Cool Events This Weekend, Here & Beyond

Summer is reaching its apex with the July 4 celebrations. Who’s hosting a picnic? For those who missed Branford’s fireworks or can’t get enough of them, we’ve included information for nearby towns. There’s plenty to occupy the kids with camps through the Branford Recreation Department and the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter, plus for a quick day trip, there’s an exhibit titled, Beauty and the Beetle, at the Peabody. Read on! There’s plenty more! 

Light and Shadow Inside Out

The opening reception for Light and Shadow Inside Out, an exhibit of oil paintings by Eileen Eder, takes place at the Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Islands Road, on Sunday, July 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. The paintings will be on exhibit through July 25.

An oil painter with nearly 20 years experience, Eder works directly from life in her Guilford studio or at various locations outdoors. Her painting is often described as having a harmonious palette and a realistic style with a keen sense of light and place. She says her goal for both still life and landscape painting is to develop a visually interesting painting with a sense of poetry where the viewer will be enticed to enter, linger, and reflect. Her work can be viewed at eileeneder.com.

Beginning July 3

Summer Playground Camp

Registration is open for Branford Recreation Department’s Summer Playground Camp for ages 5 – 12, which begins July 3. The camp will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, July 3 to Aug. 11 (no camp on July 4).

Cost for the basic camp program is $400 for six weeks. A Before Care Program costs an additional $125 and an After Care Program (from 3 to 5 p.m.) is an additional $175 per camper. Site choices for the 2017 Summer Camp include Hammer Field, Veteran’s Memorial Park, Stony Creek Playground, and Foote Park. Field trips are included in the basic camp fee with the exception of Lake Compounce Day (July 25), which is an additional $50. There are limited spots on the trip to Lake Compounce. Children must be enrolled in Summer Camp to register for this trip.

For further information or to register, the office at 203 – 488-8304 or to enroll online go to www.branfordrecreation.org.

Animal Camp continues

Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter’s Animal Camp run July 17 to July 21, July 24 to July 28, Aug. 14 to Aug. 18, and Aug. 21 to Aug. 25. (See top photo.)

The camp is a fun, educational, hands-on camp that allows children to interact and learn about all kinds of animals. The focus is to promote respect for all living creatures, including each other. Included will be games such as animal tracking, nature art, and water games.

For more information or registration forms, go to branfordanimalshelter.org, call Laura at 203 – 315-4125, or Dawn at 203 – 393-8628.

Tuesday, July 4 and beyond

Fireworks, Parades

File Photo

Madison: The 38th annual Independence Day Parade will be in downtown Madison, beginning at 11 a.m., preceded by the town’s fireworks display on July 3 at 9:30 p.m. from West Wharf Beach (raindate July 7).

New Haven: New Haven’s 4th of July fireworks are set off from East Rock Park at 9 p.m.

Guilford: Guilford’s Community Fireworks take place at the Agricultural Fairground, Lover’s Lane, on July 8, as part of the community picnic running from 7 to 10 p.m.

Thursday, July 6


Branford Jazz Series 

The Branford Jazz Series on the town green continues at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 6 with saxophonist Jeanette Harris and pianist/keyboardist Jay Rowe (pictured).

Restaurants along Main Street will be open during the concert and attendees are invited to bring chairs and blankets and picnic suppers.

The concerts are canceled in the event of rain – there is no alternate venue – and performers are invited back for next season. Details and schedule at Branfordjazz.com.

Wednesday, July 12

Summer Luncheon 

A Summer Luncheon with Laura Dave, author of Hello, Sunshine,” and Jane Green, author of The Sunshine Sisters,” takes place at noon, Wednesday, July 12, at Pine Orchard Yacht and Country Club, 294 Pine Orchard Road.

Dave is the international bestselling author of Eight Hundred Grapes,” The First Husband,” The Divorce Party,” and London is the Best City in America.” Her novels have been published in 15 countries and optioned as major motion pictures. Dave’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Glamour, Self, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in New York City.

