A Good Week To Try On the Town Gown

Francis and the Lights, "The Top"

(Updated!)

A lot has been written, some of it here, about the town-gown relationship between Wesleyan University, and the City of Middletown.

This week, a school vacation week for city schools, may provide the perfect opportunity for Middletown residents (some Wes students refer to Middletown as "the Mid,"). Here are a few things happening on campus.

Former Black Panther Robert Hillary King spent 29 years in solitary confinement in Angola prison. Released in 2001, King has written his autobiography, and will be speaking Monday, April 13, 8pm, Exley 150.

Many Middletown residents find their way to the Zilka Gallery when Wesleyan helps host an art exhibit by Middletown public school students. At this time of year, the gallery is home to the Senior Thesis Exhibitions. And while you'll have already missed parts I-III, part IV opens on Tuesday at noon. And the admission is free.

Promises, a film about the ongoing experiences of Jewish and Palestinian children who were brought together to forge truly uncommon bounds is being shown Tuesday, April 14 at 8PM, Shanklin 107 and presented by ADAPT (Awareness, Dialogue, and Action about Palestine/Israel Today). Admission free.

While there doesn't seem to be many reasons for community members to attend this meeting, it's interesting to know it's going on. The Middletown Police Department and Wesleyan Public Safety will be holding a reception for students Tuesday April 14, 7-9 PM on the ground floor of USDAN.

Our Song, a film about three young women living in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn is being shown Wednesday, April 15 as part of the Feminist Film Series, in Film Hall.

Also Wednesday, and I'm not sure this is open to citizen musicians, there's a meeting about performing the songs from the Beatles Sgt Pepper's album on Foss Hill this coming Sunday. Here's how the announcement reads:

Anyone of any skill level with any instrument/sound making thing - come! We’re looking for 100+ people to play on A Day in the Life on Sunday, 4/19 atop Foss. Epic.

Mandatory brief meeting Tuesday, 4/14 @ 10pm in central Usdan.

Costumes to be provided.

• What: Meeting regarding playing in A Day in the Life
• Where: Central Usdan
• When: Tuesday, 4/14 @ 10 PM

The performance is scheduled for Foss Hill, Sunday April 19, 2:40 pm. Intriguing.

Wednesday is Earth Day and there will be a special event on campus. Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya will speak and present her film A Drop of Life, on Wednesday April 15 in the CFA Cinema. Admission is free and a reception will follow.

On Thursday, 8 PM, at the CFA Cinema, Marco Balini presents Body of the State. The Moro Affair: A Nation Divided, as part of the Out of the Box Theater Series presented by Wesleyan Center for the Arts. Admission is $5.

Here's one where you'll have to find a Wes student to accompany you. You probably missed the fact that Eclectic, which has presented some amazing concerts over the past few years, was shut down for some weeks because of a noise complaint. This Thursday, April 16, a roster of alumni musicians returns to campus for a highly-anticipated show. On Thursday, Eclectic presents Francis and the Lights, Das Racist, Acrylics and Tall Tales. This is one of those shows that three years from now you'll want to say, "I was there."

Flavor Tripping. If you'd like to find out for yourselves the strange and miraculous effects that the protein Miraculin have on your taste buds (making bitter and sour foods taste amazingly sweet), there's a demonstration on Saturday April 15, 5:30 pm. at the Daniel Family Commons where your taste buds will have the opportunity to legally trip.

All in all, a good week to walk up Church, College or Williams to the campus on the hill.

(NOTE: Many activities on the Wesleyan campus are open to students and faculty only. It's always safest to check in advance to determine if the public is invited.)

H/T Wesleying