Weir Farm National Historic Site Open During Veterans’ Day Weekend For Unity, Hope & Healing

WILTON — Interior Secretary Gale Norton has announced that all entrance fees to national park areas will be waived during Veterans’ Day weekend, November 10, 11, and 12, to encourage Americans to seek solace and inspiration in the nation’s parks, monuments, and memorials.

“After the September 11 terrorist attacks, many people visited parks such as Weir Farm, because these special places offer hope and encouragement – qualities needed to help the nation heal from the recent assaults on innocent Americans and unify our efforts to rebound and find justice,” said Secretary Norton.

“During this Veterans’ Day weekend, we invite all Americans to visit their parks in the spirit of unity, hope, and healing. As Americans visit these special places, I urge them to do so with pride and in honor of those men and women who fought for the freedoms we value and enjoy today. Let us also remember our active military and those unsung heroes – the firefighters, police officers, medical workers and countless other Americans – who are serving the nation valiantly in this time of crisis.”

“Americans draw strength from our nation’s cultural icons of freedom and tranquility from our great natural wonders,” National Park Service Director Fran Mainella said. “On Veterans’ Day weekend, all national parks – and many partners in state and local parks across the country – will waive park entrance fees. Let these treasures serve as reminders of what it means to be an American and that our trials as well as our triumphs serve to make this nation grow stronger, and endure and prosper.”

Weir Farm National Historic Site, which straddles the Wilton-Ridgefield line, is the only National Park Service site in Connecticut, and the only Park Service site dedicated to an American painter. Weir Farm preserves the summer home and workplace of Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), a leading figure in American art and the development of American Impressionism. The house, studios, farm buildings, and landscape integral to Weir’s artistic vision survive largely intact, making it the finest remaining landscape of American Impressionism. The 18th Century farm has been used continuously by artists since 1882.

“Historically, Weir Farm was a place of refuge and solace,” states Weir Farm Superintendent Randy W. Turner. “Although Weir Farm does not charge an entrance fee that can be waived on November 10 and 11, we are proud to join the entire National Park Service in recognizing Veterans’ Day Weekend as a time for unity, hope, and healing. We encourage members of the public to visit Weir Farm anytime they are in need of a place for reflection and renewal.”

Weir Farm’s grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk. The visitor center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 8:30 am to 5 pm, with scheduled tours of the historic art studios.

There are 385 national parks covering more than 84 million acres in every state (except Delaware), the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. For more information about this special Veterans’ Day weekend and national parks visit www.nps.gov. Weir Farm, at 735 Nod Hill Road, can be reached by calling 203-834-1896 or visiting www.nps.gov/wefa.