Step right up to our delightful BLT - Bagels. Lox. Tefillin. event! Join us on Sundays from 10:00 to 10:45 AM, running from July 4th to August 25th, for a heartwarming experience.

Wrap Tefillin, recite a prayer, and relish in the scrumptious bagels, lox cream cheese, paired perfectly with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. It's more than just a meal; it's a chance to truly connect, to embrace your Jewish traditions, and simply enjoy each other's company. Don't worry if you don't have your own Tefillin - we've got you covered with our guidance and equipment.

No prior knowledge required - just bring yourself and an open heart. This event is family-friendly, so bring along the little ones for a meaningful and delicious experience. Come hungry, leave happy - we'll take care of the rest!

We worship every Sunday at 10 a.m. All are welcome!

Are you ready to embark on an extraordinary journey through time? Introducing the Chabad of Northwest CT JLI Course: Colorful Profiles, where we will dive into the lives of twelve remarkable characters who shaped Jewish history in ways you never imagined! Over the course of four enlightening weeks, you'll meet a tapestry of personalities from courageous converts to wise royal advisors, from daring captives to inspiring philanthropists. Each story is a vibrant thread in the rich fabric of our heritage, offering you a kaleidoscope of experiences that will leave you captivated and craving more.

Discover the sacrifices that paved the way for future generations, the adventures that defied the odds, and the achievements that illuminate our collective past. This course is not just a lesson in history; its a celebration of resilience, identity, and the colorful spectrum of Jewish life. Don't miss out on this chance to enrich your understanding and appreciation of our peoples legacy come join us and let the stories unfold! After all, history is best told through the vivid colors of its characters!

Classes meet in-person on four Sunday mornings at Chabad Lubavitch Of Northwest CT. 

RSVP: chabadNW.org/JLI (zoom option available)

See April 3,2025 submission

Date: Sunday, May 4

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Location: Bantam Cinema and Arts Center (115 Bantam Lake Road)

Cost: $35 per person

Registration Requested - Space is Limited

The Litchfield Historical Society is proud to present a weekend of public programs to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave.

On Sunday, May 4 at 11:00am, the Society is thrilled to partner with the Bantam Cinema & Arts Center (115 Bantam Lake Road) to screen the documentary Gina’s Journey: The Search for William Grimes. The film conveys Regina Mason’s long road to uncover Grimes’s past, intertwining the story of his incredible struggle to free himself from slavery. The screening will be followed by a discussion with producer Regina Mason and director Sean Durant.

These events are generously presented through a combination of grants, sponsorship, and in-kind donations. The Litchfield Historical Society would like to give a special thanks to Connecticut Humanities Council, Teno A. West of West Group Law PLLC, Belden House, Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP, Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, and Bantam Cinema & Arts Center.

Kenise Barnes Fine Art is honored to present an exhibition featuring hand-painted cyanotypes by Julia Whitney Barnes and drawings by Sarah Morejohn.

Julia Whitney Barnes is well known for her innovations in Cyanotype (camera-less photographic printing process) paintings. Whitney Barnes’ multi-step process includes harvesting flora (flowers and weeds being equally important) and combining several species into a single composition on photo sensitive cotton paper. After exposing the work to UV light, the resulting blue and white image is carefully hand-painted in many layers of watercolor, gouache, and ink, reanimating the vitality to the ghost of the objects. The artist is most interested in creating work that feels both beautiful and mysterious. Her artwork symbolizes resilience and are the records of the historical moment in which they were made, the process, and the artist’s will and interest in reasserting the presence of the image.

Whitney Barnes recently completed permanent public installations in The Botanist’s Mural, Vassar College/Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY, Brooklyn Botanical: PS 253 (glass commission), Public Art in Public Schools/Percent for Art, Brooklyn, NY, Planting Utopia (interior installation), Albany International Airport, Albany, NY, Planting Utopia (interior and exterior installation), Shaker Heritage Society, Albany, NY. The artist has received the following honors and awards; Maker-Creator Research Fellowship, Winterthur Museum, Library & Garden (2024-25), Individual Artist Grant, (partnering with Shaker Heritage Society), New York State Council on the Arts (2018), Individual Artist Commission, NY State Decentralization Grant, Arts Mid-Hudson, Poughkeepsie, NY (2015), Gowanus Public Arts Initiative Grant (ArtsGowanus, The Old Stone House & District 39), Brooklyn, NY, Residency with Site-Specific Installation & Fellowship, Fjellerup I Bund I Grund, Fjellerup, Denmark, to name a few. Her work has been featured in Architectural Record, Times Union, The B Magazine, The Jealous Curator, Create Magazine, American Art Collector Magazine and many other publications and podcasts. Julia Whitney Barnes earned her BFA Fine Arts, Painting, Parsons the New School for Design, New York, NY and her MFA Fine Arts, Painting & Combined Media, Hunter College, CUNY, New York, NY. The artist lives and works in NY.

