The Buttonwood Tree Hosts FREE Guitar Class for Children

 Sunday, October 10,  from noon - 2 pm 

Smiles I Can't See founder, 
Vincent Rodriguez, is donating a few free guitars and teacher Lynn Tracey is donating her time for 1 free lesson to introduce your child to the guitar. Youth ages 5-16 are eligible to attend. 
Must pre-register! See more about "Smiles I Can't See" here

Lynn Tracey, graduate of the Hartford Conservatory School of Performing Arts, has been performing mainly in the CT scene since 1998. She performs in a variety of groups including genres of Bossanova, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Pop, Big Band, & Musicals. Lynn has also toured in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, WA, with HannaH’s Field. 

She has been a guitar instructor since 2001 and is currently accepting new students. 

 The Buttonwood Tree is located at 605 Main Street.
See event here. Buttonwood.or

Register by email to Terriwish@aol.com 

 

Free Parking is behind It's Only Natural market. 

Parents are welcome to sit in the bookstore during class. 

Refreshments are available.

Amistad Tall Ship at Harbor Park Saturday

 

Canoe and Kayak Races on October 10

 

Saturday at Buttonwood: The Secondary Messengers Jazz Quintet

The Secondary Messengers Jazz Quintet
at The Buttonwood Tree

615 Main Street, Middletown

Saturday 9/25/2021
8:00 - 10:00 pm

$18 in advance;
$20 day of show;
$15 for TBT members;
$10 youth & students

Get tickets HERE!

The Secondary Messengers have played at the Buttonwood Tree before, and Saturday night we welcome them once again! 

The Secondary Messengers Jazz Quintet pays homage to the inventive sounds that “primary” Messengers have left for jazz musicians to work on and for the world to enjoy. The Quintet promotes the melodic, but funky, hard-bop idiom and intense driving rhythm of jazz of the early ’50s to the late ’80s--like the sounds of the great Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

The Jazz Messengers served as an inspiration for young musicians who later went on to notable careers as leaders of their own groups and successive generations of jazz musicians. The Secondary Messengers Jazz Quintet plays to revisit that sound and delight audiences with their own take on the jazz-funk idiom. Find out more at their website.

Get tickets HERE! and don't be late! 

$18 in advance; $20 day of show;
$15 for TBT members; $10 youth and students

 

How To Reduce Waste

 

An Important Message From The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.

An Important Message From The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
Click On The Link To View The Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfIPwb4rcB8&t=12s

If you have not been vaccinated against the COVID-19 Virus, please get your shot.  Please click on the links below to find out how to get yours.

 

https://www.vaccines.gov

https://portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal

https://portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal/COVID-19-Vaccination-Walkup

 

Sunday Afternoon at Holy Trinity with the Kuchipudi Dancers

Sarada Nori's Kuchipudi Dancers

The Setting

   The afternoon was pleasant, the stage at Holy Trinity fromt  steps was set, and after artistic director Sarada Nori described some of the finer points of the art of Kuchipudi and its musical accompaniment, we were treated to a near-professional-level dance performance! 

The Dancers

   Dressed in bright-colored sari costumes, beautiful hair adornments of faux jasmine and other flowers, shining gold earrings and bangles, and jingle-bell anklets that provided a backbeat for the dancers. They were not only adorable, they were well trained, perfectly synchronized, with professional demeanor and composure. They were great!

The Rain Shower

  In keeping with their training and commitment, when a few drops of rain and dark clouds threatened, everybody--dancers and audience, moved into the sanctuary of Holy Trinity Church, reset the stage, rewired the sound, regrouped, and went on with the show! Thank you all for your extra effort.

The Ensemble's Development

  Artistic director Sarada Nori developed her Kuchipudi ensemble to provide families from India--particularly South India, with a way to exhibit this aspect of the long cultural history of India, which goes back thousands of years.  It has especially attracted their young daughters born in America, and they are the ones showcased in Sunday's performance, along with a few more mature dancers, too.

The Cultural Tradition

If you haven't heard the word Kuchipudi before, you're not alone. Kuchipudi is a much-loved, traditional Indian form of dance that originated in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It's a dance-drama, a form of dance that tells a story, usually a story of Hindu gods or goddesses and their many escapades--sometimes from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana--the best known epics of ancient India. 

