VoiceMail Open Mic in Mansfield General Store

VoiceMail is on the move...
 to a new venue, for a quiet listening space with good food and country charm. VoiceMail is an open mic for storytelling ( adult venue)  held the last Monday of each month.  ( find and "Like" VoiceMail on Facebook please, and if you can help spread the word, thanks!)

                                                      Say Hello to our new home!!

You can tell  this is a well known landmark in Mansfield Center. It has been  a store serving the community for a very long time. What makes this such a special place?

 It is inviting; drawing in a wide variety of travellers off the main road through town and the Uconn campus. There are always a few cars out front!

It's the kind of place that makes you want to pull up a chair and relax a bit!

It is the place to see little girls in pigtails sitting on the front steps licking ice cream cones on a summer day.

It is the place to have your picnic ready by 12 so you can listen to the carillon play in the steeple of First Church of Christ across the street.

VoiceMail open mic for storytelling packed up and moved to the Mansfield General Store. ( find them on FaceBook) Our opening night there will be Jan. 30, 2012 at 7 p.m. The feature teller will be local favorite Gail Zeiba. There will be 5-6 open mic slots for other storytellers to take a turn sharing a tale. The soup will be on, the pastries sweet and the stories memorable. There are antiques, penny candy, cold local made soda and fresh Mountain Dairy milk products.

                                                                        
As before the donations collected during VoiceMail are split with half going to support the good works of the Connecticut Storytelling Center and the other half going to  the feature teller. Won't you come out and support us at our new venue.  Kelly and Lisa who run the store are opening special just for us! Please support their time and effort and  come for the soup bar and desserts. If this is the year of the buy local movement this is the place to see that in action!
                                                                     

other blogs of similar content:
www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/07mansfield-general-store-whats-story.html

www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/07/signs-im-not-in-downtown-mansfield.html

Weather Vanes; Story Resources Part 3

More Weather Vanes with accompanying resources for stories, written or oral.

egg laying contest Uconn

There was a time when the world made tracks to Storrs CT.  bringing their best hens for a prestigious competition in egg laying to find the world's best producers. One of these coops remains as a historic marker to that time.

 ( Thanks to the Dodd Center at Uconn for permission to use this photo)

poultry science

Professor Daniel Talmadge taught poultry science at Uconn in the 70's and before. Our class was a group of  typical college kids making  commentary. We came up with a sketch of three chickens that  had cartoon style speech bubbles and comments  then it was adhered  on Dr. Talmadge's office door.  "Talmadge's Trio" and  our anonymous opinions were there for everyone passing by. He seemed to like our sense of humor. We of course being late teens - early twenties thought we were terribly funny and clever. We were just college kids up to the usual and not far removed from Saturday morning cartoons.

Rooster/ Hen Stories

Here at Jackie Baldwin's site you can find quite a few chicken links

www.story-lovers.com/listchickenstories.html

I love this blog post by Storyteller Sue Black:

www.sueblack.wordpress/com/2010/06/10/the-true-story-of-chicken-licken-storytelling-for-bully-prevention/

Retrieve More Dog Stories

                                                             Dog Stories
My All Time Favorite Dog Story Comes from Storyteller Donald Davis of North Carolina. I think I'll wear out the CD  "Gone Visitin". On that CD recorded live at the National Storytelling Festival  is the track  Rainy Weather 33.40  minutes of perfection in a dog story!  www.ddavisstoryteller.com

My next favorite comes from Bill Harley  on his Grammy Winning CD Blah Blah Blah,  the 7 minute song: Bow Wow Wow  you could have this in time for the dog lover on your shopping list and for the last minute shopper how about those downloads - instant GIFT! www.billharley.com

Falwell Barn Uconn

Historic Beef and Dairy Barn at Uconn College of Ag. History of College,  Ct Agricultural College founded by Charles and Augustus Storrs. A little of their story in  this link:
www.advance.uconn.edu/1997/971020/102097hs.htm


                                                    Beef and Dairy Til the Cows Come Home
                       ( guess they are already here! But here are some resources anyway! )
Didn't know about my dairy connection have a look www.mountaindairy.com
here is my video from this falls corn harvest:

Do you remember Elsie the Cow? She was a starlet in her own right!
www.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_the_Cow

Here is a new kids cattle page:
www.cattle4kids.com/story.htm

Previous Posts in Weather Vanes Series:
www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/11/weather-vanes-series-point-to-stories.html

www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/11/weather-vane-series-story-resources.html

Weather Vanes Series; Point to Stories Part 1

       I love weather vanes. They show you a little about the place or people that live and work below their direction. They  are steady and withstand storms and always helping show the way of the wind. They are whimsical and historical and creative and simple all in one.

