Did you know that the coffee plant was discovered in Ethiopian forests at least 1,000 years ago? Or that plants use caffeine as a natural pesticide to paralyze and kill destructive insects? The Yale Peabody Museum’s latest temporary exhibition explores the powerful influence of coffee on the environment, human culture and economies worldwide - from coffee cultivation in Africa and South America to coffee culture in the United States. This $60-billion-a-year global industry connects the richest countries in the world with some of the poorest. Through selected artifacts, films and photographs, this exhibition illuminates the fascinating stories behind the coffee we drink, enabling us to become informed consumers.

The Philip Johnson Glass House, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, launches its 2010 tour season on Saturday, May 1. The season, which runs from May through November, offers six levels of site experience and tickets are currently available at all levels. Ticket orders may be placed online at www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org or by calling 866.811.4111.

Event: Acting Intensives: Love’s Labour’s Lost
Date: July 12-16
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Location: Shakesperience Studio 117 Bank St. Waterbury, CT 06702
Cost: $250
Contact: www.shakesperience.org 203-754-2531 info@shakesperienceproductions.org
Details: Develop your acting skills as Shakesperience’s professional resident artists instruct students in the Shakesperience Approach to performing. Students spend the week rehearsing and performing William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, a comedy about a King and his three friends who make a pact to swear off the company of women. This Intensive, designed for students aged 12-17, concludes with a performance for parents and friends.

11:00 am AND 2:00 pm

1:00 pm

9:00 am - 12:30 pm

Performance at 8:00 pm, Zoo opens for picnics at 6:30 pm

 
The West End Farmers' Market provides fresh fruits and vegetables, jams, local honey, flowers, ciders and homemade salsas and salad dressings. All items are locally grown or made in CT. Produce is picked on the same day of sale - the freshest you can buy anywhere!
In recent months, the city of Hartford has dedicated valuable resources towards fostering and promoting local artists. The market will support this work by featuring many different musicians and artists from throughout Connecticut. On any given market day expect to hear live music, sample culinary delights, and peruse the booths of local artisans and crafters.
The West End Farmers' Market.... eat local, you deserve it!
 

The five artists represented in Where Lies Beauty mediate between the worlds of conceptual instigation and traditional practice. Each is successful in articulating contemporary experience and each re-acquaint us with beauty, for their sculptures and paintings arrest our attention and provide a perceptual response of pleasure, meaning, and satisfaction. Join us in celebrating the works of Mia Brownell, Leah Joo, Susan Madacsi, Eleanor Miller, and Afarin Rahmanifar

Immerse yourself in a world of jellies. From the outside, this new exhibit at Mystic Aquarium resembles a 20-foot-tall sea nettle floating on water. Under its dome, special lighting showcases the fascinating features of six very different jelly species, from moon jellies, often spotted in Long Island Sound, to unusual upside-down jellies and comb jellies, which look like they have electrical currents running through them. Guests can also see how moon jelly polyps are being cultured right at the aquarium. Trickling water from a two-sided water wall inside the exhibit adds to the experience. The wall, sponsored by Aquarion Water Company, features streams of water running over hand-blown glass fish and jellies created by renowned local artist Jeffery P’an of Prescient Studios in Stonington.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
Deb Umba, Market Project Manager
Phone: 860-345-3074
Email: sumba@snet.net
-or-
Liz Bazazi, Higganum Vision Group Organizer
Phone: 860-345-3345
Email: ebazazi@comcast.net

HIGGANUM VILLAGE FARMERS’ MARKET OPENS FOR SEASON
Friday, June 4 Kicks Off a Summer of Fresh, Local Food & Fun Events

Higganum, CT – June 2, 2010 – The Higganum Village Farmers’ Market will open for the season beginning this Friday, June 4th, running from 3:30-6:30pm each Friday until October 29, located on the Higganum Green near the intersection of Route 81, Candlewood Hill Road, and Route 154/Saybrook Road. Schedule exceptions: July 9 through August 6, the market will run 2:30-5:30pm, to accommodate summer concerts on the hosted by the Haddam Lions Club; and on September 10 (2:30-5:30pm), to accommodate Haddam River Days. The market harvest continues in the late fall during two indoor market days: Sun., November 21 and Sun., December19, both from 1-4 pm, at the old fire station across from the Higganum Green. A full schedule of special events is listed below and online at HigganumVillageMarket.org.

