Do you need programmed events? Put on some sneakers and walk around. This photo was taken on a path along the Park River, accessible from where Lorraine Street turns. Park River trails are also accessible from Mark Twain Drive (near Plainfield Street) and Brookfield Street (near Flatbush Avenue).

Here’s some of what is happening in Hartford:

July  1

  • Love Wins on Oakland Terrace: free family festival from 5-7pm at Glory Chapel, 221 Greenfield Street.
  • Drop into Real Art Ways for Real Board (Games). Play the games they provide or bring your own. 6-10pm. Free.
  • Fed Up, a documentary about the food industry, screens at Cinestudio at 7:30pm. General admission is $9.

July 2

  • The Kid, a Charlie Chaplin film, will be screened in the Hartford Public Library at 1:30 and 5:30pm today. Free.
  • Love Wins on Barbour Street: free family festival from 5-7pm featuring haircuts, pony rides, face painting, music, and more. This will be hosted by The Hartford Project and the Citadel of Love, 167 Barbour.
  • Every Wednesday — as long as it isn’t raining — there will be free yoga in Elizabeth Park at 5:30pm. Bring your own mat or towel. Yoga is in the picnic area across from the Pond House.
  • Hartford 2000 is hosting what it calls an “informational meeting” about the proposed Rock Cats stadium. This will be held at the Hartford Public Library at 6pm. Mayor Segarra and other City officials are expected to be presented to answer questions and listen to public opinion. As of publication, only Segarra has been named as a speaker.

July 3

July 4

  • We Are The Best opens at Real Art Ways. See Real Art Ways website for ticket prices and show times.
  • Field of Dreams is tonight’s free movie in Colt Park. Screening begins as soon as it’s dark enough.

July 5

  • Make your own robot. Balam Soto will be the instructor for this all ages workshop that creates a minimalist robot that draws. Bring your own safety glasses. Other materials, like a soldering iron and electronics kit, will be provided. This will be held at MakeHartford, 30 Arbor Street B7 from 10-11:30am. There is a $25 registration fee.

July 6

  • There is free yoga every Sunday on Colt Park at 10am. Bring your own towel or mat and meet by a large tree near Kinsella. The session cancels if it rains.
  • Today marks that 70th anniversary of the Hartford Circus Fire. WWUH will commemorate the day with a special broadcast of a 90-minute documentary beginning at 11:30am. You can listen to the show at 91.3fm or online at wwuh.org.
  • At 2pm, authors Stewart O’Nan, The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy, and Mike Skidgell, The Hartford Circus Fire: Tragedy Under the Big Top, will be discussing their books at the Mark Twain Museum Center. This free event will include a book sale and signing. Call (860) 280-3130  to make reservations.
  • Come down to the Arch Street Tavern for the Beat City Beauties’ monthly show. The Hartford-based burlesque group takes the stage at 8pm. Expect a lot of camp this time…summer camp. We hear this performance will be as American as apple pie and baseball. Minus the pie. We know nothing about that. Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door. Bring cash.

July 7

This could fly overhead while you’re doing yoga in the park. What fun!
  • Benjamin Parker will be teaching geometric origami at MakeHartford. Materials provided. Registration fee is $15 for this event from 5-7pm. MakeHartford is located at 30 Arbor Street, B7.
  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park on Mondays at 5:30pm near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own towel or mat. The session cancels if it rains.
  • The Jonathan Barber Quartet kicks off Monday Night Jazz! The headliner for the evening will be Yoron Israel and High Standards. Music begins at 6pm in Bushnell Park. Get there early to grab a good spot on the lawn. Bring your own blankets or chairs. It’s fine to bring your own food into the park. Dogs on leashes are also fine. This is free, but you may want to bring a few bucks to donate to help keep this thing going. What is this thing? The oldest free, continuously-run jazz festival in the nation. That’s what.

July 8

  • Check out a canning demo at the West End Farmers’ Market, 4-7pm. The market is now held on the Clemens Green.
  • HartBeat Ensemble will perform a production based on memories and stories of those impacted by the Hartford Circus Fire. These stories were collected for the Hartford History Center. This production is in collaboration with the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. It goes from 5:30-7:30pm in the Center for Contemporary Culture in the Hartford Public Library. Free.
  • A Hard Day’s Night will be screening at Cinestudio, 7:30pm. General admission: $9. Cinestudio is located on the Trinity College campus, 300 Summit Street.