A former journalist in the U.K. and a graduate of the International Culinary Center in New York, Green has written many novels (including Jemima J,” The Beach House,” and, most recently, Falling”), most of which have been New York Times bestsellers, and one cookbook, Good Taste.” Her novels are published in more than 25 languages, and she has over 10 million books in print worldwide.

The event is sponsored by R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison. The $55 ticket includes plated lunch and choice of Hello, Sunshine” or The Sunshine Sisters.” Details at www.rjjulia.com or call 203 – 245-3959.

Camp Rising Sun’s Annual Night Out

Camp Rising Sun, will host its 16th Annual Night Out on Wednesday, July 12, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Owenego Inn and Beach Club, 40 Linden Ave.

The Annual Night Out is the camp’s largest fundraising event of the year, and raises funds for children with cancer who wish to experience summer camp. Sponsored by the Camp Rising Sun Charitable Foundation and organized by staff and the families of campers, the event will feature will feature a cook-out buffet, live music from Vivid Rock, many kids’ activities, and a silent auction and raffle.

Co-Chairs Jordan Mann and Melissa Pandolfi of Branford were both diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer in 1998. They both attended Camp Rising Sun as campers, and have been volunteering for over 10 years as camp counselors. This year, camp will be held during the week of Aug. 20 to 25.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children (ages 3 to 15). Campers attend for free. For tickets, call 203 – 481-7277. Or visit www.camprisingsun.com.

Thursday, July 13

Uncover Branford

As part of an ongoing project, the Blackstone Library brings together friends and neighbors on Thursday, July 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., to share favorite Branford places and stories and plan a group outing to a special spot and discover the hidden gems of Branford.

Adventures are documented with photos and a short write up of personal favorites, which will be turned into a community exhibit at the Uncover Branford Open House and Reception Show and Open House at the end of the summer.
Registration required. To register, call 203 – 488-1441.

Saturday, July 15

An Insider’s Look

If you’re new to town or just curious about that magnificent granite building on Main Street, this is your chance to learn all about it. On Saturday, July 15, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., you can tour the Blackstone Library, learn historical tidbits, and get an insider’s peek into the day in the life of a Blackstone library employee. To register, call 203 – 488-1441.
 

Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16

Christmas in July

L-R:Cynthia Purcell, Martha Link Walsh, and Owen Luckey

Martha Link Walsh, Cynthia Purcell and Owen Luckey have joined together for Christmas in July, at their galleries, 188 North Main St., on Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

The Martha Link Walsh Gallery features Spread Your Wings to Soar, an exhibit of Martha Link Walsh’s newest paper cuttings. Luckey ReDo offers the latest creations by textile artist Owen Luckey including a new line of reimagined denim jeans. Well-known for her creative floral displays, Cynthia Purcell welcomes visitors to stop into Cynthia’s Flower Shop to enjoy some of her recent arrangements.

Items for sale include potted plants and seasonal flowers at Cynthia’s Flower Shop; wearables and accessories at Luckey ReDo; cards, prints and papercut luminaries at the Martha Link Walsh Gallery, plus a chance to see the new 2018 Papercut Calendar.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 203 – 481-3505 or visit www.marthalinkwalsh.com.

Through Aug. 6

Beauty and the Beetle at the Peabody Museum

Coleoptera in Art and Science is on display through Aug. 6 at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Whitney Avenue and Sachem Street, New Haven, as represented by artist Gar Waterman and photographer William Guth, who present dazzling representations of these incredible insects.

Of the one million species of insects known to scientists today, nearly half – about 400,000 – are beetles. These tremendously diverse animals, known by the scientific term Coleoptera, are found in habitats across the globe, and take on a wide variety of shapes and sizes (the largest is over 400 times longer than the smallest).

Their work allows us a rare glimpse of details and topographies typically the reserve of scientists and their microscopes. Artists and scientists alike are diligent students of nature, each investigating its subject in remarkably similar ways: science to document and explain, and art to interpret and express.

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