History lovers, this weekend is for you: a Branford double header. Both the Stony Creek Quarry and Branford Green are steeped in history and there are two opportunities to learn more. Former First Selectmen Unk DaRos and Carl Balestracci and architect Tony Terry will share their insights into these local landmarks. Music and book talks are also on the docket.
Saturday, Oct. 28
Stony Creek Quarry Tour Digs into Past and Future
Visitors to the Stony Creek Quarry in Branford on Saturday, Oct. 28, will view the past, present, and future of this famous site. The tour begins at 10 a.m. and will be limited to 100 people.
First will be a look into the past to view the cavernous quarry that yielded the world-famous Stony Creek granite for historic projects. Next, those on tour will ride a shuttle up to the current quarry site that now provides “pink” granite to the country’s top architects.
Former Branford First Selectman Unk DaRos and Former Guilford First Selectman Carl Balestracci, both quarry historians and descendants of quarrymen, will share stories of the quarry’s history. They’ll describe the lives and work of the quarrymen and the dangers they faced on a daily basis. At their peak around 1900, the quarries along the Branford-Guilford shoreline employed over 1,800 men. Builders used Stony Creek granite for the West Point Battle Monument and the steps of Yale’s Woolsey Hall, as well as parts of the Brooklyn Bridge and Grant’s Tomb.
There will be new stories from Carl Balestracci, who has just completed a book on the neighboring Beattie Quarry, which provided the stone for the base of the Statue of Liberty. His book, John Beattie and His Quarrymen: Building America Stone by Stone, will be available for sale at the quarry. All proceeds from the book will be shared by the Guilford Keeping Society and The Stony Creek Museum.
Tickets, $15, are available at Page Hardware and Breakwater Books in Guilford, as well as the quarry itself and Taken for Granite in Stony Creek. Because of the rough terrain, children 10 and under will not be admitted. On arriving at the quarry, visitors will be asked to sign a liability waiver. Organizers suggest that those who might have trouble standing for an hour might like to bring a folding chair.
Parking will be available inside the quarry gates at the end of Quarry Road. For more information, visit the GKS website, guilfordkeepingsociety.com, or call 203 – 453-2263.
Branford Church Tour
Local architect Tony Terry (pictured) will piece together the threads of his own research and lend his perspective again, on his second Walking Tour of the Churches on the Branford Green, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Academy on the Green.
Lasting about 2.5 hours, the tour will include interesting notes on all five significant structures as well as a visit to each of the three churches, hosted by the ministers. Terry will present a blend of history and architectural perspective. While he is not an historian, Terry offers a blend of history and an architect’s perspective, reading between the lines of the events that put the buildings into form and their particular place, in the most iconic public space of Branford’s history and one of the most unique of New England’s town greens.
Registration is preferred by emailing BACA06405@gmail.com – with names/number of people.
Pine Orchard Nursery School Fall Festival
Pine Orchard Nursery School’s Fall Festival takes place at the school, 149 S. Montowese St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Food, games, silent auction, bounce house, pumpkin painting. Call Ericka Shanley, 203 – 488-3769.
Tuesday, Oct. 31
Annual Halloween Parade
The Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., will host Miss Mary and Miss Carly’s annual Halloween Parade from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Oct. 31. Kids are welcome to come in full costume to partake in Halloween rhymes, books, movement activities and even apps. The hour will conclude with a parade around the building to show off costumes and share in a couple of non-food based treats. Babies through children age 5 are invited and registration is not required.
Saturday, Nov. 4
Autumn Jazz: American & Cuban Jazz
Cuban jazz pianist, Carlos Manuel Gomez, performs an hour of both American and Cuban jazz songs on piano from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Blackstone Library, 785 Main St.
A Cuban-born jazz pianist, Carlos Gomez was trained in classical piano at the National School of Art in Havana and the Carl Nielson International Conservatory in Moscow. Gomez’s passion turned to Jazz in his late teens, influenced by Irakere and the rapidly growing jazz movement in Cuba in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Much of his inspiration has come from Cuban pianists such as Chucho Valdez and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and also American pianist, Chick Corea. After graduating from the NSA, Gomez was a music professor at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogota for over a decade. In Miami he managed a Jazz Trio for two years at the St. Regis Wine Bar in Bal Harbour and has played Jazz at numerous events at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, including the popular Jazz @ MOCA series. Gomez has also played several concerts at Amadeus Piano in Stamford, where he is currently recording a CD with Amadeus Records.
Registration required. Call 203 – 488-1441, extension 318.
An Evening With Adam Greenberg
Adam Greenberg, famous for the one pitch that changed his life forever, appears at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Saturday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m.
