Take It To Go: CT Events August 31 – September 2

Wait, what? A three-day weekend? Whoomp, here it is! Since it’s the last free day off until Thanksgiving AND the final weekend of summer 2019, get out there and make it count.

Figaro, Figaro, FI-GAR-O
Opera In The Park

Old Saybrook Town Green, Main St., Old Saybrook
Friday, August 31, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Rain date is Saturday, August 31)

Celebrate summer’s end on the Old Saybrook Town Green with Opera in the Park.

Soprano, Diana Higbee and tenor, Brian Cheney will perform opera favorites all night long. Bring your friends, families, and blankets to enjoy the music and relax on the Green, which is adjacent to the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center.

The concert is free, but there’s a suggested $10 donation.

For more information: https://www.saltmarshopera.org/shows-and-events.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Game Of Olde England
The Connecticut Renaissance Faire

Lebanon County Fairgrounds, 122 Mack Rd., Lebanon
Saturdays and Sundays, August 31 – October 14, Labor Day and Columbus Day
10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Ahem. Calling all lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses, knights, kings, queens, peasants: Come one, come all to the 21st Annual Connecticut Renaissance Faire which kicks off this weekend at thee olde Lebanon County Fairgrounds.

Thou shallt drink, thou shallt celebrate, listen to the music of ye olde minstrels, and watch performances in the streets at this 16th-century village. Thou shallt also enjoy jousting, comedy by the Bawdy Buccaneers, fire-eating by Zoltan the Adequate, and the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch (okay, not that, but total bonus points if you know the reference).

Know before you go: This is an outdoor event, in the case of inclement weather, check the Facebook page (#CTFAIRE) for up-to-date information. Guests are welcome to wear family-friendly costumes and they don’t have to be Renaissance-themed. So, if you’ve been dying to break out your Harry Potter cape, go right ahead. Pets are permitted but must be public-friendly and dogs must have proof of age-appropriate vaccinations.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for ages 7-15, free for kids 6 and under, and pets are $5 (pet admission proceeds go to the Connecticut Humane Society).

For more information: www.ctfaire.com.

[Photos: Eric Tetreault, Courtesy of CT Renaissance Faire]

Food + Music = Food and Music
New England Food Truck and Music Festival
Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino, Winter Parking Lot, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville
Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (VIP Hour 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.).

It’s the end of summer, so send it off with a culinary bang at Mohegan’s annual Food Truck Festival, because nothing soothes the soul more than some good, old-fashioned binge eating.

More than 30 food trucks will be on hand offering everything from cupcakes to fried chicken. Vendors include Trolley Dogs, 744 Express, Blue Chip Creamery, Brazillion Gula Grill, Nora Cupcakes, and Go Truck Yourself.

There will also be live music performances by local bands, face-painting, and other fun activities, but mostly you’ll just want to eat, which is pretty much the point.

Tickets range from $6 to $35 and can be purchased at the gate or online. Food is additional unless otherwise noted.

Parking is available in any public casino parking lot.

For more information: https://www.nefoodtruckfest.com/mohegan-sun-event.

Homeward Bound
Dog Days at the Coventry Farmers’ Market

Nathan Hale Homestead, 2299 South St., Coventry
Sunday, September 1, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Those in the know go to the Coventry Farmers’ Market, held every Sunday (through October 27) on the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry. Now in its 16th year, the market is one of the biggest in Connecticut and a huge fan favorite. With more than 75 vendors, the market offers everything from food and food trucks to artisan-made crafts and other items.

Each week has a theme and this weekend it’s “Dog Days,” sponsored by Protectors of Animals a non-profit, no-kill organization in East Hartford (www.poainc.org).

If you’re looking to provide a home to a rescue dog, this is a great opportunity to meet that furrever friend.

For more information: https://www.coventryfarmersmarket.org/

It’s Beyoncé, B***h
Beyoncé’s Birthday Celebration

Troupe429, 3 Wall St., Norwalk
Saturday, August 31, 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Join Troupe429 in celebrating the ultimate in one-name celebrities. Yep, it’s Beyoncé’s birthday, so you gotta make lemonade and get all bootylicious baby.

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

For more information: www.troupe429.com.

Get Your Holstein On
Local Connecticut Fairs

Woodstock, Haddam Neck, Goshen
Friday, August 30 through Monday, September 2nd

If fried pizza, farm animals, and Jacuzzi demonstrations are your thing, then the wait is finally over because fair season has officially begun.

The annual Woodstock Fair (281 Route 169) features all kinds of stuff like an epic battle of the bands, a sheep show, a horse pull, and lots of other fair things. For more information: www.woodstockfair.com

The Haddam Neck Fair (26 Quarry Hill Road) boasts a tractor parade, a women’s skillet throwing contest, a beard contest and dog agility competition. There’s also music, food, and Bwana Jim’s Wildlife Show. For more information: www.haddamneckfair.com.

The Goshen Fair (116 Old Middle Street) will host a truck pull, music, wood-chopping events, giant pumpkins, and a frozen t-shirt contest. For more information: www.goshenfair.org.

Ongoing Events
Be Seen: Portrait Photography Since Stonewall
Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St., Hartford
Through September 15

The Stonewall Riots serve a turning point in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. Be Seen explores how artists have used portrait photography to challenge, subvert, and play with societal norms of gender and sexuality.

In the past 50 years, photographers have documented the experiences of the queer community. They have also examined how gender identity and sexual orientation were viewed historically and how they are constructed today.

The exhibit features photography by Tad Beck, Patti Smith, Andy Warhol, and others.

Tours are available Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

For more information: www.thewadsworth.org/be-seen-portrait-photography-since-stonewall.

Tom Burr/ MATRIX 182/Hinged Figures
Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main St., Hartford
Through September 8

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, Tom Burr / MATRIX 182 / Hinged Figures features a selection of the artist’s reclining figures that often make reference to notable individuals from queer history and Modernism.

The Wadsworth’s prominent role in the history of Modernism is directly addressed in several portrait subjects, including Chick Austin, Gertrude Stein, and Virgil Thomson. Burr began the series in 2005, and this MATRIX presentation constitutes the largest assemblage of the reclining figures in a museum exhibition to date.

For more information: www.thewadsworth.org/tom-burr-matrix-182

Coming Soon!
Hartford Pridefest 2019, Saturday, September 14, www.hartfordpride.org
PRIDE New Haven, September 16-22, www.newhavenpridecenter.org