This viewer greatly enjoyed seeing the lovely dancers and hopes to see many more performances from this outstanding Kuchipudi dance troop in churches, schools, and temples all around Connecticut!  

2 Days Left! CHEER Funding

An Evening with Enzo Boscarino!

Thank you, ENZO!  
Pastries courtesy of Mellili Bakery, 264 Main St., in Portland  

This is a thank-you to Enzo Boscarino,

who serenaded his audience at

The Buttonwood Tree on Saturday night, with traditional Italian music, and a few songs from other countries, performed in their original language. 

Musical styles ran the gamut from folk to romantic, and classic to modern rock, with historical and cultural anecdotes interspersed, all seasoned with good humor!   

Thank you, Enzo! 

Ongoing Book Sale at Russell Library

 The Friends of Russell Library have resumed what used to be the "Lobby Sale". A large selection of fiction, non-fiction, kids' books, CD's and DVD's is available in the Friends' Book Nook, located on the second floor of the building near the information desk and public computers. Take the elevator or take the stairs to purchase gently used books for your reading pleasure. Payment is by the honor system using the cash box provided. Hardcovers are $2, paperbacks $1, and children's books $1 and lower. Please help the Friends support library programs such as museum passes, book talks, and concerts.

Wednesday 9/15--Chicago Blues Hall of Famers at the BUTTONWOOD TREE

A DYNAMIC DUO!

Studebaker John
with Liviu Pop

WEDNESDAY
September 15
7:30 pm - 9:30pm

the buttonwood tree

605 main street
middletown, ct

Come and jive to their dynamic live performance--their remarkable intensity and sensibility, their soulful and searingly musical blend.

                                                                                  

 

Reserve your seat here:

https://www.buttonwood.org/event/studebaker-john-with-liviu-pop/

If edgy slide-guitar and howling electrified harp are the hallmarks of Chicago Blues, then Studebaker John is the home-town boy who takes that tradition into the future. Inspired by Hound Dog Taylor and
JB Hutto, John can thrash out a boogie while playing a lead-guitar line on top and singing with a light but penetrating voice. He writes great songs, and his tone on the ‘Mississippi Saxophone’ has a spacious feel, reminiscent of "Shakey" Horton.

Drummer Liviu Pop plays a wide variety of genres--blues, soul, funk, jazz, electronic and experimental. He was inducted into the Connecticut Blues Hall of Fame in 2018 and has played throughout New England, the United States, and Europe. He's performed with many blues artists, including Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay, Lucky Peterson, Debbie Davies, Lil’ Dave Thompson, and Toni Lynn Washington. Check out his playing HERE.

It's SURE to be a memorable experience. 
For more information, see websites 

www.studebakerjohn.com  and www.facebook.com/liviupop.drummer

Auditions for "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

 

Oddfellows Playhouse Teen Repertory Company announces auditions for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream on Wednesday, September 15 or Thursday, September 16, 6 - 9:30 pm. Auditions are open to all young people ages 14 - 20. All who audition and can commit to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast.

Auditions, rehearsals and performances will be held at Oddfellows Playhouse at 128 Washington Street in Middletown. You only need to attend one of the two audition evenings, but please Pre-register for the evening that you wish to come by emailing info@oddfellows.org or calling (860) 347-6143.

Rehearsals will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm starting September 20. Performances are November 11 - 13 and 19 - 20. There will be rehearsals every day the week of November 8.

Once you have pre-registered we will send you an audition form for you to fill out electronically. Please arrive before 6:30 pm for your audition, and plan to stay for the entire 2.5 hours. You do not need to prepare anything, but dress to move and plan to work and play barefoot. We will work with masks on when indoors as long as State and City protocols require it. All spaces at Oddfellows are equipped with high-volume air purifiers, and we will endeavor to maintain a safe environment for indoor physical work.

A Midsummer Night's Dream will be directed by ARTFARM Artistic Director and renowned Shakespearean actress and director, Marcella Trowbridge. This will be a fun, physical production of one of the greatest comedies ever written. Tuition for the Teen Repertory Company is $300, but financial aid and work-study are available. No one is turned away for lack of funds.

For more information, contact info@oddfellows.org or go to www.oddfellows.org.

Watch for: Two Connecticuts: Conversations about Race and Place

 The Two Connecticuts: Conversations about Race and Place is a four-part series presented by University of Hartford’s Presidents' College and the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement, The Third Age Initiative™ a program of Leadership Greater Hartford, and The Connecticut Mirror.

