Instructions: Skim list. Jot down items of interest on own personal calendar. Enjoy.

August 1

  • Dave Costa will perform at noon on the terrace of the Downtown Hartford Public Library. Free.
  • The Wadsworth Atheneum continues its Movies & Music Under the Stars series with Bombshell, starring Jean Harlow. Music by Criollo Clasico begins at 5:30pm in Gengras Court. Dinner available for purchase. The film begins at 8:15 (dark). Members receive free admission and one free drink. Regular admission prices apply for non-members.
  • BECK & CALL: The Servants Tour of the Mark Twain House, directed by Steven Raider-Ginsburg, starts at 7 tonight. Tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for youth. Reservations are required.
  • HartBeat Ensemble’s Youth Play Institute presents Change In Your Pocket, a play about food justice. The Youth Play Institute is a project that helps young people to brainstorm topics, develop a play, create the set, act it out, and more. Each play is on a different topic, with past ones exploring issues like violence and harsh punishments in schools. You can catch this three times– today at 7:30pm, on August 2nd at 7:30pm, and August 3rd at 2pm. Tickets are $5. Performances will be in the Carriage House Theater at 360 Farmington Avenue. Park for free in the Mark Twain Museum visitor lot (right across the street from the theater) or on street in legal spots.
  • There will be a free screening of Karate Kid in Goodwin Park at sundown. Bring a blanket or chairs and snacks.

    Goodwin Park

August 2

  • Stop into MakeHartford, MakerSpace to make a blinking light bracelet out of LEDs and duct tape. This is an all-ages workshop. $12. This space is located at 30 Arbor Street. 10-11am. Bring your own safety glasses.
  • The Taste of the Caribbean and Jerk Festival returns to the Riverfront from 1-10pm. Live music, children’s activities, food, and more. Raindate: August 3.
  • The backlash against the monster SUVs, McMansions, and other forms of conspicuous consumption is firmly here. Tiny: A Story About Living Small screens at Real Art Ways at 2pm. This documentary examines the movement to live in houses smaller than the average parking space. $10 general, $5 members. They say they are only showing this film once, so today is the day.
  • Watch the film Powered by Dreams, a documentary about the founder of the Dream Support Network and his steps to recovery after a near-death experience with kidney disease. This is hosted by The 224 (224 Farmington Avenue) at 3pm. Suggested donation $5.
  • Reception for artist Victor Pacheco at Real Art Ways, 6-8pm.
  • The Dirt Salon (50 Bartholomew) presents Deep Blue Rendezvous, a summer party and art show. Expect rooms decorated to match the theme, along with underwater trash art, video projects, and DJs. It’s suggested that attendees dress for the theme: pirates, mermaids, jellyfish, etc. This is an 18+ event. Advance tickets are $10; at door, $15. 9pm-1am.

August 3

  • Free yoga in Colt Park, weather permitting. Meet near the big tree close to the Kinsella School. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 10am.
  • The Beat City Beauties present an evening of “Naughtical Burlesque” at the Arch Street Tavern. Doors open at 6pm. Show goes from 8-10pm. Tickets are $10; cheaper if purchased in advance.

August 4

  • The state of Connecticut Department of Housing will open its waiting lists for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and the State Rental Assistance Program. The waiting lists will open today and close on August 18, 2014. More information available on the Connecticut Department of Housing site.
  • Free Summer Music Camp for children aged 6-12 begins today, 1-4pm. No music experience is required. This week-long camp is held at the Charter Oak Cultural Center. Registration is required. Call Susan at 860-310-2590 or Daisy (Spanish and English speaker), 860-310-2589. The Charter Oak Cultural Center is located at 21 Charter Oak Avenue.
  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park, weather permitting. Meet near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 5:30pm.
  • The free Monday Night Jazz series in Bushnell Park continues this evening with N’dea Lloyd and the Renee Rosnes Quartet. Music begins at 6pm.
  • The John Brighenti Trio performs from 6-9pm at J’s Crabshack, 2074 Park Street. Free.
  • This is the last day for the Taste of Hartford. If you’ve got some money to spend, get on with it!

