Saturday is bursting with many great activities! Nature, art, and literary events, and music, music, music. Celebrate Mother’s Day with brunch at Nellie Green’s or any of the other fine restaurants in the area. Feed your body and feed your soul!
Restaurant of the Week: Nellie Green’s, 50 Maple St.
Sunday is Mother’s Day, so why not take mom to brunch at Nellie Green’s? The bistro-style restaurant, opened in April 2007, features an outdoor patio and bar with views of the river waterfront. The Mother’s Day buffet offers eggs, bacon and sausage, carmelized banana French toast, pasta, salads, a carving station with beef, pork loin, and turkey breast, and dessert station, all served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Call 203 – 483-8400 and visit nelliegreens.com for menus.
Saturday, May 7
Spring Nature Explorer Events
The Branford Land Trust presents Spring Bird Walks at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8.
Chris Woerner leads the annual bird walks along the Trolley Trail and into the Vedder property. Come to one or both. Meet in Stony Creek at the far end of West Point Rd., across from the Willoughby Wallace Library.
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, Sam Saulys, an avid and expert botanist, leads a Wildflower Walk on the Van Wie Preserve to see and identify spring wildflowers. Meet at the trailhead at 87 Red Hill Road. (Rain date: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 8.) Walkers should expect moderate terrain, with sloping trails and inclines, and rocky under footing. Bring water. Walking sticks welcome. For more information, call 203 – 415-1571, or visit www.branfordlandtrust.org.
“The Rainbow Comes and Goes”
Anderson Cooper will sign copies of his new book, “The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss” at R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, at 2 p.m.
Written with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, the book is a collection of letters between the two that reveals a glimpse into their lives.
The $30 ticket includes admission to the booksigning, where you will have the opportunity to meet Cooper and have your copy of the book signed. For more information visit www.rjjulia.com or call 203 – 245-3959.
Aerosol Artist Danny Gaughan
The Branford Art Center, 1229 Main St., will host Danny Gaughan, an aerosol artist who will demonstrate his painting techniques at 6 p.m.
Gaughan is known for his innovative use of aerosol paint to create stunning landscapes and portraits. His art appears on custom hats, shoes, and murals. The event is free and open to the public; refreshments will be available.
For more information contact Yvonne Gordon-Moser at 860 – 334-4642 or [email protected]. Gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Stony Creek Fife and Drum Corps Anniversary
The 130th Anniversary Concert of the Stony Creek Fife & Drum Corps will take place at Madeira Park in Stony Creek at 6 p.m. The Corps will be joined by the Camden Continentals and Connecticut Patriots. The Stony Creek Fife & Drum Corps annual open house will take place at Seaside Hall at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 2.
For more information, visit www.stonycreekdrumcorps.org or call 860 – 790-0654.
The Great American Songbook
This season the Branford Chorale is celebrating American music with a concert of standards titled The Great American Songbook at 7:30 p.m., at Branford High School, 185 East Main St. The chorale will be joined by a 17-piece big band, Tuxedo Junction.
The chorale was formed in 1976 to celebrate the nation’s Bicentennial. It is currently composed of 75 enthusiastic singers from Branford and the surrounding communities. New members are always welcomed. Tickets are $15. Call 203 – 668-5691 or stop by Towne Pharmacy.
Sunday, May 8 to Friday, May 27
May Art Exhibit at Willoughby Wallace Library
“Whim and a Paintbrush” by Layne Marholin is the featured art exhibit at Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Islands Road. The artist’s reception will take place Sunday, May 15, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Marholin is a graduate of the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford and has exhibited at the Wadsworth Art Museum in Hartford, the Slater Museum in Norwich; the John Slade Ely House in New Haven, and various other locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She says that early on she knew that making art would be a path she would follow.
Tuesday, May 10
Branford Rotary Spring Classic
The Branford Rotary Club will hold its 5th Annual Spring Golf Classic on Tuesday, May 10, at the Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club, 2 Club Parkway. The schedule is as follows: 9 a.m.: registration, driving range and putting green open; 11 a.m.: lunch; shotgun start (scramble); 5 p.m.: cocktail hour (open bar); 6 p.m.: dinner, raffle, and auction.
Prizes to be awarded include Longest Drive, Men and Women, Closest to the Pin, Closest to the Line, (4) Gross Score for 1st, 2nd and last place, and Hole-in-One.
Registration is $175 per golfer. Appropriate attire is required. Spectators are welcome. Dinner and cocktail hour are available for non-golfers at $50. Call Hap Storer, 203 – 804-0771 or 203 – 488-0771 for information about sponsorships.
The Rotary tournament is a fundraiser for designated charities.
For further information contact: Ed Vescovi: 203 – 415-9191 or [email protected]; Doug Shaw: 203 – 494-8510 or [email protected]; or the Branford Rotary website: www.branfordrotary.org.
Wednesday, May 11
Branford Water Quality
A community meeting to discuss water quality in Branford will take place at 7 p.m. at Fire Headquarters’ Community Room, 45 N. Main St. Residents can learn about the level of bacterial contamination at local beaches and what’s being done to lower it.
The meeting is sponsored by Save the Sound, 3rd District Branford DTC, Short Beach Civic Association, and the Farm River Estuary.
Narwhals: Arctic Whales in a Melting World
Join author Todd McLeish in a multimedia presentation at the Blackstone Library, 785 Main St. from 7 to 8 p.m., as he recounts his adventures studying the elusive narwhal, the rare Arctic whale with the spiral tusk. McLeish is a Rhode Island-based science writer who has been writing about wildlife and environmental issues for more than 25 years.
He will take his audience high above the Arctic Circle with teams of narwhal researchers seeking to solve the mysteries of the animal’s migrations and debating the purpose of its tusk. He will also share insights about the importance of narwhals in Inuit culture and how the warming planet is affecting the species. Along the way you’ll hear about the many other unique animals living in the narwhal’s melting world, from ringed seals and polar bears to bowhead and beluga whales. Copies of Todd’s recent narwhal book will be available for purchase and signing.
For more information contact Carl R. Harvey at (203) 389‑6076 or [email protected].
Friday, May 13
Murder at Blackstone Abbey Fundraising Event
An interactive murder mystery night, Murder at Blackstone Abbey lets participants solve the clues, interview suspects and help catch a killer. This second annual murder mystery fundraising event is set in the Victorian era and takes place at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $50 per person, and include beer, wine, and appetizers. All proceeds benefit the James Blackstone Memorial Library. To purchase tickets, visit www.blackstonelibrary.org.
Saturday, May 21
Local Author Expo
The Blackstone Library is hosting its first Local Author Expo on Saturday, May 21, from 1 to 5 p.m., to highlight the works of more than 30 local authors. There will be author talks, books sales and signings, and a food truck on site.
The event will begin with a presentation by Ann Nyberg, author of Slices of Life, and the longest-serving, full-time female news anchor/reporter in Connecticut television history, followed by panel discussions featuring adult and children’s authors. Throughout the afternoon, tables will be set up around the library for local authors to interact with the public, while selling and signing their books. Call 203 – 488-1441, ext. 318 or go to here
to register and view a list of participating authors.
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