A harvest dance, a visual arts bonanza, kids in costumes and other local October staples highlight a week thatโs busy and dynamic even by New Haven standards.
Monday, October 9
A top Chinese poet and a top American translator team up for a reading and conversation at Luce Hall (34 Hillhouse Ave, Rm 203, New Haven) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The poet is Zang Di, whoโs also a โcritic, translator and editorโ and โwidely acknowledged as one of the leading poets and literary critics of his generation,โ while his compatriot is Eleanor Goodman, a prize-winning researcher at Harvard who translates Diโs work, among othersโ, and put out her own book of poems in 2016. Free.
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Tuesday, October 10
At College Street Music Hall (238 College St, New Haven; 877-987-6487), Third Eye Blind, who deservedly owned a good share of rock and pop radio in the late โ90s, are playing an 8 p.m. show for $30 to $45. In the 20 years since the groupโs debut record, when it almost immediately sold millions and millions of copies, the bandโs had a semi-charmed life, losing two original members and the huge spotlight it once had. But the handful of albums released in the interim contain plenty of jumpers, while lead singer/writer Stephan Jenkins doesnโt seem to have lost his youthful edge.
Wednesday, October 11
Today is Founderโs Day at Yale. Helping mark the 316th birthday of the schoolโs formation is a series of public-facing, sometimes behind-the-scenes tours of places like Moryโs (306 York St, New Haven; every 30 minutes from noon to 3), Harkness Tower (High St between Chapel and Elm; every 30 minutes from 11 a.m. to 1:30) and the University and Yale Repertory Theatres (starting at 222 York St, New Haven; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.).
Unrelatedly, the founder of a pop culture dynasty is playing at the Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St, New Haven). Alien (1979), specifically a 35mm print of the directorโs cutโwhich is actually โslightly shorterโ than the original theatrical release but โincludes many alternate scenesโโscreens at 7 p.m. Free.
Thursday, October 12
Congregation Mishkan Israel (785 Ridge Rd, Hamden; 203-288-3877) hosts Comic Relief: An Interfaith Fundraiser for the Immigrant Bail Fund, โa family-friendly standup comedy show by Muslim, Jewish and Christian comedians: Gibran Saleem, Rabbi Bob Alper and Reverend Susan Sparks.โ Joined by Whatโs on Tap, a โYale post-grad a capella groupโ whose โrepertoire consists of well-known selections of pop, oldies and rock,โ proceeds will go towards helping beleaguered immigrants โfight their deportations with their families from a position of freedom.โ $10 suggested donation.
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Friday, October 13
Itโs October, and itโs Friday the 13th. If that doesnโt make you want to marathon horror movies, then you might head over to the Whitneyville Cultural Commons (1253 Whitney Ave, Hamden) for the Fourth Annual New Haven Farms Harvest Celebration and Contra Dance, where the vibes couldnโt be less scary. Leading the โtraditional New England folk tradition, similar to a square dance,โ is distinguished local contra caller Bill Fischer, with beer and wine for sale plus hors dโoeuvres and a silent auction. Regular tickets cost $28 and VIP tickets, which include โa signature cocktail and exclusive hors dโoeuvres,โ go for $55. 7 to 10 p.m.
Saturday, October 14
The second full weekend in October means the second weekend of City-Wide Open Studios. Held from noon to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow, Armory Weekendโnamed after its host, the Goffe Street Armory (290 Goffe St, New Haven)โfeatures some 160 artists and nine commissions distributed throughout a humongous and historic building, filling a former locker room, kitchen, attic, drill hall and a maze of unique spaces between with fine visual arts of every stripe (like work by Jesse Peck, installed last year, pictured in detail above). Free.
A day of seeing artworks leads to a night of hearing others. At 7:30 at the Unitarian Society of New Haven (700 Hartford Tpke, Hamden), educational nonprofit Music Haven celebrates 10 years of work with a free 7:30 concert by its quartet-in-residence, the Haven String Quartet, performing Schubert, Mozart, Telemann and more. At 8 p.m. at The Outer Space (295 Treadwell St, Hamden; 203-288-6400; $8), Model Decoy plays its trademark power pop/R&B tunes inspired by โnerdโ culture, like a song that takes Knivesโs side against Scott Pilgrim and another that tries to capture what itโs like to feel infatuation from the perspective of Abed Nadir, a naturally stoic character from the show Community. Also at 8, inside Lyric Hall (827 Whalley Ave, New Haven; 203-389-8885; $30), New Haven Jazz Week 2017 kicks off eight days of shows around the city with a performance by the Giacomo Gates Quartet, whose leader is โknown for his smoky tenor styleโ and โcroons in the tradition of vocalese masters Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks while adding his own hipster elements.โ
Sunday, October 15
The Blackstone Library (758 Main St, Branford; 203-488-1441) undergoes its annual transfiguration into Hogwarts, giving local kids ages six and up a chance to immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter. Encouraged to dress the part of budding wizards, โupon arrival, children will be escorted by Prefects to the Great Hall,โ organizers say, โwhere they will be greeted by Professor McGonagall. From there, attendees will take classes in Charms, Potions, and Divination,โ as well as solve an โescape challengeโ posed by the odious Dolores Umbridge. Tickets cost $30 per child, and half of the libraryโs four two-hour sessionsโyesterday and today at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.โare already sold out.
Striking both a more and less sober note, a fundraiser for the tenants and workers displaced by the recent fire at 157 Orange Street happens from noon to eight in Temple Plaza (160 Temple St, New Haven), where thereโll be live music (including from bagpipers), raffles, big-screen televisions showing NFL games and โgreat friends,โ plus โgood drinksโ and โdelicious foodโ for sale.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Image depicts detail of work by Jesse Peck, shown last year during Armory Weekend. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.