During July and August, Summer tours of Valley Falls Farm will be held on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00-3:00 p.m. The Farm buildings and grounds will be open for tours and leisurely walks. Please join us!
Please join us for our Annual Meeting on September 25, 2016 at 1:00 in the Red Barn.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETING!
Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 p.m.
At the red barn, Valley Falls Park, 345 Valley Falls Rd, Vernon.
ARCHAEOLOGY AT VALLEY FALLS:
Survey Work for the National Register of Historic Places at Valley Falls, Sharp’s Trout Hatchery and Old Flax Oil Mill
by Bruce Clouette, Senior Historian, Public Archaelogy Survey Team, Inc.
Bruce Clouette, PhD, has been active in the fields of local history and historic preservation since 1975, with a special interest in industrial archaeology. He will give a presentation on the work of the Public Archaelogy Survey Team in listing the Sharp Trout Hatchery on the National Register of Historic Places. He will also talk about the work done on the old flax oil mill site in the park.
Dr. Clouette has been active in the fields of local history and historic preservation since 1975, with a special interest in industrial archaeology. He is Senior Historian at Public Archaeology Survey Team, Inc., a research and educational organization located in Storrs, where he lives with his family.
Alan Valli, beekeeper at Valley Falls Farm, will give a brief report on the year’s production of honey. He will also have some Valley Falls Farm honey for sale at the meeting.
A short business meeting will precede the speakers. Refreshments will be served.
Open House Tours of Valley Falls Farm will be given every Wednesday afternoon during July and August from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Join us!
ARTISTS DAY 2015 at Valley Falls Farm will be held Sunday, August 23rd. The public is invited to watch Connecticut plein air artists paint between 1:oo and 4:00 pm. You can also take a leisurely stroll through the fields and tour the historic buildings. Artists will have displays of other works for sale in the red barn.
Park in the parking lot at Valley Falls Park. If you cannot walk up the hill to the red barn, we will have a shuttle available. The location is 345 Valley Falls Road.
If you would like to participate as an artist, please contact Friends president Ginny Gingras at 860.875.9865.
Saturday, May 16th & Sunday, May 17th, 2015
Spring is bursting out all over in the Park! The birds are singing, the wildflowers are blooming, and the streams are flowing over rock and pebble. The Friends of Valley Falls will be sponsoring a weekend series of guided walks in the park. Each walk will be a leisurely ramble, two hours or less. Meet at the gazebo in the Park, 350 Valley Falls Road, Vernon. Call Ginny Gingras (860-875-9865), or visit www.friendsofvalleyfalls.org for more info about Valley Falls. Come, enjoy Vernon’s park “gem”!
“Birds in the Park”, a birdwalk led by Denise Anamani. Saturday – May 16 at 7:30 am.
“Wildflowers of Valley Falls” – a wildflower walk led by Ginny Gingras. Saturday, May 16 at 1:00 pm.
“Rock & Railroads” – a geology and RR history walk led by Don Sierakowski. Sunday, May 17, 11:00 am.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETING!
Meeting Location Change – Please Note Below
Sunday, October 19 at 1:00 p.m.
Tolland Agriculture Center, 24 Hyde Ave (Route 30), across from Northeast School, Rockville
Speaker: Jane Seymour – Wildlife Biologist, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
VALLEY FALLS AFTER DARK: The Nocturnal Creatures We Seldom See
* Did you ever wonder what makes those strange noises often heard in the woods at night? Come learn about the creatures that roam the forest at night. Hear the strange sounds they make!
* Learn why we no longer see some of the wildlife that once lived in our fields and woodlands, and why other critters are now seen more frequently.
A short business meeting will precede the talk.
Directions: I-84 to Exit 66; head south on Bolton Road for one mile, then right on Valley Falls Road. Park at the Red Barn or in the parking lot at Valley Falls Park, just past the barn on the left.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
8:00 a.m.; 11:00 a.m.; 1:00 p.m.
The Friends of Valley Falls will hold a full day of three guided-walks in Valley Falls Park on Saturday, May 17th. The walks will begin with a bird walk at 8:00 am, followed by a wildflower walk at 11:00 am, and a geology walk at 1:00 pm.
Bring a bag lunch. Please meet in the gazebo at Valley Falls Park.
The bird walk (8:00 am) will be led by wildlife biologist Denise Anamani, and will focus particularly on bird habitat.
The wildflower walk (11:00 am) will be led by Ginny Gingras, and will cover May flowers in bloom in the Park.
The geology walk “Rocks, Rails and Industry”, will start at 1:00 pm and will be led by Don Sierakowski. He will discuss rock formations, the fish hatchery, glacial Lake Hitchcock, and the coming of the railroads to the area.
For information, call Ginny at 860-875-9865.
Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014
7:30 a.m. registration – 8:00 a.m. start
Please join us for the Third Annual Hoppin’ Hodges 5K in memory of Jim Hodges. The race will benefit The Friends of Valley Falls, Inc. to support Valley Falls, where Jim often ran and hiked.
The 5K will start just east of the Church Street parking lot on the Rails to Trails and run up to the edge of Valley Falls and return. To reach the Church Street lot, take I-84 East to exit 65, bear right onto Hartford Tpke., (past Burger King and KFC on your right), right onto Dobson Road, and left onto Church Street and left into the parking lot as marked.
Please print the form from the link below and bring it, along with your donation, to the race. Cash is acceptable or checks can be made out to the “Friends of Valley Falls.” Walkers, costumes, Easter fashions, doggies and mountain bikes are welcome. Stay for refreshments after the 5K. This is a rain or shine event.
Hoppin’ Hodges 5k Registration Form
This is a “self-timed” event so wear a watch if you will want your time. We’ll have timers to verify your finish. This is a no budget, no chip/bib, no tech run with all proceeds going to the Friends of Valley Falls.
Questions/Comments: jpromayko@sbcglobal.net or 860-569-1978. If there is no answer, please leave a message.
COME JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETING!
Sunday, October 6 at 1:30 p.m.
At the Red Barn
345 Valley Falls Road, Vernon, CT
Speaker: Kathleen Connolly
Native Plants for the Home and Community Landscape
Kathleen will discuss native plants and why they should be incorporated into our home and community landscapes. Her talk will cover the role of native plants in supporting birds and pollinators, as well as approaches in a managed landscape.
Kathleen is a landscape designer and garden coach, as well as author of the “Green and Growing” column in the New London Day. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design. Also, she is an Advanced Master Gardner, a member of the New England Wildflower Society, Connecticut Forest & Parks Association, and the Garden Writers Association. Visit her website at www.speakingoflandscapes.com.
A short business meeting will precede the talk.
Directions: I-84 to Exit 66; head south on Bolton Road for one mile, then right on Valley Falls Road. Park at the Red Barn or in the parking lot at Valley Falls Park, just past the barn on the left.