August 1

  • Healing Circle on Child and Youth Violence in the Community Room of the Hartford Public Library’s Albany Avenue branch. This event is described as

The Healing Circle is a group writing and sharing series to address our individual and collective pain resulting from the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case and similar killings of Black youth, such as Robert Lawlor that have occurred in Hartford. Whether sitting-in, marching, or writing we all need positive emotional release in which to maintain mental balance, personal health and wellness for our families and our community.

The purpose of the gathering is not to grandstand or speechify without action.

Self Injury Awareness Network CT and The Happy Manager are sponsors of this free program, which runs from 5-7:30pm. Light refreshments will be served.

  • This month the Wadsworth Atheneum collaborates with Taste of the Caribbean & Jerk Festival to bring an emancipation-themed Art After Hours event. There will be music from Karen Smith, and Misteree and Glamarus. Sister Jahmekka will give a poetry reading.  It is also the opening reception for SNAP! – a student photography exhibition, which is part of the Neighborhood Studios Summer Youth Program. The event begins at 5pm.  This will be followed by Sing Your Song at 8pm. Admission is $5; get in free if you wear yellow.
  • Kon-Tiki screens at Cinestudio. 7:30pm showtime. General admission: $9.

August 2

  • The David Goya Gonzalez Latin Jazz Trio will be performing at Casona from 6:30-9:30pm.
  • HartBeat Ensemble’s Youth Play Institute teaches young people ages 16-21 about acting, playwriting, theater design, and stage management. After working together for several weeks they perform their one-act play. Tonight, Saturday, and Sunday, they will be performing Learning to Fail, a play about institutionalized racism. This is at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue. $5, but nobody is ever turned away from a HartBeat Ensemble event if they can’t pay. Doors open at 7 tonight and Saturday, with the performance at 7:30. On Sunday, doors open at 1:30 for the 2pm performance. There is plenty of parking here. Really. It’s okay to walk half a block.
  • Mijo de la Palma will perform at the Pump House Gallery Courtyard from 8-10pm.
  • The Goonies will be playing around 8pm, for free, in Goodwin Park.

August 3

  • Everyone knows that bandages make everything magically better, so bring the kids to decorate their own at the Connecticut Historical Society from 10-1. This free activity also includes a visit of the exhibit, This Won’t Hurt a Bit! A History of Pain Relief.
  • Taste of the Caribbean & Jerk Festival is back! If you are in town and not working, go. Stop making excuses. Admission is free. There will be limbo, dominoes, and face painting. Musical acts include Yellowman, Terry G, Karen Smith, D-Tay, Iroko Nuevo, La 860, and Junior Tucker. Come down to the Riverfront between 1-11pm. Rain date is 8/4/13.
  • Last chance to catch the Study in Lace exhibition at the Hartford History Center in the Hartford Public Library.

August 4

  • Yoga in the Park is back, this time at a reasonable time for outside exercise in the summer. At 9:30am, meet in Keney Park. This is free. Bring clothes you can move in.
  • Today is the last day to take advantage of the Taste of Hartford specials.
  • Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell are performing at the Arch Street Tavern. If you like fiddle and haven’t heard Shires play before — and have about $20 to spare — head down for the 8pm show.

August 5

  • The Friends of Sigourney Square Park will be meeting at noon at the Center for Health Equity, 140 Woodland Street.
  • Monday Night Jazz in Bushnell Park continues at 6pm with the Orice Jenkins Septet, followed by the Will Calhoun Trio. This is free. Bring a picnic and a chair or blanket.
  • The Hartford Denim Company and Dirt Salon will be hosting the “Down ‘n’ Dirty Pop-Up Market,” this time outdoors at 50 Bartholomew Avenue. Expect vendors — usually vintage clothing, antiques, jewelry, and crafts — and music. Food and drink will be available for purchase from The G Stream (not to be confused with GMonkey) and Little Gem Canteen. Starts at 6pm.

August 6

  • Join the Blue Hills NRZ and Northwest Boys & Girls Club for National Night Out, 4-8pm. This will be at the Ruby Long playground (Granby Street and Nahum Drive) and is free.
  • If you’re in the Asylum Hill neighborhood, the National Night Out program starts at 6pm and will be held at the Boys & Girls Club, 170 Sigourney Street. Free.
  • World Sounds in the Garden concert series at the Butler-McCook House & Garden brings you music from the Brandee Younger Jazz Harp Trio. This free performance is from 6-7:30pm, with free house tours from 5:30-6:30.
  • The Social Justice Film Series continues at Asylum Hill Congregational Church with The House I Live In, a film about the failures of the War on Drugs. 7pm, free.

