| Let's hope Tom and Becky don't forget their tickets next time they visit! |
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
"Thomas Sawyer, where were you on the seventeenth of June, about the hour of midnight?"
Hello, friends!
Spoiler alert! Those of you who have read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer already know that Tom was in the old graveyard with his pal Huckleberry Finn. Do you remember what happened next?
I'm happy to say that the 6th grade students at Isaac E. Young Middle School and the 7th grade students at Albert Leonard Middle School - both in New Rochelle, New York - can provide the answer to that question. The residents of New Rochelle are reading Mark Twain's classic as part of The Big Read, and I recently gave a keynote at the New Rochelle Public Library along with assemblies and teacher workshops at both schools. In fact, on June 10 we will welcome a busload of visitors from New Rochelle who want to tour the beautiful house where Mark Twain wrote this classic.
If you're in the mood for Tom Sawyer but don't have time to read the book right now, join us on June 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for our own Tom Sawyer Day here at the Mark Twain House. In keeping with our travel exhibition, our theme this year is Tom Sawyer Abroad, and we will be welcoming two very special visitors all the way from the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Missouri: Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher!
This free event will include pony rides, a petting zoo, live music, games, arts & crafts, the Mark Twain Players from Hartford Stage, food trucks, and plenty of fun for all ages.
Please find me and say hello!
Cindy
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EARLY JUNE EVENTS
For more details on all our events, please visit our website.
BOOK/MARK - The Twain Shall Meet: The Mysterious Legacy of Samuel L. Clemens' Granddaughter, Nina Clemens Gabrilowitsch with author Susan Bailey; moderated by Jeff Mainville
Wednesday, June 3, 7:00 p.m.
Did Mark Twain's only surviving child, Clara, and her daughter, Nina Clemens Gabrilowitsch, take a life-long secret to their graves? After extensive research, and using techniques from genetic genealogy, The Twain Shall Meet authors believe the answer is a resounding "yes." If you thought you knew everything about Samuel Langhorne Clemens' family, this book will be a page-turning eye opener. This work of nonfiction takes the reader on a mesmerizing and heartwarming journey into the tangled universe of mother-daughter relationships as co-authors Susan Bailey and genealogist and historic researcher Deborah Gosselin seek to uncover the identity of Bailey's mother-a quest that leads them straight into the heart of Clara's and Nina's world.
This is a free BOOK/MARK event and is followed by a book sale and signing. Reservations are highly recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
Tom Sawyer Day: Adventures Abroad
Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Mark Twain House & Museum presents its annual, family activity Tom Sawyer Day -- this time with a international twist as "Tom Sawyer Day: Adventures Abroad." Mark Twain was well known for his international travels. His first book was The Innocents Abroad. And he wrote a sequel to his autobiographical novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer called Tom Sawyer Abroad. The Museum's 2015 exhibition is "Travel is Fatal To Prejudice: Mark Twain's Journeys Abroad," chronicling Twain's adventures around the globe, making this the perfect opportunity to bring your kids on a worldwide adventure. The free event will include pony rides, a petting zoo, live music, games, arts & crafts, the Mark Twain Players from Hartford Stage, food trucks, and much more fun & entertainment! Plus, we have Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher coming all the way from Hannibal for the 3rd year in a row! Discount tours of the Mark Twain House will be available at $10 for adults and seniors and $5 for children.
Tom Sawyer Day is generously supported by the Farmington Bank Community Foundation, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Trust Fund, Bank of America, Trustee.
This is a free event.
CitySingers of Hartford: LEGENDS OF TWAIN--Quips, Quotes & River Songs!
Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7 at 4:00 p.m. each day
In two performances at the Mark Twain House & Museum's Lincoln Financial Auditorium, CitySingers of Hartford will present Legends of Twain: Quips, Quotes & River Songs! giving snapshots of Mark Twain's life through a blend of music, narrative and drama. Twain's writings that reflect his life and times in Hartford and beyond will be enriched by CitySingers' performance of river songs and music that Twain heard and especially enjoyed. Also featured will be a the moving Civil War anthem "Maryland, My Maryland," a reading from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and spirituals associated with the Underground Railroad, a cause" close to home" for Twain and his neighbor Harriet Beecher Stowe. ...And to make the scenario complete, John Pogson, nationally known impersonator of Twain, will deliver a running commentary of famous quips and quotes from the literary legend himself!
Tickets are $10 / $7 for students and seniors. Free for members. Please call (860) 280-3130 or visit our website for online ticketing/reservation options.
NOOK FARM AUTHOR TALK - The Power of Conviction: My Wrongful Conviction 18 Years in Prison and the Freedom earned Through Forgiveness and Faith with James Tillman and Jeffrey Kimball
Monday, June 8, 7:00 p.m., program moderated by John Motley, followed by an 8:30 p.m. dessert reception in Hal Holbrook Hall. Jointly hosted by Community Partners in Action and The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.
