When it comes to summer, there’s nothing better than fresh corn. Corn (and potatoes) will be king at the Potato and Corn Festival this weekend in Northford. The family event opens tonight and runs through Sunday. Art and music are on the agenda in the upcoming week and, looking ahead, Cosgrove Shelter’s annual Woofstock Music Festival proves that dogs are indeed our best friends. The Shoreline Wine Festival features fruits of the vine from Connecticut Vineyards. Raise a glass to our bountiful state!
Friday, Aug. 4, to Sunday, Aug. 6
Potato And Corn Festival
The Potato and Corn Festival on Forest Road in Northford will celebrate its 16th year from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6. (See top photo)
The free family event features are food vendors, craft and business vendors, petting zoo, entertainment, amusement rides, games and contests, car and motorcycle show, fireworks, and more. Details at https://www.facebook.com/NorthBranfordPoCoFest/.
Sunday, Aug. 6
Annual Stony Creek Summer Art Show
The opening reception for the annual Stony Creek Art Show takes place Sunday, Aug. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibit, which runs through Friday, Aug. 25, features the works of artists of all ages and focuses on the Thimble Islands and Stony Creek. The exhibit is sponsored by Friends of Willoughby Wallace Library. For more information, call 203 – 488-8702 or 203 – 481-3921.
Through Aug. 6
Beauty and the Beetle at the Peabody Museum
This is your final chance to see Coleoptera in Art and Science 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.
Tuesday, Aug. 8
Composers in Love: Piano Recital
Concert pianist Alice Michahelles illustrates and performs romantic works at the Blackstone Library, 785 Main St., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m., with works by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Frederic Chopin, George Gershwin and others.
Michahelles has appeared in recitals and chamber music concerts in Europe, the Middle East and Chile, taking part in international festivals. Her repertoire goes from Bach to contemporary music, with a particular interest for the romantic period and Felix Mendelssohn. As a composer, she has dedicated herself mostly to Children’s Opera and Piano Duets.
Registration is required for this event. To RSVP, call 203 – 488-1441.
Thursday, Aug. 10
Selina Albright at the Branford Jazz Series
The Branford Jazz Series continues on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 6:30 p.m. on the green with Selina Albright.
Albright is a soulful singer-songwriter with versatility that comes from years of listening to many origins and languages of music. A major highlight of her career was her performance with the internationally revered DJ duo Manufactured Superstar of “Serious” for the Las Vegas Electric Daisy Carnival in 2011, before over 200,000 high-energy ravers and fans.
The concerts run through Thursday, Aug. 24. 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.
Saturday, Aug. 12 and Sunday, Aug. 13
Shoreline Wine Festival
Bishop’s Orchards Farm Market and Winery, 1355 Boston Post Road, hosts the Shoreline Wine Festival from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12 and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13.
Participating wineries include Bishop’s, Hopkins Vineyards, Jonathan Edwards, Paradise Hills, SMV, Holmberg, and Jones. Vendors, tours, seminars and entertainment will be featured.
Tickets run from $30 to $70. Details at shorelinewinefestival.com.
Saturday, Aug. 12
Killam’s Point: Exploring the Point
The Branford Land Trust and the First Congregational Church will host an exploration of Killam’s Point from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12.Tidal pools, stands of pitch pines, salt marshes, inland wetlands, an osprey nest, remains of a worked quarry, invasive species – Killam’s Point has something for all. The day is being planned so that young and old and everyone in between will experience the Point with newly opened eyes.For more information, call 203 – 483-56Woofstock Music Festival
Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter’s annual Woofstock music festival takes place Saturday, Aug. 12, from noon to 6 p.m. on the Branford Green. The Woof Walk kicks off the event at 11 a.m.Billed as “a day of peace and music,” the event features live music, more than 50 vendors, food trucks, the hippie dog costume contest and more. The event is held rain or shine.Funds raised go toward caring for the animals at the shelter. For more information, visit the Cosgrove Animal Shelter’s Facebook page.Peach and Chowder Festival
The annual summer delight, the Peach and Chowder Festival, takes place on the lawn of Church of Christ Congregational, 192 Thimble Islands Road, Stony Creek, on Saturday, Aug. 12, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.The event is held rain or shine. For more information, call 203 – 488-7827.
Monday, Aug. 14
Branford Land Trust 22nd Annual Environmental Day Camp for Kids
The Branford Land Trust will hold its 22nd Annual Hands-on Environmental Day Camp on Monday, Aug. 14. This camp, for children ages 5 – 9, is held at the Killam’s Point Conference Center in Branford.
The event includes activities, presentations and games that help kids learn about such things as tide pools, woodland habitats, wildlife rehabilitation, nature crafts, and more. The cost of the camp is $45 for the day (additional children, same family $35.00), or $35 for BLT members. Scholarships available.
Registration deadline is Friday, Aug. 10. Get more information and a registration form at www.branfordlandtrust.org, or call Martha Rice at 203 – 314-7128, email [email protected].
The Branford Land Trust is a non-profit organization, celebrating 50 years of protecting Branford’s open space and natural resources.
Friday, Aug. 18
Star Wars Under the Stars
The Blackstone Library will host a showing of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” in the amphitheater at Foote Park, Melrose Avenue, on Friday, Aug. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Bring blankets or lawn chairs, and snacks or purchase ice cream at the park from The Ice Cream Guy truck. All ages are welcome. To RSVP, call 203 – 488-1441.
Sunday, Aug. 20
Classic Car Show
The Branford Rotary Club’s 4th Annual Classic Car Show will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20, at Van Wilgen’s Garden Center, 51 Valley Road, North Branford.
The event benefits the club’s charities and organizations in honor and support of veterans, including Take-A-Vet Fishing and the Veterans Day Luncheon. More than 150 cars are expected; raffle prizes and trophies will be awarded, plus live music featuring “The Sin Sisters Band.” Food and beverages available. Spectator admission is free. There’s a $10 entry fee for the cars.
For sponsorships or more info, visit www.branfordrotary.org or email [email protected].
Saturday, Aug. 26
Summer’s Last Roar
To recognize the end of summer, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Ave., will open its doors for a free day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26.
This is a chance to see the new mineral display in David Friend Hall or make one more visit to the Discovery Room before school starts again in September. In addition to the permanent and temporary exhibitions, visitors will have a chance to win prizes, engage in a craft activity, and interact with real specimens on the SciCarts located throughout the museum.
Discounted museum memberships will be available during Summer’s Last Roar. Ask for details at the front desk.
Looking Ahead
A Hogwarts Halloween
Registration is open for a Hogwarts Halloween at the Blackstone Library. Sessions take place Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon or from 1 to 3 p.m. OR on Sunday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon or from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is for children age 6 and up.Children will get the feeling they truly have entered the halls of Hogwarts. Upon arrival, they will be escorted by Prefects to the Great Hall, where they will be greeted by Professor McGonagall. From there, attendees will take classes in Charms, Potions, and Divination.This year’s school session also involves an escape challenge – Dolores Umbridge has been known to lock an entire class out of the Hogwarts building and onto the Hogwarts grounds. It will be up to each class to work together to solve the clues and find the magic key that opens the door back into Hogwarts proper. And, of course, no one will leave without their wand from Ollivander’s Wand Shop personally matched by Ollivander. These sessions are drop-off only, with Prefects escorting the children through their two hours of classes. Admission is $30 per child. Costumes are encouraged. Also available for purchase: Class T‑Shirts (long sleeved), $20 each, and School Portraits, $10 each. Details at http://www.blackstone.lioninc.org/hogwarts-at-blackstone-faqs/.###