August 7

  • Stop by the Hartford Public Library from 12-1pm to catch some Delta blues by Johnny Boots. Free.
  • This month’s Get HYPEd networking event will be at Francesco’s Ristorante on Franklin Avenue. No registration or fee is required to drop in from 5:30-8:30pm. Bring business cards!
  • Free Salsa lessons! You will need to register and show your Hartford Public Library card. 6-7:30pm, all ages.
  • The Summer Concert Series in Elizabeth Park continues at 6:30pm will Songs of Sinatra. Music is on the Rose Garden Lawn and is free. If it rains, music is moved indoors to the Pond House.
  • Ed Fast and Conga Bop will be playing in the Tavern at the Firebox restaurant. 8:30pm, no cover charge.

August 8

  • The Community Garden Tour & Twilight Dinner is scheduled from 5:15-9pm. You have the option of biking, taking a trolley, or taking a bus to visit three community gardens in Hartford. Chefs from Cafe Colt, Firebox, Grants, Max’s Oyster Bar, and the Open Hearth will prepare a dinner from locally grown food to be enjoyed outdoors. There will be complimentary beer and wine, as well as live music. For those with more money to spend, there will be a live and silent auction. Prices vary wildly on this one. Call KNOX for more details: 860.951.7694. Postponed! Rescheduled for August 15.

August 9

  • The Wadsworth Atheneum continues to host Movies and Music Under the Stars, a series of music and films in the Gengras Courtyard. The Electric Shoes begin performing at 6pm. Top Hat screens at 8:15. $9 admission. Food available for purchase. If it rains, the movie will be shown indoors.
  • McKenna begins just before 8pm in Bushnell Park. Free.

August 10

  • Take a self-guided tour of the Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk along the Connecticut. The sculptures are always there, but from 9:30am-12:30pm today, there will be docents available to tell you more about these pieces of art. Riverside Park and Riverfront Plaza in Hartford, and across the river in Great River Park, East Hartford. Free.
  • Vintage Base Ball playoffs begin at 11am. There is only one game today at Colt Meadows in Colt Park. Free.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery will be hosting informational tour, Symbols in Stone. This is an opportunity to learn about gravestone symbols from Ruth Shapleigh-Brown, Director of the Connecticut Gravestone Network. Tour starts at 10am. General admission, $5; Let’s Go Arts members, free.
  • The West Indian Independence Celebration and Parade is on! The parade begins around 11am at Main and Nelson. This will travel down Main Street and then make its way into Bushnell Park, where there will be free music. Scheduled entertainers include: Ken Boothe, Christopher Martin, Iwer George, Mr. Glamarous, Haskell, Tiggana, and  Jamal Gordon.

August 11

  • Stop by Pope Park for some free yoga this morning at 9:30. It might not be running, but you should bring water and wear clothing you can move around in.
  • Listen to a free artist talk by Sam Ekwurtzel at Real Art Ways. His exhibit, On the Beach is on display there. 2pm, all ages.

August 12

  • The Shenel Johns Quintet performs at Monday Night Jazz in Bushnell Park tonight at 6. The Brandee Younger Jazz Harp Quartet follows. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and picnic. If you forget the picnic dinner, there are usually food trucks along the park. Free.

August 13

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl will be shown in the Center for Contemporary Culture at the Hartford Public Library at 5:30pm. Free.
  • Stop by ArtSpace Gallery (555 Asylum) for Laughter Yoga from 6-7pm. Dress comfortably, but there’s no need to bring a yoga mat. A small donation is requested; nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. This is followed at 7 by a healthy potluck dinner.
  • String Theorie will give a free performance at the Butler-McCook House & Garden’s World Sounds in the Garden concert series. 6-7:30pm.
  • Asylum Hill Congregational Church presents To Kill a Mockingbird as part of its free Social Justice Film Series tonight at 7. Expect discussion after the film.
  • You know how there are some things that need to be seen instead of explained? Well, Breakdancing Shakespeare is one of them. Now a tradition — it started in 2006 — youth reinterpret a different Shakespeare play each year, and if you know anything about the Bard, you know he was all about reaching out to the broadest audience possible. On August 13, 14, and 15 there will be 7pm performances of Two Gentlemen of Verona at Hartford Stage. Tickets are $5.

August 14

  • Public meeting about the TIGER Intermodal Triangle Bushnell Park project. This will be held at the Hartford Public Library in the Center for Contemporary Culture, 6-8pm.
  • Moto Calypso brings live music to the Rose Garden Lawn of Elizabeth Park tonight from 6:30-8pm, free.

August 15

  • Take a Cedar Hill Sunset Tour with Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation’s Director Beverly Lucas. 6:30-8pm. General admission, $5. Free for CHCF and Let’s Go Arts members.
  • Ladies and gentlemen, this is your last chance to get a manicure at Real Art Ways. I’m not even kidding.

