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HOMESTEAD HAPPENINGS

There's lots happening at the Homestead! 
We are bringing history to life through lectures, literary workshops, kids learning & fun, family events including historic reenactmentsart-at-mather, music-at-mather, field trips and more!

  • Discover Connecticut's Revolutionary War Sites and the Preservation Movement that Saved Them
    Discover Connecticut's Revolutionary War Sites and the Preservation Movement that Saved Them
    Nov 12, 2025, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    Join Christopher Wigren of Preservation Connecticut and Chris Fagan, architect of Darien's newly restored Pond Weed House, for a discussion of Connecticut's Revolutionary Era sites and the preservation efforts that have sustained them, including Bertha Mather McPherson's pioneering work in Darien.
  • POP UP Yoga with Mary Ann
    POP UP Yoga with Mary Ann
    Nov 16, 2025, 4:00 PM
    Vinyasa style yoga in the barn.
  • Homesteading Workshop: 1776 Needlepoint  Ornament - finishing
    Homesteading Workshop: 1776 Needlepoint  Ornament - finishing
    Nov 19, 2025, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Needlepoint a 1776 flag ornament for your holiday tree. We’ll kick off on Nov 5 with stitching, then return on Nov 19 to finish the ornament.
  • Middle School Essay Contest!
    Middle School Essay Contest!
    Dec 02, 2025, 5:00 PM
    Our 4th annual essay contest is open to middle schoolers (grades 6 to 8). Essays due Tuesday, Dec. 2 by 5 pm. Submit essay with name and grade to info@matherhomestead.org with "Essay Contest" in the subject line. Topic below.
  • Homesteading 101:  Holiday Greenery - 5:30 and 7:30 pm workshops
    Homesteading 101:  Holiday Greenery - 5:30 and 7:30 pm workshops
    Dec 04, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
    Create your holiday wreath! We provide all the materials -- plus a holiday cocktail or two for inspiration. Bring clippers please! Click on "select different date" to register for the 2nd session. $95/$85 members
  • Merry Mather: Celebrate the Season and our Staff!
    Merry Mather: Celebrate the Season and our Staff!
    Dec 07, 2025, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
    With gratitude for our generous donors and members, we invite you to celebrate the season + our outgoing Executive Director, Heather Raker, plus extend a warm welcome to incoming Executive Director Samantha Gault. Festive cocktails, hors d'oeuvres & sweet treats!
  • Colonial Christmas with a Visit from St. Nicholas
    Colonial Christmas with a Visit from St. Nicholas
    Dec 20, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
    Family Fun presented by the Junior Board. Crafts, cookie decorating, live music and a visit from St. Nick! Plus festive bevs & sweet treats.
  • Lecture featuring Kostya Kennedy:  Paul Revere and the Ride that Saved America
    Lecture featuring Kostya Kennedy:  Paul Revere and the Ride that Saved America
    Jan 28, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
    Join acclaimed author and historian Kostya Kennedy for a talk on his new book about Paul Revere—the famed man of the midnight ride. With Kennedy's signature storytelling and fresh insights, this event will reveal the real Revere: artisan, revolutionary, innovator.
  • Mixed Media Art with Lisa Thorén
    Mixed Media Art with Lisa Thorén
    Jan 29, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    In celebration of our country’s 250th birthday, come join our creative mixed media workshop. Jasper Johns’s iconic work will inspire our collage making and painting. All art supplies are included plus wine, cheese & sweet treats for inspiration.
  • The Art of American Independence: Beyond the Declaration
    The Art of American Independence: Beyond the Declaration
    Feb 11, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    ArtScapades will look at how artists depicted the events that led up to the Revolution, the battles that raged during the conflict, the creation and signing of a Declaration of Independence, and images that reflect the early days of a new country
  • America 250 Brown Bag Lunch with Eric Chandler
    America 250 Brown Bag Lunch with Eric Chandler
    Feb 26, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
    Eric Chandler returns for a lively lunchtime lecture: Slaves, Freemen & Haitians in the American Revolution -Between a Rock and a Hard Place. BYO lunch. We'll provide bevs & dessert.
  • Lecture featuring Cornelia Dayton: Snapshots of 18th & 19th Century American Women
    Lecture featuring Cornelia Dayton: Snapshots of 18th & 19th Century American Women
    Mar 05, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
    We celebrate Women's History Month by welcoming Cornelia Dayton, Professor of History at the University of Connecticut and author of Women's America: Refocusing the Past. She will dive into the history of American women in CT - focusing on the 18th and 19th century. Who were they? What did they do?
  • Revolutionary War Reenactment
    Revolutionary War Reenactment
    May 02, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
    We will welcome the 5th Connecticut Regiment for a Revolutionary War Reenactment. Earlier in the day, the Museum of Darien will host the 5th Regiment for Fifth Ct Regiment for colonial cooking and artisan demonstrations.
  • Middlesex Parish Open House Day!
    Middlesex Parish Open House Day!
    Jun 13, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    Celebrate America 250 with Middlesex Parish! Local historic museums and Revolutionary War sites will be open for tours and fun on Connecticut's "Open House" Day.
  • Literary Evening: Washington Crossing the Delaware and the stories we’ve told since - in art, in poetry, and first hand
    Literary Evening: Washington Crossing the Delaware and the stories we’ve told since - in art, in poetry, and first hand
    Date and time is TBD
    Join MH Literary Guru Samantha Gault as we explore the many portrayals of George Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware on December 25, 1776 -- from art, to poetry and more.
  • Vinyasa yoga with Mary Ann
    Vinyasa yoga with Mary Ann
    Monday & Wednesday 9:30 am
    Monday & Wednesday 9:30 am
    Refresh your mind and energy with this revitalizing practice to uplift and restore your entire system. Enjoy a well-paced flow that will offer you just the right amount of challenge while encouraging strength, resistance, and flexibility while reducing tension in the hips, back and shoulders.
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