Project Manager for the Farmers’ Market, Deb Umba, a volunteer since the market’s inception in 2008 reports, “When you make a purchase at the Higganum Village Farmers’ Market, you are investing in our local economy. Buying from local farmers and vendors keeps and sustains our local economy.”

“These are the freshest foods available to you! You are investing in energy conscious choices, too; food is grown and brought to you from ‘right around the corner’ rather than transported from hundreds or even thousands, of miles away,” Umba added.

She emphasized, “By shopping at the Farmers’ Market, customers will have the opportunity to get to know the local farmers who plant the seeds and harvest the crops,” an experience typically not available at local supermarkets.

Market organizers planned throughout the winter to communicate that Higganum is “a terrific place to live and buy food and artisanal craft offerings.”

The whole Market Board of Directors invite “locavores,” those who shop for local fresh foods, as well as local area residents and out-of-towners alike to visit, purchase food and crafts, attend a cooking demonstration or lecture on selective gardening methods, listen to music from local ensembles or bands, and perhaps stay for dinner at an area restaurant. Customers will also have a chance to buy a cup of freshly-brewed coffee, sample a delectable fresh pastry, and meet friends and new people on the Higganum Green. New this season, the Higganum Village Farmers’ Market hopes to unveil a new signature Market candle, a special blend of coffee, and a customized blend of kettle corn, each of which will be announced when available. 

To contact market management team regarding volunteering opportunities, vendor opportunities, or sponsorship, please visit: higganumvillagemarket.org.
 

(CONTINUED)
2010 Higganum Village Farmers’ Market Schedule:

JUNE:
June 4th – Opening Day
June 11 – Music: Thank God I’m a Country Boy or Girl
June 18 – In Flavor of Salad
June 25th – Scare the Crows from Your Garden / Scarecrow Contest

JULY:
July 2- Patriots on the Green: Meet Haddam’s Town Leadership
July 9* - Grillin’ & Chillin’ on the Green
July 16* - Around the World on Higganum Green: Ethnic Cooking Day / Share Your Heritage
July 23* - Community Pride Day, Featuring Haddam’s Civic Groups
July 30*- Craft Friday on the Green 

AUGUST:
August 6* - Dairy Day “Only Love Beats Milk” Keep your eyes peeled for a loose cow!
August 13 – Goin’ Green on the Green Day
August 20 – Salsa & Pesto Day, with information on home-grown tomatoes & peppers
August 27 – Craft Friday

SEPTEMBER:
September 3 – What’s for Lunch Day?
September 10* – Celebrating Haddam River Days
September 17 – Autumnal Soups & Stews / Revisiting Casseroles & Crock Pots
September 24 – Craft Friday

OCTOBER:
October 1 – Down By the Sea, Where the Watermelon Grows / Sea Shanties & Chowder Day w/ a Walking, Talking Lobster!
October 8 – “Hoes Down”
October 15 – “You’re the Apple of My Eye” with fresh apples, cider, and donuts
October 22 – Autumn Leaves & Composting 101 / Get the Dirt on Dirt!
October - 29 All Harvests & Homecoming Day

NOVEMBER:
November 21* - Indoor Thanksgiving / Hanukkah Bazaar at the Old Fire Station; Christmas Trees available!

DECEMBER:
December 19* - Indoor Christmas & Kwanzaa Bazaar at the Old Fire Station / Year-End Celebration!

To read about and link online to guest vendors who will appear at upcoming Higganum Village Farmer’s Markets, visit: higganumvillagemarket.org/vendors.html.

The Higganum Village Farmers’ Market is a project of The Higganum Vision Group, which works to provide its community with the knowledge, skill, and ability to develop a thriving business center, surrounding farmsteads, woodlands, and waterways in order to provide for the community’s health and well-being, economic vitality, cultural continuity, and connection with nature. For information, contact Elizabeth Bazazi at 860-345-3345 or ebazazi@comcast.net.

The Henderson Cultural Center at Hunt Hill Farm presents the distinctive works of three recognized Connecticut artists while showcasing two young new artists during The Silo Gallery’s Summer Exhibition from June 26^th through August 1^st.  The main gallery features multimedia artist Lorraine Agri, showing her Faces and Figures Series; ceramic artist Louise W. King exhibiting hand-built clay horses; and mixed media artist Cecilia Marshall displaying her series of Book Arts.  In the New Talent Gallery film, animation and dry media by fourteen year-old Sam Blitt and twelve year-old Tristan Kane with be shown.  The show’s opening reception takes place on Saturday, June 26^th from 3 to 5 p.m. at 44 Upland Rd., New Milford, CT. 

