Suffield State grant a welcome event for Friends of Farm at Hilltop

HARTFORD — The Friends of Farm at Hilltop, Inc. group has been awarded a $330,000 state grant.

The funds will go toward reimagining the Stroh House as a Welcome and Interpretive Center at Hilltop Farm. The center will invite visitors to learn about the rich agricultural and manufacturing history of this region of the Connecticut River.

The Friends of the Farm at Hilltop owns 11 acres where the “Big White Barn,” outbuildings and former Stroh house sit. The nonprofit leases 60 adjacent, conservation acres from the Town of Suffield through a long term agreement. It has been renovating the buildings and maintaining the property since 2003.

The funds are being released under the state’s Good to Great Grant Program, which is co-administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and CT Humanities. It was established in 2014 with a goal of helping nonprofit arts, cultural, or history organizations enhance visitors’ experiences in engaging, meaningful, and relevant ways.

“The Friends of Farm at Hilltop is a nonprofit organization which has made

Hilltop Farm a fun recreational destination for families to enjoy,” said state Sen. John Kissel, who represents Suffield. “This historic farm has been brought back to life with crops, animals, conservation areas and hands-on learning opportunities. These funds will go toward further enhancing the Hilltop Farm experience for people of all ages.”

Another grant was awarded to the nearby New England Air Museum for $46,000. That grant will allow the museum to build a recording studio to save visitor memories for future generations. The recording studio will allow visitors to share their stories with the museum, react to exhibits, and contribute to future exhibits.

“The New England Air Museum enables people from around the world to discover the possibilities of flight,” Kissel said. “From our earliest aviators to the brave pilots who protected our freedoms and liberties, it’s about their unique stories and the history they helped to create. This recording studio will capture memories as they are made at the museum, and it will further enhance the visitor experience.”

Big honors for Big Brothers Big Sisters

At the recent Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Year Awards Event, more than 200 attendees came together to celebrate Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut and the five state awardees the 57-year-old youth mentoring organization recognized during early evening festivities at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford. Pictured at the annual awards event are, from left, Andy Fleischmann, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut; Suffield residents Ted Cutler and his wife, Kim Worthington; and Clarice Cutler, owner of Windsor-based Clarice Cutler Interiors. Ted Cutler is principal and CEO of Tecton Architects and chairman of the Board of Directors at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut.

Big Brothers Big Sisters photo