Mary Johnson Photo
The second and third installments of Branford’s Trifecta continue this week with the annual fireworks display launching off Branford Point on Saturday evening and the kick off for the summer Jazz Festival on Thursday. Everyone may be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but you’ll also have a chance this weekend at the Connecticut Irish Festival at the North Haven Fairgrounds. And, girls, Nick Fradiani, will perform Saturday night. Read on for our other cool events.
Saturday, June 24
Rabies Vaccination Clinic on the Branford Green
Hope at Branford Veterinary Hospital
The Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter and Branford Veterinarian Hospital will host a rabies vaccination clinic on the Branford Green on Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Vaccinations are free for the first 25 people in line; the cost is $10 per animal thereafter. Nail clippings are $5 and microchipping is $20. All dogs must be on a leash and cats must be secured in a carrier. The clinic is open to anyone from any town.
Branford Fireworks Display
Mary Johnson Photo
It isn’t officially summer until people gather at Branford Point on Saturday, June 24, and points nearby (visible from Foote Park) to view the annual fireworks display.
The show begins at dusk, 8:45 to 9 p.m. Raindate, June 25. Details at https://www.facebook.com/Branford-Fireworks-578135275661466/.
Ongoing
Animal Camp
Register now for Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter’s Animal Camp. Sessions will take place June 26 to June 30, July 17 to July 21, July 24 to July 28, Aug. 14 to Aug. 18, and Aug. 21 to Aug. 25.
The camp is a fun, educational, hands-on camp that allows children to interact and learn about all kinds of animals. The focus is to promote respect for all living creatures, including each other. Included will be games such as animal tracking, nature art, and water games.
For more information or registration forms, go to branfordanimalshelter.org, call Laura at 203 – 315-4125, or Dawn at 203 – 393-8628.
Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25
Connecticut Irish Festival Feis and Agricultural Fair
The Irish American Community Center sponsors this event at the North Haven Fairgrounds, 300 Washington Ave., North Haven, on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Nick Fradiani performs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $15 at the gate before 5 p.m.; $20 after 5 p.m. Also included on Saturday is a 5K Road Race, Dart Tournament, and entertainment throughout the day. On Sunday, there will be New Haven Feis during the day, Cornhole Tournament, Irish Bread competition awards, and additional entertainment.
For details go to ctirishfestival.com.
Wednesday, June 28
Books ‘n’ Brews
“Annihilation,” by Jeff Vanermeer, and “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” by Dave Eggers, will be discussed this month at the Thimble Island Brewery, 16 Business Park Drive. Copies of the books can be borrowed from the library or purchase your own copy. New members are welcomed.
Feel free to bring your own snacks. Thimble Islands offers a selection of craft beers (must be 21+ to drink alcoholic beverages), wine, soda, and water. No purchase necessary to take part in the book club.
Thursday, June 29
Game On!
Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., offers Game Night for Adults, on Thursday, June 29, at 6 p.m. There will be a fun selection of card and board games, including Codenames, Sushi Go Party! and Dixit. You’re also welcome to bring your own games.
RSVP at 203 – 488-1441. Adults of all ages welcome. Refreshments provided.
Branford Jazz Series Opens
The Branford Jazz Series on the town green kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, with The Recess Bureau, a collective of musicians who strive to continue on the ever-evolving path of music and explore possibilities of improvisation, and aims to go against the standard of jazz.
The series continues on July 6 with saxophonist Jeanette Harris and pianist/keyboardist Jay Rowe.
Restaurants along Main Street will be open during the concert and attendees are invited to bring chairs and blankets and picnic suppers.
The concerts are canceled in the event of rain – there is no alternate venue – and performers are invited back for next season. Details and schedule at Branfordjazz.com.
Sunday, July 2
Light and Shadow Inside Out
The opening reception for Light and Shadow Inside Out, an exhibit of oil paintings by Eileen Eder, takes place at the Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Islands Road, on Sunday, July 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. The paintings will be on exhibit through July 25.
An oil painter with nearly 20 years experience, Eileen works directly from life in her Guilford studio or at various locations outdoors. Her painting is often described as having a harmonious palette and a realistic style with a keen sense of light and place. She says her goal for both still life and landscape painting is to develop a visually interesting painting with a sense of poetry where the viewer will be enticed to enter, linger, and reflect. Her work can be viewed at eileeneder.com.
Beginning July 3
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 or to register, the office at 203 – 488-8304 or to enroll online go to www.branfordrecreation.org.
Through Aug. 6
Beauty and the Beetle at the Peabody Museum
Coleoptera in Art and Science is on display through Aug. 6 at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Whitney Avenue and Sachem Street, New Haven, as represented by artist Gar Waterman and photographer William Guth, who present dazzling representations of these incredible insects.
Of the one million species of insects known to scientists today, nearly half – about 400,000 – are beetles. These tremendously diverse animals, known by the scientific term Coleoptera, are found in habitats across the globe, and take on a wide variety of shapes and sizes (the largest is over 400 times longer than the smallest).
Their work allows us a rare glimpse of details and topographies typically the reserve of scientists and their microscopes. Artists and scientists alike are diligent students of nature, each investigating its subject in remarkably similar ways: science to document and explain, and art to interpret and express.
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