Terrace renovations starting soon - and the Castle will close as a result.

This month: The terrace restoration will start soon, and the Castle will be closed from Labor Day until (fingers crossed) we start the holiday program on November 25. We provide a recap of the 2022 legislative session, and thank our local legislators. An invitation to join Friends from all over CT at the annual meeting of the Friends of CT State Parks. Plus, pics of the plantings at the Castle generously donated by Ballecks and planted by our volunteers!

Terrace restoration starting soon and the Castle season will end earlier than usual.

You may recall that the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) received a $1.9 million bond from the Connecticut state bonding commission to fund key restoration projects at the Castle in 2019. (See this article here about the decision if you want a refresher).

Phase I of the project (the retaining wall restoration, which you can see on this beautiful video), and Phase II (the portico restoration, which you can see in this photo essay) are complete. These have been really important improvements, ensuring that our beautiful Castle will stand the test of time for many years to come!

The final phase of this multi-year project is a restoration of the terrace that overlooks the Connecticut River, and it will start ANY DAY NOW!

What does this mean, you ask?

To enable this work, the Castle and the terrace area will be closed to the public starting on Labor Day and remaining closed for the duration of the construction. Everyone here has our fingers crossed for good weather and no construction surprizes.

You can still come to the Castle to visit the gift shop and enjoy beautiful fall hiking on the trails.

If all goes well, the Castle should be open as usual the weekend after Thanksgiving for the start of the holiday program!

This image of the Castle during the portico restoration in 2021 is courtesy of Mattern Construction

Many thanks to our local legislators

While we're talking about funding, it seems worth giving a shout-out to the Connecticut General Assembly, and our local delegation in particular (Senator Norm Needleman and State Representatives Irene Haines and Devin Carney). In 2022, the legislature approved $52.5 million for state park infrastructure - which will really help reduce DEEP's repair and maintenance backlog of more than $150 million.

Also quite important this year - another threat to sell state parkland to a private developer was thwarted. Do you remember "Haddam's been had"? It almost happened again!

Read about the 2022 legislative sessiono and how it impacted our state parks here. Many thanks to our long-time friends at the Connecticut Forest & Park association for the summary and for their excellent work supporting effective advocacy at the state level.

Annual meeting for the Friends of Connecticut State Parks: 4 p.m. September 22

Many thanks to Ballek's and our garden volunteers!

Ballek's Garden Center donated a substantial collection of plants to the Castle in 2022, and these were planted over the course of a few weekends by a small but mighty team of volunteers (Elaine and Gary Wilson, Jamie Burgess, Marianne Westcott and Lynn Wilkinson). Park staff have done a LOT of watering this year, and the plants STILL look beautiful. Enjoy the pictures!

Sherlock shout-out. Sherlock is thrilled to welcome our new and renewing 2022 members Beatrice K., Judith A., and Joan and Duncan O.!

Support the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park