November 1

  • Free admission to the Connecticut Historical Society today, 9-5. If you have not checked out Pablo Delano’s Hartford Seen exhibit, there’s no time like now. Hartford Prints! will be running a family arts & crafts program from 10-1. CHS is located at One Elizabeth Street.
  • That squealing off in the distance? That’s another person finding out about the The Cats-in-Residence-Program, which opens today at Real Art Ways. Art. Cats. Cats you can adopt and take home with you. The reception is from 5-7 p.m.
  • Dia de los Muertos fiesta at The Dirt Salon: Day of the Dead costume contest, burlesque by Beat City Beauties, live music from Carlos Hernandez Chavez, and more. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. You must be 18+ to enter, 21+ to drink. Starts at 9p.m., goes into the wee hours of morn. The Dirt Salon is at 50 Bartholomew Avenue.

November 2

  • Connecticut Veterans Parade starts at 12:30, at the corner of Buckingham and Washington Streets.  This year’s grand marshals include Retired Master Sergeant Frank Alvarado of East Haven, Major Linda Cunha of Newington, Retired Staff Sergeant Chandler J. Howard of Farmington, Retired Sergeant Samuel Jacobellis of Danbury, and Retired Brigadier General (CT) Daniel J. McHale of Avon. The parade route includes Trinity Street through the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Ford Street, Pearl Street, Main Street, Capitol Avenue, and ending on Hudson Street. Before the parade, there is a wreath-laying ceremony at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, beginning at 11:30.
  • The Hartt Trombone Ensemble presents its first concert of the 2014-2015 Season, “Hartt Trombone Philharmonic: Symphonic Works for Trombones.” This begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Millard Auditorium at the University of Hartford.

November 3

  • CSS/CON (Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood) meets at CREC, 111 Charter Oak Avenue at 5:30 p.m.
  • The Upper Albany Revitalization Zone Organization meets in the Albany Branch Library at 6 p.m.
  • Do you live or work in Asylum Hill, or just care about it? Come to an Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association meeting today, 6:15 p.m. The group meets at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue.
  • Learn to Solder class is offered by MakeHartford. Participants will learn to solder electronic components to a printed circuit board while assembling and testing a small electronic project kit. The finished project is useful for the further study of electronics and is the participant’s to keep. Instruction will include workbench safety. All tools and materials will be provided. Eye protection is required; if you do not have safety glasses, they may be purchased for an additional $4.00. $35 per class. MakeHartford is located at 30 Arbor Street, #B7. Ages: Teen/Adult.
  • Sea Tea Improv’s 2-Prov Performance class students will perform two-person improv comedy based on audience suggestions. Tickets are $5 for this event which starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue.
  • Hartford Jazz Orchestra plays every Monday at the Arch Street Tavern, starting at 8 p.m. No cover.
  • Spend Mondays enjoying live jazz at Black-eyed Sally’s from 8-11 p.m. $5 cover. 350 Asylum Street

November 4

  • Find your polling place and vote. 6 a.m. through 8 p.m.
  • Drop by Real Art Ways to play board games. 6-10 p.m. Free.
  • Or, stop in at Real Art Ways tonight to catch Election Night coverage. 7-10 p.m.
  • Anne Turyn is a fine art photographer and educator whose work has been widely exhibited including at the Museum of Modern Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Turyn founded and edited the artists’ chapbook series Top Stories, and compiled a volume entitled Top Stories, which was published by City Lights. She will be giving a visiting artist lecture at 6:30 p.m. in the Hallden Hall lecture room 123 on the Trinity College campus.

November 5

  • The Board of Education will be having a workshop meeting at the Simpson-Waverly School, 55 Waverly Street, from 5-7 p.m. A workshop meeting means that the Board will be talking, but public will have no time to do that. You can sit and watch.
  • Coincidentally, Susan Eaton, author of The Children in Room E4, will be giving a talk at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center at the same time. The journalist spent four years at the Simpson-Waverly Elementary School. Reception is at 5 p.m., talk begins at 5:30. This is free, but registration is requested: 860-522-9258, Ext. 317.
  • Get HYPEd, the monthly networking event for young professionals and entrepreneurs, will be at ON20. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Free to attend, but bring cash if you want to get a drink and definitely bring your business cards.
  • Documented screens Seabury Hall Lecture Room 217 from 6-8:30 p.m. In 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas came out as an undocumented immigrant. Documented chronicles his journey to America from the Philippines as a child, his journey through America as an immigration reform activist, and his journey inward as he re-connects with his mother, whom he hasn’t seen in person in over 20 years. This film at Trinity College is open to the public.
  • String Thing is a gathering for people who make things out of string, thread, or yarn. Bring your supplies and works-in-progress. MakeHartford will have some supplies on hand and people willing to give you assistance with your project. 6-9 p.m. at 30 Arbor Street, #B7. Free.
  • Also at 6p.m., panel discussion on Reimagining Hartford: Creating the New City. Hartford Public Library.

