April 2013 Events

When this list is compiled, there are always events not included. Either the organization has not gotten the word out, or something is a bit too mainstream, like a wedding expo. Or, the event is too unaffordable for too many readers. This calendar is created with Hartford residents in mind, primarily those who live in neighborhoods like mine. Something pricey will slip through from time-to-time, but if an event costs as much as groceries for the week, it probably is not going to be included here.

Don’t forget to check with the venue to confirm that times and prices remain accurate.

April 1

The Hartford Jazz Orchestra gives a free performance on Monday evenings at the Arch Street Tavern. Music begins at 8pm.

April 2

Lauren Groff, author of Arcadia, The  Monsters  of  Templeton, and Delicate Edible Birds will be taking part in the Allan K. Smith Reading Series at Trinity College. A reception and book signing will follow the reading, held in the Alumni Lounge of Mather Hall. 4:30-6:30pm. This is free and open to the public; books will be available for purchase.

April 3

All are welcome to participate in a learning charrette (fancy word that just means looking at maps and talking about plans) for the Albany/Homestead Avenue corridor. This goes from 3-7pm, but people are invited to drop in whenever they can. The meeting will be held in the community room of the University of Hartford Handel Performing Arts Center, located on the corner of Albany Avenue and Westbourne Parkway. The parking lot is accessible from Albany Avenue. Free.

April 4

• The 8th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival starts today and wraps up on April 7th. Don’t think this is just music. There will be lectures on topics like “Hip hop as an Educational Tool in Ethiopia/Ghana,” “Hip Hop and Human Rights in Senegal,” and “Transnational Hip-Hop and Arab Youth Politics.” There will be poetry, film, workshops, panels, painting, dancing, and an “urban fleamarket.” Expect to see Hartford Denim Company, Hartford Prints!, and NoRA Cupcakes. Events this year seem to be kept in Mather Hall and Cinestudio — good move! For something that is free and open to the public, having programming in too many buildings just creates confusion for folks not familiar with the campus. The festival schedule is on the event website.
• The Hartford Cotton Club is the theme of tonight’s Art After Hours at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Musicians from the Artists Collective and actors from HartBeat Ensemble will perform– probably not simultaneously, but who knows! The mature cocktail hour (i.e. throwing back five martinis and puking in the bathroom is not the norm) lasts from 5-8pm and is followed by the film The Cotton Club. Admission is either $5 or free.
• The Hartford Jewish Film Festival also begins tonight at Spotlight Theatres on Columbus Boulevard and Front Street. An opening night dinner at 5:30 kicks off the multi-day,multi-town event. Follow Me– The Yoni Netanyahu Story follows at 7:30. See website for ticket information.
• Also at 7:30pm: First Thursdays Cinema. This month’s film at Cinestudio: Were the World Mine. Ticket prices vary. Every Thursday Firebox hosts Gay Happy Hour — stop off before or after the film.

April 5

• The Connecticut Historical Society will be hosting a Community Cook-Off. Categories cooks can enter include “Not-So-Secret Ingredient Challenge, From Grandma’s Kitchen (Recipes off the Family Tree), What’s in that casserole, anyway?! and I didn’t know you could do that with Jell-O™.” The celebrity judges will be Caitlin Croswell, Maryellen Fillo, Kara Sundlun, Krystian von Speidel and Chion Wolf. There will be no shortage of food. $10 for CHS members/$15 for non-members. 5:30-7:30 at One Elizabeth Street.
• The Tobacco Shop — that’s not some hipster studio name. It’s an actual tobacco shop — will be the site of an opening reception for Andres Chaparro’s “SHOUTS OF THE ANCESTORS” painting series. The opening reception begins at 6pm. Chaparro’s art will be displayed at 89 Pratt Street through May 4th, 10am-6pm.

