Life stories blend with work and objects in “Nuts & Bolts: Stories from New Britain Manufacturing,” which features interviews gleaned from people who made New Britain the Hardware City of the World.

See it all at the New Britain Industrial Museum, 185 Main St., second floor, which offers free admission, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for Connecticut Open House Day on June 14. Gallery activities, exhibits and complimentary refreshments. The project is a collaboration between Central Connecticut State University and the museum. Share your own experience working for a New Britain manufacturer by getting in touch with the museum via phone or email as the project done in collaboration with Central Connecticut State University is supported by the Connecticut Humanities and is part of their Connecticut at Work initiative in partnership with the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the Hartford Public Library.

Farms, history, trains, architecture, industrial heritage, mills, inventions, ingenuity workshops, children's activities – all sorts of sites statewide will offer discounted or free admission, free gifts, exhibits and activities.

Specials and hours of operation vary by property, so sure to check participating locations. Here is the official link. Note that participating AAA offices (www.aaa.com) will be open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., offering TripTiks, driving instructions, tour books, maps, and discounted offers for movie and attractions tickets.

State Beekeeper Michael Creighton will present “All About Bees, Our Great Pollinator” at 10:30 a.m. at the Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby, which offers free admission 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The beekeeping program will feature the tools of the beekeeper and demonstrate how bees are handled and cared for throughout the year. Learn about the history, behavior and current threats. Following the program the Kellogg Center will host a honey tasting station featuring wildflower, buckwheat and avocado honeys as well as several other varieties.

At the Woodbridge Farmstead of Manchester Historical Society, 495 Middle Turnpike East, guest may tour the former Meadowbrook Dairy Farm with original farmhouse, barns, vegetable and perennial gardens. Free tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Across the state at the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association Museum in Kent, there's free train rides from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. And at the Eric Sloane Museum, also in Kent, there's free admission from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and children can create a weathervane or lightning rod.

Junior Farm Vet Camp at Billings Farm & Museum in Vermont is a very special opportunity this summer with two sessions: June 23 through June 27 and July 21 to July 25. Designed for ages 10 to 15, the five-day experience will introduce students to the physiology and basic care of large farm animals under the guidance of a veterinarian.

Participants will work alongside a large animal vet in the Billings livestock barns, learning the anatomy and physiology of ruminants (cows and sheep) and non-ruminants (horses), and chickens; help groom them, and participate in a physical exam. Students will spend time with the farm's oxen and discuss their training in the context of animal behavior, and watch demonstrations in horse shoeing. Related activities will include butter, cheese, and ice cream making, working with wool (carding and spinning), making rope, horse-drawn wagon rides, and more.

The fee is $300 for museum members; $325 for non-members and that includes a stethoscope and workbook to take home.

To register or for additional information, call weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (802) 457-2355 or e-mail at reservations@billingsfarm.org. The program has limited enrollment and advance registration is required.

“Pasture Soil Health Creates Wealth” Grasstravaganza, last held in 2008 in New York State, will happen this summer, July 17 through July 19. Morrisville State College and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service will host the event in Morrisville NY, highlighting the importance of grazing livestock to benefit livestock, soil and human health. 

Farm tours, meet-and-greets, and the event also includes a trade show.

Register online at www.grasstravaganza.morrisville.edu or contact Anne Orth at (315) 684-6843. Early bird registration is due by June 15.

Presentations include Ray Archuleta, Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) “Soil Guy” from North Carolina, who travels the country promoting soil health, with 25 years of NRCS experience. Jerry Brunetti, managing director of Agri-Dynamics, known for the Soil-To-Plant-To-Animal Health message. Jim Gerrish, former University of Missouri researcher and writer, who is currently a cattle rancher and co-owner of American GrazingLands Services LLC, an Idaho-based consulting business that helps farmers and ranchers more effectively manage their grazing lands for economic and environmental sustainability.

Friday is a tour of Morrisville Dairy Complex pasture plots under varying types of management, including interseeding and conversion to grazing mixes to promote soil health.