November 6

  • The Clay Arsenal Revitalization Association meets at 5:30 p.m. at Community Health Services, 500 Albany Avenue.
  • The Blue Hills NRZ meets at 6 p.m. in the Hartford Public Library Blue Hills Branch.
  • Also at 6 p.m., the Southend Neighborhood Revitalization Association meets at the Metzner Center, 680 Franklin Avenue.
  • Transport Hartford meets at 6p.m. in the Youth Program Room at the Hartford Public Library. On the agenda: a bicycle map, transportation survey, neighborhood pace car project, and more. This is scheduled to wrap up at 8 p.m.
  • The Wadsworth Atheneum’s First Thursday event this month is fashion-themed. There will be a fashion show and screening of Yves Saint Laurent, along with music, food, and art activities. 5-8 for the cocktail hour, film starts at 8 p.m. $5, free for museum members.

November 7

  • The Winter Market begins today! The Farmers’ Market at Billings Forge is year-round, only now, it’ll be indoors until it is warm again. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Broad Street between Russ and Capitol.
  • GAZE: On the first Friday of each month Real Art Ways hosts a gay happy hour, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Free.
  • POSH Premiere Night: The POSH Sale offers used designer fashions, vintage clothing, accessories, and textiles. Those willing/able to spend the extra cash can shop before anyone else, enjoy music and small bites, and more at the Design Center, 1429 Park Street. 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $25 advance, $30 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Costume & Textile Department of the Wadsworth Atheneum.

November 8

  • Buy all the nesting dolls, eat all the borscht. All Saints Orthodox Church is hosting its 41st annual Russian Tea Room & Bazaar today, 10-4, on Scarborough Street. No admission fee.
  • The POSH Sale opens to the public, offering used designer fashions, vintage clothing, accessories, and textiles. Today, there’s no cost to browse. This is 10-5 at the Design Center, 1429 Park Street. Use the Bartholomew Avenue entrance to the building.
  • Raw Toast: an improv comedy and live music event to raise funds for suicide prevention. This begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue. Admission: $20.

November 9

  • Last chance to enjoy the Russian Tea Room & Bazaar this year at the All Saints Orthodox Church on Scarborough Street, 12-3. No admission fee.
  • Today is the final day of the POSH Sale. There’s no cost to browse. This is 12-4 p.m. at the Design Center, 1429 Park Street. Use the Bartholomew Avenue entrance to the building.
  • Charter Oak Cultural Center will be holding its annual interfaith remembrance of Kristallnacht, the two nights in 1938 that began the Holocaust. This is begins at 5:30 p.m. The prayer, music, and dance will be followed by a community meal.

November 10

  • Learn how to create an engaging Facebook community at the University of Hartford Entrepreneurial Center, 1265 Asylum Avenue. 9:30-11:30 a.m. This is free, but register online.
  • Artist Michael Borders will give an artist talk at 3 p.m. in the Widener Gallery (Austin Arts Center) at  Trinity College. A reception follows the talk, with everything wrapping up around 6 p.m. Borders’ Connecticut Industry Mural will be displayed from November 6 – December 7, 2014.
  • Build-a-Kit sessions are mentored workshops for the assembly of commercially available, electronic project kits. MakeHartford provides a workspace, tools and test equipment, and a session mentor who is available to answer questions and assist with test equipment usage. There are numerous electronic project kits commercially available, both locally and over the Internet. MakeHartford can help with finding vendors and with kit selection. Stop by our makerspace (basement, 30 Arbor St., Hartford) any Wednesday evening (6:30 – 9:30) to discuss your project interests or just to see what a makerspace is about. Workshop participants should have basic circuit board assembly skills i.e. component placement and soldering. The MakeHartford Learn-to-Solder class provides the necessary preparation. Ages: Teen/Adult. Cost: $5 for MH Members, $10 for Non-Members. This begins at 6:30 p.m.
  • Hartford Jazz Orchestra plays every Monday at the Arch Street Tavern, starting at 8 p.m. No cover.
  • Spend Mondays enjoying live jazz at Black-eyed Sally’s from 8-11 p.m. $5 cover. 350 Asylum Street