July 9

  • Listen to Brian MacDonald perform songs from the Civil Rights Era at noon in the Hartford Public Library’s atrium. Free.
  • Sons of the Desert, a Laurel and Hardy movie, screens at the Hartford Public Library at 1:30 and 5:30pm today. Free.
  • Get HYPEd will be hosted by The Firebox this month. If you have not been to one of these young(ish) networking events at all or in awhile, this would be the time to give it a(nother) shot. 5:30-8:30pm. No need to rsvp. Show up when you want. Eat the complimentary snacks. Bring money if you want drinks or a full meal. The Firebox is located at 539 Broad Street.
  • Every Wednesday — as long as it isn’t raining — there will be free yoga in Elizabeth Park at 5:30pm. Bring your own mat or towel. Yoga is in the picnic area across from the Pond House.
  • Trinity College Summer Chamber Music Series features Katherine Matasy, clarinet; David Feltner, viola; Henry Weinberger, piano. They will be performing the music of Mozart, Bruch, and Smith. This hour-long performance begins at 6pm at the chapel on the Trinity College campus. Free.
  • World of Sounds Summer Concert Series begins at 6pm with music by Trombeatz at the Dwight Branch of the Hartford Public Library, 7 New Park Avenue. Free.
  • Latanya Farrell will be singing at Elizabeth Park, 6:30-8pm. This is free. Concerts are held on the Rose Garden Lawn, but if it rains, go inside the Pond House Hall. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket.

July 10

  • ConnectiCon begins today with a few panels and Nerd Prom. Not free. See site for ticket info.
  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will be speaking about her book, Americanah, at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. This free talk begins at 5pm. Registration encouraged: Info@StoweCenter.org or 860-522-9258, Ext. 317.
  • The Albany Branch (1250 Albany Avenue) of the Hartford Public Library will be hosting a free concert at 6pm by Da 4 Ah Wee. This is part of the World of Sounds Summer Concert Series.
  • The West End Civic Association is sponsoring the Movies Under Moonlight series. Tonight watch Monsters, Inc. in the open lot at 45 Evergreen Avenue. Start time: approximately 8:15pm. Bring your own chairs or blanket and a picnic dinner. Free.

July 11

  • ConnectiCon continues at the Connecticut Convention Center today. See site for ticket info.
  • And another opportunity to see a film out of doors. The Wadsworth Atheneum will be opening its Gengras Court for dinner and music at 5:30pm. The Thin Man Goes Home screens at 8:15pm. $9 general admission; free for members. Members also receive one complimentary drink.
  • The UMOJA Music Series will feature Rene McLean and the Cosmic Brotherhood at the Pump House Gallery in Bushnell Park, with music starting at 6pm. Shenel Johns Quartet will be the opening band. Bring lawn chairs. This is free.
  • HartBeat Ensemble’s Steven Raider-Ginsberg is the director of BECK & CALL, the servants tours at Mark Twain House & Museum. Tickets can be purchased online for $22. Tours begin at 7pm.
  • Ellen Page + roller derby = Whip It, the free film being shown tonight in Bushnell Park at sundown.

July 12

  • ConnectiCon at Convention Center. See site for ticket info.
  • Free admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum today and every second Saturday of the month. There are tours, hands-on art/craft projects, and more, with programming for children. 10am-1pm.
  • Grand Opening of the skate park at Heaven, noon. We’ve been tracking the development over this past year. Now, it’s time. Heaven is located on top of the I-84 tunnel between Main, Trumbull, and Chapel N/S Streets. Expect more than just a ribbon cutting
  • Riverfest begins at 4pm. Expect music and family-centered activities. The fireworks display is scheduled for 9pm. No backpacks will be allowed at the Riverfront plaza this year. Free.
  • The Real Ride returns! This is a slow, fun bike ride through Hartford after dark. Decorate your ride at home or stop by Real Art Ways in the hours leading up to add some flair. People can begin gathering at Real Art Ways around 6:30pm if they would like to add glow sticks to their bicycles. Past Real Rides have featured a giant fish mounted over a bicycle, a dragon bike, a DJ on wheels, and lots of LEDs. If you have not gotten on your bike in twenty years or are scared to ride city streets, this is a fine place to start. Unlike some tours that claim they are slow rides, this one actually is slow-paced, with stops along the route. Wheels start turning around 8:20pm. Expect to view fireworks and check out a cool site in Downtown. The ride will return to Real Art Ways.  Free (bring a few bucks if you want to make your bike glow).

July 13

  • There is free yoga every Sunday on Colt Park at 10am. Bring your own towel or mat and meet by a large tree near Kinsella. The session cancels if it rains.
  • Final day of ConnectiCon.

July 14

  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park on Mondays at 5:30pm near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own towel or mat. The session cancels if it rains.
  • Monday Night Jazz in Bushnell Park continues with the Peter Greenfogel Quintet and Marc Cary Focus Trio. Music begins at 6pm. This is free.

