Compass A&E

Hidden away in the lovely Coltsfoot Valley of Cornwall, Conn., is an 18-room stone castle built in the early 1920s by an eccentric and wealthy Manhattanite named Charlotte Martin.

One of the region’s biggest fundraising events was blessed this year with excellent weather and a convenient new location.

The Smithfield Church in Amenia, N.Y., is offering a varied menu of music at a concert on Sunday, May 29, 4 p.m. at the church on Smithfield Valley Road.

Beyond her groundbreaking artwork as a member of the Pictures Generation —with pieces in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the MoMA, and the National Gallery of Art, among others — Laurie Simmons has been a tireless advocate for emerging artists throughout her career.

The annual gala for Close Encounters With Music  on Sunday, June 12, at 4 p.m.

Anyone who has ever played with a dollhouse or watched someone else play with one knows that the structure itself is just a vehicle for the creation of elaborate fantasies and fictions.

Don Gummer will have an exhibition of his sculptures at the Five Points Arts Center in Torrington, Conn., with an opening reception on Saturday, May 21, from 6 to 8 p.m.  The reception is free and open to the public.

Could the Van Dorens be one of America’s most famous families? It’s possible.But without question they are one of the most famous families of Litchfield County and it is an absolute certainty that they are one of the most famous families of Cornwall, Conn.