Sarah Morejohn’s fascination with non-linear patterns in nature drives her work. Through drawing, she considers how the relationship to nature is mediated both by objective understanding and subjective imagining of it. Considering the symbolic connections between nature, the body, and climate change Morejohn draws partial six-fold symmetries. By building a drawing line by line, sharp angles soften and wiggle, cell-like shapes minnow along while branches and flowers become a part of the flotsam disconnected from the earth. Figurative snow crystals become interlaced with one another and their environment, jumbling towards their own future transformations. Morejohn’s drawing process is intuitive and organic, artifacts of the process, drips, spills, flaws and mistakes are embraced. By collaging the imperfect pieces of her drawings together the work becomes a metaphor for the ever-changing uncertainties of life.

Sarah Morejohn’s work in in the collections of Heustis Hall, 1% for Art Oregon Arts Commission, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, Echo Laboratory, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, Ursell Laboratory, Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, Project Art & Medical Museum, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA. She was awarded residencies at Jentel Artist Residency, Banner, WY and Playa Art and Science Residency, Summer Lake, OR. Morejohn earned her BFA in Painting and Drawing, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. The artist lives and works in CA.

Please contact Lani Ming Holloway, Associate Director, Lani@kbfa.com, 860 560 3085 with inquires or to arrange a preview of the exhibition.

Join us for Duck Day at Ripley!

A fun-filled, educational day for all ages featuring:

• Live raptor show by Skyhunters in Flight (2 PM)
• Reptile programs by Riverside Reptiles (11:30 AM & 1 PM)
• Rubber Duck Derby Race (12 PM)
• Face painting & hands-on activities
• Conservation games & educational exhibits
• Nature-inspired vendors
• Explore our aviaries & endangered waterfowl
• ...and so much more!

$10 per person | Kids 12 & under + Members FREE

Celebrate nature, conservation, and community with us

Join us for Duck Day at Ripley!

A fun-filled, educational day for all ages featuring:

• Live raptor show by Skyhunters in Flight (2 PM)
• Reptile programs by Riverside Reptiles (11:30 AM & 1 PM)
• Rubber Duck Derby Race (12 PM)
• Face painting & hands-on activities
• Conservation games & educational exhibits
• Nature-inspired vendors
• Explore our aviaries & endangered waterfowl
• ...and so much more!

$10 per person | Kids 12 & under + Members FREE

Celebrate nature, conservation, and community with us!

Join us for Duck Day at Ripley!

A fun-filled, educational day for all ages featuring:

• Live raptor show by Skyhunters in Flight (2 PM)
• Reptile programs by Riverside Reptiles (11:30 AM & 1 PM)
• Rubber Duck Derby Race (12 PM)
• Face painting & hands-on activities
• Conservation games & educational exhibits
• Nature-inspired vendors
• Explore our aviaries & endangered waterfowl
• ...and so much more!

$10 per person | Kids 12 & under + Members FREE

Celebrate nature, conservation, and community with us

Join us for Duck Day at Ripley!

A fun-filled, educational day for all ages featuring:

• Live raptor show by Skyhunters in Flight (2 PM)
• Reptile programs by Riverside Reptiles (11:30 AM & 1 PM)
• Rubber Duck Derby Race (12 PM)
• Face painting & hands-on activities
• Conservation games & educational exhibits
• Nature-inspired vendors
• Explore our aviaries & endangered waterfowl
• ...and so much more!

$10 per person | Kids 12 & under + Members FREE

Celebrate nature, conservation, and community with us!

Join us for Duck Day at Ripley!

A fun-filled, educational day for all ages featuring:

• Live raptor show by Skyhunters in Flight (2 PM)
• Reptile programs by Riverside Reptiles (11:30 AM & 1 PM)
• Rubber Duck Derby Race (12 PM)
• Face painting & hands-on activities
• Conservation games & educational exhibits
• Nature-inspired vendors
• Explore our aviaries & endangered waterfowl
• ...and so much more!

$10 per person | Kids 12 & under + Members FREE

Celebrate nature, conservation, and community with us!

https://onecau.se/_8t9nd1

Spotty Dog Rescue is having a Cornhole Tournament. Get your team together and sign up.

Grounded by George Brant

Performed by Kimiye Corwin

With live original music by Jane Chung

Hunting terrorists by day and returning to her family at night, boundaries begin to blur for an ace fighter pilot reassigned to drone warfare.

