Thursday, May 26, 2016

Connecticut’s Old State House Welcomes Nationally-Renowned Speaker Eric Liu to Next Town Hall Meeting

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For Immediate Release
May 26, 2016
Contact: Chris Zaccaro
chris.zaccaro@cga.ct.gov
(860) 246-1553 ext. 116

Eric Liu, Founder of Citizen
University and Keynote Speaker
Hartford, CT – Connecticut’s Old State House will host its next Town Hall Meeting, Great Citizenship: Building a Better Connecticut, during the evening of Thursday, June 9 where nationally-renowned author Eric Liu will be the keynote speaker.

Great Citizenship will review the insights of Connecticut residents’ social behavior toward their neighbors, communities, and government, which were revealed in the 2016 Connecticut Civic Health Index Report. The Connecticut Network’s (CT-N) Diane Smith will moderate the program, which will include a panel of distinguished guests including Liu, Martha McCoy of Everyday Democracy, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Dr. Bilal Sekou of the University of Hartford, Dr. Richard Brown of the University of Connecticut, and Alma Maya, a Latina Community Activist and Former Bridgeport Town Clerk.

Eric Liu is the founder and CEO of Citizen University and the author of several books, including his latest: The Gardens of Democracy. He previously served as a White House speechwriter and policy advisor for President Bill Clinton. Currently, he is a regular columnist for CNN.com and correspondent for TheAtlantic.com. Copies of Liu’s book are currently available for purchase in Connecticut’s Old State House Shop. He will be available for books signings on the night of the event from 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Connecticut’s Old State House will open its doors for this event at 6 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. The program will begin at 6:45 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

Great Citizenship: Building a Better Connecticut is sponsored by the Connecticut Civic Health Advisory Group, Connecticut’s Old State House, Connecticut Network (CT-N), Everyday Democracy, DataHaven, the Office of the Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, The Connecticut Forum and CT Parent Power. Funding is provided by Connecticut Humanities, the William Caspar Graustein Fund, Connecticut Campus Compact and private donors.

Located in historic downtown Hartford, 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 and online at shop.ctoldstatehouse.org, provides visitors an opportunity to purchase Connecticut, Hartford and Old State House-themed gifts, products and apparel. For more information on admission prices, school programs, upcoming events and parking discounts nearby, follow Connecticut’s Old State House on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit the museum online at www.ctoldstatehouse.org.

Monday, May 23, 2016

East Hartford Mayor to Present Check to Connecticut’s Old State House

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For Immediate Release
May 23, 2016
Contact: Chris Zaccaro
chris.zaccaro@cga.ct.gov
(860) 246-1553 ext. 116

Hartford, CT - East Hartford Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc will be presenting a $6,000 donation to Connecticut’s Old State House on Tuesday, May 24 at 3:30 p.m. at the Old State House in downtown Hartford. The donation will go toward the construction of an office for Connecticut’s Kid Governor and a Civics Action Lab that will educate the public about government and civic involvement in their community – a core mission of Connecticut’s Old State House. Connecticut’s Kid Governor Elena Tipton, an East Hartford resident and 5th grade student at Dr. Thomas O’Connell School, will be on hand for the check presentation, along with the Executive Director of Connecticut’s Old State House, Sally Whipple.

Elena Tipton was elected as Connecticut’s Kid Governor after hundreds of the state’s 5th graders took part in a statewide election organized by Connecticut’s Old State House. Connecticut’s Kid Governor, a statewide, in-school civics program that was created by the Old State House in 2015, teaches students how elections work and how Connecticut residents of all ages can choose to participate in our democratic society. Tipton has proposed establishing the 13th of each month as “Kindness Day”, installing buddy benches in schools, and creating an online blog where Connecticut students can share examples of being kind to others. Mayor Leclerc previously recognized Kid Governor Elena Tipton’s accomplishments at an East Hartford Town Council meeting in February and visited with Elena and her classmates, along with Governor Dannel Malloy and Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell, in March.

To learn more about Connecticut’s Kid Governor – both the program and the student – visit the program’s website at CT.KidGovernor.org and like the program on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Located in historic downtown Hartford, 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 and online at shop.ctoldstatehouse.org, provides visitors an opportunity to purchase Connecticut, Hartford and Old State House-themed gifts, products and apparel. For more information on admission prices, school programs, upcoming events and parking discounts nearby, follow Connecticut’s Old State House on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit the museum online at www.ctoldstatehouse.org.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Connecticut’s Kid Governor to Speak at Civics First Annual Reception

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For Immediate Release
May 20, 2016
Contact: Chris Zaccaro
chris.zaccaro@cga.ct.gov
(860) 246-1553 ext. 116

Hartford, CT – Connecticut’s Kid Governor, Elena Tipton of East Hartford, will take part in Civics First’s Annual Reception on Tuesday, May 24 at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. The event, which begins at 6 p.m., marks the 40th anniversary for Civics First – a non-profit association that promotes and conducts law-related education programs and projects in Connecticut’s public and private schools, courtrooms and communities. The state’s first ever Kid Governor will discuss her popular “Campaign for Kindness”, as she continues her push for spreading kindness throughout the state during her 1-year term.

