Art Exhibits, Museums Historic Places ______________________________

The Barnum Museum, 820 Main St, Bridgeport; 203-331-1104.

*(new show) Opened April 26, on view indefinitely: “Recovery In Action,” museum artifacts saved from June 2010 tornado & others that have been restored during renovations on view in lower gallery (use double doors at back of building for entrance, front doors still inaccessible; no charge), also exploration of the complexities of a disaster recovery for museum setting.

Koenig FrameWorks, 97 Main St South/Rte 25, Newtown; 203-270-1887.

Through April 28: “Atmospheres,” very detailed line illustrations by DeAnn L. Prosia & oil paintings by Joanne Conant, gallery’s latest exhibition to be produced in partnership w/ Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance.

Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose St, Newtown; 203-270-4201.

*(new show) Through April 30: “Horse Drawn Revisited,” collection of large scale drawings by Ival Stratford-Kovner executed in charcoal, monochromatic pastel, oil stick & selected burnt sienna wash, depicting horses of The Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard; April 30, closing reception, 3 pm.

Stone River Grille, 1 Glen Rd, Sandy Hook; 203-270-1200.

*show dates extended, new art added: Through May 30: “Art About Town,” works by Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) members Lee Brownell, Pam Danneman, Suzanne Molineaux, Adele Moros, Margaret Moss, Robert Rabinowitz Glen River Barbara Saltman, Marianne Scanlon, & Roberta Shea, Amy Skillen & Virginia Zic in The Hawley Warner Room (non-diners welcome to visit show any time restaurant is open).

Auditions, Juried Events ___________________

Newbury Musical Theatre Company, at Main Street Ballet, 124 South Pomperaug Ave, Woodbury; 203-264-1009, NewburyMusicalTheatre.org.

April 25-26: Auditions for Oklahoma!, 7:30-9 pm each night, all roles available for production to be staged July 27-29 at Pomperaug High School, Southbury, artistic directors Jim Tornatore & Cynthia Servetas have openings for performers entering grade 7 to adult, seasoned & novices all welcome, college students encouraged to call for appt if not home on break, rehearsals to run Mon-Thurs 6:30-9:30 in Woodbury, scenes rehearsed Fri eves, visit website for breakdown of roles & addt’l info.

Concerts, Musical Events __________________

April 28: “Phobias, the Music,” Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown, 7:30 pm, $10 adults, $8 students & seniors, Newtown Choral Society’s spring concert will offer musical exploration of the world of phobias through music that enhances each fear, program to include “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Send In The Clowns,” “Dancing Queen” and more; 203-426-3769.

April 28: Violin Recital: Lindsey Jones & Alexis Zingale at Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Rd, Newtown, 7 pm, performance of works incl Bach, Beethoven & Fauré, freewill offerings will benefit NUMC Memorial Fund (to go toward purchase of new digital carillon system for NUMC); 203-426-9998.

April 28: (new date, originally scheduled for April 21) The Yale Alley Cats at Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown, 7 pm, free (freewill offering to be collected) performance by 17-member all-male a cappella ensemble with diverse repertoire, prelude to be offered by Trinity Choristers; 203-426-9070.

April 28: Locally Grown Authors & Artists: Dave King, The Danbury Museum & Historical Society, 43 Main St, Danbury, 2 pm, free performance of acoustic rock by local singer-songwriter continues museum’s series highlighting local talents; 203-743-5200.

April 28: Monthly Ballroom Dance, Holy Trinity Green Church Community Center, 4070 Park Ave, Bridgeport, 7 pm-midnight, $17, free lesson at 8, performance by professional dance team Marat Gimaev & Alina Basyuk at 9:30, singles & couples welcome, refreshments available; 203-374-7308.

 

For Kids & Families _________________________

April 28: Kids’ Craft Table, Ice Cream Heaven, 10 Glen Rd/Rte 6, Sandy Hook, 3-5 pm, children ages 5-10 invited to create a floral craft for Mother’s Day, program being offered Saturdays until May 26; 203-903-7277.

C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown; 203-426-4533 (children’s dept 203-426-3851), www.CHBoothLibrary.org.

Free programs: April 30, Theatre Games, 4:30 pm, grades K-1 invited to join acting teacher & director Twyla Hafermann-Kessler for short games & activities means to build confidence & improve observation & listening skills in fun environment, also offered May 7, registration requested.

 

Miscellaneous _____________________________

April 27: Chicken Dinner at St Thomas’ Episcopal Church, 95 Greenwood Ave, Bethel, 5:30-7:30 pm, $10, $8 seniors, $5 children, $25 family max, baked chicken & sides, desserts & beverages included; 203-743-1494.

April 28-29: “Jack Berrill’s ‘Gil Thorp,’” Pomperaug Woods Retirement Community, 80 Heritage Rd, Southbury, 11 am-4 pm, special public viewing of original panels from Berrill’s comic strips of 1950s-90s, memorabilia associated w/ the strip & works reflecting Mr Berrill’s career as nationally syndicated cartoonist, final showing of the work before collection moves to its new home at Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum & Library at Ohio State Univ; 203-267-2825.

