Upcoming Virtual & In-Person Events in CT

With shifting schedules, scenarios and news rotations, it seems a bit tougher than ever to make some quality plans for a little “me time”. Sunday to Sunday, we’ve got you covered with some of our favorite upcoming events both online and in-person!

Sunday, August 16th – 8:30am Birding Cruises @ The Maritime Aquarium Norwalk, CT

The cruises aboard the Aquarium’s quiet hybrid-electric research vessel will bring bird watchers close to the Norwalk Islands, just outside the city harbor, to look for osprey, oystercatchers terns, egrets, herons and more.

We look forward to welcoming you back on the water, and as always the safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority. We are closely monitoring the pandemic and corresponding C.D.C., State, and U.S.C.G. regulations and guidelines and will continue to update and adapt our protocols accordingly. Advance reservations required. Tickets: $41.50. For current cruise policies and COVID protocols, call (203) 852-0700 or click here.

Sunday, August 16th – A Sculpture Affair – Downtown Area, Putnam, CT

The Town of Putnam and Putnam Arts Council are having an “AFFAIR” (A LOVE OF ART AFFAIR).

A two-month long “Sculpture Affair” that will take place in the Business District and along the Putnam River Trail. Ending Sept., 4^th. Artist Dale Rogers, the man who created our present sculptures, Bird in Hand (Rotary Park)- 4 People (River Trail) and Big Dog (entrance to Dog Park) has installed a display that makes the “Sculpture Affair” an artistic collection of more than 20 sculptures for people to enjoy while walking in our community.

There are woodland animals for the youngsters, symbolic pieces of love for the young at heart and sculptures that make you stop and think while you roam the fanciful streets of Putnam. Families and friends are walking to stay healthy during these unprecedented times. What better way to spend a day than to walk Putnam and see the beautiful, solid, large 3-D sculptures that combine the love of abstract geometrics with organic lines and figurative appeal.

The best way to enjoy the sculptures is to use the “Sculpture Affair” Map/Guide that you can acquire at the Putnam restaurants and businesses. Also you can go to the WINY 1350 am / 97.1 fm Facebook page along with the Discover Putnam and Town of Putnam Facebook pages. Websites to find the guide are winyradio.com, putnamct.org  and discoverputnam.com. For information, (800) 604-1512 or click here. 

Sunday, August 16th – Virtual Event – 2pm – High Time and Hot Times in Homo Harlem 1920-1990

Come along to Homo Harlem! Historian Michael Henry Adams leads a virtual tour of Lesbian and Gay life in the historic African American cultural capital, where we’ll meet personalities living and lost and see landmarks long gone and still standing that illuminate the a fabled part of New York. Past and Present LGBTQ+ Harlemites have played a leading role in defining Harlem’s artistic significance. So in addition to enjoying the outstanding architecture of structures like All Saints Roman Catholic Church, you’ll visit the homes of poets Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen, beauty products heiress A’Lelia Walker, and actress Edna Thomas—where Thomas lived with her husband Lloyd and her lover, the English aristocrat Olivia Wyndham. It was also in the Thomas apartment at 1890 7th Avenue that night club singer Jimmie Daniels and his lover Philip Johnson, the future architect, carried on their passionate romance. Tickets: $10. For more information, visit here.

Monday, August 17th – 7:30am – Virtual Morning Meditation: Simple, Silent Sacred @ Copperbeech Institute, West Hartford CT

Start your week out right. Our morning meditation is a simple, silent, and sacred way to begin each day by cultivating deep presence and compassion. Experience the support and connection with others as we unite our hearts and minds in practice. Join our global community of mindfulness practitioners in silent, unguided meditation led by one of our facilitators who will keep time and welcome requests for loving-kindness intentions. Mon.-Fri. 730am. Donation-based. On zoom. Sign up to join: here. 

Tuesday, August 18th – 7pm – Stratford Summer Concert Series On Paradise Green, Stratford, CT

Several wonderful concerts are offered by the Recreation Department each summer season (through Tuesday, September 1), at Paradise Green. The last Friday concert is scheduled for August 21.  Concerts generally begin at 7 p.m. but some may start a bit later. (rain dates for all Tuesday concerts will be the following Thursday).  Bring your lawn chair, something to eat, and your favorite beverage to enjoy an evening at the Green. Or, you may want to sample some of the fine cuisine available at any of the nearby restaurants. Free admission. For more information: (203) 385-4029 or visit here. 

Tuesday, August 18th – 10pm – Virtual Big Gay Game Night

Join celebrated comedian Shann Carr for BIG GAY GAME NIGHT! An evening of fun and games. There will be prizes for the winners of games. Tickets $10  For more information, visit here. 