The four panels are presented online, on Wednesday evenings Sept. 22, Oct. 20, Nov. 10, Dec. 8. The events are free, but registration is required.  Register at this link: 

https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1878/lg21/form.aspx?sid=1878&gid=2&pgid=1240&cid=2975&srce=WBdei&mc_cid=8b3f79c8da&mc_eid=fffa0db362

For more information on content and panelists, go to: 

"The Two Connecticuts: Conversations about Race and Place."

This series will examine how segregation impacts economic opportunity, healthcare, education, safety and the personal dignity of people of color, and how it also disadvantages the state as a whole. 

Each session will address a different topic and will highlight initiatives enacted in other states or proposed in Connecticut.

The sessions will take place from September to December.  The first session, on September 22, will be virtual.  We are hoping the October, November, and December sessions can be in-person in addition to being virtual.  All sessions are free.

Admission is free but registration is required. Panel I held virtually only; Panels II–IV held in person and virtually.

Information excerpted from U. Hartford online. 

The Buttonwood Tree Hosts Art Reception Sept 12.

 The Buttonwood Tree is honored to host the artwork of New Haven resident, David Chorney for the month of September, with a RECEPTION on Sunday, Sept. 12, from 2-4 pm.

Working in both Representative and Non-Representative Abstract, and with paintings homed by private collectors throughout the country, I am constantly pushing myself into new areas of exploration. While I create art that is solely representative of something deeper within me, my hope is that it will make you pay attention, affecting you emotionally in some way. The end results are one-of-a-kind paintings that most certainly reside outside of expectations.

The title of my exhibit, “Standing On The Shoulders” is a nod to all the artists I’ve ever experienced,  learned from, viewed, and have taken the time to guide me, whether knowingly or not. I would not be where I am today without them, and everything I do as an artist, I do while standing on their shoulders.

The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center
605 Main Street / PO Box 71, Middletown, CT 06457
www.buttonwood.org / 860.347.4957

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021

Saturday, September 18, 2021
1:30 PM

On Saturday, September 18, Rhonda McClure from NEHGS will present "Choosing a Genealogy Software Program."

Do you have a genealogy software program? If not, what options exist? Maybe you have a program but have thought about switching. Rhonda, Senior Genealogist at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, will compare and contrast the programs currently available. Come prepared with any questions you have about the advantages and capabilities of the various programs out there.

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (EDT).  The new time will make it more convenient for the library's West Coast members to join the meeting.

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 (send to Godfrey Memorial Library). Then register using the above email.

Please register by 4:00 pm Friday, September 17.

20th Anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Remembering September 11, 2001-The 20^th Anniversary Of The Date That Will Also Live In Infamy.

Do you remember where you were when you heard the tragic news 20 years ago on September 11, 2001 that terrorists on four hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and when the passengers & crew on Flight 93 overtook the terrorists on that plane crash landing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania?

Timeline of Events:
8:45 A.M.: An American Airlines Boeing 767 airplane with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

9:03 A.M.: A second Boeing 767 United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center again and cut into the South Tower near the 60th Floor according to history.com. “The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and onto the streets below. It immediately became clear that America was under attack.”

9:45 A.M.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

10:10 A.M: Flight 93: This plane that took off from the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey where it was destined to arrive in San Francisco, California. It was hijacked 40 minutes after taking off. The passengers on board learned of what happened in New York and Washington, D.C. from cellphone calls with relatives and friends. 

 

A group of flight attendants and passengers decided to take matters into their own hands and fought the terrorists on board. Passenger Todd Beamer “was heard saying “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll” over an open line,” according to history.com.” “The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field near Shanksville in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m.” from the history.com website.

10:30 A.M.: “The north building of the twin towers collapsed. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 others were treated for injuries, many severe” according to History.com

2,996 people were killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorists' attacks in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In 2009, Congress declared September 11th a “National Day of Service and Remembrance” day to honor those who died on September 11, 2001. On September 11, 2020 it was changed to “Patriots Day.”

For more information about September 11, 2001 please go https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

Please reflect for a minute on September 11, 2021 for the victims who died on September 11, 2001 and their families.

Here are two videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNsfx_4k-JA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=043DK0OFvlY