MUMC hosts annual pumpkin patch
AVON — Memorial United Methodist Church of Avon, 867 West Avon Road, is hosting its 16th annual Pumpkin Patch from Oct. 1 to 31 daily, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pumpkins of all sizes will be available. Pricing is according to size.
Pumpkins are arranged in a large area to allow for careful social distancing while visiting and shopping with family or friends. For checkout, plexiglass shields will separate customers from volunteer staff. Please wear your masks while at the Patch. Fresh baked pumpkin breads with a variety of special ingredients are available for sale. Proceeds benefit the church’s ministries and missions. Call 860-673-2111 or visit avonunitedmethodist.com for more information.
Hartford History Center launching online exhibit on women’s suffrage
HARTFORD – In October 1920, with the passage of the 19th Amendment, thousands of Hartford women queued up to register for the newly acquired right to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Their voter registration card, along with thousands of other city residents’ cards, are preserved and made accessible in Hartford Public Library’s Hartford History Center (HHC).
October 1920, a new online exhibition that focuses on the Hartford women who registered to vote for the first time, goes live September 14, 2020, the 100th anniversary of the day when the state of Connecticut ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Through these historical public records, we are introduced to a diverse contingent of civic-minded women – whether single, married, or widowed; black or white; Jewish or Christian; housewives, stenographers, undertakers; native born or foreign born – who took advantage of this long-fought opportunity to register to vote.
“The Hartford History Center at HPL houses a remarkable record of Hartford’s public history including the Town and City Clerk Archives from 1639 through 1970, the records of the Hartford City Parks Commission from the 1850s through the present, and Hartford’s voter registration records from the 1840s through the 2000s. Taken together these three huge collections contain a wealth of information about Hartford and its citizens. They reflect the city’s rapid growth and prosperity and its increasing diversity,” said Brenda Miller, the Library’s Executive Director, Culture and Communications.
The spine of the October 1920 project comes from a collection of voter registration cards from that landmark year, a trove of demographic and biographic information about who came to the polls in that historic election.
In the early 1900s, voter registration was only open twice a year, March and October, and only every two years. Only a few hundred people would apply. In 1920, somewhere between 15,000 and 17,000 women registered to vote out of 19,000 women eligible. Hartford’s overall population was about 138,000 people.
“We started thinking about this this past fall,” said Jennifer Sharp, HHC Archivist. “We really wanted to do something that would highlight what we have in the collection. The voter registration cards are very unique.”
“We wanted to release it on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. It was too monumental an anniversary not to recognize it,” said Maureen Heher, HHC Historical Research Specialist.
In the lead up to the election, women lined up to practice what to do at the polls. They caught up on the issues at stake and in the positions of the people on the ballot. “They were very engaged. There was a real push to make sure that women understood what they were doing,” Heher said.
Sharp and Heher said that while doing research they were struck by the patriotism of the people of that time period.
“The biggest takeaway for me was how many people wanted this,” Sharp said. “These were people who wanted to participate in the process.”
“When these women were given the right to vote, it was treated as a sacred duty. It was an obligation – now that we have it, it is our duty to do this, they felt,” Heher said.
Sharp said it’s hard to look at the time period, where over 90 percent voter turnout was not uncommon, and to not feel a level of concern about the current state of our democracy where turnout is low and some people feel as if their vote is meaningless. “We have this right and we have to use it,” Sharp said.
The digitization of the Hartford Voter Registration Collection held in the Library’s Hartford History Center, and the subsequent transcription of the cards and making the cards’ digital images accessible online through the Connecticut Digital Archive was made possible through the generous support of Abraham Ford Jr., Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Michael Howser, Janice Mathews, Anne E. McAloon, B. Miller and Pradeep Bajaj, Pomeroy-Brace Fund, Brenda Roggeveen, Gilda and David Roncari, and Stephen and Amy Saunders. Visit https://hplct.libguides.com/October1920 to view the exhibit.
