Whale Of A Tale About Whale's Tail Ends In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — An iconic piece of West Hartford and, perhaps, Connecticut history officially received a new home Wednesday.

And the journey of West Hartford's beloved "Conny the Whale" — or, at least, a prominent part of her — is a whale of a tale about a whale's tail.

Once located at the former site of "The Children's Museum" in West Hartford, Conny was disassembled and put into storage in 2022, when the museum relocated to make way for a luxury apartment project at 950 Trout Brook Drive.

While the museum is, now, temporarily located at a synagogue site at 180 Mohegan Drive, 'Conny' — or at least part of her — did not go too far.

Wednesday, work crews spent the day digging and installing Conny's tail to be part of a piece of artwork on display at the Trout Brook Greenway walking/hiking trail nearby.

Conny the Whale was built in 1976 by an all-volunteer effort led by the Connecticut Cetacean Society (now named Cetacean Society International, CSI).

At the time, she was built to help raise awareness about the plight of whales and the devastating
impact of global commercial whaling.

She remained on The Children’s Museum property for more than 47 years.

In November of 2022, the Children’s Museum relocated to the grounds of Emanuel Synagogue on Mohegan Drive in West Hartford.

At 20 tons and 60 feet long, estimates to move Conny ranged from $250,000 and above.

"After careful consideration, CSI determined in 2023 that the best way to preserve Conny’s
legacy, and a significant portion of its structure, was to remove its tail and install it on the
Trout Brook Greenway, across the street from its (former) location," wrote CSI in a statement.

Conny’s tail was removed from the former Children’s Museum site on April 11, 2023 and
transported to West Hartford Public Works storage facility on Brixton Street.

Since that time, CSI has obtained all funding and local permits to secure Conny’s new
home on the Trout Brook Greenway.

An official dedication ceremony will be held this fall.

From May 21: 'Beloved West Hartford Landmark's 'Tail' To Live Forever'