Bill O’Brien Photo
By now the bird has been consumed and leftovers are stuffed into the fridge. Turkey soup, anyone? Thanksgiving has made its brief appearance, squeaking in between the candy of Halloween and the car commercials of Christmas. Do take some time amid the chaos to enjoy our beautiful town – the exciting parade and tree lighting, the festive stores – and the opportunities to give to others during the holiday season. And get ready for the Messiah.
Friday, Nov. 24
Gift Drive to Benefit Counseling Center
Bruce Pantani’s Christmas Caddy will be in Branford during the holidays to collect toys, cash, and gift card donations to be delivered to the Branford Counseling Center.
The schedule is as follows: Branford Walmart from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, Saturday, Nov. 25, and Sunday, Nov. 26, and on the Branford Green in front of town hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. Pantani, who died in 2008, was known in the community for his generosity for more than 40 years.
Saturday, Nov. 25
Branford’s Tree Lighting, Parade, Shop Small Saturday
Branford’s holiday celebration takes place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. The parade leaves from Branford High School and moves up Main Street. Everyone is invited to line the parade route. Santa will light the tree on the green at the end of the parade.
The event is held on conjunction with Shop Small Saturday, sponsored by the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce and extends to Guilford, North Branford, and Northford. Businesses will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the theme “Shop Small! Love Your Local Businesses.”
For more information, call 203 – 488-8304.
Saturday, Dec. 2
Fill the Forester
The Greater New Haven Cat Project’s Fill the Forester for Ferals takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Premier Subaru, 150 North Main St. Donna Velardi, animal communicator and certified animal massage therapist, will be on hand to give five-minute readings. For more information, email [email protected].
Ben Callahan Elf Party
This year’s Elf Party will be hosted by the Ben Callahan Memorial Foundation on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Walsh Intermediate School, 185 Damascus Road.
All proceeds will go directly to providing a full Christmas experience complete with dinner, a Christmas tree, and personalized gifts to families in need across New Haven County.
The Elf Party is open to children ages 8 to 14. One T‑shirt per child is included with registration. Prizes will be awarded for the best Elf costumes. Activities include video game stations, inflatable wrecking ball pit, ornament and cookie decorating, movies, popcorn, DJ and more.
Admission is $50/child, $90/family of 2. $135/family of three or more. When registering use the name/info of the parent/guardian only, not each child. Register at bencallahan.org/elfparty17.
Swinging Nutcracker
“Side by Side: The Nutcracker Swings!” featuring the Yale Concert Band and Yale Jazz Ensemble with Thomas C. Duffy, music director, takes place Saturday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. at Woolsey Hall, 500 College St.
In this performance, the Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite, as arranged for concert band by Mayhew L. Lake, will be performed alongside the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn setting for jazz band. Celebrate the holiday season with this study in interpretation, in two classic arrangements of The Nutcracker Suite. Leroy Anderson’s traditional favorite, Sleigh Ride, also will be performed.
Admission is free and no tickets are required, but donations will be collected to support IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services). Call 203 – 432-4111 for more information.
25th Annual Holiday Open House at 188 North Main St.
Support Feed Branford Kids, a local non-profit helping to feed kids from families in need, through the 25th Annual Holiday Open House, now hosted by Cynthia’s Flower Shop, the Martha Link Walsh Gallery, and Luckey Redo. The event takes places on Saturday, Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features handmade gifts for the holidays,
On Saturday at 1 p.m., Cynthia’s Flower Shop is hosting a Hanging Succulent Terrarium Workshop. Attendees will plant succulents inside a glass terrarium and select a holiday ribbon for hanging. The cost for the workshop is $15; call to register, 203 – 481-3115.
The Holiday Open House is free and open to the public with refreshments provided by Take the Cake (Guilford) and special surprises all weekend! For more information, contact: Martha Link Walsh, marthalinkwalsh.com, 203 – 481-3505.
Traditional Christmas Fair
The traditional Christmas Fair at First Baptist Church of Branford, 975 Main St., will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, offering everything in the spirit of the season.
All proceeds go to the Dominican Republic Joe Hartman School Mission Project and Feed Branford Kids. Shoppers will find a large selection of gifts, tag sale, breakfast sandwiches from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and lunch available after 11:30 a.m. There will be holiday music by pianist Michael Cretella and Santa will visit with children and be available for pictures.
Call the church office at 203 – 488-9777 for additional information.
Friday, Dec. 6
Sip, Shop, Stroll Downtown Branford
Branford’s Town Center merchants will be open Friday, Dec. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. for an evening of sipping, shopping and strolling.
Enjoy special holiday promotions from some of various businesses and indulge in beverages and sweet and savory snacks. Most will be offering special discounts on merchandise and gift certificates, as well as wine and cheese, cocoa and cookies, cider, punch and various sweets.
Participating merchants include Angel Paws Dog Grooming & Spa, Branford Art Center Gallery and Art Workshop, Denali, Fired Up!, Myers Flower Shop, Polished Boutique, Possessions, LLC, soundRUNNER, Sweets on Main, Shops at 116 North Main Plaza, Towne Pharmacy, Merle Norman Cosmetics & Boutique, and Butterfly Effect Boutique.
Friends of Blackstone Library Gift Basket Sale
The Friends of the Blackstone Library will hold its sale on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 5 to 8 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 8, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 9, 9 a.m. to noon. Supplies are limited so shop early.
