Santa’s House Full of Visitors

Santa’s House Full of Visitors:

25^th Annual Burr Homestead event draws big crowds

(Appeared on Fairfield.Patch.com 12/11)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

12/11/10

Fairfield, CT – When Santa opened his house for a visit, he probably didn’t bargain on having the whole community tromp through.

But that was the case Saturday Dec. 11 when the Junior Women’s Club of Fairfield opened to the public the Burr Homestead at 739 Old Post Road for its 25^th Annual “A Visit to Santa’s House” event. Scheduled for 10am-4pm today and 10am to 2pm on Sunday, Dec. 12, the affair is made possible by presenting sponsor Newman’s Own, house sponsor General Electric and a host of other companies sponsoring specific activity rooms. The event benefits Brady’s Smile, a Fairfield-based non-profit that helps families with children in the neo-natal and pre-natal ICU’s at local hospitals.

Bridget Perry, Co-Chair of the event and a JWC member, said the whole house was devoted to the event and that this was the second year that JWC was supporting Brady’s Smile. Last year, the event raised $18,500 for the organization.

Perry led Patch on a tour, beginning with a room to the right of the entry hall that contained donated items, including many gift baskets, for a raffle. While parents reviewed these, their children could have their faces painted or take a photo with a costumed Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Facepainter Caroline Kane, 14, applied a Christmas tree design on seven-year-old C.J. Vinas’ cheek while Vinas’ mom Jennifer looked on. “We wanted to see Santa and have some fun in Fairfield,” Jennifer mentioned.

An adjacent back room contained baked goods donated by JWC members as well as gingerbread houses and kits, all for sale. Perry said that pizza, water and Goldfish snacks would also be available later in the day.

In a kitchen area, Mrs. Claus visited with children like Grace McCormack, 6, and brother Liam, 4, who were visiting with mom Siobhan. “We’re having fun,” Siobhan said. “We came to see Santa and all the decorations and get into the season.”

A back entertainment room with big picture windows was hosted by Little Gym and featured a rotating schedule of activities including dance and music provided by Lenihan School of Irish Dance, Flash Pointe Dance, World Champion Taekwondo and Suzuki Music School. Madeline Gilhuly, 5, was recruited for an interactive session while parents Bill and Samantha and sister Lucy, 2, sat by.

“We came out to see Santa and do arts and crafts and enjoy the holidays,” said Samantha.

A last room on the main floor was devoted to crafts and, there, JWC volunteer Sue Martin worked on greeting card designs with six-year-old twin daughters Lindsay and Lauren. Parents and children at several stations busily worked on cards, ornaments and wrapping paper.

On the second floor, a gift shop sponsored by Southport dentist Dr. Salvatore Pizzino featured small toy items that children could buy for their siblings. There was also a second free style craft area here and a small room in which artist Deborah O’Connor created silhouettes of visitors.

Another entertainment room sponsored by Giant Steps Toy Store featured rotating activities including storytime, holiday puppet shows and instrumental performances. Next door, a train room sponsored by Hobbytown contained a G-Scale train circling a small tree and passing through Christmassy scenes.

In the hallway, Gabby Camarro, 9, and friend Emily Cholokian, 9, were picture posing with a costumed Frosty the Snowman character. Gabby’s dad, Tom, remarked, “I love to bring them down for Santa and to see the dancing. It gets them in the spirit.”

“We love Christmas! It’s awesome!” the girls squealed.

Of course, Santa’s House wouldn’t be Santa’s House without Santa and there the jolly fellow sat in his own sectioned off front room under heavy security – or at least a couple of helpers that escorted young visitors to see him. One visitor was Elizabeth Magy, 5, attending with parents Russ and Amy, from Fairfield. “Elizabeth wished for Zhu Zhu Park. It’s just magical in here. It’s the place to be,” said Amy.

Perry agreed, citing, “There’s something for everyone and kids of all ages. Community organized and funded. We encourage area residents to make this event part of their family tradition.” 

