FOR THE RECORD
Bruce Beginnings
Children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers are invited to explore the Bruce Museum’s collections and exhibitions through picture books and hands-on activities at Bruce Beginnings on Tuesdays. There are two sessions: 10 to 10:45 a.m. and 11 to 11:45 a.m. Topics rotate between art and science. The program is free with admission, but space is limited. See the Visitor Service desk upon arrival to sign up. Visit www.BruceMuseum.org for more info.
Food donations
The Parish of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes accepts food pantry donations for Neighbor to Neighbor from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays in its parking area at 4 Riverside Ave. Items needed include peanut butter and jelly, oatmeal, canned meat, tuna, canned fruit, dried or canned beans, cereal, rice and soup as well as household cleaners and toiletries. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 200 Riverside Ave. accepts donations from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays.
Museum tour
The Bruce Museum offers an Exhibitions Highlights Tour from 2 to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays. A trained guide will lead a discussion and exploration of exhibitions and objects on display at the museum. No reservations are required, but space is limited. Check-in with the front reception desk to take part. Free with museum admission, and free individual museum admission on Tuesdays. For more information, visit BruceMuseum.org.
Speakers at Retired Men’s group
The Greenwich Retired Men’s Association offers a free in-person speakers program Wednesdays at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. The public is welcome to arrive at 10:30 a.m. for coffee and danish. Attendees must show proof of vaccine and booster at door. Masks required. Visit www.greenwichrma.org for a link to watch via Zoom. On March 23, Robert Henrey, a lecturer on historical encounters between the West and Asian cultures and a former international tax and financial consultant, will speak on “China 1981.”
Witness Stones lecture
The Greenwich Historical Society’s annual “Shining a Light” Lecture Series will kick off with a virtual talk by Dennis Culliton, founder and executive director of The Witness Stones Project. The three-part virtual series features speakers who are dedicated to interpreting, restoring and preserving the underrepresented voices in history. From 6 to 7:15 p.m. March 24, Culliton will explore the economic and legal framework that supported slavery in our region. He will be joined by Heather Lodge, the society’s manager of youth and family programs, who will highlight the history of enslavement at the Bush-Holley House. For more information and to register: visit greenwichhistory.org/event/dennisculliton/.
‘Planet’ photos
The Flinn Gallery will display “An Uncommon Planet” from March 24 to May 5, an exhibition featuring the work of two photographers, Jonathan Pozniak of New York City and Eric Seplowitz of upstate New York. Both photographers are interested in the natural world and depict its unique features from different perspectives. Pozniak captures the majestic beauty of expansive icebergs and aerial landscapes, while Seplowitz explores small minerals and rocks formed over millions of years and reveals details that are invisible to the naked eye. An opening reception will be held March 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Both photographers will give talks: Eric Seplowitz on April 2 and Jonathan Pozniak on April 23. The talks will be in the fallery from 2 to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.flinngallery.com.
Friday Films
The Friends Friday Films Series at the Greenwich Library
on March 25 is showing “A Serious Man.” In this rescheduled event, One of the Coens’ most underseen films is also their most autobiographical. Nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, the mid-century story tracks the life of physics teacher Larry Gopnik as it starts to unravel, and he attempts to find life’s meaning with the help of hapless rabbis and odd neighbors. Rated R. After the film, stay for a Q&A with Frederic Richter, who teaches a course on the Coen Brothers at NYU. Free. Showtime is 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:40 p.m. Masks and vaccine or negative PCR test required. Registration required at greenwichlibrary.org.
History tours
The Greenwich Historical Society is honoring Women’s History Month with a special tour at noon March 26. It will focus on the lives of Patience, Candice and Hester, three women who were part of a large number of enslaved laborers who worked at the Cos Cob site in the 1700s and 1800s. The cost for the tour is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Reservations are available at greenwichhistory.org. The campus is at 47 Strickland Road, Cos Cob.
Farmers Market
The Winter Farmers Market is open at Sam Bridge Nursery on Saturdays (weather permitting) from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. until May 7. The market offers a diverse group of farmers and artisan vendors offering local produce, meats, fresh seafood, breads, desserts and greens. The nursery is located at 437 North St.
