The last full week in April is usually tentpoled by major annual events, and this year is no exception.
Monday, April 22 – Earth Day
For decades, Earth Day events retained an optimistic bent. Now our ecological crises are so far progressed that preparing for the worst—along with doing much more than we have been, both individually and collectively, to limit the damage—feels necessary. At 5:30 p.m. in Yale’s Kroon Hall (195 Prospect St, New Haven), University of California, Santa Cruz professor James Zachos, whose research examines prehistoric eras of warming as evidenced by the fossil record, discusses “Preparing for Future Climate Change: Lessons from the Past,” with a reception preceding the lecture at 5. Free.
Next Stop: New Haven is “a night of song and celebration to benefit the Shubert Theatre” (247 College St, New Haven; 203-562-5666), offering “cocktails and small bites from New Haven’s finest restaurants” at 5:30 p.m.; performances by “Broadway’s rising stars” Julian Decker (Les Misérables and Sunset Boulevard), Noah J. Ricketts (Frozen) and Kimber Sprawl (Beautiful and A Bronx Tale) at 7; and a dessert reception spanning the lobby and mezzanine lounge—or, for VIP ticket buyers, an on-stage reception with the stars—at 8:30. Regular tickets to the fundraiser cost $75 (or $30 for guests under 30), with VIP tickets running $175.
Also, the festival honoring them is Sunday, but Wooster Square’s cherry blossoms are peaking now (pictured above). Consider visiting them both sooner and later.
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Tuesday, April 23
One day in advance, the city is celebrating its 381st birthday. Held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the atrium at City Hall (165 Church St, New Haven), the event features a ceremony honoring the 2019 City Spirit award winners, a performance by Survivors Swing Band and refreshments. Free.
Wednesday, April 24
Ives Main Library (133 Elm St, New Haven; 203-946-8130) hosts a 30-minute partial screening of Our Boy in Kandahar, a forthcoming “non-commercial documentary film that immerses viewers in the searing experiences of young infantry soldiers during the twilight of the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan” and “illuminates a chapter of the War on Terror that largely went unnoticed by the general public, while also providing insights into the economic forces that drive young people to serve in today’s all-volunteer military.” Attending the screening is the film’s director, Scott Bransford, who plans to “give participants a glimpse into the production process and discuss the future of this project.” Free.
Thursday, April 25
Between 5:30 and 9 p.m. at the Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop (915 Whitney Ave, Hamden; 203-777-1833), the 25th annual Leonardo Challenge fills the walls with artworks prompted by this year’s theme: “Mask & Metaphor.” It also fills the halls with people, who in turn fill their bellies with “special Koffee? cocktails,” “treasures from the fromagerie at Olmo,” “brew from Black Hog Brewery,” pizza “artistry” from “Doug Coffin’s kitchen and Big Green Truck Pizza,” “old-world breads of Whole G’s artisan bakers” and “Small Kitchen, Big Taste’s organic fare,” plus “fine wines and spirits.” Tickets to the fundraiser start at $75, with higher tiers available for those who are feeling especially generous.
Friday, April 26
The New Haven Theater Company’s latest production, of Dale Wasserman’s adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, began its three-weekend run yesterday and continues tonight at 8. The main character is Randle Patrick McMurphy, an “exuberant, fun-loving rebel” who “swaggers into a mental hospital and takes over,
Saturday, April 27
The 11th annual Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride, which raises funds for local organizations whose activities benefit the environment, is actually several bike rides, with routes of five miles, 12 miles, 20 miles, 40 miles and a “metric century” (100 kilometers or 62 miles). All routes begin at West Rock’s Common Ground High School (358 Springside Ave, New Haven)—where day-of registration, “a tasty farm breakfast” and pre-ride entertainment begin at 8:15 a.m.—and end at East Rock’s College Woods, where a live music-accompanied lunch and celebration run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Chetstone House (154 East Grand Ave, New Haven), a beautiful restored Victorian home in Fair Haven Heights, is the site of a Spring Makers Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market features “more than a dozen local artists, working in ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry, photography, printmaking, mixed-media and more,” as well as “light refreshments.”
Artspace’s big fundraising gala and benefit auction this year is called Chromaphilia, so you can expect a lot of color as you “bid on work in our live and silent auctions; enjoy great food by Barcelona; and help support vital programs, like our Summer Apprenticeship Program for New Haven Youth.” The evening begins at 5 p.m. at Artspace itself (50 Orange St, New Haven), with the silent auction and a photo booth. Then it proceeds to The Vault (45 Church St, New Haven) for the usually boisterous and entertaining live auction, which starts at 7, and a final flourish of dessert and coffee at 8. Regular tickets cost $150, with patron-level tickets, which confer perks including access to a VIP lounge, going for $300.
Sunday, April 28
The 46th annual Cherry Blossom Festival happens from noon to 4:30 at Wooster Square, where live music from jazz to Caribbean to salsa meets various local food vendors, “more than 30 artists and authors,” nonprofits, a pet-friendly zone and a family and kids area. Free to attend.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.