VIDEO: Middletown Caroling Flash Mob

For the past three years,  members of the Greater Middletown Chorale along with local community friends have gotten together to share some holiday cheer.

The informal group of carolers lead by GMC member Michael O'Herron sang Christmas, Chanukah and other seasonal tunes to the residents of South Green Apartments and Water's Edge in Middletown. Seasoned singers along with amateurs sang their hearts out.

I joined along with my group of friends to carry a tune and sing along to favorites like "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls". It was great to see all the smiling faces lighting up at the recognition of the classic holiday songs. We even sang a variation of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" that included Chanukah and Kwanza references. It was a whole bunch of fun.

 Watch this video and share in the join of the holiday season.

 ~Topher

A Unique Holiday Celebration

This is not a review.  This is not a press release.  Just an invitation. 
 
 A Civil War Christmas:An American Musical Celebration opened on Thursday night at Oddfellows Playhouse.  The production is a collaboration between CT Heritage Productions and Oddfellows Playhouse, bringing a multi-generational cast together to tell this story.

It is a different show than you might expect to see onstage around the holidays.  It is a play, with music - not a musical. Traditional carols and other popular folk songs and hymns of the time serve to weave together a series of vignettes of characters, both historical and fictional, to tell the story of Christmas 1864. 

It is a play that contains history, thought, heartbreak and humor.  It is not saccharine sweet holiday-fare, but thoughtful and thought-provoking.  It is history, so yes, you might be cynical and say "I know how it ends", but what it does offer in ending is not fact, but hope.  And isn't hope something we all could use a little more of these days?

We hope you'll join us.

A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration
by Paula Vogel
Music by Daryl Waters
Made possible by CT Humanities, 
Middletown Commission on the Arts 
Eli Cannon's Tap Room & many CT Heritage Production Donors
Friday December 7 - 7:30pm
Saturday December 8 - 7:30pm
Thursday December 13 - 7:30pm - JUST ADDED!
Friday December 14 - 7:30pm
Saturday December 15 - 7:30pm
$15 Adults / $8 Students & Seniors
860-347-6143 or www.oddfellows.org

The reservations are getting pretty full.  So we recommend calling in advance to order tickets.  860-347-6143. 

Holiday Season Offerings at Oddfellows

With the holiday season approaching, there are multiple chance to take the family out to see some live theater here in Middletown. So you better start planning!

Huck Finn
by Mark Twain

Adapted by Eric Coble from the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" 
November 29, 30 and December 1 - 7:00pm

Oddfellows Playhouse’s Junior Repertory Company will present Huck Finn by Eric Coble, Adapted from the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. 

Huck Finn flees the claws of "civilization" for the freedom of the mighty Mississippi, only to find himself running from mobs, getting shot at, stealing gold, digging escape tunnels and dressing as a woman. And perhaps his greatest adventure: unexpectedly finding his own moral compass in a world of corruption and hypocrisy.  This highly-theatrical adaptation presented by the Junior Repertory Company and directed by Lorra Webb, is the second of Coble’s work produced at the Playhouse, following 2006’s Gold in the Bones.  This classic tale of adventure is great for families and students of all ages.

The production runs Thursday thru Saturday, November 29, 30 and December 1  All performances begin at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for Adults and $8 for Students/Seniors.  Anyone brining a canned food item for Amazing Grace Food Pantry will receive a $2 discount on their ticket.  Tickets are available online at www.oddfellows.org or by calling 860-347-6143. 
A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration
by Paula Vogel, Music by Daryl Waters
December 6,7,8, 14, 15 - 7:30pm

The play, directed by Peter Loffedo, will feature a multigenerational cast of actors from the community, including members of Oddfellows’ Teen Repertory Company and CT Heritage Productions.  The Connecticut Humanities Council and Middletown Commission on the Arts is generously helping to fund this production because of its unique combination of historical significance, audience appeal, and educational storytelling.  

The play is set is Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve 1864, during the Civil War.  President Lincoln has just been reelected and General Sherman is marching troops into battle.  Interweaving historical figures with fictional characters, A Civil War Christmas not only entertains but inspires the audience by portraying the real-life struggles that occurred and the human spirit that endured during one of the most difficult times in our history. Moving swiftly from scene to scene, it chronicles many aspects of the period, from something of the private life of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to the moving story of an African-American soldier whose wife has been cruelly kidnapped.  Christmas carols and folk songs are sung throughout by the ensemble, with additional period music performed by a group of instrumentalists. 

