Registration for ‘Dream Ride’ open

FARMINGTON — The Dream Ride Experience, a weekend of exotic cars, motorcycles and entertainment to benefit Special Olympics and The Hometown Foundation, is scheduled Aug. 3 to 5 at the Farmington Polo Club, 152 Town Farm Road.

The three-day event has grown into the largest philanthropic endeavor of Bozzuto’s Inc. and The Hometown Foundation. It brings in thousands of attendees and hundreds of athletes from all over the world to participate.

General admission is free; however all-access, one-day and two-day passes are available for purchase, which entitle attendees to meals, entertainment and main tent access. Visit DreamRide.org or call 844-DRM-RIDE for more information. Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are also available.

The Dream Ride Experience will feature a police-escorted, 40-mile motorcycle ride through the central Connecticut countryside on Sunday morning and a motorcycle show throughout the day with unusual and one-off bikes displayed. A police-escorted Dream Cruise and Dream Show with exotic and classic cars are the two marque car events for the weekend.

Vendors, a Family Fun Zone featuring carnival rides and attractions, live bands, a Special Olympics Unified Sports basketball tournament, a Fireman’s Chili Cook-Off, Police K-9 Challenge, and a pet rescue round out the attractions of this event, which creates awareness of intellectual disabilities and encourages true inclusion for athletes and participants.

Dream Ride was founded by Michael A. Bozzuto, CEO of Bozzuto’s Inc. Last year, it raised a record $1.55 million to support Special Olympics and The Hometown Foundation, and more than $7.7 million since its inception.

Mercy by the Sea offers retreats

MADISON — Mercy by the Sea, 167 Neck Road, is hosting the following events and retreats. To register, visit mercybythesea.org or call 203 245 0401.

In Communion With our Biblical Sisters, with Elizabeth Berne DeGear, Ph.D., will be offered Sunday through Friday. Participants will delve into biblical books and meet women who will share their power and sacred wisdom. The cost is $610 per person for single occupancy, $580 per person for double occupancy, all meals and program. DeGear is a chaplain, teacher, bible scholar and Catholic feminist.

For more information visit lizziebernedegear.com.

A Contemplative Weekend: Friday, July 20, 4 p.m. through Sunday July 22, 11 a.m. Anchored in the practice of “centering prayer,” participants are afforded time to rest in body and spirit. Activities include prayer, chanting, a labyrinth, journaling, artwork, reading and enjoying the waters of Long Island Sound. For beginners and long time practitioners, led by Claire Rusowicz, certified spiritual and retreat director, Anne Simpkinson, Centering Prayer Workshop leader. $300 includes program, a single room with private bath, and all meals from Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast.

Day of Mindfulness: on Saturday July 21, from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Clarity of mind, focus, and the non-judgmental observation of experience is practiced as it unfolds from moment-to-moment. Silence is observed for much of the day. The event is led by Dr. Jerry Silbert, physician and retreat leader for more than 20 years. $50 Fee includes program and lunch.

Full Moon Labyrinth Walk: a free labyrinth walk on Friday, July 27 from 8-9:15 p.m. Weather permitting, on each full moon, participants will gather in the Lyons Chapel at Mercy for communal prayer and an introduction to the labyrinth. The walk concludes with reflection over a cup of tea. Free will donation.

Vigil, teach-in planned Saturday

EAST HADDAM — Together We Rise: Building Bridges for Justice will sponsor “Fighting Hate, Teaching Tolerance, Seeking Justice,” a vigil and teach-in that will explore the concept “Why Black Lives Matter: Racial Injustice and The Path Forward.”

On Saturday, a vigil will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in memory of Sandra Bland. The vigil will include music, poetry, and speakers and will be held at Two Wrasslin’ Cats coffee house, 374 Town Street, East Haddam (junction of Routes 82 and 151).

The main speaker will be the Rev. John L. Selders Jr., a cofounder with his wife, Pamela Selders, of Moral Monday CT and the Poor Peoples’ Campaign Connecticut. Both organizations gather voices in the struggle for freedom and justice for black and brown people.

Rev. Selders is an ordained minister serving in the United Church of Christ and is the organizing pastor of Amistad United Church of Christ in Hartford. Moral Monday CT, a grassroots, statewide organization committed to a wide range of social justice issues, was started in response to the Reverend Doctor William Barber’s Moral Monday movement in North Carolina. This year, Rev. Selders co-founded the new Poor Peoples Campaign-CT, which is rooted in the social justice and civil rights movement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The vigil will be followed by a workshop and conversation, designed to allow participants to explore the historical basis of racial injustice and how one can consciously, socially, and politically effect change.

The workshop and conversation portion of the program will take place at St. Stephens Church, 31 Main Street, East Haddam, from 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m., and will be led by Rachel Spears, Visitor Center coordinator at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. In addition to giving interactive tours about Stowe’s life, Spears is a facilitator in the award-winning Salons at Stowe program series, which provides discussions on relevant social and political issues.

The workshop and conversation is free, but space is limited. To reserve a spot, go to https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/whyblack-lives-matter-tickets-47727776063.