Mark & Sue Pepe hail from Kensington, CT USA.

After finding our initial box in June 2002, we have since found letterboxes in 18 states and placed them in 13 states; 4 countries: Aruba, Bermuda, The Netherlands, Great Britain; and on a cruise ship! Thanks for stopping by our website and we appreciate your continued support.

"Have fun and just get out there & box!!!"

Email us: mjpepe1@comcast.net (Mark) or suepepe1@comcast.net (Sue)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

A 300 Anniversary Boxing Celebration!

Sue & I heard about the tercentennial celebration going on in Ridgefield, CT this year at one of the early spring gatherings. "There are 22 special letterboxes" we were told to celebrate the town's 300th anniversary.

So I quickly sent an email to the committee's email address and received a nice email from Terry who is the head of the committee. She sent out a book of clues for the event and 4 weeks ago, Sue & I hit the letterboxes hard! We netted 14 of the 22 and thoroughly enjoyed the history and the locales that each box presented. Clever hides, interesting places, wonderful vistas. Ridgefield has it all!

This past Sunday, we finished the balance and sent an email to Terry and the committee for a job well done. I asked permission to post the info here for all of our readers who might be within a short trip to Ridgefield, CT which is on the NY border. Believe me, it's well worth the trip.


Ridgefield is a wonderful town with huge homes on well-manicured lawns. We were told about the location of the home of the owner of Priceline.com and our jaws dropped when we passed! It's the largest home we've ever seen - even larger than Buckingham Palace, I would guess!!! The town has very interesting terrain so you won't be bored - some large hills, lakes and such that keep the series very engaging.

These boxes are out until September 15 after which some may appear in a different form or place but you must get the complete series in situ. The town's website for the celebration is located here. To find out about the letterboxing portion of the celebration, go down the left side of the page and click on "Letterboxing."

Clue books (free of charge) not only tell the history and important facts about each of the locations but have a cool square where you may place the image. Our completed cluebook really looks great and we used our own markers to add some color to the images. Sue & I also stamped the images into our current logbook as well. If you venture to Ridgefield on the weekend, you may obtain a book at one of the following venues - some of which are open on the weekend:

Union Savings Bank, Danbury Road/Route 35
Squash's Office Supply, Main Street
Books on the Common, Copps Hill Common, Danbury Road/Route 35
Town Hall, Information Desk, Main Street
Chamber of Commerce, Bailey Avenue - just off Main Street
Ridgefield Historical Society, Sunset Lane - just off Grove Street
Conservation Commission Office, Town Hall Annex (old High School Building)
Neumann Real Estate, Main Street

One of our most favorite locations was the Weir Farm, a National Historic Site, that not only was the home of artist J. Alden Weir and his family, but served as a refuge and retreat for friends and fellow artists. The grounds are to die for - and was the spot we chose for a perfect picnic lunch respite from a long day of hiking and boxing. We suggest that you think about doing the same. The gardens are wonderful and the old stone walls really fascinated me.

So - that's the ticket! Get them before they are gone. I hope you make it there before September 15. Let us know how you liked the series and send an email to Terry and her wonderful committee from the website to let them know how much you enjoyed the series. The stamps, while commercially done, are originals that show both a consistency and a change for each location.

I think you'll find that it's time well spend in a beautiful town with much to offer in the way of history, hiking and boxing. A perfect trifecta!

Note: I took all of these photos just at Weir Farm as we walked the property, enjoyed our picnic lunch and hiked to the box.

posted by Mark and Sue at Tuesday, August 12, 2008