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Stony Creek Pageant
Christmas activities reach a fever pitch this weekend and the next. The touch of snow expected Saturday should lend a festive touch to the annual Stony Creek Christmas Pageant. Check out any number of concerts including the Thimble Islands Sax Quartet, the Branford Chorale, BHS Music Makers, Trinity Church concert in New Haven, and, looking ahead, Branford’s own Messiah. If you’re too busy to bake, pick up some cookies at the Branford Compassion Club. And, most importantly, if you need help obtaining health insurance, stop by the ACA Enrollment Event on Sunday at Fire Headquarters. Got a cool event? Email sebahner@snet.net by Wednesday noon.
Friday, Dec. 8
Anniversary Art Show
Branford Land Trust’s 50th Anniversary Art Show takes place on Friday, Dec. 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Land Trust House, 26 School St. in Stony Creek.
Works by a wide range of local artists will reflect the BLT’s mission to preserve open space in Branford, and to promote the community’s appreciation of Branford’s diverse natural features. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
A Cool Yule
The Friends of Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library present “A Cool Yule” with the Thimble Islands Saxophone Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at Willoughby Wallace Library, 146 Thimble Islands Road, for a concert of traditional Christmas and special holiday music.
There will be refreshments before the concert from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, available at the library or by calling 203 – 488-8702.
Saturday, Dec. 9
Holiday Cookie Walk
Branford Compassion Club hosts its annual holiday cookie walk 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at its Feline Rescue & Adoption Center, 2037 Foxon Road.
Homemade cookies can be purchased for $4 a dozen, and there will also be a selection of charming homemade cat-motif pillowcases and “mug rugs” with designs ranging from the sophisticat to the whimsical. All proceeds from the sale benefit the shelter’s homeless felines.
Refreshments, including eggnog and samples of homemade cookies, will be served. Cash donations will be accepted. For more information visit www.branfordcompassionclub.org.
Branford Rotary Chimes For Charity
The Branford Rotary Club will conduct its annual ringing of the bells and supervision of traditional red collection kettles of the Salvation Army on Saturday, Dec. 9, beginning at 10 a.m. at various locations near Branford merchants. The stations throughout Branford are as follows: Stop & Shop, Leete’s Island Road, Walmart on Commercial Pkwy., and Shoreline Prime Meats & Deli, North Main Street.
The funds will be forwarded by the Salvation Army to social services at the Branford Counseling Center. All donations collected will benefit only Branford residents. More than $6,000 was raised last year.
Branford Chorale Concert
Winter Reflections, the Branford Chorale Winter concert, takes place on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Tabor Lutheran Church, 45 Tabor Drive.
The chorale will be singing many holiday and seasonal favorites and will perform a special tribute to some of the great musicians who recently died. Reserve tickets ($15 adult, $13 seniors 60 and older and children 12 and under) by emailing Maggie Bruno, mmbruno@earthlink.net, at this e‑mail or Andrew Woods, woods.andrew@comcast.net. Tickets will be available at the door.
Stony Creek Pageant Postponed Until Dec. 16
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Stony Creek Pageant
Stony Creek’s annual Christmas Pageant scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 9, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m has been postponed until Saturday, Dec.16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Luminaries will light the way, which features different live nativity scenes. Each year, village children play the roles of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and all the other characters in the Nativity story. Live animals are part of the pageant.
Almost 100 people are involved in preparations, assembling the structures, baking cookies, lighting the luminaria, and setting up the props.
Included in the evening will be caroling near the Legacy Theater, performance by the Stony Creek Fife and Drum Corps, the Allegro Performing Arts Academy and singers from the Walsh Intermediate School, and cookies and cocoa at the Congregational Church’s Fellowship Hall.
Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance Hosts Holiday Market
The Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance (BACA) will host its first Holiday Market and Open House, featuring arts, crafts, music, food and holiday gift ideas, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 9 and 10, at Arts & Crafts Allen House on 265 Pine Orchard Road. Admission is free.
