There are those who believe we may be already rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but if you’re looking for some solid entertainment by a talented group of kids, make a beeline to Branford High School Performing Arts production of Titanic, which runs through Sunday at 2 p.m. There are also two opportunities to dine out for good causes – a pasta dinner to benefit the Cosgrove Animal Shelter and an international dinner (have you ever tried Syrian cuisine?) in support of IRIS at the Short Beach Union Church. Looking ahead, there’s lots more! Got a Cool Event? Email [email protected] by Wednesday at noon.
Friday, March 24
The Nasty Performance Salon
The Nasty Performance Salon in conjunction with Nasty Women New Haven will take place at The Institute Library, 845 Chapel St., New Haven, on Friday, March 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a reception from 8:30 to 9 p.m.
The event is a performance night throughout the Institute Library and amid the backdrop of Nasty Women Connecticut, an exhibition of more than 300 works on display through April 8.
New Haven is one of 50 cities to join the nationwide movement to organize a Nasty Women exhibition in the first days of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s term in office. The organizers invited artists, activists, scholars, creative thinkers and anyone who identifies as a “nasty woman” or a “nasty woman ally” to submit a visual or performative work to the show. The Nasty Women Organizing team is Valerie Garlick, Institute Library; Lucy McClure, artist and educator; and Sarah Fritchey, Artspace. For more information, go to [email protected],
Friday, March 24 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., Friday, March 24 and 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.
Saturday, March 25
International Dinner in Short Beach
The Short Beach Union Church will have a joint fundraising event that include IRIS, the International Refugee and Immigrant Services on Saturday, March 25, at 5:30 p.m., in the church dining room at 14 Pentecost St. (See top photo)
According to Short Beach Union Church Pastor Skip Ferry, “The objective of the International Dinner is simply to welcome the vulnerable refugees rather than banning them.”
IRIS is the Connecticut organization that assists refugees and immigrants while they settle into communities in Connecticut. IRIS opposed both Executive banning orders of the Trump Administration. The revised Order was also opposed by Federal Judge Watson, of Hawaii, and Federal Judge Chuang, of Maryland, thus a nationwide blocking of the ban. It is anticipated that the Trump Administration will continue to fight for the ban in court.
The International Dinner will include food from Libya, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia and there will be a presentation from IRIS Executive Director, Chris George and entertainment by Talia Tarjour, formerly of Aleppo, Syria.
Tickets are $35. RSVP or donations by email IRIS1@earthlink.net or call 203 – 215-5548.
Sunday, March 26
Cosgrove Shelter’s Annual Pasta Dinner
Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter’s annual Pasta Dinner will take place at the Italian American Club, Hamre Lane, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 26. Included will be pasta, salad, bread and desserts (as well as water and soda). Beer and wine are available as well but that is not included in ticket price.
The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter at 749 East Main St or via Paypal at branfordanimalshelter.org – click on donate and please put in notes “for pasta dinner” and your name or names of attendees and tickets will be held at the door. The public is encouraged to come out and dance, eat and support the animal shelter’s medical fund for homeless and abandoned animals.
Tuesday, March 28
A Bird’s Eye View of Life in the Sound
“A Bird’s Eye View of Life in the Sound” lecture will be presented by Kris Vagos, Wildlife Biologist at the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge on March 28 at the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library, 146 Thimble Islands Road, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Vagos will discuss coastal bird species and highlight their appearance, behavior and habitat. As the manager of the research crew on Falkner Island, where Connecticut’s largest tern colony nests each summer, she brings a first-hand perspective to the bird research that is happening at the refuge and will give folks interesting tips on how to help the coastal birds.
The birding lecture is sponsored by the Friends of Outer Island and The Friends of the Willoughby Wallace Library with the cooperation of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The event is free and open to all. The lecture will include refreshments with time to meet, greet and discuss the fascinating birds of coastal Long Island Sound.
Visit the Friends of Outer Island webpage.
For information, call Virginia Baltay, vice-president of Friends of Outer Island, 203 – 676-7950 or email [email protected].
Through March 28
Andrew Buck – Quarries
Andrew Buck’s Quarries will be on exhibit at Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Islands Road, through March 28.
All of the rock faces Buck has photographed were created by blasting through hills for construction or for quarrying. The images are abstract, but they are also concerned with how our impact on the natural landscape creates an entirely new landscape.
According to the photographer, the series Quarry Panorama bridges both documentary and abstract approaches. It is an outgrowth of the Rockface series. After first photographing road cuts and then quarries in that series, the spatial aspect of quarries struck me as being perfect for capture in panoramic images. While they are documentary in nature, they abstract the environment via the extreme approach, i.e. presenting a 360-degree (some images are 180 – 200 degrees) views of the quarries.
