Spring/  Patriot’s Day Celebration

On April 19, 1775, Paul Revere sounded an alarm as 800 British Regulars marched upon the village of Concord to steal away cannon and stored arms. At a rude bridge arching the Concord River Colonial Minutemen faced off and fired the “shot heard ’round the world” that began the Revolutionary War. Each year, leading up to the anniversary, Concord once again fills with Patriot, Red Coats and the loud rumble of brass cannon for over a week of festivities, battle re-enactments,  Colonial bivouac, demonstrations, parades and a Patriot’s Ball. This is an exciting time enjoyed by all ages.

http://www.nps.gov/mima/planyourvisit/events.htm

Summer/ School of Philosophy Conversational Series

The annual Conversational Series and Teacher Institute takes place in July at Bronson Alcott’s hillside Concord School of Philosophy, located on the grounds of Orchard House. In the summer of 1879 Bronson Alcott (father of Louisa May Alcott) realized a 40 year dream of opening a center for the exchange of philosophical, religious and literary ideas when he built his rustic Hillside Chapel lecture hall, that still draws distinguished presenters from around the world for lyceum-style exploration. The Orchard House, home of the Alcotts, opened as a private museum and interpretive center in July of 1913.

 http://www.louisamayalcott.org

Fall/ Concord Festival of Authors

The preeminent annual literary event in the Boston area is held in Concord each Autumn. For Two weeks in October and November as many as 50 contemporary writers gather for public talks, readings, and discussions celebrating the written and the spoken word. The venues vary: breakfast panel discussions, large group readings, lectures and book-signings by many favorite wordsmiths.

http://concordfestivalofauthors.com/

Winter/ Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature

Returning to the Concord Museum for the month of December, the exhibition’s focus on children’s literature makes Family Trees unique among the many holiday events in Greater Boston. Featuring the work of more than 60 volunteer decorators from across the area, each tree’s décor is inspired by a different children’s book: classic and contemporary, familiar and little known, novels and chapter books. Each tree serves as a canvas for the artistic creations of a dedicated team of volunteer decorators. Inspired by the storyline, the illustrations, the characters or setting of a particular book, the decorators let their imaginations take flight, much to the delight of visitors of all ages from all over New England.

http://concordmuseum.org/

The famed Concord spokesman for individualism and self-reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once wrote,”When I go into a good garden, I think, if it were mine, I should never go out of it.” This year the Concord Museum is celebrating 22 years of going into good gardens on the annual Concord Garden Tour. 

The Mueseum’s Garden Tour has become a New England tradition for garden lovers from near and far. Each of the nine private gardens reflects the individual interests and passions of the owners and their families and will inspire both new gardeners designing their first perennial bed and accomplished landscapers with acres of garden rooms.

The tour of Concord-area gardens is self-guided and self paced from 9:00 am-4:00 pm. Tickets are available in advance or at the door.                                                                                    

Concord Museum, 200 Lexington Road, Concord, MA . tel 978-369-9763. www.concordmuseum.org

Preview her works: www.Ellieco.com

Beavers have been active behind the Hawthorne  Inn damming the Mill Brook. We have lost 30-40 feet of land to recent flooding inundating the edge of our lower garden. This new and extensive beaver-pond has displaced a great deal of wildlife while creating new habitat for others. The wood ducks were quick to explore the area. But, at the same time, the coyotes have been flooded from the adjacent low-lying farmland and now range accross our property in the middle of the night when they had not before. These new night-time marauders have caused the red fox to now travel by day, in fear of their lives. A beautiful and healthy fox spends time on the Inn’s front lawn waiting for traffic to clear before crossing over to Hawthorne’s home.

MFA Boston

We have had opportunity to twice visit the New 4-story Americas Wing at Boson’s Museum of Fine Arts. With this addition the MFA has more exhibition space than the Prado. The galleries are of exceptional design and cancept, offering open spaces and intimate venues for maximum enjoyment. Many of the “show Stoppers” are on permenant display, but the plan calls for regular rotation of treasures from storage to walls. Be sure to make time for a side-trip into Boston.

Hawthorne Inn Maple Syrup

The sap has been flowing at the Hawthorne Inn. We have a tradition of tapping a selection of our Sugar Maple trees in March each year. The process of refining the sap to syrup is simple, but labor intensive. There is NOTHING like fresh syrup from the tree. We have added a delightful breakfast offering to help convey the syrup to the taste-buds of our willing guests: Croissant French Toast! Delightful. Be sure to look at our recipe section for the Buttermilk Pancakes.

Join us for Patriot’s Day weekend as we celebrate the the begining of our War for Independance. Here in Concord the Patriot Minutemen first faced the British Regulars and fired the “Shot heard ’round the world” at the Old North Bridge. Come and re-live this exciting period of history. There will be many activities for all ages, in village and along the Battle Road of the National Park, including; battle reenactment, special events, a parade, and the popular Patriot Ball. See the scedule of events. http://www.nps.gov/mima/patriots-day.htm

Mounted British officer commands troops.

Through June 4th at the Boston Anthanaeum. http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/150 

Carnivorous plants, falling masonry, and uninvited guests fill the imaginary world of artist and author Edward Gorey. His stories and accompanying illustrations maintain a delicate balance between the hilarious and the horrific.  

Gorey’s voracious consumption of literature, his love of the ballet, and his off beat and wry view of the world resulted in a sardonic and witty oeuvre. This exhibition explores the diversity of Gorey’s art through original pen and ink illustrations, preparatory sketches, unpublished drawings, and ephemera. Drawn from the holdings of the Gorey Charitable Trust, the exhibition comprises approximately 180 objects, including selections from The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Unstrung Harp, The Gilded Bat, and other well-known Gorey publications. 

I am the bahhum bug