In this issue: We share a photo essay and memories of Harold "Tyke" Niver, and announce coming events.

Harold E. "Tyke" Niver

We are so sorry to report the recent passing of Tyke Niver, a.k.a. "William Gillette."

Tyke died peacefully on March 17 at his home in Rocky Hill, CT. Tyke and his wife Teddie were renowned for delighting visitors to the Castle by representing William and Helen Gillette. In the words of one of our members, historian Susan Dahlinger, “The Nivers, as the Gillettes, welcomed everyone to the Castle as if Will still owned it and his dear wife had lived to be its Queen.”

Tyke wrote his own obituary, which you can read at this link. The obituary is completely delightful and very much in the spirit of William Gillette.

A service will be held on Saturday, March 29 at 10:30 a.m. at the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home in Weathersfield, CT. Details on this event and a wake on Friday, can be found here.

We traditionally celebrate the start of the Chester-Hadlyme ferry season on the first Saturday in April. This is a festive event in partnership with the Department of Transportation. We enjoy food, ribbon cutting, speeches from our local politicians, and a quick scenic cruise on our 75-year-old ferry.

However, blustery cold weather, flooding, and weather cancellations have been challenging. We are pleased to announce that we have moved our Ferry Celebration to the first weekend in May!

This year, the Moodus Drum and Fife Corps will join us, providing a festive atmosphere at the Hadlyme ferry landing starting at 9:30 a.m. As usual, we will also have snacks, convivial conversation, and loads of flags to wave! Speeches, ribbon cutting, and a quick cruise begin at 10 a.m. We will be back at the Hadlyme landing by 10:30.

We suggest you arrive early, park at the Castle, and walk to the event. The ferry parking lot is not large, and it fills up quickly.

A list of our upcoming events. Add them to your calendar. We hope to see you there!

May 10: Annual meeting for the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park

May 24: The Castle opens!

June 7: Guided Hikes for National Trails Day.

June 8: We are planning another book launch! More information soon

June 8: Guided Hikes for National Trails Day