Embellished Notifications by British textile designer and fiber artist Kate Lewis offers an analog interpretation of the messages and notifications we receive digitally from various apps, brands and the outside world in general.

Conceived as an “antidote to the news” this series of work aims to capture the good feelings and happiness these digital messages offer, carrying those emotions and momentary dopamine triggers into the future.

“I thought about the relationship our phones have with brands, how we receive information digitally and which brands and phrases exactly gave me that hit of dopamine,” Kate says. “These notifications have become integral to our modern lives, with food deliveries, take out, online dating, transport...”

With a nod to traditional cross-stitch samplers, these colorful and slightly subversive hand made works aim to lift your spirits, and will look great in your kitchen.

For more information about the opening and exhibit email hithere@peggymercury.com or send us a DM on Instagram

@itspeggymercury

For more information about Kate Lewis:

@katelewisstudio

katelewisstudio.com

Embellished Notifications by British textile designer and fiber artist Kate Lewis offers an analog interpretation of the messages and notifications we receive digitally from various apps, brands and the outside world in general.

Conceived as an “antidote to the news” this series of work aims to capture the good feelings and happiness these digital messages offer, carrying those emotions and momentary dopamine triggers into the future.

“I thought about the relationship our phones have with brands, how we receive information digitally and which brands and phrases exactly gave me that hit of dopamine,” Kate says. “These notifications have become integral to our modern lives, with food deliveries, take out, online dating, transport...”

With a nod to traditional cross-stitch samplers, these colorful and slightly subversive hand made works aim to lift your spirits, and will look great in your kitchen.

For more information about the opening and exhibit email hithere@peggymercury.com or send us a DM on Instagram

@itspeggymercury

For more information about Kate Lewis:

@katelewisstudio

katelewisstudio.com

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to have an in person session with Sheilaa L. Hite in Kent, CT!

Sheilaa Hite, C.Ht., CLC, is a world renowned Master Tarot consultant, instructor, Intuitive and author who insightfully uses the Tarot, Astrology, Palmistry, Psychometry, Dream and Symbol interpretation, Mediumship, Channeling, Meditation, Healing and Intuitive Counseling to help her clients understand and fulfill the meaning and purpose of their lives. Her ability to expertly interpret and use the power and energy of the Tarot is legendary. She has an accuracy rate of 95-100% and is featured in Paulette Cooper’s book, The 100 Top Psychics in America.

From touring with Gordon Lightfoot, headlining major US festivals, receiving Folk Alliance International "Album of the Year," releasing NINE BECOMES ONE (2023) to being named Folk Alliance International Artist-in- Resident, Joe is on fire. He's played with Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, David Francey, John McCutcheon, John Gorka, Judy Collins and 100's more. His songs are being made into award winning films.

Special Guest Opener - John John Brown.

Bell Ringing Weekend

July 5th 10:00am - 4:00 pm

Join us as we ring in the 4th of July weekend at the Eric Sloane Museum. Learn about an American tradition of bell ringing which is as old as the country itself while visiting our large collection of early American art. Museum hours will be from 10:00-4:00 . The museum grounds also offer a perfect place to enjoy an afternoon picnic in the Housatonic River Valley.

We look forward to ringing in Independence Day weekend with you!

Blacksmithing Workshop

July19th 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Join us as we explore blacksmithing techniques and methods through a hands-on workshop at the Eric Sloane Museum. Have you ever wondered how hand forged metal objects are created? This hands-on class will be taught by blacksmithing expert, Ian McCarthy. Students will learn the basics of hand forging and design layout all while using traditional tools and methods to create a one of a kind finished product. Pre-Registration is required. Register Today

"The whole is greater than the sum of the parts". So it is with Deni Bonet & Chris Flynn. As individual artists, they have more than made their mark in music. As a duo, they have created something extra, engaging and extremely entertaining. Bonet's voice and violin, and Flynn's guitar and voice, have echoed through the United Nations, Lincoln Center and Mountain Stage. They have shared stages with REM, Cyndi Lauper, Richard Thompson, Warren Zevon, Sarah McLachlan, Alan Toussaint, and many others. Special Guest Concert Opener - Bruce T. Carroll

Laurel Canyon, California has long been synonymous with some of the greatest songwriters of the late 1960s and early 70s. Among the artists living there and inspiring each other were Joni Mitchell, Carol King, Mamas and the Papas, Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt, Buffalo Springfield, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. You’ll be treated to performances by Rob Brereton, Nick Patrone, Noelle Chave, Emily DeMasi, Missy Alexander, Bill Petkanas, George Mallas, and Susanna Marker. Feel free to don your love beads for this special evening of music and nostalgia.

