Lawn Party at Nook Farm: A Community Celebration

Press release

Hartford Neighbors Celebrate Museums and Community with Free Activities, Tours, and FOOD!

A Community Celebration, Harriet’s 214th Birthday Party, and CT Open House Day

The Mark Twain House & Museum, Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association, and the Stowe Center for Literary Activism Team Up to Present a Day of Family Fun

Hartford, CT...Join the fun at the Lawn Party at Nook Farm: A Community Celebration presented by The Mark Twain House & Museum, Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association, and the Stowe Center for Literary Activism (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center). This fun and free event will be
held Saturday, June 14th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the lawn between the Stowe House (77 Forest Street, Hartford) and Twain House (351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford).

Event highlights include:

• Meet Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher: Winners of the 60-year-old Hannibal, MO, contest to honor a 7th-grade pair as representatives of Twain famous characters
• Celebrate Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 214th Birthday with a slice of birthday cake!
• Enjoy icees and hot dogs with neighbors and friends
• Play corn hole, make bubbles, and create crafts
• Support local vendors
• Create your own paper bag hat! Gees and gaws galore available for decorating your own signature cap!
• Meet representatives from local social justice organizations: Our Piece of the Pie, Aspenn’s Library, CT Fair Housing Center, Make the Road CT, Park Watershed, and the Sierra Club
• Say hello to the GIANT Mark Twain puppet
• Move to the music of Fiesta del Norte and Michael B. Carabello & Friends!

The Lawn Party is free to attend, with free station tours of The Mark Twain House from 11am to 3pm (final tour steps off at 2:15pm) and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House from 1pm to 2pm, as part of the 21st annual Connecticut Open House Day. On Saturday, June 14, over 150 attractions across the state are welcoming visitors with free or discount admission and special events. To learn more, visit CTVisit.com.

In addition, guests can visit the Stowe Visitor Center and Mark Twain Museum Center to peruse exhibits and the museums' gift shops. The first floor of the ornate Katharine Seymour Day House at the Stowe Center and both properties’ historic gardens will also be free for guests to explore and enjoy.

Music, food, hands-on activities, and entertainment provided! During this event, guests will celebrate Harriet Beecher Stowe’s birthday with a cake cutting at 12:00 pm. The Twain House will share its Mark
Twain giant puppet created by renowned Hartford artist Anne Cubberly. Throughout the party, organizations working towards social justice will be onsite to engage with visitors and share valuable
information on how folks can impact their community.

“The Stowe Center, The Mark Twain House & Museum, and Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association are thrilled to collaborate for an afternoon of fun and community!” said Karen Fisk, Executive Director of the Stowe Center for Literary Activism.

Parking is available on the street on Forest Street, the Stowe Center Parking Lot off Forest, and at the Mark Twain Parking lot at 385 Farmington Avenue, Hartford.

The Lawn Party at Nook Farm is made possible in part by Stanley Black & Decker, Chubb Group of Insurance, BrightPath Centers for Early Learning & Child Care, and live music funded by the Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Trust Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee. For more information, visit StoweCenter.org.

About the Nook Farm Neighborhood

Once a hub of civic engagement, Pulitzer Prize-winning Biographer Joan Hendrick describes Nook Farm as a place where “there was no pot left unstirred.” Neighbors of Nook Farm like Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe often engaged in spirited discussions there. Through the Lawn Party, The Mark Twain House & Museum, Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association, and Stowe Center honor that tradition by bringing community together for this special event.

Fisk added: “The Lawn Party gives us a chance to engage in meaningful conversation about civic engagement, continuing the storied legacy of Nook Farm.”

The Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association believes that collaboration with neighboring partners such as The Mark Twain House & Museum, and the Stowe Center is critical to building community and improving the quality of life in Asylum Hill. “AHNA believes it is important to celebrate the rich history of Asylum Hill and we hope this partnership continues to grow and benefit Asylum Hill for many years to come,” commented David MacDonald, Executive Director.

About the Stowe Center for Literary Activism

The Stowe Center for Literary Activism is a museum, research library, and program center in Hartford, Connecticut. The Stowe Center’s mission is to encourage social justice and literary activism by exploring the legacy of Harriet Beecher Stowe and all who advocate hope and freedom then and now. Our vision is a world in which engagement leads to empathy, empowerment, and change for good.
Located at 77 Forest Street, we offer many programs for the public. For general information and updates, visit StoweCenter.org or call (860) 522-9258.

About The Mark Twain House & Museum

The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author’s Hartford, CT home, where he and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works during the years he lived there, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In addition to providing tours of Twain’s restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the institution offers activities and educational programs that illuminate Twain’s literary legacy and provide information about his life and times. The House and Museum at 351 Farmington Avenue is open 7 days a week. For more information, call
(860) 247-0998 or visit MarkTwainHouse.org.

About Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association

Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association began as the Asylum Hill Problem Solving Committee in 1995 with funding from a Justice Department grant to Hartford. They met monthly and discussed topics important to the neighborhood. In 1997, the State statute allowing for Neighborhood Revitalization Zones (NRZ) to be created by residents and stakeholders came to the organization’s attention and they elected to make all of Asylum Hill an NRZ. Presently, the organization is driven by dedicated volunteers, and their Board, which is comprised of community activists and representatives from various member organizations. AHNA operates through multiple committees, each focused on pivotal aspects of neighborhood revitalization.