James Tillman was stretched out on his basement couch, relaxing after a long day of work at the car wash, the smell of sweet onions and simmering steak filling the air of his modest apartment in the projects of Hartford, Conn. His mother, a Bible perched nearby, was softly singing a hymn when she was shaken by the thundering sound of pounding on the front door. It wasn't a knock; it was an act of sheer force. In an instant, the police burst in, lifted James out of his home and shoved him into prison, arresting him for the brutal rape of a young corporate executive. For over 18 years, James professed his innocence, through the investigation, trial, appeals, and to anyone who would listen. Finally, after a series of extraordinary events, the Connecticut Innocence Project took up James' case, eventually winning his freedom-the first person to be exonerated in the state through the use of DNA.
This is a free program and is followed by a reception and book sale and signing. Reservations are highly suggested. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
Book Launch Event - Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health & Happiness by Mark Dawidziak
Tuesday, June 9, 7:00 p.m.
Largely Literary Theater Company co-founders Mark Dawidziak and Sara Showman present a selection of material drawn form the brand new book Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health and Happiness. Collected and edited by veteran Twain enthusiast Mark Dawidziak, this new book collects the writer's often politically incorrect and always unapologetically honest advice on everything from drinking to swearing. Dawidziak plays Twain and Showman plays a variety of characters in this one-act presentation, which includes sections on "Curing a Cold" and politics. The husband-and-wife team regularly perform a two-act collection of Twain material called Twain By Two.
Followed by a book sale and signing.
Suggested donation $5.00. Reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
The Trouble Begins at 5:30: Mark Twain and the Jaffa Colony
Wednesday, June 10, 5:00 p.m. wine and hors doeuvres reception; 5:30 p.m. talk
Henry Cohn, the Superior Court judge, legal historian and Twain aficionado from West Hartford, will speak on the Jaffa Colony, an extraordinary settlement of Protestant Christians set up in Twain's era in what is now Israel. Led by a controversial and charismatic preacher, they believed they could hasten the Second Coming of Christ by encouraging Jewish resettlement of Palestine. But the venture failed, and in his travel book The Innocents Abroad, Twain described his encounter with 40 colonists who boarded his ship at Jaffa, in a bid to escape to Egypt. The colony, Twain wrote, was "a complete fiasco."
The series is supported by Connecticut Explored magazine, Hot Tomato's restaurant. Big Dollar Liquors of Bristol and The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum. ASL signing for the lectures is provided courtesy of students of the Interpreting 1 Class in Northwestern Connecticut Community College's Interpreter Preparation Program.
Donation $5.00. Reservations are highly recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
Jacqueline Schwab Concert in the Mark Twain House Drawing Room
Thursday, June 11, 7:00 p.m.
Pianist Jacqueline Schwab, heard on Ken Burns' PBS documentary Mark Twain (and his Civil War, Baseball, National Parks, The War, and others) will share her reflective and lilting solo piano arrangements of vintage American music--tunes that might have been heard in Twain's parlor: Civil War and Stephen Foster parlor tunes, Victorian dance hall music, Scots and Irish airs and dance tunes brought over by settlers, and ragtime. Schwab has performed at the White House (for President Clinton), and, with Scottish singer Jean Redpath, on the Late Show with David Letterman and A Prairie Home Companion. Her signature arrangements of American "heart songs" and dance tunes reflect the community style of music making in Twain's Day but also draw on sounds of today's traditional music world. Come warm your hearts, tap your toes, and perhaps even join in singing! Seating for this very special event will be extremely limited.
Generously supported by Falcetti Music.
Tickets are $25 / $20 for Mark Twain House & Museum Members. For tickets, please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
PLUS: there are more events coming up in late June. Check our website for details!
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Birdies For Charity!
This year, The Mark Twain House & Museum is participating in the Travelers Championship Birdies for Charity program!
Make a gift to The Mark Twain House & Museum through the Birdies for Charity program and we'll receive an additional 15%!
You can pledge per birdie or make a flat donation: your choice.
Even better--YOU can win prizes like a $1,500 cash gift card!
Pledge here!