April 6

• Today is the Keep America Beautiful National Day of Action, so celebrate with activity and beautification. Volunteers wishing to help clean Keney Park can meet at the Pond House near Edgewood. There will be a need for litter and brush removal, as well as tree planting. This goes from 9am-1pm. If you would like to reserve your free lunch, register in advance: 860.951.7694.
• There will be free, child-centered activities at the Bushnell today. Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo — an interactive performance — will take place at 10am and at noon. There will be activities in the lobby from 9am-1pm.
• Celebrate the start of another baseball season! The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will be synchronizing music with video and images from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Kids under 40 get reduced price tickets. 7:30pm in the Mortensen Hall at the Bushnell.
• Looking for something less wholesome? Django Unchained is playing at Cinestudio today. Ticket prices vary. Showing at 2:30 and 7:30pm.

April 7

• The April in Paris Film Festival begins today! After Au Bonheur des Dames — start time 2:30 — there will be discussion and pastries at Cinestudio. The festival ends on April 13th. For ticket prices, see April in Paris festival website.
• Sinan Bakir will be giving a free performance at the Hartford Public Library as part of the Baby Grand Jazz 2013 series. 3-4pm.
• Sea Tea Improv’s Sketch Writing Round Table is basically what it sounds like. Bring a sketch, share it, get feedback. This happens twice each month, no registration required. Stop by the Sea Tea Improv studio at 75 Pratt Street, Suite 500. $5. 4:30-6:30pm.

April 8

Jazz Mondays at Black-eyed Sally’s brings free or inexpensive live music every Monday night. Tonight, Brooklyn Circle (Stacy Dillard – Tenor/Soprano Saxophone, Diallo House – Bass, and Ismail Lawal – Drums) will be performing. A jam session follows the first set. No cover. 8pm.

April 9

The Hartford Public Library says that “Connecticut‐based poet Kate Rushin will lead an informal discussion on the poems of former national Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Rita Dove as part of the Hartford History Center’s programming related to the lives and experiences of African Americans.” This will take place in the Hartford History Center, located on the third floor of the Hartford Public Library, from 6:30-8pm. This is free. The first twenty participants to sign up will receive a free copy of “Selected Poems.”

April 10

Maybe take a day off from all the festivities and work on filing your taxes. Just a thought.

April 11

• The Partnership for Strong Communities is bringing another forum to the Lyceum: “The Peril and The Potential:
  How The New Housing Market Could Affect Towns, Residents and Revenue-Raising.” This was originally scheduled on one of the many days snow messed everything up this winter. Breakfast and networking (they say “coffee” but I’ve seen scones and fruit) from 8:30-9am; discussion goes from 9-11:30am. This is free.
• At Trinity College, Marcia Aldrich, author of Companion to an Untold Story, will be the featured author at tonight’s Allan K. Smith Reading Series. This reading, reception, and book signing will be held in the Reese Room of Smith House. 4:30-6:30pm. Books will be available for purchase, but this is otherwise free.
• Anita Gangi Balkun‘s “Sanctuary” exhibit opens at 100 Pearl Street Gallery. 5-7pm, free. This artwork will be displayed through June 1, 2013.
• The question at tonight’s salon at the Stowe Center: “Have we overcome?” Victoria Christgau of the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence will be one of the panelists at this free event. Refreshments are available at 5pm; Discussion runs from 5:30-7pm.
• Also tonight, the Hartford Votes~Hartford Vota Coalition presents Who is ALEC and why should we care? at the Hartford Public Library. The organization describes ALEC: “The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization whose membership includes legislators, businesses and foundations.” John Dankosky of WNPR will be moderating the panel discussion, which will be recorded for a future airing on Where We Live. Refreshments will be available at 5:30pm; discussion begins at 6pm.

April 12

Stop by the ArtWalk Gallery from 6-8pm for an opening reception.

LIFE: A Journey Through Time by Frans Lanting will be at this gallery, located in the Hartford Public Library, from April 8-May 13. Admission is always free.

