Greenwich monsignor gets ready to retire
St. Catherine of Siena Church on Riverside Avenue in Riverside will celebrate the retirement of its pastor, Monsignor Alan Detscher, with a congratulatory brunch on Sunday, Jan. 27. It will follow his last Mass as pastor of St. Catherine’s church at 10:30 a.m. For more info, call the rectory at 203-6373661.
The Hilltop Music Collective will hold “An Evening Solo Recital” at the Second Congregational Church in Greenwich at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25. The concert will feature professional musicians, including a guitarist, oboist, violist, violinist and pianist. Wine and cheese will be served. The suggested donation is $40 per family, $20 per adult, and $10 per student. For more info, call 203-8699311.
The Junior League of Greenwich will host two seatings of the “Illusions Broadway Magic Show,” featuring awardwinning magician Joshy K. They will take place at 11 a.m. and at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at Central Middle School in Greenwich. For tickets ($20), go to jlgreenwich.org.
Be on the lookout for the lunar eclipse Sunday, Jan. 20, beginning at 11:41 p.m. with its greatest moment at 12:13 a.m., when the moon turns a reddish orange. The eclipse ends a 12:43 a.m. The so-called “Blood Moon” will be visible in much of the U.S. and Canada, including along the East Coast, depending on cloud coverage.
Curt Casali, a former New Canaan High School star baseball catcher, signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds for $950,000, avoiding arbitration. Casali, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, will continue to serve as a backup catcher behind Reds starter Tucker Barnhart. Raised in New Canaan, Casali also played basketball and football, where as quarterback he led New Canaan High to a state championship. He earned first-team All-State honors in football and baseball, and then was named the second best prospect from Connecticut/Rhode Island in the June 2007 draft before going on to play baseball at Vanderbilt University.
The Bedford Playhouse on Old Post Road in Bedford, N.Y., will feature a free screening of “The World Before Your Feet,” the story of Matt Green’s personal quest and his unexpected journey of discovery, humanity and wonder that ensues as he walks every block of every street in New York City. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, with a Q&A to follow with the film’s director, Jeremy Workman, and the star, Matt Green. It will be moderated by local documentary producer Nancy Steiner of Cross River Productions. For more info. call 914-2346704. — Martin Luther King Jr.