August 5

  • Watch the film premiere of Veterans of Color at the Downtown Hartford Public Library, 5:30pm. Light refreshments. Free.
  • National Night Out at the Asylum Hill Boys & Girls Club, 170 Sigourney Street. Free family event with food, music, entertainment, and more.
  • Real Board (Games) at Real Art Ways. 6-10pm. Show up with a game or without one. Free. 56 Arbor Street.
  • The World Sounds in the Garden concert series is back at the Butler-McCook House & Garden at 6pm. This is a free lawn concert.

August 6

  • Watch Marty at the Hartford Public Library at 1:30 and 5:30pm. Free.
  • It’s time for the annual Garden Tour & Twilight Dinner. Take a bus tour of several community gardens, then, as they say, “devour tasting-size portions of the best of the best in Hartford’s food scene all prepared by local celebrity chefs.” Prices vary depending on if you are going to participate in both the tour and dinner, or if you are a KNOX member. Bus tour begins at 5:15pm. Dinner at 6:30pm.
  • Free yoga begins at 5:30pm in Elizabeth Park in the picnic area across from the Pond House. Dress comfortably and bring your own mat/towel and water. This cancels in bad weather.
  • The Unitarian Society of Hartford (50 Bloomfield Avenue) will be hosting the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance event this year. This pot luck picnic begins at 5:30pm, music and poetry will begin at 7, and the candle-lighting ceremony will start at 8. Free.
  • From 5:30-8:30pm, network with other young(ish) professionals and entrepreneurs at GET HYPEd, a free event hosted this month by Casona, 681 Wethersfield Avenue. Free, no rsvp needed. Bring business cards and money for drinks.
  • MakeHartford Show & Tell: Bring in your latest creation to show off and get feedback on. Keep presentations to 15 minutes or less. The meeting space has HD TV, projector, wifi, and white boards. Public hour of socializing and a tour of the space begins at 6pm. Show & Tell begins at 7pm and ends at 8pm or when everyone has presented. This month’s show and tell will feature a DIY carbonator, smoked ice or ice-cream, lacto-fermenting, and MH brewing classes.  MakeHartford is in the basement at 30 Arbor Street (#B6 & B7). This is a free event, but donations are accepted.
  • Violinist Julia Cash and pianist John Kramer will be in the spotlight tonight as part of the 40th Annual Chamber Music Series at Trinity College. The free performance begins at 6pm. At 7, head outside (bring a picnic) for the final carillon concert of the summer. The music series is in the Trinity College Chapel. This is open to the public.

August 7

  • This month the Wadsworth Atheneum’s First Thursday party will be outside again! The theme: Caribbean Block Party. Expect steel drum and reggae music from De 4 Ahwee & Company Steel Band and the Amandla Band. There will be stilt walkers and dancers, games, food, and a cash bar. Free for museum members; $5 for everyone else. Free admission also for those who wear yellow. 5-9pm. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom screens at 8pm and is included in admission price.
  • A few months ago Sea Tea Improv went all MST3K on a b-movie. The volume was muted and the improvers were mic’d up. It was amazing. Well, they are doing it again. This time they will be at Real Art Ways for a “Summer Mockbuster.” The audience will vote for which of five movies the crew should improve upon, that film will be muted, and they will voice over the entire movie on the spot. Even if it’s bad, it’s guaranteed to be good. This starts at 7pm. $10 general, $5 members.
  • Stop by Cinestudio to watch Valley of the Dolls at 7:30pm. General admission: $9.

August 8

  • Free folk music by Martin Piggot at noon on the Downtown Hartford Public Library terrace.
  • Rick Spencer gives a free performance from 12-1pm at the Old State House Courtyard. This coincides with the farmers’ market.
  • Sea Tea Improv will be at the Billings Forge Studio (563 Broad) to perform long form improv. 8-9:30pm. Tickets are $10.
  • Akeelah and the Bee will be shown at Sigourney Square Park tonight at dark. Free.
  • The Hartford Walk for Farm Animals Benefit Show is from 8-10pm at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue. Local improv troupe Tick Tick BOOM! will provide the entertainment. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 (cash only) at door. Funds benefit the Farm Sanctuary. Snacks, beer, and wine will be available for purchase.