April 27-28: “With The Master … In View of His Return” conference at Newtown Bible Church, 35 Sugar St/Rte 302, Newtown, Fri 7-9 pm, Sat 9 am-3 pm, $20 incl light supper on Fri, refreshments on Sat (& optional $10 box lunch available for Sat), longtime women’s ministries leader, counselor & author Susan Heck will lead 2-day event to focus on 1 Thessalonians; 203-426-6484.

April 28: Annual Drug Take-Back Day, Newtown Police Station, 3 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown, 10 am-2 pm, public invited to drop off outdated & unneeded prescription medications for proper disposal (rather than flushing or throwing into garbage), co-hosted by Newtown PD & Newtown Prevention Council; 203-270-4225, 203-426-2798.

April 28: Newtown’s Fifth Annual Earth Day Festival, Newtown Middle School, 11 Queen St, Newtown, 10 am-4 pm, annual event for all ages designed to highlight town’s abundant natural resources will incl kids’ activities, live music, refreshments, Lose The Litter, The Environmental Maze, silent auction, vendors & much more; www.NewtownEarthDay.org.

April 28: Café & Conversation, at The Barn Club, 558 Main St South/Rte 6, Woodbury, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, program in French hosted by The Alliance Française of Northwestern Connecticut (AFNWCT) will feature guest speaker Margaret Sapir (owner, Wave Hill Breads, Norwalk); 203-263-4096.

April 28: Earth Day Planting & Clean Up, Naugatuck Historical Society, 195 Water St, Naugatuck, 11 am-noon, volunteers sought to clean up around museum & plant new flowers in surrounding gardens, bring garden gloves & useful tools for yardwork; 203-729-9039.

April 28: “Asthma: Natural Approaches for Patients,” Chamomile Natural Foods, 58 Newtown Rd/Rte 6 (Route 6 Plaza), Danbury, noon, free lecture by Dr Shawn Carney (Northeast Natural Medicine, LLC, of Newtown) will review how quality of life for asthmatics can be addressed using natural medicines, avoidance of certain substances, dietary recommendations & lifestyle approaches; 203-792-8952.

April 28: “Managing Lyme Disease,” Foodworks, 477 Main St/Rte 25 (Clock Tower Plaza), Monroe, 2 pm, free lecture by Dr Shawn Carner (Northeast Natural Medicine, LLC, of Newtown) will cover scientific findings about Lyme & other tick-borne illnesses, newest testing available, & the role of integrative medicine as using effective antimicrobials & removing barriers to wellness; 203-452-9500.

April 28: 27th Annual Goods & Services Auction, First Congregational Church of Bethel, 46 Main St, Bethel, preview begins 5:30 pm, bidding opens at 7, 100+ items, refreshments, church is handicapped accessible; 203-748-6112.

April 29: “Women Who Love What They Do: Bohemia on Boggs Hill Road,” Paula Hopper’s studio room, Newtown (directions w/ reservations), 1-4:30 pm, free event will welcome Ms Hopper, a filmmaker & author; poet Polly Brody, research writer & author Andrea Zimmermann, et al, to share recent works & discuss their pursuit of artistic excellence, seating limited, reservations required; 203-426-9712.

April 29: Screening of Carbon Nation, Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose St, Newtown, 2 pm, free screening will open The Sustainable Film Series sponsored by Transition Newtown, recently formed grassroots movement seeking to build community resilience, reservations encouraged, potluck snacks, post-film discussion; 917-767-5283.

April 29: Shop Local Business Expo, Stony Hill Inn, 50 Stony Hill Rd/Rte 6, Bethel, 12-4 pm, free event featuring Bethel businesses, service providers & non-profits, also children & adult activities, Taste of Bethel, hosted by Bethel Chamber of Commerce; 203-743-6500.

Theatre     ____________________________________

Newtown High School Black Box Theatre, Newtown High School, 12 Berkshire Rd, Sandy Hook.

Through April 29: You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, curtain Thurs-Sat 7 pm, mat Sun 2 pm, tickets $10.

Stray Kats Theatre Company, Edmond Town Hall Alexandria Room, 45 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown; 203-514-2221.

Staged readings, 7:30 pm, $25/adv, $30/door, Q&A w/ actors & reception follows: April 28, Richard Dresser’s Wonderful World.

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Events that appear by date have Newtown items listed first, with additional events listed by their start time.

 EXPANDED CALENDAR ONLINE

Want to know about more regional events? Find an expanded edition of this calendar online at www.NewtownBee.com. Click on the Features tab and look for The Enjoy Calendar: a regional calendar of events.

Shannon Hicks is the calendar editor for The Newtown Bee. To submit an item for the Enjoy Calendar, send her an email at shannon@thebee.com no later than Tuesday at 5 pm for each week’s calendar. For the Community Calendar (Newtown events, which can be found on page A-2 each week), emails must be received no later than 5 pm Wednesday. For additional information contact Miss Hicks at The Newtown Bee, 203-426-3141.