Take It To Go: CT Events August 9 – 11

Messages of kindness, totally groovy dogs, and all your ‘Kinky’ questions answered this week on Take It To Go, so let’s get started.

Don’t Let The Kinky Parade Pass You By
“Kinky Boots” and “Hello, Dolly!”

The Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, Ridgefield
Friday, August 9 at 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, August 11, 4:00 p.m.

The Tony Award-winning musical, “Kinky Boots” (filmed live at London’s Adelphi Theatre) will be screened Friday at the Ridgefield Playhouse followed by a live Q&A with “Kinky Boots” creator, Harvey Fierstein.

The Broadway legend will talk about his inspiration for the hit show along with how a chance meeting with Cyndi Lauper helped bring it to life.

Tickets are $25.

Wait, there’s more!

Put on your Sunday clothes and return to the Ridgefield Playhouse to watch Babs and Walter Matthau on the big screen in the 50^th Anniversary celebration of “Hello, Dolly!” Sunday afternoon.

Adapted from the Broadway show, the fab musical features Barbra Streisand as Fannie Brice, a matchmaker (among other trades) who comes to Yonkers to find a wife for grouchy half-millionaire, Horace Vandergelder (Matthau).

Her antics coupled with a host of memorable songs make this a fun, do-not-miss classic.

Tickets are $12.50 and can be reserved online.

For more information www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org

WHAM! POW! ZOINKS!
Terrificon
Mohegan Sun Expo Center, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd, Uncasville
Friday, August 9, 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | Saturday, August 10, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Sunday, August 11, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Holy Comic Books, Batman! It’s Terrific Comic Con at the Mohegan Sun.

It’s everything a comic book enthusiast could ever want. Like, ever.

From cosplay and photo-ops to special guests like Val Kilmer (“Batman Forever) and Billy Dee Williams (“Star Wars,” duh) it’s an action-packed, family-friendly weekend.

Wear your favorite costume, but no masks, make-up, or face coverings allowed in the gaming/gambling areas.

Tickets range from $13 to $75 and can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Box Office or at Ticketmaster (https://www.ticketmaster.com/terrificon-tickets/artist/2209837).

For more information: https://www.terrificon.com/home.html

Peace, Love and Doggies
Woofstock On The Branford Green

The Branford Green, 1019 Main St., Branford
Saturday, August 10, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Created in 2013, this annual festival combines music and puppy love to support and fund raise for animals in need.

Kicking off the event is a two-mile “Woof Walk,” where participants are welcome to walk with or without a canine companion. The cost is $25 which is donated to the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter Medical Fund to help with surgeries, medicines, and food.

There’s also a Hippie Dog Costume Contest, so if you’ve been itching to put Fido in a Joan Baez costume, here’s your chance.

Finally, what would Woofstock be without music? Beginning at noon a host of bands take the stage including The Grateful Friends and The Roustabouts.

Various food and retail vendors will also be on hand for the furry festival.

For more information: www.woofstockonthebrandfordgreen.org

Wine-O-Weekend
Shoreline Wine Festival
Bishop’s Orchards, Guilford Farm Market & Winery, 1355 Boston Post Rd., Guilford
Saturday, August 10, 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Sunday, August 11, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

It’s wine-o-clock all weekend long at the 13^th Annual Shoreline Wine Festival.

There’s a little something for everyone including wines from all over the state, fine food, and tasteful music, all set on a bucolic orchard.

Tours of the winery are available along with local wine experts who can probably explain why White Zinfandel isn’t actually a grape variety (there are WAY better options, just saying) and other wine-related stuff you should probably know about.

Tickets are $35 (valid for ONE of the two days). Designated-Driver tickets are $10.

For more information: www.shorelinewinefestival.com

Leave No Stone Unturned
Kindness Rocks

Henry Whitfield State Museum, 248 Old Whitfield St., Guilford
Sunday, August 11, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Visit the Henry Whitfield State Museum on Sunday and leave a little bit of sunshine for someone else to find.

Guests are invited to paint a message of kindness on a rock and then tour Connecticut’s oldest house (and New England’s oldest stone house) while it dries.

A true piece of American history, the Whitfield House has three floors of furnishings and artifacts, along with a lovely landscape featuring extensive stone walls.

When your rock is finished, feel free to leave it anywhere on the grounds or take it with you to stash in your own special place.

Admission is $6, $5 for seniors. Children 12 and under are free.

For more information: https://portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Historic-Preservation/04_State_Museums/Henry-Whitfield-State-Museum

It’s Ladies Night (Oh, What A Night)
SIREN Party
Troupe429, 3 Wall St., Norwalk
Saturday, August 10, 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

It’s Troupe429’s monthly SIREN party, the largest LBTQ+ Woman’s Party in the state. Come for the fun, stay for free Popsicles and pizza. DJ Kellie Sieban will be spinning cool grooves all night long.

Troupe429, a LGBTQ bar and performance space is a neighborhood bar for people of all identities, sexual orientations, genders, races/ethnicity, and spiritual beliefs.

For more information: www.troupe429.com.

Ongoing Events & Social Meetings
Cosmic Golf
Mohegan Sun Golf Club, 7 Dows Ln., Baltic
Fridays in August, 7:00 p.m. to Midnight

Play a few rounds of golf while attempting to spot the Big Dipper at the Mohegan Sun Golf Club Friday nights in August.

Sure, golf isn’t exactly night sport, but that’s the point.

Players of all ages can swing on the lighted driving range or just play a few rounds of mini golf using glow-in-the-dark golf balls. Casual food and beverages are available for purchase and equipment is provided. You’re also welcome to bring your own.

Tickets are $10 per adult and can be purchased at the golf course. Kids 13 and younger are free.

For more information: https://mohegansungolfclub.com/cosmic-golf/

+obias & +isms in Art
The Great Room Gallery, New Haven Pride Center, 84 Orange St, New Haven
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Thursday, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., through August 30.

In +obias & +isms in Art, convening partners #BlackLivesMatter New Haven, Nasty Women Connecticut, and the New Haven Pride Center collaborate to present a multi-artist exhibition that explores the +obias and +isms that affect people of colour, women, and the LGBTQQIP2sAA community.

For more information: http://www.newhavenpridecenter.org/programming/exhibitions/obias-isms-in-art/

Gay Gatherings: Philip Johnson, David Whitney and the Modern Arts
The Glass House, 199 Elm St, New Canaan
Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sundays through August 19

The exhibition explores interactions at the Glass House among eight gay men who profoundly shaped 20th-century artistic culture. Coincident with the 50th anniversary of New York’s Stonewall Uprising and the 70th anniversary of the Philip Johnson’s completion of the Glass House, Gay Gatherings underscores an essential element of the site’s history that has not been fully presented as part of its public interpretation.

Tickets start at $25 and are required for admission, access to site is via tour only. Advance reservations recommended.

For more information: http://theglasshouse.org/whats-on/gay-gatherings-philip-johnson-david-whitney-and-the-modern-arts/

Coming Soon!
New London Pride, Saturday, August 24, www.newlondonpride.com
Hartford Pridefest 2019, Saturday, September 14, www.hartfordpride.org
PRIDE New Haven, September 16-22, www.newhavenpridecenter.org