CALENDAR

Monday, Jan.11

BOOK DISCUSSION: True Story! NonFiction Book Discussion, 7 p.m., Jan. 11 on Zoom. “Chase Darkness With Me” by Billy Jensen. See www.durhamlibrary.org to register.

VITA TAX HELP: Safe Tax Prep Assistance with VITA volunteers and Henry Carter Hull Library, 10 Killingworth Tpke, Clinton. Registration begins Jan. 2, 10 a.m. You must register to receive an appointment for this service. Visit hchlibrary.org for current service hours; to register call 860-669-2343.

BLOOD DRIVES: Blood drives will be held Jan. 11, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. - 5 p.m., Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 East Main St., Clinton. Individuals can schedule an appointment to give blood today with the American Red Cross by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or activating the Blood Scheduling Skill for Amazon Alexa. Those who donate up to Jan. 20 will be entered to win a Big game at Home package.

AUTHOR TALK: Alexandra Monir, “Black Canary: Breaking Silence” , In conversation with Julie Buxbaum, 7 p.m., Jan. 11, free on Zoom. Registered attendees will be provided with a link and password to the virtual meeting. Details at www.rjjulia.com or call 203-245-3959

BOOK DISCUSSION: True Story! NonFiction Book Discussion, 7 p.m., Jan. 11 on Zoom. “Chase Darkness With Me” by Billy Jensen. See www.durhamlibrary.org to register.

ONLINE LUNCH: Online Lunch with Shoreline Unitarian Minister, Mondays at noon starting Jan. 11 on Zoom, the Rev. Terry Sweetser, To receive the Zoom link for this virtual lunch and virtual Sunday services at 10:30 a.m., contact the church office: office@shorelineunitarian.org or (203) 245-8720.

OPEN MIC: Anything Goes Open Mic with Moments of Gratitude, Mondays, 7 p.m., free, Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St., Middletown. Details at buttonwood.org TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com or 860-347-4957. Donations are appreciated to help keep the organization serving its mission.

Tuesday, Jan. 12

LAUGHTER YOGA: Tuesdays: Laughter Yoga - 7 p.m., free. Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St., Middletown. Details at buttonwood.org TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com or 860-347-4957. Donations are appreciated to help keep the organization serving its mission.

SOCIETY LECTURE: The Jewish Historical Society and Ct. Voices of Hope present a virtual talk by Dr. Leon Chameides, "Poland, the Jews, and My Family", 7 p.m. Jan. 12. Register at https://jhsgh.org/poland/. A Zoom link will be provided on registration

FINANCIAL STORMS: UConn Extension Educator in family economics and resource management Faye GriffithsSmith, free illustrated workshop on creating financial security, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12, Essex Library on Zoom. Focus is on dealing with situations such as unexpected expenses, income reductions, severe weather preparedness as well as the importance of saving. Registration is required. RSVP: 860-767-1560 or www.youressexlibrary.org

BLOOD DRIVES: Blood drives will be held Jan. 12, 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., and 12:30-5 p.m. at Notre Dame Church, 272 Main St., Durham. Individuals can schedule an appointment to give blood today with the American Red Cross by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or activating the Blood Scheduling Skill for Amazon Alexa. Those who donate up to Jan. 20 will be entered to win a Big game at Home package.

LAUGHTER YOGA: Tuesdays: Laughter Yoga - 7 p.m., free. Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St., Middletown. Details at buttonwood.org TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com or 860-347-4957. Donations are appreciated to help keep the organization serving its mission.

Wednesday, Jan. 13

HEALTH SCREENINGS: A free virtual class, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Jan. 13, will review what health screenings are recommended for the older population to find medical conditions or diseases early while they are easier to treat. Presenter will be Nicholas Arsenault, transitional care nurse with Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging, which is sponsoring the event. Registration is required; call 855-442-4373 or go online to www.Hartford HealthCare.org/VirtualClasses. After registration, participants will receive an email with easy instructions on joining the webinar.

BLOOD DRIVE: A blood drive will be held Jan. 13, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Middletown Elks Lodge, 44 Maynard St, Middletown. Individuals can schedule an appointment to give blood today with the American Red Cross by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or activating the Blood Scheduling Skill for Amazon Alexa. Those who donate up to Jan. 20 will be entered to win a Big game at Home package.

D&D ON ZOOM: Zoom Dungeons & Dragons. Wednesdays at 7 p.m. starting Jan. 13. Grades 7 and up welcome. See www.durhamlibrary.org (Kids tab at top of page) to register.

ADVENTURES: Backyard Adventurers: Snow Day Kit. Fun experiments with snow and ice! See www.durhamlibrary.org to register, at the Kids tab at top of page.) The kit will be emailed directly to your inbox.

