The Second Company’s Governor’s Foot Guard Dance Band
Yes, it’s barely Thanksgiving and already the signs of Christmas are evident. Do take some time and enjoy these fall moments – the colors are still vibrant – before the Christmas crush. Put on your dancing shoes and check out the Connecticut Governor’s Foot Guard Dance Bank concert, and take a walk in the Van Wie woods, and play a little golf to benefit the Blackstone. Then, take a deep breath and prepare for the next round of holiday activities.
Friday, Nov. 18
2nd Company Connecticut Governor’s Foot Guard Dance Band
The Governor’s Foot Guard Dance Band (see top photo) will be in concert at the First Congregational Church of Branford, 1009 Main St., on Friday, Nov. 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Folks are encouraged to bring their dancing shoes for an evening of lively music and dance, followed by refreshments.
The Second Company Governor’s Food Guard Band is the musical arm of one of the oldest continually active military units in the United States. It was chartered in 1775, and the first Commandant was Revolutionary War General Benedict Arnold. The present Commandant of the Second Company is Major Richard K. Greenalch Jr. The band has relocated to Branford and rehearses weekly at the Branford Armory. Cpt. Joseph Nuzzo leads the 2nd Co. GFG Dance Band.
The Musical Art Society of Branford is a cultural arts group that was founded in 1920 by Alice Collins and a group of local music teachers.
The event is free and open to the public (donations accepted at the door), sponsored by the Musical Art Society of Branford. For more information, call Arlene Steinlauf, 203 – 488-6837.
Sunday, Nov. 20
Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Walk
Join the Branford Land Trust on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. for its annual pre-Thanksgiving walk at Van Wie Woods. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors friends and family.
Participants should meet at the trailhead at 87 Red Hill Road. Directions: From Exit 56 on I‑95, go south on Leetes Island Rd. for 0.1 mile, and turn left (east) onto Red Hill Rd. Proceed to #87, which is on the right, and park on the right side of the road.
For all BLT walks, please wear appropriate dress and comfortable, supportive walking shoes. Bring water. Walking sticks welcome. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit: www.branfordlandtrust.org.
Branford Forum: How You See
Seeing seems intuitively to be the fastest, most natural, and most effortless of mental activities – something you do thousands of times every day without thinking much about it.
From 2 to 3 p.m. at the Blackstone Library, Yale University Professor Brian Scholl will illustrate several key themes from the science of how we see and examine how we sometimes fail to consciously perceive the world in front of us. He has explored the surprisingly complex processing beneath the surface of conscious awareness that makes this possible. Even as you carefully attend to them, you’ll see objects disappearing right in front of your eyes. You’ll see solid, real-world objects appear to morph and bend as you manipulate them.
Friday, Nov. 25, Saturday, Nov. 26, and Sunday, Nov. 27.
Caddystacks and 19th Hole Party
Blackstone Library’s fall fundraisers, CaddyStacks at Blackstone and the 19th Hole Party, offer two ways to enjoy time with the family after Thanksgiving. The library is installing an 18-hole mini golf course winding through the library for all ages to play on Nov. 25, 26, and 27, 2016. Everyone is invited to the Blackstone to take a swing in the stacks.
For all ages: Tickets are $5 per person, per round, and includes ball and putter. Hours are as follows: Friday, Nov. 25, and Saturday, Nov. 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 27, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
19th Hole Party (ages 21+): Tickets are $50 per person, or $150 per foursome on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The party includes the opportunity to play the entire 18-hole course, an open bar with craft beer provided by Stony Creek Brewery and wine, finger foods, and prize drawings.
Support for CaddyStacks and the 19th Hole Party comes in part from the hole sponsors. Each hole sponsor has the opportunity to decorate their own green. The funds raised by the CaddyStacks at Blackstone event will be used by the library to provide essential access to information, resources, and unique shared experiences to help ensure Branford is an educated and enriched community.
Saturday, Nov. 26
Branford Town Holiday Parade
Santa Claus will make his annual appearance at the Branford Town Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m., leaving from Branford High School and ending up at the town green. Included will be a variety of floats from schools, businesses, and civic organizations.
Branford Art Center Santa Visit and Caroling
Branford Art Center will host the SARAH Tuxis carolers on Saturday, Nov. 26, the night of the annual Branford tree lighting and parade. The SARAH carolers will perform in front of BAC at 1229 Main St, Branford starting at 6 p.m. Free refreshments. The public is invited to set up chairs in front of the gallery and watch the parade that starts from the high school at 5 p.m. For more information, call 860 – 334-4642 or [email protected].
Sunday, Nov. 27
Connecticut Yuletide Carolers’ Concert Of Carols
Connecticut Yuletide Carolers will celebrate the start of the holiday season with a concert of carols on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of Branford, 811 East Main St.
