October falls upon us with a full calendar of festivals, performances, art and autumn fun.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Silent Springs, Windswept Seas: Rachel Carson’s Environmental Vision
Through Sunday | Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
It’s the final week to see the Beinecke’s Rachel Carson exhibit, which gathers manuscripts, notebooks, photographs and personal letters tracing the environmental writer’s life and work. On Monday at 4 p.m. at the Beinecke, exhibition designer David Jon Walker discusses how the show came together; on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Yale University Art Gallery, writer Terry Tempest Williams delivers the keynote “Rachel Carson: Prophecy, Oracles, and Omens.”
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Sober State: Origins of Alcohol Prohibition in India
Noon | Yale University
Historian Darinee Alagirisamy discusses the history of alcohol prohibition in India, from the colonial period through its adoption as a major political project after independence.
Pennywise
7:30 p.m. | Toad’s Place | $43+
California punk mainstays Pennywise headline a deep hardcore bill featuring the Circle Jerks, the influential L.A. band founded by original Black Flag singer Keith Morris; New York melodic-hardcore veterans H2O; and Queens hardcore lifers Murphy’s Law.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
The Black Schooner: Rebellion on the Amistad
5 p.m. reception; 6 p.m. program | New Haven Museum | Free
Historian Marcus Rediker and artist David Lester launch their new graphic novel retelling the Amistad rebellion from the perspective of the West Africans who led it.
The Yawpers / Wolf Harbor / The 509ers
8 p.m. | Cafe Nine, 250 State St. | $12 advance; $15 door | 21+
Colorado rockers The Yawpers headline a three-band bill with New Haven’s Wolf Harbor and longtime local garage-rockers The 509ers.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
Open Studios New Haven
Various times and locations | New Haven
Open Studios begins a month of exhibitions, receptions and peeks inside local artists’ workspaces. Opening-night programming includes a reception for Glorious Index: Small Works by Open Studios Artists at the Institute Library.
Kiara Matos, Beth Klingher and Beatriz Santini
Kiara Matos Studio | 137 Orange St.
Ceramicist Kiara Matos opens her downtown studio for an exhibition featuring her work alongside pieces by Beth Klingher and Beatriz Santini.
The Monthly Slice: Francis Rosselli of Frank Pepe’s
6 p.m. | New Haven Museum
Francis Rosselli, grandson of Frank and Filomena Pepe, shares family stories, photographs and artifacts from the history of New Haven’s most famous pizzeria.
The Hidden Power of Sleep
6–7:30 p.m. | One Century Tower, 265 Church St.
Dr. Wendy Troxel discusses how sleep affects brain health, stress, emotional well-being and relationships. The evening, which includes drinks and appetizers, benefits Start School Later’s push for healthier school start times.
The Promised Land
7 p.m. | Humanities Quadrangle | Free
The Yale Film Archive screens The Promised Land, Andrzej Wajda’s Oscar-nominated epic about three ambitious friends trying to build a factory in a ruthless 19th-century industrial city.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark
3 p.m. | Sterling Memorial Library
Author Craig Fehrman discusses his new history of the Lewis and Clark expedition, expanding the story beyond its two famous names to include Sacagawea, York, John Ordway, Wolf Calf and others.
Twilight Brew Maze + The Orchard Trials
5–10 p.m. | Lyman Orchards, Middlefield | Prices vary
Lyman Orchards goes from fall fun to fright night: Twilight Brew Maze runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m., pairing the corn maze with six four-ounce pours from Connecticut breweries and lawn games, before The Orchard Trials takes over from 7 to 10 p.m. with an immersive haunted attraction.
Friday Night Ceramics Workshop
6:30–9:30 p.m. | Guilford Art Center | $55 + $15 materials fee
Adults can hand-build and glaze a bowl, vase, platter, garden piece or some other clay creation of their dreams.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
8 p.m. | University Theatre
Yale Rep opens a new production of August Wilson’s landmark play, returning Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to the theater where it had its world premiere more than 40 years ago.
Anna Webber’s Shimmer Wince
8:30 & 10 p.m. | Firehouse 12
Saxophonist and composer Anna Webber leads her quintet through intricately composed, rhythmically novel jazz with plenty of room for improvisation.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
New Haven Dragon Boat Festival
7 a.m.–4 p.m. | Canal Dock Boathouse
Colorful boats filled with teams of paddlers race across New Haven Harbor to the beat of onboard drummers during the annual waterfront festival.
Rail Trail 10K
8 a.m. | Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, Hamden
The tenth annual race follows a flat, car-free stretch of the canal trail and doubles this year as the Road Runners Club of America’s Eastern Region 10K Championship.
Biodiversity Hike
9:30–11:30 a.m. | Sleeping Giant State Park | Free
Sleeping Giant Park Association naturalists offer an easy-to-moderate walk taking a look at all kinds of plants and animals found in the park.
New Haven Chalk Art Festival
Noon–4 p.m. | Broadway District | Free
More than 60 professional and amateur artists turn the pavement into temporary artworks during an expanded festival featuring live entertainment, kids’ activities and a Family Fun Zone.
New Haven Pride
Noon–4 p.m. | Orange and Crown Streets | Free
New Haven Pride takes over the 9th Square with live music, drag, DJs, giant puppets, vendors, food trucks, and games, followed by afterparties around town.
Between Worlds Opening Reception
2–5 p.m. | Ely Center of Contemporary Art, 162 James St. | Free
Curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah, Between Worlds brings together 25 artists working across painting, photography, sculpture, video, installation and mixed media.
Snail Mail + Soccer Mommy
7 p.m. | College Street Music Hall
Indie-rock singer-songwriters Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy co-headline at College Street, with Brennan Wedl opening.
Celebrate Wallingford
Saturday & Sunday | Downtown Wallingford
North Main and Center Streets fill with food, shopping, live music, vendors and community activities during the town’s big annual downtown festival.
Jazz’n Downtown
All day | Downtown Milford
Milford’s inaugural downtown jazz festival spreads across four stages with Brass Queens, Alicia Olatuja, Jimmy Greene, Zaccai Curtis, Etienne Charles, Jay Rowe, Trio Brasileiro, Hot Club of Black Rock and Benny Benack III, plus dance lessons, glassblowing, poetry and family activities. At 7:30 p.m., Wycliffe Gordon and Tina Fabrique close the day with a ticketed tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Animal Awareness Day
11 a.m.–3 p.m. | Guilford Fairgrounds
Rescue groups, pet-related vendors, mini therapy horses, animal and dog-training demonstrations, food trucks and a giant bake sale gather for a day that also includes the annual Blessing of the Animals.
Fall Festival & Marketplace
11 a.m.–3 p.m. | Madison Beach Hotel | Free
The waterfront hotel hosts local artisans, live music, kids’ activities and fall food and drinks during its annual fall marketplace.
Howling Giant
8 p.m. | Space Ballroom, Hamden
Nashville heavy-psych trio Howling Giant brings its mix of big riffs, prog detours and sci-fi-minded stoner rock to Hamden.