Free tax assistance
It’s tax season, and the Greenwich Library is offering patrons the opportunity to come in for free tax preparation assistance every Saturday from 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., in the business conference room on the main floor. Tax assistance is provided by volunteer tax preparers from the AARP Foundation. All patrons are welcome to take advantage of this service, not just AARP members. Visit the library’s online calendar for the required documentation and to register for an appointment at greenwichlibrary.org.
Family Gallery Tours
The Bruce Museum will offer Family Gallery Tours from 11 a.m. to noon Sundays. Want to explore the museum with your entire family? This tour takes children 5 and up, and their caregivers and/or family, through the museum’s exhibitions. Families will be able to engage in conversations about the arts, sciences and do hands-on activities. Tour is free with admission. Visit www.BruceMuseum.org for more info.
Emergency packathon for Ukraine refugees
Christ Church Greenwich at 254 E. Putnam Ave. will host an “Emergency Packathon” at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 26, to help Ukrainian refugees. The goal is to provide 36,000-plus packages of nutritious meals for refugees on the border of Poland. All ages are welcome to help. During a two-and-ahalf-hour shift, teams of volunteers assemble four complete nutritious ingredients. This is a cost-effective way to feed children and families who have fled their homes. The
meals will be shipped to Poland in coordination with the Ukrainian Cultural Center in New Jersey. The total cost for the supplies and food is $12,600. Christ Church is asking the community for donations to underwrite these expenses. Donations can be made by going to christchurchgreenwich.org or Text To Give 73256 and enter Ccgctgive.
Amphibian Walk
Join the Greenwich Land Trust for “Signs of Spring Amphibian Walk” from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29. GLT staff will lead an early spring walk at the Sargent Gildersleeve Stone Preserve. Look for amphibians as they come out to lay eggs in vernal pools and check out the first plants emerging from winter. Sturdy, waterproof footwear and weather appropriate clothing is recommended along with a mask. Space is limited and preregistration is required at gltrust.org.
Garden Season Kickoff
The Greenwich Botanical Center will host the “Garden Season Kickoff with Kent Russell” from 10 a.m. to noon on March 29. Kent will bring a live bounty of specimen plants to share a multitude of ideas and unique ways to create extraordinary spring container gardens. Early spring perennials, colorful and unusual hardy bulbs, and cold tolerant annuals will be just a part of this entertaining and informative demonstration. All plants will be available for purchase following the presentation. To register for the event, which costs $50, visit greenwichbotanicalcenter.org.
Plants first
The Greenwich Botanical Center will host an event called “Putting Plants First on Your Plate” from 10 a.m. to noon March 30. Dr. Katie Takayasu, an integrative medicine doctor with a passion for plant-rich cooking and finding balance in lifestyle rhythms, will speak about nutrientdense food, joyful movement, plentiful rest, and attendance to the Spiritual Self as a way to ground the whole body, mind + spirit. She is the author of “Plants First: A Physician's Guide to Wellness Through a Plant-Forward Diet.” Cost is $20 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Visit greenwichbotanicalcenter.org to register or for tickets. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative PCR test required.
Newport talk
The Greenwich Decorative Arts Society will present a lecture on “Merchants and Masterpieces: The Arts, Crafts and Tastemakers of 18th Century Newport, Rhode Island,” by John R. Tschirch, visiting curator of urban history at the Newport Historical Society. The virtual talk will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 4. Lectures are free to members, $25 for nonmembers is $25.. For reservations and information email greenwichdecorativearts@gmail.com or visit www.greenwichdecorativearts.org.
Little Liberia lecture
The Greenwich Historical Society’s annual “Shining a Light” Lecture Series will continue with its second virtual talk from 6 to 7:15 p.m. April 7. Maisa Tisdale, president and CEO of the Mary & Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community, will speak on “Bridgeport’s Little Liberia: The Importance of African American Historic Preservation.” She will focus on the fascinating story of the once-prosperous seafaring community of people of color in Bridgeport, and ongoing efforts to restore and preserve this historic area. For more information and to register: https://greenwichhistory.org/event/maisatisdale/. The three-part virtual series features speakers who are dedicated to interpreting, restoring and preserving the underrepresented voices in history.
