ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, November 23, 2024

 

Topic:    "We're Not Just Connecticut"

Time:    1:30 pm (ET) 

Host:    Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT

Godfrey Library Director Carol Ansel will share some of the interesting and helpful resources on the Scholar (online) and at the library (on-site) about places other than Connecticut.

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

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to view the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home), then register using the above email.

Teen Rep Company presents "Peter and the Starcatcher" November 14 - 24

 

Oddfellows Playhouse Teen Repertory Company presents Peter and the Starcatcher

November 14 - 24. All performances will be held at Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington

Street, Middletown.

Peter and the Starcatcher is a Tony Award-winning comedic prequel to the cherished tale of Peter Pan, originally created by J.M. Barrie.  This play, written by Rick Elice with music by Wayne Barker, delves into the origins of beloved characters such as Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling, Captain Hook, and the Lost Boys, while also introducing new faces.  From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to reluctant comrades and unlikely heroes, this wildly theatrical retelling playfully explores the depths of greed and despair, and the powerful bonds of friendship, duty, and love.

The play, which features a cast of 11 performers ages 14 - 18,  is directed by Travis Kendrick-Castanho, with Music Direction by Allegra Green. Costume Design is by Renee Purdy and Kate DeAngelis, Scenic Design by Dan Schmidt, Sound Design by Joseph Getter, Lighting Design by Aaron Wescott, and Properties Design by Pam Lang.

Director Kendrick-Castanho says “Peter and the Starcatcher is a celebration of imagination and make-believe. Working with an incredible cast of creative young actors and a team of collaborative designers who fully embrace these core principles has been an absolute joy. We’ve had so much fun bringing this play to life and can’t wait to share it with an audience. My favorite aspect of theater is the unique relationship between actors and audience—the energetic exchange that occurs when performers and viewers come together to experience a story.”

Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for kids and students. “Big Heart” tickets are available for $25 for anyone who really loves and values theater and its impact on the lives of young people.

Thursday, November 14 at 7 pm is a “Pay-What-You-Can” Preview. Performances will be at 7 pm on November 15, 16, 22, 23 and at 4 pm on Sunday, November 24.

Peter and the Starcatcher is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

Tickets may be purchased at

https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/oddfellowsplayhouse/peter-and-the-starcatcher.

For more information, call (860) 347-6143, email info@oddfellows.org, or go to www.oddfellows.org.

Peter and the Starcatcher is made possible thanks to support from the City of Middletown; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; American Savings Foundation; Middletown Commission on the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; The Fund for Greater Hartford; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Thomas J. Atkins Memorial Trust Fund; Middlesex United Way; many generous individual donors; and you, supporting youth arts in Connecticut by purchasing a ticket for this performance.

 

Shantala Subramanyam - Flute
presented by Raga Club
Sunday November 3 at 4pm

Raga Club is delighted to present a concert of South Indian Carnatic flute music by Shantala Subramanyam. Please join us on November 3, and invite your friends, colleagues, and family.

Shantala Subramanyam - Flute
Alankode Gokul - Violin
S. Hariharan - Mridangam

4pm Sunday, November 3, 2024
Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society (CVHTS)
11 Training Hill Road, Middletown, CT 06457

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ragaclubct/
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/raga_ct/
Website: http://www.ragact.org/

Raga Club ticket policy:
• Buy tickets at $30 for this concert at the door 
• Students - free admission.
• Raga Club member and 3 more persons from immediate family (spouse and two additional immediate family members) are allowed free to Raga Club concerts. Co-sponsored concerts and special concerts may have different ticketing arrangements. Raga Club Membership is $250 for one calendar year.
• Other guests accompanying a Raga Club member should buy tickets at $30 per person, purchase at the door.
• Non-Members - tickets are $30 per person, purchase at the door or in advance.

Free Film Screening: Follow the Drinking Gourd, October 28, 2024

Please join us for the first film of the 2024-25 season of The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series! We will be showing Follow the Drinking Gourd in collaboration with Cultivating Justice on Monday, October 28, 2024 at 7pm. The film is a feature documentary about the black food justice movement, connecting food, climate and racial justice, and links the legacy of slavery, land loss, and climate change to our fight for food security. You can watch the film trailer here. A discussion will follow the film.

The screening will be held at the Wesleyan Goldsmith Family Cinema, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, CT.  As always, the film is open to the public and free of charge. Directions and parking information can be found here.

Please preregister at http://rockfallfoundation.org/event/follow-the-drinking-gourd/

 

We hope to see you there!

The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series was begun in 2015. The 2024-2025 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. 

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, October 26, 2024

 

image source:  Library of Congress

Host:  Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT

Time:  1:30 p.m.

On Saturday, October 26, Pam Vestal will present Part II of "Deciphering Old Handwriting."

We've received rave reviews on Pam's Part I of Deciphering Difficult Handwriting last month.  Now join us for Part II of her presentation/workshop on deciphering early handwritten documents. 

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, October 25.  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.

An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement and the Transformation of America. Foreword by Quincy Jones.

