Connecticut Weekender

SCSU Hosts “Women and Girls of Color: History, Heritage, Heterogeneity”

Guest Contributor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:31:30 +0000

New Haven, CT – The 19th Annual Women’s Studies Conference will be held April 16 and 17 at Southern Connecticut State University. This year, the conference will focus on “Women and Girls of Color: History, Heritage, Heterogeneity.”

The conference, which features nearly 30 panels over two days, will take a close look at women and girls of color, looking back at their achievements throughout history. It will be broken into five sessions with multiple panels for those in attendance to choose from.

Some of the panels include: “Feminists of Color Engaging Popular Culture,” “Health Matters,” “Motherhood of Color,” “Empowerment and Healing through Spirituality” and a roundtable discussion of the film “Precious.” Other events include several artistic performances, film screenings and the women’s and girls’ fair.

“Women and Girls of Color” will feature a multi-racial, multi-generational keynote plenary session. Highlighted in the session will not only be the keynote speaker Dr. Andrea Smith, but also Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall. Smith is a co-founder of Incite! Women of Color Against Violence and the Boarding School Healing Project, and Guy-Sheftall is President of the National Women’s Studies Association, Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies, and Founding Director of the Women’s Resource and Research Center at Spelman College.

To receive the reduced pre-registration rates, all materials must be postmarked by April 2. Rates vary for faculty, staff and children and a discount is available for groups of eight or more. See www.southernct.edu/womensstudies or contact Women Studies at (203) 392-6133 for more registration and conference information.

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Guitar Shorty Celebrates New Release with Performance in Hartford

Guest Contributor — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:57:18 +0000

Hartford, CT – Alligator recording artist and master bluesman Guitar Shorty will celebrate the release of his new Alligator CD, Bare Knuckle, with a live performance at Black Eyed Sally’s in Hartford on April 10, 2010. The show begins at 10pm, and tickets are $12.

Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Shorty has been electrifying audiences for five decades with his supercharged live shows and his incendiary recordings (beginning in 1957 with a Willie Dixon-produced single on the Cobra label). Guitar Shorty’s Bare Knuckle, produced by famed songwriter and bassist Wyzard (a member of Mother’s Finest who has toured with Stevie Nicks and others), burns with heavy blues-rock fire from start to finish, putting Shorty’s infectious energy and guitar pyrotechnics on full display.

With his new CD, Bare Knuckle, Guitar Shorty has created an album that is as memorable for its defiant vocals and contemporary, socially conscious lyrics as it is for his trademark menacing, slashing guitar work and hard-rocking spirit. What really sets Shorty apart is his absolutely unpredictable, off-the-wall guitar playing. He reaches for sounds, riffs and licks that other blues players wouldn’t even think of. Amazon.com says his guitar work “sounds like a caged tiger before feeding time. His molten guitar pours his psychedelicized solos like lava over anything in his path.” The Chicago Reader declares, “Guitar Shorty is a battle-scarred hard-ass. He is among the highest-energy blues entertainers on the scene.”

Guitar Shorty was born David William Kearney on September 8, 1939 in Houston, Texas and raised in Kissimmee, Florida by his grandmother. He began playing guitar as a young boy, excited by the sounds of B.B. King, Guitar Slim, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker. After a move to Tampa when he was 17, the young Kearney won a slot as a featured guitarist and vocalist in the locally popular 18-piece orchestra led by Walter Johnson. Being younger—and shorter—than the rest of the band, a club owner bestowed the name Guitar Shorty on him, and it stuck. After a particularly strong performance by Shorty in Florida, the great Willie Dixon, who was in the audience, approached Shorty. A few weeks later Shorty was in Chicago and, backed by Otis Rush on second guitar, he cut his first single, “Irma Lee” b/w “You Don’t Treat Me Right,” for Chicago’s famed Cobra Records in 1957.

