People just aren’t dressing up anymore,” begins Deb Thompson, owner of the very popular store for the latest in fashion, One North
Main located….well, where do you think? One North Main Street smack in the heart of beautiful downtown Essex, a place where New Englanders from everywhere travel not just for a beautifully curated inventory, but for the wise styling of Deb Thompson.
Thompson wasn’t always a fashionista, but she always had a good handle on what customers wanted due to an enviable career amassing some 30 years in the restaurant business managing a number of venues and learning early on the key to pleasing people.
“It’s simple,” Deb says. “Just know your customer, listen to what they’re telling you, and then deliver it.”
So when she decided to leave the culinary arena and venture into the world of retail, specifically women’s clothing, it really wasn’t a 180 or a pivot at all. The world of fashion, much like a culinary career, is still all about giving the customer what they want, making suggestions, and then putting together an experience they will want to share with others and return for again and again.
Deb opened her store in 2006 in arguably the best location in Essex, right as you come into the town square. The key to One North Main’s ongoing popularity is first, Deb’s approach to customers; then, the actual clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Thompson has an uncanny ability to listen to what people tell her they want...and then goes out and gets it! She doesn’t fill the shop with merchandise that she alone likes, she fills it with what her customers want to wear...and they do! Riding shotgun with Deb in the store is her constant companion, “Truffles,”
a charming Javanese pooch who lounges lazily on a chair in the center of the shop checking out the action and willingly accepting attention.
The clientele is not just local, although there are plenty of Essex residents; still, others come on boats for the day or for the weekend from the shoreline, from New York, from other New England towns, and from all over the country and the world because the unique styling on display at One North Main has been culled from designers both domestic and abroad.
Number one in Deb’s lineup is cashmere whether it’s winter, spring, summer, or fall because it is ageless, always looks fabulous paired with the rest of any ensemble, and is available in sunny warm weather colors, harvest color palettes, or light, summery hues.
Cashmere, which is pure, natural, and sophisticated, feels so good on the skin, both soft and warm, but not as heavy as sheep’s wool. You will always find a huge display of cashmere at One North Main from the leaders in their design and construction, Kinross from Scotland, and Alashan bringing 100% cashmere from Mongolia to New England.
Kinross is proud to let customers know that they create original hand-crafted products with timeless style inspired by nature that is wearable in any season. Just as the trend today in good eating boasts “farm to table,” Kinross products are “goat to garment” with years spent in the global cashmere business. Highly respected in the industry for its premium quality products, Kinross is also ever-mindful of environmental concerns. Even though they now have offices in Boston, New York, and Shanghai they have never strayed from the tenets of strict European cashmere production that is their history and their hallmark. Look closely at a Kinross item, and you’re likely to see a journey symbol within the company logo that reflects the lengthy trip from the plains of Mongolia where the fiber is hand-combed to One North Main where you’re holding a beautifully refined garment in your hand and just can’t resist cuddling its softness.
Alashan likewise brings a vast variety of styles and colors in
over 70 different and vibrant shades. Dress toppers, ponchos, sweaters, and wraps will be wearable for years affording comfort, elegance, and always the classic style that One North Main customers demand and Deb Thompson always delivers.
What pairs perfectly with a sweater or top to complete a classic look? Jewelry! One North Main is the only shop in town to have the Julie Voss collection of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings. They are handcrafted using 24K gold settings with the addition of glass, pearls, and gemstones, and serve the wearer well as they make for the perfect accessory whether you’re venturing to the beach, the office, or a summer party.
If you’re going to kick back this summer, might as well do it in comfortable footwear, and a visit to One North Main directs your gaze almost immediately to the unique design and myriad colors of the stylish, comfortable, wearable shoes of Ilse Jacobsen. This Danish designer has created shoes that radiate comfort and style and are exactly what you’d want to wear on a long motor trip, a walking tour, or a day of fun shopping and sightseeing. Check them out...there’s a style and a color or two to complement every outfit.
It’s one thing to own a business for 18 years. It’s quite another to be so fully invested in that business and its clientele that you’re there every day, constantly arranging and rearranging to bring the full focus of those who enter the shop directly to the clothing and accessories. Thompson prides herself on her windows which are frequently refashioned to highlight new merchandise, a new season, or a fresh new look.
