MIDDLESEX HEALTH 14TH ANNUAL TREE OF LIGHTS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2023 FROM 6 P.M-7 P.M. TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY AT 6:15 P.M.

 

MIDDLESEX HEALTH “14th ANNUAL TREE OF LIGHTS” RETURNS LIVE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2023 FROM 6 P.M.-7 P.M. TREE LIGHTING AT 6:15 P.M.

By Frank LoGiudice

The Middlesex Health "14th Annual Tree Of Lights" returns this year with a live ceremony again on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at the Middlesex Hospital lobby at 28 Crescent Street in Middletown. It will take place from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. The tree lighting will take place at 6:15 p.m.  The ceremony will include the Mercy High School Chamber Choir.

According to the Middlesex Health website it states, "The Middlesex Health Hospice Program invites you to donate in honor or in memory of anyone who has impacted your life. The 14-year tradition of the Tree of Lights is a heartfelt event to remember or honor loved ones with a tree lighting ceremony, and a display that stays prominent into the New Year."

According to Dolores Mazzotta of Middlesex Health she stated , "Your donation helps the Middlesex Health Hospice Program have a meaningful impact on hospice patients who face life-limiting illnesses and their families. Our program supports and assists patients and their families in making important decisions regarding their care and is focused on enhancing the patient's quality of life.  The goal of hospice is to enable patients to remain in their own homes as long as possible with the aid of family, Hospice staff and volunteers.  Donations received after November 14th will be listed on the website only."

The "Tree of Lights" names will also be displayed in the hospital lobby until January 2, 2024.

Beginning on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 through Sunday, December 10, 2023 the "Tree of Lights" names will be displayed outside underneath the flagpole at Middlesex Health main campus located at 28 Crescent Street in Middletown. 

From Tuesday, December 12, 2023 through Tuesday, January 2, 2024 the "Tree of Lights" will be on display at the Middlesex Health Shoreline Medical Center located at 250 Flat Rock Place in Westbrook.

For more information about the 14th Annual Tree of Lights" please see the following website:

https://middlesexhealth.org/donate/tree-of-lightshttps://middlesexhealth.org/donate/tree-of-l

Enjoy the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2-zXpXslyg&t=36s

Auditions December 6 for Circophony Teen Circus!

 

Oddfellows Playhouse and ARTFARM announce auditions for Circophony Teen Circus’s 18th

annual mainstage Circus-Theater production, “Enjoy the Silence”. 

Auditions will be held on Wednesday, December 6, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, at Oddfellows Playhouse,

128 Washington Street in Middletown. They are open to all young people ages 12 - 20.

Prior circus experience is not required, but some background in physical training, dance, movement,

gymnastics, sports, parkour or performance can be helpful.

Auditioners are asked to arrive a few minutes early to complete audition paperwork, to dress to move, plan to stay the entire two hours, and to prepare a short solo act that showcases your skills and personality (one minute maximum). Solos can be based in circus arts, theater, movement, dance, acrobatics or comedy. Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast in the show.

Rehearsals will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 6 - 9 pm starting January 2, 2024. There will be Technical rehearsal & daily rehearsals, Feb 25 - 28. Performances will be February 29, March 1 and 2 at 7pm, as well as March 2 at 2 pm at Oddfellows Playhouse.

The new Circophony main stage show will be directed by Circophony Director Allison McDermott, with additional coaching and act direction by Naja Muller and Joel Melendez. The show will include acrobatics, movement, juggling, balancing, stilting, contortion, unicycling, roman ladders, comedy and other circus skills. This is a great opportunity to stretch your personal limits in a supportive, non-competitive environment, get serious circus training, and be part of creating a new and imaginative show. 

To register for the audition, or for more information, call (860) 347-6143 or email info@oddfellows.org. Tuition for Circophony is $300. Financial aid is available for anyone who needs it. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Circophony Teen Circus provides rigorous circus training and performance opportunities to young people, and is a collaboration between Oddfellows Playhouse and ARTFARM.

If you are unable to make the audition date, please contact info@oddfellows.org to set up an alternative audition date!

Sewage Waste--Dutch Solution for Home Heating: "A treasure beneath our feet"

From The Guardian (UK)

Sewage waste is now being seen as a reliable heat source for millions of homes in the Netherlands

by Senay Boztas in Amsterdam

Wed 8 Nov 2023 08.00 EST

'A treasure beneath our feet’: How the Dutch went down the toilet looking for heat 

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, November 18, 2023

Topic:  The AGBI -- A Little History and Hints on How to Use It

Presenter:  Carol Ansel

Time:   The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).

Director Carol Ansel will review the AGBI (American Genealogical and Biographical Index) and how to search it. Those of us that have been doing this for many years know some little tricks of the trade, which we will happily share. There will even be some practice challenges included!

Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, November 17.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

"a Holiday Nightmare" for ages 6 -14 at Oddfellows

 

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater announces a special Oddbridge

Mini-Production,  A Holiday Nightmare, inspired by the poem The Nightmare

Before Christmas by Tim Burton. This is a 3 week theater adventure for kids ages

6 to 14, with transportation provided directly from Middletown Public Schools (drop

off option available for home schoolers or students from other school districts),

culminating in two public performances in the theater at Oddfellows.

A Holiday Nightmare will November 27th - December 14th , Monday through

Thursday, 3:15 - 6 pm (11 days), with performances on Thursday,

December 14th and Friday, December 15th at 6 pm. Rehearsals and performance

will all take place at Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington Street, Middletown.

Oddbridge is Oddfellows Playhouse’s after-school extended-day option for Middletown Public Schools, providing transportation directly from school to Oddfellows, snack and supervised recreation before classes begin. 