July 15

July 16

  • The Hartford Public Library will be showing The Wizard of Oz at 1:30 and 5:30pm today. Free.
  • Every Wednesday — as long as it isn’t raining — there will be free yoga in Elizabeth Park at 5:30pm. Bring your own mat or towel. Yoga is in the picnic area across from the Pond House.
  • Trinity College Summer Chamber Music Series features Jennifer Slowik, oboe; Sarah Brady, flute; and Linda Osborn, piano. The performance begins at 6pm at the Trinity College chapel. This is followed at 7 with a Plumb Memorial Carillon Concert, featuring Michael Solotke. Bring a picnic and have dinner on the lawn outside of the chapel. Free.

July 17

  • The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center will be hosting a conversation from 5-7pm on Coming Home After Prison: A New Reality. Featured guests will include Rev. Jeff Grant, Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse Project and LaResse Harvey, A Better Way Foundation. This is free, but contact Info@StoweCenter.org or 860-522-9258, ext. 317 to make reservations.
  • Final Recipe, a film out of South Korea, screens at 7pm. The Wadsworth Atheneum describes this as “Hao’s dying wish is to have his grandson Mark enroll in a prestigious university, but Mark’s dream is to follow his grandfather’s footsteps by becoming a chef and take over the family restaurant.” Subtitles. General admission $9.

July 18

  • Movies & Music Under the Stars returns to the Wadsworth Atheneum with music and dinner at 5:30pm in Gengras Court. Song of the Thin Man will play at 8:15pm. General admission is $9. Members get in free.
  • The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz begins tonight in Bushnell Park: three free days of music. Bring your picnic basket, your sunscreen, cash for ice cream, and find your spot on the lawn. Music begins at 7pm with Manuel Valera, followed by David Sanborn at 8:30.
  • At 7pm on the other side of Bushnell Park, the UMOJA Music Series will continue at the Pump House Gallery with the Kris Allen Quintet, featuring Duane Eubanks. The Alex Tremblay Quartet will open. This is free, but bring a lawn chair.
  • Head to Elizabeth Park to watch Annie at sundown. Free.

July 19

  • Give back. Help beautify the Homestead and Garden intersection. From 9am-1pm volunteers will clean up the traffic island. Contact charmainec@knoxparks.org  to let her know you are going to help. Breakfast and lunch are provided for volunteers.
  • Take a “Twain’s Companions & Cohorts” walking tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery. Twain is not buried there, but, as the title suggests, several of those in his life are. Meet at the flagpole in the cemetery at 10am. $5.
  • Come back to Bushnell Park for the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. Music begins at 4pm, but if you’re serious about seeing the performers, you’ll get there well in advance to claim your space on the lawn. Today’s entertainers include: David Davis, La Orquesta Espada, Urban Jazz Coalition, Jazz All Stars, Side Street, and Jus Us. Free. Bring sunblock and water.
  • Danza! A Celebration of Latin Choreographers is this year’s theme for the Connecticut Ballet performance at the Riverfront. This begins at 7:30pm and is free. For those who’ve never been to the Riverfront: seating is on a steep incline, mostly. There’s limited space for lawn chairs. You can bring refreshments of the non-alcoholic variety.

July 20

  • It’s tradition. During the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, Christ Church Cathedral (Church and Main) hosts a jazz mass. The Hot Cat Jazz Band plays during the service. Just between us, as a non-Christian, I still find this to be an event not-to-be-missed. This is New Orleans-style jazz! 10am. This church tends to get hot, so dress appropriately for the weather and Baby Jesus.
  • There is free yoga every Sunday on Colt Park at 10am. Bring your own towel or mat and meet by a large tree near Kinsella. The session cancels if it rains.
  • Music resumes in Bushnell Park around 4pm, with Sherry Winston, Javon Jackson, and Azar Lawrence performing on the final day of the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. This is free, donations welcome.

July 21

  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park on Mondays at 5:30pm near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own towel or mat. The session cancels if it rains.
  • Those opposed to the publicly-financed stadium will be gathering around 4pm, marching, and then holding at press conference at City Hall. More details to come.
  • Want to speak your mind? The public comment sheet is available for signing up on around 5pm. Go into the Council Chambers for that at City Hall. Public comment begins at 6pm.
  • Frank Kozyra, Andrew Renfroe, Matt Dwoynszyk and Curtis Torian will begin playing at 6pm in Bushnell Park as part of the Monday Night Jazz series. The Ralph Peterson Fo’tet headlines. This series is free; consider bring a few dollars to donate.
  • Amy Goodman will be speaking on The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance and Hope at the Mark Twain House & Museum at 7pm. Goodman is the producer and host of Democracy Now!, an international news program. This is presented in partnership with HartBeat Ensemble. Tickets are $20, which can be purchased online or by calling (860) 280-3130.

July 22

  • The Board of Education will be holding a regular meeting (public comment permitted) at Capital Prep, 1304 Main Street. Meeting begins at 5:30pm. If you want to speak, arrive a few minutes early to sign up.