Thursday, Jan. 14

STORY TIME: Terrific Thursday indoor Story Time at Deep River Library, Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28, in person or online, masks required. Take-and-make crafts are available on a first come, first serve basis. Room capacity is limited; registration is a requirement. Email the Children’s Department for more information: drplchildrensdept@gmail.com

LAVA LAMP: Lava Lamp at Deep River Library, 4 p.m., Jan. 14 on Zoom. This simple stem experiment will walk through a chemical reaction and leave you with a lava lamp. Zoom meeting information will be emailed to you when you register. Registration is necessary. Supplies must be picked up at the library. Visit the website calendar or Facebook events page for the link to register. Current offerings are also available at linktr.ee/deepriverpubliclibrary

EARLY DETECTION: A free virtual class at noon Jan. 14 will focus on this topic presented by Camelia Lawrence, MD, director of Breast Surgery, Central Region, Hartford HealthCare. Registration required; call 855-442-4373 or go online to www.Hartford HealthCare.org/VirtualClasses. After registration, participants will receive an email with easy instructions on joining the webinar.

BLOOD DRIVE: A blood drive will be held Jan. 14, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., St. Mary's Church, 51 Freestone Avenue, Portland. Individuals can schedule an appointment to give blood today with the American Red Cross by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or activating the Blood Scheduling Skill for Amazon Alexa. Those who donate up to Jan. 20 will be entered to win a Big game at Home package.

BLOOD DRIVES: Blood drives will be held Jan. 14, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 1-6 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus, 573 Main St., Cromwell. Individuals can schedule an appointment to give blood today with the American Red Cross by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800RED-CROSS or activating the Blood Scheduling Skill for Amazon Alexa. Those who donate up to Jan. 20 will be entered to win a Big game at Home package.

GOTTA’S OPEN MIC: Thursdays, Bob Gotta's Open Mic, 7 p.m., free. Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St., Middletown. Details at buttonwood.org, TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com or 860-347-4957. Donations are appreciated to help keep the organization serving its mission.

Friday, Jan. 15

FAST FRIDAY: Fast Friday, live Zoom class to say hello to our friends and share stories, Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29. Visit the library calendar for the Zoom link or email the Children’s Department: drplchildrensdept@gmail.com Recorded Story Times will be posted to our Linktree once weekly. You may also request to be on the weekly email list to automatically receive these story time links. https://linktr.ee/ deepriverpubliclibrary

SPANISH CONVERSATION: Spanish Conversation on Zoom. Fridays at 4 p.m. Practice your Spanish with moderator Marilyn Horn. Email kmcnally@durhamlibrary.org for the weekly Zoom link to the meeting. All levels welcome.

VIRTUAL COFFEEHOUSE: Cromwell Creative District’s (CCD) second annual Coffeehouse is going virtual and will be held Feb. 26. Performers can email cromwellcreativedistrict@gmail.com with a video performance under five minutes; include name, contact info and brief background on the performer(s). Artists, email photos of work in jpgs with the name, contact information and description of work. Subject line to include Virtual Coffeehouse. Family event; all ages welcome. Performers of all ages are welcome. Fun family videos encouraged. Entries due Feb. 14; for information, email cromwellcreativedistrict@gmail.com

Saturday, Jan. 16

VITA TAX HELP: Safe Tax Prep Assistance with VITA volunteers and Henry Carter Hull Library, 10 Killingworth Tpke, Clinton. Registration begins Jan. 2, 10 a.m. You must register to receive an appointment for this service. Visit hchlibrary.org for current service hours; to register call 860-669-2343.

ALIGNED WITH SOURCE: Saturdays, Aligned with Source with Annaita Gandhy - 10:30 a.m.-noon, free. Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St., Middletown. Details at buttonwood.org, TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com or 860-347-4957. Donations are appreciated to help keep the organization serving its mission.

Sunday, Jan. 17

OPEN MIC: Anything Goes Open Mic with Moments of Gratitude, Mondays, 7 p.m., free, Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St., Middletown. Details at buttonwood.org TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com or 860-347-4957. Donations are appreciated to help keep the organization serving its mission.

VIRTUAL WORSHIP: Faith Lutheran Church, Middletown, Sunday worship, 9 a.m. For more information including the Virtual Link to join worship, please visit: www.faithelcamiddletown.org. All are welcome.

SERVICES: CenterPoint Community Church, Cromwell will have Sunday services at First Congregational Church in Cromwell at 12:30 p.m.

SKATING RINK FREE: Admission to the Middletown skating rink at Veterans Park, on Walnut Hill Road, is now free for Middletown residents. Skate rentals are also no-cost to those living in town. Hours are Saturdays and Sundays through March 28 from noon to 4 p.m. Nonresidents are charged: adults, $5; children, $3 and $4 for skate rentals. Individual season passes are $15, with families’ prices at $25, while senior citizens are also free. For information, visit Middletown CT Rec on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3mxEim6.

MLK BREAKFAST: To celebrate the 36th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast, we are bringing in Jane Elliott live online Monday, Jan. 18 at 8 a.m. The conversation will be moderated by News 8’s Keith Kountz. For tickets and more information, go to Facebook.com/ MLKBreakfastCommittee, or this link: MLK Jane Elliott 2021.Tickets are $15 each household, and only 500 will be sold.

TAG MEETING: TAG Meeting (Teen Advisory Group), 3 p.m., Jan. 17, free on Zoom, RJ Julia Booksellers. Register online and be provided with a link and password to the virtual meeting. Details at www.rjjulia.com or call 203-245-3959.