Shorty’s fortunes continued to rise when the great Ray Charles hired the young guitar slinger as a featured member of his road band. While touring Florida with Ray, Shorty connected with one of his idols—guitarist/vocalist Guitar Slim, famous for his hit “Things That I Used To Do” as well as for his wildman stage antics. Slim’s manager offered Shorty the opening slot on the guitarist’s upcoming tour, and Shorty jumped at the chance, following his hero to New Orleans. Inspired by Slim, Shorty began incorporating some of the older artist’s athletic showmanship into his own performances. Before long, he was doing somersaults and flips on stage. In New Orleans, he joined Sam Cooke’s touring band and eventually ended up in Los Angeles. He gigged locally before recording three 45s for the Los Angeles-based Pull Records label in 1959.

Shorty moved to Seattle in 1960 and through his friend, Marsha Hendrix, met her stepbrother Jimi. Jimi Hendrix loved Shorty’s playing, and confessed that in 1961 and 1962 he would go AWOL from his Army base in order to catch Shorty’s area performances, picking up licks and ideas. According to Shorty, “Jimi told me the reason he started setting his guitar on fire was because he couldn’t do the back flips like I did.”

Guitar Shorty moved back to Los Angeles in 1971, gigging around Southern California for many years. He opened for all the great blues stars who passed through town, including Little Milton, B.B. King, Lowell Fulson, Johnny Copeland and T-Bone Walker. In 1978 he even performed on (and won) The Gong Show, playing guitar while standing on his head. He appeared, playing himself, in the 1990 Tommy Chong film “Far Out Man.” A major story in Living Blues magazine brought him even more attention and led to his first British tour. While in England, he cut an album for the JSP label in 1991.

The New Orleans-based Black Top label signed him and released three albums during the 1990s. In 2001 he recorded for Evidence Records. Shorty barnstormed his way across the U.S. and around the world, with stops in Europe and Japan. Appearances at major festivals like The Monterey Bay Blues Festival, The San Francisco Blues Festival and The King Biscuit Blues Festival brought him to larger and larger audiences.

In 2004 Guitar Shorty joined Alligator Records and released Watch Your Back. Shorty’s long rise to blues stardom grew exponentially. The outpouring of soulful emotion, the power of his playing and the strength of the material added up to the toughest album of Shorty’s renowned career. Living Blues called Shorty “a blues rock original [who plays] screaming, empowered guitar and sings with streetwise defiance.” 2006’s We The People found Shorty delivering some of the most fire-coated fretwork of his career and the most thought-provoking songs he’s ever recorded. Billboard declared, “Bluesman Guitar Shorty has been cutting sides since 1957, yet it’s difficult to imagine that he ever tracked a better album than We The People.”

In a major feature in Texas Music Magazine, writer John Morthland summed things up perfectly, saying, “Axebuster extraordinaire Guitar Shorty is an old-school guitar showman. He plays with technique and flash, without ever sacrificing the passion. He’s a blues-rock hero.” Now, with Bare Knuckle and his one-two punch of blistering guitar work and passionate vocals, his combination of lyrically deep songs and one-of-a-kind live shows, Guitar Shorty proves again that he is one of today’s true, undisputed heavyweight champions of the blues.

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Roomful of Blues to Perform in Norfolk

Sean Henri — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:11:48 +0000

Norfolk, CT – The horn-fueled, jumping, swinging, award-winning band, Roomful of Blues, touring in support of their latest Alligator CD, Raisin’ A Ruckus, will perform live at the Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk at 8pm on April 2nd, 2010.

With their masterful combination of jumping, horn-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B, it’s no wonder why the great Count Basie called them “the hottest blues band I’ve ever heard.” Since 1967, the group’s deeply rooted blend of swing, rock ‘n’ roll, jump, blues and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (with the nod for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). The band, with a membership that has continued to change and evolve over the years, has always boasted great musicianship featuring a stellar horn section.

With a non-stop performance schedule for almost 40 years, Roomful of Blues has earned critical, popular and radio success and a legion of fans around the globe. Twice, the prestigious Down Beat International Critics Poll selected Roomful of Blues as Best Blues Band. Roomful of Blues joined the Alligator Records family with the Grammy-nominated That’s Right! in 2003, followed by Standing Room Only in 2005. Both CDs received massive amounts of critical and popular praise and earned them hordes of new fans around the world. Now they’re back with Raisin’ A Ruckus, a foot-stomping CD highlighting the intense vocal and instrumental power of the world’s smallest big band.

