Arts & Culture

Enjoy Old Lyme's Local Flavor for our Nation's Celebration!
Whether you want to hear a lecture, quilt a square, or turn out for our Townwide Picnic,
there's something for you in this historic year!

We have more to announce
as details are finalized.
Do check back for updates!

Calendar of Events
Currently Underway
Old Lyme's Historic Figures and Events Blog Series on ExploreOldLyme.com
Florence Griswold Museum: Call for Artists for Patchwork Exhibition (Submissions through April 26)
April
April 6: Announcement of Community Friendship Quilt Project
April 23 • 7pm: Lecture and Book Signing (Old Lyme Historical Society) / Lyme, Connecticut: From Founding to Independence (50th Anniversary Edition) by Bruce P. Stark.
April 24: Arbor Day Planting of Charter Oak Descendant Seedling (Tree Commission)
May
May 14 • 7pm: Lecture (Old Lyme Historical Society) / History of the Stars & Stripes by James Meehan
May 25 • 10am: Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony
-
Following Parade, Fallen Heroes Honored at Duck River Cemetery
-
10:00am - 1:00pm: Open House at Old Lyme Historical Society featuring exhibit of 1776, 1876, and 1976 memorabilia and commemorative items
June
June 6 • 7pm: Lecture (Old Lyme Historical Society) / Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London by Eric D. Lehman
June: Jac Lahav’s “George Washington: Over the Mountain” on view at The Cooley Gallery
June 5-July 17: A Connecticut History exhibition at the Lyme Art Association
June 21 • 5-7pm: Make Music Old Lyme
June 27-November 8: Patchwork: Connecticut Artists Consider 250 exhibition at The Florence Griswold Museum
June 29 • 7pm: Lecture (Old Lyme Historical Society) / Revolution in the Lymes - From the New Lights to the Sons of Liberty by Jim Lampos & Michaelle Pearson
​
July
July: Dedication of Blue Star and Gold Star Memorial Markers (Duck River Garden)
July 1: Town Time Capsule Dedication
July 1: Lecture TBD (Lymes’ Senior Center)
​July 2 • 7pm: Performance (Old Lyme Historical Society) / What a Glorious Crash They Made: Musick of Connecticut’s Revolution by Richard Franklin Donohue
July 4 • 9 am: Town Proclamation and Dedication to the Ideals of the Declaration
July 4: Parades at Sound View and Rogers Lake
July 4 • 2pm: National Bell Ringing (13 times)
July 5 • 12pm-4pm: Townwide Picnic at Town Woods Park / “America’s Potluck”
-
Live Music, Games, Bring-Your-Own Picnic plus Grill Options by the Lions Club.
July 8: Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence
-
(First public reading 7/8/1776)
July 9 • 6pm: Lymes' Youth Service Bureau Evening at Theater: 1776 at the Ivoryton Playhouse
July 18th: National Muster (Deep River Ancient Muster)
July 25 • 9am-3pm: Arts District Midsummer Festival
July 25 • Sundown: Old Lyme Town Fireworks
September
September 28: Lecture TBD (Lymes’ Senior Center)
​
October
October 22 • 6:30pm: Performance (Old Lyme Historical Society) / Kevin Johnson as Jordan Freeman of Lyme
December
December 3 • 6:00pm: Performance (Old Lyme Historical Society) / Nine Centuries of Christmas Music by Richard Franklin Donohue
​
Past Events
March 15, 2025: David Ruggles Day Proclamation
April 15, 2025: Two Lights for Tomorrow Commemoration
January 14, 2026: Lecture: History of Railroads in SECT (OL-PGN Library)

Welcome to Old Lyme
Welcome to Old Lyme, a small, historic town on the Connecticut coastline. We are known for our art galleries and beaches, and have so much more. Whether you are thinking about relocating your home or business here, or just looking to visit for the afternoon, welcome! We are glad to have you.