Eastern to host National Endowment for the Arts ‘Big Read’ extravaganza
WILLIMANTIC — Beginning Oct. 7 and running through Dec. 3, Eastern Connecticut University will lead a series of local events as part of the National Endowment for the Arts annual “Big Read” program. Each year, the Big Read program selects a book for communities across America to read and engage; this year’s book is “Into the Beautiful North” by noted Mexican American author Luis Alberto Urrea.
Eastern is one of 84 communities in the United States to receive an NEA grant, in partnership with Arts Midwest, to host Big Read in Willimantic. Most of the activities and events at Eastern will take place virtually. The public is invited. Admission is free.
The Big Read is designed to broaden understanding of the world, communities and human beings through the joy of reading. Eastern’s Big Read partners include the Willimantic Public Library, the Hispanic Alliance of Southern Connecticut and the City of New London, among others.
Eastern’s First Year Program has incorporated the book as required reading into the First Year Introduction seminar for all incoming freshmen. Students, faculty and staff across the university will engage with this timely novel and participate in campus-wide discussions, guest lectures, films and other programming related to the book.
“This award gives our gallery a powerful story with which to voice our solidarity with people victimized by structural racism,” said Art Gallery Director Yulia Tikhonova. “Through our exhibitions and programs, we will feature Black and Brown artists of diverse media. ‘Into the Beautiful North’ stands for unity and action, as great art always does. Bertolt Brecht once said, ‘Hungry man, reach for the book – it is a weapon!'”
Tikhonova said the University will distribute 600 copies of this book in English and Spanish to community members. Visit https://www.easternct.edu/big-read/index.html for more information.
On Oct. 7, at 3 p.m., Bessy Reyna, cultural critic and poet laureate for the Town of Bolton, will read her work and answer general questions. For more information, visit https://www.immigrantheritage.org/new-blog/2017/6/13/bessy-reynas and http://bessyreyna.com/.
On Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. on Zoom, David Antonio Cruz, a multidisciplinary artist and professor of painting and drawing at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, will discuss his practice, which fuses painting and performance to explore the visibility and intersectionality of Brown, Black and queer bodies. Visit http://www.cruzantoniodavid.com for more information.
The kick-off of the opening exhibition at Eastern’s Art Gallery of “The Future is Latinx,” which features 20 critically engaged artists who challenge the marginalized position of being foreigners in their own land, will take place on Oct. 8 at 4 p.m.
“The Future is Latinx” will be presented in two venues: Eastern’s Art Gallery from Oct. 8 to Dec. 11 and the Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut in New London from Sept. 25 to Dec. 11. The exhibit brings together exceptionally talented and critically engaged artists who challenge denigrating myths about their Latin American identities, history and roots, unpack narratives of immigration twisted by politicians and media, and allow the public to see a true reflection of their lives and dreams.
In New London on Saturdays in October (Oct. 3, 10, 17, 23 and 31), Eastern alumna Migdalia Salas, vice president of the Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut, and educator and activist Mirna Martinez will lead a series of Zoom meetings titled “Mi Historias,” with immigrant Latinx students from New London High School reading Urrea’s book “Into the Beautiful North.” The students will engage in conversations and writing about their journeys and choose works from the exhibit to write about. Visit www.hispanicalliancesect.org for more information.
On Oct. 13, at 12:30 p.m., Martin Espada, who has been described as “Poet Laureate of our New America” and editor of the poetry anthology “What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump” (2019), will read a selection of his recent. Espada will also appear on the Wayne Norman Show on WILI-AM on Sept. 22 at 7 a.m. to discuss his work. This year, Espada re-published 40 of his poems published previously by Curbstone Press, under the title “Poetry Like Bread.” Visit http://www.martinespada.net for more information.