Martin Luther King, Andrew Young, & their work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) 
by Andrew Young, Foreword by Quincy Jones 

     Andrew Young is one of the most important figures of the U.S. civil rights movement and one of America's best-known African American leaders. Working closely with Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), he endured beatings and arrests while participating in seminal civil rights campaigns. 

     In 1964, Rev. Young became Executive Director of the SCLC, serving with Dr. King during a time of great accomplishment and turmoil. In describing his life through his election to Congress in 1972, this memoir provides revelatory, riveting reading. 

     Young's analysis of the connection between racism, poverty, and a militarized economy will resonate with particular relevance 

for readers today.

Amazon link:  An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement &
the Transformation of America

Wondering what to do on your Monday holiday?

 

    is  Almost too good to be true!___________

The targeted exercises described below can bring almost immediate relief for some hip and leg pain. The exercises are tested & designed to work -- and they do! 

The source of these exercises is Silver Sneakers, a widely known, fitness program for seniors that's included with many Medicare Advantage insurance plans and includes FREE membership to countless gyms & fitness centers across the country.   

  Dozens of SilverSneakers targeted exercise routines, like those presented below, are available FREE on YouTube with no login. Give them a try!

Do you have Pain & Stiffness
from Sitting Too Much?

Try these targeted exercises to
Revitalize your Legs & Hips

It only takes a few minutes a day to feel better. 

  Here are FIVE FREE Silver Sneakers exercise routines in one link, video demos are included, no login required. You may have seen these when they were shown on The Middletown Eye in 2021. 

https://www.silversneakers.com/blog/pain-from-sitting-too-much-here's-how-to-fix-it/ 

  SilverSneakers.com online has hundreds of on-demand video demos. Many are targeted so that you can easily identify the type of routine you need. Many Silver Sneakers routines are available on youtube, no login required. It only takes a few minutes a day to feel better. 

"SilverSneakers programs are helping millions of people on Medicare defy the odds, shatter stereotypes and answer every challenge with, 'I can do this!'”  [That attitude is contagious and the exercises are very effective!]

  "SilverSneakers includes access to every participating gyms and fitness centers in the network. [That’s means a possible free membership at more than 15,000 locations.] We also offer fitness classes for all abilities led by our SilverSneakers trained instructors at gyms and other locations." 

Check to see if SilverSneakers membership is free with your Medicare Advantage plan. If it is, you plan will likely include (free) access to every participating gym and fitness center in the SilverSneakers' network. 

Imagine Connecticut with Fewer Cars and More Public Transport

From today's New York Times, "The Hunt," a weekly feature telling short-story versions of people looking for new homes.

Selene Plastiras, an in-house lawyer for an engineering firm, arrived in New York from California in April 2022 to fill in for a colleague on maternity leave. Her company put her up in corporate housing in TriBeCa for a few months. Within a week, she knew she wanted to stay.

“New York was such a good fit,” she said. “It was the energy I was missing. The people are really friendly because a lot of people are transplants and no one is sitting in their cars.”

It was easy enough for Ms. Plastiras, a Bay Area native, to transfer to the city permanently. After the TriBeCa place, she rented a one-bedroom in a fifth-floor walk-up on the Upper West Side for herself and her dog, Hula, paying just under $4,000 a month. ...

Read more at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/03/realestate/brooklyn-apartment-search.html

_____________
What's not to like?

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, September 28, 2024

 

Image Source:  Library of Congress

HOST:  Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT

TOPIC:  Deciphering Old Handwriting 

SPEAKER:  Pam Vestal

DATE:  Saturday, September 28, 2024

TIME:  1:30 PM (Eastern Time)

On Saturday, September 28, Pam Vestal will present Part I of Deciphering Old Handwriting.

Pam did a great presentation for the Godfrey's Genealogy Club back in March and April on researching Eastern European ancestors. This month and next month, we welcome her with her two-part presentation/workshop on deciphering early handwritten documents. We hope you will find it to be a huge help!

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, September 27.  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.

Vets Park River Cleanup on Sept. 28!

We hope you can join us at Veterans Park in Middletown and be part of this watershed-wide river cleanup!

To register, go to https://sourcetoseacleanup.org/event/coginchaug-river-vets-park-crew/

Questions? Phone 860-346-3282

 

A Bank for the Ages--the New Ages.

Be the Change. Lead with Love.

Systemic shifts like the ones
we hope to inspire start locally,
with individual relationships 

and communities.

    

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We use your dollars to fund loans to:

Maine Country Farms

New Hampshire candle makers

Connecticut solar farms

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dog treat upcyclers

Rhode Island egg farms 

& Help folks grow greener 

all over New England & Beyond.

Grow OUR Change

Earn interest on your dollars, while driving impact in New England, New York, and beyond.

Brews for Boats on Sept. 22

Support your local rowing community at Brews for Boats on September 22nd, from 4 to 7 pm, at Stubborn Beauty Brewery at 180 Johnson Street.

Live Music! Great Food & Conversation! Ciders & Beer!

More info at CentralCTRowing.com/events