Seen at last year’s Pipes in the Valley festival
- Free jazz from 8-11pm at Black-eyed Sally’s.
- Artwork, mostly sculptures, by Adam Niklewicz will be on display at EBK Gallery, 218 Pearl Street. If his name sounds familiar, it might be because of “The Charter Oak,” his water-activated mural on the side of the former Ados Israel Synagogue on Pearl Street. This exhibit runs through September 27.
September 16
- The Connecticut Old State House will hold an hour-long conversation at noon: The American Dream Machine: Bicycles Past, Present & Future. They say: “From high wheelers to bicycles to electric cars, all made in one Hartford factory. Author Steve Goddard joins us for our next installment of Conversations at Noon to explain how a Civil War veteran became the father of the American bicycle and went on to build other dream machines. Join a discussion about making CT more bike friendly and promoting bike racing among CT kids with Goddard, Aidan Charles, the Founder and Executive Director of the Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program, and Kelly Kennedy, Executive Director of BikeWalk CT.” The Old State House is at 800 Main Street.
- The Board of Education holds a regular meeting tonight, meaning that the public has the opportunity to provide comment at the beginning. The meeting begins at 5pm and is scheduled to end at 8pm. This will be at Bulkeley High School, 300 Wethersfield Avenue.
- The Frog Hollow NRZ meets at the Lyceum on Lawrence Street starting at 5pm. If you live in, work in, or just care about this neighborhood, show up to learn about what is going on here.
- Learn about your rights during the foreclosure process, along with how to prevent that from happening. The Connecticut Fair Housing Center is offering a free clinic from 5:30-8pm at the University High School of Science and Engineering, 351 Mark Twain Drive. There is no need to register, just show up. The next one of these sessions in the area will be offered in October.
September 17
- Frankly, we’ve been tired of the baseball talk in Hartford all summer. More specifically, we’re sick of the politics of it all. So, it’s a welcome change to see that there will be a discussion of the actual sport, and we’re confident that the pesky stadium proposal won’t emerge during the evening’s program. Historians John Thorn, David Arcidiacono, Gary O’Maxfield, Joe Williams, and Bill Ryczek will be on the “Base Ball in Twain’s Time” panel. This will be a chat by experts from the Society for American Baseball Research about what base ball was like in the 19th century. The free event begins at 7pm at the Mark Twain House & Museum. They ask that you make reservations and I’ve been told the seats are getting snatched up quickly for this one.
- Last chance to watch God Help the Girl at Real Art Ways, described as: “While in the hospital dealing with some emotional problems, Eve starts writing songs as a way of getting better. Songwriting becomes her way forward, leading her to the City where she meets James and Cassie, two musicians each at crossroads of their own. What follows is a story of renaissance over the course of a long, dream-like summer in Glasgow, Scotland.” Admission is $10 regular, discounts for members, seniors, and students. Check the Real Art Ways calendar for updates on screen times.
September 18
- It’s EV Day at the Capitol. From 11am-noon, listen to a panel discussion on “automobile technology innovations.” Then, from 12-2pm, test drive electric vehicles on a first come, first served basis. This is at the Legislative Office Building (panel) and on the North Capitol Grounds (test drive) Free.
- Natasha Pierre from the CT Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and Gretchen Raffa from Planned Parenthood of Southern New England will be speaking about women’s healthcare today. This free program is from 5-7pm and held at the Stowe Center. Reserve your seat: [email protected] or 860-522-9258, ext. 317
- Creative Cocktail Hour at Real Art Ways, 6-10pm. Music, dancing, art. $10 general admission, $5 for members. Price includes light refreshments.
September 19
- Today is the official PARK(ing) Day — what are you going to do to reclaim streets and lots for people?
- Fiesta del Norte will be playing music from 12-1 during the farmers’ market at the Old State House.
- Show & Tell night at MakeHartford for Etsy crafters. Bring one item from your shop to show off, bring your business cards, and network. $5 for MakeHartford members, $10 for non-members. This event is from 6-9pm at 30 Arbor, #B7.
September 20
- Volunteer with KNOX to clean up Keney Park! Pick up litter, plant trees, and partake in the free breakfast and lunch given to volunteers. Get there at 9am. Leave around 1pm. Keney Park is huge, so you’ll definitely want to contact KNOX in advance to let them know you’ll be there and find out where “there” will be.
- Join in the International Day of Peace celebration sponsored by Music Together in Elizabeth Park. The day will begin with a ringing of bells, followed by singing, meditation, and yoga. This is a free, family-centered event. Bring picnic blankets, chairs, food, and any instruments you’d like to play. 10am-1pm.
- The Bushnell will be providing free family entertainment and activities from 10am-1pm. Expect jugglers and acrobats.
- A State of Makers Marketplace will be running in Bushnell Park today from 10am-6pm. “Maker” is the term now being used to describe artists, musicians, chefs, artisans, and more. You might see pottery, jewelery, t-shirts, chocolates, soaps, and things of that sort. It’s free to browse.
- Free carousel rides today in Bushnell Park, 10am-6pm.
- Watch dancing and get lessons from Felix Reyes of the Bated Breath Theater Company. Bushnell Park from 10:30-10:45am, free.
- Stop by State House Square for another Hodgepodge event, 11am-4pm. Expect food and merchandise vendors, along with live entertainment. Free to browse and listen.
- The Wadsworth Atheneum will be offering free talks in the galleries on each hour and half-hour from 11am-4pm. The talks will last 15-30 minutes. The museum will also be having free Zentangle workshops on the lawn; these workshops are sponsored by the Charter Oak Cultural Center. The Wadsworth is located at 600 Main Street. Free admission to the museum from 10am-5pm.