November 11

  • Free admission to the Connecticut Science Center today for retired and active duty military personnel.
  • The South Green NRZ meets at Bacon Congregate Housing, 43 Morris Street, at 6 p.m.
  • Also at 6 p.m., the South West and Behind the Rocks NRZ meets at Broadview Community Church, 45 Oliver Street.
  • The Beat Spoken Word: An evening of original poetry and short stories by local wordsmiths at the Charter Oak Cultural Center. This will be hosted by RJ Wordsmythe, featuring poets published in Beat of the Street newspaper and beyond. All are welcome to submit pieces and can pre-register by calling (860)310-2580. This event has a $5 suggested donation; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. This begins at 7 p.m.

November 12

  • Artist Sarah Schneiderman will be giving a talk at the Charter Oak Cultural Center at noon. Her work, “Shades of Similarity,” covers The Wall at the cultural center; after the exhibit closes, the blankets and scarves that have been displayed will be given to low-income and/or homeless people. Charter Oak Cultural Center is located at 21 Charter Oak Avenue.
  • The Parkville NRZ meets at 6 p.m. in the Parkville Community Center, 11 New Park Avenue.
  • There will be a free “creative cities” conversation with Leslie Koch, president and CEO of the Trust for Governor’s Island. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. at TheaterWorks, with conversation at 6. Registration requested.
  • Rabbi Yoel Glick will be at the Hartford Seminary to talk about how “Judaism uses meditation to deepen traditional practices and develop a personal relationship with God.” This begins at 7 p.m. in the Hartford Seminary Meeting Room, 77 Sherman Street. You can register online.
  • City Council begins its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.

November 13

  • Salons at Stowe brings a conversation about juvenile incarceration tonight, 5-7. This free event will feature guests Sandra Straub of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, and Toni Walker, Connecticut State Representative. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center likes reservations to be made: Info@StoweCenter.org or 860-522-9258, ext. 317
  • Cultural Cocktail Hour at the Butler-McCook House & Garden, , 5:30-7:30 p.m. 396 Main Street. Free, donations accepted.
  • The Maple Avenue Revitalization Group (MARG) meets at 6 p.m. in St. Augustine’s Church, 10 Campfield Avenue.
  • ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore will be performed today through November 15th, with curtain at 7:30 p.m. The play will be at Trinity College’s Austin Arts Center. Tickets are free but must be reserved.  (860) 297-2199
  • Feeling like you need more “upscale lesbian” events in your life? Tonight is CHIC: Sinners & Saints at Koji. Dressing as an angel or devil is encouraged. There is no cover for this 21+ event. Koji is at 17 Asylum Street.

November 14

  • USH Dinner & a Movie: Eat some popcorn and pizza, watch West Side Story, and join in an optional discussion after. Snacking begins at 5:45 p.m., dinner at 6, film at 7. This $10 event takes place at the Unitarian Society of Hartford, 50 Bloomfield Avenue. Call 860.677.1121 by November 10th to let them know you are coming and indicate if you prefer vegetable or meat pizza.
  • Sea Tea Improv presents Gutenberg! The Musical! This is a musical spoof about Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets cost $15. You can watch this at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue.

November 15

  • Family, Friends & Fun Day at the MIRA Trash Museum, 211 Murphy Road. Learn about recycling. Go on a scavenger hunt in the Temple of Trash. Learn about composting. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. $4 per person.
  • Open Studio Hartford begins today, 11 a.m. – 5p.m. There will be sites on Pratt, Myrtle, Holcomb, Arbor, Bartholomew, Asylum, Huyshope, Elizabeth, Pearl, Capitol, Farmington, Trumbull, High, Washington, Union Place, and at Trinity College.
  • Sea Tea Improv presents Gutenberg! The Musical! This is a musical spoof about Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets cost $15. You can watch this at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue.

November 16

  • Sea Tea Improv presents Gutenberg! The Musical! This is a musical spoof about Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. Showtime is 2 p.m. and tickets cost $15. You can watch this at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue.
  • Fixer’s Cooperative: MakeHartford’s monthly work party in the spirit of making the most of what we have. Bring in your broken doo-dad, mending pile, project-in-progress, or things that aren’t working quite right. Fix them yourself or get help from fixers in the know. MakeHartford’s tools and some supplies will be available. 6:30-9 p.m. 30 Arbor Street, B7.