Yes, 18 years. Through a recession. Through a pandemic. Through it all, Deb Thompson’s been here making new friends from those who are browsing, freshening associations with those who’ve been coming for years, and always thinking ahead to the next season, the next style, and the next person to walk through that door.
Style never does go out of style. That’s why it’s called “Classic.” That’s why, like so many loyal customers for 18 years, you can find it at One North Main where casual is always classic...and you get a side order of Truffles!
One North Main...it’s the easiest address to remember, and it’s right on the corner of the square as you come into downtown Essex. (860) 767-2559 @onenmainessex
By Nancy LaMar-Rodgers Photography by Vincent Scarano
siren blares outside the window of Jacob Culler’s working studio on State Street in New London. I am startled, but Jacob has no reaction and continues pulling pieces of canvas from the layered piles that line the walls. I need no explanation as I understand that Cullers is used to such sharp and piercing sounds, having spent four years in Iraq. He pulls a particular canvas from the stack and positions it toward me. The sun through the window casts an ominous shadow across the disturbing image. The room itself lets out a mournful sigh. I am overwhelmed by the sadness, the graphic expression of destruction, and the relentless casualties of war. But Jacob Cullers doesn’t want to talk about war anymore. He doesn’t want to relive any of it, and he feels that after 11 years of splashing the collateral damage across his canvases, he has said all he has to say about his time in Iraq and the loss of his brother, Ari, in Afghanistan.
I ask Jacob if painting has helped soften the edges of his grief. He pauses for a minute and simply says, “I don’t know, I don’t think so.”
Cullers goes on to explain how these images and paintings came to be. “I didn’t get into art making until after my brother
was killed in Afghanistan. At that point, my mantra simply became paint or die, and my work was heavy back then, just grief stricken and dark.”
Cullers momentarily steps back from that painting, stares at the others, and then gently releases another canvas for our viewing. “I’ve told the story of my brother and my own for so many years, so I just stopped.” His breath is stuck in his chest, and it takes a moment for him to exhale as he relives his own experience while moving the images of his brother across the back of his eyelids.
“This one is titled, Rockets’ Red Glare,” he explains. “I think what I wanted to show is that the violence over there happens in broad daylight, where people live, and that’s why, if you notice here in the background, I have the mountains of Afghanistan.” Cullers refers to Picasso’s famous Guernica painting, which depicts the horrors of battle and, more importantly, the innocent civilians strewn across the landscape. For Cullers, it is the slaughter and the ensuing chaos of a warring society that drives him to put these images out there. His memories linger as he recalls his decision to move in another direction with his artwork and why the same themes keep coming to the surface.
“My work started progressing and I started to take a step back and look at what is happening in our country.” Cullers slips back and forth between the stacks of canvases, mentally assessing what pieces might best represent this transition of his artwork. His current mixed media pieces are as challenging to view as his earlier work—images depicting the ongoing slaughter of innocence and society’s penchant for violence. For Cullers, though, addressing these themes is essential.
“This is when I started doing these fabric pieces and the cut-out holes. I still had my experience in Iraq and the loss of my brother to talk about, but now I had something else to focus on.” Jacob shifts and moves toward the series he refers to, which includes the Unabomber, BLM, and Ahmaud Arbery. Thematically, these pieces all address the continued violence, the unrest, and the sense of divide that has become the current climate in our country.
We talk at length about the madness of it all, and in that conversation, I never hear anything that can help me understand why Cullers joined the service. We pivot.
“I was born in New London, and we moved to Waterford, and I graduated from Waterford High School. I was not a good student, and I was direction-less after I graduated.”
Jacob explains how joining the service seemed like his best option at that point. “Joining for me was a way to work and get paid, and then maybe go to school after. I volunteered to go to Iraq because I wanted to do something. I wanted to say that I went somewhere and did something that I thought might be important.” He clarifies that he didn’t have any particularly noble reason for joining the service but that his brother loved the army and loved being a soldier.
“He was a staff sergeant and loved caring for his troops.” Cullers pauses for a moment, “to be honest, he probably wouldn’t have wanted it to go any other way.” With this statement, he reflects a bit on their childhood.
“Through my own investigation for understanding, I realized that as kids and boys, as most boys did, we played with GI Joes, we watched the movies and like most of us, we had this romanticized idea of what it would be like to go into the army.” Cullers turns toward the paintings again and steps back. “I guess everything happens for a reason and I just hope that I see him again someday.”