Join us for the bimonthly membership meeting held on the first Wednesday of every other month beginning Feb. 5, 2025 at different member locations.

2025 schedule:

• Wed. Feb. 5, 2025 | Location: Kent Memorial Library, 32 North Main St., co-hosted by The Kent Dispatch
• Wed. April 2, 2025 | Location: 109 Cheese Market, 6 Kent Green Blvd.
• Wed. June 4, 2025 | Location: Kent Art Association, 21 South Main St.
• Wed. Aug. 6, 2025| Location: Hudson Valley Preservation, 27 Maple St.
• Wed. Oct. 1, 2025 | Location: Wilson’s Café, 8 North Main St.
• Wed. Dec. 3, 2025 | Location: TBD

Wooden Spoon Carving Workshop

August 9th 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Join us as we explore hand carving techniques and methods through a hands-on workshop at the Eric Sloane Museum. Have you ever wondered how hand carved spoons and bowls are created? This hands-on class will be taught by woodworking expert, Rick Liegl. Students will learn the basics of wood selection and design layout all while using traditional tools and methods to create a hand carved finished product. Pre-Registration is required. Registration Information

The Rough & Tumble are a folk/Americana duo, consisting of Mallory Graham & Scott Tyler. Forming in 2011, they spent 8 years full time in a 16ft camper with two big dogs, playing roughly 150 shows a year. At home at festivals, listening rooms, and house concerts across the country, their commanding stage presence, engaging performances and affecting songwriting won them official showcases at Folk Alliance International, NERFA, SERFA and the Independent Music Awards Americana Song of the Year for their song “The Hardest Part".

In 2023 they received recognition for their work in New England as recipients of Club Passim's Iguana Music Fund. Only This Far, the band's most notable work, was released in 2023 and has been described as "quality songs, well written, well played, well sung and arranged, and a pleasure from start to end." In November 2024, The Rough & Tumble released Hymns For My Atheist Sister and Her Friends To Sing Along To, a collection of deeply personal, unifying and uplifting, humanist gospel songs. 

Bring a couple of songs, a story, a few poems, or your tight 8 minutes of standup to the Merryall Center's Open Mic.

Signups start at 6:30 for our 7:00 open mic. Two songs

or 8 minutes.

Affectionately known as SOOP, Seat Of Our Pants has ascended to the forefront of the Connecticut roots music scene with award winning, heartfelt, and clever songs that put a smile on your face, a tear in your eye, and get you thinking about the world around you. From sellout shows at The Buttonwood Tree, to the grand stage at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, to Podunk Bluegrass Festival, and many of the premiere listening rooms around the state, SOOP never disappoints their audiences. The unique mix of instruments, and impeccable intricate harmonies, distinguish Connecticut’s one-of-a-kind SOOP. Their cornucopia of folk instruments and rock-infused songwriting are a contagiously fun experience. 

Born at the Sherman Song Swap nearly 20 years ago, The Red Dirt Girls (RDG) are all about harmonies. Inspired by the classic trio work of Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton, as well as Red Molly and the Wailin’ Jennys, these neighbors got together for the sheer joy of singing. Susy Marker and Missy Alexander trade off on the lead vocals and high harmonies. They are the songwriters of the group, crafting lyrics that are sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, and often both. Pat Walker is the chief arranger, with a perfect ear, a passion for the unexpected, and a smoky bass line. Best described as Americana (a blend of country & folk), their repertoire is an eclectic mix of original music and unexpected covers. Whether singing around the kitchen table or on local stages, this trio of friends aspires to share the magic that a perfect chord creates. 

Inspired by the big band swing era, musical theater and early American folk music, with an upright bass, violin, an occasional accordion and any other willing participant recruited along the way, that's the amazing - Caravan of Thieves. This is the night, not to be missed.

Do you know the stories of how your ancestors came to America? What about the ones left behind? NOTES TO THE MOTHERLAND is a spellbinding psychological thriller that unearths the hidden experiences of Paul Rajeckas’ family during WWII, turning one son’s search for his immigrant past into a gripping theatrical journey.

Playing a multitude of characters in this riveting one-man show, Kent-resident, Paul Rajeckas, blends physical theater with a darkly incisive portrait of the 21st-century immigrant experience. This transformative performance brings the audience center stage into a powerful exploration of identity, history, and the secrets that shape us—an unmissable experience for anyone seeking to understand who we are and how we got here.

