S ummer’s unofficial first week offers a parade, cruise nights, a sweaty dance party, an outdoor screening of a seasonal classic, live music in a beer garden and a chance to get out on the water.
Monday, May 31 – Memorial Day
Stepping off at 10:30 a.m., the 2021 West Haven Memorial Day Parade—“Southern Connecticut’s oldest and largest”—returns after a pandemic year off and features a “40-unit procession of veterans, dignitaries and bands along the 1 ½-mile parade course, which goes up Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Center Street.”
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Wednesday, June 2
Two weekly cruise nights running from 6 to 9 p.m. vie for admirers of classic cars. One of them happens at Milford Sports Pub & Grill (290 Old Gate Ln, Milford; 203-252-2550), the other at Cockeyed Crow Bar & Grill (630 Washington Ave, North Haven; 203-691-6730).
Thursday, June 3
Shake ’n’ Vibrate, a monthlong “all star DJ series” at Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281), kicks off today with all-vinyl turns by resident DJ B the T Jr and guest DJ Dooley-O from 8 to 10 p.m. No cover.
Friday, June 4
From noon to 1 p.m., the latest virtual at home conversation presented by the Yale Center for British Art features Nigerian-born British fashion designer and curator Duro Olowu—known for “innovative combinations of colors and patterns, harmonious juxtapositions of vintage textiles with custom fabrics, and impeccably tailored silhouettes”—and Valerie Steele, a Yale alumna who’s now the director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Free; register here.
As dusk settles in at 7 p.m., Salt Meadow Park (1362 Boston Post Rd, Madison) hosts a free outdoor screening of The Sandlot (1993). Following a ragtag group of boys brought together by baseball during the summer of 1962, the PG-rated comedy “isn’t about winning and losing” but rather “about growing up and facing your fears,” as Roger Ebert put it in his contemporaneous review. Organizers advise “bring[ing] your favorite movie snacks and a flashlight in case you need to use the porta-potty” while warning that parking is limited.
Saturday, June 5
The Beeracks (250 Bradley St, East Haven), billed as “Connecticut’s first collaborative brewery,” brews beers for eight different brands and, starting at 6:30 p.m., will host three bands as well: Chousand, American Thrills and Say What You Will. “This is a socially distanced show and masks will be required!” No cover.
Sunday, June 6
From 8 a.m. to noon, a Community Day at the Canal Dock Boathouse (475 Long Wharf Dr, New Haven) promises “an excellent way to get out on the water, experience the fresh harbor air, and engage with the community” by “allow[ing] anyone to take a spin in a kayak, paddleboard, dragon boat, or rowing shell. … No experience necessary!” Free.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Image features the gangway at the Canal Dock Boathouse. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