Victorian carolers will fill the winter air with the sounds of the season, singing traditional and contemporary Christmas music a capella in 4‑part harmony to bring holiday cheer to young and old alike. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
The Connecticut Yuletide Carolers was formed in 2006 by Guilford residents Michael and Lori Cartwright. Their inaugural season consisted of six singers and 12 performances; the group has grown to 24 singers from all along the shoreline making more than 50 performances throughout Connecticut and New England. They have performed at holiday festivals, wedding receptions, libraries, shopping centers, corporate and private home parties, senior residences, and museums.
Last year the Carolers released their inaugural CD, featuring 15 holiday classics, including “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Let It Snow,” and “Joy To The World”. The CD will be available for purchase at the concert, or at their website, www.ctyuletide.com
There is a suggested donation of $15. Visit www.ctyuletide.com or call 203 – 673-9485 for more information.
Friday, Dec. 2
Project: Music Heals
Project: Music Heals Us will present a chamber music concert at 7 p.m. at St. Mary Church, 731 Main St. A pre-concert talk by Juilliard’s Dr. Luke Fleming will begin at 6 p.m.
First Prize Winner of the Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, Itamar Zorman, will join violist Steven Tenenbom of the Orion Quartet and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, alongside four more Juilliard School and Itzhak Perlman Music Program alumni, to perform a program entitled “A Night With the Masters” comprised of duets, trios, and sextets by Beethoven, Brahms, and Barriere.
Tickets at the door: $20 adults/$5 students with all proceeds directly subsidizing additional “Healing Concerts” played in local nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, homeless shelters, and prisons.
For more information go to www.projectmusichealsus. com or email projectmusichealsus@gmai l.com.
Saturday, Dec. 3
William Seekamp Art Exhibit at Evergreen Woods
The works of William Seekamp will be will on display at Evergreen Woods Community Building, Grand Staircase, 88 Notch Hill Road, through Jan. 2. A reception will take place Friday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m.
Seekamp’s paintings are evocative of the rich natural and architectural heirlooms of New England. He is drawn to subjects that convey a sense of the heritage of coastal New England and the people who built the saltbox homes, raised the now-weathered barns, fished the waters and farmed the rocky soil.
His work has appeared in juried shows of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, the Guilford Art League, the Madison Art Society, The Lyme Art Association, The Lyman Allyn Art Museum, the Slater Memorial Museum, the New Haven Paint and Clay Club and the Clinton Art Society and is represented in many private collections. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute and holds an MFA from Fairfield University.
Call 203 – 483-3224 or email bbennmirandi@evergreen-woods. com for more information.
Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4
24th Annual Holiday Open House
Discover a few of our favorite things at the 24th Annual Holiday Open House hosted by Cynthia’s Flower Shop, the Martha Link Walsh Gallery, Luckey Redo, and Margaret B. Dean on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 188 North Main St. Guests can enjoy treats from Take the Cake (Guilford), and a percentage of all sales will be donated to the Branford Early Childhood Collaborative.
The free, two-day event is open to the public and includes distinct gift items for the holidays including:
• Martha Link Walsh Gallery: Original paper cuttings, hand-cut ornaments, 2017 Calendar and Papercut Christmas series
• Cynthia’s Flower Shop: Elegant flowers, holiday decorations, wreaths, and greens
• Luckey ReDo: Reimagined one-of-a-kind wearables and hand knits accessories
• Margaret B. Dean: Oil and oil pastel original paintings and giclees
Bring an unwrapped children’s book during the month of December to donate to the BECC and receive a free holiday bookmark.
For more information, contact: Martha Link Walsh, marthalinkwalsh.com, (203) 481‑3505.
Sunday, Dec. 4
Handel’s Messiah Rehearsals
Community singers are invited to participate in the annual performance of the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah. Rehearsals will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4 and 11, and from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at First Congregational Church, Branford. Bring your own scores or scores may be purchased at rehearsal.
The 29th annual performance is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the First Congregational Church of Branford (on the Green). It will honor Branford Messiah founder Ettie Minor Luckey who died in spring 2015. In her honor the Branford Messiah will continue to bring this music to the citizens of the Shoreline.
Ettie’s vision was to present this classical piece at no admission cost so that all could enjoy this beautiful story set to music. The performance is once again being directed by Wesleyan University professor Roy Wiseman, a conductor who has premiered dozens of works by American composers. Soloists will be Yunni Park, soprano, performing with Branford Messiah for the first time; and returning soloists, Krysty Swann, mezzo soprano; Ed Hull, tenor; and Jorell Williams, bass. Joining them will be more than 50 community singers accompanied by a 14-piece professional orchestra.
The performance is free to attend though a free will offering is appreciated. As this performance is always well attended it is suggested that you plan on arriving at least 20 minutes early to be assured of a seat.
Saturday, Dec. 9
Cool Yule Concert
The Friends of Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library present the Thimble Islands Saxophone Quartet in A Cool Yule, songs of good cheer: a concert of traditional Christmas and special holiday music. The concert will take place at the library 146 Thimble Island Road, at 7 p.m. For more information, call 203 – 488-8702.
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