nothin New Haven Independent | Cool Events This Weekend, Here & Beyond

Cool Events This Weekend, Here & Beyond

Spring cleaning applies to the town as well as your closets! Take a couple hours, pick up a trash bag and join other on the green to spruce up the town. Looking ahead, celebrate Earth Day on the Branford green or with the Rock to Rock ride to benefit the Shoreline Greenway Trail; there are courses for all levels. And, Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those who are observing.

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.

Taxmarch

CT Shoreline Indivisible will sponsor a Taxmarch starting at the Guilford Town Marina at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 15, to demand that Donald Trump release his tax returns and all financial ties. Marches will take place in Washington, DC, and various communities as part of the national taxmarch movement.

For more information, email Joan Means at [email protected] or call 203 – 804-3862. Indivisible is a national, grassroots, progressive movement focused on resisting the Trump agenda. For a national Indivisible Guide representative, email [email protected].

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.

St. Mary’s School Fife & Drum Corps

Join St. Mary School’s Fife & Drum Corps at the 3rd Annual Jamboree on Saturday, April 22, from 4 to 8 p.m., at 62 Cedar St. Also participating will be The Young Colonials from Carmel, New York; The Regulators from Dover Plains, New York, The Lancraft Fife & Drum Corps from North Haven; The Connecticut Valley Field Music from Middletown; and others.

In addition to the concert, there will be raffle prizes and a pasta dinner will be served. Jam session will commence at the end of the performances. Admission is $12 – tickets will be sold at the door. Children 12 and under are free, as well as members of the fife & drum corps. Call Brendan Mason 203 – 439-1109 for more information.

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.

Sunday, April 23

Volunteer Firefighter Day

Volunteer fire departments throughout the state will celebrate the start of National Volunteer Week (April 23 to 29) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, with open houses.

Branford Fire Department, 45 North Main St., will be participating. Visitors to the fire house will be able to talk with volunteer firefighters about the work they do, explore fire apparatus and turnout gear, get a tour of the fire house, and fill out an application.

More than 80 percent of all fire personnel in Connecticut are volunteers, and the majority of fire departments throughout the state are experiencing a volunteer shortage. Local fire departments need volunteers of all skill levels and abilities, people willing and able to respond to emergencies whenever called upon.

The Syrian Refugee Crisis

Branford High School social studies teacher Joel Hinrichs and Department Chair Peter Bouley will discuss the Syrian refugee crisis on Sunday, April 23, at 2 p.m., at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St.

Who are the Syrian Refugees? What is their experience leaving their homes and seeking a new country? Is it safe for the US to accept Syrian refugees? Learn about them from Hinrichs and Bouley, who literally walked in their footsteps. They say the best way to get to know someone is to walk in their shoes.

The two men spent their summer following the Western Balkan Route taken by Syrian refugees through Norway, Germany, Serbia, and Greece. Assisting in refugee camps, meeting and getting to know the people and their stories, they shared their experiences on Facebook and YouTube and now integrate what they learned into Branford High School’s social studies curriculum. By exposing students to this complex issue from a personal perspective, they are able to draw their own conclusions about the refugee crisis abroad and here at home” said Bouley.

Registration is required. Call the library at 203 – 488-1441.

Tuesday, April 25

Branford During World War I

Local author Ted Braun will bring to life what it was like living in Branford during The Great War on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at the Blackstone Library, 753 Main St. His talk is based on original research of Llewellyn Barker’s Wartime Diaries 1914 – 1919. Braun recently published The Barkers of Branford: Life In America Through A Local Lens.”

Braun will share excerpts from sections such as Prohibition Insights: The Branford License Question” and Electrification & The Flush Toilet Come To Town,” among many others. The book is based on the contents of 72 years worth of diaries, written by his father-in-law’s grandfather, Llewellyn Barker between the years of 1865 and 1937. The diaries, which were discovered in the home of Ted Braun’s in-laws Richard and Eileen Field of South Montowese Street in Branford, lend helpful insight into the detailed chronicle of both local and national history that Braun provides in his book.

The Barkers of Branford” is richly illustrated with over 200 images documenting the transition of a family, a town, and a nation. Copies will be available ($30 includes a donation to Branford Historical Society).

Wednesday, April 26

Branford Land Trust presents A Place Called Hope 

Join the Branford Land Trust for a close-up view of live birds of prey during a presentation by A Place Called Hope on Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m., at the Blackstone Memorial Library, 758 Main St. Meet two daytime hunters and two nighttime hunters in person, then learn each bird’s story of survival and ways to lessen conflicts with the wildlife in your very own backyard.

A Place Called Hope specializes in the care of birds of prey. Some of those birds include eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons. The goal is to rescue and rehabilitate sick, injured or orphaned birds and return all birds to the wild. In some cases, injuries make it impossible to return a bird to the wild. If suitable to the bird’s disposition, APCH has permission from the Unites States Fish & Wildlife Service to house and train birds. The birds take on a new role as an ambassador of their species telling their own personal story of survival.

Visit www.branfordlandtrust.org for details on additional dates and speakers in the Winter/Spring Lecture Series presented by the Branford Land Trust. All are free and open to the public.

Looking Ahead

Rotary Dollars For Branford Scholars

The Rotary Club of Branford offers its annual scholarship to Branford high school seniors who are pursuing advanced education in the fall 2017. The award of $3,000 will be given to the applicant who provides outstanding evidence in academic achievement, community service, Rotary values, and financial need.

The application has three components. First is a student-written essay focusing on Rotary principles. Next is a high school transcript and teachers’ references. Finally, there is an interview with a panel of Rotarians.

The applicant may be a pending graduate of any accredited Connecticut high school, but the applicant must live in Branford. This scholarship is for undergraduate study at a two or four-year college or technical school.

Applications for the Rotary scholarship are available at [email protected] and the Branford High School guidance office as well as the James Blackstone Memorial Library and Willoughby Wallace Library. Completed application packets must be received by May 22. For more information, call Tony Terry at 203 – 481-6424.


Summer Playground Camp

Registration is open for Branford Recreation Department’s Summer Playground Camp for ages 5 – 12, which begins July 3. The camp will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, July 3 to Aug. 11 (no camp on July 4).

Cost for the basic camp program is $400 for six weeks. A Before Care Program costs an additional $125 and an After Care Program (from 3 to 5 p.m.) is an additional $175 per camper. Site choices for the 2017 Summer Camp include Hammer Field, Veteran’s Memorial Park, Stony Creek Playground, and Foote Park. Field trips are included in the basic camp fee with the exception of Lake Compounce Day (July 25), which is an additional $50. There are limited spots on the trip to Lake Compounce. Children must be enrolled in Summer Camp to register for this trip.

For further information call the office at 203 – 488-8304.

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