The production runs December 6, 7, 8, 14, 15 at Oddfellows Playhouse.  All performances are at 7:30pm.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Thursday December 6 is a Pay-What-You-Can Performance.  Please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Amazing Grace Food Pantry.  Tickets are available online at ww.oddfellows.org or by calling860-347-6143.  The performance is made possible through special funding from the Connecticut Humanities Council, The Middletown Commission on the Arts, and Eli Cannon’s Tap Room.

From the Pencil: Come on Over

The Pencil: Kim Jong Il dead

Earlier this month Kim Jong Il told world news reporters that if South Korea put up Christmas lights North Korea would take it as a threat.

Death of Kim Jong Il was announced today; no word on who will take his place.

From the Pencil: A polarized christmas

Feelin' Grinchy?

Then Oddfellows Playhouse has just the thing to spruce up your wilting holiday feelings.

Just days after record Black Friday sales, during a time of year that is hyper-focused on consumer spending as the barometer of global economic recovery, Oddfellows Playhouse brings to the stage author David Sedaris’ satirical, biting examination of our holiday shopping culture, Santaland Diaries. Adapted for the stage by playwright Joe Mantello, “Santaland Diaries” launched the career of writer and commentator David Sedaris. The play recounts Sedaris’ days as a Christmas elf at Macy’s department store in New York City.

The show is a fundraising event for Oddfellows Playhouse – a youth theater the provides programming and productions by and for young people. The many theater artists involved are donating their time and energy to put the show together to raise money to provide scholarships and cover operating costs. This is a show for mature elves only (13 & up!)

“Santaland Diaries is a natural fit for Oddfellows Playhouse. Over the last 38 years, the theater has had a history of doing contemporary, satirical shows that examine our society. That is exactly what Sedaris’ work is doing. We’re excited to work with Tony and the same talented group of artists to put this show together to benefit Oddfellows Playhouse,” said Pugliese. “We serve over 1,200 students a year and with over 40% percent of our students receiving financial aid, the support we get from stage events like this really helps us keep our doors open,” he said.

The production is directed by Tony Palmieri, who owns and operates Datura – A Modern Garden, a wedding and event floral studio. Palmieri played the role of Crumpet last December at the Playhouse. On directing this year instead of performing, Palmieri said, “When I first sat down with Oddfellows earlier this year to discuss working on the role, I had some reservations about reprising the role. I thought it would be more interesting as an artist and for the audience to see another actor’s interpretation.” This year in the role of Crumpet is actor Michael Lombardi of Hamden, CT.

“Santaland Diaries” by David Sedaris
Adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello
Thursday December 15
Friday December 16
Saturday December 17
All performances at 7:30pm
Adults $25 Students & Seniors $15

Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (860) 347-6143 or online here.

Holiday Shuffle to Benefit Wounded Warriors Project- Main Street

The goal of the Holiday Shuffle is to raise $1,000 to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project. Wounded Warrior Project bracelets will be sold for $20 each, and can be shown at select local establishments on Main Street in Middletown to receive discounts and specials on

December 23, 2011.

Our event will be in honor of Army Specialist Greg Corvo, who will be home for the holiday this year!! Also it will be his 25th birthday on December 26th so what better way to welcome him home than a big celebration for a very deserving charity?

Bracelets will be sold at select locations downtown or directly through one of the Event Administrators. For information on purchasing bracelets you can contact Jeff Valenti @ 860-685-1944 or by email at holidayshuffle@gmail.com

Below are the locations, times and specials that have been negotiated for Friday December 23rd:

1. Eli Cannon’s

7pm-8pm

Drink specials: $1 off any pint

2. Hair of the Dog

8pm-9pm

Drink specials: $3 Jägerbomb shots

3. La Boca

9pm-10pm

Drink specials: $3 Coors Light pints and $2.50 Miller Light

4. Titanium

10pm-11pm

Drink specials: $3 mixed drinks, $3 all draft beer, $3 selected bottled beer, $3 house shots

5. Mezzo

11pm-12am

Drink specials: $2 domestic bottles and $3 drafts

6. Shadow Room

12am-1am

Drink specials: $3 beer, $4 holiday shot, $5 holiday drink

Below are other businesses that are offering deals and discounts for bracelet holders for the week of Dec 24-Dec 30 ( More venues to coming soon...)