Even though Roomful of Blues’ lineup has changed over the years, the band has always been one of the tightest, most joyful blues ensembles in the world. Currently an eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon, the band has never sounded fresher or stronger. In 2007, singer Dave Howard took over the vocal duties, bringing his gritty and soulful vocals and adding another bright new dimension to their jazzy, jump-blues musical roots. With new members bassist Dima Gorodetsky and drummer Ephraim Lowell and long-time members keyboardist Travis Colby, baritone and tenor saxophonist Mark Earley, tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille (the longest-standing member of the group), Raisin’ A Ruckus swings with ferocity and rocks with urgency and purpose. Sadly, long-time and much celebrated trumpeter Bob Enos, who plays on Raisin’ A Ruckus, passed away just prior to the CD’s release.

Roomful of Blues was born in Westerly, Rhode Island in 1967 when guitarist Duke Robillard and keyboardist Al Copley started a band that played tough, no-holds-barred Chicago blues. They soon began exploring the swinging, jumping blues, R&B and jazz of the 1940s and 1950s, and added a horn section (including Rich Lataille) in 1970. The band’s ability to ignite a sedate crowd into a dancing frenzy solidified their reputation as the best “little big band” in New England and expanded their following into New York and Washington. In 1974, they performed with Count Basie, and a few years later legendary songwriter Doc Pomus helped them land their first record deal. In 1977, Roomful of Blues’ self-titled debut album on Island Records (recently reissued on Hyena Records) brought them to the attention of fans and critics from coast to coast.

Over the years there have been at least 46 Roomful of Blues members, each bringing his or her own unique talent and vision to the mix. When founding member Duke Robillard left the band in 1980, equally talented guitarist Ronnie Earl replaced him. Singer Lou Ann Barton joined the band at this time, sharing vocals with Greg Piccolo. Roomful recorded the critically acclaimed Hot Little Mama for their own Blue Flame label and two successful albums for the Varrick label during the 1980s. In 1994 they released Dance All Night, their first featuring guitarist Chris Vachon (who joined the band in 1990) and harpist/vocalist Sugar Ray Norcia. Their 1995 album, the Grammy-nominated Turn It On! Turn It Up!, was a remarkable mix of big band swing and rock ‘n’ roll, bringing the band its greatest radio and sales success to date, and giving them credibility with the rock radio audience.

In addition to their band recordings, Roomful of Blues often backed legendary musicians like Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Earl King—stars of the 1940s and 1950s blues scene, and the very people who created the music that Roomful still keeps vital and alive. Roomful recorded albums with Turner, Vinson and King during the 1980s, and all three recordings received Grammy nominations. The Roomful Horns backed many other artists as well, including Stevie Ray Vaughan on his 1984 Live At Carnegie Hall album on Epic.

Over the years Roomful of Blues has played countless gigs and many major festivals, including The San Francisco Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival, The Beale Street Music Festival, Blues On The Fox, Monterey Blues Festival, Santa Cruz Blues Festival, and overseas at The North Sea Jazz Festival, The Stockholm Jazz Festival, The Montreux Jazz Festival, Notodden Festival and the Belgian Peer Festival. They’ve gigged with blues stars ranging from B.B. King, Otis Rush and Stevie Ray Vaughan to rockers Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. The band has toured—as they always have—virtually non-stop, hitting cities from coast to coast, and traveling abroad to Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and Russia.

With their non-stop touring schedule, long-time fans and new converts alike can see for themselves why The Chicago Sun-Times said, “This is a band on top of its game, sliding easily from big-band jazz-blues to guitar-drenched urban blues….let the party begin.” With Raisin’ A Ruckus, the party has clearly already started.

Tickets: $25/$30/$45

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Mystic Seaport to Debut New “Maritime Matinees in March” Series

Sean Henri — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:06:17 +0000

Benjamin Mendlowitz

Mystic, CT – World-renowned marine photographer Benjamin Mendlowitz will be the first presenter at “Maritime Matinees in March,” a new four-part series hosted by Mystic Seaport beginning Saturday, March 6, from 1 – 3:30 p.m.