Ceramics Circle
The Connecticut Ceramics Circle will present “From the first Experiments to the Golden Age: Origins and Evolution of European Porcelain” a two-part seminar by Errol Manners, a dealer in antique ceramics based in London and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. The virtual talk will be from 1 to 4 p.m. April 11 on the secrets of the manufacture of porcelain, exported from China since the Tang Dynasty. The seminar will begin with a talk on “Early Experiments and the SoftPaste World,” followed by a talk on “The Success of HardPaste Porcelain and Spread of the Arcanum.” The seminar will be held via Zoom. The fee for CCC members is $35, or $75 for nonmembers, which includes membership for the rest of the lecture season. To register, visit www.cceramicsc.org.
Twin Plagues lecture
The Greenwich Historical Society’s annual “Shining a Light” Lecture Series will continue with its third virtual talk from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 21. Meadow Dibble, a Brown University Visiting Scholar, will speak on “The Diseased Ship: A Cautionary Tale of New England’s Twin Plagues.” She will recount the tragic 1819 voyage of a ship from Boston to West Africa to the West Indies that only a few crew members survived. The story features a Yankee sea captain, a tragedy on the high seas, a viral outbreak, a political cover-up, and a conspiracy of silence that has lasted two centuries surrounding New England’s involvement in the slave trade. The three-part virtual series features speakers who are dedicated to interpreting, restoring and preserving the underrepresented voices in history. For more information and to register: https://greenwichhistory.org/ event/meadow-dibble/
Earth Day Celebration
Join the Greenwich Land Trust for a day of action on Saturday, April 23, in celebration of Earth Day. Event will be at the GLT’s Louise Mueller Preserve. Visit gltrust.org/ for more details.
Chamber Players
The Chambers Players of the Greenwich Symphony continues its 50th anniversary season with a concert titled “A Tale Through Time” that will be performed at 4 p.m. April 24 at Christ Church Greenwich at 254 E. Putnam Ave. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.chamberplayersofthegso.com, calling 203-637-4725, or at the door.
Art to The Avenue
Art to The Avenue, sponsored by the Greenwich Arts Council, will run from May 5 to May 31 and will feature special exhibits and events throughout town. The Flinn Gallery will be open until 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, as part of the opening night events. For more information, visit www.greenwichartscouncil.org.
Native Plant Sale
The Greenwich Land Trust’s Seed-to-Seed Native Plant Sale will be held Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7. All plants are grown through GLT’s Seedto-Seed program and the seeds were collected from GLT preserves or surrounding properties. The GLT is located at 370 Round Hill Road in Greenwich.
Crafts Festival
The Bruce Museum will host its 37th annual Outdoor Crafts Festival on May 21 and May 22. This outdoor event, which will be held on the grounds of the Bruce at 1 Museum Drive, will feature fine contemporary handmade crafts in jewelry, wearable and decorative fiber, glass, furniture and housewares, pottery, and more, all available for purchase. For more information, visit BruceMuseum.org.
Greenwich Town Party
Music lovers will be in a “Greenwich state of mind” as the legendary Billy Joel takes the stage as the headliner at the annual Greenwich Town Party. It will return to its usual Memorial Day weekend date this year, set for May 28 at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. The GTP is often the hottest ticket in town, with sales limited to Greenwich residents as well as people who work in Greenwich. Community tickets to the show are sold out. But the neighbor tickets, which are $500 per person, and sponsor tickets, which are $1,500 per person, at still available. To purchase tickets, visit www. greenwichtownparty.org.
Bruce exhibits
A display about “Natural Cycles Shape Our Land” is on permanent exhibit in the Science Galleries at the Bruce Museum at 1 Museum Drive. Visitors will journey through seven galleries, first encountering vast cycles that unfold over millions of years at global scales and ending their tour with small cycles that unfold at minuscule scales in their own back yards. Galleries focus on the region’s Geology, Paleontology, Ice Age, Marine Ecosystems, Terrestrial Ecosystems, and the Big Back Yard. At the midpoint is the Natural Science Lab, a space for visitors to explore hands-on activities, presenters to share and families to read and play. For more information on the exhibits and hours of operation, visit BruceMuseum.org.