Connecticut’s Old State House Explores the World of Celebrity Dec. 16 - Becoming Tom Thumb: The Dawn of American Celebrity - Tuesday, December 16, 2014, noon to 1 p.m.

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For Immediate Release
December 4, 2014
Contact: Chris Zaccaro
chris.zaccaro@cga.ct.gov
(860) 246-1553 ext. 116

Hartford, CT - Each week throughout the year Americans are confronted with the latest celebrity gossip, scandal or grab for headlines only to watch it fade away into something new days later. Whether it’s a U.S. President or Kim Kardashian, people are inundated with celebrity culture everywhere they go. Is this anything new or an upward trend that most Americans have come to expect and feed into?

On Tuesday, December 16, Connecticut’s Old State House will explore this trend and discuss whether we have become a celebrity-obsessed culture. Author Eric Lehman will kick off the conversation by illustrating the meteoric rise of America’s first international celebrity and Connecticut’s very own Charles Stratton – better known as General Tom Thumb. Under the skillful management of another Connecticut legend, P.T. Barnum, the comedic talents of the 25 inch tall Stratton charmed a Who’s Who of the 19^th Century – from Queen Victoria to Abraham Lincoln – while playing to sold out venues for forty years.

After his talk, Lehman will join a panel of experts for a lively discussion on the world of celebrity and fame.  The conversation, which will be moderated by the Connecticut Network’s (CT-N) Diane Smith, will include Maryellen Fillo, Java Columnist for The Hartford Courant, and Dr. Eugene Leach, a retired professor from Trinity College in Hartford. The public is encouraged to attend this free event within the Old State House, bring a lunch and join the discussion as Smith will be taking questions and comments from the audience.

This installment of Conversations at Noon is co-sponsored by The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport with major funding provided by CT Humanities. This free program begins at noon and lasts for one hour. This program’s featured speaker, Eric Lehman, will have copies of his book Becoming Tom Thumb: Charles Stratton, P.T. Barnum and the Dawn of American Celebrity for sale before and after the program in the Old State House Shop. He will also be available for autographs after the program.

Located in Hartford, a short walk from the Wadsworth, Connecticut’s Old State House served as a seat of government for the Constitution State from 1796 to 1878. The Old State House Shop, located on the Main Street side of the building, provides visitors an opportunity to purchase great, quality-made Connecticut and Hartford themed gifts, products and apparel. The interactive History is All Around Us exhibition by the Connecticut Historical Society, located in the Mortensen Gallery of the lower level of the Old State House, allows visitors to explore over 300 years of Hartford and Connecticut history. For more information on admission prices, upcoming events and parking discounts nearby, become a fan of Connecticut’s Old State House on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or visit us online at http://www.ctoldstatehouse.org.

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Rules of Engagement: Boomers vs. Millennials - At Connecticut’s Old State House & Live on CT-N December 18 at 7pm

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For Immediate Release
December 2, 2014
Contact: Chris Zaccaro
chris.zaccaro@cga.ct.gov
(860) 246-1553 ext. 116

Hartford, CT – The “generation gap” is nothing new, but when two powerful forces for civic change are poised on either side of it, what does that mean for our communities and our democracy? On Thursday, December 18 at 7 p.m. Connecticut’s Old State House invites the public to attend in person or watch live on The Connecticut Network (CT-N) as it attempts to break through generational barriers and explore the diverse rules of civic engagement used by two of America’s most talked about groups during its next Town Hall Meeting, Rules of Engagement: Boomers vs. Millennials.

Since the millennium began 15 years ago, all eyes have turned to the group that will undoubtedly lead our country into years of unprecedented change, a group commonly referred to as “Generation Me.” While Baby Boomers prepare to pass the torch to another generation of Americans, the handoff appears shaky as the country’s two largest age groups eye one another through a critical lens – not realizing that they are often using different means to reach similar ends. Can the Baby Boomers and Millennials co-exist in order to provide a smooth transition of leadership for our country?

CT-N’s Diane Smith will moderate the discussion as she and her guests, comprised of local civic leaders from both generations, attempt to find parallels and differences in life experiences, expose each generations’’ “rules of engagement” and determine how both groups can move forward together using experience, technology and a variety of old and new civic skills and strategies that effect change. The program will be broadcast live by CT-N on television and on CT-N’s website at www.CT-N.com.

 

The event will take place within Connecticut’s Old State House on the evening of Thursday, December 18. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the televised program starting at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public to attend. Those unable to attend in person can watch the program live on CT-N or on any computer, tablet or mobile device at www.CT-N.com. Viewers can also follow along on Twitter, as the Old State House will be live-tweeting the event through its Twitter handle @CTOldStateHouse.

Cable subscribers can visit CT-N.com to find the Connecticut Network’s location in their channel line-up. CT-N is available full-time on AT&T U-Verse (Frontier Communications) channel 83 and on expanded basic cable statewide. As of May 2014, Cox Communications subscribers can find CT-N on channel 2. All Connecticut Network programming is closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Located in Hartford, a short walk from the Wadsworth, Connecticut’s Old State House served as a seat of government for the Constitution State from 1796 to 1878. The interactive History is All Around Us exhibition by the Connecticut Historical Society, located in the Mortensen Gallery of the lower level of the Old State House, allows visitors to explore over 300 years of Hartford and Connecticut history. For more information on admission prices, upcoming events and parking discounts nearby, become a fan of Connecticut’s Old State House on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or visit us online at http://www.ctoldstatehouse.org.

Nominated for a 2012 Boston/New England Emmy Award, Winner of the national Sunshine Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Excellence in Journalism Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Connecticut Network is the state’s source for complete and balanced television and webcast coverage of state government and public affairs. For more information, become a fan of CT-N on Facebook, follow the network at www.twitter.com/CTNetworkTV or visit CT-N’s website at www.ct-n.com.

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