Saturday, February 28, 2026 | 2 p.m. | "General Putnam Reenactment"
At the Waterford Public Library
In collaboration with the Waterford Public Library. Retired UCONN Prof. Kenneth Noll will give a dramatic presentation about the colonial figure of General Israel Putnam, honorable farmer and patriot. More details . . . |
March 30,
2026 | 6:30 p.m. Social
7 p.m. Program
| “We, the Maple Syrup Makers. . . ”
At the Waterford Public Library
David Lersch and Jim Luce (Waterford Land Trust) discussed the method of tapping trees for sap and the process of creating maple syrup. Slide/video presentation.
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April 20 -
Sept. 15
2026 | Daily hours
| “We, the Artists… celebrate America's 250th year!”
ART IN WATERFORD 2026: Past+Present+Future
Waterford Town Hall main corridor
Through September, veterans’ artwork is on display.
More than twenty-five juried art show winners will exhibit their patriotic and local scenery artwork in the main corridor of Waterford Town Hall. Artwork may be purchased, but must remain in Town Hall until the end of the show. In the final months of 2026, Waterford’s students will display their artwork.
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April 29, 2026
| 10 a.m. | The Lafayette Trail Commemoration at Jordan Green
Co-sponsored with the Town of Waterford, Recreation & Parks and The Lafayette Trail., Inc.
General Lafayette stopped in Waterford in the very first weeks of his triumphant 1824-1825 tour, where he was met on August 22, 1824, by a committee sent from New London to escort him to the mansion of Judge Perkins. A 45-minute dedication ceremony and unveiling of the 15th Lafayette Trail marker in Connecticut, donated to the Town of Waterford by The Lafayette Trail, Inc., with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. |
May 18-21, 2026
| 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Field Trips to Jordan Green
Waterford’s 3rd and 5th grade students will experience various aspects of colonial life through reenactments and participatory activities at several sites on Jordan Green.
In cooperation with the Town of Waterford Superintendent's office. |
May 23, 2026 | 2 p.m. | Women of '76: A Theatrical Tribute to Lesser Known Women of the American Revolution
At the Waterford Public Library
Rita Parisi will present reenactments on Jordan Green and on the Waterford Public Library property. Discover their courage. Hear their voices.
- A Massachusetts housewife who led an all-female militia to capture British spies.
- A German baroness who followed her Hessian general husband into the British camps.
- A fearless Georgian farmer’s wife who stood her ground against a Redcoat search party—alone.
- And two more bold, forgotten heroines who helped shape a nation. One local connection is Mary Katherine Goddard, printer, newspaper publisher, and postmaster, who was born in Connecticut in1738. She was printer and postmaster to the Second Continental Congress in Baltimore. Goddard was born in New London, Connecticut in 1739, the daughter of the local doctor and postmaster.Goddard herself actually printed certain aspects of the original Declaration of Independence.
Co-sponsored with the Waterford Public Library.
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June 8
2026
| 6:30 p.m. Social
7 p.m. Program | “We, the Farmers…”
At the Waterford Public Library
Our town of Waterford was called the “West Farms” of New London until 1801. Descendants of our town’s farming families, including Ray Dimmock and Daneen Roth, will participate in a discussion. The Dimmock family for decades had the right to harvest seaweed at Hammond beach, which is now Waterford Beach Park. |
Late July |
| “We, the Hay Harvesters…” Part one
During this field trip, Tim Conderino will demonstrate techniques that farmers have employed for centuries to harvest hay for their livestock and other purposes, while showing contemporary methods for harvesting. Registration required in advance.
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August 3,
2026
| 6:30 p.m. Social
7 p.m. Program | "We, the Hay Harvesters..." Part two
At the Waterford Public Library
Tim Conderino and others will discuss traditions for harvesting hay over the centuries here in Waterford, as well as explaining the purposes which hay still serves. |
Sept. 14, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. Social
7 p.m. Program | “We the Fishermen…”
At the Waterford Public Library
Local fishermen will share how fishing boats have evolved over the centuries and which fish are harvested in Long Island Sound. |
October 5, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. Social
7 p.m. Program | “We, the Family Gardeners…”
At the Waterford Public Library
When people once kept “kitchen gardens” near their houses, women could tend and harvest fruits, herbs, and vegetables regularly, as well as preserve fruits and vegetables for the winter months by drying (dehydrating), placing prepared food in Ball jars, and/or placing food in ice cellars. Sheila Elliott, Phyllis Cushing, and other members of the Thames River Garden Club will present this program.
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| November 7, 2026 | 11 a.m. -
2 p.m. | "Harvest to Hearth in 1850s Waterford"
On Jordan Green
The Dirty Blue Shirts living historians in and around Jordan Green's historic buildings on Rope Ferry Road focus on the Thanksgiving holiday. What did Thanksgiving mean for our mid-19th-century Waterford ancestors? Food, family, gratitude for what they had, remembering those who were gone, and charity baskets for those who had less. Hearth cooking, cidermaking.
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