Two Days of Fun, Food and Festivities at the College during Old Lyme’s Midsummer Festival

New York Times Best-Selling Author Luanne Rice will host a Book Talk/Signing at the College during Old Lyme’s Midsummer Festival

Festival-goers will have a chance to meet a best-selling author, mingle at two exhibitions, watch a calligraphy demonstration, and discover a plethora of gifts and handcrafted jewelry, while listening to live music and enjoying a variety of food as they roam College grounds.

The festivities begin on Friday evening, July 25, from 5 to 7 p.m., when two exhibitions help kick off the annual celebration.  The first exhibition, "Bird’s Eye View, Photographs of the Natural World," by Lyme Academy College’s former Board Chair, Diana Atwood Johnson, is on view in the Sill House Gallery and features photographs from both locally and further afield.  Atwood Johnson, an accomplished nature photographer, conservationist and amateur naturalist with a particular love for birds and wildlife, will be in attendance at the reception and available to answer questions.  She is also the publisher of the lavishly-illustrated book, "Swallow Tales," a pictorial of the hundreds of thousands of swallows that gather over the lower Connecticut River in the early fall.  Copies of her book will be for sale at the reception, along with photographs from the exhibition.

The second exhibition, "Selected Student Work," is on display in the Chauncey Stillman Gallery and comprises the best work selected by faculty and created by students in all four years of the College’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) program.  Most works from both exhibitions will be for sale.  Wine and light refreshments will be served at both receptions.  Admission is free.  The Lyme Art Association, Florence Griswold Museum and Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds will also be open during the same 5 to 7 p.m. time period, so come and enjoy an artistic, evening stroll down Lyme Street.

On Saturday, July 26 at 11 a.m., the College is proud to present Old Lyme resident and New York Times best-selling author, Luanne Rice.  Rice was recently honored with the 2014 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award, a prestigious award from the state of Connecticut for excellence and lifetime achievement as a literary artist.  Author of 31 best-selling novels, Rice will be discussing and signing her latest book, "The Lemon Orchard."  The novel, detailing an unexpected love story of two people from different worlds, has received enthusiastic reviews.  Several of Rice’s books have been made into movies for network television and one, "Beach Girls," became a mini-series on the Lifetime Network. Her work has also been featured in several off-Broadway theatre productions.

Also on Saturday, July 26, an eclectic array of vendors will be offering their goods on College grounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Lisa Fatone, artist, jeweler and calligrapher, will be featuring her jewelry, a mixture of gemstones, pearls and vintage pieces, along with a 1 p.m. demonstration of her techniques of calligraphy and hand lettering for signs and written correspondence.  Patricia Spratt will be selling her competitively priced fine linens, made from decorator quality prints, at her "Warehouse Sale" on the campus. Jan Ayer Cushing, owner of Fresh Ayer Gallery & Gifts in Old Lyme, will offer a selection of art, handmade jewelry and a variety of gift items.

For the eco-friendly-minded, Nutmeg Naturals, a family-owned and –operated Connecticut business specializing in cold-processing soap-making will be on hand with their natural soaps, lotions, and other handmade and natural items.  Artist Juliet Rutigliano will be showing her handmade sculptural pieces of jewelry, designed for the classically modern.  For readers, the College’s Krieble Library will be offering competitively-priced books, mostly art related, sprinkled with some beach reads.  Rounding out the day’s offerings is the popular Student Art Tag Sale, where all proceeds fund Lyme Academy College student trips and activities.

What’s a summer celebration without a hot buttery lobster roll?  Sample yours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when LobsterCraft’s, ‘from boat to bun’ lobster rolls will be on sale, along with lobster bisque, lobster kielbasa, and more!  Don’t forget to include a fresh summer salad along with other tasty bites and cool drinks from our College Café.

The live soundtrack for the day will be from a variety of bands with Youth Music Stage provided by Bring Our Music Back, Inc., with sounds that keep your toes tapping from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Want to know more about the College?  Visit the College’s Information Table for materials on College gallery schedules and B.F.A., Post-Bac, Certificate, Pre-College & Continuing Education programs.  Selected T-shirts and tote bags will also be on sale.