*Adult subjects and language, suitable for 14+ or accompanied by an adult

Sunday, May 4th at 2:00 PM

The Woodhall School

Bethlehem, CT

https://cttheatrex.networkforgood.com/events/84903-grounded-by-george-brant-2

Our Backyard Wildlife: A Family-Friendly Event!

• Sunday, May 4 at 2:00–4:00 PM
• Whigville Grange Hall, 153 S Main St, Burlington
• Kids of all ages are welcome
• Free & open to the public – no RSVP needed!

Although a small state, Connecticut encompasses various habitats from coastal regions to forests which host a rich and diverse array of wildlife species. Learn about these amazing creatures who share our home and how human activity impacts our wildlife. Margery will bring a few live creatures for us to see up close and personal. This program is great for all: kids and adults.

Margery Winters is a long-time naturalist and instructor at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton where she is delighted to be able to share her passion for earth science and nature with students of all ages.

Program Schedule:

• 2:00-2:45 pm Reception - Light snacks provided
• 2:45-3:00 pm Business Meeting 
• 3:00-4:00 pm Our Backyard Wildlife presented by Margery Winters 

Learn more here: https://www.burlingtonlandtrust.org/.../our-backyard...

The Colebrook Historical Society will hold its annual meeting on Sunday, May 4th at 3:00 PM. It will take place at the Town Hall Meeting Room, located at 562 Colebrook Road in Colebrook Center.  After the (brief) business portion of the meeting there will be a special presentation - “Hoopskirts to Flappers: Connecticut Fashion, 1860’s – 1930’s”.

A woman born in 1850 who lived for eighty years would have seen fashion change dramatically in her lifetime. This program will trace how women’s clothing transitioned from the iron reign of the hoopskirt to the relative freedom of the flapper dress.  The presenter will be Ms. Annie O’Brien, a Museum Educator at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.

Ms. O’Brien develops and teaches educational programs for school and adult audiences. She formerly worked as a classroom teacher in the Avon Public School District and as a historic interpreter at the Mark Twain House and Museum. She holds a B.A. in Education from Miami University and an M.A. in Holistic Learning from The Graduate Institute of CT.

Following the presentation will be a social hour with refreshments. All are most welcome to attend.    

Strangers become friends through art making

Global artists have been randomly paired and tasked to create an artwork together.

See the results and watch the video of their relationships,

You can also check out the earlier Stranger Show of two years ago. https://personaland.com/hut/exhibition/strangers

Personaland is an artist-driven global village transforming the world of art by using technology to bridge time zones and cultural boundaries. Our mission is to promote humanity, creativity, and community through a mix of entertainment, enchantment, and imagination.

Since its 2018 launch, Personaland, in its global reach, has showcased over 800 visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, and poets from 67 countries in 31 group art shows and 55 individual exhibitions, many with videos of artist profiles. https://www.personaland.com

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is pleased to welcome “In Transit,” an art exhibition by Jeff McCracken on view beginning Friday, May 2. 

An opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 3 to 5 pm. The public is invited to attend.

The paintings in this show demonstrate a mastery of realism, mood, and human presence.

The foundation of McCracken’s practice is linked to being emotionally influenced by the story each individual conveys. His subway series of paintings focus on individuals being private in a public place, capturing that fleeting moment when their inner humanity is revealed regardless of who they are or where they’re from.

Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook. 

The Gunn Memorial Library Stairwell Gallery is pleased to present Restoration: Landscapes & Botanical Abstracts in Gouache, an exhibition of beautiful landscapes and botanicals by artist Susan Newbury, on view from April 5 through May 31.

Susan’s work is a celebration of nature’s depth and detail, drawing inspiration from the stunning landscapes, waterscapes, and gardens of her rural New York State roots and her home in Litchfield County. With a background in graphic and fashion design, her artistic practice has evolved into a dynamic exploration of color, pattern, and movement. She works primarily in gouache, acrylic, and mixed media on paper, canvas, and wood panel, using a bright, rich palette to create layered compositions that blend natural elements with abstract forms.

“Nature not only provides the subject matter but the solitude, joy, and purpose for my paintings, creating a place of quiet introspection and restoration,” she says. Her work reflects this philosophy, infusing familiar landscapes with energy and emotion while maintaining a sense of tranquility and balance. Inspired by both the botanical world and interior design elements such as fabric, wallpaper, and tilework, her paintings feature repeating shapes and striking color contrasts for an unexpected visual experience.

Her instinctive approach to painting allows her to let go of the rules, creating compositions that are both structured and free-flowing. She paints in her Litchfield County studio and accepts commission work.

Gunn Memorial Library is located at 5 Wykeham Road at the juncture of Route 47 opposite the Green in Washington, CT. Library hours may be found at gunnlibrary.org.

For more information call (860)868-7586 or email, adoerwald@gunnlibrary.org.