August 9

  • Admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum is free on the second Saturday of each month. They say: “Inspired by MATRIX 169 artist Ruben Ochoa’s installation “Cloudless Day,” visitors are invited to create their own landscape and skyscape, and to look at other landscapes and skyscapes in the collection during free family tours.” 10am-1pm.
  • At 11am the corner of Barbour and Westland Streets will be renamed “Dr. William M. Johnson, Jr. Corner.”
  • The West Indian Independence Parade begins at 11am on Capen and Main Street, then travels down Main to Bushnell Park where a music festival follows until 8pm. Bring cash for food from the many vendors at the park. This has been a long parade in the past, so bring water and chairs if you don’t want to stand for more than an hour.

August 10

  • Free yoga in Colt Park, weather permitting. Meet near the big tree close to the Kinsella School. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 10am.
  • Last chance (unless they extend it) to see Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia at Real Art Ways. Check out the venue’s website for updated screening times. $10 general, $5 members.

August 11

  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park, weather permitting. Meet near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 5:30pm.
  • The Michael Pallas Quintet opens Monday Night Jazz at 6pm in Bushnell Park. Stephen King Porter and the Legacy Band go on stage at 7:30pm. Free. If you can’t make it to the park, you can listen to this broadcast live on WWUH 91.3fm.
  • There are three chances to see Breakdancing Shakespeare’s presentation of Love’s Labour’s Lost this year, with the first at 7 tonight. This is a program through Hartford Stage, but will be taking place out of town this year at the Hoffman Auditorium in Bruyette Athenaeum at the University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online.
  • Come celebrate Tu B’Av Louisiana-style with folks from the Moishe House at Black-eyed Sally’s. There’s no admission fee to enjoy jazz. This begins around 8pm. Black-eyed Sally’s is located at 350 Asylum Street.

August 12

  • It’s “kids day” at the West End Farmers’ Market. Bring the little ones for activities. The market is from 4-7pm on the Clemens Green between Woodland Street and Owen Street on Farmington Avenue.
  • Asylum Hill Congregational Church will be hosting a screening of The Cost of Failing Our Kids – “We are Educators”. 7-9pm. Free. AHCC is located at 814 Asylum Avenue.
  • Breakdancing Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost begins at 7pm in Hoffman Auditorium of Bruyette Athenaeum at the University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Avenue in West Hartford. Tickets are $5.

August 13

  • See James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause at the Hartford Public Library. Free. 1:30 and 5:30pm.
  • Free yoga begins at 5:30pm in Elizabeth Park in the picnic area across from the Pond House. Dress comfortably and bring your own mat/towel and water. This cancels in bad weather.
  • Los Calientes will be performing at the Hartford Public Library’s Dwight Branch at 6pm. Free.
  • Last chance to see Breakdancing Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost begins at 7pm in Hoffman Auditorium of Bruyette Athenaeum at the University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Avenue in West Hartford. Tickets are $5.

August 14

Cedar Hill Cemetery
  • Book launch for Trackrat: Memoir of a Fan, by Bob Englehart. This book is about an obsession with short track racing. 5:30pm at the Hartford Public Library. Free, but there will be copies of the book for sale.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation director Beverly Lucas will be leading a sunset tour, 6:30-8pm. This is free for CHCF and Let’s Go Arts members; $5 for everyone else. Cedar Hill Cemetery is located at 453 Fairfield Avenue.
  • Ralph Nader, the author and consumer advocate, will be speaking at the Mark Twain House & Museum at 7pm. The program is preceded by a VIP reception. Ticket prices vary, starting at $25.
  • Connecticut Historical Society (One Elizabeth Street) will be hosting the WECA-sponsored Movies UNDER Moonlight tonight with a screening of The Philadelphia Story at 8:15pm or when it is dark enough. Bring a blanket! If it rains, the movie will be moved indoors. CHS is offering free admission prior to the film today to the Katharine Hepburn exhibit.

August 15

  • Steve Nystrup will give a free performance at noon on the terrace of the Downtown Hartford Public Library.
  • Come see Hedy Lamarr in Ecstasy as part of the Wadsworth Atheneum’s Movies and Music Under the Stars series. Dinner (optional) and music begins at 5:30pm. Film begins at 8:15pm. Admission is free for members; $9 for general admission.
  • If you’ve forgotten how bad The Wiz is, despite Michael Jackson’s performance, come by Keney Park to see it again. Free. Sundown.

