CCP's "Did You Know?" Fact #13

The "Did You Know?" Campaign highlights partnerships, connections, and collaborations between Wesleyan and the greater Middletown community. Every Tuesday and Thursday we will post a fact and send it out to WesLive, Middletown Eye, Middletown Patch, Facebook, Twitter, and beyond.

This week's fact highlights a local enterprise with an alumni connection.

Correction: Klekolo Started In 1994

An alert reader caught a mistake in our article about Klekolo World Coffee Day, which Mayor Drew proclaimed on Tuesday. Drew wrote that Hollie Rose opened Klekolo on March 18th, 1984, and went on to congratulate the Coffee Shop on its 19th anniversary.

We at The Eye pride ourselves on our numeracy, we're ashamed to have overlooked the glaring arithmetical mistake. We draw slim comfort from Ms. Rose, who told us that nobody at Klekolo noticed it either, "It's really funny that none of us saw that!"

Our city's best coffee shop actually opened in 1994.  The Eye apologizes for its uncritical acceptance of the words of government officials, we'll try to do better.

Easter Festival Egg Hunt Saturday

Children’s Easter Festival – March 23rd 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1055 Randolph Road

Calling all kids! Join us for our annual Children’s Easter Festival. There will be live music,
egg and cupcake decorating, crafts, and an Easter egg hunt with treats, prizes and surprises inside eggs.

Teenagers, we have a hunt planned for you too! The hunt will be held inside if there is inclement weather.

Register here

Amerca's Funniest Stage Hypnotist To Perform At HS Performing Arts Center

From Project Graduation
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Dan Larosa, America’s Funniest Stage Hypnotist, will perform on Thursday, March 28, 2013, at 7pm at Middletown Performing Arts Center (Middletown HS), 200 Larosa Lane, in Middletown. Proceeds benefit Project Graduation. Appropriate for all ages, 10 and older. Tickets are $10 Adults, $8 Students/Seniors and can be purchased at the door.

DeLauro At The Vatican For Pope Francis Inauguration

Rosa DeLauro represents our city in the United States Congress. She had a nice trip to Vatican City this week for the inauguration of former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bargoglio as the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. She was part of a congressional delegation representing the United States.

“I was honored to be a part of today’s historic ceremony, which was a beautiful and moving occasion. I was personally inspired as Pope Francis, like his namesake Saint Francis of Assissi, expressed his commitment to renewing the Church’s emphasis on helping the least fortunate in society. This is particularly important as people everywhere continue to struggle against worldwide hunger and poverty."

“This is a time of celebration and I join Catholics worldwide in welcoming His Holiness Pope Francis I to his new role as the leader of our Church.”

Mayor Proclaims Klekolo World Coffee Day

Mayor Dan Drew celebrated a locally owned business today. He came to Klekolo World Coffee Shop to read a proclamation celebrating the 19th anniversary of the day that it opened.

Current owner Yvette Elliott accepted the proclamation from the Mayor.

Klekolo was opened in 1984 [added, March 21: thank you to Jennifer Proto for pointing out the mathematical error, Klekolo actually opened in 1994] by Hollie Rose, who recognized a need for high quality coffee in Middletown. Rose sold the shop to Elliott in 2011. Klekolo is located at 18 Court Street, one-half block from Main Street.

Click to enlarge

CCP's Did You Know? Fact #12.

The "Did You Know?" Campaign highlights partnerships, connections, and collaborations between Wesleyan and the greater Middletown community. Every Tuesday and Thursday we will post a fact and send it out to WesLive, Middletown Eye, Facebook, Twitter, and beyond.

This week's fact demonstrates the collaborative community effort to learn more about Middletown's local history.

Come Meet Your Greens tonight!

Meet Your Greens, Middlesex County monthly green drinks networking gathering, will meet March 19, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Cypress Restaurant in Middletown . Our evening will feature a conversation with CT State Rep. Matt Lesser.

Matt Lesser, now in his third term representing the 100th Assembly District (Middletown), has earned a lifetime 100% voting record from the CT League of Conservation Voters and is active in the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. As Assistant Majority Leader, he serves on the Energy & Technology Committee, is chair of the Legislative Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee and is vice chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee. He will share news on such state issues as fracking, protecting open space, and expanding support for renewable energy and energy efficiency and for environmental programs at Middlesex Community
College. Bring your questions (and a friend!)