Elena Tipton was elected as Connecticut’s Kid Governor after hundreds of the state’s 5th graders took part in a statewide election organized by Connecticut’s Old State House in downtown Hartford. Connecticut’s Kid Governor, a statewide, in-school civics program that was created by the Old State House in 2015, teaches students how elections work and how Connecticut residents of all ages can choose to participate in our democratic society. Tipton has proposed establishing the 13th of each month as “Kindness Day”, installing buddy benches in schools, and creating an online blog where Connecticut students can share examples of being kind to others. Civics First was a sponsor of Inauguration Day 2016 at Connecticut’s Old State House – providing bus transportation for 5th grade students who attended the day’s events.
The Honorable Richard A. Robinson of the Connecticut Supreme Court will serve as the keynote speaker at the Civics First Annual Reception. More information about this event can be found at Civics First’s website, www.civicsfirst.org, or by contacting Beth Deluco, Executive Director of Civics First, at (860) 357-5300.
To learn more about Connecticut’s Kid Governor, both the program and student, visit CT.KidGovernor.org or follow the program on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Connecticut’s Kid Governor is a statewide civics program created by Connecticut’s Old State House.
Located in historic downtown Hartford, 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 and online at shop.ctoldstatehouse.org, provides visitors an opportunity to purchase Connecticut, Hartford and Old State House-themed gifts, products and apparel. For more information on admission prices, school programs, upcoming events and parking discounts nearby, follow Connecticut’s Old State House on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit the museum online at www.ctoldstatehouse.org.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Connecticut’s Old State House: The 1843 Petition – Gaining Religious Freedom for CT Jews

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For Immediate Release
May 16, 2016
Contact: Chris Zaccaro
chris.zaccaro@cga.ct.gov
(860) 246-1553 ext. 116

Hartford, CT – Connecticut’s Old State House will host its next installment of Conversations at Noon, The 1843 Petition: Gaining Religious Freedom for Connecticut Jews, on Tuesday, May 24. Keynote speaker Mary M. Donohue, the Assistant Publisher of Connecticut Explored magazine, will discuss the Jewish community’s 1843 petition to the Connecticut General Assembly for full religious equality during a time where Connecticut’s State Constitution deliberately excluded Jewish congregations.

Following her talk, Donohue will join a panel that includes the University of Hartford’s Dr. Bilal Dabir Sekou and Connecticut’s State Historian Dr. Walter Woodward for a discussion on how the state’s residents, both past and present, have used petitions to effect change. The Connecticut Network’s (CT-N) Diane Smith will moderate the discussion.

This program is co-sponsored by Connecticut Explored magazine. The Conversations at Noon series is supported by Connecticut Humanities. The event, which begins promptly at noon, is free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring their lunch and ask questions of the panel.

Future Conversations at Noon include…
Industry, Activism, & Community in 19th Century Connecticut: June 7 at Noon.  Dr. Jason Mancini, Director of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, will discuss industrialist, political activist and community leader Isaac C. Glasko. Described at having both Native and African American ancestry, Glasko’s success as a black smith highlights the opportunities for and the limitations of people of color in 19th century Connecticut. Following his talk, Dr. Mancini will be joined by Kathleen Housley, author of The Letter Kills but the Spirit Gives Life, and Bishop John Selders, Co-Founder of Moral Money CT, for a panel discussion on social activism. Free to attend. Co-sponsored with Connecticut Explored magazine.


Located in historic downtown Hartford, 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 and online at shop.ctoldstatehouse.org, provides visitors an opportunity to purchase quality-made Connecticut and Hartford themed gifts, products and apparel. 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.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Results from the 2016 Connecticut History Day State Contest


New Britain - Over 400 middle- and high-school students took part in the 2016 Connecticut History Day State Contest this past Saturday at Central Connecticut State University. Students who previously finished in the top three at one of Connecticut’s six Regional Contests were eligible to participate in this annual contest, where eighty one Connecticut schools were represented. The student historians who placed first or second within their category at the State Contest are now eligible to represent the state at the National History Day® Contest taking place at the University of Maryland in June.
Results from the CHD State Contest can be viewed here.
CHD students spend months researching historical topics of their own choice related to this year’s national theme of Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History. The students, who choose to work alone or in a group, present their projects in one of five categories: Paper, Documentary, Exhibit, Website, or Performance. The projects were presented to teams of volunteer judges, who chose the top three projects in each category. First and second place finishers will advance to the National Contest.  Additionally, over twenty Special Prizes, sponsored by numerous museums and non-profit organizations from across the state were presented to students.
Connecticut History Day is led by Connecticut’s Old State House in downtown Hartford, with support from the Connecticut League of History Organizations and Connecticut Humanities’ website, www.ConnecticutHistory.org.  Major funding for CHD is provided by Connecticut Humanities. You can learn more about Connecticut History Day by visiting the program’s website, www.historydayct.org, and by following CHD on Facebook and Twitter. The National History Day® website may be viewed at www.nhd.org.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Old State House to Host Spring Pop-Up Market Through May

Market to take place every Friday starting May 6 thorough June 10 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

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For Immediate Release
May 3, 2016
Contact: Chris Zaccaro
(860) 246-1553 ext. 116
chris.zaccaro@cga.ct.gov


Hartford, CT – In addition to its already popular downtown Farmers Market, Connecticut’s Old State House will begin hosting a Spring Pop-Up Market through the month of May into early June. The Market, which will only include local Connecticut farmers, will open on Friday, May 6 and take place every Friday until June 10 – just prior to the opening of the 20-week Farmers Market. The Pop-Up Market will be open to the public on the Main Street side of the building from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The Old State House Spring Pop-Up Market is an earlier market intended to provide farmers who previously participated at the seasonal Old State House Farmers Market an opportunity to sell early spring produce, which is generally no longer in season by the time the regular market begins, potted flowering plants, and garden vegetable plants. The timing of this market also perfectly coincides with Mother’s Day – providing downtown residents and workers a chance to purchase fresh flowers before the weekend.
Located in historic downtown Hartford, Connecticut’s Old State House served as a seat of
government for the Constitution State from 1796 to 1878. The Connecticut’s Old State House Shop, located on the Main Street side of the building, provides visitors an opportunity to purchase quality-made Connecticut and Hartford themed gifts, products and apparel. Visitors can also shop online at shop.ctoldstatehouse.org. 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.