The series, which continues Saturdays, March 13, 20 and 27, will be held at the Mystic Art Cinema in Olde Mistick Village.

Through film, visual presentations and discussion, the programs will reveal the varying challenges and balance between truth and fiction behind each maritime story.

Scheduled presentations are:

March 6 – “The Marine Photography of Benjamin Mendlowitz” – Having traveled the globe for more than 25 years to photograph wooden boats, Mendlowitz is well-known throughout the boating world for his contributions to nautical publications and for his award-winning annual Calendar of Wooden Boats®. Seven books of his photography have been published to date.

A visual presentation will illustrate the beauty and fine craftsmanship of the wooden boats captured in Mendlowitz’s photographs. A question-and-answer session will follow.

March 13 – “American Fisheries” – Local filmmaker Bailey Pryor and producer Stephen Jones explore the dramatic tale of the 500-year-old North Atlantic cod fishery in Pryor’s film American Fisheries: A Cautionary Tale. Drawing on the sometimes contradictory perspectives of fishermen, ecologists, fisheries managers and historians, the documentary reveals an epic story that stretches from the great Age of Sail to today.

After the screening of the film, Pryor and a team of fishing experts will discuss the embattled fishing industry and implications for the future. American Fisheries was chosen as one of 30 out of 3,000 entries for the prestigious Boston International Film Festival in 2008.

March 20 – “Braving the Northwest Passage” – In November 2009, filmmaker Sprague Theobald and his crew arrived at a dock in Seattle, WA, announcing their return from a five-month Arctic expedition. They had successfully navigated the Northwest Passage and captured more than 250 hours of HD video footage and audio diaries for a new documentary film, Braving the Northwest Passage, due out in 2010.
Theobald will share stories from his journey and a give a sneak preview of footage taken above and below the Arctic waterline.

March 27 – “Maine Built Boats” – Gary Jobson is a world-class sailor, ESPN television commentator, author and corporate advisor. He has won championships in one-design classes, the America’s Cup with Ted Turner in 1977, the Fastnet Race and many of the world’s ocean races, and has led expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctica and Cape Horn.

Jobson will speak about Maine Built Boats, his new documentary that details Maine’s boatbuilding industry. Jane Wellehan, president of Maine Built Boats, along with other Maine boat builders will join the filmmaker in a post-program discussion.

Tickets are $40 for the series ($35 for members) or $12 per program ($10 for members) and are available online at www.mysticseaport.org/tickets or by calling 860.572.5322.

Mystic Seaport in the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org.

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Win tickets to see Cold & Nonpoint in Hartford!

Sean Henri — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:56:23 +0000

Hartford, CT – Cold and Nonpoint are coming to the Webster Theater on March 12th and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away!

The contest is easy: simply leave your full name and email in the comments below. A winner will be randomly selected on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 and then notified via email.

To double your chance of winning, leave a comment with your name and email but also include your twitter username. Then, RT this message on twitter: “RT @CTWeekender: Win tickets to see Cold & Nonpoint at the in Hartford on March 12th! http://bit.ly/cG25yF #Cold #Nonpoint #Concerts #CT”.

The trek began on February 16, 2010 at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC and also features the support act Day of Fire, whose single “Lately” is at #40 on the Active Rock chart and rising.

Cold released their self-titled debut album in the summer of 1998. After steadily building a solid touring base, the band returned in 2000 with their sophomore effort 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage, which peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart and brought the band their first appearance within the Top 100 on The Billboard 200 chart. In 2003, Cold scored their biggest hit to date with “Stupid Girl” (co-written by Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo) off of Year of the Spider. The smash single went to #4 at Mainstream Rock and #6 at Modern Rock. Year of the Spider went all the way to #3 on The Billboard 200 chart, followed by A Different Kind of Pain in 2005, which went to #26 on the same chart. Cold is Scooter Ward (Vocals/Keys/Guitar), Zach Gilbert (Guitar), Jeremy Marshall (Bass/Vocals) and Sam McCandless (Drums). The band is currently working on a new album due out mid 2010.