April 13

• Plant some trees in Cedar Hill Cemetery! Instruction and lunch will be provided for volunteers. 9am-1pm.
• For others who get up at the crack of dawn on the weekend, there will be a discussion about creating a dual-language magnet school for speakers of English and Spanish. This event is open to the public and will be held in the Commons Building at the Learning Corridor (43 Vernon Street). There will be coffee from 9:30-10; panel and discussion run from 10-11:30am. This is a free event, but registration is requested.

April 14

• At 3pm Daniel Bennett will perform in the Hartford Public Library. The Baby Grand Jazz 2013 series is free.
• Sea Tea Improv regularly performs at City Steam Brewery. They will be there tonight from 7-8:30pm. This is free; nobody under 21 is permitted entrance without a parent/guardian.

April 15

The Andrew Renfroe Quartet will give a free show at Black-eyed Sally’s. 8pm.

April 16

When Reveal the Path screened at the Wadsworth in February, it sold out. So, tonight there will be an encore showing at the Wadsworth Atheneum at 7:30. Tickets are $11 in advance, $15 at the door.

April 17

The SYLLABLE Reading Series is back! The reading begins at 7pm in La Paloma Sabanera (405 Capitol Avenue). If you want to do more than just listen, check out the submission guidelines and make contact with Julia. April’s theme is “change.” There is a $5 suggested donation; no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

April 18

The Charter Oak Cultural Center will again be offering its organic gardening program, Putting Down Roots in Hartford. Today kicks off this program with some “manual labor and dinner.” It’s free. Contact Charter Oak for details.

April 19

• The first annual “book bash” hosted by The Dirt Salon — Gatsby’s Green Light Gala — is a fundraiser for The Center for the Book at Connecticut Humanities. To get an idea of what you’d be getting into, here’s the wording from the event invite:

Get dolled up in your best glitzy Gatsby getup and ankle it down to Hartford’s jakest joint, the Dirt Salon. We’re hosting Gatsby’s Green Light Gala, a Great Gatsby-themed fundraising bash to celebrate the launch of Connecticut Center for the Book.

The joint will be jumping with live jazz, giggle water and a cast of Gatsby characters. All of the hip to the jive big shots and live wires will punch the bag and put on the ritz at what is sure to be the blow of the century (and the panther sweat will have you half seas over.) Take it from us; this top drawer event will be the elephant’s eyebrows!Don’t be all wet, you’re sitting pretty for a swell time. Notice: blottos, bulls, flat tires, high hats, hoods, pikers, rag-a-muffins, reubens, rummies, saps and wet blankets will get the bum’s rush.

April 20

• Celebrate the re-opening of the Connecticut Science Center‘s rooftop garden. Visitors can dissect or plant a, um, plant. The 4’O’Clock plant can be taken home. This is free/included with a General Admission ticket both today and tomorrow during the CSC’s regular operating hours.
• From 1-3pm the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center will be hosting the How to be an Abolitionist workshop. “Learn how to recognize and report human trafficking” with insights from Officer Deborah Scates, Polly Marston, and Wendy Nelson Kauffman. $10.
• Proceeds from the 3rd Annual Trashion Fashion Show will go toward a scholarship fund so that local youth can attend the Sustainable Farm School. If that’s not enough motivation to show up, how about seeing City Hall transformed into a “recycled forest”? There will be seedlings to take home, “eco friendly vendors” to support, and a fashion show to watch. There is a suggested donation of $15. 6-9pm in City Hall.
• Opening reception of State of Elation: Traditional Fine Arts Meets Unconventional Urban Art, a group exhibit at ArtSpace (555 Asylum). The work of approximately 15 artists will be on display. 6pm-midnight.

April 21

• The Studio at Billings Forge (on Broad Street, the next block over from the Armory) is hosting Free Acupuncture for Veterans today from noon until 3pm. Veterans and their immediate family members are eligible for free acupuncture with proof of service/military ID. First Responders are eligible for the $10 rate; non-veterans, $20.
• Riverfront Earth Day begins at 12:45 with an Interfaith prayer service at St. Patrick-St. Anthony (AKA the very liberal church that Paul Ryan visited, apparently without having done research to learn about its Open Hearts GLBT Ministry) and then a peaceful march from Church and Ann to the Riverfront Plaza. There will be speakers, artisans, food vendors, art, activities, and more until 4pm at the Riverfront. Free.
• The Baby Grand Jazz series continues at the Hartford Public Library. The music today will be provided by Larry Willis. 3-4pm, free.

