Our History Happy Hour series continues on Friday, August 21, at 6 pm. Be sure to reserve your seat early for these convivial evenings that pair education and social engagement.

Each History Happy Hour event features a brief but fascinating presentation about Madison history, followed by a chance to socialize and enjoy beverages and hors d’oeuvres with fellow history buffs in the 1785 Allis-Bushnell House.

Mark Your Calendars

Date: Friday, August 21
Time: 6 pm to 7 pm
Location: 853 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT 06443
Presenter: Larry Ciotti
Title: From Inception to Perfection
Suggested Donation: $15 Adults / $10 MHS Members. Registration is requested.

On August 21, Larry Ciotti will present “From Inception to Perfection.” Join Hand High School coaching legend Larry Ciotti for a look back at the early days of Hand Football. Hear about the challenges, milestones, and unforgettable moments that helped establish the program into a proud Madison tradition.

Larry Ciotti had a football career at Southern Connecticut State University before he was hired by Daniel Hand High School as its first-ever football coach in 1970. He built this local high-school team from the ground up, from its uniforms to its football field to its tradition of Friday-night football. Under Ciotti’s leadership, Hand High appeared in seven state championships, winning more than 76 percent of its games and securing four state titles. In 1988 Ciotti left Hand to coach the Yale Bulldogs. Today he can still be found working with the Bulldogs and helping them to continue their impressive record.

Date: Friday, September 25
Time: 6 pm to 7 pm
Location: 853 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT 06443
Presenter: Charlie Shafer
Title: Murder Mystery
Suggested Donation: $15 Adults / $10 MHS Members. Registration is requested.

On September 25, Charlie Shafer will present “Murder Mystery.”

Charlie has been restoring old houses professionally for 40 years and has been an avid hiker for far longer. He has always combined his love for history and his love for the outdoors by exploring the nooks and crannies of life and industry, in the old mines and abandoned towns of the mountains of Colorado and in New England on its old roads and in its historic structures. He has a special interest in the area’s collier fireplaces, which he has started to document photographically in Madison and the surrounding towns. He also enjoys documenting assorted remnants he finds in the woods, left by older farmers and residents.