Home from Iraq in 2008 and officially out of the service in 2009, Jacob began his educational pursuits in 2010. He had never formally studied art; however, the innate talent existed. “I could always sketch but I never did anything in high school, never really took an art class or painted, really nothing. But I knew I could draw well and so I ended up designing our squadron’s teeshirt and coin, but I never tapped into any real art until after.” Cullers goes on to explain that it
wasn’t until his brother was killed that he began to delve into that part of himself. “I fell deep into that, and it became my obsession.” He poured his grief into studying and creating art. He needed an outlet, and his creations have been there.
“I started reading as much as I could, and I fell in love first with the post-impressionists, Van Gogh, Matisse, all of it. Their vividness of color and their application of paint.” Eventually, Cullers could apply his education to working with young people. First, he earned his BFA from the University of Hartford and then a Master of Letters in Painting from the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. “I had graduated from Three Rivers initially and went on to get my bachelor’s and then my master’s. The Chair of the Art Department at Three Rivers knew that I got my master’s and offered me a class as an adjunct.”
With his foot in the door as an art professor, other opportunities
opened, including teaching a summer class at RISD. “They have a pre-college program for high schoolers. It is a college simulator where they work on their portfolios. I teach Oil Painting and Drawing 1, and I love it.”
These days, Cullers is exploring the possibility of joy in his artwork. He has been commissioned for pieces essentially the polar opposite of the tragedies of war and violence. His murals beautify walls in Groton, and he has several commissioned
pieces in Niantic. “I am painting what I am being asked to paint, and it is a good side hustle. There is a giant Starry Night that I did in spray paint at The Niantic Public House as well as in Groton where I did a mural for Outer Light Brewing, depicting all things Groton including a 20x60’ submarine.”
Cullers has several others, including an outside wall depicting a whimsical underwater world at the Niantic Children’s Museum, appealing to the imagination in all of us. These “bread and butter” commissions have helped Jacob in many ways. Not only do they keep him working as an artist, but more importantly, they allow him to tap into that part of him that can still enjoy and celebrate life. He is now open to exploring that space of a celebratory artist returning to a world that allows him to settle into the ever-changing continuum of emotions inherent in the human condition.
https://www.jcullers.com
Gallery Exhibit
Barn for Artistic Youth
of Youth, Visions of the Future May 23 - August 23
250 Flat Rock Place, Westbrook, CT 06498 860-358-6200 + info@midhosp.org + MiddlesexHealth.org Visit the gallery at the Shoreline Medical Center
The Barn for Artistic Youth (BAY) opened in 2003 with the mission to provide quality art education to elementary through high school aged emerging artists who live in southeastern Connecticut.
For more information, visit MiddlesexHealth.org/BAY
Estelle Filardi, APopofColor,acrylic (detail)
Champagne Pol Roger Brut Reserve
John Maynard Keynes once famously said, “Life is too short to drink bad wine.”Most certainly this applies to the sparkling variety. If you are going to pop a cork to celebrate, it seems reasonable to want the beverage in question to rise (like the bubbles) to the occasion. During our journey through the collective human experience, there are any number of reasons to mark an occasion as special with a shared beverage that expresses how the moment has made you feel. It is with the bittersweet happiness I feel for Annette and Keith Bienkowski, partners in so much more than just a successful wine and spirit store. As they pass the reins to a local couple so they can pursue new and exciting things, it is time to elevate a glass in their honor. Specifically: Champagne Pol Roger Brut Reserve. Featured in the “Wines of My Life” event that they hosted, as a way to highlight the corked creations that have meant the most to them, it is the embodiment of saying “Cheers.”
Building this bubbly entails a blend of three Champenois (hailing from the Champagne region of France) grape varietals: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The way these grapes combine to produce this sparkling beauty comes from a natural order of operations: the Pinot Noir holding the whole thing together with ample structure, followed by ample fruit notes from the Meunier, finalized by having the bow tied by the Chardonnay. It spends four years in the cellars before it graduates to the bottle. It is harvested and sent to a two-part pressing before fermentation becomes the focus. Once the wine has experienced a proper maloactic (bacterial fermentation that converts malic acid to lactic acid, to soften acidity) fermentation cycle, it is blended and bottled to prepare to be poured at a celebration you should be so lucky to attend. The process is equal parts scientific precision and old-world tenacity with specific temperatures and timelines that make my liberal arts major head spin!