On Oct. 13, at 11 a.m., Christine Garcia, assistant professor of English, will moderate a Zoom panel discussion in the Art Gallery featuring Robyn Greenly, professor of art history at the University of Connecticut, and Kerry Doyle, director and chief curator of the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso. The panel will discuss a large-scale, site-specific, participatory installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, titled “Border Tuner” (2019), which has connected the cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, using powerful searchlights and live sound channels across the United States-Mexico border. Video documentation of Border Tuner will be presented as part of “The Future is Latinx.” Visit https://www.bordertuner.net/home for more information.
On Oct. 14, at 3 p.m. in the Art Gallery, Luis Alberto Urrea, celebrated author of “Into the Beautiful North,” will speak through Zoom about his prolific writing career. Urrea has published 14 books. He will share what it means when more than 100 cities and colleges have chosen his books for a community reading. For more information, visit http://luisurrea.com.
On Oct. 15, at 6 p.m., the Willimantic Public Library will host a teen book discussion. The library will also host adult programs on the themes of Urrea’s book at 11 a.m. on Oct. 20 and at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22.
On Oct. 21, at 3 p.m., Eastern will lead a community conversation with elected officials, DACA students and community stakeholders. The program will conclude with a musical performance by Eastern voice faculty and students, who wrote original music compositions to the poems of Latinx writers.
Also during October, the Big Read Program will unveil a mural project created on the CLICK Community Kitchen in Willimantic. The public mural is designed and painted by residents of Windham/Willimantic, under the guidance of Nicaraguan artist Alejandro de la Guerra. Guerra is currently artist in residence at El Instituto-the Institute of Latina/Latino, Caribbean and Latin American Studies at the University of Connecticut.
Guerra’s work is supported by the Artist Protection Fund in New York City. Guerra’s mural is inspired by Nicaraguan folk artists/muralists who created nearly 300 murals in response to the revolution in 1979. Guerra will engage students from local schools and the community and conduct a workshop on the value of public art.
On Nov. 10, at 3 p.m., Christine Garcia, assistant professor of English, will moderate a panel discussion featuring artists Esteban Ramon Perez and Felipe Baeza. Perez and Baeza will discuss the multiplicity of Latinx and Chicano identity politics manifested in their artwork. Pérez, from Los Angeles, is an interdisciplinary artist-in-residence at NXTHVN in New Haven. Visit https://www.nxthvn.com for more information. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico, Baeza incorporates painting and printmaking to examine how memory, migration and displacement work to create a state of hybridity and fugitivity.
Other events, with dates and times to be announced, include “The New Feminism,” which will be hosted by the Windham/Willimantic chapter of the NAACP and ACLU. The discussion will tie subjects in Urrea’s book to the issues of immigration, racism, escalating tensions on the border between Mexico and the United States, bravery and more. These discussions may be held in the Art Gallery and presented on Zoom. In addition, leaders of La Communidad Intellectual, in collaboration with El Instituto and the Puerto Rican and Latin American Cultural Center at the University of Connecticut, will host a series of discussions on Urrea’s book. Both groups support the success of first and second-year students at the University of Connecticut.
For more information on the Big Read Program, visit https://www.easternct.edu/big-read/index.html or contact Art Gallery Coordinator Yulia Tikhonova at tikhonovay@easternct.edu or call 860- 465-4625.
Local volunteers revitalize homes for families in need
AREA — A dozen small groups of corporate, civic and faith-based volunteers from Avon, East Hartford, Farmington and West Hartford discovered a safe way to make a difference as they prepared to revitalize 12 low-income homes with HomeFront on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Community helpers focused exclusively on exterior repairs, addressing dangerous steps and walkways, rotting decks, yard cleanups and homes long overdue for fresh coats of paint. The local non-profit, HomeFront, provided N-95 dust masks, rubber gloves, goggles, work gloves and hand sanitizers for all participating volunteers.
This outpouring is all part of HomeFront’s “Safer at Home” campaign to improve living conditions for 60 local families this year who are directly or indirectly in the crosshairs of the pandemic, whether through susceptibility to the illness or loss of employment. COVID required cancellation of HomeFront Day this past May for the first time in 32 years. Local outcry for help with repairs has only multiplied since then.
