Health & Fitness
The Farmington Witch Project: An Evening of Enlightenment
An event to pay tribute to the 350th anniversary of the Connecticut witch panic! Food, wine, beer, music, book reading, and theater are sure to make this a magical night for the ages.
If you are looking for something original to do this Friday, The Farmington Witch Project: An Evening of Enlightenment will be commemorating the 350th anniversary of the end of Connecticut’s witch scare. Well before the infamous Salem Witch Trials, Connecticut had its own dark period of religious intolerance, mass hysteria, and faulty causal reasoning. Between 1647 and 1663, 11 individuals were sent to the gallows for witchcraft. The last person to be sent to her death during this scare was Mary Barnes of Farmington, on January 25, 1663.
Although this was a dark time in Connecticut’s history, the Stanley-Whitman House and Herstory Theater have crafted a novel event of theater, music, food, and wine that seeks to be both educational and entertaining. It seems like a perfect way to pay tribute to those who were unjustly executed and to emphasis the importance of tolerance. Attendees of The Farmington Witch Project will also have the opportunity to become a charter member of the Mary Barnes Society, an educational initiative that seeks to fund additional research into Connecticut’s witchcraft panics.
Quite fittingly, the evening will open with a Wiccan ritual. Author Suzanne Ress will read from her book, “The Trial of Goody Gilbert,” and Ginny Wolf will present her one-woman show, “Panic in Connecticut: Accused Witches Have Their Say.” Wolf’s performance incorporates the life stories of five women who were accused of witchcraft in 17th century Connecticut.
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The night will be emceed by local personality Steve Deming, whose family has been in Farmington since the days of the witch hunts. In addition, DJ Garth will be setting the mood with thematic music. There will also be a musical performance by Michael McDermott. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door, and include beer and wine courtesy of M&R, and heavy hors d’oeuvres supplied by Emily's Catering. The event starts at 7 pm (doors at 6:45 pm) at The First Church of Christ in Farmington (75 Main Street), and will continue until around midnight.
Are you curious about what 2013 has in store for you? The Farmington Witch Project event will also feature a modern day scryer who will assist people in conjuring visions by gazing into a crystal. Without the assistance of a scryer, I foresee this to be a magical night.
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Stanley-Whitman House (Tickets can also be purchased here)
For more information, call 860-677-9222
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