Why you should come to Mystic.

• Author: Scully, Jan
• Position: National District Attorneys Ass'n summer conference - President's page

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CLOSE YOUR EYES. I'm serious; close your eyes and imagine you are back in the 19th century, walking the streets of a seafaring village in Connecticut. (You can open up your eyes now!) Well, if you join me at our summer conference this July, you won't have to imagine because you will be in Mystic Seaport. Mystic Seaport, with its Museum of America and the Sea, is a living history museum, notable both for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of crafts and fabric of an entire 19th century seafaring village. You will witness more than 60 original historic buildings meticulously restored, most of them rare commercial structures moved to the 37-acre site.

Mystic's first claim to fame came with the acquisition in 1941 of the Charles W. Morgan, the only surviving wooden sailing whaler. But here's some other trivia:

* Mystic Seaport plays a big role in the Hardy Boys Book #47, Mystery of the Whale Tattoo. The villain nearly kills Frank aboard the Charles W. Morgan. It also is where the missing statue is found.

* In 1973, many scenes of the made-for-TV movie The Man Without a Country starring Cliff Robertson were filmed at Mystic Seaport and aboard the Charles W. Morgan.

* In 1997, various scenes for Steven Spielberg's movie Amistad were filmed at Mystic Seaport. The village area represented 1830s New Haven, Connecticut.

* Mystic is a popular tourist destination because of its seaport, aquarium, downtown shopping and maritime heritage. It is home to many marinas, historic ship captains' homes, galleries, and traditional boats offering day-sails. The seaport now receives about 400,000 visitors each year.

Oh yes, I almost forgot the most important part--President-Elect Mike Wright and his planning committee are putting together a fantastic summer conference program, and guess where the conference will be held. You guessed it--Mystic Seaport at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa. Our Board of Directors also will hold their meetings in Mystic, July 20-22. So let me tell you a little about the conference.

The conference kicks off on Sunday, July 22, with our Justice & Generosity Reception and Silent Auction and, believe me, you do not want to miss this very special event. The conference program is Monday July 23-25.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

This conference agenda will include something for everyone, from the elected prosecutor to the front line assistant, from the large jurisdiction deputy to the small...