Line dancing at Simsbury Grange
The Simsbury Grange and the Simsbury Public Library will sponsor a line dancing event on Friday, April 12, at the Grange. Meet downstairs at 6 p.m. for free chili and cornbread and then come upstairs at 7 p.m. for line dancing until 8:30 p.m.
Mary Root will take us through some fun coordinated moves. Line dancing helps increase flexibility, coordination, cardiovascular health and memory. No experience is necessary and it’s a lot of fun!
Register through Simsbury Public Library. Maximum is 75 people so register soon. Grange location is 236 Farms Village Road, West Simsbury. Parking in Farms Village Plaza, to the left of the Grange building. Event is free, but donations are always welcome.
Musical Club’s April concerts
The Musical Club of Hartford’s programs are free to club members and students, and a small fee is charged for the general public. The concerts are held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Hartford.
On Thursday, April 4, at 10 a.m. the Adaskin String Trio with Sally Pinkas will perform a program of string trios and piano quartets. $10 admission for the general public.
On Thursday, April 11, at 10 a.m. club member musicians and guests will perform Baroque and Beyond: Chamber Music for a Spring Morning. $5 admission for general public.
On Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m. club member musicians will perform another wonderful sampling of chamber music works including a suite for Baroque flute and basso continuo by Hotteterre, songs by a variety of 19th-20th century composers for bass and piano, a suite for piano duo by Barber and a cello sonata by Beethoven. $5 admission for general public
New England Air Museum Summer Camp
New England’s premier STEM summer camp is held at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks. Campers from ages 9 to 12 learn valuable skills and explore the realm of aviation science and history through hands-on activities under the guidance of retired aerospace engineers and pilots. Visit the NEAM web site (neam.org/pages/summer-camp) for details.
CT Trolley Museum April school vacation activities
Vacation weeks in the area are April 8–12 and April 15–19. The Connecticut Trolley Museum, 58 North Road (Rte 140) in East Windsor will hold vacation week activities.
The Fire Truck Museum has more than 15 fire trucks dating back to 1923. Learn more about the Fire Truck Museum’s collection along with historic fire fighting equipment. (Admission to Fire Truck Museum is included in the Trolley Museum admission ticket).
LEGO workshops will be held on Fridays, April 12 and 19, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Included with the workshop is an age-appropriate tour, trolley ride and snack. The workshop is geared towards ages 8–12 and costs $25 per person, which includes admission. Registration is required for the workshop. Pack a lunch and relax awhile as you watch the trolleys arrive and depart from North Road Station.
Connecticut Trolley Museum admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors 62 and up, $11 for youth ages 12–17 and $9 for ages 2–11. Museum members and children under 2 are admitted free of charge. For more information or to register for the workshop, visit ct-trolley.org or call 860-627-6540.
Amp up your guitar IQ
The modern guitar has come a long way from its 15th-century beginning as a literal instrument of rebellion in southern Spain. Join University of Hartford Professor Christopher Ladd as he tracks the guitar’s evolution to Bach, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Ladd will both tell and show how the construction of the guitar itself has changed, with each incarnation opening up new musical expression. Music demonstrations are included.
Sponsored by Presidents’ College Lifelong Learning at the University of Hartford, on Mondays, April 15, 29 and May 6, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Visit hartford.edu/pc for more information.
You Can’t Take It with You will have captioned shows
In a bid to enhance accessibility and inclusivity, The Suffield Players announced three subtitled performances for its upcoming production of You Can’t Take It with You. These special performances will take place on May 2 and 3 at 8 p.m., and May 12 at 2 p.m.
Patrons attending the subtitled performances will have the opportunity to experience the magic of live theater while enjoying synchronized captions displayed directly above the stage. This innovative approach ensures that audience members can fully immerse themselves in the performance without having to choose between watching the stage or reading captions.
Feedback from our patrons has been overwhelmingly positive, with patron Amy Reay stating, “They display the captions directly above the stage so you don’t have to look away from the stage and choose between watching one or the other…It’s the best captioned theater I’ve been to.”
Rissa Fregeau, house manager of Suffield Players, said, “We are committed to making strides towards having live theater accessible to all members of our community. Operating out of a historic building provides many challenges to this mission. We have worked diligently to be able to offer subtitled performances that represent one step toward realizing that goal.”
Tickets for the subtitled performances of You Can’t Take It with You can be reserved online at suffieldplayers.org or by calling the box office at 860-668-0837.
Lively Lore and Legends bus tour
The Farmington Valley CT Heritage Network presents the final bus tour in the series introduced in 2022. The tour takes place on Saturday, April 27, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., rain or shine, with visits to three historic sites in Farmington.
The first stop is Riverside Cemetery where Joanne Lawson of the Farmington Historical Society will talk about the founding of the cemetery and notable burials that took place there.
Next is the Stanley-Whitman House, where author, local historian and museum researcher Kate Linsley Rodgers will present a history of Thomas and Mary Smith, early residents of the house. Following this presentation, participants will enjoy lunch at the Whitman Tavern.
The final bus stop is at Hill-Stead Museum where participants will hear the story of Theodate Pope Riddle, a devoted spiritualist, pioneering architect and agriculturalist who survived the sinking of the Lusitania.
The cost of the bus tour, including all admissions and lunch, is $50.
To prepare for the tour, participants are invited on Thursday, April 25, 7 p.m., as Betty Coykendall presents “Bad Boys and Wicked Women of Farmington,” at Stanley-Whitman House. The lecture is included in the price of the bus tour. For those only attending the April 25 lecture, $5 is payable at the door.
For more information and to reserve a place on the bus, please contact Nancy Weiner-Anstey, nancy@farmingtonvalleyctheritage.org or 860-680-5298.
Gifts of Love Charity Golf Tournament
Gifts of Love, a non-profit that helps individuals and families in 43 Connecticut towns regain self-sufficiency after a crisis, is challenging golfers across the state to demonstrate their “chari-tee” spirit at the organization’s 4th Annual Golf Tournament. The event will be Monday, May 20, at the Golf Club of Avon and proceeds will directly assist local residents with vital basic needs such as food and clothing.
Lisa Gray, executive director of Gifts of Love, notes that the tournament is a fun day of golf for players of all levels, complete with coffee, lunch and access to the Hooker Brewery Draft Beer Truck and the Litchfield Distillery carts. Immediately following the competition, participants will have the opportunity to network and enjoy dinner at the clubhouse, while bidding on amazing live auction and raffle prizes, with beloved NBC-CT Meteorologist Bob Maxon as the official emcee.
The tournament opens for registration at 10:30 a.m. and begins with a shotgun start at 12 p.m. To increase the competitive spirit, there will be various on-course contests and activities, including a putting contest, a longest drive contest, and a closest to the pin challenge. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of each contest during a special awards ceremony during dinner.
Registration is open at giftsoflovect.org/golf-tournament-2024/ The cost is $275 for an individual golfer and $1,000 for a foursome. For non-golfers who still want to participate, dinner including open bar is $75. Deadline for registration is Saturday, May 11. Various and customized partnership opportunities at all levels are available for businesses and organizations and most include the opportunity to play the course. Contact info@giftsoflovect.org or call 860-676-2323 for more information.