Begins Wednesday, March 29
Watercolor Classes
Award-winning watercolor artist Pam Morgan will lead a new five-week watercolor class for beginners to experienced artists on Wednesdays, March 29 to April 26, at Branford Art Center, 1229 Main St. The fee is $120. The materials list will be provided upon registering with Morgan at [email protected] or calling 203 – 453-4295. Morgan will demonstrate the techniques of watercolor painting and provide individual instruction to each student. Concentration on the elements and principles of art: color, line, form, dominance, texture, shapes, composition, and value.
Books ‘n’ Brews
A new book club will meet at Thimble Island Brewery, 16 Business Park Drive, from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. At this kick-off meeting in the tasting room, participants will talk books and vote on the first book club title. Potential reads include The Hike by Drew Magary, A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, The Noble Hustle by Colson Whitehead, or a different title can be suggested.
Snacks can be brought to the meeting. Thimble Islands offers a selection of craft beers (must be over 21 to drink alcoholic beverages), wine, soda, and water. No purchase is necessary to take part in the book club. To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/books-n-brews-book-club-tickets-31458318678.
Wednesday, April 5
Jazz Fundraiser
The Branford Jazz Concert Series and Stony Creek Brewery are hosting a fundraiser to benefit The Branford Jazz Music Scholarship Fund.
This year’s event will be held Wednesday, April 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Stony Creek Brewery, 5 Indian Neck Ave., and will feature the Jay Rowe Trio. Rowe as performed as part of the Branford jazz on-the-green summer concert series and has released five CDs as a solo artist.
Tickets for this once-a-year benefit concert are $25 and include a “Branford Jazz” pint glass, with the first beer on the house, and an evening of some of the best jazz heard anywhere.
In addition to having Stony Creek Brewery’s selection of local food trucks on site, patrons are welcomed to bring in their own picnic dinners to enjoy during the concert. For tickets and details, call 203 – 488-8304 or go to www.branfordjazz.com.
Saturday, April 8
BCC’s Spring Bake Sale
Branford Compassion Club will hold a spring bake sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 8, at its Feline Rescue & Adoption Center, 2037 Foxon Road.
An assortment of home-baked goods will be available for purchase. Stop by for a tasty treat and meet the many kitties waiting to be adopted.
Springtime is also kitten season, and many kittens will be born outside to unspayed and undernourished females in need of help to survive. All proceeds from the bake sale will go toward veterinary care, food and shelter supplies for rescued cats and kittens.
For more information, visit www.branfordcompassionclub.org.
Annual Chili Challenge for a Cause
The fifth Annual Chili Challenge for a Cause is returning to the Branford Green, scheduled for Saturday, April 8, from noon to 3 p.m. The event is a competition between local Branford restaurants – each of the restaurant chefs will be cooking for a charity of their choice. Each restaurant chef will be setup in an indoor location around the Branford Green. This setup encourages the attendees to stop by local merchants and businesses that they may never have visited in the past.
Attendees of the event will pay $10 to stroll Main Street, sample each chili and vote for their favorite. Some attendees will vote for their favorite tasting chili while others might vote for the chef that is cooking for their favorite charity.
When the votes are counted, the winning chef will be awarded a trophy “Branford Best Chili 2017” and a donation will be made to the winning chef’s charity of choice. This event is a community coming together to promote local restaurants, local merchants, and local charities.
To register, go to http://bit.ly/2jR3bep.
Sunday, April 9
Annual Stan Wheeler Memorial Jazz Concert
The 10th annual Stan Wheeler Memorial Jazz Concert will take place Sunday, April 9, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Levinson Auditorium, Yale Law School, 127 Wall St., New Haven.Featured will be the Yale Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Music Director Thomas Duffy, and the Reunion Jazz Ensemble.Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Tuesday, April 18
Literature of the American South Continues
“Literature of the American South: Four Novels by Women” presented by Mark Schenker, senior associate dean of Yale College and dean of Academic Affairs, Spring 2017, continues on Tuesday, April 18, at the Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Island Road, with “The Optimist’s Daughter” by Eudora Welty will be discussed, and “Salvage the Bones” by Jesmyn Ward will be discussed on Tuesday, May 16.
The discussions are free and open to all. Copies of the books are available at the Circulation Desk.
Saturday, April 22
Reconnect With the People and Places of Branford
The Blackstone Library is offering a new program, “Uncover Branford,” this spring, which is designed to help participants reconnect with the people and places that make Branford home. Uncover Branford is a collaboratively designed program shaped by feedback from the community. Those who want to explore, make friends, and uncover the hidden gems of Branford are invited to the Uncover Branford kickoff meeting on Saturday, April 22, at 1 p.m. at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St. to meet others who want to exchange stories about their favorite places in town and explore new places as a group.
Participants are invited to share favorites such as walking trails or interesting stories from restaurants. They’ll break into small groups to create an exploration plan, then visit those places with their group. Stories and experiences will be shared with the community with a simple display and in a printed booklet at the library on Saturday, May 13 at 1 p.m.
The Uncover Branford Open House and Reception will take place on Tuesday, May 23, at 6 p.m. where photos and stories will be displayed for the public. Visit www.blackstonelibrary.org to register and to get more information.
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