Are we growing gills yet? The week has been dreary and rainy, but we’ve been promised that things will clear up for the weekend. Time to survey the garden, check on the blooming bulbs, and plant some pansies. Concerts abound, including our favorite jazz concert at the Yale Law School this Sunday. And there are many good causes to support. College bound? There’s a discussion on getting a leg up on the competitive admission process.
Saturday, April 8
College Admissions: Building a Successful Application – For Teens and their Families
Join Michael Newcomer (Ph.D., Yale University), founder and president of Bulldog Tutors, for a discussion on college admissions and how to build a strong application at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.
Bulldog Tutors is composed of Yale graduates that have scored in the top 1 percent of what they teach. They create one-on-one tutoring opportunities in a wide variety of subjects and have worked to build awareness around college prep for those that are entering higher education.
This discussion is appropriate for students and their families. Registration for this program is required. Call 203 – 488-1441, extension 323.
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.
Musical Mayhem at Branford Folk
Musical mayhem will fill the air when Lou and Peter Berryman, two of the most humorous and creative songwriters in today’s world of folk and acoustic music, invade the Branford Folk Music Society on Saturday, April 8 for the society’s monthly coffeehouse concert.
The show will take place at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of the First Congregational Church of Branford, 1009 Main St., on the Town Green. Admission is $20 for non-members, $17 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 may be one of the last times to see and hear the Berrymans on the Eastern Seaboard as they announced recently that they plan to stop touring nationally after almost four decades on the folk circuit.
Their songwriting takes life’s mundane moments and turns them into musical magic. Subject matter ranges from the Thanksgiving grace of a politically correct uncle to a service industry for older people that specializes in forgetting things. The late Pete Seeger characterized their classic, hit song, “A Chat With Your Mother” (a.k.a. “The F‑Word Song”) as “one of the great American folksongs of the 20th century.”
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 under the direction of Jeff Fuller.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Rave On! Concert
Hear the music of Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and other legends of early rock-n-roll at the Blackstone Library, on Sunday, April 9, at 2 p.m. This is the music that paved the way for rock-n-roll and influenced The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and countless other artists. Performers include Chris Roselle, guitar and lead vocals; Pete Farley, bass guitar and background vocals; and Don Guinta, drums and background vocals.
Wednesday, April 12
Menunkatuck Audubon: Sea Level Rise
Sea Level Rise and How It Is Changing Our Beaches and Coastlines will be presented by Dr. James Tate on Wednesday, April 12, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St. The talk is sponsored by the Menunkatuck Audubon Society.
Connecticut’s beaches play a number of important roles. They provide recreation, stimulate economic activity, and serve as buffers to storm wave damage. One of the challenges that coastal communities face is that our beaches are systematically erosive due to differences in the nature of Long Island Sound’s waves as the Sound shifts back and forth from periods of storm activity to fair weather conditions. This systematic loss of beach sand leaves many coastal structures and infrastructure vulnerable to severe wave damage during large storms. Recent research documents that the coastal towns that suffered the greatest damages during Irene and Sandy were the ones that had highly eroded and very narrow beaches. In a time of sea level rise, and potentially a time of intensified storm activity, Connecticut’s shoreline is increasingly vulnerable.
Dr. James Tait received a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences, with a specialization in coastal oceanography, from the University of California at Santa Cruz. His current research focuses on coastal resilience and the impacts of large storms on the coast. He is a professor in the Department of the Environment, Geography and Marine Sciences at Southern Connecticut State University. In addition, he is a co-founder and co-coordinator of Southern’s Werth Center for Coastal and Marine Studies. As part of his work, he consults with the towns of West Haven and East Haven on coastal resilience.
Saturday, April 15
Branford Rid Litter Day
The Branford Land Trust will sponsor its annual Branford Rid Litter Day on Saturday, April 15, beginning at 8 a.m. Participants will gather on the green across from Town Hall. Trouble spots will be pointed out on site, but feel free to tackle a spot that needs a cleanup. Bags will be provided, courtesy of the transfer station. Bottled water will be available. Bring sturdy gloves and wear sturdy footwear.
For more information, call Marianne Hall (who is hoping to re-establish the Litter Committee) at 203 – 488-4272.
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
Branford Earth Day
Branford Earth Day will be celebrated on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Branford Green. There will be educational booths with information on hiking trails, kayacking, organic food, and recycling, along with environmental activities for kids, yoga demonstrations and music.
Rock to Rock Earth Day Bicycle Ride
Shoreline Greenway Trail is forming its team for the 2017 Rock to Rock Earth Day Bicycle Ride, scheduled for Saturday, April 22 in New Haven. Last year, the 21-member team raised nearly $3,625 for the trail. The event, which attracted 1,135 cyclists, raised more than $165,000 for 28 environmental organizations, including Shoreline Greenway Trail. The SGT riding team enjoyed a sunny day of pedaling through New Haven-area parks and neighborhoods plus tasty food, great music and camaraderie at the finish line. A fun day for a worthy cause.
This year, there will again be courses for riders of all kinds and ages: 8‑mile (police-escorted family ride), 12-mile, 20-mile, 40-mile to a 62-mile metric century for distance riders.
Registration is open. Visit RocktoRock.org to sign up as a member of the Shoreline Greenway Trail team; donations from sponsors will directly benefit the trail. Email Ginny McParland at [email protected] for more information.
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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