• Home
  • Events
  • Donate
    • Friends of Topsmead General Fund
    • Memorial Tree Fund
  • Projects/Volunteer
  • History
    • Remembering Topsmead
  • Membership
  • Contact
  • Musings
  • Visitor Info
    • Topsmead State Forest Map
  • FAQ
  • Scholarship Program
  • Chase Family Holiday Cards
  • Login
FRIENDS OF TOPSMEAD STATE FOREST
  • Home
  • Events
  • Donate
    • Friends of Topsmead General Fund
    • Memorial Tree Fund
  • Projects/Volunteer
  • History
    • Remembering Topsmead
  • Membership
  • Contact
  • Musings
  • Visitor Info
    • Topsmead State Forest Map
  • FAQ
  • Scholarship Program
  • Chase Family Holiday Cards
  • Login
Picture
by Margaret Hunt

Bustin’ Out All Over!    June 2021

6/21/2021

2 Comments

 
 
“June is bustin’ out all over!” to steal a line from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel!  And is June ever bustin’ out at Topsmead!  The gardens are fairly leapin’ out of the ground, and the hay fields are reachin’ towards the sky to protect their bob-o-link family nests.  And as we emerge from the tight restrictions of the pandemic, activities at Topsmead are rampin’ up.
 
A very special happening on Memorial Day Weekend provided the energy for June to begin bustin’ out.  The Ballet Theatre Company from West Hartford was on the grounds at the back of the cottage and in the gardens as they filmed scenes for their rendition of the ballet Snow White.  I found out that Topsmead is the perfect setting for a ballet production because Lucia Chase, Miss Edith’s first cousin, was not only a ballet dancer herself, but she also the founder of what came to be the American Ballet Theater. 
 
The next infusion of energy came from a group of high school students who chose Topsmead as the setting to begin their prom evening, so grateful were they to be able to bust out of the pandemic’s cancellation of last year’s prom season. I was walking up the road to the cottage on a beautiful afternoon in early June and was met by the couples walking down from the cottage back toward the parking area.  They were so elegantly happy in their gowns and tuxedos; some had even coordinated the colors of their formal attire. 
 
People have also begun to take advantage of the half hour tours of Miss Edith’s Cotswald cottage that are on the second and fourth weekends of each month, June through October.  First tour starts at noon and last tour at 4:30pm.  A newly trained staff of docents, soon to be attired in sharp-looking, red polo shirts monogramed with their names and the Topsmead lion logo, is at the ready to introduce you to Miss Edith and her cottage.  Please note that there are some restrictions in place because of Covid:  tours only of the first floor, masks required, and group size limited to six. 
 
For those who have already toured the cottage, if you look closely on the Friends of Topsmead website, you will see a few weekends throughout the summer when Jerry Geci, docent par excellence, will be giving special “Behind the Scenes” tours that are chock-a-block with fascinating tidbits about Miss Edith and life at Topsmead.  Be sure to RSVP on the website for those tours.  And keep checking the website for the “Lectures on the Lawn” series with its focus on local animal life as well as scheduled tours of the Songbird Trail.   
 
All of these free and open-to-the-public activities are made possible by Friends of Topsmead volunteers working.  So if Topsmead is helping you to bust out of the pandemic, why not go to the website and make a donation and/or join the Friends of Topsmead? 
 
In closing and in the midst of all of this June energy, I took a moment to reflect on the the weekend trifecta of the Summer Solstice, Father’s Day, and the brand new federal holiday of Juneteenth, all three occurring on the same weekend and all three marking pauses, celebrations, and possible redirections in the forward momentum of nature and of humanity.
 
Margaret Hunt
Musings BlogMistress
2 Comments
Jenny Riggs link
6/22/2021 10:56:50 am

Thank you Margaret for this and all your other posts. I can’t help but think Miss Edith, Mary and Lucy would be delighted with how the Friends of Topsmead are enhancing the enjoyment of their lovely summer home.

Reply
Margaret Hunt
6/26/2021 04:10:42 pm

Thanks, Jenny! I know Miss Edith liked her privacy, but I am pretty sure she would be happy to see folks outside and enjoying Topsmead.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Events
  • Donate
    • Friends of Topsmead General Fund
    • Memorial Tree Fund
  • Projects/Volunteer
  • History
    • Remembering Topsmead
  • Membership
  • Contact
  • Musings
  • Visitor Info
    • Topsmead State Forest Map
  • FAQ
  • Scholarship Program
  • Chase Family Holiday Cards
  • Login