History nerds should stop by the third floor of the Hartford Public Library before September 30th. There is an array of materials on display, from photographs to books to old posters advertising “ponderous” events.
Among the most interesting, to me, were the photographs of famous women from Connecticut. There were also images and artifacts related to the circus fire.
Another area of interest is the display created by Hartford Prints. Hartford Public High School students selected historical photographs to interpret and link to the future. One example of this is a picture of visitors to Elizabeth Park. The interpretation is a print in which a woman’s dress has changed form to “soften” her a bit, and then her umbrella is printed in a deep pink, which has been noted as being a completely modern color.
The exhibit is free.
Dennis House, host of Face the State, moderated the forum
There’s something to be said for having a professional moderator at candidate forums. Tuesday evening’s State Senators & State Representatives Primary Candidate Forum at the Hartford Public Library went off as smoothly as I have ever seen one go, with a large thanks owed to moderator Dennis House who posed interesting questions and enforced time limits — not an easy task. The candidates invited to this discussion will be on the August 10th Democratic primary election ballot: John Fonfara (incumbent) and Edwin Vargas (challenger) for State Senator — District 1; Kenneth Green (incumbent) and Matt Ritter (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 1; Kelvin Roldan (incumbent) and Angel Morales (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 4; Hector Robles (incumbent) and Alyssa Peterson (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 6; and Douglas McCrory (incumbent) and rJo Winch (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 7.
Here’s a quick breakdown of my gut response, which is followed by an excruciatingly detailed account of tonight’s event, for those who missed it and do not own televisions on which to have watched it (though I promise to leave out responses that were not too interesting or helpful to me). John Fonfara seems too comfortable in his position and his challenger, Edwin Vargas, seems an eloquent speaker, but not revolutionary. Kenneth Green needs to practice audience awareness by not dissing the city in which an event is housed, while also learning how to accept some responsibility. Douglas McCrory could use some work, with Green, on the area of not being unnecessarily angry sounding. There are times to get riled up, but raising one’s voice when not needed wears thin. At least McCrory tried to hone his message. Alyssa Peterson needs to show herself as a viable candidate, and not just as a warm body to replace Hector Robles. Yes, the allegations against Robles are serious, but one needs to show what her strengths are, not just what her opponent’s weaknesses are. In stark contrast to some, Matt Ritter seemed energetic, knowledgeable, and classy. He was one of the few candidates to not badmouth another person at the forum. rJo is, well, rJo. No surprises there. She wore red and spoke of herself in the third person. But, she did show repeated care for representing constituents. Angel Morales had trouble answering most questions in any direct way. Roldan was fairly straightforward. And Hector Robles? He could not be bothered to show up.
Continue reading 'Pick Your (Political) Poison'»
Democrats running for State Senator and State Representative positions will be at the Hartford Public Library on the evening of Tuesday July 13th to kiss babies, shake hands, and argue their way into the hearts and minds of voters. Refreshments are served at 5:30 and the forum begins at 6. Many of these community forums fill quickly, so getting there closer to 5:30 than to 6 is suggested if you care about sitting down on a chair (that is not already occupied by another person).
Invited candidates include: John Fonfara, Edwin Vargas, Kenneth Green, Matt Ritter, Kelvin Roldan, Angel Morales, Hector Robles, Alyssa Peterson, Douglas McCrory, and rJo Winch.
If you’re curious how to find out which district you are in, you can look this up on the Connecticut General Assembly website, or badger politicians for this information.
The Hartford Public Library hosted World Refugee Day on Saturday. Continue reading 'World Refugee Day'»
June 8th is the last day of school, so it’s not too early to be thinking of activities for the kids to be involved in. Here are some ideas for free, cheap, or cheaper than usual things to do:
On June 12th admission is half price to the CT Science Center to celebrate its first anniversary. June 12th is also Tom Sawyer Day, which means there are tons of free activities at the Mark Twain House, including performances/appearances by “HartBeat Ensemble, Hartford Opera Theater, Hartford City Ballet, Hartford Children’s Theater, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and many more musicians, magicians, and buccaneers.” The less than virtuous among us may be interested in participating in the lying contest. Not sure if there is a prize. Next door will be Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Garden Party, also free. Among other things, there will be croquet and horse-drawn carriage rides. Also on this date, the Amistad Center at the Wadsworth Atheneum is hosting a free Juneteenth Family Day. If that was not enough to decide on for the day, June 12th and 13th is when the Annual Bird Count is happening. To find out the location, call the Hartford Audubon Society at 860-282-BIRD or email them at hartfordaudubon AT yahoo.com.