In the words of HomeFront’s Board Chair, Kenneth Wiegand, “‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ has been a familiar directive for all of us, but it has a slightly different meaning for the low-income families whose very homes are in hazardous, unhealthy shape. Our ‘Safer at Home’ commitment means bringing relief to those hurt by the first wave of this pandemic and improving the homes of those most at risk for future outbreaks.”
This modified approach to volunteer home repair is the second installment of HomeFront’s Safer at Home campaign. Since March, more than 27 local families have already received essential construction aid from HomeFront through its Critical Pro Repair initiative.
Skilled HomeFront staff teamed up with one or two pro volunteers to deliver crucial exterior repairs, such as wheelchair ramp installations, step and walkway overhauls and deck repairs to struggling families. Thanks to the generosity of The Home Depot Foundation, three large-scale projects will benefit local veterans.
The collective compassion of hands-on volunteers, product contributors, foundations and other donors brings HomeFront to the mark of more than 3,000 homes revitalized in program history, delivering $50 million of service where needed most. HomeFront is a community-based program dedicated to keeping low-income homeowners in their homes with an improved quality of life through substantial repairs completed at no cost to them. Visit www.homefrontprogram.org for more information.
Local participating volunteer groups are as follows: Charter-Spectrum Communications, Stamford; Charter-Spectrum Communications, New York; North American Martyrs Parish, East Hartford; Saint Ann’s Parish, Avon; Saint Edmund Campion Parish, East Hartford; and Saint Patrick’s Parish, Farmington.
The Home Depot Foundation, Atlanta, Ga., was a major sponsor. Other sponsors included The Mithun Family Foundation; The Norbert H. Hardner Foundation; Twenty Seven Foundation of Glastonbury; the City of Norwalk – Redevelopment Office; The Office for Catholic Social Justice of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Bloomfield; NewAlliance Foundation, New Haven; The James T. Lee Foundation, New York; The Katharine Matthies Foundation, Hartford; The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Hamden; Webster Bank, Waterbury; Downey Family Foundation, Westport; and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
Product and service contributors included Allway Tools, Behr Paint, Classic Tile, H.J. Hoffman & Co., The Home Depot, Marypat Design, Mercury Excelum, Pro Bono Partnership, and Wooster Brush Co.
New source of organic produce benefits Gifts of Love
SIMSBURY — A new source of organic produce will help feed those struggling with hunger. The Gifts of Love Farm is now offering some of its bountiful harvest to the community with all proceeds going to their programs to feed those in need.
The vegetables are available for purchase two ways: in pre-packaged Farm Boxes or at the Farm’s new farm stand. The Gifts of Love Farm is at 73 Wolcott Road.
The Farm Boxes feature organic, hand-picked vegetables for $20, plus the option to purchase additional items. The items available each week vary depending upon the harvest. There is also an option to donate a Farm Box to someone facing food insecurity.
The farm stand opened on Aug.14, offering organic, hand-picked produce every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. Customers can purchase produce such as jalapeños, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and specialty squash. All proceeds benefit Grifts of Love. The construction of the farm stand was the Eagle Scout project of a Simsbury native.
The certified organic produce from the Gifts of Love Farm has nourished the agency’s clients and added to the produce offered in local food pantries and social service organizations for years. In 2019, the Gifts of Love donated 10,477 pounds of produce to local food pantries and social service organizations, including Simsbury Social Services, Foodshare, Gifts of Love, Hartford Public Schools and Arc of Farmington Valley.
Those wishing to order Farm Boxes for themselves or as donations can place their orders and pay for them on the Gifts of Love website by Tuesday at 10 p.m. for pick-up starting at noon the following Friday. Pick-ups are contactless with Gifts of Love volunteers placing the boxes in customers’ vehicles after a socially-distance check-in. Those wishing to order produce may pay for it online or at the stand.
