What’s going on in your part of Greenwich
Chickahominy
The kids at Community Centers Inc. made it a memorable Mother’s Day for their own mothers and for some Greenwich seniors as well.
Members of CCI’s Homework Club put together nearly 100 handmade flowers made out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners. Their creations were distributed to senior residents at Agnes Morley Heights, Quarry Knolls, McKinney Terrace and Parsonage Cottage.
The elementary and middle school kids pulled off the project with the help of CCI’s staff.
“We were thrilled that the kids were able to get back to these handcrafted memories,” CCI Executive Director Gaby Rattner said.
“The kids were beyond excited. Two in particular really committed to the project and were enormously helpful in creating the 96 flowers. Each kid got to take some to their own moms as well,” she said.
During the past two years of COVID, the project did not go forward. But in those years, volunteers working
with CCI purchased flowers, which were sent to the seniors along with their food deliveries, Rattner said.
The flower project started four years ago as an effort to foster intergenerational programs at CCI.
“We wanted the kids to be aware of the older people in our community who might be alone on Mother’s Day and we wanted the mothers not to feel alone and to bring them some cheer,” she said. “It’s a fun and easy craft project to boot.”
CCI is a human services agency dedicated to building skills that empower clients to overcome educational, social and economic barriers so they can reach their full potential.
Downtown
The Bruce Museum’s 37th annual Outdoor Crafts Festival will return on May 21 and May 22, featuring the work of artisans and craftspeople from all across the East Coast.
It will be held rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Bruce’s grounds at 1 Museum Drive.
“I am so delighted that we are carrying on our wonderful tradition of hosting the best and most inspiring craftspeople and artisans at the Bruce Museum,” said Suzanne Lio, the Bruce’s managing director and chief operating officer. “As an added bonus, visitors to the crafts festival will have the opportunity to witness the swift progress we have made on the construction of the New Bruce addition.”
The festival will include handmade jewelry, wearable and decorative fiber, glass, pottery, furniture and housewares. All of the crafts will all be available for purchase.
However, due to the ongoing construction for the Bruce’s expansion, the festival is limited to 40 juried artists.
Admission is on a “payas-you-wish” basis, but a $10 donation is suggested. Members of the Bruce Museum and children under the age of 5 are admitted for free.
Festival visitors are welcome to check out the museum’s permanent natural history gallery, with new interactive galleries featuring geology from the region, a paleontology gallery with a Jurassic dinosaur re-creation, live fish and freshwater animals, a woodland diorama and “supersized bugs in our own backyards.”
Parking will be available in the Island Beach parking lot and on Steamboat Road and Museum Drive.
Reservations, which are encouraged but not required, can be made at www.brucemuseum.org or by calling 203-869-0376, Ext. 311.
Cos Cob
Caren’s Cos Cobber will host its annual fundraiser for Greenwich Emergency Medical Services on May 18.
The popular restaurant will offer special extended hours for breakfast, which is not typically served during the week at Caren’s, as part of the Just for GEMS benefit.
From 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., patrons can stop in at the restaurant at 31 E. Putnam Ave. to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. A portion of sales will be donated to support the lifesaving mission of GEMS.
This will be the 10th year for the benefit, which is the result of a long-standing partnership between GEMS and Cos Cobber owner Caren Saint Phillip.
The fundraising is critical for GEMS, which unlike the police and fire departments, is not a town department. It is a nonprofit that has a contract with the town to provide ambulance services.
Although GEMS receives a yearly allocation from the town, it also needs community and private support to pay for medical supplies, new ambulances and other equipment.
As part of the benefit, GEMS will be on hand at the event, providing information on its services.
Backcountry
Greenwich Green & Clean is offering tours of Sleepy Cat Farm, a private residence featuring 13 acres filled with unique gardens as well as spectacular architecture and sculptures.
“The landscape unfolds in a series of garden ‘rooms’ encompassing pavilions, pathways, pools, statuary, stairs, trees, shrubs and flowers everywhere. Hillsides and vistas change daily, monthly, almost minute by minute in this undulating landscape of surprises, intrigue and unexpected beauty,” according to Green & Clean.
The event is May 26, with a rain date of May 27.
Visitors will park at Round Hill Community Church at 395 Round Hill Road and take a shuttle bus to Sleepy Cat Farm. The shuttle buses will run from 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., with property open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can stay for as long as they wish within those hours.
“Sharing the Sleepy Cat Farm with the public is a privilege for us. We hope you can participate and come away inspired,” Green & Clean said.
Green & Clean will provide snacks and beverages, and bathrooms and water stations will be set up on the property. Visitors are advised to wear walking shoes because there are many steps and stone paths.
Photos are allowed during the tour. Horticultural professionals will be on site to answer questions.
For tickets, which start at $125 per person, visit www.Greenwich
GreenandClean.org.