Whaler cutting through the Sound could produce. The nose of this French classic is sweetly floral like the smell of wild honeysuckle or beach roses. Further whiffs will deliver fresh baked Portuguese sweet bread. Whether your first sip invokes peach or papaya, the lush notes are citrus aplenty and not to be missed. I picked up on the skin of a Granny Smith apple with a side of buttermilk biscuit in the end. So clean and neat, the secondary sips linger as a jam spread across a lightly buttered croissant fresh out of the oven. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is a beverage that could carry the evening all by itself. It will work as effectively at a brunch or shower as it would holding court around a backyard bonfire. It is a wine with a presence that defines the moment with certainty. Famously the favorite of Sir Winston Churchill, you can be secure in the knowledge that presenting this to the ones you hold nearest and dearest will be as well received as the advice that Annette has given me when I have been in a pinch looking for the right sips over the years.
It goes without saying that the focus of this piece is to emphasize sharing the best of life with the souls you are most thankful for. I will again offer my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the journey that I have been a part of at Cove Ledge Package Store. I wrote this month’s offering overlooking the Wequetequock Cove from where they drew the initial name before the big move to Water Street in the Borough. Humanity often regrets not “giving someone the flowers while they are here to smell them;” and with that sentiment, I challenge you to go to your favorite small businesses and vendors and tell them how much their wares mean to you because every small business is tasked with staying afloat on levels we often cannot imagine. Your well-intentioned Google or Facebook review could be the extra lift they need that day. Paying it forward at a time when it feels like so many of us are stuck in our tracks, is something to aspire to.
This wine is every bit the color of the golden straw dunes along Napatree Point in Rhode Island with as many bubbles as a Boston
ttention, antique and vintage car aficionados... with or without a car! Unlike other car clubs with a single focus on a specific brand or model, the Belltown Antique Car Club came together solely because of a contagious passion for all makes and models of vintage automobiles. Founded in 1968, it was an open invite. “...bringing together vintage auto enthusiasts who wished to show their cars, share technical knowledge and advance the hobby by embracing new members who shared their passion for the automakers’ art. Our membership is open to anyone who owns, restores or just loves antique cars.” The only caveat for car owners wanting in on the excitement: in order to show at the annual Meet, cars must be at minimum, 40 years or older – 1984 or older.
August 4, 2024, marks the 57th Annual Belltown Vintage Motorcar Meet at the Haddam Neck Fair Grounds, Haddam Neck, CT. In addition to the club’s annual Tractor and Engine Show – now, in its 49th year – the Motorcar Meet is the organization’s main event, sponsored each year by the BACC. Dan David – newsletter editor for the club –clarified the timeline with a smile. “If it hadn’t been for the Covid 19 Pandemic, this year would have marked year 58!” Along with BACC cohorts Peter Christenson, and RJ Phil, David – who had a run as an emissions expert for the now defunct SAAB marque – met up with INK to talk about the camaraderie of vintage and antique cars.
But first, what is the Belltown connection? East Hampton, CT was the thriving epicenter of all flavors of bell manufacturing during the mid to late 1800’s. Multiple foundries populated the small town, and
in the Bronx. Christensen currently owns a beautiful 1928 Chevy – a vehicle that carries a deep meaning for him. “ It belonged to a friend of mine, Lang Arnold from Rutland, Vermont. It was moved to East Haddam in 1936. My friend Charlie’s dad owned it, and I always admired it. I kept track of the car, and finally had the opportunity to buy it in 2021.” Christensen drives the Chevy on fair weather days, and it’s painstakingly being brought back to original, while still an intricate work in progress.
although demand and factories dwindled, a sixth generation at Bevin Bells continues production. The company produces the brass bells that are handed out as coveted prizes at the BACC car shows. The first unofficial gathering of these car lovers, began at East Hampton’s Old Home Day in 1967, as part of the town’s Bicentennial Celebration. A small group of vintage car owners volunteered to drive their cars in a parade that day and were instantly bonded.
A year later, the enthusiasm had stuck, and a fledgling club formed. With 26 original male members, the BACC was officially founded as strictly a men’s only organization. Although women were later admitted to the club, at early meetings, Richard Beckwith’s wife, Polly waited for her husband in the parking lot. Later, she not only became an official member, but also became the President of BACC. Today, the club has grown in size, with 96 primary members – five with lifetime status – and 52 associate members.