Categories include gourmet food, global and domestic travel, care of pets, select books, etc., with a range of affordable prices. Baskets are wrapped in cellophane and personally assembled by the “elves.” They can be hand delivered with no worry about shipping.
Proceeds from the sale support the initiatives of the Friends of James Blackstone Memorial Library, 758 Main St. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/JBMLfriends/ or http://www.blackstone.lioninc.org/friends/.
Saturday, Dec. 9
Holiday Cookie Walk
Branford Compassion Club hosts its annual holiday cookie walk 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at its Feline Rescue & Adoption Center, 2037 Foxon Road.
Homemade cookies can be purchased for $4 a dozen, and there will also be a selection of charming homemade cat-motif pillowcases and “mug rugs” with designs ranging from the sophisticat to the whimsical. All proceeds from the sale benefit the shelter’s homeless felines.
Refreshments, including eggnog and samples of homemade cookies, will be served. Cash donations will be accepted. For more information visit www.branfordcompassionclub.org.
Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance Hosts Holiday Market
The Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance will host its first Holiday Market and Open House, featuring arts, crafts, music, food and holiday gift ideas, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 9 and 10, at Arts & Crafts Allen House on 265 Pine Orchard Road. Admission is free.
Twenty talented vendors will offer a variety of locally produced items from painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, soap and candle makers, fiber artists, potters and foodies just in time for the holiday gift-giving season. The indoor market will also feature baked goods from the possible future chefs from Branford High School’s Culinary Arts program.
Branford High School Music Makers, under the direction of Mike Martone, Jr., will perform at 2:30 p.m. Joyful Sound, the town’s newest choral group, directed by Cathyann Roding, will perform late Sunday afternoon.
The home’s owners, past and present, have shared the unusual property with local charities for house tours, garden events and other philanthropic endeavors, and the Allens continue the tradition.
Vaiuso Farms, Inc., another town tradition since 1927, is furnishing poinsettias and garlands to spruce up the interior décor for the market and open house. Shelley’s Garden Center is handling the exterior decorating.
For information on upcoming BACA events, email Frank Carrano at [email protected] or visit the Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance on Facebook.
Sunday, Dec. 10
ACA Enrollment Event
Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible will sponsor the only Affordable Care Act enrollment fair on Sunday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Branford Fire Headquarters, 45 N. Main St.
Brokers will be available at no cost to help choose the best plan for you and your family and to sign up for Affordable Health Care. Two Spanish/English translators will be available.
For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/127738651270758/
Three Local Artists Exhibit
Bob Dietz Painting
Three local artists will be exhibiting at Friends & Company, 11 Boston Post Road, Madison, through February. An opening reception will take place Sunday, Dec. 10, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Featured will be the works of Bob Dietz, Regina Thomas, and Robert Thomas.
Bob Dietz has worked in watercolors and pastels and for the past three years he has been producing landscapes and seascapes primarily in pastel. He works from photos, most of which he takes himself. His paintings are inspired from trips to Cape Cod, Nova Scotia, Maine, upstate New York, Europe, and the Connecticut shoreline. A member of the Connecticut Pastel Society, Madison Art Society and the Lyme Art Society. He is currently represented by Maple and Main Gallery of Fine Art in Chester.
Regina Thomas will be exhibiting mixed media works. She experiments with different mediums and methods and varying genres from representational to expressionistic and abstract. She is represented by Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook.
Robert Thomas, says that he enjoys the camera’s ability to accurately capture the moment and reflect the vision of what he sees. He has learned not just to document, but to apply the creative aspects of composition and the freedom offered with digital image processing. His themes are inspired by the landscapes, be they urban or rural, and the imagery captured in reective surfaces, weathered and worn structures, as well as the beauty and fragility found in nature.
Call for Singers and Holiday Concert
Branford Messiah, now in its 31st year, will perform Part I of Handel’s Messiah on Friday, Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the First Congregational Church on the Branford Green.
Community singers are invited to join the chorus at rehearsals and for the concert. All voice ranges are welcome. Rehearsals are Sunday, Dec. 10, 2 to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday Dec. 17, from 2 to 4:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, Dec. 20, 7 to 9:30 p.m. All rehearsals take place in the Meetinghouse at the First Congregational Church in Branford. The chorus will rehearse with the orchestra on Friday, Dec. 22, at 5:30 p.m., prior to the start of the concert at 7:30 p.m.
Well-known conductor Roy Wiseman, a professional chamber orchestra, and soloists join over 50 community singers to share the joy of the season in a beautiful and festive space. Soloist are Lielle Berman-soprano, Rebecca Ringle Kamarei-mezzo soprano, Edward Hull-tenor and Jorell Williams-baritone. The Branford Messiah will also be celebrating and honoring Edward Hull of Branford who has performed as the tenor soloist for 30 years. The musical experience was launched in 1986 by Ettie Minor Luckey,
For more information or to sign-up to sing email [email protected] or visit branfordmessiah.org.
Through Dec. 15
Toys for Tots Drop Off
Stony Creek Urgent Care has been designated as a drop off location for the US Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, whose mission is collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute them to less fortunate children in the community. Collections will be made through Dec. 15 at 6 Business Park Drive, 3rd floor, suite 302, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Hats, Gloves, and Mittens Needed
CELC Middle School is accepting donation of new or gently used warm accessories (hats, gloves, mittens, scarves) for students arriving from Puerto Rico and Mexico due to natural disasters.
Bring items to bins in lobby of 28 School Street, by Friday, Dec. 15. Email Melinda or Maria at [email protected] or call 203 433 4658 for more information.
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