Great night of comedy happened last night

We want to thank the great audience who came out to First Church's Parish Hall for a night of improv comedy last night.

Thanks go out to Sea Tea Improv and BenTopher and Friends for pouring their hearts out with some great comedy made up on the spot based on audience suggestions.

Special thanks to NoRA Cupcake and Klekolo World Coffee for offering up some terrific treats to the audience.

The improv comedy shows will return in 2013 with more fun and laughter. Keep your eye on the Middletown Eye for more details.

Pedestrian Killed By Car In Hit And Run

From the Middletown Police:
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On Friday December 07, 2012 at approximately 5:45 p.m. a pedestrian versus motor vehicle collision occurred in the area of Saybrook Road and Coe Avenue.

Preliminary investigation indicates that Cailyn Bassett, age 15, of Clinton, was walking on Saybrook Road, when she was struck and killed by a motor vehicle which then fled the scene.

The investigation is continuing, witnesses to the accident are asked to contact the Middletown Police Department’s Traffic Unit at (860) 344-3264.

Isra-Aliens Land at The Buttonwood!

(Author's note - this post also appears on my blog, Step Tempest.)

Chanukah commences at sundown this Saturday (December 8) - while not the religious celebration that Christmas is, the holiday celebrates a military victory as well as the the miracle of the oil that lasted 8 nights (read more here.)  Usually the holiday falls near the winter solstice and the light coming from the menorah is always a welcome site.

Not sure if Anne-Marie of The Buttonwood Tree had Chanukah in mind when she booked Isra-Alien for this Saturday but the acoustic guitar duo of Oren Neiman and Gilad Ben-Zvi will definitely light up the performance space at 605 Main Street in Middletown. The duo, both natives of Israel, met during their compulsory military service in the Israeli army and have been friends ever since.  After moving to New York City in 2005, they formed this ensemble with Neiman on nylon-string guitar and Ben-Zvi on steel string.  They released their self-titled, self-produced and self-released debut CD in 2009 and their latest, "Somewhere Is Here" just a few months ago. Their music is a joyous blend of Middle-Eastern melodies, Eastern European klezmer tunes, jazz, and world music - one can hear the influence of Belgian guitar genius Django Reinhardt as well as tango in the duo's eclectic mix.  

Isra-Alien will be in The Buttonwood's spotlight at 8 p.m. - for more information, go to www.buttonwood.org.  To learn more about the duo and hear selections of their infectious music, go to www.israalien.com.  

Monica M. Tinyo ’13 on "John Cage & Public Life" (Dec. 7-8)

John Cage at Wesleyan, 1988

John Cage turns one hundred this year, and Wesleyan is celebrating his life and work via John Cage & Public Life, which focuses on Cage’s understanding of music as a social process, and includes a lecture this afternoon by Richard Kostelanetz, the noted literary artist and author of the first biography of John Cage; performances of Cage’s work tonight and Saturday; and the "John Cage Writes" exhibition in Olin Memorial Library, which focuses on the five books by Cage that were published by Wesleyan University Press. CFA Arts Administration Intern Monica M. Tinyo ’13 spoke with some of the people involved in the celebration in this entry from the Center for the Arts blog.
Cage was as profound as he was prolific, never following the normal course of action or thought. Critics explain that Cage was “not a composer but an inventor of genius”  (Cage’s mentor and prolific composer, Arnold Schoenberg). He was “a master of several arts, a slave to none” (Richard Kostelanetz, The New York Times Book Review). “No American has caused more disturbances or astonishments than John Cage” (Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker).

Volunteers needed for tax preparation assistance

Volunteers are needed for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to help low- to moderate-income households prepare and file their taxes to ensure they get back the money they have earned.

Through this national program, volunteers are trained and certified by the IRS to offer free tax preparation assistance to ensure that working families and individuals are filing for all of the appropriate tax credits. It can also help people avoid costly fees associated with tax preparation and rapid refund loans.

The program is looking for volunteers at the VITA sites located in downtown Middletown to provide free basic tax preparation assistance for eligible taxpayers. Tax preparation assistance is offered January 22–April 10, 2013 at the offices of Middlesex United Way and NEAT.

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. 

Recycled Sculpture Contest Winners Announced

Every year the City hosts an Annual Recycled Sculpture Contest in celebration of America Recycles Day. This year’s winners are listed below.

A Little Silent Night Music

The members of the Organ Restoration Committee of First United Methodist Church, 24 Old Church Street, Middletown, CT invite the public to attend “A Little Silent Night Music II: An Evening of Silent Auction, Hors d'Oeuvres and Music” on Saturday, December 8 at 6 p.m. 

Guests will be greeted with holiday music presented by Gretchen Streiff on harp in the church’s parlor and served hors d’oeuvres by a friendly wait staff. Auction items from area businesses and church members will be available for bid. Usher in the holiday season by attending this festive party where you will enjoy delightful music and served hors d’oeuvres as you shop for gifts for family, friends, or yourself.

Tickets are available for $10/general admission and $5/students. All ticket sales will benefit the organ restoration fund. Proceeds from the silent auction sales will be split 80/20 (80% going to organ restoration and 20% to the church’s general fund). For tickets or more information, please contact Dara Parent at 860-347-5078.

Middletown's 27th Annual Holiday on Main Street

Daniel Ostrow, Chairman of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce Central Business Bureau, announced that Middletown’s 27^th Annual Holiday on Main Street will continue on Saturday, December 8^th from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in downtown Middletown.  There will be family-oriented events throughout the day including free hayrides along Main Street and Holiday Story Time with Poky, Little Puppy and Police Chief Bill McKenna.

The schedule of events for Saturday, December 8, 2012 is as follows:

Gift Drive to Benefit MacDonough School

Breakfast With Santa Sunday

Suzio Hosts Toy Drive At Amato's Saturday