Scratch the surface, and the conversation between Peter, RJ, and Dan takes a deep dive into how they came to take ownership of their own cars, along with stories about cars with close ties to the club. Peter Christensen came to the club without a car but had the itch. He remembers his father – who was born in 1897 – talking to him about chasing down the first cars that were on the road
RJ piped in, “Cars are in my family. My grandmother drove a Model T Ford across the Connecticut River from Portland to Middletown – straight across the ice. Why? Just because she could. Mom’s oldest sister had a 1940 Master Deluxe. It was a salesman’s car intentionally built without a backseat...just to stow sample bags. The Chevy was sold to my grandfather, and
then he purchased a 1964 Corvair 700. The Corvair came to me in 1972 and I drove it until 1984, when I made the jump to modern cars. In 1976, I bought a 1970 Mustang Fastback. It has been partially restored, and I still own it today.”
Several cars owned by members of the BACC over the years, have been kept exclusively within the same family and ownership spans multiple generations. There is a 1929 Viking – purchased new in the 1920’s – that still remains in the same family and was recently put back onto the road. There is also a White that has been maintained by a different family – also handed down for generations.
There is a vast wealth of technical knowledge in the club, and the supply offered up and shared readily with members. During competition the precision in details and information is critical, especially during the judging portion of the Annual Meet. Cars are rated according to original factory stock, not based on a concourse standard. Key elements up for scrutiny include roof,
paint, wheels, tires, undercarriage, and interior. Aftermarket additions, such as the wrong chrome, engine modifications, or even a new radio can cost a competitor points deducted from their car’s overall score.
Occasionally, a judge can be proven incorrect. RJ recalls one specific moment. “Bob Hellstrom was an expert on the subtleties and variations between the models and model years of Buicks and Oldsmobiles. One year, a car parked next to him in the field was being judged and he overheard the judge penalize the owner for the driving lights installed on the model. Hellstrom countered the judges, went to his truck, and retrieved
the original sales brochure for the exact car. Apparently, the lights were a legitimate option for that model, he challenged the score, and the judge corrected the points. Another time, there was an Oldsmobile Fiesta from the 1950’s being judged in the wrong class, when it should have been a Classic.”
BACC isn’t all bone-dry technical specs, the quest for rare parts, and foot thick shop manuals. The majority of the time, club activities focus on camaraderie, back stories and history, plus the overall pure fun of appreciating and owning antique and vintage cars. There have been fascinating lectures over the years, with a distinguished and on-going list of new special guests who continue to share stories and information at monthly meetings. Subjects have run the gamut; from the couple who are avid collectors of Titanic artifacts and detail their collection wearing period costume. One member lectured at length about his construction of a replica WW1 Model T ambulance – like one used by the AFS during the war. Dr. Norma Granville went into depth with the club about her father’s hand-built Gee Bee racers. Typically, monthly club meetings are held either at a member’s home, or at the East Hampton Public Library.
Each year, the Belltown Vintage Motorcar Meet features a Featured Marque as a theme for the show, offering free admission to the owners of these vehicles. This year, the Featured Marque is the pre-war Cars of Connecticut and Neighboring States. When
biles include New Britain’s Corbin and Charter Oak; Hartford’s Columbia, Pope, and Kelsey; Middletown’s Frisbie; and New Haven’s Hay & Hodgekiss. (Previous Featured Marques at other BACC Annual Meets, included Ford Model T, and Studebaker.)
With a quick look in the rear-view mirror, there is a new generation of Antique and Vintage car collectors moving into the sightline. The Belltown Antique Car Club is always encouraging and welcoming new
Connecticut had a booming manufacturing base, there were also a surprising number of automobiles produced throughout the industrial hubs within the state. Some of the most recognized of these turn-of-the20th century Connecticut-made automo-
members –including owners of the later models from 1984 and older.
For more information about membership, meetings, and events contact the club at: belltowncarclub@ gmail.com
“How few of us realized that Hartford had a fairy godmother, who foresaw and planned all this in the love of her heart, in memory of her father, and for the use and glory of her home city.”
The Hartford Times, 13 January 1930
hen you attend a performance at the Bushnell Theater you become a citizen of Hartford because giving birth to a gathering space for the community was the inspiration behind the theater’s existence.
