The 66th Annual Open House Day Tour of Litchfield to benefit the Connecticut Junior Republic (CJR) will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, rain or shine. Conducted by the Litchfield Aid of CJR, an auxiliary volunteer organization established for the sole purpose of supporting the Connecticut Junior Republic, this year’s tour will feature five homes of historic and architectural interest in the quaint community of Milton. Hidden away behind Litchfield’s country lanes and back roads, this storybook village features many fine homes, as well as the charming Milton Center Historic District, which flourished on waterpower until the middle of the 19th Century. Surrounded by farmland and woods, Milton is a lovely destination often missed by visitors to Litchfield.
In addition to the featured homes, the self-guided tour will also include additional points of interest in Milton and Litchfield, including the Milton Congregational Church, Trinity Episcopal Church and Milton Hall, as well as the beautiful churches in Litchfield. The tour begins on the Town of Litchfield’s historic central Green. Famous for its grand and elegant homes, Litchfield’s historic district offers visitors many opportunities for walking, fine dining and shopping in a quintessential New England town.
An evening tour and celebratory cocktail party will be held on Saturday night. The evening tour will be conducted from 4:00 – 5:30 PM, with a post-tour Celebrate CJR Cocktail Party, beginning at 5:30 PM. The cocktail party will be held at Lourdes of Litchfield, renowned for its lovely grounds and heavenly views.
Tickets and information about the post tour and Saturday evening party may be obtained by calling the Connecticut Junior Republic (860) 567-9423, ext. 278. Advance tickets for the general tour on Saturday may be obtained for $30.00 by contacting the Litchfield Aid of CJR, P.O. Box 214, Litchfield, Connecticut 06759. Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your credit card information, or check or money order, made payable to: Litchfield Aid of CJR.
Those using credit cards (Visa and MasterCard) for payment should provide account name, number, security code and expiration date. Discover Card and American Express are NOT accepted. Advance orders are non-refundable and must be received no later than Friday, June 28. Requests for tickets after this date will be held for pick-up on the day of the tour at the ticket tent on the Green. Special rates are available for tour groups that reserve a minimum of 20 tickets in advance.
Tickets for the Saturday tour from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. will be sold on the date of the event for $35.00 each for adults and children on the Litchfield Green. (No charge for infants.) General admission tickets do not include the evening tour and cocktail party.
The Litchfield History Museum and the Tapping Reeve House and Law School, recognized as the first law school in America, will also be included in the admission price of the tour. The History Museum is currently featuring the exhibition, The Hour of Conflict. This exhibition examines the ways in which the American Civil War impacted the residents of Litchfield, Connecticut in the 1860s, and will be on display for the House Tour.
General information about the 66th Annual Open House Tour may be obtained by contacting the Connecticut Junior Republic at (860) 567-9423, between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM, or by visiting the Litchfield House Tour website: www.litchfieldct.com/cjr/tour.html.
The Litchfield Aid of CJR, which conducts the Annual Open House Day Tour of Litchfield, was founded in 1911 and celebrated its 100th anniversary two years ago. The Aid was established by 12 Litchfield women for the sole purpose of supporting the programs and facilities of the Connecticut Junior Republic and has been holding various events to raise funds for the benefit of CJR since that time. The Aid held its first Open House Day Tour of Litchfield homes in 1934. One of the earliest-known house tours in the United States, the benefit was so successful that it quickly became the organization’s emblem event. The Tour has continued since that time although it was not held every year during the 1930s and 1940s. Each year’s tour is held on the second Saturday in July and features five homes of architectural and/or historic interest in the Litchfield area. The homes vary from year to year and the same house is never featured more than once every five years.
Founded in 1904, the Connecticut Junior Republic (CJR) provides care, treatment, education and family support for at-risk, special needs and troubled young people so they can become productive and fulfilled members of their homes, schools and communities. Today, the organization’s combined programs serve more than 1,400 boys and girls annually in 11 locations throughout Connecticut.
The Junior Republic conducts residential programs for court-referred young men on its Litchfield campus. Special, vocational and alternative education programs are provided for boys from communities throughout Connecticut through CJR’s Cable Academic and Vocational Education Center which is located on its Litchfield campus. Transition and related services are also provided.
CJR provides additional residential services for boys at its group homes in East Hartford and Winchester and short-term, residential crisis intervention for girls at its Center for Assessment, Respite and Enrichment (CARE) in Waterbury. A broad spectrum of prevention, early intervention, family support, and intensive home-based services, and aftercare, are provided for boys and girls through CJR’s offices in Danbury, East Hartford, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, Torrington and Waterbury (two sites).
A private charitable organization, the Connecticut Junior Republic is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). CJR is supported by gifts from individuals, businesses, foundations and organizations, and through service contracts funded by the Connecticut Judicial Branch, Court Support Services Division (CSSD), the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), and by Connecticut’s public schools. For further information, please contact Hedy Barton, Director of Development and Public Relations (860) 567-9423, extension 252; or by email: hbarton@cjryouth.org.