The last Saturday of every month, from 10-1, is free admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum. If you don’t feel like being in the museum when it’s swarming with people, you can pick up free passes at the Hartford Public Library. These can be used on most days. The library also has passes for CT State Parks & Forests and Mystic Aquarium.
The Museum of Connecticut History Exhibits in the Connecticut State Library is always free. You can walk across the street to explore the Connecticut State Capitol (also free). From here, you can go gallivanting through Bushnell Park (stopping at the carousel for a $1 ride or for a free tour of the arch, or just wait to watch the trains go by), maybe stopping at the Old State House (children are either free or $3, depending on age), and then heading to the Riverfront. Several parks have pools and/or sprinklers, along with all of the other amenities one expects parks to have. You can watch Vintage Base Ball games at Colt Park on Saturdays during the summer. Continue reading 'Cheap Summertime Thrills'»
Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia will be the special guest at One Unforgettable Big Summer Night, Hartford Public Library’s annual fundraiser.
You may have heard of the film, which was based partially on her book, which sprang from her blog/cooking project. The film shows the protagonist to be a floundering, cute, straight-outta-J.Crew female with little-to-no agency at the start. The Julie played by Amy Adams seems reminiscent of Sandy from Grease — an adorable girl that one wants to smack until she develops maturity, determination, direction, or all of the above. Julie of the book is flawed, somewhat bitchy, harder to love, yet has wit and a self-deprecating sense of humor (”It’s a good thing there’s always another disaster to poke a hole in the old self-esteem before it gets dangerously inflated”) which has been misconstrued by would-be critics on Amazon.com as “whining”. Continue reading 'An Unforgettable Night with Julie'»
Through my perpetual payment of overdue fines, I already support the library, but some people never seem to make it there. In fact, some seem oblivious to such institutions. Last year I heard of a “book rental” service aimed at college students looking to evade price gouging at campus book stores and had myself a laugh. What was being billed as an innovative creation/service was already in existence, in an even better, somewhat free form– the library. Instead of paying rental fees, we pay taxes. And if we have the magical ability to misplace books or forget that we have them, we then pay a late fee.
The Hartford Public Library informs us that April 11-17th is National Library week,
a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians and library workers in schools, campuses and communities nationwide. [...]
“At our libraries, people of all backgrounds come together for community meetings, lectures and programs, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to get help finding a job or to find homework help, and to access computers,” said Matt Poland, the Library’s chief executive officer.
“Communities Thrive @ your library,” is the theme for this year’s National Library Week. On Thursday, April 15, 2010 Hartford Public Library will celebrate by giving each customer a potted pansy with a message to pass on to a friend, family member, or acquaintance who does not currently use the library, thereby creating a buzz around the many benefits that libraries offer. Refreshments will also be served.
Something to remember: even with late fees, it’s still less expensive to borrow books than to buy them.
Dawn Holder’s installation in the ArtWalk Gallery at the Hartford Public Library is like visiting Florida at this time of year. The porcelain garden is a foray into an otherworldly springtime.
It made me nervous as hell.
Not particularly clumsy, but not particularly graceful either, I fall into the category of worrier. In all my time working retail, I was fortunate to have smashed only one item. It was a large, Waterford crystal vase. It cost more than I made in two weeks at the time. While ringing it up, I was very mindful of handling it carefully when somehow it slipped. The crash was heard on the other side of the large store. While worried that I would have to pay for it (I didn’t) and embarrassed for being careless, I still enjoyed the bright, tinging sound it made as it burst apart. If you can ever afford to smash a hefty piece of crystal, I strongly recommend it.
I did not know who made the vase I broke, but I do know Dawn Holder. Knowing how awful I would feel if I decimated a piece of her artwork, I tried to keep a safe distance from the flowers that seemed to grow out of the library’s floor. Continue reading 'The Idea of This Perfect Edenic Place'»
The final community listening session for the Planning & Zoning Commission will be Tuesday evening at Rawson School. So far, there have been sessions at the Pope Park Rec Center, United Methodist Church, and Metzner Rec Center. Each session has focused on proposed land use for nearby neighborhoods.
Continue reading 'Proposed Land Use for Hartford’s Neighborhoods'»
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