nothin New Haven Independent | Cool Events This Week, Here & Beyond

Cool Events This Week, Here & Beyond

Bill OBrien Photo

We finally spotted some robins. Given the triple header of Nor’easters, they were either in in hibernation mode or delayed their return though some have been known to linger through the winter. Cardinals, however, do linger through the winter contrasting brightly with the snow. (See top photo.) We’re starting to hear early morning bird songs, too. Be sure to explore some of the cool events listed below that will put you in touch with your own habitat. Got a cool event? Email [email protected] by Wednesday noon.

Saturday, March 17

Uncover Branford Planning Meeting 

Uncover Branford activities continue on Saturday, March 17, from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the Blackstone Library. Get up, get out and uncover Branford. Neighbors come together to share their favorite Branford places and stories, then plan a group outing to a special spot. As participants go out into the community to explore and uncover new places, they will make new friends, have fun, and discover the hidden gems of Branford.

Their adventures are documented with photos and a short write up of their own personal favorites, which are turned into a community exhibit on display in the library.

For more information, call 203 – 488-1441.

Sunday, March 18

Branford Forum schedule

Due to renovations at the Blackstone, the Branford Forum’s spring talks will be at the Willoughby-Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Island Road in Branford, Sundays at 2 p.m.

On March 18, local artists Nancy Eisenfeld and Jennifer Davies, will speak on Creating and Understanding Visual Art.”

The April 22 presentation is being finalized.

On May 20, Yale Law School Professor Stephen Carter will discuss Lucky Luciano and New York’s First Black Woman Prosecutor.”

The talks are free. For further information, email [email protected].

Sunday, March 18
Jazz Brunch

MorrisTrent

The Elm City Market, 777 Chapel St., New Haven, features a jazz brunch on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Enjoy established and emerging jazz artists performing everything from old-time Dixieland to modern funk in a cozy family-friendly setting, celebrating the city’s history as a prewar jazz hub.

Upcoming performances include Morris Trent + Friends, March 18; and Jeff Fuller + Friends, March 25.

The menu features favorites like avocado toast topped with baby greens and a farm-fresh egg; a sandwich of thick-cut bacon and eggs scrambled with melty muenster cheese; and a vegan berry-acai smoothie bowl topped with granola and in-season fruit, all paired with fresh-brewed coffee and herbal teas.

For more information, visit elmcitymarket.com.

Interactive Open House

CELC Middle School hosts an Interactive Open House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 18.

This is an opportunity to learn about the school’s academically rich real world learning, personalized approach for children in fifth through eighth grades. Meet the teachers and students and take part in art, music, and science activities, and enjoy some refreshments.

For more information and to RSVP, call 203 – 433-4658 or email [email protected].

Wednesday, March 21 to Sunday, March 25

Shrek, the Musical at BHS 

Tickets are on sale for Branford High School Performing Arts presentation of Shrek, the Musical,” which takes place Wednesday, March 21, to Sunday, March 25, at the Cathyann Roding Auditorium.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Shrek will be played by Logan Distasio, and Fiona by Maddie Oberempt.

Tickets are $18; $15 for students and seniors. For reservations and information, call 203 – 315-7972.

Saturday, March 24

March For Our Lives

March For Our Lives take place on the Guilford Green at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 24. The event is as part of a national movement, which includes marches in Hartford and New York, in support of promoting common sense gun reform legislation in America. Speaking will be US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, State Reps. Sean Scanlon and Lonnie Reed and Mike Song, the father of a teen killed in a shooting.

Representatives from the League of Women Voters will be on the Guilford green to help with voter registration. They will also be at the march in Hartford, which begins at 12:30 p.m. from Corning Fountain. Tables will be set up on the east side of the Capitol. 

A sign-making event ahead of the march will take place at the Branford Art Center Gallery and Workshop, 1229 Main St., on Thursday, March 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/374945472973807/.

Life-Sized Candy Land 

Willoughby Wallace Library hosts a life-size Candy Lane game for kids age 5 and up in its Keyes Gallery on Saturday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Candy is included, of course.