         For the past several years, Lorraine Agri has worked with vignettes of people from everyday life.  "I like to work with traditional and non-traditional techniques, combined with painting and printmaking, experimenting with concepts, color and contrasting materials," the artist says.  "My art is eclectic and deals with significant events that influence my emotions.  The portraits in Agri’s latest series are combinations of quirky features of family, friends, and herself to create new fictional characters, emphasizing the humorous.

         A love of horses from an early age influences New York City born artist Louise W. King.  For over 30 years, King has created her conventional-glaze, Raku-fired and wood-fired horses.  Each horse is built by hand using slabs, coils and pinch pots, many embellished with designs from clay stamps that she makes.  “Something imagined, something dreamt, something remembered, something seen out of the corner of the mind's eye “, King remarks and continues playfully.  “Each horse is a surprise and my approach to clay is like the optimistic child in the stupid joke, there must be a horse in there somewhere"!

         Artist Cecilia Marshall, also an art faculty member at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, CT, has shown works throughout Connecticut as well as in Maryland and Washington, DC.  Cecilia has studied with painters George McNeil and Jake Berthot, and book artists Bob Ebendorf and Sas Colby.  A recipient of the Skidmore College Summer Six Fellowship, Marshall is also a teaching artist for the After School Arts Program in Litchfield County and offers workshops at the Westport Public Library and the Hartford Public Library.  Marshall is currently in the planning stage to run workshops at Hunt Hill Farm.

The opening reception for The Silo Gallery’s Summer Exhibition includes wines by Hopkins Vineyard and appetizers by The Silo Cooking School with Chef Mary Kravec.  A Gallery Talk by Marshall and Kane takes place on July 18^th at 2 p.m. and is sponsored by the Connecticut Community Foundation.  The exhibition runs through August 1st  and the opening reception, gallery talk and exhibition are free.  Hunt Hill Farm hours are Wed. through Sat., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday’s noon to 5 p.m.   For more information please call Valerie Culbertson, Silo Gallery Director, at (860) 355-0300 or visit www.hunthillfarmtrust.org. 

Drawing on the creative legacy of Skitch and Ruth Henderson, the Henderson Cultural Center at Hunt Hill Farm, which is associated with the Smithsonian Institution, is a vibrant and unique regional resource, offering the public the opportunity to explore music, art, cuisine, and permanently protected historic open space.

 Craft Expo returns once again to the scenic and historic Guilford Green, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, July 15, 16 & 17.  

Craft Expo is one of the oldest and finest outdoor craft shows in Connecticut, featuring works by 170 of America’s best craft artists. The show includes clay, glass, leather, metal, jewelry, wearable and non-wearable fiber, photography, mixed media works, wood and more. There is also a food court, specialty food area, silent auction of donated crafts,  and musical performances.

 Hours are Th & F 12-9, Sat 10-7.

Gate proceeds benefit Guilford Art Center.

Established in 1975 and based in Cooperstown, New York, Glimmerglass Opera offers approximately 40 performances of opera and works of music theater in rotation during the summer. The 2010 Festival runs from July 9-August 24 and will feature four new productions: Puccini’s Tosca, Copland’s The Tender Land, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and the U.S. professionally staged premiere of Handel’s Tolomeo. For performance times and ticket prices refer to www.glimmerglass.org or call the Glimmerglass Opera Box Office at (607) 547-2255. Also, visit our website for more information on available discounts as well as free backstage tours, recitals, opera previews and more.

The magical and heart-warming tale of a naïve young woman who eagerly joins a traveling circus. Surrounded by a riot of acrobats, jugglers, and clowns, she is dazzled at first by the troupe’s manipulative magician. In the end she finds happiness with a disillusioned puppeteer who can only express himself through his delightful puppets. Based on the film Lili, Carnival! casts a romantic spell over the entire audience.

Hamden Summer Concert Series

Daryl Hall

This concert will feature the founder and lead singer of the duo Hall & Oates

7:30

Food Available on site

July 16, 7 pm. Mingle and enjoy an introductory talk by a member of our creative staff, appetizers courtesy of La Vita Gustosa of East Haddam, and specially priced beverages. Free with your ticket to the performance.