Literary treatments, international engagements and local historymaking give us plenty of options.
Monday, September 16
The next “Mondays at Beinecke” virtual talk features researcher Hope McGrath discussing John William Creed, who worked as a custodian at Skull & Bones in the middle of the 19th century. “McGrath will discuss Creed [and] his family, impact, and legacy, as well as the context of Black and working-class life in New Haven in the 19th century—and the archival work and methods that help us find these stories.”
Tuesday, September 17
At Yale, a festival of “lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and performances” to celebrate the winners of the 2024 Windham-Campbell Prizes—unrestricted grants of $175,000 given to writers meant to help them “focus on their work independent of financial concerns”—kicks off with a public welcome party at 5 p.m. Located somewhere on College Street, presumably along Yale’s campus, the party—which, like the rest of the fest, is open to the public—offers “food and music as we welcome the 2024 recipients to campus! Free food from The Big Green Truck Pizza, Pitaziki, Taqueria Tlaxcala, and Sweet Cupcasions. Music by Yale's own DJ VNA.”
An 8 p.m. Sea Shanty Night at Cafe Nine features “chanteyman, musician, chef, and sailor” Marc Bernier and The Druthers, “a rotating lineup of all-stars from the Connecticut music scene” singing “rebel songs of Ireland and the sea.”
Wednesday, September 18
From 5 to 7 p.m., the next installment of the Institute Library’s “Spinning Poetry” series, led by “tour guide” Phillip Beard, offers “a little chance to relax and think and absorb noted works of poetry as read by [their] authors,” in this case recordings of Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot and Edith Sitwell.
At 6:30, find fellowship with local fantasy fans at East Rock Brewing, where a trivia night focuses on Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Thursday, September 19
From 7 to 9 p.m. at Best Video in Hamden, the inaugural meeting of the Sleeping Giant Reading Series brings “writers and book lovers” together for author readings—this time by acclaimed local novelists Sandi Shelton (pen name Maddie Dawson) and Hirsh Sawhney—as well as a “Writers’ Happy Hour.”
Friday, September 20
At 4:30 p.m. at Yale’s Humanities Quadrangle, the Franke Program screens Fire of Love (2022), which tells “the extraordinary love story of intrepid French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died just as explosively as they lived—capturing the most spectacular imagery ever recorded of their greatest passion: volcanoes.”
Starting at 5 this evening and ending at 10 tomorrow night, Milford Oktoberfest—“Connecticut’s oldest and largest,” according to organizers—convenes beer sellers, food trucks, live bands (including an “oompah band” Saturday afternoon) and food-eating, stein-holding and cornholing competitors, plus “traditional vendors and specialty German stein vendors,” at Fowler Field.
Saturday, September 21
CT Horrorfest slashes through the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford from 10 to 7 today and 11 to 5 tomorrow. Alongside vendors, photo ops, costume contests and more, 20 celebrity guests are set to appear, including names (or at least faces) even non-horror fans will recognize, such as Alex Winter, a.k.a. Bill from the Bill & Ted series, though he’s here, along with some of his costars, for his vampiric work in The Lost Boys; Kathy Najimy, who played one of the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus one year after playing a very different kind in Sister Act; and Peter Weller, the original RoboCop. The panel discussions look strong as well, including one featuring the whole main cast of The Blair Witch Project (1999).
Two more Oktoberfests start at 11:30 a.m. and last all day. Haven Beer Company in Hamden promises “an authentic German menu and all the beer you can drink” plus live music and stein-holding contests, while Dockside Brewery in Milford promises “authentic Oktoberfest food and music, stein holding contests, and more beer than your heart can desire!”
The New Haven Museum’s next exploration of “What’s in the Whitney Library?” focuses on the theme of “Unbuilt New Haven.” From noon to 4, “librarian Emma Norden will showcase some of the Elm City’s ambitious plans that never materialized.”
From noon to 7 today and noon to 6 tomorrow, St. Basil’s Greek Orthodox Church hosts a cultural fair. “Enjoy delicious Greek food, participate in a raffle, and browse Greek products.”
At 8, Hamden’s Space Ballroom hosts Etran de L’Air. Hailing all the way from Niger—specifically the city of Agadez, “the capital of Saharan rock”—the band reportedly plays a “pan-African” style of Tuareg rock music, “invok[ing] the exuberance of an Agadez wedding.”
Sunday, September 22
The next New Haven Record Riot begins bright and early at 9:30 a.m.—or even brighter and earlier if you spring for an early admission pass—at the Annex YMA Club. Guests can browse “over 40 tables of ace LPs, CDs, 45s and more” courtesy of “dealers from New England and beyond.”
Taste of New England, a festival at the North Haven Fairgrounds, lasts from noon to 5 and offers “food trucks, musical entertainment, [a] children’s area, demonstrations throughout the day, [a] beer garden, cornhole, a pie-eating contest and so much more.”
Also in North Haven, from 1 to 5, a dog-friendly Hounds for Homes event at the Twelve Percent Beer Project raises funds for Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven. Along with access to live music, a silent auction, a photo booth and “sweet treats,” each ticket confers a complimentary beer and order of tots, while canine guests “will receive a complimentary bandana.”
At 3 in Woolsey Hall, the 131-year-old New Haven Symphony Orchestra opens its first season led by conductor and music director Perry So, with a program featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the talents of solo vocalists and choirs.
Written by Dan Mims. Image features Maurice and Katia Krafft in a still from Fire of Love. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