Twenty vendors will offer a variety of locally produced items from painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, soap and candle makers, fiber artists, potters and foodies just in time for the holiday gift-giving season. The indoor market will also feature baked goods from the possible future chefs from Branford High School’s Culinary Arts program.
Branford High School Music Makers, under the direction of Mike Martone, Jr., will perform at 2:30 p.m. Joyful Sound, the town’s newest choral group, directed by Cathyann Roding, will perform late Sunday afternoon.
The home’s owners, past and present, have shared the unusual property with local charities for house tours, garden events and other philanthropic endeavors, and the Allens continue the tradition.
Vaiuso Farms, Inc., another town tradition since 1927, is furnishing poinsettias and garlands to spruce up the interior décor for the market and open house. Shelley’s Garden Center is handling the exterior decorating.
For information on upcoming BACA events, email Frank Carrano at f.carrano@att.net or visit the Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance on Facebook.
Sunday, Dec. 10
ACA Enrollment Event
Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible will sponsor the only Affordable Care Act enrollment fair on Sunday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Branford Fire Headquarters, 45 N. Main St.
Brokers will be available at no cost to help choose the best plan for you and your family and to sign up for Affordable Health Care. Two Spanish/English translators will be available.
For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/127738651270758/
Breakfast with Santa at St. Mary School
Breakfast with Santa takes place on Sunday, Dec. 10, from 8 a.m. to noon at St. Mary School at 62 Cedar St. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for children and $7 for seniors. Kids under 2 are free.
Music Makers Holiday Concert
The Music Makers from Branford High School will perform a selection of holiday classics, including traditional carols, music from the European Renaissance and modern selections, from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St. A short sing-a-long will follow.
The Music Makers are an elite group of singers chosen from all of the singers in the Branford High School Choral Program. They are considered the “musical ambassadors” of not only the school, but of the Town of Branford as well.
Projects such as “Rock and Roll over Beethoven,” “The Prayer Cycle,” and “Bach to Rock” have been the catalysts for carrying on their mission of peace and goodwill.
They have performed in England, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, and many places in the United States.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Space is limited, RSVP required. Call 203 – 488-1441.
Exhibit at Friends & Company
Three local artists will be exhibiting at Friends & Company, 11 Boston Post Road, Madison, through February. An opening reception will take place Sunday, Dec. 10, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Featured will be the works of Bob Dietz, Regina Thomas, and Robert Thomas.
Bob Dietz has worked in watercolors and pastels and for the past three years he has been producing landscapes and seascapes primarily in pastel. He works from photos, most of which he takes himself. His paintings are inspired from trips to Cape Cod, Nova Scotia, Maine, upstate New York, Europe, and the Connecticut shoreline. A member of the Connecticut Pastel Society, Madison Art Society and the Lyme Art Society. He is currently represented by Maple and Main Gallery of Fine Art in Chester.
Regina Thomas will be exhibiting mixed media works. She experiments with different mediums and methods and varying genres from representational to expressionistic and abstract. She is represented by Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook.
Robert Thomas says that he enjoys the camera’s ability to accurately capture the moment and reflect the vision of what he sees. He has learned not just to document, but to apply the creative aspects of composition and the freedom offered with digital image processing. His themes are inspired by the landscapes, be they urban or rural, and the imagery captured in reflective surfaces, weathered and worn structures, as well as the beauty and fragility found in nature.
Beginning Dec. 12
Chanukah Begins
Chanukah (Hanukkah) starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. This year it runs through Dec. 20. The first candle of the Menorah is lit at nightfall — Dec. 12 this year. Branford usually has a Menorah on the green. Here is some background on Chanukah, courtesy of the Chabad of the Shoreline website. What Is Hanukkah? — All the info you need to know about Chanukah
Wednesday, Dec. 13
Hummingbird Presentation
Menunkatuck Audubon presents Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 7 to 8 p.m., at the Blackstone Library, 758 Main St.
