Better Breathers Club to meet

MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Better Breathers Club Support Group meeting will be held at the Middletown Senior Center, 61 Durant Terrace, April 29 at 1 p.m. Sponsored by Water’s Edge Center for Health & Rehabilitation, the group is open to anyone with chronic lung disease, such as COPD, asthma, lung cancer, pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. Caregivers are welcome. Call Laura Falt at 860-335-7526 or email lfalt@nathealthcare.com for reservations.

Community food drive

MIDDLEFIELD —The Middlefield Federated Church is sponsoring a food drive to benefit the Middlefield Food Pantry and Durham Food Bank April 30 from10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 402 Main St., Middlefield. Items most needed are tuna, canned chicken, coffee, pastas, sauces, cereal, snack foods, baking products of any kind, paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, tissues, dish soap, toothpaste, laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, gift cards to Aldi, Price Chopper and Walmart, ect. No outdated products will be accepted. Items can also be dropped off Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon and Thursday, 2 to 8 p.m. Checks should made payable to the food bank of choice. For information, call 860349-9881.

Arts venue grant

MIDDLETOWN — The Buttonwood Tree has received a $3,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County to support its ongoing music shows. The money will be used to support local and internationally renowned musicians to “inspire and uplift” the lives of residents, the venue said. It will also help continue providing a platform, education, connections, and audiences to residents for their own creative endeavors. For information, call the foundation at 860-347-0025 or email info@MiddlesexCountyCF.org.

Spaghetti dinner benefit

MIDDLETOWN — Cat Tales, a no-kill feline shelter, will hold a spaghetti dinner fundraiser April 29 at the Elks Club, 44 Maynard St. The cost is $20 a person and includes dinner, dessert and coffee or tea. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages will be available at the cash bar. There will also be raffle and door prizes. For every three cans of Friskies or two rolls of paper towels donated, people will get a ticket for the door prize drawing. For reservations, visit cattalesct.org or email info@cattalesct.org.

‘Storms of Inequity’ talk

ESSEX — In 2020, the Essex Library was one of 200 libraries across the country selected to receive a grant in the first round of the American Library Association’s “Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small & Rural Libraries” program. It will use the funds to raise awareness of climate change and income inequality through a number of events, beginning with an illustrated talk by University of Connecticut Assistant Professor Eleanor Ouimet on “Storms of Inequity” April 26 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration is required by calling 860-767-1560 or visiting youressexlibrary.org.

Passport to Connecticut

ESSEX — The Ivoryton Library, at 106 Main St., is among nearly 140 Connecticut libraries participating in the Connecticut Library Association’s Passport to Connecticut program. The program is open to adults and children. Those who visit at least five participating facilities and return their passport to a library by May 6 will be entered into a state-wide drawing for a chance to win a $150 Visa gift card for adults and $100 Visa gift card for those under 18. For details, visit ivorytonlibrary.org.

Paper shredding day

MIDDLETOWN — Middletown will hold a paper shredding event April 30 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Palmer Field parking lot on Washington Street for residents only. The limit is five bags or boxes per vehicle. The recycling office is also holding a rain barrel and compost bin sale during which people can place orders online and pick them up. Details can be found at rivercog.compostersale.com. For information, visit middletownct.gov/195/ Recycling-Events-and-Programs.

Go Green Festival

MIDDLETOWN — The city of Middletown is hosting an Earth Day celebration, dubbed the “Go Green Festival,” Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at Harbor Park. Activities for adults and kids and other offerings include the Soulfully Vegan Food Truck, games for kids and drag queen story hour. Prior to the event, the Complete Streets Committee will gather at 11:15 a.m. to lead a short bike ride down River Road to Silver Street and back (over three miles in total). For details, visit bit.ly/36rCXua.

Drug take-back event

EAST HAMPTON — A prescription drug take back day will be held April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at East Hampton Town Hall, sponsored by the East Hampton Prevention Partnership. People can drop off unused prescriptions, prescription patches, medications, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, samples and pet meds. Thermometers, hydrogen peroxide, inhalers, aerosol cans, needles, medications from businesses of clinics, ointments, lotions or liquids will not be accepted. For information, call 860-267-4468, Ext. 3227, or email cwidrick@easthamptonct.gov.

‘The Creation’ concert

MIDDLETOWN — The GMChorale’s Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio will conduct the chorale, Alchemy, Orchestra New England, Elm City Girls’ Choir, and three world-renowned Grammy award-winning concert artists in a concert May 1 at 4 p.m. at the Santo Fragilio Performing Arts Center at Middletown High School, 200 La Rosa Lane. Mark Womack, Sherezade Panthaki and Dann Coakwell will perform F.J. Haydn’s “The Creation,” with over 140 voices and 40 instrumentalists. The program begins For tickets, visit gmchorale.org/events. For information, go to gmchorale.org.