August 16

  • This is the first of the two-day Dragon Boat and Asian Festival on the Connecticut River. You can watch dance and musical performances, along with martial arts demonstrations along the Riverfront Plaza from 10-3pm. Go down the stairs to cheer on dragon boat racers from 8-5.
  • The first co-ed softball tournament in Colt Park begins at 8:30am. It’s $20 per person to register in advance, $30 last minute. Minimum of ten players per team. Proceeds go toward the Julio Lozada Scholarship. Call Pedro Flores 860-709-4773 to register.
  • Today is Family Day at Keney Park (Woodland and Greenfield Street entrance). From 9am until sunset, check out basketball tournaments, disc golf, bounce houses and climbing wall, double dutch, swimming, racquet ball, and more. There will be tours of the Ebony Horse Women stables, entertainment, and various vendors on site. Free.
  • The Carriage House Theater (360 Farmington) will be hosting Sea Tea & Friends Summer Sketch Block Party beginning at 7:30pm. They are calling this a pot luck: bring your own sketch! $10.

August 17

  • The Asian Festival is from 10-3pm at the Riverfront Plaza. Dragon boat races are from 9-4.
  • Free yoga in Colt Park, weather permitting. Meet near the big tree close to the Kinsella School. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 10am.

August 18

  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park, weather permitting. Meet near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 5:30pm.
  • Friends of Goodwin Park meet on the third Monday of each month at 7pm in the Pond House.
  • The Hartford Jazz Orchestra plays Arch Street Tavern every Monday starting at 8pm. Free.

August 19

  • Simply Us will perform on the steps of the Old State House at noon, weather permitting. Free.
  • If you are a homeowner who is trying to prevent foreclosure, there is a free clinic that you can attend. No need to register, just show up. From 5:30-8pm, information will be provided in the Konover Center at the University of Hartford. Homeowners will be walked through the judicial foreclosure and mediation process, given guidance about which documents to bring, and provided with referrals to housing counseling agencies. A court mediator and representative from the Department of Banking will be present. Homeowners will have the chance to meet one-on-one with volunteer attorneys and paralegals, as well as paralegal students from the University of Hartford. This is sponsored by the University of Hartford and the Connecticut Fair Housing Center.
  • This event is outside of Hartford, but you’ll see why it was included here. The Moishe House (157-159 South Quaker Lane, West Hartford) has a Rabbi of the Month event where a different area rabbi comes in to talk in a casual, friendly environment. Those in attendance tend to be in their 20s and 30s, with the occasional 40-something. Today, from 7-9pm the discussion will be about the connection between Judaism and Star Trek. They say: “Ever wonder why Mr Spock gave the Kohanic priestly blessing every time he said “Live Long and Prosper”? Or why so many of the early Star Trek episodes referenced the Holocaust? Did you know that William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), and two of Roddenberry’s original show runners were all Jewish? Come learn about these and many other connections between Star Trek and Judaism at this month’s Rabbi of the Month with Rabbi Chagie Rubin.” This is free and there are always snacks. You do not need to be Jewish to attend.
Wildlife of Goodwin Park

August 20

  • Do a little shopping at the North End Farmers’ Market, 10am-1pm at 80 Coventry Street.
  • The Hartford Public Library is screening Jailhouse Rock at 1:30 and 5:30pm. Free.
  • Free yoga begins at 5:30pm in Elizabeth Park in the picnic area across from the Pond House. Dress comfortably and bring your own mat/towel and water. This cancels in bad weather.

August 21

  • Creative Cocktail Hour at Real Art Ways, 6-10pm. $10 general admission, $5 for members.
  • Watch Hello Dolly tonight on the East Lawn of Elizabeth Park. This is part of the WECA-sponsored Movies UNDER Moonlight series. Film starts at 8:15 or when it’s dark enough.

August 22

  • Watch Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper in Desire at the Wadsworth Atheneum. You can purchase dinner and listen to music in the Gengras Courtyard beginning at 5:30pm. The film begins at 8:15pm. Free for members; $9 general admission.
  • “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off will be screened in Bushnell Park at sundown. Free.