Tschudin

100 Riverview Center, Suite 110, Middletown, CT 06457

10% off Valentine's Day orders of 12 and 24 piece boxes when placed by December 31st

Sol Tanning

170-3 Main St. Metro Square Plaza, Middletown, CT 06457

*Lotion packets 2 for $10

*All bottles 20-25% off

*Months in any level 2-6 receive 10% off and 1 week free

*With the purchase of 5 sessions, receive 5% off and 2 free

*With the purchase of 10 sessions, receive 10% off and 2 free

*For every $50 spent, receive $5 in "Sol Bucks" towards another purchase

The New England Emporium

386 Main Street, Main St. Market, Middletown, CT

10% off purchases from December 26th to December 30th

Cold Stone Creamery

100 Riverview Center, Suite 125, Middletown, CT 06457

15% off your total order from December 26th to December 30th

Discount Beauty Supplies plus Salon

466 Main St., Middletown, CT 06457

Specially priced wigs $9.99 and up

PBR Ltd.

386 Main Street, Main St. Market, Middletown, CT

Medina incense- buy two get one free

I can't think of a better way to welcome home our troops during the holidays, than a community event that brings everyone together. Let's make this an event Greg will never forget.

Thank you, for your support. It means the world to our wounded warriors!

Check out our website!! (Thanks to Middletown locals Julia Williams and Jeff Valenti for creating this event)

http://holidayshuffle.weebly.com/

holidayshuffle@gmail.com

I can't think of a better way to welcome home our troops during the holidays, than a community event that brings everyone together. Let's make this an event Greg will never forget.Thank you, for your support. It means the world to our wounded warriors!
Check out our website!! (Thanks to Middletown locals Julia Williams and Jeff Valenti for creating this event)

http://holidayshuffle.weebly.com/

holidayshuffle@gmail.com

Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story

Oddfellows Playhouse Junior Repertory Company
presents
Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story
Friday 12/9 - 7:30pm
Saturday 12/10 - 7:30pm
Adults $15 / Students & Seniors $8

Call 860-347-6143 for reservations or purchase tickets here.

Holiday Offerings on Stage at Oddfellows

Well have you been naughty or nice this year? Oddfellows Playhouse has something for you in either case.

For those that have been Nice: Oddfellows Playhouse’s Junior Repertory Company presents Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story, adapted by Jerry Montoya from the story by Charles Dickens.

The story is one we all know, Ebenezer Scrooge and the eerie visits of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. However, Montoya’s adaptation quickly dispenses with the merriment, because “after all this is a ghost story.” The trimmings and trappings that have become synonymous with the Dickens’ tale are stripped down to a darker, more theatrical telling of the story.

Director Lorra Webb sets the tale in an orphanage on Christmas Eve. The children act out the tale on their dreary Christmas Eve, and explore their own Christmas past, present, and the Christmases yet to come. Taking a cue from the traditional Victorian practice of telling ghost stories at Christmastime, the young actors tell the story of Scrooge, Marley and the Cratchits.

Performance Dates: December 8-10
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for Adults and $8 for Students/Seniors and are available online here or by calling 860-347-6143.

The production is made possible by major support from CT State Department of Education, CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, Middlesex United Way, The Stare Fund, Pratt & Whitney, with special support and sponsorship from the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

And for those that have been Naughty:

Oddfellows Playhouse brings to the stage author David Sedaris’ satirical, biting examination of our holiday shopping culture, Santaland Diaries. Adapted for the stage by playwright Joe Mantello, “Santaland Diaries” launched the career of writer and commentator David Sedaris. The play recounts Sedaris’ days as a Christmas elf at Macy’s department store in New York City.

The show is a fundraising event for Oddfellows Playhouse – the youth theater provides programming and productions by and for young people. The many theater artists involved are donating their time and energy to put the show together. “We have been venturing into the world of “grown-up” theater more and more over the last several years as a way to raise money for the Playhouse, our scholarship funds and operating costs. We have this great theater space available and we want to maximize our exposure to audiences”, said Executive Director Matthew Pugliese.

Tickets are $25 for Adults and $10 for Students/Seniors and available online here or by calling 860-347-6143.

Oddfellows Playhouse’s production is directed by Tony Palmieri, who owns and operates Datura – A Modern Garden, a wedding and event floral studio. Palmieri played the role of Crumpet last December at the Playhouse. On directing this year instead of performing, Palmieri said, “When I first sat down with Oddfellows earlier this year to discuss working on the role, I had some reservations about reprising the role. I thought it would be more interesting as an artist and for the audience to see another actor’s interpretation.”

Santaland Diaries is appropriate for mature elves only. Performances are December 15-17 at 7:30pm.

Holiday Plans?