- The Butler-McCook House & Garden will be hosting free events today, noon until 4pm. The venue is where Main and Capitol meet (look for the yellow, old-timey house).
- Free tours of the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch on Trinity Street. 12-6pm. This requires the ability to walk up steep steps.
- Sea Tea Improv will perform starting at approximately 12:40pm. This is in Bushnell Park and will be free.
- The Damian Curtis Trio will play on the Hartford Public Library terrace from 1-2pm, free.
- The Professors of Sweet Sweet Music will be playing in Bushnell Park (free) from 4:30-5:45pm.
- Something very right in Hartford is the various cat-themed offerings in the next few months. The Mark Twain House & Museum will be offering a free talk tonight called “Meow-za! Cat Writers Come Clean.” At 7pm, you will hear from Allia Zobel Nolan, Clea Simon, and Darlene Arden.” This is free, reserve a space.
September 21
- Join in the Hartford Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Bushnell Park. It’s two miles and up to participants to get sponsored. Registration is at 9am, the walk starts around 10am.
September 22
- The Friends of Keney Park Walking Club meets at 9am on Mondays outside of the Pond House.
- City Council holds its regular meeting at 7pm in Council Chambers at City Hall
September 23
- Planning and Zoning Commission meets in Plaza Level Conference Room at 260 Constitution Plaza, 5pm.
- The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center will be hosting a free author event at 7pm. They say: “Over the past fifty years, Puerto Rican voters have roundly rejected any calls for national independence. Yet the rhetoric and iconography of independence have been defining features of Puerto Rican literature and culture. In the provocative new book Dream Nation, María Acosta Cruz investigates the roots and effects of this profound disconnect between cultural fantasy and political reality.” The Stowe Center is big on reservations, so play along: [email protected] or 860-522-9258, ext. 317.
September 24
- Congregation Beth Israel will be again holding an Erev Rosh Hashanah service outdoors in Elizabeth Park. This will be on the Rose Garden Lawn at 6pm. If you are driving, leave early…parking took forever last year. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the service will be moved to Haas Hall at CBI in West Hartford. This is free for all. Arrive early to set up your lawn chairs and blankets.
- The Mark Twain House & Museum will be hosting a panel, The Kennedy Assassination: 50 Years of Conspiracy! starting at 7:30pm. They say: “2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Warren Commission, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s investigation into the assassination of his predecessor, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Was it the CIA? The Russians? LBJ? Or was it Lee Harvey Oswald acting completely on his own? Authors Jerome Corsi, Patrick Nolan and Peter Janney will be discussing their conspiracy theory books on one of the most controversial subjects in American history.” This is a free event, reservations suggested.
September 25
- The Billings Forge Farmers’ Market is open each Thursday from 11am-2pm. This is outside on the green through October. The market is on the block of Broad Street between Russ and Capitol.
September 26
- Goza performs from 12-1pm during the Old State House farmers’ market.
- So many chances to see Sea Tea Improv perform this month! They will be doing longform improv at the Studio at Billings Forge (563 Broad) from 8-9:30pm. There is a $10 admission price.
September 27
- Take part in the Source to Sea Cleanup today! Groups look to be gathering around 9am. Go to the website to see which location and team could most use your help. Wear clothing that if it gets dirty, won’t cause you to cry.
- Go to Bushnell Park to participate in the Hartford Walk for Farm Animals, a benefit for the Farm Sanctuary which has locations in California and Watkins Glen, NY. Check-in begins at 10am, with a yoga stretch at 10:30. The two-mile walk through Downtown begins at 11. There is a registration fee and each walker is expected to set her own fundraising goals.
- Maybe you’ve wandered around Cedar Hill Cemetery before and seen grave markers with names you recognized from city streets. Take a tour — expanded from a previous version — that highlights some of the Cedar Hill Cemetery “residents” for whom those streets were named. This begins at 10am. $5 general, free for CHCF & Let’s Go Arts members.
- Help make Hartford safer for everyone. Get rid of your guns. Bring them to Hartford Communities That Care, 2550 Main Street, from 10am-3pm. Residents getting rid of firearms will receive gift cards in exchange. This is a collaboration between the Hartford Police Department and others.
- Dr. Raouf Mama of Eastern Connecticut State University will be leading a storytelling class from 10am-12:30pm at the Albany Branch of the Hartford Public Library starting today. It will also meet on October 4, 18, 25, and November 1st. This is free, but registration is required: 860-695-6300.
- It’s Grandparents’ Day in Bushnell Park, 11am-3pm. Expect family entertainment. Free.
- The annual Pipes in the Valley Celtic Festival will be at the Riverfront today, 11am-10:30pm. Besides the bagpipes, there will be birds of prey, step dancing, Highland games, storytelling, sword demonstrations, Celtic food, and family activities. This is a free event.
- Hodgepodge from 11am-4pm at State House Square. Free to listen and browse.
September 28
- Walk Hartford: organized by Transport Hartford (and some Real Hartford writers might have gotten conned into participating), this will be a leisurely loop walk beginning near the carousel in Bushnell Park. It starts at 1pm. Carve out a few hours and bring some cash if you want to stop for refreshments along the 5-7 mile route. There may be a small off-road segment, but basic sneakers should be enough. Free.
September 29
- Free jazz at Black-eyed Sally’s, 8-11pm.
- Paintings by Terry Donsen Feder will go on display at EBK Gallery, 218 Pearl Street, today.
September 30
- Time to exit the city for something: Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internets is Doing to Our Brains and The Glass Cage: Automation and Us, will be the feature of a live broadcast shown at Congregation Beth Israel (the large synagogue on Farmington Avenue just a few blocks into West Hartford) from 8:15-10:30pm. Admission is $5 and can be paid at the door.
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