Led by naturalist and birder Gina Beebe Nichol, this program illustrates the amazing adaptations of these glittering gems and describes their fascinating life histories. Vivid photographs of hummingbirds in the United States, Central and South America tell the story of how these birds survive in habitats that range from tropical forests to the forests of the Andes Mountains. In 2005, Nichol founded Sunrise Birding, LLC to offer personalized, authentic, affordable private and small group bird watching and wildlife tours around the world.
Refreshments will be served. For more information contact Carl R. Harvey at (203) 389‑6076 or program@menunkatuck.org.
Saturday, Dec. 16
Uncover Branford
Branford continues to be uncovered Saturday, Dec. 16, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Residents have been meeting to share their favorite places through group outings, the documenting them with a write-up and photos.
At this meeting, the group will be sharing its first Uncover Branford booklets with their photos and stories submitted as part of the project. To RSVP, call 203 – 488-1441.
Evidence of Flossing: Book Signing
Learn the real meaning behind the book “Evidence of Flossing: What We Leave Behind” at a book signing with local writer and naturalist Jen Payne, hosted by Rock Garden, 17 S. Main St., on Saturday, Dec. 16, from noon to 3 p.m.
The book follows on the heels of Payne’s 2014 well-received book “LOOK UP! Musings on the Nature of Mindfulness,” and continues a dialogue about our innate connection with nature.
Both books will be available at the event, which is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information and to purchase copies of the book, please visit www.3chairspublishing.com.
Call for Singers and Holiday Concert
Branford Messiah, now in its 31st year, will perform Part I of Handel’s Messiah on Friday, Dec. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the First Congregational Church on the Branford Green.
Community singers are invited to join the chorus at rehearsals and for the concert. All voice ranges are welcome. Rehearsals are Sunday, Dec. 10, 2 to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday Dec. 17, from 2 to 4:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, Dec. 20, 7 to 9:30 p.m. All rehearsals take place in the Meetinghouse at the First Congregational Church in Branford. The chorus will rehearse with the orchestra on Friday, Dec. 22, at 5:30 p.m., prior to the start of the concert at 7:30 p.m.
Well-known conductor Roy Wiseman, a professional chamber orchestra, and soloists join over 50 community singers to share the joy of the season in a beautiful and festive space. Soloist are Lielle Berman-soprano, Rebecca Ringle Kamarei-mezzo soprano, Edward Hull-tenor and Jorell Williams-baritone. The Branford Messiah will also be celebrating and honoring Edward Hull of Branford who has performed as the tenor soloist for 30 years. The musical experience was launched in 1986 by Ettie Minor Luckey,
For more information or to sign-up to sing email dga0126@yahoo.com or visit branfordmessiah.org.
Through Dec. 15
Toys for Tots drop off
Stony Creek Urgent Care has been designated as a drop off location for the US Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, whose mission is collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute them to less fortunate children in the community. Collections will be made through Dec. 15 at 6 Business Park Drive, 3rd floor, suite 302, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Hats, Gloves, and Mittens Needed
CELC Middle School is accepting donation of new or gently used warm accessories (hats, gloves, mittens, scarves) for students arriving from Puerto Rico and Mexico due to natural disasters.
Bring items to bins in lobby of 28 School Street, by Friday, Dec. 15. Email Melinda or Maria at mandm@CTEXperiential.org or call 203 433 4658 for more information.
Friday, Dec. 15
Trinity Choir Christmas Concert
Trinity Church on the Green presents its annual Christmas Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15 at the church, 230 Temple St. (corner of Chapel) in downtown New Haven.
The event will feature performances by the Trinity Choirs of Men & Boys and Men & Girls under the direction of Trinity Music Director R. Walden Moore. The groups will be accompanied by Trinity Senior Organ Scholar Nicholas Quardokus and organ scholar and violinist David von Behren. Guest artists the Constitution Brass Quintet and baritone Edward Vogel will also perform.
The program will feature seasonal favorites including carols for all to sing as well as anthems accompanied by brass, tympani and organ with works by composers including Pietro Yon, John Rutter and Carl Rutti.
Suggested donation $15 per person. Call 203 – 776-2616 or visit trinitynewhaven.org to learn more.
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