For more information and to register for a time slot, call 203 – 488-8702.

Wednesday, March 28

Books n’ Brews 

This month Books & Brews will discuss either March, Book 1” by John Lewis or Boy, Snow, Bird” by Helen Oyeyemi. The group will meet Wednesday, March 28, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Thimble Island Brewery, 16 Business Park Drive. Come to the meeting and grab a book for next month, or borrow one from the library or purchase a own copy.

Feel free to bring your own snacks. Thimble Islands offers a selection of craft beers (must be 21+ to drink alcoholic beverages), wine, soda, and water. No purchase necessary to take part in the book club. New members welcome. For more information, call the Blackstone Library, 203 – 488-1441.

Creating Bird-Friendly Habitats

Katie Blake, Bird-friendly Communities Manager for Audubon Connecticut, will give a brief overview of Audubon’s Healthy Habitat Programs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, at the Canoe Brook Senior Center.

She will discuss urban oases, schoolyard habitat and plants for birds and how they are Creating Bird-Friendly Habitats.”
The talk will give an overview of the Plants for Birds Program and offer practical and simple ways any homeowner or gardener can make a difference for birds right in their own backyard. Blake will highlight the five principals of creating bird-friendly yards and offer useful resources to support taking action for birds at home. 

Together, these programs work to identify, improve and conserve important stop-over habitat for migrating songbirds all along the Atlantic migratory flyway. Together with Audubon chapters, botanical gardens, state and municipal parks departments, and other groups, a network of healthy habitats for birds and people in municipal parks, schoolyards, vacant lots, and yards across Connecticut is being created. The programs work to engage families in conservation action in many ways: as stewards of their own backyard habitats, volunteers helping to plant at neighborhood parks or citizen scientists collecting valuable data on birds and their habitats. Come learn how you can help make a difference!

The Most Famous Private in George Washington’s Continental Army

Tim Chaucer will portray Joseph Plumb Martin as a 70-year old man recalling his days as a much younger man during the Revolutionary War. The event takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, at the Branford High School Auditorium. 

Martin was one of very few soldiers who stayed with Washington almost the entire length of the war. He wrote his memoirs at age 70 when he came to realize that Americans did not know about the intense suffering of the average continental soldier during the years 1776 – 1783. He will tell in great detail what happened to soldiers like him during those many trying years and why he did not rejoice when the war was over.

Tim Chaucer is a former American history teacher who became interested in Martin because Joseph grew up in Milford, living with his grandparents, the Plumbs. Tim is an active preservationist with the Milford Preservation Trust and a member of the 6th Connecticut Regiment.

The event is sponsored by the Branford Historical Society. For more information, call 203 – 488-4828.

Saturday, March 31

National Stop-the-Bleed Day

The Branford and North Branford Fire Departments will host a cooperative Stop-the-Bleed day of training for the residents of both towns. Two free programs, open to residents of either town, take place Saturday, March 31, at Branford Fire Department Headquarters, 45 N. Main St., from 10 a.m. to noon or 1 to 3 p.m.

Although the recent tragedies in Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, and Florida emphasize the seriousness of mass shootings, a majority of severe bleeding injuries occur at home, at work, or on the roadways, and involve only one victim. The skills learned in the Stop-the-Bleed training will help you be prepared to save the life of someone with a life-threatening wound by applying a tourniquet and packing the wound, along with direct pressure to control severe bleeding until EMS arrives.

Pre-registration is required because seats for the course are limited. Sign up online at https://sccems-soc.ticketleap.com/stop-the-bleed-branford-fd/ or on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/events/867967326706773??ti=ja

strong>Cityseed Winter Market

{media_2|If you’ve been missing the hustle and bustle of summer’s farmers’ markets head into New Haven for Cityseed’s Winter Farmers Market, located at the Metropolitan Business Academy School, 115 Water St., open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Offerings include winter root veggies such as potatoes, onions, and carrots; jams, jellies, and pickles; fresh herbs, micro mixes, goat cheeses, meats, seafood, dairy products, bacon, eggs, artisan baked goods, and more. Special guests on hand throughout the season, as well as the Caseus Food Trick.

