This month: Your invitation to join us in celebrating the start-up of the Chester-Hadlyme ferry. Big changes at the gift shop as Janice Nowik retires. New website improvements we are proud to share, and alas, nobody won the reward for the cat article about Gillette. Sherlock visits the Hadlyme Country Market to admire a new mural featuring Gillette Castle! Plus, of course, this month's Test Your Trivia challenge!
Accomplishments and Happenings
Photograph courtesy of Kelly Hunt, Cherish the Moment Photography
Join us at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 1 as we celebrate the 2021 start-up of the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry!

Enjoy free refreshments and convivial conversation! Admire the recent renovations to the East Haddam landing area! The ferry is one of the oldest continuously operating ferries in the United States, and it is a spectacular way to get to the Castle.

Everyone is welcome! Read more here.
  • Big changes at the gift shop! After 14 years of multitasking, Janice Nowik retires from her roles with the Friends. Janice has been an essential part of the Friends of Gillette Castle since 2007. She's looking forward to a well-deserved break, but -- who knows --we might still see her around! Read all about her varied contributions in our feature article here.

  • We've made some significant additions to the website. Check out the new page, volunteer opportunities, that we hope will entice people to help out with our mission. Also, since Gillette Castle plays an important role in drawing tourism to our little town of East Haddam, we want to ensure that potential visitors are aware of all the local gems they can visit. So we created a whole new section describing all the local attractions. Lastly, a new calendar so you can keep track of what's happening.

  • Are you interested in helping to clear trails at the park? The past few winters have been tough on our trees and the trails need ongoing maintenance. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is offering a two-day course in chain-saw safety that will be scheduled and held in spring or fall based on volunteer interest from regional Friends groups. Successful completion of this course is mandatory for volunteers wishing to be able to use chainsaws to help with trail maintenance at the parks. Read here for more details and let us know if you are interested.

  • Alas, none of our members have claimed the reward for finding the article about Gillette in a cat magazine. (Read about the original request in our last newsletter if you missed it). We are still curious to find this treasure, though, so if you do manage to spot it somewhere, let us know!
Test Your Trivia!
The March edition
A compilation of little-known facts about William Gillette and Sherlock Holmes

Mar. 7, 1922: Goldwyn Pictures releases a silent film called "Sherlock Holmes," based on William Gillette's original film version (1916). What actor starred as Holmes in this production?

Mar. 24, 1905: The premiere of a Sherlock Holmes play written by William Gillette, in which Sherlock Holmes has no spoken lines! Name the play.

Mar. 26, 1945: A memorial exhibit opens at the Morton Galleries on New York City's West 59th Street. The exhibit is graced with numerous illustrations for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. What artist was honored?

Read the answers and more in this month's edition of "Test Your Trivia!"
Where's Sherlock?
Yes, that IS an image of Gillette Castle behind our erstwhile mascot! Sherlock went to see the brand new mural at the Hadlyme Country Market - where old-fashioned hospitality is always in fashion.

Did you know the store moved to its present location on Ferry Road in 1905, about nine years before William Gillette started building the Castle? Gillette was probably quite familiar with the place. It would have been his local market.

Read about Sherlock's visit, and learn all about the beautiful mural, in this month's Sherlock on the Shelf travelogue!
Sherlock shout-out. Sherlock is thrilled to welcome new member Kim K.!