Looks like our flirtation with spring may be on hold this weekend, but take heart – it’s less than three weeks and counting. Daylight Saving Time kicks in Sunday, March 12, which will boost anticipation. For gardeners, Van Wilgen’s Garden Center is touting “Pansy Power” and garden clubs throughout the area are welcoming housebound members, and as always the cold weather does not deter hikers, tree huggers, and eagle watchers. There are concerts, lectures and a big beer night in Guilford.
Friday, March 3
Art & Craft Beer
Sample some of Connecticut’s best craft brews at Guilford Art Center’s Art & Craft Beer event, scheduled for Friday, March 3, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Guilford Art Center, 411 Church St., Guilford.
Guests are invited to try a selection of beers from area breweries, including 30 Mile Brewing Company, Black Hog Brewing Company, Stony Creek Brewery, and Thimble Island Brewing Company. There will be bar food; wine and non-alcoholic beverages also will be served. Live music will be performed by One & Done, a local trio.
Additionally, there will be a silent auction of brewery tours, growlers (large glass jugs for beer), and bar accessories designed by GAC staff and students. The GAC blacksmiths will be conducting live demonstrations in the blacksmith forge.
The Art Center gallery will feature the Faculty & Student Exhibition: In Honor of 50 Years, a show of works by instructors and students across all media from the past two years.
Reservations, which are limited, are $50 per person, with proceeds to benefit Guilford Art Center’s educational and community programs. Call 203 – 453-5947 or pay for reservations online at www.guilfordartcenter.org.
Saturday, March 4
Winter Animal Tracking Classes
An Animal Tracking class, sponsored by the Branford Land Trust’s Nature Explorer Program, will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, at the Lake Saltonstall Preserve. The class will be led by naturalists Tom Cleveland and Chris Woerner, who will help participants learn to recognize animal footprints and other signs of their passage through the woods.
Meet at the Regional Water Authority parking lot on the north side of Hosley Avenue, down Hosley Avenue 0.3 miles from Brushy Plain Road. Expect moderate terrain, some sloping trails and inclines, rocky underfooting. Parents should be prepared to carry younger children if they get tired. Wear appropriate dress and comfortable, supportive walking shoes, and bring water. Walking sticks welcome.
Visit www.branfordlandtrust.org for details, and watch the land trust’s Facebook page for possible schedule changes. For questions, call Tom Cleveland at 203 – 981-9040.
Human Solidarity Resistance Art Show at Branford Art Center
Branford Art Center, 1229 Main St., will host a Human Solidarity Resistance Art show from March 4 through April 7. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, March 4, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Entries for the show, which should be political in nature, will be accepted through 5 p.m. March; applications can be completed at drop-off. One piece per entry. First come first serve. The fee is a $10 donation to the Branford Art Center with a 30 percent commission on sales. No entries sized over 36 x 36 inches.
For more information call Yvonne Gordon-Moser at 203 – 208-4455, 860 – 334- 4642, or email [email protected]. 8
The Local Band: Just One More
A night of music from The Local Band: Just One More will take place at Bar80, 209 Foxon Road, North Branford, on Saturday, March 4, at 7 p.m., sponsored by the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.
Drink and bar specials will be available all evening. The $10 cover change will support the parade to be held Sunday, March 12, in New Haven.
For more information, call Bar80 or John Tolbert at 203 – 804-3205.
28th Annual Eagle Watches on the Connecticut River (ongoing)
Audubon Shop owner Jerry Connolly will lead the final land-based excursions to view Bald Eagles along the Connecticut River, on Saturday, March 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Bald Eagles make their way down the Connecticut River from Canada every winter in search of ice-free fishing. Participants will observe these majestic birds from a variety of locations along the river. Ticket prices are $25, which includes a soup & sandwich luncheon at Otter Cove Restaurant in Old Saybrook following the field trip.
Reservations must be made in advance by calling 203 – 245-9056. Carpool from the shop at 907 Boston Post Road in Madison at 7:45 a.m. or meet at first stop (Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam) at 8:30 a.m.
Sunday, March 5
Branford Forum: Capitalism & Inequality
Yale University Professor of Management & Political Science, Douglas W. Rae, PhD, presents Capitalism and Inequality at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., on Sunday, March 5, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Since the middle of the 1980s, there has been a widening gap between what the best-paid Americans earn and what everyone else in the country earns. Only a modest portion of this gap can be attributed to high incomes of innovators. Professor Rae will discuss the extent to which the gap is an inevitable consequence of capitalism, explore its potential consequences for the future of the US economy, and examine its political ramifications. He will also explore the long-term effect on income distribution of high and low earners choosing marital partners who have similar educational and work-related credentials.
Professor Rae is a student of the interface between business and government. He has served on the Yale faculty since 1967, chairing the Political Science department during the 1980s. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and was a fellow of Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has consulted to the parliaments of Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands Antilles, to select corporate leaders, and to numerous American cities and universities.
