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Community Corner

Audubon Center Southbury's 2013 BentFest Family Festival Sept. 21 to Feature Willie Nininger Band

The non-profit Audubon Center at Bent of the River in Southbury will host their annual fundraiser, BentFest 2013, on Saturday, September 21st.  To be held rain or shine from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., the family-oriented BentFest 2013 will feature picnicking in the meadow, river and nature walks, hay rides, tie-dye T-shirt creations, food vendors, kids’ activities, bird watching, raffle prizes, plus live music by the Willie Nininger Band.

 

Leslie Kane, center director, commented, “We are very excited to welcome the always popular singer songwriter Willie Nininger, his wife and singer Jan Scruggs, and their very talented accompanist Ken Melton, to Audubon Center at Bent of the River. The band is based here in Southbury and they perform throughout this area, the Greater New York City and New England region. They will perform between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m., preceded throughout the afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. with BentFest activities for family members of all ages.”

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New for 2013 is the fundraising sale of coffee, tea and pastries in the Bent’s historic 1800s barn. Kane remarked, “We have featured this remarkably large and impressive barn on our past BentFest promotional materials. This year, we’ll be creating a café area in our iconic historic barn. Visitors can sit and enjoy refreshments while admiring the weather-worn wood and large beams of this 45 x 30 square foot post Civil War barn.”

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The Audubon’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats. Located along the Pomperaug River and bordering Little Pootatuck Brook, the Audubon Center at Bent of the River nature center and sanctuary is a private, not-for-profit organization that protects over 700 acres of numerous natural ecosystems, habitats, un-fragmented forest, grasslands, meadows, swamps and a portion of the Pomperaug River.

 

There are more than 15 miles of hiking trails throughout The Bent on varied and beautiful terrains. Many ecosystems can be found at The Bent including deciduous and coniferous forest, rocky ledges, grasslands, old meadows, vernal pools, red maple swamps, and river habitats. Audubon owns both sides of the Pomperaug River for almost one mile which is an undisturbed and wild environment where beaver, muskrat, river otter, and mink can be found, and Bald eagles regularly fish. More than 170 species of birds have been recorded and The Bent’s highly diverse eco-systems have been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in Connecticut, protecting open land and wildlife over one square mile (http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org).

 

The non-profit Audubon Center is located in the Southbury hamlet of South Britain, off Route 172 at 185 East Flat Hill Road, 0.3 miles from corner of General Store and South Britain Congregational Church. Admission $12/adult, $8/child age 6 to 18, free for children 6 and younger, and $25/family. No pets will be permitted. Tickets can be purchased in advance at http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org, or September 21 at the gate. For information, call 203.264.5098.

                                                                             
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