For more information, go to facebook.com/cityseed. Park in the Community and Ikea lots.

Tuesday, April 3

Healthy Families in the Digital Age 

Branford Families is presenting a series of programs for parents and kids, titled Growing Healthy Families in the Digital Age.” The free programs take place at 6:30 p.m. at Walsh Intermediate School (unless otherwise noted). For reservations, email [email protected].

Tuesday, April 3: The Lay of the Land: Screen-time, Devices, and Schools” is a panel presentation by school staff, consisting of the WIS school counselor, social worker, the school district’s director of technology, and Dr. Mary Alice Curran, Professor of Social Media Citizenship. What are the rules, how does it work with 1:1 device ratio. What if scenarios during school hours.

May: Growing up KIND in the Digital World. Digital can be real: Review of good digital spaces” for independent time for all age groups. Don’t Be Mean Behind the Screen” movement. Special surprise presentation.

June 16: Family Fun – Summer Sites and Awesome Apps. Branford Families will have a booth during the Branford Festival with a few good apps running and options for family togetherness in a digital world.

Yale Collection of Musical Instruments

Here’s something different to explore. Atlas Obscura, the wonderful website that features quirky historical information of all kinds, recently featured the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments. Established in 1900, after the university was gifted a collection of historic keyboards by Morris Steinert, the offbeat collection features an assemblage of Western and non-Western instruments. Its stock has since expanded and now contains instruments spanning many different time periods and cultures.

The museum is built around a celebrated core collection of organs, clavichords, harpsichords, spinets, virginals, and pianos from the past three centuries. There are also gorgeous string instruments with looks that rival the beauty of their sounds, a piano small enough to play with your thumbs, colorful bells, and even instruments that date back more than 2,000 years.

The collection is housed in a Romanesque structure at 15 Hillhouse Ave., built in 1895 for a fraternity. The collection moved into the space in 1961. The facilities host the occasional concert, which you can attend — if you’re quick enough to snag a ticket. The Smithsonian Chamber Players will perform on Sunday, April 22, at 3 p.m.

The collection is not open to the public on Saturday, only in the afternoon and never on university holidays or during August.

For more information, visit http://collection.yale.edu/. 

Tuesday, April 10

No Man’s Land Film Festival

No Man’s Land Film Festival is an all-female adventure film festival based out of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, meeting a need and desire to highlight and connect women in pursuit of the radical. Hosted by Denali, a viewing takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Stony Creek Brewery, 5 Indian Neck Ave.

The goal of the festival is to connect like-minded individuals who are adventure-oriented, wish to support a shared vision of gender equality, have a desire to experience their passions and environments through a uniquely female lens, and, above all, love adventure. Along with cultivating a deep interest in exploring the vastness of the planet from a female point of view, No Man’s Land strives to create a history of motivating audiences to implement and inspire change.

Admission is $10.

Beginning April 21

Thomas the Tank at Essex Steam Train 

Thomas & Friends will be at the Essex Steam Train, Railroad Avenue in Essex, on April 21, 28, 29, as well as May 5 and 6, with departure times every 45 minutes from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Passengers select a departure time when purchasing a ticket (ride is approximately 25 minutes), but family activities take place all day.After meeting Thomas, guests will also have the opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt, the Controller of the Railway on the Island of Sodor, and Percy the Small Green Engine. Included in the ticket price is access to unlimited rides on five carnival rides, face painting featuring Day Out With Thomas characters, Isle of Sodor storytelling, a special Thomas the Tank Engine video theater and magic show, and Thomas the Tank Engine play areas. Caboose the Clown will create colorful balloon characters, while Sunny Train presents her music show.For more information, go to essexsteamtrain.com or call 860 – 767-0103.###

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