Saturday, March 11
Trees in Winter at Killam’s Point
Photo by Jen Payne
Can you identify a tree by its shape and bark? On Saturday, March 11 from 2 to 3:30 p.m., explore Killam’s Point in winter and how to tell a maple from a beech or an elm or an oak. Guided by local naturalist Lauren Brown, learn about the great variety of trees in southern Connecticut’s landscape.
The event, co-sponsored by the Branford Land Trust and the First Congregational Church of Branford, is free and open to the public.
Killam’s Point, an ecological treasure owned by the church, has healthy forests, secluded beaches, wide salt marshes, granite bluffs and a fascinating array of flora and fauna. Those taking advantage of the collaborative effort of the two organizations will have the opportunity to enjoy one of the largest, privately-owned undeveloped tracts on Long Island Sound.
Killam’s Point is located along Shore Drive just west of the Orchard House Adult Day Care Center. Drive slowly to the end of the road to the parking area. Bring water. Walking sticks welcome. For details, call 203 – 747-4184.
Bird Photography Workshop
On Saturday, March 11, at 2:30 p.m., award-winning photographer Stanley Kolber offers his annual Bird Photography Workshop at the Connecticut River Museum, 67 Main St., Essex.
Kolber has been photographing birds for years, and enjoys sharing his experience with aspiring photographers of all levels, through anecdotes, slides, and question and answer. In addition to helping skills development, his greatest pleasure in giving workshops is the opportunity to kindle and encourage his audience’s interest in the natural world. For details, go to www.ctrivermuseum.org or call 860 – 767-8269.
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at Branford Folk Music Society
With a repertoire spanning 200 years of American music, Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem will offer listeners sublime lead singing, great harmonies, wicked grooves and sparkling original songs when they return to the Branford Folk Music Society on Saturday, March 11, for an 8 p.m. concert in the auditorium of the First Congregational Church of Branford, 1009 Main St., on the Town Green.
Admission is $25 for non-members, $20 for members and $5 for children age 12 and under. For more information, call 203 – 488-7715 or access the society’s Web page at www.branfordfolk.org/
This will be a one-of-a-kind performance of the band as a trio featuring Rani on fiddle and guitar, Anand Nayak on electric and acoustic guitars and Scott Kessel on percussion.
The band has performed at a wide range of venues and festival from the Newport Folk Festival to the California World Music Festival, offering up a steadfast brew of wit, camaraderie, and musicality and leaving audiences humming and hopeful with spirits renewed, a good elixir for these troubled times. They have released six albums on Signature Sounds Records, their latest being this past fall’s release of “Wintersong”, a baker’s dozen of works that skip over the holiday canon and dig up the power, beauty and the celebration of the roots of Christmas and the turning of the year.
Sunday, March 12
CT Experiential Learning Center Activity Day and Open House
CELC Middle School in partnership with Bushy Hill Nature Center will hold a free Activity Day and Open House on Sunday, March 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. at its facility, 28 School St., Branford.
Learn about experience-based middle school education and meet Bushy Hill Nature Center staff and the summer programs and home school programs for 2017 – 18. Meet teachers and students; participate in hands-on activities, such as cordage making, music, and art; and enjoy some refreshments.
RSVP to [email protected], call 203 – 433-4658, or visit www.CTExperiential.org. For more information, go to www.CTExperiential.org or www.Bushyhill.org
Jolly Beggars Concert
The Jolly Beggars will perform on Sunday, March 12, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St. They bring the rich tradition of Celtic folk music and storytelling to modern day audiences. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
Based out of Connecticut, their traditional songs and musical arrangements have exposed many to the joys of Celtic music. They tell traditional stories from Irish folklore and intersperse their musical arrangements with traditional reels and jigs. Characterized by their tight harmonies and use of guitars, mandolin, tin whistles, octave mandolin, mandola, tenor banjo, double bass, bodhran, spoons, and more, The Jolly Beggars have quickly built a solid following and continue to spread their music around the east coast.
Through March 19
Winter Wildlife, Bald Eagles
If you prefer to view Bald Eagles from the river, Connecticut River Expeditions of Haddam will offer cruises to view winter wildlife and nesting Bald Eagles through March 19.
Departures on Fridays are at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; on Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., leaving from the Connecticut River Museum dock in Essex.
RiverQuest has a heated cabin, but participates are urged to dress in warm layers since the best views will be from the open decks. Bring cameras and binoculars, which will also be available on board. Cost is $40 per person.
For more information visit www.ctriverquest.com or www.ctrivermuseum.org.
Wednesday, March 22 to Saturday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26, 2 p.m.
Titanic at Branford High School
Branford High School Performing Arts will present Titanic at the high school, 185 E. Main St. from Wednesday, March 22, to Saturday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m. Titanic is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone that opened on Broadway in 1997. It won five Tony Awards including the award for Best Musical.
Titanic is set on the ocean liner RMS Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912. It is a completely different take on this moment in history and the music is different as well.
Tickets are $15 for students (through high school) and seniors and $18 for adults. For tickets, call 203 – 315-7972.
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