Funding for this performance provided by Dow Integrative Institute

Laurie MacAllister co-founded the beloved Americana trio Red Molly, which released seven acclaimed albums and toured both the U.S. and internationally, including appearances at MerleFest, Cayamo, and Boston Symphony Hall. jingle for a national TV commercial.

In 2024 Laurie MacAllister embarked on an exciting new chapter, launching a solo career with a sold-out performance at the legendary Club Passim.

Michael Ford's compositional and improvisational style draws on many influences, but it is rooted in a classical music aesthetic that stems from a life dedicated to the piano.

Ford describe his music as having hints of impressionism, progressive rock, jazz and Americana. He loves a good melody and enjoys rhythmic explorations. His music ranges from sadness to jubilant.

Join us for the bimonthly membership meeting held on the first Wednesday of every other month beginning Feb. 5, 2025 at different member locations.

2025 schedule:

• Wed. Feb. 5, 2025 | Location: Kent Memorial Library, 32 North Main St., co-hosted by The Kent Dispatch
• Wed. April 2, 2025 | Location: 109 Cheese Market, 6 Kent Green Blvd.
• Wed. June 4, 2025 | Location: Kent Art Association, 21 South Main St.
• Wed. Aug. 6, 2025| Location: Hudson Valley Preservation, 27 Maple St.
• Wed. Oct. 1, 2025 | Location: Wilson’s Café, 8 North Main St.
• Wed. Dec. 3, 2025 | Location: TBD

How to Hew Log Hewing Workshop

October 4th 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Join us as we explore hand-hewing techniques and methods through a hands-on workshop at the Eric Sloane Museum. Have you ever wondered how hand-hewn beams are created? This hands-on class will be taught by preservation carpenter, Nevan Carling. Students will learn the basics of timber selection and beam layout all while using traditional tools and methods to create a hand-hewn finished product. Pre-Registration is required. Registration Information

What is Expressing Motherhood?

Expressing Motherhood is a gathering of voices and stories all about the journey of motherhood. Since 2008 #ExMoShow has showcased women (and men) sharing their personal stories on stage. Initially created and produced in Los Angeles by “two moms who had never done anything like it before.” Since, Expressing Motherhood has been taken on the road to an Off-Off-Broadway theater in New York City and to numerous other cities from Boston to Tacoma. 

The Merryall Center is thrilled to be its next stop in bringing these stories to our stage for our Litchfield County community. It’s an opportunity to share with one another in spoken word, monologue, skit, or song all the nuances and experiences that are forever attached to motherhood.

To find out more information, see Merryall Center’s Call for Submission

Deadline is 6/30/25.

A blended family from the city buys a house sight unseen in an isolated backwoods hamlet. Things get rocky when the locals aren't as welcoming as expected and a dangerous urban legend turns out to be true. In their struggle to put down roots, they find their sanctuary in peril-and their lives threatened-by the land's haunted past.

Join director, Myke Furhman and cast members, Jeff Solomon and lisann Valentin, for post-screening talkback.

Introducing SPARK an event by TradesUP. This event, formerly Touch a Trade, will return to the grounds of the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association and the Eric Sloane Museum on October 25th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 31 Kent Cornwall Road in Kent, CT.

TradesUP's goal is to SPARK interest in working with one’s hands and the FREE event will offer both youth and adults the opportunity to safely participate in trades, crafts, and self-sufficiency skills with their own hands.

Planned activities include carpentry, woodworking, masonry, welding, plumbing, electrical wiring, and planting a garden, along with arts, crafts, and other activities for younger attendees.

Music will be performed and local food and beverages will be on offer for participants of all ages to purchase and enjoy.

TradesUp is a non-profit organization, based in Kent, with a mission to support the development of the next generation of trades and craftspeople. Presenters, sponsors and volunteers are currently being sought for the event.

Join us for the bimonthly membership meeting held on the first Wednesday of

every other month beginning Feb. 5, 2025 at different member locations.

2025 schedule:

• Wed. Feb. 5, 2025 | Location: Kent Memorial Library, 32 North Main St., co-hosted by The Kent Dispatch
• Wed. April 2, 2025 | Location: 109 Cheese Market, 6 Kent Green Blvd.
• Wed. June 4, 2025 | Location: Kent Art Association, 21 South Main St.
• Wed. Aug. 6, 2025| Location: Hudson Valley Preservation, 27 Maple St.
• Wed. Oct. 1, 2025 | Location: Wilson’s Café, 8 North Main St.
• Wed. Dec. 3, 2025 | Location: High Watch Recovery Center, 62 Carter Rd