Oddfellows presents David Sedaris’ witty and sardonic holiday treat, The SantaLand Diaries, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello. Well-known local actor Tony Palmieri as Crumpet the Elf brings to life this humorous account of a Christmas elf’s experience in Macy’s department store. This show, directed by Jeffery Allen, is intended for mature elves. Performances are 7:00 pm on December 16 & 17, 7:00 & 9:00pm on December 18 and 2:00 pm on December 19. Tickets are $25 and $10. For more information and reservations, call (860) 347-6143 or visit our website at www.oddfellows.org.

Many of the professional artists involved in this production are donating their services to Oddfellows in order to make this a fundraising event. With 50% of the students in our fall classes receiving scholarship aid, it is as important as ever to raise the funds to keep Oddfellows’ doors open and lights on, especially as we enter the cold winter months! We hope that the SantaLand Diaries is a Christmas event enjoyed by the entire community.

Holiday Charity in Your Neighborhood

Toy drives for under privileged children are popular this time of year, and none the less important, however sometimes other needy citizens get less attention. As a reminder this holiday season The CT Department of Veterans Affairs has published its Christmas list of items veterans need. Many of these items such as toiletry items you probably already have in your own home.

http://www.ct.gov/ctva/lib/ctva/Holidays_at_the_Veterans_Home_09_wish_list.pdf

Also creative folks and children might want to consider making or sending an extra card to a veteran this season. While the email that has been going around to send cards to vet's at the Walter Reed Medical Center in D.C. is a hoax: due to security reasons the center no longer accepts mail addressed un-named soldiers, however, the Veterans Home in Rocky Hill, CT is glad to accept items from the list above for its 500 vets or a holiday card. Cards should be addressed to the Community Affair Director below.

To A Veteran

C/O Cathy Cook
Director of Community Affairs
Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs
287 West Street
Rocky Hill, CT 06067

Merry Christmas!

"All the preparations are complete. Whatever has not been done will have to stay that way. It is time for Christmas to begin."

Those were the opening words at tonight's Christmas Eve pageant at South Church.

"No Room at the Inn" says Jennifer Barbour as Joseph and Mary look for a bed in Bethlehem while Bob Englehardt narrates.


Being one of the "Twinkling Stars" in the pageant is a rite of passage for South Church children.


After the pageant, we went to no-less-than-three local parties, ending at Clover Nook and the annual gathering of local artists and friends who've been sharing holidays for more than two decades in Middletown. Lisa and Kathleen ask only that you bring something delicious to share, and anything chocolate is especially prized. I caught up with old friends around the dessert table while the next generation of Middletown creative types (not yet waist-height) ran through the crowd, stopping only to check the progress of Santa on the kitchen laptop. "He's done the Taj Mahal!" "He's headed to Ireland" "He's in Paraguay!"

If Christmas is your bag, I hope your "preparations are complete" and that you enjoy a peaceful and joyful day with your loved ones!

A winter weekend to remember

When, on Friday afternoon, with snow falling at a massive rate, a peal of thunder rolled through town accompanied by a few flashes of brilliant blue lightning, it reminded me of a memorable Christmastime snowstorm when I was about 5. On a walk to midnight mass with my family, because the roads were too snowy for car travel, we experienced a thunder snowstorm.

This weekend was the same kind of snowy winter weekend of which memories are made. The snow began falling Friday, and never really ended until late Sunday afternoon. Holidays converged around the solstice today with Hanukkah beginning, and Christmas just days away.

For my family it meant an early arrival home from work, sledding on Foss Hill, hot chocolate with a neighbor, a quiet meal at a Main Street restaurant, hours of shoveling, a trip to Hartford for "A Christmas Carol," a walk through deserted downtown streets, more shoveling and sledding on Sunday, and some live Christmas tunes with Dave Downs at Brewbakers.

We spent a few hours at a Hanukkah party today where Sally Bachner prepared latkes from scratch (shredded potatoes, onions, salt, eggs, matzoh flour and hot olive oil), and we gathered for the lighting of the first menorah candles.

Then we walked to another neighbors for a post-shopping soup dinner where the parents noshed and ate, and the kids waited impatiently for desert.

Tickets sold out for Governor's Chamber Breakfast

It's an annual event, that's apparently more popular then ever.

Governor Jodi Rell is the anticipated feature guest at the monthly Middlesex Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Dec 8.. Tickets are gone.

Every December, the governor appears to deliver a special year end speech, sometimes in the form of a Christmas poem.

The year the speech will likely be more Scrooge and Grinch, and less the endless generousity of Father Christmas.