Eyeing eagles
RiverQuest starts its winter wildlife eagle cruises on Feb. 8, running through March 15 on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The two-hour cruises on the lower Connecticut River depart from the Connecticut River Museum at the foot of Main Street in Essex.
In addition to eagles, keep your eagle-eyes peeled for foxes, mergansers, loons, coyotes, deer, hawks, seals, maybe even a bobcat.
And if you forget your binoculars, there are plenty on board to borrow. Tickets are $42 and include admission to the museum, including the special “Eagles of Essex” exhibit. 860-662-0577; ctriverquest.com/portfolio/wintereagle.
Spring in the air
If this is February, smack-dab in what can sometimes feel like the doldrums of the midwinter, it must be time to start thinking about gardens bursting into bloom. You know how much you need to do just that, which makes it perfect timing for the 39th annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, Feb. 20 to 23 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
This show is always eye-popping, with more than an acre of gardens in full bloom, demonstrating everything from native, naturalistic and vegetable gardens to showy flower displays and gorgeous water gardens. The show also features more than 300 booths and displays and more than 80 hours of expert seminars that are free with admission.
Not to mention the Federal Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s Advanced Flower Show, always a showcase for superlative artistry in horticultural design. 860-844-8461; CTFlowerShow.com.
Cuing Cupid
Whether you’re lovestruck or lovelorn, you’ll love what the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art has planned on Feb. 9: a concert of music that will pluck at your heartstrings, performed by Hartford Symphony Orchestra musicians. including Beethoven’s “Serenade in D, Opus 25,” Loeffler’s “Two Rhapsodies” and Mozart’s “Clarinet Quintet, K. 581.”
The concert at 2 p.m. follows a gallery talk at 1 p.m. on some of the museum’s many artworks depicting love, including Louis-Jean-Francois Lagrenée’s 1777 painting, “The Invocation of Love.” The museum is at 600 Main St. thewadsworth.org.
What’s your story?
We’re extending the deadline on Hartford Magazine’s new writing contest — to March 1.
The theme this year is Change. That could mean shifting gears or embracing an unexpected challenge or opportunity. Or it could mean something entirely different. But it should be a story, told in a narrative flow, not simply your personal reflection.
Stories also should be factual and relate to a person, people or events in our region. And we do relish the element of surprise.
Length is flexible, but 800 words might be a good ballpark length to shoot for. Also, we plan to pay the winner or winners to publish their pieces in the magazine,
Please email your entries to nschoeffler@hartfordmag.com, with “Story Contest” in the subject field. And be sure to include your contact information. Good luck!