Dotha Bushnell Hillyer was that inspiration that drove the project to its completion. She was determined to create a communal space in honor of her father Horace Bushnell, a Yale-educated minister and theologian, who was a powerful force of 19th century intellectual thought.
He was respected as one of the great scientific minds of his time and an inventor holding
many patents. Locally, he is remembered as a civic visionary and a forward-thinking leader in the creation of urban green space. He developed the concept of urban parks as oases in cities which would promote social unity, encourage civil discourse, and provide “common ground upon which all men would be more conscious of being one man.” His vision for Hartford’s own Central Park was named Bushnell Park in his honor.
His daughter Dotha Bushnell Hillyer supported her father’s philosophy in her own dream for Hartford. She imagined a world-class performing arts center in the
center of Hartford which would serve as a memorial to her father and as a gift to the people of Connecticut where they could engage in the arts, science, and community activities. She wrote, “Dear friends of Hartford, it pleases me to give this magnificent hall as a memorial to my father, the Reverend Horace Bushnell. He taught me that somewhere under the stars, God has a job for you to do and nobody else can do it and those words fill me with inspiration to this day. I envision a center for the benefit of the public in education and cultural activities. It will truly be an important gathering space suitable for concerts and other artistic performances large and small, lectures,
civic, political, and scholarly meetings. All will be welcome regardless of race, class, or creed. While the structure will be timeless in appearance, it will have every modern convenience, vital and adaptable. Our institution will meet the changing needs and interests of future generations. I foresee a melding of the arts and education to serve as a beacon touching the lives of everyone in our community. In this new Bushnell Memorial, the arts will come to life on a grand scale.”
She sold her stock in December 1928 which preserved her assets before the market crash. With those funds she called upon the architects Corbett, Harrison and MacMurray to build a magnificent theater, a jewel box of Art-Deco design, which preceded Radio City Music Hall. Opening in 1930, it became a beacon of hope in the midst of the Great Depression. The Bushnell’s ceiling mural in Mortenson Hall is
the largest, hand-painted mural of its type in the United States. Patrons can still look up to see Barry Faulkner’s 1929 allegorical figures of performance, progress, and hope.
The Bushnell was dedicated over a threeday period from January 14 -16, 1930. On the final night, the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the baton of Leopold Stokowski, performed to a capacity crowd.
Dotha’s promise needed to be fulfilled and the seats needed to be filled. Bill Mortensen was chosen to survey the country and visit local theaters and determine what types of entertainment would keep the theater occupied on a yearly basis. His conclusion was that the Board should solicit performances from international and national touring companies while cultivating local performance arts groups which was a goal that became his particular focus at The Bushnell. He became the Managing
Director at age 25. As a result, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1934 and the Connecticut Opera in 1942, and in 1973, The Bushnell also became home to the Hartford Ballet.
Throughout its 90-year history the stage has presented both national and international stars of stage and screen and notable civic leaders. In 1939, Marian Anderson performed there. That was the time when the manager at Washington, D.C.’s Constitutional Hall refused to book her because of her race. By inviting performers like Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson, the Bushnell placed itself ahead of other organizations, institutions, and nations trapped within the racism of the era. The Bushnell also presented Broadway. Porgy and Bess appeared in 1943, Oklahoma came for multiple engagements, Brigadoon, and Guys and Dolls, as well as Hair.
It became clear that renovations needed to be made to accommodate large Broadway productions. Another fund-raising campaign resulted in producing expanded space.
The Phantom of the Opera was able to make its Connecticut debut there and made way for the 25-foot-high showboat shack for Showboat in 1997 and the helicopter in Miss Saigon
We have seen Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Les Misérables, A Chorus Line, the Producers, and The King and I among others.
Bringing arts to the public was only one of Dotha’s goals. She also wanted to create a forum for multiple voices to be heard. The Bushnell Morning Lectures presented David Niven, Erma Bombeck, F. Lee Bailey, and Joyce Brothers among others. The program continues as the Connecticut Forum that presents four prominent speakers throughout the season to interact with patrons in a “Civic Conversation”. The most recent are Spike Lee, Michelle Obama, and Seth Myers.
