TV Show To Film On Darien's Great Island

DARIEN, CT — Darien's Great Island is ready for its close-up.

The 60-plus acre property will be transported to 1775 later this month for the filming of the Battles of Lexington and Concord for an episode in a four-part miniseries from the creators of the acclaimed History Channel series "The Men Who Built America," which aired in 2012.

Filming will take place from June 17 to June 25, mostly during the daytime, according to Great Island Advisory Committee Chair and Selectman Monica McNally who broke the news to the advisory committee on May 29.

"They'll be filming at the stables, they'll be using the tack room and one of the offices, they'll be down by the beach, they'll be in the trails with some exciting scenes, and then there will be a lot in the main house," McNally said.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord, which kickstarted the Revolutionary War, took place between 1775 and 1783.

The other episodes in the miniseries focused on George Washington and the Boston Tea Party, and were filmed at Waveny Park in New Canaan, according to McNally.

There will be about 50 crew and cast members. Great Island will remain open to residents during the filming. Parking for the filming crew will be off-site; there will be six trucks on the island during the day.

Darien will receive $3,500 per day — $24,500 in total — for the filming, McNally said.

"I think this is super exciting. It's a small production, but I think it's a good way for us to get our feet wet and kind of learn how this works and if this is good for us or not. I'm really excited," McNally said.

The Connecticut Office of Film, TV and Digital Media first contacted Darien in January about filming in Darien and at Great Island, and there were subsequent tours of the property, McNally said.

During the June 3 Board of Selectmen meeting, First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky thanked McNally for spearheading conversations and negotiating filming.

"Kudos to you for working with those folks to negotiate it," Zagrodzky said. "It sounds very exciting, so that's cool."

Watch the Great Island Advisory Committee meeting and Board of Selectmen meeting on demand on Darien TV79.