July 23

  • The North End Farmers’ Market at 80 Coventry Street runs from 10am-1pm today. This happens every Wednesday.
  • Stop by the Hartford Public Library at 1:30 or 5:30 to watch Casablanca. Free.
  • Every Wednesday — as long as it isn’t raining — there will be free yoga in Elizabeth Park at 5:30pm. Bring your own mat or towel. Yoga is in the picnic area across from the Pond House.
  • The sounds of “Romance tropical” can be heard at the Dwight Branch of the Hartford Public Library starting at 6pm. Free. This is part of the World of Sounds Summer Concert Series.
  • Listen to music inside and outside of the Trinity College chapel. At 6pm, catch the Trinity College Summer Chamber Music Series with Deborah Boldin on flute and Franziska Huhn on harp. After an hour inside, head out to the lawn for the Plumb Memorial Carillon Concert with Julie Zhu. Free.
  • The Blue Cherry Band will be performing on the Rose Garden Lawn at Elizabeth Park, 6:30-8pm. If it rains, the music is moved inside the Pond House. Free.

July 24

  • The Mark Twain House & Museum is hosting a free ice cream social from 5-8pm.
  • Crucial Massive will be playing at the Albany Branch of the Hartford Public Library at 6pm. This free concert is part of the World of Sounds Summer Concert Series.
  • Bring a blanket and picnic to the East Lawn of Elizabeth Park to watch The Wizard of Oz at 8:15pm. Free. This is sponsored by the West End Civic Association.

July 25

  • The Wadsworth Atheneum will be showing Ninotchka as part of its Movies & Music Under the Stars series. The ala carte dinner and music begin at 5:30pm; film screens at 8:15pm. General admission: $9. Members get in free.
  • African Queen, the classic with Katharine Hepburn, will be shown in Riverside Park at sundown. Free.

July 26

  • Cinestudio presents Ida, a film that they describe as using “absurdity to bring home the horrors of that past: in 1962, an orphaned novice on the brink of becoming a nun (Agata Trzebuchowska) is told by her Aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) that she is actually Jewish. Her world turned upside down, the innocent young woman embarks on a road trip with her cynical Aunt – a former communist prosecutor – in hope of finding out the truth about her parents.” This begins at 7:30pm. General admission is $9.

July 27

  • There is free yoga every Sunday on Colt Park at 10am. Bring your own towel or mat and meet by a large tree near Kinsella. The session cancels if it rains.
  • Free community cook-out in Waverly Park!
  • Sea Tea Improv performs at City Steam Brewery, 942 Main Street. 7-9pm. Free.

July 28

  • Free yoga in Bushnell Park on Mondays at 5:30pm near the Pump House Gallery. Bring your own towel or mat. The session cancels if it rains.
  • The Espada Jazz Ensemble plays in Bushnell Park at 6pm. The Ray Mantilla Ensemble headlines. Monday Night Jazz is a free series, but they accept donations. Bring your own chairs or blankets. Dogs (on leashes) and picnics are allowed in Bushnell Park.

July 29

  • The West End Farmers’ Market is held every Tuesday from 4-7pm on the Clemens Green, located on Farmington Avenue. (If you’re driving, use the Mark Twain House & Museum parking entrance, but bear right instead of left). Today is Corn Day at the market!

July 30

  • Check out Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis at 1:30 or 5:30pm at the Hartford Public Library. Free.
  • Love Wins on Hungerford Street: free family festival from 5-7pm at 32 Grand (Charter Oak Health Center, corner of Grand and Hungerford).
  • Novi Cantori will perform Choral music as part of the Trinity College Summer Chamber Music Series in the chapel at 6pm. At 7, go outside for the Plumb Memorial Carillon Concert featuring Vera Wunsche Brink. Free.
  • Every Wednesday — as long as it isn’t raining — there will be free yoga in Elizabeth Park at 5:30pm. Bring your own mat or towel. Yoga is in the picnic area across from the Pond House.

July 31

  • The Mark Twain House & Museum will be hosting a book launch for The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy: A Novel by Jacopo della Quercia. This is described as “equal-parts cocktail of action, adventure, science-fiction and comedy. The book follows a globe-trotting President Taft and Robert Todd Lincoln in a race to solve a mystery stretching back to the Civil War and the Lincoln assassination.” 7pm. Free, but reservations suggested.

DISCLAIMER: Real Hartford makes every effort to ensure that information is correct; however, sometimes sources provide false facts, venues close, performers cancel, etc. If any of those possibilities makes you uneasy, contact the venue directly to verify details. If an event is canceled or postponed we will try to make corrections; no events will be added to the calendar following publication. The deadline for events is the 25th of each month.