August 16

  • It is also the last chance to see Andy Hart’s photography exhibit in the Hartford Public Library. If you want to see Hartford’s culture at its best, you’ll check out his pics.
  • Music and Movies Under the Stars returns to the Wadsworth Atheneum at 6pm with music by InfiniTango. The film, Swing Time, begins at 8:15pm. $9 admission. Food is available for purchase. Film moves inside if rain.
  • Food Stamped — one of the better picks for Hartford Parks Free Movies After Dark — begins at sunset on the Old State House lawn. Free.

August 17

  • The two-day Dragon Boat & Asian Festival begins today! Expect dancing and martial arts demonstrations, music, games,and food at the Riverfront. The Asian Festival is from 10-3 both days; boat races are 8-5 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday. The festival is free to attend and it costs nothing to watch the boat races. If you want to participate in the boat races, you need to register before August 3, 2013.
  • Coltsville Championship Game begins at 11am at Colt Meadows in Colt Park. Free! This is the last game of the Vintage Base Ball season.
  • Today is the 28th Annual Keney Park Family Day Festival from 11am-7pm. La Orquesta Espada, Joey Batts, L.E.V.A.S., and Crucial Massive are a few of the musical acts. The City of Hartford and 4 Unity are co-sponsoring volleyball, kickball, double dutch, and more. There will be a health fair, complete with free medical screenings. Park tours. Arts & Crafts. Petting zoo. Free.

August 18

  • Free Yoga in the Park at 9:30 this morning in Goodwin Park.
  • To celebrate the one year anniversary of Bikram Yoga in Downtown Hartford (on Main Street across from former G. Fox building), there will be free classes all weekend. Food, music, and more from 12:30-2:30pm today!

August 19

August 20

  • Got a civic mind? Come to the next meeting of the Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (Frog Hollow NRZ). Meeting begins at 5pm at the Center for Urban and Global Studies (70 Vernon Street) on the Trinity College campus. Never been to this kind of meeting before? Don’t overthink it, just show up.
  • La Orquesta Espada performs at the World Sounds in the Garden concert series at the Butler-McCook House & Garden. Free. 6-7:30pm.
  • Thinking about starting a business? The Entrepreneurial Center at the Center for Professional Development, University of Hartford is offering a free workshop tonight from 6-9. This will be held in Butterworth Hall, right where Asylum Street and Elizabeth Street come together. Space is limited, so register.

August 21

August 22

  • If you’re a runner, you probably already know about the X-Treme Scramble series, but if you’re someone who would rather just watch everyone else sweat, this could be the first you’re hearing about this. Costumes are encouraged at this run along the Riverfront which starts at 6:30pm.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery will be hosting a screening of Woman of the Year, a film featuring Katharine Hepburn, one of this cemetery’s residents. Bring a blanket! Film begins at 7:30pm. Admission is $5; free for Let’s Go Arts members.
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang plays on the East Lawn of Elizabeth Park, 7-10pm. Free.

August 23

  • Head to the Wadsworth Atheneum for its Music and Movies Under the Stars series. Music by Stacey Dwyer begins at 6pm. The film Shall We Dance is scheduled to begin at 8:15pm. If the weather is good, the activity will be in Gengras Courtyard. If rain, it moves indoors.  $9 admission.
  • Go to Riverside Park to be creeped out by a free screening of The Birds after sunset.

August 24

  • Not creeped out yet? The Hartford Public Library will be showing Jaws at noon for free.

August 25

  • Stop by Colt Park for free Yoga in the Park. 9:30am. Bring water and clothing you can exercise in.
  • Sea Tea Improv’s free monthly show is tonight at the Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club in City Steam Brewery. Improv begins at 7, doors open at 6. Because alcohol is served on premises, those under 21 must be accompanied by a legal guardian.

August 26

  • The Hartford Jazz Orchestra returns to the Arch Street Tavern for another evening of free music. 8pm.

August 27

August 28

  • Catch some rhythm and blues with MassConnFusion at Elizabeth Park. This is part of the free Summer Concert Series on the Rose Garden Lawn that begins at 6:30pm.

August 29

  • Feeling less than confident about what you need to do on a job interview? The Hartford Public Library is hosting a free interactive workshop to help sharpen your interviewing skills. This is from 2:30-4:30pm in the Downtown Seminar Room. Registration is required: 860-331-3278.

August 30

  • The Muppets or Muppet Movie, depending on which source you read, will be shown on the East Lawn in Elizabeth Park from 7-10pm. Free. Let’s hope this is the 1979 film. Old muppets > new muppets.

August 31

  • Go on a “mushroom walk” with Joe Lenoce of the Connecticut Valley Mycological Society. This begins at 10am in Cedar Hill Cemetery. $5 general admission, free for CHCF and Let’s Go Arts members.