Get Out Your Calendar

(photo: Summer Klotzbach painting her pig at a recent children’s art class at Wesleyan Potters)



Checked your mailbox lately? Middletown's many arts and culture programs are announcing their Fall schedules of classes for kids and adults. Classes start in September, but savvy folks sign up early to avoid disappointment (and there's a lesson from my personal experience!)

In case you aren't on all the mailing lists, here's an online primer on the local offerings (clicking on the name will take you to their Fall schedule):

Wesleyan Potters
Now in their 60th year, Wesleyan Potters offers 8-session classes in ceramics, weaving, jewelry making and other crafts. Also, you can attend their shorter workshops, such as the 2-Basket Weekend on September 27-28, where you'll learn to weave a "Half Double Wall Cat Head" basket, and The "Folded Birch Bark" basket. Classes are divided by adults, teens and kids.

Oddfellows Youth Playhouse
Oddfellows offers theater training classes for kids of all ages. For the little kids (6 to 8 years old), there's a mini-production of "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. On the Mainstage (ages 14 to 20), they are presenting the comic Mere Mortals by David Ives and The Three-Penny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil.

Green Street Arts Center Writing, theater, photography, dance -- you name it, there's something happening at Green Street. They also have a series of free family-oriented performances and workshops throughout the Fall. Sign up for their e-newsletter, and you can get an early bird discount of 15% off evening and weekend classes if you register by August 15th.

Vinnie's Jump & Jive
Vinnie's is offering 11 different forms of dance this Summer and Fall, from Ballroom to B-Boy/B-Girl. On Mondays it's Country Line Dancing, on Wednesdays it's NIA - you get the idea. This September they will have special Charleston lessons, and an open swing dance every Tuesday night from 8 am to 11 pm.

I'm sure there's more going on! Where else do you take classes or cultural programs in town? Let me know at mieyejen@gmail.com and I'll update this post.