The #GiveaGiftofLove initiative was created to help the organization respond to the needs of their increasing number of clients. In addition to the 922 individuals they serve monthly, their client base has increased 10-percent as more and more people lose their jobs or have their hours cut back due to the pandemic. For more information or to purchase or donate a Farm Box, visit GiftsofLoveCT.org and go to “Farm Box” under the Gifts of Love Farm tab.
Simsbury High School Fencing Club hosting two fundraising activities
SIMSBURY — Students of the Simsbury High School’s Fencing Club need the public’s help to raise necessary funds for much needed equipment upgrades and tournament travel. They are holding fundraising nights at Iron Horse Pizza, 21 Iron Horse Blvd., both for takeout and dine-in from 1 p.m. to midnight on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, and Feb. 11, 2021. They also have a drop-off box for returnable cans and bottles in a shed behind Simsbury High School, 34 Farms Village Road.
The club would like to raise $15,000 to purchase upgraded equipment, for team members, as well as for transportation fees to tournaments; because there are no local tournaments in the nearby vicinity. Thus far, they have benefitted from ongoing donations of returnable cans and bottles from local establishments such as the Plan B Restaurant, the Old Well Tavern, and the Simsbury Farms and Hopmeadow Country Club’s grill and pub. The club encourages residents to drop off bags of returnable bottles and cans, in a small shed near the auto shop, behind Simsbury High School. The shed is open 24/7.
Thanks to Iron Horse Pizza, 20-percent of its profits will be given to the SHS Fencing Club for dine-in or takeout from 1 p.m. to midnight on Thursday, Nov. 12. Club members will put on demonstrations during the dinner hour, on the outside patio under the lights.
Patrons should mention to their server that they support SHS Fencing and they will make sure their purchase counts. Tom Palmer is an Intervention Teacher at Simsbury High School and the fencing club’s advisor. He has been working for over two years to build funding for the club. Some of the team’s equipment is donated, but much of it is old and worn out. Most schools that they compete against are not local, such as Cheshire Academy and Guilford High School; so they need funding for transportation.
“I want our kids to be recognized and valued for their accomplishments in this martial arts sport,” he said. “It takes a lot of training and skill to be a top competitor in this sporting arena, and we definitely have the potential to be among the finest high school fencing teams in the state.”
Money collected from fundraising, so far, has been used to purchase five scoring clocks for a total of just over $5,000. The next large purchase is for several fencing strips, which are fields of play, where two competitors face-off against one another in a bout. These bouts continue until one player reaches five points or fifteen points; depending on the level they achieve during a tournament. After each point is scored, the players reset and play again. The fencers must keep both feet inside the area of the strip and may not pass behind one another. If a fencer goes beyond the strip or passes the competitor, action is stopped and play is reset. If a fencer retreats beyond the end line of the strip, the opponent wins a point.
The S.H.S. Fencing Club is also actively recruiting any Simsbury High student interested in joining. For more information on joining, donating equipment, or making a financial contribution, contact their advisor, Tom Palmer, at 860-658-0451, ext. 176.
Walking Tour: Discovering Historic Hartford with the Butler-McCook House & Garden
HARTFORD — Join Connecticut Landmarks’ Butler-McCook staff for a 1.5-mile walking tour on the sidewalks of Hartford’s historic Main Street from the Butler-McCook House & Garden to the G. Fox Building. Learn how the city has evolved by viewing and discussing some of Main Street’s significant structures, including: City Hall, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Travelers Tower, the Old State House, Center Church, and the Ancient Burying Ground.
The Discovering Historic Hartford walking tour takes place on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Heavy rain postpones the event until Sunday, Sept. 27. A $5 donation is suggested to support programming at the Butler-McCook House & Garden. Visit https://discovering-historic-hartford.eventbrite.com for more information or to register. In order to protect the health of our staff, visitors, and community, all visitors must wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines. The historic house museum interior will remain closed to the public.
Or, enjoy the walking tour on your own while accompanied by the new audio tour guide. Find the free audio tour at https://izi.travel/en/0090-discovering-historic-main-street-hartford/en or download the izi.TRAVEL app to your smartphone and search for “Discovering Historic Main Street, Hartford.”
