Annual Events

ACE Award Recipients Announced

The Board of Directors of the Bristol Center for Arts & Culture is pleased to announce the recipients of the second annual ACE Awards.  The 2008 ACE awards, which stand for Art, Culture and Entertainment, will be bestowed upon Ken Ferris as well as the Clinton S. Roberts Foundation at an annual fundraiser dinner held at the Bristol Center for Arts & Culture, located in the Carousel Museum building, on Saturday, May 10, 2008.  The award was created to honor an individual(s) or organization(s) who have contributed to the art, culture, or entertainment within the Greater Bristol Community.

Ken Ferris is the Artistic Director of the Bristol Choral Society.  He received his music degree and training from Western Connecticut University, the University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford Hartt College.  Ken taught for the Bristol school system for 37 years, 20 years of which were spent as the music department chairman.  His choirs have sung for President Carter and Pope John Paul, and he has directed over 450 performances with his madrigals, show choirs and concert choirs.  As Director of the St. Ann Church Choir, Ken has produced and directed numerous musicals, as well as traveled with the choir to Rome for Papal performances.  Ken currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Bristol Choral Society.  Along with the choral group, he has performed for the Bristol community in such venues as Arts in the Park, summer community concerts, and other state and local venues.  In 2003, Ken traveled with the Bristol Choral Society to Bermuda for a five day concert tour.  As a vocalist, Ken is in constant demand and has given many solo concerts for organizations in the community and the state.  Ken currently lives with his wife Marylou in Burlington.

Clinton S. Roberts was a lifelong resident of Bristol who made his living by farming.  At the age of 70, he suffered a heat stroke while riding on his tractor.  While he spent the next 20 years of his life infirmed, he never lost his keen interest in the news and local happenings.  In 1992, the City of Bristol purchased farm land from Clinton and his brother Kenneth in order to build the Chippens Hill Middle School.  It was from the proceeds of that land sale that Clinton established the Clinton S. Roberts Foundation. Clinton loved Bristol, and his ever cheerful attitude lent itself to providing perpetual funding for some of the causes he felt most deeply about, including agriculture, animals, the disabled and local civic groups.  When Clinton died in December of 1994 at the age of 90, he left the remainder of his estate to his foundation.  Since then, the foundation has generously contributed approximately $4.5 million to local organizations such as the New England Carousel Museum, the American Clock & Watch Museum, the Environmental Learning Center, the Boys & Girls Club and Family Center of Bristol, the Imagine Nation Museum, Bristol ARC, the Eastern Regional Little League Center, Bristol Community Organization and the Bristol Historical Society.  The Clinton S. Roberts Foundation is currently guided by Clinton’s nephew, Leonard Roberts, and his nieces, Ellen Roberts Ferrier and Linda Roberts Arbesman.  These trustees are equally committed to accomplishing the goals of their Uncle in order to provide assistance to the many wonderful organizations in Bristol. Clinton S. Roberts has provided a unique resource to the Bristol community, and the Foundation is an investment that will continue to pay dividends for generations to come.

The second ACE awards will be presented at an annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, May 10, 2008, and will include a cocktail hour, buffet dinner, an awards ceremony, raffle, music and dancing. The event begins at 6:00 PM, and tickets are $50.00 each or $400.00 for a reserved table of 8.  Tickets can be purchased at the Carousel Museum building, 95 Riverside Ave. in Bristol, or from the following Board Members: Jack Driscoll, David Preleski, Veronica Hunter, Bryan Ricci, Louise DeMars, Ed Krawiecki Jr., Ellen Ferrier, John Leone, Jerry Olson, Julius Aboagye, Kevin McCauley, Morrie Laviero, Bob Palazzo, Cheri Bilodeau-Barton, Joan White, Joan Seguljic, Donald Cassin, Laureen Rubino and Judy Vargo.  The proceeds from this event will benefit the general operations and educational programming of the New England Carousel Museum. For more information, please call the New England Carousel Museum at 860-585-5411.

2007 Harley Davidson Fat Boy Raffle

Sponsored by the New England Carousel Museum

Congratulations to the winners of the 2007 Harley Davidson Fat Boy Raffle

First Prize - Ticket #1171
Gary Leclere of New Britain

Second Prize - Ticket # 2186
Robert Ciarcia of Winsted

Third Prize - Ticket# 0783
Sal Castrogiozanni of Bristo

Thank you to everyone that participated and helped with another successful raffle.

The
New England Carousel Museum
95 Riverside Avenue, Rt. 72
Bristol, Connecticut 06010

Phone - (860) 585-5411     Fax - (860) 314-0483
Email - info@thecarouselmuseum.org