Daily schedule: 3:15 - 3:45 pm Middle School students (grades 6 - 8)

arrive on bus from Beman School (or get dropped off). Snacks, games, relaxation.

3:45 - 4:45 pm - Rehearsal for Middle Schoolers only.

4 - 4:30 Elementary School buses arrive (or drop off). Snack, games, settle in.

4:30 - 5:50 pm - Rehearsal for Middle School and Elementary School students.

5:50 pm Closing Circle, collect belongings, parent pickup by 6 pm.

Tuition for the 11 day program is $250 and includes transport from Middletown

Public Elementary or Middle Schools, snack and supervised recreation, participation in rehearsals and performances ($200 for drop-off students.) Financial Aid is available for

all who need it.

 A Holiday Nightmare, inspired by the poem The Nightmare Before Christmas by

Tim Burton, tells the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweenland.

After years of the same spooky routine, Jack has grown bored of "the scaring, the terror,

the fright...tired of being something that goes bump in the night". But when Jack

accidentally discovers Christmas Town, he devises a plan to kidnap “Sandy Claws” and

take over a new holiday! Only after his plans for a “Scary Christmas” go wrong does

Jack learn the true meaning of the holiday season.

Enrollment is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register for A Holiday Nightmare, go to https://oddfellows.recdesk.com/Community/Program.

For more information, contact info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143.

Extended Oddbridge is made possible by the City of Middletown, The Fund for Greater

Hartford and the Liberty Bank Foundation.

From the NY Times: Do House G.O.P. ‘Whack Jobs’ Have a Point?

On This Issue, the House G.O.P. ‘Whack Jobs’ Have a Point

Oct. 31, 2023, 5:02 a.m. ET

By Peter Suderman

Mr. Suderman is the features editor at Reason.

Just to bring your attention to Mr. Suderman's opinion in today's NY Times.
It seems Mr. Suderman has a point.  

Raga Club presents Indian classical music by Sunil Gargyan — 4pm Sun Oct 29 at Sri Satyanarayana Temple

 Raga Club of Connecticut presents 

a Concert of South Indian Classical Carnatic Music

Sri. Sunil Gargyan, Vocal

Sri. Vijay Muralidharan, Violin

Sri. V.S. Raghavan, Mridangam

4pm Sunday, October 29, 2023

CVHTS Narayana Auditorium (below Satyanarayana Sanctum)

11 Training Hill Road, Middletown, CT 06457

Dear Middletown friends, we are delighted to present this concert of South Indian classical vocal music. It's our final show of the 2023 season. Please join us to hear these excellent artistes! 

Raga Music concerts - Ticket policy:

* Non-Raga Members - tickets are $25 per person, purchase at the door

* Ticket link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/310bad11-58d5-4479-979e-3c91661cd3bd

* Students - Free admission

* RAGA member and 3 more persons from immediate family (spouse and two additional immediate family members) are allowed free to RAGA concerts. Co-sponsored concerts and special concerts may have different ticketing arrangements.

* Other guests accompanying a RAGA member should buy tickets at $25 per person

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ragaclubct/

Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/raga_ct/

Website: http://www.ragact.org/ 

Thanks and hope to see you there! 

- Joseph Getter, President, Raga Club

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, October 21, 2023

 

Al Fiacre

Topic:  "What To Do When the Records Are Scarce"

Saturday, October 21, 2023

1:30 PM ZOOM Presentation

Our own Al Fiacre will be presenting this month. He'll talk about how to prove a family line through that time period when there just aren't a lot of paper records out there, based on some case he's recently been working on.

Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, October 20.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

Today through Sunday: 47th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan University

 

Wesleyan University’s 47th annual Navaratri Festival celebrates the diversity of Indian music and dance from October 5 through October 8, 2023. The festival will feature the world premiere of “Pīlu,” a project developed at Wesleyan by North Indian sarangi (bowed string instrument) master and Ph.D. candidate Suhail Yusuf Khan MA ’18 and California-native guitarist and songwriter Henry Hodder ’20. The festival will also include Connecticut debuts by the Akkarai Sisters Violin Duet and South Korean Kathak (North Indian classical) dancer Jin Won (pictured). Read more on the Center for the Arts website...

Free Film Screening: The Seeds of Vandana Shiva, October 16, 2023

We are excited to announce the next film in The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series!  We'll be showing The Seeds of Vandana Shiva on Monday, October 16, 2023. As always, the film is open to the public and free of charge. The screening will be at 7 pm at the Goldsmith Family Cinema, Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies, Wesleyan University, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, CT.  Directions and parking information can be found here.

As described on the film's website, The Seeds of Vandana Shiva is a classic David versus Goliath tale that shows how Dr. Vandana Shiva, a brilliant scientist, became Monsanto’s worst nightmare and a rock star of the international organic food movement.  The film tells the remarkable life story of Gandhian eco-activist Vandana Shiva, how she stood up to the corporate Goliaths of industrial agriculture, rose to prominence in the food justice movement, and inspired an international crusade for change.  Vandana Shiva is described as a modern-day revolutionary, who for forty years has been fighting a heroic battle on behalf of humanity and the ecologically besieged natural systems that support us. But she is opposed by powerful multinational corporations invested in continuing their degenerative but lucrative agricultural practices. By profiling one of the greatest activists of modern times, the film looks at the epic struggle over who controls the world’s food systems, and asks the question, who will prevail? 

A facilitated discussion will follow the film.

Please preregister using this form.  Face masks are optional, unless there are changes in Wesleyan University’s Covid policy. 

We hope you can join us!  Please phone the Conservation District office for more information at 860-346-3282.

 Also--please share/post this announcement.

The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series was begun in 2015. The 2023-2024 series is co-sponsored by the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Middletown Garden Club, Russell Library, The Rockfall Foundation, and Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts, College of the Environment, and College of Film and the Moving Image.