In 1993, PARTNERS (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools) was founded to literally partner with school systems throughout the state. PARTNERS integrates arts with academic curricula by working with school systems. To date, PARTNERS has served 35 schools in 15
school districts in Connecticut. Over 7,000 students have participated in programs with over 50 artistic partners. Free or reduced tickets are made available to school children and others. In early 2001, the Bushnell added a new wing, Belding Hall, for smaller performances and other events. In addition to PARTNERS the Bushnell is also home to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
The theater is now ablaze with 21st century digital projections that dazzle the eye.
The Bushnell continues to be a spirit, infusing Connecticut with inspiration through the arts and education. If you grew up in Hartford, you surely have a memory of the Bushnell as a venue for high school graduation, a first date, ballet, play, or symphony
that later inspired you to participate in the arts as an artist or advocate. The spirit of Dotha’s vision continues to live on. This season is not to be missed!
Go to Bushnell.org for further information.
The Cheesemonger
Deana Simmon, The Cheese Shop of Centerbrook
Neal’s Yard Dairy, The Cheeses of Britain and Ireland
There are over 12,000 artisanal cheeses made in the world today. Some may say this word has been over played and used for almost any gourmet-ish food produced today. I would have to say, I agree, sort of. While there are many foods stamped “artisan” (according to its manufacturer), we all know that’s just a marketing gimmick to make us think we are getting something truly special. However, when it comes to cheese there are many cheese makers who are honing their craft and combining tradition and creativity with an unwavering commitment to quality to produce cheese in the traditional farm style, the way it’s been done for hundreds of years.
History of Neal’s Yard Dairy
In 1978 after returning from a trip to Greece, Randolph Hodgson scoured the city trying to find Greek yogurt. When his search ended without results, he decided to make his own. So, in 1979 he started Neal’s Yard Dairy and retail store making his Greek style yogurts, Crème Fraiche, and other fresh cheeses. When the need to satisfy his customers with a broader variety of products he started buying cheese from small local producers. Hodgson soon found that, other than the knowledge he had of his own cheeses, he knew very little about these new products. To remedy this, he began traveling to other farms to taste and learn what he could about their cheese, then brining back their cheeses to his store. As his fascination and involvement grew, Neal’s Yard Dairy became a route for Randolph to share with the world the cheeses he had fallen in love with.
Today, Neal’s Yard Dairy works with over 40 British and Irish Cheesemakers and they all share the same belief and commitment to a slow, hands-on approach to cheese making. Keeping in close contact with all their cheesemakers allows them to purchase batches of cheese as they need them to ensure quality and meet demand. Many cheeses are aged on the farms, but many are bought young and kept maturing under ideal conditions and the watchful eye of Neal’s Yard. A few years ago, they rented three brick archways under the main line from London Bridge to Dover. Here, the brick archways provided the cool and humid ripening conditions required to properly mature their cheese. Cheeses are turned and washed often to ensure quality. When ready the cheeses will make their way to destinations all over the world.
Tasting and learning is a very large part of the process. Cheeses vary so much from wheel to wheel. The time and season they are made, the ripening conditions, it’s age and the proper shipment and traveling conditions, can all affect the outcome and taste of the cheese. This is why it’s important to taste every cheese before you buy. Just because you know the cheese and have purchased it before it doesn’t guarantee the taste and quality today. When given the chance to taste it’s better to ensure then be disappointed at home.
Some Neal’s Yard Dairy cheeses you may find familiar~
• Appleby’s Cheshire
• Appleby’s Double Gloucester
• Colston Bassett Stilton
• Stinking Bishop
• Lincolnshire Poacher
• Red Leicester
• Cashel Blue
• Stichelton
Many of us appreciate and love a well-known cheese. One of my favorites is Stilton. In the early 1980’s my mom worked in a small local grocery store in charge of purchasing cheese. On Friday nights she would bring home the “odds and ends” of the cut wheels and my sisters and I would sit around the kitchen table, with sparkling fruit juice in our wine glasses and sample. This was my first introduction to Stilton. It’s still one of my mom’s favorites and it quickly became mine too. I still sit around the table on Friday nights with “odds and ends”, real wine and samples… And as for Stilton? It’s for sure a shop favorite as well.
Thanks to the determination of people like Randolph Hodgson, who’s contribution and preservation has helped the resurgence of artisanal cheesemaking and by inspiring the next generation of cheese makers to return to their roots, where quality, tradition and sustainability converge. It combines community, heritage and the joy of sharing.