Also formed in 1998, the hard rock quartet from Ft. Lauderdale, Nonpoint burst on the scene with its major label debut, “Statement”, on MCA Records. Since then, they have sold nearly 700,000 albums and played over 1,000 shows.

Known for its dynamic performances, Nonpoint has shared the stage with acts such as Mudvayne, Sevendust, Disturbed, Hellyeah, Drowning Pool and Papa Roach, as well as touring with Ozzfest. In continuation of a successful more than 10-year career, Nonpoint is back with a new guitarist, management and record label. The band recently departed Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin where they finished recording their full-length album with YEP! Productions’ Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett (also members of Mudvayne and Hellyeah). The album is slated for a spring 2010 release.

Remaining tour dates are as follows:

March 02nd Dekalb, IL – Otto’s Bar
March 03rd Dayton, OH – McGuffy’s House Of Rock
March 05th Maplewood, MN – The Rock
March 06th Libertyville, IL – Austin’s Fuel Room
March 07th Appleton, WI – Revolution
March 09th Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
March 10th Fort Wayne, IN – Piere’s
March 12th Hartford, CT – Webster Theatre
March 13th Fitchburg, MA – The Expo Center (feat. Soulfly, Diecast)
March 14th Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights
March 16th Johnson City, TN – Vision Night Club
March 17th Little Rock, AR – Juanitas
March 19th Houston, TX – The Scout Bar
March 20th Dallas TX – Trees
March 21st San Antonio, TX – The Scout Bar
March 26th Boise, ID – The Knitting Factory
March 27th Spokane, WA – The Knitting Factory
March 29th Reno, NV – The Knitting Factory
April 01st Santa Rosa, CA – Last Day Saloon
April 03rd Los Angeles, CA – Roxy Theater
April 07th Lubbock, TX – Jakes
April 09th Abilene, TX – Midnight Rodeo
April 10th Odessa, TX – Dos Amigos
April 11th Corpus Christi, TX – Brewster Street Ice
April 13th Jacksonville, FL – Freebird Live
April 14th Fort Walton Beach, FL – The Swamp
April 16th Melbourne, FL – Count Line Saloon

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Mystic Seaport Offers Art Lovers a Look “Behind the Canvas” in New Series

Guest Contributor — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:08:51 +0000

Howard Park Comet, Leaving St. Johns

Mystic, CT – Award-winning artist and Stonington, CT, resident Howard Park will be the first speaker at “Behind the Canvas,” a new four-part series at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport beginning Saturday, February 27, from 4 – 5:30 p.m.

The series will continue Saturdays, March 27, April 10 and May 15.

Renowned artists will share their personal stories through lectures, slide presentations and live demonstrations. Attendees will be given a behind-the-canvas look at what inspires the artists’ creativity and will additionally learn what qualities art collectors look for in a painting.

Light refreshments will be served.

Tickets are $100 for the series ($80 for members) and $30 per program ($25 for members). To purchase tickets, visit www.mysticseaport.org/tickets or call 860.572.5322.

Speakers and presentations are:

February 27 – “Sailing the World with Artist Howard Park” – Park will share his visual journal of watercolors and photographs, revealing the beauty of distant ports and the adventures of life aboard his sailboat circumnavigating the globe with paintbrush and camera.

March 27 – “The Moment of Inspiration with Robert Noreika” – National award-winning artist and illustrator Robert Noreika will demonstrate his fresh and vibrant painting technique, turning a blank canvas into a personal vision. Attendees will learn how the painter creates works of art in the studio and on location.

April 10 – “A Trip Back in Time – The Art of Russ Kramer” – Maritime artist Russ Kramer will present a visual journey that shows how he creates his historic maritime paintings. Renowned for his ability to capture the authentic people, places and vessels of America’s yachting days gone by, many of Kramer’s paintings have been exhibited at the Maritime Gallery.