                                                                       
My favorite weather vane adorns the top of Whitney Hall .at the University of Connecticut. On this day the wise owls are pointing to the College of Agriculture and the Second Congregational Church whose weather vane is equally beautiful.
                                                                   
Let this weather vane point you in the direction of some great stories, here are owl story links to go with it:
Incredible Story from Simon and Schuster books watch the video on the site:

www.wesleytheowl.com

more: www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=Owl+Stories

No Owl Section would be complete without a spot dedicated to Jane Yolen's, Owl Moon!

                                                                     

Here is the Second Congregational Church and although you can't quite make out the weather vane I love how the steeple is lighted. The vane is  gilded  and  has been a landmark in town and on the campus of the University of Connecticut since its construction.

                                                                    

The Historic Congregational Church at Lebanon, CT sports this artistic gilded weather vane.

Some links to stories of and about church:
 First Church of Christ Mansfield Center UCC, will soon host a special storytelling event "The Gospel of Mark Alive" presented by Storyteller Rev. Bert Marshall  November 27 at 2 p.m. You can see a blog post about the event at:
www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/11/gospel-of-mark-alive-storyteller-rev.html

Need a laugh here are some humorous stories with a church theme I recommend the
 Story of the Two Little Boys!
www.gatewaytojesus.com/humorouschurchstories.html

Hear Jonah's Tale on You-Tube:

Another Lebanon, CT. weather vane from the top of the Town Hall of an early sulky racer. These weather vanes were pattered after the images of Blackhawk a famous Morgan Horse Stallion. 

Lore of Blackhawk:
www.morganhorse.com/about_the_morgan/photo_archive/black_hawk

www.morganmuseum.org/html/amhistory.html

This was really a form of early advertising  of his racing record and his record as a breeding stallion. Certainly putting this atop your barn in that day was a proclamation to high quality stock below!

The weathervanes of the era are  highly sought after early American Folk Art check out this sale of a Blackhawk vane at the famous Christie's in  2002, can you believe $14,100.00! See it here:

www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=3859833

This is part 1 of the Weather Vane Series, I will post more vanes which will point you to more fun and enlightening resources. Look for those posts in coming days and weeks. Subscribe or follow to be sure not to miss a single weather vanes post.

Blacksmiths and Artisans made the weather vanes of yesteryear here is a post with links to the Blacksmith trade and stories;
www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/08/village-smithy.html

Hope you have had fun wandering my resource collection if you liked something share it with a friend please.

Snow Emergencies Strain CT. Agriculture Industry

Snow Emergencies have struck Connecticut Agriculture a terrible blow. 

The video shows the removal of the 14th horse from this barn  that collapsed under the weight of snow and ice.  Every day this week the news outlets have carried reports of more roofs in danger of collapse or in many case gone down.  The total loss to  the 3.5 billion dollar industry of CT. Ag. is yet to be determined, and more snow is in the forecast.
( to read more about the 3.5 billion industry  please visit  http://today.uconn.edu/?p21744  )

Some suggestions for future heavy snow events:

Clear as much as possible from roof

Have house or barn number clearly marked street side for emergency vehicles to find you!

Have flashlights and batteries on hand

Keep a list of emergency contact numbers in your home and cell phone

Have a list of places to evacuate to  and transportation help

Have 1 or 2 paddocks separate from barns to  move animals to, and away from emergency vehicles

In case you are not home post name and contact info on barn or house

have halters and lead ropes at stall doors for quick removal of horses

take pictures of your buildings for insurance purposes before something happens

watch for signs of strain - cracks, doors not working right, sounds

HEAR IT,     FEAR IT,      GET OUT!!! 

Not just barns  greenhouses, kennels, sheds, stores, schools,  be alert where ever you go!

HAVE AN EMERGENCY PLAN!!!

 Topmost Herb Farm  / Carole Miller  Coventry, Ct. - this IS where your food comes from! Learn more on her Facebook Page