Remember, come as you are and no reservations required!

Meet Your Greens is Middlesex County's monthly green drinks happy-hour network providing opportunities to make connections and exchange news about environmental issues in Middlesex County. Based on the popular Green Drinks in CT and nationwide, this informal gathering of people drawn from the community, nonprofit groups and the business world offers time to brainstorm
ideas and plant seeds for collaboration. All are welcome with no reservations or advanced registration necessary.

Meet Your Greens meets every third Tuesday of the month. Venues and times change-- join our e-list for updates and invites by contacting Claire Rusowicz, crusowicz@rockfallfoundation.org You can also join us on Facebook ("Meet Your Greens"). Schedule updates are provided on The Rockfall
Foundation website here.

The Rockfall Foundation supports environmental education, conservation programs and planning initiatives in Middlesex County. Established in 1935, it is one of Connecticut's oldest environmental organizations whose mission is to be a catalyst-- bringing people together and supporting organizations to conserve and enhance the county's natural environment. Rockfall awards grants each year to organizations, schools and municipalities, and presents educational programs and symposia.

Better Living Through Bafflegab -- Popcorn by The Colonel #37

Life-size (13 feet) probable Juno at Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Ancient Italian religion is ineffably complex and rich, but, with minor qualifications, The Colonel stands by his contradicted assertion that Romans worshiped the Olympian gods. It might be more precise to say that Romans eventually identified Greek Olympian gods as the same gods the Romans had worshiped under other names, like Juno for Hera.

25th Children's Circus of Middletown Registration Open

Oddfellows Playhouse is pleased to announce that registration is open for the 25th Children’s Circus of Middletown.  The Children's Circus offers an exceptionally unique program where the whole family and the entire whole community, can get involved in the making of something truly inspiring and special. 

The Children’s Circus of Middletown, part of the Kids Arts program, is a partnership between Oddfellows Playhouse, the City of Middletown and Middletown Commission of the Arts with critical support provided from the Middlesex United Way.  The 5-week, half day program begins on July 1 and runs until the performance on August 2.  During this time, students ages 8-14 are develop a variety of circus skills including juggling, unicycling, stilting, acrobatics, balance and clowning.  The program culminates in an outdoor circus performance in front of a crowd of nearly 1,500 people.  Each year the circus explores a different theme, with recent circuses focusing on “In Your Dreams”, “Eat’s All Good” and last year’s “The Circus of Science”.

Circus Director, Jason Leinwand, returns to bring the circus to life for the 25th time.  The program takes place at Macdonough School on Spring Street. 

For more information on the program and how to register, visit www.oddfellows.org or www.arts2go.org.  Registration forms are available at the City of Middletown Arts Office, Russell Library or Oddfellows Playhouse.  Registration is currently open. The program is $125 for Middletown residents and $250 for out of town students.  Busing is available for Middletown residents only.

Counselor positions are open, and applicants can download applications from the City of Middletown’s website.  Counselor applications are due by March 22 to the City Arts Office located at 100 Riverview Center.  Student registrations will be accepted until the program is full.

Oddfellows’ Children’s Circus of Middletown programming is made possible through the generous support of the City of Middletown, Middletown Commission on the Arts, Middlesex United Way and Stop and Shop Foundation. 

From 1856: What's In A Name?

The following was published over 150 years ago, appearing in the Hartford Courant on March 29th, 1856.  

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MAC650 Gallery Celebrates World Water Day

On Friday, March 22, art meets science like never before at the MAC650 Gallery, when the “Passionate Waters” art show celebrates World Water Day with water-themed visual and performance art, presentations from state legislators and local environmental leaders, and community action initiatives.

Started in 1992 by the UN General Assembly, World Water Day is held annually on March 22 to advocate sustainable management of freshwater resources. While some 80 World Water Day events take place across six continents, “Passionate Waters” is the only registered event in Connecticut and just one of four on the East Coast. Show founder Carolyn Reeves, president of the North End Artist Cooperative (NEAC), wanted to find a way to use art to fulfill the mission of World Water Day.