May At The Buttonwood Tree

The Buttonwood Tree offers a unique way to increase your vitality - Laughter Yoga! 

Tonight at The Buttonwood Tree, Performing Arts  Cultural Center, join Mylene Poitras, a Certified Laughter Coach, in a free class. She teaches how you can push through barriers, how to reach deep inside yourself to call out the part of you that knows its potential and true nature of joy and health. Learn to laugh - it's fun and easy - just do it!   7 pm

Wednesday - "Dhamma Brothers"

7 pm    Free ($5 sugg.)  Refreshments served

The Dhamma Brothers shows how an overcrowded maximum-security prison in Alabama is transformed by the inspirational influence of Buddhism in the lives of its inmates. This is a dramatic story of overcoming personal darkness to awaken the human potential for love, compassion and understanding.

RON SHEPHERD will lead a discussion following the film on his Northeast Prison Outreach Program.

The Connecticut Buddhist Film Festival is Sponsored by the New England Institute Of Buddhist Studies and the Buddhist Faith Fellowship

Thursday -  (private dance party)

Friday - Press Gang Band - Irish Trio 8 pm  $10.

A bold new sound has emerged in New England’s traditional music scene: The Press Gang fuses the talents of squeezebox player Christian “Junior” Stevens, fiddler Alden Robinson, and guitarist Owen Marshall into an energetic musical partnership. The trio blends their skill in traditional Irish music with their curiosity for other styles.

Press Gang Band's website

Saturday - BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL at HALFINGER FARMS   Noon to 6 pm

A free family-friendly event !  Bluegrass music and a Tribute to our Mothers. Recite a poem, song or a few words, and your Mom will receive a gift if she's there (while supplies last).

May 19, 2012,  12 - 6 p.m.

Halfinger Farms

489 Candlewood Hill Road

Higganum (in Haddam), CT

Event is Free & Open to the Public

What do mothers, music, and marigolds have in common? The month of May – and
The Buttonwood Tree’s 3^rd Annual Music Festival 

at Halfinger Farms!

On May 19th, families, friends, fun, food, and flowers come together once again at Halfinger Farms to celebrate another year of cultural and entertaining events provided by The Buttonwood Tree. This May, Buttonwood folks pay homage to their mothers and invite you to do the same! For a lively atmosphere, bluegrass – a cross between country and jazz – will set the stage at the farm’s lush and lovely valley setting surrounded by the rolling hills of Higganum. Live animals, face-painting, dancing, raffles, home made "play doh", fresh Kettle Corn, and ice cream will make it the place to be for kids of all ages.

“When Jen and John Halfinger came to me a few years ago and said they wanted to help support The Buttonwood Tree in some way, I was contemplating an outdoor music festival and searching for a venue. It was, as they say, a marriage made in heaven,” says Anne-Marie Cannata, Executive Director. “Aside from watching my daughter, an artist, face-paint happy kid faces all day, it was most rewarding to hear the positive feedback I received from so many people. It’s truly a full day of fun and entertainment for very little cost – while helping The Buttonwood Tree raise much-needed funds. So it’s a win-win for all.”

Last year, an estimated 400 people joined in on the festivities. This year, whoever comes can count on:

·       * Back-to-back bands (featuring the bluegrass genre), including South Carolina Broadcasters, Poor Old Shine, Andy Buzzi, Charter Oak Bluegrass Band and Taylor Musicians Live. Event's emcee is Brian Burness of WWUH's Saturday Bluegrass Radio. (91.3fm).

·       * A Tribute to our Mothers - everyone is welcome to share their own words to honor their mother.

·       * A terrific variety of raffle prizes, including an acoustic guitar from Joe Riff's and so much more!

·       * 3 state-of-the art greenhouses filled with amazingly beautiful, lush, and hearty flowering plants

·       * Delectable food from area restaurants: O'Rourke's Diner, Typhoon Thai Food, Public Market, Pattie's Palace, Illiano's and Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream   ... and fresh hot Kettle Corn too!

·       * A look inside the operations of a flower and pumpkin farm, including tours and equipment demonstrations

·       * Nan Vecchito jewelery for sale
       KID's activities: 4-H Club animals and educational program, face painting, homemade "play doh" & more

·       * Dancing, plenty of room to play ...  a great time for all!

Proceeds of the event will go to support The Buttonwood Tree and ArtFarm  

The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts & Cultural Center is operated by North End Arts Rising, Inc. (NEAR), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization located in Middletown, Connecticut. Its mission is to provide artistic and other cultural experiences for audiences in Central Connecticut and beyond, and to enhance commerce through a community/cultural center. To become a member and keep The Buttonwood Tree “alive and growing” and/or to learn about upcoming events, visit www.buttonwood.org

Halfinger Farms is a family-owned and operated flower and pumpkin farm located at 489 Candlewood Hill Road in Higganum, Conn. The farm has become a beloved mainstay of the community and known for its wide selection of luscious plants grown in its greenhouses in the Spring, and its corn maze and pick-your-own pumpkins in the Fall. Learn more at:www.halfingerfarms.com

ArtFarm is an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 2001, dedicated to creating high quality theater with a commitment to simple living, environmental sustainability and social action.   www.art-farm.org