May 15 – “An Artist’s Walk through the Modern Marine Masters exhibition” – Leading marine artists will guide attendees on a personal tour of the Maritime Gallery’s annual spring exhibition, revealing how they create tranquil seascapes, historic naval scenes, racing yachts under sail or working boats and their fishermen.
For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org.

The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport is the nation’s foremost gallery specializing in contemporary marine art and ship models. Through its parent organization, Mystic Seaport, the gallery is proud to offer access to the world’s leading experts in the marine field, and the highest standards of scholarship, integrity and connoisseurship that the nation’s finest maritime museum represents. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers free admission.

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Southern Ensembles to Play for Haiti

Guest Contributor — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:29:49 +0000

New Haven, CT – In the wake of last month’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, the campus community of Southern Connecticut State University is rallying together to support the relief effort. As a part of this large-scale effort, the SCSU Music Department and honor-service society Zeta Delta Epsilon will present a benefit concert for Haitian relief as part of the campus commitment to “365 days of Haiti relief.”

The March 3 concert features student performers and Southern ensembles, including the Jazz Standards Ensemble, University Choir, Blues Ensemble and Latin Jazz Ensemble. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in Garner Recital Hall (Engleman C-112) and continue for several hours.
Members of the general public are invited to drop in at any time to make a donation and listen to the SCSU ensembles. Suggested donation is $5 for students and $10 for faculty, staff and general public. Refreshments and T-shirts will be available at the event as well. All proceeds from the event will be added to the campus fund for Haitian relief set up by The Office of Student Life.

The SCSU Haiti Relief Committee will continue to organize fundraisers on Southern’s campus to address the humanitarian needs of the country. Zeta Delta Epsilon strives to advance the spirit of service and fellowship and promote and recognize scholarship and service within the student body. The honor-service society is just one of many campus organizations working to provide aid to Haiti.

For more information about the Haiti Relief Committee, contact Aaron Washington at (203)392-5885. For more information about the March 3 concert, contact David Chevan in the Music Department at (203)392-6630.

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NPR Comedian Paula Poundstone coming to The Ridgefield Playhouse

Guest Contributor — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:52:30 +0000

Ridgefield, CT – On Saturday, March 20th The Ridgefield Playhouse is proud to present comedian Paula Poundstone. Armed with nothing but a stool, a microphone and a can of Diet Pepsi, Paula’s ability to create humor on the spot has become the stuff of legend. Little wonder people leave Paula’s shows debating whether the random people she talked to were “plants” – which, of course they never are, and complaining that their cheeks hurt from laughter. .

Paula’s spontaneity and razor-sharp wit have made her one of the most popular panelists on NPR’s hilarious weekly news quiz show, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me. (2008 winner of the prestigious Peabody Award for Broadcasting excellence). Paula’s commentaries can be heard on NPR’s Morning Edition and read on the Huffington Post and comedy site: 23/6. Her first book, There’s Nothing In This Book That I Meant To Say, (with a foreword by Mary Tyler Moore) was published by Random House and she is hard at work on her second for the same imprint. Paula also released her first comedy CD: I HEART JOKES: Paula Tells Them In Maine, 60 minutes of hilarious comedy recorded live at the sensational Stone Mountain Arts Center – because as Paula says, “It’s very hard to do it any other way.”
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Paula continues to be the National Spokesperson for (ALTAFF), The Association of Library Trustees Advocates Friends & Foundations, a national network of enthusiastic library supporters who believe in the importance of libraries as the social and intellectual centers of communities and campuses. Paula is supporting libraries on a local level by partnering with promoters and the local Friends organization in cities where she performs. The local Friends group receives tickets for use in fundraising or promotion as well as a portion of the book and CD sales after her performance where she makes herself available for signings. Says Poundstone: “It’s funny that we think of libraries as quiet demure places where we are shushed by dusty, bun-balancing, bespectacled women. The truth is libraries are raucous clubhouses for free speech, controversy and community. Librarians have stood up to the Patriot Act, sat down with noisy toddlers and reached out to illiterate adults. Libraries can never be shushed. If you haven’t been to your library lately, you’re over-due.”

