The Mark Twain House & Museum Hosts 150th Anniversary Community Celebration

The Mark Twain House & Museum will be marking the 150th anniversary of the Clemens Family's National Historic Landmark home with a day-long community celebration. Open to all, this festive, fun and interactive event will be held on the campus of The Mark Twain House & Museum (351 Farmington Avenue in Hartford) on Saturday, September 14 from 10am to 5pm. The day is sponsored by Global Atlantic Financial Group.

Moving to Hartford in 1871, Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) and his wife Olivia rented a home in one of Hartford's most esteemed and eclectic neighborhoods, Nook Farm. Quickly falling in love with the city and its array of distinguished citizens, the new family decided to make Hartford its permanent home. They engaged the services of architect Edward Tuckerman Potter to design an ornate home suitable to the Clemens' rising status in the world. 

Selecting a piece of property adjacent to Harriet Beecher Stowe's home and overlooking the Hog River, construction of the house commenced in 1873. The family moved into the home in September 1874, although construction of the house was not quite complete. They would live a happy and productive life in their opulent home until 1891, the period when Twain was most prolific and writing his greatest works. The Victorian Gothic Revival structure, featuring interiors designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany's Associated Artists, became the talk of the town and a destination for visitors from around the globe, something that continues today.

The celebration will feature performances and activities that reflect the lively spirit of Samuel Clemens a.k.a. Mark Twain, his wife Olivia, their daughters, pets, and, of course, their dazzling and quirky mansion. Tours of the house will be available for a fee while most other activities are free (except where noted). Food and beverage will be available for purchase. Event highlights are as follows.

Performances By:

• Mark Twain House Living History Performers – Live actors portraying friends, family and staff of the Clemens Family. 
• Acclaimed storyteller Dr. Rauff Mama telling stories from around the world. 
• The Typing Poet – Amazing Ellen Arnstein creating a personalized poem for you on the spot. 
• Story Faces – Both storyteller and artist, Chris D’Agastino engages audience members as he illustrates his story on their faces. 
• Seat Of Our Pants playing both original and traditional songs of the period, featuring songs related to the Mississippi River, the characters in Twain’s books, and Twain himself. 
• The Ryan Mitten Traveling Museum, a collection of musical instruments and artifacts designed for hands-on learning. 
• BubbleMania is loaded with visual comedy, quick wit, big band swing music, and the unbelievable quality and beauty of bubbles. 
• With Down Home Frolic's fiddles and banjos in their hands, you’ll hear Irish reels and jigs, New England square dances, Cajun, Zydeco, and French Canadian Jeux Danse.
• Jeff Mainville Duo playing an eclectic mix of genres including pop, country, classic and southern rock, the classic hits of yesterday and the current hits of today. 
• Anne Cubberly’s Giant Puppets – Straight out of the pages of Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Callavera County,” these giant frog puppets join our own Mark Twain to entertain you. 
• Our Furry Friends allows you to get “up close and personal” with a wide variety of live exotic and domesticated animals. Maybe you’ll even spot Mr. Twain’s beloved cat, Bambino!

Walkabouts and Special Treats:

• Station Tours of The Mark Twain House (Fee: $15- Adults and Seniors/ $10 kids ages 6-12/Free admission for children under 6,Museums For All participants with a SNAP-EBT Benefits card, and Hartford residents with proof of residency)
• Mark’s Walking Library – Hear passages from some of Twain’s best – from the book themselves! 
• Tarot Readings by Lauren – A fascination with the supernatural was popular during Twain’s time – and he held many seances at his home. Look into the future yourself with a reading by Lauren Ciukska. (Fees $1 -20) 
• "It Happened in Hartford" Exhibit sponsored by The Hartford.
• Face Painting 

Participatory Activities:

• Cardboard City – Someone designed and built the Mark Twain House 150 years ago; now you can design one of the buildings in our own “Cardboard City.”  Make your box a school, a home, a pet store, or whatever – and it will be placed on our street grid. Watch our city grow throughout the day.
• Hat Decorating Workshop – Decorate a paper bag and create a beautiful, personalized “celebration hat.”
• Pie-Eating Contest – We’ll see if your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Enter our old-fashioned pie eating contest to win. 
• Anniversary Cards – We’re celebrating the 150th anniversary of the construction of The Mark Twain House. Make a special anniversary card, and we’ll put it on display in a digital frame in the “Images of the House” exhibit.  
• Color a Mural – All joining together to color our little corners of the picture – together we’ll create six beautiful “community murals.” 

Food & Beverage:

• The MTH&M's Nook Cafe will be open selling an array of sandwiches, salads, beverages and snacks. 
• Gramma Lil's Food Truck selling all-American favorites including hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, wraps, and a variety of lemonades and other soft drinks.

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