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THANK YOU TO OUR NEW & RENEWING
(April 22 through May 12)
Kay Brindle
Leslie Case
Flavia Cigliano
Sherri Clark
Lynn Cullen
Daniel J. & Donna Downey
Susan A. Fair
Edward D. Gladstone
Kaila Hale-Stern
Kelvin Hammond
Michle Hesselbrock
Jules A. Hojnowski
Kimball H. & Dorothy G. Hunt
Iris Kagan
Anthony Katin
David & Janice Klein
Lisa A. Kuntz
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Richard & Mary-Jane Lopa
Daniel Mahoney
Patrick McGuire
Rev. William R. Metzler
Elizabeth Narowski
Linda Quinton
Lisa Steier
Amy Stuart
Charles Svagera
Elizabeth Szewczyk
Carol Wasserman
Barbara Weber
Cathy Weston
Cheri L. & Kevin J. Williams
Rebecca & Matthew Williams
Barbara D. Wojtusik
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THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS (April 22 through May 12)
INDIVIDUAL
Rolena Adorno
Joel B. Alvord
Elizabeth M. Barnes
Karen Bartholomew
Robert D. & Donna S. Batch
Jay S. & Eugenia P. Benet
Nancy R. Bestor
Linda Biancalani
Sandra Blake
Jeffrey Blazejovsky
Phillip & Ellen Blumberg
Richard Brewster
Carol Ann Brown
Inga Buhrmann
Chris Busch
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Cerciello
Mark Cocalis & Lisa Ann Erburu
Raymond & Kimberly Conforti
Dorothy M. Conklin
Audrey Conrad
Lane Coonrod
Mrs. J. Noyes Crary
Jennifer & Proloy Das
Philip & Mary-Alice Dennehy
Francis J. DeRosa
Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Dix, Jr.
Henry & Judith Feldman
Paul & Gayle Fiser
Carl Floyd
Michael Friedman
Michael & Cindy Gabor
Ida Gall
Alfred & Kathleen Garofolo
Douglas & Christina Gerbino
Heidi Schreiner Godleski
Dianne Goodrich
Kevin Gough & Paula Jones
Dr. Alan D. Gribben
Kenneth & Gail Hamblett
Elwyn V. & Elsie H. Harp
Dr. Walter L. & Mrs. Dianne M. Harrison
Kimball H. & Dorothy G. Hunt
Alice Jena
James H. & Nancy S. Johnson
Reinhard Kage
David & Cheryl Kesterson
Roger & Laurel Kirschen
Judith Lee Kline
Betty-Joan LaChapelle
C. Darrell & Sandra Lane
Mr. & Mrs. William H. Loos
Adam & Jessica Lovell
Dr. Cindy Lovell
Louise E. Mann
Heidi Groeger, Mantis Associates, Inc.
Michael K. Miller
John & Ellen Moran
John & Noreen Moreschi
Kay Bell Mudd
Alan & Jo Anne Nadritch
John & Patty Pascal
Phyllis G. Pasternak
Chuck & Carol Paydos
Robert Perkin
Maryanne & Gregory Petrus
Bill & JoAnne Pierce
Carol Sue & J. David Prewitt
Kenneth J. & Mary Jane Quarti
Thomas & Gloria Ranney
John H. & Sali G. Riege
Michael J. Riley
Lynn M. Robertson
Loren M. Rogers
Mary T. Sargent
John & Peggy Schuyler
The Shook Family
Susan Silveira
Gretchen S. Skelley
Robert E. Stewart
Marjorie Moretz Stinespring
Richard & Patricia Thivierge
Raquel Thomison
James Vinick
Diane White
Louise Wilder
Raymond J. & Sarah W. Winter
Guy W. Wolf, III & Pamela Morrison-Wolf
Christopher Yurkovsky
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INSTITUTIONAL
Connecticut Community Colleges
The Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial Charitable Trust
The Pryor Foundation
Three-Penny Theatre
IN MEMORY OF BARBARA D. THOMSEN
Ellinor W. Davidson
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Make the most of your donation, be sure to ask your employer about matching gifts.
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The Mark Twain House & Museum: Summer Writing Classes
Be the writer you've always wanted to be by studying at the home of America's greatest writer!
Summer Writing Intensives (4 consecutive DAYS) ($180)
Jump Start Your Novel (starts July 27)
Writing for the Real World (starts July 27)
Playwriting Monologues (starts August 3)
Beginning Middle End-Writing the Short Story (starts August 3)
Don't miss out -- for the complete schedule of classes and workshops, or to register, please visit www.marktwainhouse.org or call (860) 280-3130.
Questions? Email [email protected].
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MARK TWAIN STORE FEATURED ITEM OF THE MONTH
Mark Twain For Kids:
His Life and Times
The author uses a hands-on approach to the biography, works, and times of Twain that both educators and young people will appreciate. The horizontal 8-1/2 by 11-inch paperback design with colorful cover illustrations invites young people (the book is recommended for ages nine and up) in to a book that they will find both informative and entertaining
Just in Time for Summer vacation activities!
Pick one up in the store or order online here. $14.95 (Member price $13.46)
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