A 93-mile-an-hour first pitch fastball to the back of the head on his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs gave Adam the record for being one of the only two players in history to have an official at-bat without ever taking the field. After seven years of continued hustle to get back, Greenberg signed a one-day contract with the Miami Marlins in 2012. He was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Tickets are $75, include a signed copy of Greenberg’s book plus wine/whiskey/beer tasting by Wine 101. Proceeds benefit the Campaign for the Blackstone. Purchase tickets at colinsheehanevents.com.
Sunday, Nov. 5
Life Happens, Are YOU Ready?
Shoreline Eldercare Alliance hosts a panel discussion, titled “Life Happens, Are YOU Ready?” on Sunday, Nov. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Island Road.
Presenters will be Janet Woxland, RN, administrator, Branford Hills Health Care Center; Steve Cudgma, account executive, The Richard Squeri Insurance Agency; Joan Reed Wilson, attorney at law, Wilson, Pinder and Snow, LLC; and Jeff Klarman, WS Clancy Funeral Home. The moderator will be Bernadette DiGiulian, Geriatric Care aanager, Elder Caring, LLC.
Questions to be discussed include: Are all necessary documents in place? Are you in the best Medicare plan FOR YOU? What do you know about Medicaid benefits? Do you know about pre-planning for your funeral?
For more information, visit shorelineeldercarealliance.org for more details.
Tuesday, Nov. 7
Get Out and Vote
Town Of Branford
Municipal elections take place today. Polls open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting locations are as follows:
First District: Branford High School – old gym, 185 Main St. (New location this year)
Second District: St. Therese’s Church Hall, 105 Leetes Island Road.
Third District: Orchard House Adult Day Care, 421 Shore Drive.
Fourth District: Fire Headquarters, 45 North Main St.
Fifth District: New Indian Neck School (Early Years Center), 12 Melrose Ave.
Sixth District: Mary T. Murphy School, 14 Brushy Plain Road.
Seventh District: Walsh Intermediate School, 185 Damascus Road.
Election Day I.D. requirements: Current Driver’s License, or a copy of current and valid photo I.D. or a current utility bill, bank statement, lease, government check, or paycheck that shows your name and Branford address
Marcia Chambers, the Eagle’s editor, will participate in BCTV’s live coverage on election night, starting at 8 p.m.
Color Away Your Stress
The adult coloring phenomenon has provided an island of calm in a stressful world. Sally Bahner will host a workshop at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the Branford Art Center, 1229 Main St.
There are hundreds of books on the market, tailored to all interests and skill levels, designs simple and complicated, mandalas, animals, florals, landscapes and more. Artists such as Joanna Basford and Hanna Karlzon have gained huge followings. Some handouts and supplies will be available. Feel free to bring your own. Donation, $5.
To register or for more information, call Yvonne, 860 – 334-4642 or Sally, 203 – 488-3495.
Wednesday, Nov. 8
A Field Guide to Long Island Sound
Patrick Lynch will discuss his guidebook, “A Field Guide to Long Island Sound,” to the rich natural history of Long Island Sound and its coastlines, a region beloved by millions of people. Menunkatuck Audubon Society will host the lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 7 to 8 p.m. at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St.
Long Island Sound consists of a diverse collection of unique marine, estuarine, and terrestrial ecosystems located in one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. The Sound and its coastlines are home not only to myriad species of plants and animals – from shorebirds and turtles to whales, seals, and fish – but also to more than 20y million people.
Until now there has been no one-stop reference for those interested in exploring the Long Island Sound’s rich natural history. Author, photographer, and scientific illustrator Patrick Lynch has filled this gap with his Field Guide to Long Island Sound. Brimming with maps, photographs, and drawings, Lynch’s guide introduces readers to the full breadth of the Sound’s environs from shorelines to deepest waters, highlighting areas at particular risk.
Lynch is an author, illustrator, photographer, and artist. He retired from Yale University after 45 years as an interactive media designer, medical illustrator, biomedical and scientific photographer, video producer, a director of media and communications departments, and a designer of interactive multimedia teaching, training, and informational software and websites.
Refreshments will be served. For more info, call Carl R. Harvey at 203 – 389-6076 or email program@menunkatuck.org.
Thursday, Nov. 9
Beethoven’s Ninth
New Haven Symphony and the Yale Glee Club will perform Beethoven’s exuberant and masterful Symphony No. 9, known best for its timeless “Ode to Joy” melody, plus Brahms’s hauntingly beautiful Schicksalslied – Song of Destiny on Thursday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., at Woolsey Hall, New Haven.
Metropolitan Opera favorite Jennifer Johnson Cano makes her NHSO debut with Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody. Featured will be William Boughton, conductor; Jeffrey Douma, conductor; Yale Glee Club; Gabriella Reyes de Ramirez, soprano; Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo soprano; Jason Wickson, tenor; and Barrington Lee, baritone.
Tickets are $15-$74; KidTix free with adult; college students, $10. Go to https://www.choicesecure03.net/mainapp/eventschedule.aspx?Clientid=NewHavenSymphony&prod=cs003.
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