The Butler-McCook House & Garden and Main Street History Center is located at 396 Main St. Visit www.ctlandmarks.org; https://www.facebook.com/butler.mccook; email butler.mccook@ctlandmarks.org, or call 860-247-8996, ext. 11, for more information.
Gallery on the Green presents “The New Normal” exhibit
CANTON — The Gallery on the Green continues its season with a members’ themed exhibit entitled,”The New Normal,” plus a solo show by Nancy Greco. These shows will be on exhibit from now through Sunday, Oct. 4.
Visit an historic gallery and view newly created fine art from the artist guilds’ 100-plus members. The shows provide an array of work from paintings, drawings, graphic arts and sculpture to ceramics, fiber/beadwork and photography. The gallery is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Nancy Greco’s solo show “Reflections” explores what it is that makes one object or thought more memorable or important than another and what makes something seem lasting rather than fleeting. The dream and symbolic imagery in her drawings is an attempt to open a dialogue with viewers, to encourage them to reflect upon their own memories and connections regarding the changeable way we evaluate what we look at or experience both present and past.
Greco went to Southern Connecticut State University and Wesleyan University and has an M.F.A. from Ohio State University. She received a Ford Foundation Grant, an Individual Artist’s Grant and a Visiting Artist’s Grant for Lithography Workshops for educators and students from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. Early awards include the First Award in the Pratt Graphics 6th International Miniature Print Exhibition in NYC and a First Place in The Connecticut Women Artists Open Juried Exhibition. In late 2017 she received an Individual Artist’s Grant from the Artist’s Resource Trust of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Last year, Greco was awarded The Maxwell Shepherd Prize at Gallery on the Green.
Greco’s solo exhibitions include Martin Sumers Gallery in New York City and the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, Connecticut. In 2018, Trustman Art Gallery at Simmons University was the venue for a solo show “Recurrence” that traced the appearance and transformation of symbolic imagery through nearly five decades of Greco’s prints and drawings.
The Gallery on the Green will be following the State of Connecticut’s COVID-19 reopening guidelines. All visitors inside the gallery are required to wear a mask and observe social distancing protocol. Given the circumstances, the above protocol may change in accordance with CT State guidelines. There will be no opening reception.
The Gallery on the Green is housed in a schoolhouse, circa 1872. There are three spacious galleries and an outdoor sculpture garden. The gallery is located at 5 Canton Green Road. The main floor gallery is handicapped accessible. Call 860-693-4102 or visit www.galleryonthegreen.org for more information. Pictured is “Alchemy” by Grego, a graphite drawing on paper.
Collinsville’s Spooktacular Road Race is on, sponsorship opportunities available
CANTON — The 4th annual Canton Dollars for Scholars Collinsville Trick or Trot 5K Road Race will return on Saturday, Oct. 24. This year, they are USATF certified. While there is always additional uncertainty in this time of COVID, organizers will work within all guidelines of social distancing, which may include staggered start times, if necessary.
All proceeds from the run benefit the Canton Dollars for Scholars general scholarship fund, which provides scholarships to Canton’s graduating high school seniors. This is the primary fundraiser event for the program. The budget for the race is kept low to allow maximum benefit to the students receiving scholarships.
This year, organizers are looking for sponsors for the event. There are various levels of sponsorship available, starting at $50 to receive mention on their social media and website. At higher levels, they will include your name or logo on T-shirts, on mile markers, etc.
Contact Laurie McKenna at Canton@DollarsforScholars.org for a sponsorship brochure and application. To appear on the T-shirt, please act quickly. Visit https://runsignup.com/Race/CT/Collinsville/CollinsvilleTrickorTrot for more information or to register.
Organizers will award the top male and female finishers, as well as the best costumes. There are treats at the turnaround for all participants. Registration is $30 and includes a T-shirt for the first 100 participants to register. Day of registration will be $40.