November 17

  • At 6 p.m. the Northeast Revitalization Association (NERA) meets in the Parker Memorial Community Center, 2621 Main Street.
  • Last chance to see Randy Gilman’s Particle/Wave at Real Art Ways.
  • Hartford Jazz Orchestra plays every Monday at the Arch Street Tavern, starting at 8 p.m. No cover.
  • Spend Mondays enjoying live jazz at Black-eyed Sally’s from 8-11 p.m. $5 cover. 350 Asylum Street

November 18

  • Listen to a lunchtime conversation about Hartford’s past, present, and future at the Old State House, 12-1. Frank Hagaman of the Hartford Preservation Alliance and Jackie Gorsky Mandyck of the iQuilt project will be chatting about how to link the city’s past with its future. Free.
  • The Frog Hollow NRZ meets at the Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street, beginning at 5 p.m.
  • The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting starting at 5 p.m., so if you want to tell them what’s on your mind, get there early for public comment. The meeting will be held at the Batchelder School, 757 New Britain Avenue.
  • Hartt students perform for Kenny Washington, jazz vocalist virtuoso. This starts at 5 p.m. in the Millard Auditorium at the University of Hartford
  • Keep Calm and Hartford On is a Family Feud-style event that hashes out the differences between perception and reality. This time, the topic will be jobs in the Hartford region. This free event is from 6-8 p.m. at the Old State House. There will be free snacks, but bring cash if you want to drink.
  • Artist Arthur Nager will give a lecture starting at 6:30 p.m. in Hallden Hall Lecture Room 121 at Trinity College. This is free and open to the public.
  • Jeff Cohen, author of Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut Ever, will read from his book at tonight’s Read It and Sleep. There will be snacks and each family can take home a free copy of the book. This begins at 7 p.m. in the Charter Oak Cultural Center. Kids are allowed to bring their parents.

November 19

  • The South Downtown NRZ meets in the third floor youth room at the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, at 6 p.m.
  • String Thing is a gathering for people who make things out of string, thread, or yarn. Bring your supplies and works-in-progress. MakeHartford will have some supplies on hand and people willing to give you assistance with your project. 6-9 p.m. at 30 Arbor Street, #B7. Free.
  • Soldier’s Heart: the Civil War and Treatment of Post-Combat Stress: History professor Matthew Warchauer will present on the early identification of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Connecticut soldiers who served in the Civil War. Based on his book Inside Connecticut and the Civil War, the presentation is a new look back to a time nearly 150 years ago, when Connecticut men were treated for post-war psychological trauma. This event begins at 6 p.m. in the Hartford History Center at the Hartford Public Library.
  • Other People’s Stories will be at Real Art Ways, starting at 7:30p.m. What is this? They say: “Other People’s Stories celebrates the way that our favorite tales evolve with every telling, whether they’re stories our parents told us about their parents, stories our friends told us about ourselves from when we were too drunk to remember, or the far-fetched boasting of a neighborhood raconteur. There are only two rules for Other People’s Stories: (1) No notes! Tell it as you remember it; make up the parts you forget. (2) No first-hand knowledge! Tell something that someone else told you.” If you want to tell a story, get in touch with them: otherstorieshartford@gmail.com. This event is free.

November 20

  • Opening reception for Ray Lamoureux‘s show Portrait of New England at the 100 Pearl Street Gallery, 5-7 p.m. The exhibit will be on view through mid-January, so you have time to still see it if you can’t make it out tonight.
  • Creative Cocktail Hour at Real Art Ways, 6-10 p.m. $5 for members, $10 for everyone else.
  • Join a community conversation with Neil Bernstein about juvenile incarceration. The $20 ticket includes a light supper reception. Reception at 5:30 p.m., conversation begins at 6:30 in the Mark Twain Museum Center.
  • SYLLABLE: Doubles. SYLLABLE is a reading series featuring works under ten minutes. Poetry, prose, your diary…whatever. Just make sure it’s good, or funny. This begins at 8 p.m. in Hartford Prints! on Pratt Street. BYOB. No admission fee, but there’s a suggested $5 donation.

November 21

  • The Fall Dance Concert at Trinity College is directed by Lesley Farlow and will  feature new work by guest choreographer Jennifer Polins, co-director of Wire Monkey Dance. This will be in the Trinity Commons Performance Lab 152. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free but tickets are required: (860) 297-2199
  • The Mark Twain House & Museum continues The MOuTH, a storytelling series, and invites stories about quitting—your job, a relationship, smoking, and more. This is not a competition. Special guest this time will be Joey DeFrancesco, a hotel worker fed up with poor working conditions who quit his job on video with the help of his brass band, the What Cheer? Brigade. $5.00 (Storytellers chosen for the lineup get in free.) Call (860) 280-3130 for more details. This begins at 7:30 p.m.

