View the listing of events happening in the Park for September 2022 and beyond.
View the listing of events happening on the Thames.
Thursday, August 18 – Sunday, August 21 and beyond.
This Week on the Thames and in the Park – August 18-21, 2022
View the listing of events happening on the Thames.
Thursday, August 4 – Sunday, August 7 and beyond.
This Week on the Thames and in the Park – August 4-7, 2022
New London (July 14, 2022) – The League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT), the nation’s leading historic theatre advocate, recognized outstanding achievement within the industry when it announced New London, Connecticut’s Garde Arts Center is the 2022 Outstanding Historic Theatre in America at its 46th Annual National Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.
The LHAT National Conference, presented in different cities each year, is the largest gathering of historic theatre professionals nationwide. The conference took place in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Arts District, home to five historic theatres and the biggest performing arts center in the U.S. outside of New York City.
This year’s conference focused not only on the preservation, restoration, and operation of historic theatres, but also on the role arts organizations play in the ongoing conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The conference highlighted this with presentations from Cleveland Public Theatre as well as Karamu House, recognized as the oldest producing African American theatre in the nation.
The Garde Arts Center took home the 2022 Outstanding Historic Theatre Award during the conference on July 10-13, 2022, which was attended by over 300 historic theatre operators and service providers from across North America and the United Kingdom. The nominating committee consisted of former LHAT Board Presidents and leaders in the industry. Nominations were accepted from across the nation, representing some of America’s finest performing arts venues and film houses. Past winners include New York’s City Center, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, The Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, and Cleveland’s Playhouse Square.
A Moroccan-themed 1920’s movie palace and vaudeville theater, the Garde Arts Center is a Thames River Heritage Park premier heritage site and community partner.
July 17, 2022
Mohegan Tribe’s story of survival along the Thames River is shared during excursion.
New London – Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum, former chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council and Mohegan Sun casino, opened the Saturday afternoon boat tour on the
Thames River by piping the Gilligan’s Island theme song into the sound system he’d carried with him onto the water taxi.
But this was not a three-hour tour like the one in the famous 1960s sitcom, nor did it end in a shipwreck. Instead, the excursion on the Thames River Heritage Park boat took just over an hour from New London’s City Pier toward the casino and back again on a mild summer day. And while Bozsum did his best to keep things light, there was seriousness that could not be avoided as he told roughly a dozen passengers about the Mohegan Tribe’s centurieslong fight for its life along the Thames.
Bozsum and fellow Mohegan Tribal Council of Elders member Phil “Yellow Hawk” Russell introduced themselves as cousins, both descendants of Uncas — a revered chief, statesman and warrior who led the tribe at the time of its inception more than 400 years ago.
Thames River Heritage Park Foundation
P.O. Box 851
New London, CT 06320
Administration
(860) 444-4401 / Email
General Inquiries/Boat Operations
(860) 333-6706
Today is Sunday, December 22, 2024 