WALKS AND TALKS: Land Trust to hold story walk Saturday

Apr. 28—The Manchester Land Conservation Trust will host a free walk on its story trail Saturday at 1 p.m.

Those who wish to attend should meet and park at the Land Trust's cider barn at 330 Bush Hill Road in Manchester, and walk along the dirt road to the pavilion, where attendees will walk, read, and explore along the trail.

In cooperation with the Manchester Public Library, a new book, "And Then It's Spring," by Julie Fogliano, will be installed on the trail.

The walk will talk place on the half-mile trail, which curls its way through a former apple orchard, while the picture book is read.

The event will be held rain or shine, but extreme weather cancels. There are three additional miles of farm and forest trails to explore for those who have time after the story event.

For information, visit: manchesterlandtrust.org

—The Manchester Land Conservation Trust will also host a free birdwatchers walk Sunday, at 9 a.m.

The event will be held on the Trust's 177.5-acre property in the southwestern area of Manchester.

Land Trust member Jean DiBenedetto will lead the walk, which may encounter migrating birds.

All are welcome, whether experienced or new birdwatchers. Bring binoculars, if you have them. Park at 330 Bush Hill Road.

The walk will take about an hour, but all are welcome to stay longer to explore three-plus miles of trails at the property. Extreme weather cancels.

For information, visit the website.

Ornamental gardens

Connecticut Horticultural Society presents Amy Ziffer, for a lecture titled "Structure and Ornament in the Garden" at Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Drive in West Hartford.

The event is in-person and offered via Zoom. A Q&A follows the talk.

The hallmark of great garden design is definition — the boundaries, vertical accents, focal points, and embellishments composed of non-living elements that shape both the garden and our experience of it. Ziffer will discuss the importance of often overlooked functional and ornamental design details.

The talk is free for members and $10 for non-members. For information or for non-members to register, visit: www.cthort.org

Olmstead walk

Connecticut Landmarks will sponsor a Hartford parks and gardens tour in celebration of Frederick Law Olmsted on Sunday at 1 p.m. and Saturday, April 30, at 10 a.m.

Sites will include the Butler-McCook House and Garden, Olmsted's birth site, Bushnell Park, the Capitol grounds, High Street, Keney Clock Tower, and Olmsted's gravesite in Old North Cemetery.

Olmsted (1822-1903), who was born in Hartford, is considered to be the founder of American landscape architecture. Among his designs are Bushnell Park in Hartford and, with Calvert Vaux, New York's Central Park. Olmsted also was instrumental in the preservation of Yosemite National Park and Niagara Falls.

This program is part of the Historic Hartford Walking Tours series.

Registration is required by noon Friday.

Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. In case of severe weather, the tour will take place Sunday.

For information, visit: ctlandmarks.org

Porcupine program

The Manchester Public Library, 586 Main St. will present "Connecticut Wildlife: Porcupines and Opossum" Monday at 6:30 p.m.

Ginny Apple, a wildlife expert with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, will lead the talk, continuing her monthly series on Connecticut's wildlife and nature.

No registration is required for this free, in-person program for adults.

For information, visit: library.townofmanchester.org

Mark Twain House

President Lincoln's Cottage and Ford's Theatre present "Revising the Record on Race: Three Moments from the Civil War in Public Memory" streamed live on Monday at 7 p.m. from the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford.

Join historians from the Twain House, Ford's Theatre, and President Lincoln's Cottage as they explore how people who lived through the Civil War revised and reshaped that event's legacy — particularly on race — reusing their own memories when faced with new contexts. Through an in-depth look at documents and images, we'll learn how their revisions influence our current understandings and reflect on how we think about events in our own living memory.

The cost for this event is $12; free for Twain House members.

For information and tickets, visit: marktwainhouse.org

Clock talk

William Hosley, former director of the New Haven Museum and Connecticut Landmarks, will return to the Wood Memorial Library and Museum on Wednesday, from 6-8 p.m. to discuss the history of clock making in Connecticut.

Clocks and clock making are one of a handful of industries in which Connecticut achieved national and international influence.

Thomas Harland, Daniel Burnap, Eli Terry, Seth Thomas, Riley Whiting, and Silas Hoadley are among the many clockmakers who brought renown to Connecticut. Their products varied in style and mechanical ingenuity. This program is a survey of one of Connecticut's most important industries. Several of the key players in the industry called Windsor and East Windsor Hill home.

This program is free, but pre-registration is requested at: woodmemoriallibrary.org

Wood Memorial Library is at 783 Main Street, South Windsor.

Coming Up

Memory walk

Mary's Place, A Center for Grieving Children and Families will host its ninth annual Memory Walk Sunday, May 15, at 9:30 a.m. at Northwest Park, 145 Lang Road, Windsor.

You can walk in memory of your loved one. This moving fundraiser brings together families, friends and the community to support programs at Mary's Place. Honor the memory of a loved one, and help make a difference in the lives of grieving families by joining us for this special event. Come and enjoy kids' crafts, snacks, an auction, and more.

To register, got to: marysplacect.org/memory-walk