November 22

  • Free admission to the Mark Twain House & Museum today for Hartford residents. 9:30-5:30 p.m., but beware that the last house tour leaves at 4:30. Bring proof of residence.
  • The Cranksgiving alleycat race is today! Bring your bike, lock, helmet, and $20 (for purchasing food items to be donated to those in need). You should also have some way to schlep food, be it a backpack, panniers, or something else.  If you don’t have a bike, contact the organizers in advance and one can be provided for you to use. Registration begins at 9 a.m., race at 10 a.m. Starting location is the Trinity College Chapel. There will also be a children’s ride this year; that will remain on the Trinity campus. Donations will go to the Grace Episcopal Church food pantry.
  • The 4th annual Harvest Market begins at 10 this morning in the KNOX greenhouses, 75 Laurel Street. Get your local vegetables, jams, breads, cheeses, and more. SNAP/EBT are accepted. There will be arts & crafts for kids, along with musical entertainment. The market closes around 2 p.m.
  • Support one of Hartford’s few remaining neighborhood schools by coming to the celebration featuring Rosie Pérez and Griffin Dunne. The conversation will “discuss her life as a Latina, actress, dancer, activist, child advocate, writer, and newest member of The View.” There will be a meet and greet opportunity; if you have a copy of her book Handbook for an Unpredictable Life, Pérez will sign it at that time. The event begins at 6pm at Burns Latino Studies Academy, 195 Putnam Street. Tickets are $32.79.
  • Last chance to catch the Fall Dance Concert at Trinity College. This will be in the Trinity Commons Performance Lab 152. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free but tickets are required: (860) 297-2199
  • Welcome to Bohemia will bring its art party to 64 Pratt Street. The theme this time: DADA. Expect music, live performances, drinking, and surprises. Opens to the general public at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance.

November 23

  • Maker Movie:  “Wall-E” and Robotics Bloopers and Creations: Every month MakeHartford shows a movie and holds a discussion related to it; this month MakeHartford has invited some local robotics teams to demonstrate what they are doing, and to show video of past competitions. Potluck and discussion begins at 6 p.m., film follows at 6:30. This family-friendly event is free, donations are welcome. MakeHartford is at 30 Arbor Street, B7 (basement).

November 24

  • City Council begins its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.
  • Hartford Jazz Orchestra plays every Monday at the Arch Street Tavern, starting at 8 p.m. No cover.
  • Spend Mondays enjoying live jazz at Black-eyed Sally’s from 8-11 p.m. $5 cover. 350 Asylum Street

November 25

  • Charter Oak Cultural Center will be showing the film Sukkah City. This $5 event begins at 6 p.m.

November 26

  • Arch Street Tavern will be hosting the Balkun Brothers. Music begins at 9 p.m. Tickets range from $7-10.

November 27

  • The annual Holiday Light Fantasia is scheduled to begin today. This is a two-mile show of holiday lights in Goodwin Park. Admission prices vary and only cash is accepted. 5-9 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday; stays open one hour later on Fridays and Saturdays.

November 28

  • Winterfest Hartford opens

November 29

  • Transport Hartford will have its third Walk Hartford stroll. This is just people walking, together, on public property, for no reason other than wanting to look at things at a slow pace. Meet by the Bushnell Park carousel at 1 p.m. The group will go on a 5-7 mile loop walk in the south west direction. This is expected to take 3 or 4 hours. See the Facebook invite for updates.

November 30

  • Szopka Festival: The Polish National Home (60 Charter Oak Avenue) will host the Polish Cultural Club of Greater Hartford’s annual Christmas festival. Expect Polish mangers (szopkas), St. Mikolai (traditional Polish Santa), arts, crafts, and of course, Polish food. 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Admission is free.

DISCLAIMERS: This list is not intended to include every single event happening in Hartford. We include those that are affordable to the widest range of readers, making exceptions for those that are for a very good cause, are especially unique, or offer some kind of long-term benefit (like a cooking class). The list includes only Hartford events, except for when nothing like it is being offered in city limits currently.

Details are as accurate as we can verify, but venues, times, and so forth are known to change. If this sort of thing bugs you, contact the venue before schlepping out.

Once published, no changes are made unless information is inaccurate. Deadline for details is the 25th of preceding month.

Thanks to Andy Hart/Hartford News for collaboration on this calendar.