The first unofficial week of summer ushers in a big, busy weekend outside.
Monday, May 27 - Memorial Day
Area Memorial Day Parades happen in Derby/Shelton at 9 a.m. and in Hamden and Madison at 10 a.m.
At 1 p.m., a tantalizing hike presented by the Guilford Conservation Land Trust “scampers up and through a boulder field, follows a stream in a beautiful, mossy canyon, and then leads to views of the quarry in Branford.” Hikers should “meet in the little lot on the right side across from the Solstice Living Center parking lot,” with a caveat: “More than a drizzle cancels the hike.”
Tuesday, May 28
At 6:30 p.m. at Yale’s Leitner Observatory, a “Science and Faith in Astronomy” event features “an open conversation” between Dr. Graziella di Tullio Zinn and Leitner director Michael Faison “about the role that faith plays (and doesn’t play) in our understanding of the Universe. This is not a debate about science and religion, but rather a discussion about the interplay and limitations of science and faith.”
Wednesday, May 29
At noon at Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library, John Mills discusses individuals who served in “the Connecticut 29th and 30th Colored Regiments, and the 31st U.S. Colored Troops” during the Civil War. The talk will “dig into how [the regiments] were formed, who the men were, what their experiences were, and how we honor them today.”
At 6:30, East Rock Brewing hosts an Arrested Development-themed trivia night, where contestants will do their best not to make any huge mistakes.
Yesterday (which is sold out) through June 23 in the black box at 53 Wall Street, Long Wharf Theatre presents Amm(i)gone, where “creator and performer Adil Mansoor brings us on his deeply personal journey to translate and adapt the play Antigone with his Ammi (his mother). Despite the deep love between them, their relationship is strained—Ammi struggles to accept Adil’s queerness and turns towards her faith in an attempt to save her son in the afterlife. Adil turns to an ancient Greek theatrical text to break the silence between them. Amm(i)gone asks: How do you choose between love and faith? What is lost (or gained) in translation, and what transcends language itself?” Tonight’s show starts at 7.
Also at 7, it’s a completely different kind of drama: Speed, the 1994 action thriller that solidified both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock as bonafide movie stars, screening at Yale’s Humanities Quadrangle.
Thursday, May 30
“Camaraderie, philanthropy, food and drinks” are the promises of a New Haven Promise soiree at Hotel Marcel from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. NHP incentivizes academic and career success for local youth, by offering to subsidize in-state college tuition costs for New Haven public school students who meet certain academic standards. Tonight’s party honors a couple of the organization’s longtime marquee partners: president and CEO of The Community Foundation William Ginsberg and Yale’s outgoing president Peter Salovey.
The timing isn’t clear, but a “drummer vs. DJ battle” tonight at Stella Blues sounds fun.
Friday, May 31
Presented by NEU/BODY, “techno legend” Adam X, a DJ and record label runner who was one of America’s first champions of techno music back in the early ’90s, comes to New Haven for an 11 p.m. rave at Cafe Nine. X’s “uncompromised sets reflect his unique perspective and acute knowledge of the genre, as well as his cross-genre sensibilities. Expect an edge of genre defiance, with cross-pollination from acid, industrial, and EBM.”
Saturday, June 1
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 10 to 4 tomorrow, a Shoreline Antiques & Retro Market benefitting the Hyland House Museum brings antique/vintage dealers, food trucks, live music and Thimble Island Brewery—plus local gallerist and auctioneer Fred Giampietro for appraisals of “your heirlooms and keepsakes” today from 10 to 2—to the Guilford Fairgrounds.
The Bonsai Society of Greater New Haven’s annual exhibition in the carriage house at Edgerton Park runs from 10 to 4 today and tomorrow, with a reception at 4 today.
The 67th annual Little Folks Fair entertains the kids, especially, with “bounce houses, [a] petting zoo with donkey rides, our famous little train, [a] circus arena and much more,” plus “great… food,” from 11 to 4 on the Guilford Green.
From noon to 4, Hamden’s Pride Fest “celebrate[s] the LGBTQIA+ community” at Town Center Park. “Festivities at this free, family-friendly celebration will include kid-friendly performances, various food trucks, a DJ, live musicians, vendors, and fun activities for kids.”
Also at noon, Preservation Connecticut staff discuss the history of a home that’s currently on the market, during an 11 a.m. open house event. “Located at 76 Everit Street, this house was built for Winchester Bennett, grandson of Oliver Winchester (founder of Winchester Repeating Arms) in 1909.”
After a sold-out opening party last night, an Elm City Freddy Fixer Weekend celebration proceeds with a Dixwell neighborhood festival promising “over 40 vendors, food trucks, line dancing, children’s activities, giveaways, and live music” from 1 to 6 p.m. outside the Q House.
At 3 at SCSU’s Lyman Center, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s season finale offers “a dazzling afternoon of Broadway’s iconic Latina roles… including Nina and Vanessa from In the Heights, Gloria Estefan from On Your Feet!, and Maria from West Side Story. NYC’s new sweetheart, Linedy Genao, returns home to Connecticut following her critically acclaimed starring role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella to make her NHSO debut, joined by combined voices from CT Gay Men’s Chorus and Hamden’s Whitney Players.”
An opening reception for Seminal Journey, an exhibition of work by painter Frank Bruckmann and sculptor Gar Waterman, lasts from 3 to 6 at Kehler Liddell Gallery.
Sunday, June 2
“Hundreds of pirates”—and you could be one of them—are expected to congregate in downtown Milford for the town’s 22nd Annual Pirate’s Day. “Dress like a pirate, rock out with Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate, and”—at noon—“watch Captain Kidd and his mutinous crew invade Milford Harbor!” Also enjoy a pancake breakfast as early as 9 a.m.; vendors at Lisman’s Landing from 10 to 3; a kids’ treasure hunt at nearby businesses from 11 to 2; and a lot more.
Sail Haven, a Canal Dock Boathouse program offering members access to sailing equipment along with lessons and assessments, holds an open house at the boathouse from 1 to 4 p.m. “Volunteers will be on hand to take you out out for a sail on New Haven Harbor on a first-come basis. We'll have life jackets on hand [but] encourage you to bring your own—especially children sizes as our inventory is limited.”
At The Beeracks in East Haven, “the second Warcock Flea Market” promises “clothing, home goods, collectibles and more” from 1 to 6.
Elm City Freddy Fixer Weekend culminates with the traditional Freddy Fixer Parade, stepping off from Bassett Street and Dixwell Avenue at 1:30 p.m. and finishes at the Dixwell/Goffe/Whalley convergence at the top of Broadway.
The New Haven Museum’s Pardee-Morris House opens its 2024 summer season with a 2 o’clock tai chi class on the lawn with Aiping Tai Chi owner/director Shifu Shirley Chock.
At 7:30, four-time Grammy-winning vocalist and guitarist Gary Clark Jr. brings his “ever-expanding creative palette” to the Shubert.
Written by Dan Mims. Image, featuring the Pardee-Morris House, provided courtesy of the New Haven Museum. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
