It really did take me a few days to realize we had entered a new month. Oops.

April 4

Hartford is in the process of selecting a new chief of police. The public is being asked to provide its input. If you have some opinions about what this leader should be like, drop by the Hartford Public Library at 6pm for a community forum.

April 5

  • This month’s Art After Hours promises to kick ass. Artist Jan Tichy will be giving a small talk on his works which will be on display for MATRIX 164. There will also be palm reading and fortune telling, along with luminaria creating. String Theorie and Jonny Rodgers will provide music; Rodgers plays glasses. That alone is worth checking out. This event runs from 5-8pm at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
  • Or, you can begin an evening of activist films with one about school reform. That begins at 5pm at 77 Huyshope Ave.
  • At 7:30pm, drop by La Paloma Sabanera for a free screening of “Outrage ’69.“
  • Another option is to stop by The Studio at Billings Forge for spoken word by Sarahi Yahaira, also starting at 7:30pm. If you are already feeling overwhelmed with options, this spoken word series will also take place at the same time and place on April 12, 19, and 26th, but with different artists.

April 6

Although the exhibit will be in Hartford for a few months, today is the opening of “Dinosaurs Unearthed” at the Connecticut Science Center.

April 8

The Houghton College Choir will be giving a free performance at 10a.m. in the Cathedral of St. Joseph (140 Farmington Avenue). Note the time change

April 13

  • The opening reception for A Walk Down Park Street takes place from 6-8pm in the ArtWalk Gallery on the top floor of the Hartford Public Library. Jack McConnell says that this collection captures “the essence of Park Street, through Frog Hollow and Parkville from Main to Prospect. It’s the exuberant commercial spine of a working class neighborhood representing 20 Latino cultures from the Caribbean, Central and South America.”

Having already gotten a sneak preview at these photographs, I can vouch for this statement. For those who live in this neighborhood, or who visit it frequently, there is fun to be had in spotting familiar faces and sights.

The artist writes, “Each image in this exhibit represents a fraction of a second, a simple slice of life in the midst of a cultural melting pot. For 400 years, Hartford has welcomed immigrants, from Dutch adventurers who sailed up the Connecticut River in 1624, to the French, Italian, Irish, German and Scandinavians who worked in Victorian-era factories, building Pratt & Whitney machines, Colt firearms, Columbia bicycles, Remington typewriters, and Pope electric cars. The Latino population today comes for the same reason—freedom and a better life for their families.”

This exhibit will be on display through May 20th.

  • Or, head over to Parkville at 7pm to see the Beat City Beauties do the Dirt Salon. (This is $20, cash, at the door

April 14

The Odd Ball.

April 15-21

April in Paris: Persepolis, Belle de Jour, and The Passion of Joan of Arc are just a few of the films that will be playing at Cinestudio for this annual festival.

April 18

Syllable: The monthly reading series begins at 7pm. The theme for April is “light.” Last month, we heard someone read about the humiliation he suffered when his substitute teacher mother announced his virginity to a classroom of high school peers. If you miss the reading, you miss moments like that. Syllable is held at La Paloma Sabanera.

April 19

“A Taste of Our Community” will feature dishes from neighborhoods around Hartford; this will also include a presentation of the Community Diversity Award. The event begins at 5:30pm in the Hartford Public Library.

April 25

A stage reading of Project Turnpike will take place at 7pm in the auditorium on the 11th floor of Capital Community College (950 Main Street). Admission is $5 for the general public, but free for students with their ID.

April 28

  • CT Unite Against the War on Women Rally: Americans across the nation will be gathering on this date to defend women’s rights. In Hartford, a rally is planned from 10-2 in Bushnell Park near the Capitol building.
  • From 12-2pm there will be a free forum on the Response to Negative Racial Propaganda at the Mark Twain House & Museum. Panelists include: Jeffrey Ogbar, Ph.D., Darlene Powell Garlington, Ph.D., Shayla Nunnally, Ph.D., and Wilmer Leon,Ph.D. This will be moderated by Olivia White, the Executive Director of the Amistad Center.

April 28 & 29

The first annual Connecticut Vegetarian & Healthy Living Festival will be coming to the Connecticut Convention Center. Word on the street is that this is free!

What else should be on this calendar?