August 23

  • Got guns? Get rid of ’em today. There will be a gun buyback program at the Pope Park Rec Center from 10am-3pm.
  • ArtSpace Gallery (555 Asylum Street) will be hosting the Rough Around the Edges V art show. They describe this as: “Not your typical art show, this vibrantly colorful and eclectic event brings together some of the most talented and prolific native Connecticut artists, along with invited guest artists from both coasts. Surreal and abstract paintings and drawings, figurative prints, electronic sculptures, a thought-provoking installations, and more combine to make this event yet another potential sell out and memorable opening.” The 6-9pm segment is all ages. From 9pm until midnight, the show is strictly 21+, with more risque content being revealed at that time. The show will feature works by more than fifteen artists. There is a suggested $10-20 donation.

August 24

Elizabeth Park
  • Free yoga in Colt Park, weather permitting. Meet near the big tree close to the Kinsella School. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 10am.
  • Hot Mustard is the featured bluegrass act at The Firebox (539 Broad) tonight, 5-8pm. Free.
  • Free monthly Sea Tea Improv show at City Steam Brewery’s Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club. 7-9pm. Free, but call ahead if you want to reserve seats: 860-525-1600. Alcohol served in this area, so be 21+ or have an adult with you.

August 25

  • Last chance to see Joe Young’s “Young @ Art” exhibit in the Hartford Public Library’s ArtWalk Gallery.
  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park, weather permitting. Meet near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 5:30pm.
  • There will be salsa lessons at the Mark Twain Branch of the Hartford Public Library from 5:30-8pm. Free.
  • Hartford Jazz Orchestra plays Arch Street Tavern at 8pm. Free.

August 26

  • Learn about email marketing at the Entrepreneurial Center. This free two-hour workshop will demonstrate how to use Constant Contact. Class begins at 9:30am in Butterworth Hall, 1265 Asylum Avenue. Free. Register by calling 860.768.5681 or filling out a form online.
  • Today is the tomato festival at the West End Farmers’ Market, 4-7pm. The market is now on the Clemens Green on Farmington Avenue between Owen and Woodland.
  • The Board of Education meeting begins at 5:30pm and includes a public comment period, so arrive early to get your name on the list if you have something on your mind. This will be held at Bulkeley, 300 Wethersfield Avenue.
  • Learn to dance salsa at the Downtown Hartford Public Library, 6-8pm. Free.

August 27

  • Watch The Misfits starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe at 1:30 and 5:30pm at the Hartford Public Library. Free.
  • Free yoga begins at 5:30pm in Elizabeth Park in the picnic area across from the Pond House. Dress comfortably and bring your own mat/towel and water. This cancels in bad weather.
  • The Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE) will be having a farm-to-table cooking event at the Lincoln Culinary Institute, 85 Sigourney Street. They say: “Using locally grown and produced ingredients in your daily cooking is an excellent way to eat healthier, support the local economy and remind us where our food comes from. Whether gathered from the farmer’s market or harvested from your own garden, fresh ingredients always taste better.” This class will have you cooking a few different recipes and then enjoying that light meal later on. HYPE suggests registering early because of limited spots. (Members $30; non-members $40). Tie back long hair, wear closed-toe shoes (no heels), and comfortable clothing. 6-8pm.

August 28

  • The Billings Forge Farmers’ Market operates every Thursday, year-round, from 11-2 at 563 Broad Street.
Goodwin Park

August 29

  • The Asylum Hill Quartet will give a free, hour-long performance beginning at noon in the Old State House Courtyard. This coincides with the farmers’ market.

August 30

August 31

  • Free yoga in Colt Park, weather permitting. Meet near the big tree close to the Kinsella School. Bring your own mat or towel, water, and be sure to dress appropriately. This begins at 10am.
  • Last chance for k-12 teachers, admins, and Board of Education members to visit the Connecticut Science Center for free. Show your valid educator ID at ticket counter.

Disclaimer: We strive to be accurate but cannot guarantee that event info was delivered correctly to us, nor can we guarantee that the venue won’t change or the event won’t cancel due to weather conditions or the whims of the event planner. Contact the venue if you are unable to manage last minute changes in plans.

If you would like an event listed on an upcoming calendar, send details before the 25th of the month preceding. Items are not added post-publication.