ADD TO CALENDAR

  • Online Yoga: Toivo Center is offering yoga classes via Zoom, and one of these is scheduled for 10 AM on December 1, 2020.
  • Hot Chocolate & Chill: It has taken me awhile to write this description because the event involves “boozy hot chocolate” and that’s all I really needed to know. But maybe you want more information? From 4-7 PM on all Wednesdays in December, there will be music and outdoor games on Pratt Street. Sorella will be in charge of the chili, soups, and yes, the boozy hot chocolate. I am a huge fan of people understanding that they can and should continue to spend time outdoors in autumn and winter.
  • Pop-Up Tree Farms: There are two places in Hartford to get your wreaths and fresh-cut trees on December 5, 2020.
    • Chrysalis Center (255 Homestead Avenue) is hosting an event from 9 AM – 2 PM, and if you have money burning a hole in your wallet, you can sponsor a tree for someone who would not be able to afford one otherwise. Check out their website for details.
    • Hog River Brewing Co. (1429 Park Street) is offering curbside pickup as an option, but will have something resembling a normal event also. Among other things, Faddy’s Donuts will be on site. This is from 12 – 9:30 PM.
  • Hope for the Holidays: If this is half as good as Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, we’re all in for a treat. For reasons that don’t need to be stated, it would be reckless for Hartford Gay Men’s Chorus to perform one of their amazing shows in person…so they aren’t doing that this year. Instead, they are presenting a “radio show experience“. Return to their site for a link to the event, scheduled for 8 PM on December 11, 2020.
  • Art & Music: Zaccai Curtis (piano) and Matt Dwonszyk (bass) will be performing from 2-3 PM on December 26, 2020 in one of the Wadsworth Atheneum‘s galleries. There will be no seating for this. Walk around and look at the art while enjoying the atmosphere. The Savor exhibit is worth a look. Regular admission applies for this event.

Check with the venue in advance to confirm location and time, and review what policies guests are expected to follow, such as mask-wearing, etc.

PENCIL THIS ONE IN 

  • Baraka: As of publication, this has not yet been added to the calendar of Cinestudio and I couldn’t shake down its employees for intel, but it usually screens in mid-to-late December and as someone who has not entered a movie theater since March, this is the first film that has tempted me to go back inside of one. Part of this is because Cinestudio’s protocols are reasonable: masks must be worn at all times (and since they do not sell snacks and beverages, nobody has an excuse to pull their masks down), seats are reserved with buffer zones around them, and the number of visitors is regulated. They have other practices too, but those are the ones I think are most meaningful. For those who have never seen Baraka, there is no dialogue, yet it inspires ugly crying every single viewing. This is one of the few films that feels like it needs to be seen on a larger screen.

ON A BUDGET

Whether you are newly broke or have been here all along, you still need enriching shit in your life. Here are places you can go for free. Zoom in and click on the label to learn more. This has been and will continue to be routinely updated.