Wednesday, August 19th – Available on Demand – You Are Enough: The Online Experience – Omega Institute

Panache Desai, a visionary thought leader in the area of human development who has appeared with Oprah Winfrey on her Emmy-Award winning Super Soul Sunday, calls on us to make a positive impact on our lives and on the world around us by harnessing the power of who we really are. Recorded on June 6, 2020, and now available on demand through December 31, 2021, this 3-hour workshop illuminates and expands on the teachings contained in Panache’s book, You Are Enough: Revealing the Soul to Discover Your Power, Potential, and Possibility. Through meditation, question-and-answer sessions, and the process of self-affirmation, Panache meets you where you are and shows you how to cultivate and illuminate a way forward…into a life filled with meaning, connection, and joy. Fee: $49 For more information, call (845) 266-4444

Thursday, August 20th – Eva LeWitt Untitled (Mesh A-J)- The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum Ridgefield, CT

CLOSING SUN., AUG. 23^rd. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum presents Eva LeWitt’s first solo museum exhibition, Untitled (Mesh A–J), debuting a new site-specific installation, the artist’s largest to date. LeWitt’s practice is informed by both the reductive systems, industrial materials, and geometric preoccupations of Minimalism and the performative activities of process art, as well as her own personal history and inimitable imagination.  Admission: $12 Closed Tuesdays . For more info, call (203) 438-4519 or click here. 

Friday, August 21st – 6:30pm – TGIF Cruises @ The Maritime Aquarium, Norwalk CT

Enjoy a relaxing happy-hour cruise out along the Norwalk Islands. Maritime Aquarium educators will be onboard to point out sights and answer questions about Long Island Sound’s marine life but there’s no formal program. These evening cruises are timed for the bonus opportunity to watch as twilight paints the western sky and reflects colorfully off the water. Get back in time to enjoy an evening out with friends just steps away in the restaurants and nightspots of South Norwalk. Advance reservations and masks required.Tickets: $31.50  For all the particulars, call (203) 852-0700 or visit here. 

Saturday, August 22nd – Take Your Own Personal Retreat – Easton Mountain, Greenwich, NY

Now’s the time to plan your stay. Easton Mountain is a community, retreat center and sanctuary created by gay men as a gift to the world. It offers opportunities to create your own personal retreat. Spend quiet time in our garden, find a spot in nature to write in your journal, go hiking on our peaceful trails, relax in our pool and hot tub, wake up and enjoy coffee on the porch overlooking the mountain. Our beautiful land is home to a community who will welcome you and help you get back in touch with yourself! We want to create a space for you to leave the madness of the world behind and safely relax, so we have implemented protocols and procedures to create a safer and healthier environment. For more information visit https://www.eastonmountain.org/personalretreats or call (518) 692-8023.

Saturday, August 22nd – Gallery on the Green 60th Anniversary Exhibition – Canton, CT

The Gallery on the Green is very please to reopen with a combined 60th Anniversary Exhibition and Pop-Up Show. Come see newly created fine art works from the more than 100 members of our artist guild. Two large galleries host the exhibition, and Richard Allan Cohen’s solo show, Climate Falls, can be seen in  in a third gallery. The shows combine to provide a stunning array of paintings, drawings, graphic arts, sculpture, ceramics, fiber/beadwork and photography.  As a Pop-Up show, items can be taken at the time of purchase. The images in his solo show, according to Cohen, “are part of my effort to reinterpret the reality I find when I discover a place of natural beauty. I think of making them as opening a door to a separate, improved world. Fri-Sun, 1-5pm. Through Aug. 30^th. Admission is free. For more information: (860) 693-4102  or click here.

Sunday, August 23rd – 2pm – Verdi’s Rigoletto, The Met Opera Encore Performance in HD @ Ridgefield Playhouse 

Michael Mayer’s acclaimed production, first seen in the 2012–13 season, sets the action of Verdi’s masterpiece in 1960 Las Vegas—a neon-lit world ruled by money and ruthless, powerful men. Piotr Beczała is the Duke, a popular entertainer and casino owner who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Željko Lučić sings Rigoletto, his sidekick and comedian, and Diana Damrau is Rigoletto’s innocent daughter, Gilda. When she is seduced by the Duke, Rigoletto sets out on a tragic course of murderous revenge. Štefan Kocán is the assassin Sparafucile and Michele Mariotti conducts. Run time 2 hours, 31 minutes  Tickets $15-25  For more information visit here or call (203) 438-5795.

Sunday, August 23rd – 2pm Virtual Event – Live Like A Queen: A Look At Britain’s Queer Stately Homes 

Discover Britain’s queer stately homes via this virtual tour with speakers: Nick Collinson and Dan Vo. Think Downton Abbey. Be there or be square! Click here to book. 

We hope you’re able to enjoy some of these wonderful events both online or in-person! To submit info about upcoming events of your own, please feel free to reach out to paul@ctvoice.com. #LiveOutLoud #OurVoice #ConnecticutVoice