April 22

Earth Day in the Park at Elizabeth Park.

April 23

Knitting with Las Comadres/Tejiendo con Las Comadres at the Park Branch of the Hartford Public Library. Participants should come to this knowing the basics of knitting. This group meets every Tuesday from 1-2pm.

April 24

• The Latin American and Iberian Film Series presents April Captains, a story about the overthrow of fascism in Portugal. This 2000 film, directed by Maria de Medeiros, has English subtitles. The film starts at 7pm in the Boyer Auditorium of the Life Sciences Center at Trinity College. This is free and open to the public.
• Riding the Turnpike, a new play inspired by the book The Berlin Turnpike: A True Story of Human Trafficking in America, opens today. HartBeat Ensemble will be performing this at its new home at 360 Farmington Avenue, The Carriage House. 7:30pm. The show continues through May 18, 2013. Tickets are $20 general, $15 for students, seniors, and Lets Go Arts members. Because of the play’s content, this is recommended for those ages 16+.

April 25

• The Billings Forge Farmers’ Market continues every Thursday from 11-2 in the Studio on Broad Street between Russ and Capitol. Expect vegetables, food trucks, bread, coffee, knit items, hot sauces, and more.
• “How can we ensure that fresh, healthy food is accessible to all?” That’s the question focusing this evening’s edition of Salons at Stowe: Cultivating Food Justice. This free event will feature Sarah Thrall, Junior League of Hartford; Gloria McAdam, Foodshare and Jennifer Roach, Summer of Solutions Hartford. Refreshments will be served at 5pm in the Katharine Day House; discussion begins at 5:30 and is expected to continue until 7pm.
• From 6-8pm there will be an opening reception for the Community Partners in Action: Prison Arts Program Annual Show. This will feature 300 artworks from 125 State of Connecticut inmates. This will be at the Charter Oak Cultural Center. Free.

April 26

Like to go out walkin after midnight? Tonight is Trinity College‘s 8th Annual Relay for Life, an all-night walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Participants from the community (i.e. those unaffiliated with Trinity) are welcome. The walk begins at 6pm today and ends at 6am tomorrow.

April 27

The Hartford Public Library will be screening Bright Star, what they describe as “a romantic movie which does historical and literary justice to the genius of John Keats.” This will be shown in the Center for Contemporary Culture at 2pm. Free.

April 28

• Here’s an event that might be worth hopping a bus for: Little Poland Festival in New Britain. Food, vendors, music, dancing, and more. Check the festival website for details.
• Emery Smith will bring the music to the Hartford Public Library’s atrium this afternoon from 3-4pm. Free.

April 29

Stop by the Arch Street Tavern for some free music provided by the Hartford Jazz Orchestra– 8pm.

April 30

“Saving Energy to Make Housing Affordable: Opportunity Through Synergy” is the name of this morning’s iForum at the Lyceum on Lawrence Street. The Partnership for Strong Communities describes the planned conversation:

The ultimate affordability of housing is not only how much the rent costs, but the cost of energy for heating, cooling and other needs.  With rising energy costs and an uncertain energy future, the efficiency of our housing can make or break families’ budgets or our larger economy.  A smart, coordinated strategy to energy and housing will require partnerships between housing residents, utilities, contractors, developers, lenders and governments – so all will be on hand to discuss challenges and opportunities in this important area.

These events are always thought-provoking, free, and open to the public. Coffee, breakfast, and networking happens from 8:30-9am; the program goes from  9-11:30am. Advanced registration is requested, but if this slips your mind and you want to show up and try your luck, you’ll probably get in.

Are there any Hartford-based events that didn’t make it to the listing that folks should know about?