Old Sturbridge Village In Winter

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Home > Life + Family GET OUT Old Sturbridge Village In Winter Maria Deneault of Thompson, Conn., left, and daughter Grace, 11, have a sledding race at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass.

1 Home > Life + Family GET OUT Old Sturbridge Village In Winter Maria Deneault of Thompson, Conn., left, and daughter Grace, 11, have a sledding race at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Sunday Jan. 10, Related Old Sturbridge Village Winter Youths Get In Free At Sturbridge Village Through January, all children 17 and younger get free admission to Old Sturbridge Village when accompanied by an adult. The village is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and all Monday holidays. There will be outdoor skating as long as temperatures stay cold enough. Jan. 30 is "Fire and Ice Day," when visitors can participate in the ancient trade of ice harvesting, which involved cutting blocks of ice from New England ponds and shipping them to warmer climates around the world before refrigeration. For more information and directions, visit or call Story and Photos By BETTINA HANSEN January 16, 2010 In the days before electricity and Zambonis, New Englanders used to strap skates of maple and steel to their boots and venture out on frozen ponds for wintertime fun. The skates may have changed, but the fun of gliding along in the pristine outdoors remains the same. Old Sturbridge Village, off Route 20 in Sturbridge, Mass., may be associated mostly with school field trips, but the village also has been sponsoring outdoor skating for several years. By flooding a corner of the green, organizers are able to provide a safe patch of ice, where the only danger is falling down and not in. Skaters even may catch curator Tom Kelleher, 51, of Warren, Mass., scooting along on some handmade skates similar to the ones used in the 1800s. Kelleher, who was born and raised in Norwalk, is a curator of historic trades and mechanical arts at Old Sturbridge Village. He's got a pair of authentic skates of yore on display, like the ones mass-produced in New Haven in the 1800s. He said the New Haven Fire Department started flooding a corner of the Elm City's green for skating back in No skates? Try riding one of the handmade 1830s-style sleds on the hill behind the Cooper's House in the village. Many visitors say they're much faster than modern sleds. After that, take a ride in a horse-drawn sleigh, or visit with the interpreters practicing old trades inside the village. There's also maple coffee and hot cocoa in the café. New Englanders in the 1800s had more leisure time in the winter than in the warmer seasons, with the harvest being over, and found it easier to get around in a sleigh than in a bumpy carriage. Take their cue, and get out into the brisk air for some winter fun.

Old Sturbridge Village is a 200-acre living history museum right off Interstate 84, complete with 59 historic buildings and historians to inform and demonstrate antique ways of life.

2 Skating at Old Sturbridge Village ( BETTINA HANSEN/HARTFORD COURANT / January 10, 2010 ) Tom Kelleher, 51, of Warren Mass., left, glides along the ice with Olivia Harry, 10, of Higganum, and her sister Bridget at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Old Sturbridge Village is a 200-acre living history museum right off Interstate 84, complete with 59 historic buildings and historians to inform and demonstrate antique ways of life. Patrons to the village should bring skates, as there are none available for rental. Tom Kelleher Glides Along The Ice Tom Kelleher, 51, of Warren Mass. glides along the ice with his own handmade skates at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Kelleher said that skates in this style used to be manufactured in New Haven in the 1830's and that the New Haven Fire Dept. used to flood the green for public skating in the 1860's. Pond skating used to be a great danger for those who fell through the ice, but flooding a shallow part of the green became a safe alternative.

Handmade Skates at Old Sturbridge Village Tom Kelleher, 51, of Warren Mass. glides along the ice with handmade skates at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass.

3 Handmade Skates at Old Sturbridge Village Tom Kelleher, 51, of Warren Mass. glides along the ice with handmade skates at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Kelleher is a curator of historic trades and mechanical arts for the village and is a native of Norwalk, Conn. Sledding Race at Old Sturbridge Village Maria Deneault of Thompson, Conn., left, and daughter Grace, 11, have a sledding race at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Sunday Jan. 10, 2009.

Sledding Race The Deneault family of Thompson, Conn.

4 Old Sturbridge Village Sledding Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. provides visitors with these handmade 1830's-style sleds for sledding down the hill behind the Cooper's Shop. Sledding Race The Deneault family of Thompson, Conn. from left, Maria, and children Johnathon (cq) 12, Sarah, 14, and Grace, 11, have a sledding race at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Sunday Jan. 10, Maria homeschools the kids and said that the living history village is a great way for the family to learn and spend time together.

5 Flying Down the Hill Meilin Goldman, 7, of Bellingham, Mass. flies down the hill while sledding behind the Cooper's Shop at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Many visitors say the 1830's-style wooden sleds travel much faster than modern sleds. Horse-Drawn Sleigh The horse-drawn sleigh makes the rounds at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Sunday Jan. 10, 2009.

10, 2009 after a day of sledding and walking around the living history village. Olivia Harry, 10, of Higganum, carries her skates.

6 Enjoying Hot Cocoa Maria Deneault of Thompson, Conn., left, and children Sarah, 14, and Grace, 11, enjoy hot cocoa and coffee at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. Sunday Jan. 10, 2009 after a day of sledding and walking around the living history village. Olivia Harry, 10, of Higganum, carries her skates. Olivia Harry, 10, of Higganum, carries her skates into Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass. for a day of outdoor skating on their rink. Old Sturbridge Village is a 200-acre living history museum right off Interstate 84, complete with 59 historic buildings and historians to inform and demonstrate antique ways of life.

SLEDDING Blackwater Falls State Park takes the work out of a favorite wintertime activity.

SMOOTH SLEDDING Blackwater Falls State Park takes the work out of a favorite wintertime activity. WRITTEN BY KRIS WISE MARAMBA WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMART OF COMMERCE NIKKI BOWMAN WONDERFULWV.COM 19 A few