Walk and Talk a Feathery Affair

Walk and Talk a Feathery Affair:

Naturalist Dick Worth hosts bird chat at Audubon Society

(Appeared on Fairfield.Patch.com 12/11)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

12/11/10

Fairfield, CT – If you wanted to know about the birds that call Fairfield home during the wintertime, then Dick Worth is the man to see.

The long-time birder and naturalist hosted a “Walk and Talk” with that very focus mid-morning Dec. 11 at the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Larsen Sanctuary at 2325 Burr St.

Worth, 65, professes a lifelong interest in bird watching that started as a child in New York City and continued when he moved to Fairfield in the 1980s. For about 10 years, he led school groups on spring and fall tours of the Larsen Sanctuary then, two years ago, began teaching a bird watching course for adults at Birdcraft Museum on Unquowa Road. About eight to 10 people typically attend the 4-week program to talk about bird calls and go on hikes to look at birds. Unfortunately, due to the recession, the fall course was not held this year.

Standing at the top of the steps at the Society’s main facility watching a flurry of activity at an adjacent feeder, Worth named the types of birds that can be seen in the winter or are year-round residents. “A number of American Goldfinch stay here for the whole winter and are frequent feeders,” he said. “Then there’s the Tufted Titmouse and Black Capped Chicadee, both of which are here year round. You can also see the White Throated Sparrow.”

He said that though owls stay in the area, you would be unlikely to see them as they are nocturnal. But one could definitely see small woodpeckers like the Hairy and Downy breeds and larger woodpeckers like the Flicker and Red-Bellied variety. Another bird that people might see is the White Breasted Nuthatch, which looks similar to the Chicadee.

He explained that these birds are seed-eating and that they follow a pattern of nesting and mating in the spring and usually have four or five offspring. Unfortunately, only about one in five of the offspring survive, due to predators like hawks, disease or injuries suffered from falls when learning to fly.

“Kestrel Hawks will hang out around a feeder and swoop down and kill a bird,” said Worth. One, in fact, was hovering in a nearby tree as he spoke.

About the birds in general, he said each has a different sound. “You start to get familiar with their calls, which is easiest in the winter because of the small number of birds that stay here. In the spring, when other birds return, you are already familiar with the calls of the winter crop, so learning the sounds of the other birds is easier.”

Worth said the secret to birding is to find a popular spot the birds frequent and to stay there. “Often, that’s a place that has water, like a pond, where they come to drink, or a meadow, where there are usually seeds on the ground and predators can be spotted,” he said.

One of the key things an aspiring birdwatcher can do is always look up. “You’re more likely to see birds in trees than at eye level,” Worth remarked.

There was a very plaintive screech as Worth excitedly said, “Oh, wow, look at that! A Broad Shouldered Hawk! He’s watching that feeder.” Sure enough, though it was hard to spot at first, the massive bird was perched on a limb of a tree.

“You can see how well they camouflage themselves. There are barely any leaves up there and he blends right in,” said Worth.

The bird man said this pursuit is popular because it requires so little. “You really just need a good set of standard binoculars and a good bird identification book, though you need patience, too. You have to stand there and wait for the birds to appear.”

Worth’s career path has been as windy as the Sanctuary’s trails, with an early start as a newspaper reporter for the old Hartford Times, a Gannett paper. For the past 30 years, he has written history texts and biographies. He’s also a jazz piano player and conducts a “Keys” instructional program for children in kindergarten through 6^th grade in the Bridgeport school system.

Surprisingly, Worth has not written about his hobby, though he’s extremely knowledgeable. “There are so many books out there, I never felt there was a need for another.”

But he certainly is passionate about his pursuit. “Bird watching is a very, very relaxing way to spend time. It’s being out in the woods with a purpose. What it enables you to do is see some of the most spectacular creatures. Some of these birds are just gorgeous. There’s no end to the amount of time you can spend doing it.”