Paula has had several solo specials on HBO and most recently, BRAVO. She was the first woman to win an ACE (the Cable EMMY) for Best Standup Comedy performance and the first woman to be invited to perform at the distinguished White House Correspondents dinner where those in attendance included the President. Paula has made frequent TV appearances including Letterman, Leno, Craig Ferguson, as well as Garrison Keillor’s, A Prairie Home Companion.

Showtime is at 8:00PM. Tickets are $45, $50, and $60. For more information, call 203-438-5795 or visit www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is located at 80 East Ridge St. Ridgefield, CT

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Maple Sugaring Festival to demonstrate Native American sugar-making techniques

Guest Contributor — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:40:09 +0000

"Annual Maple Sugaring Festival" will take place on Saturday, March 20th

Washington, CT – The Institute for American Indian Studies will hold their “Annual Maple Sugaring Festival” on Saturday, March 20th from 11AM – 3 PM.

The Mohegans believed that the melting snow caused the spring sap to run in the maples. They considered the sap to be the dripping oil of the Great Celestial Bear, who had been wounded by the winter sky hunters – according to their own Pleiades story. The bear, sometimes becoming the celestial bear and embodying the Big Dipper, repeats itself through many Indian origin stories.

Native People discovered in their woodlands the sources of seasoning and sweetening medicines and foods. Long before recorded history, their investigations unlocked the secrets of extracting many dietary substances from their natural environments. Lost in pre-history are the earliest experiences that led to “sugaring”.

It was usual for whole families to participate in the labor of sugaring, although in some tribes the women went first to the maple forests to make any necessary repairs to the camp and sugaring utensils. Among the Iroquois and the Ojibwa Indians, the women owned the maple groves, which they inherited through their maternal line. Seensibaukwut is the Ojibwa word for maple sugar, which means “drawn from the wood.”

Tree sap is essentially water absorbed by the roots and mixed with some of the stored tree sugars. Sap will begin to run upwards from the roots on warm late-winter days followed by freezing nights. These conditions usually begin in late February in southern New England.” from EarthWise, by E. Barrie Kavasch, published by IAIS.

Once the sap had been collected, it needed to be boiled down (reduced). The sap was then put into a hollowed out log where firery hot stones were placed into it. The purpose of the hot stones was to cause the sap to boil. This may have needed to be done several times to obtain the correct consistency.

This was the traditional “Native” way.

Please join the IAIS Staff along with Jim Dina on Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm for the “Annual Maple Sugaring Festival. Jim will present a full Native American Sugar-making demonstration in our outdoor Algonkian Village. Inside, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, IAIS staff members will serve pancakes with delicious local maple syrup. Fun activities for the children will run from 1:00 – 3 pm. Please call for tickets.

Fee: Advance tickets $8 Adults/ $6 Children; Tickets at the door $10 Adults/ $8 Children

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Wadsworth to Explore the Birth of Reggae at Rise Up Screening

Guest Contributor — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:15:04 +0000

Hartford, CT – The Wadsworth, in collaboration with The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, will explore the worldwide cultural phenomenon of Reggae during a special screening of the award winning documentary Rise Up: Stories from Jamaica’s Underground. The screening will take place on Friday, February 26, at 7:30 pm, preceded by a pre-film, VIP Reception at 6 pm.

Rise Up is filmed in Jamaica and follows three artists who are hoping to rise up from obscurity through their music. The film’s director, Argentine filmmaker, Luciano Blatta, will be present for the screening, in addition to two of the film’s featured artists, Ras Haile Malekot and Kemoy Reid, who will both perform before the film.

Hartford Councilwoman, Veronica Airey-Wilson, will host a post-film Q&A between Blatta, Melekot, Reid and the audience.

The film will be screened in the Aetna Theater of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Admission is $9; $8 for seniors and students; $7 for members; $3.50 for Film Buffs; and free for Film Stars. Tickets for the VIP Reception are $25; $20 for members and includes admission to the film.

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is located at 600 Main St. in Hartford, Connecticut. The Museum is open Wednesdays to Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.wadsworthatheneum.org.

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