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By Kerri Provost, September 2, 2010 8:53 am

There are two upcoming scavenger hunts in Hartford. Continue reading 'A Walk for Jane and a Dash for a Difference'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 28, 2010 2:12 pm

Volunteers from the West End Civic Association Beautification & Planting Committee gathered Saturday morning to clean up Elizabeth Park, rounding out the Week of the Parks. A press release says that Mayor Segarra and First Gentleman Charlie Ortiz were at the Sunrise Overlook area at 6 a.m. to talk about clean up efforts over the past week.

Visitors easily notice the difference in park maintenance when crossing Prospect Avenue. The section of Elizabeth Park that is in West Hartford is always spotless (or close to it), while the section in Hartford is often decorated with broken glass and other litter. Volunteers diligently cleaned and weeded this morning. This was no small effort, so it was great to see just how many people donated time on a gorgeous weekend.

The Broken Window theory states that if a window is broken and left in a state of disrepair, then more windows will be broken. People see neglect as a sign that vandalism is acceptable. In the same way, it’s hoped that this space in Elizabeth Park (which just ranked fifth in America’s Best Rose Garden Competition ) will be regularly cleaned and maintained, to discourage the notion that littering here is acceptable.

Other parks that experienced cleaning, repairing, and beautification this week include Keney Park, Bushnell Park, Goodwin Park, and Colt Park.

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By Kerri Provost, August 27, 2010 8:31 am

The Pump House Gallery reopened its doors as an art space Thursday evening. The site has gone from a state of neglect to one that we can be proud of: the patio has been weeded, walls have been given a fresh coat of white paint, and the terribly faded sign over the entrance has been repainted. As part of The Week of the Parks, Bushnell Park had its grass mowed, shrubs removed from the front of the Pump House Gallery, branches trimmed,  and benches repaired. Continue reading 'Legacy of Hartford Parks'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 21, 2010 2:54 pm

Note: Due to rain, the Asian Festival has been canceled for Sunday. The Dragon Boat races are still going on as planned.

Festivities began Saturday morning and go until 4 pm. They will resume at 10 on Sunday and continue through 2 in the afternoon.

A record-setting 67 teams are participating in this year’s dragon boat races. Participants range in age and ability. There are corporate teams, athletes, and people who have some sense of humor, giving their teams names like Blazing Paddles and Splashing Tigers, Soaking Dragons,

Besides boat racing, there are musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, cultural booths, vendors, and more.

The two females pictured above were part of the Malee’s School of Tai Chi and Kung Fu  demo on the upper level of the Riverfront Plaza.

Continue reading 'Tenth Annual Dragon Boat & Asian Festival this Weekend'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 18, 2010 12:02 am

The recently spruced up Pump House Gallery has begun to get use again. Last Friday there was a jazz performance and on Tuesday evening there were two short films. Both events were free. The audience brought coolers, blankets, and lawn chairs to make the outdoor entertainment more comfortable. No food is available for purchase at the Pump House Gallery, though its location in Bushnell Park makes for a quick and easy walk to any number of restaurants.

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By Kerri Provost, August 15, 2010 8:05 am

On Saturday, the Hartford Senators beat the Westfield Wheelmen in the last game of the day. Both teams showed good sportsmanship before, during, and after the game. The first pitch was thrown by Mayor Segarra.

Games at Colt Meadows are free. Handlebar Hooch, Pop’s Pop, and Dead Red are sold at the concession stand.

The full schedule is posted. More photographs are available for your viewing.

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By Kerri Provost, August 10, 2010 7:29 am

Many of the homes in this series have been rowhouses of some kind or another. I like how different parts of one structure get personalized with different paint colors or flowers. I also like how in a homebuying situation, one is making a commitment to share at least one wall of her home with someone who is most likely a stranger.

This week’s edition features a rowhouse that comes with a large front yard and is adjacent to a park. These, like a previous week’s edition, were designed by George Keller. (In writing this, I learned that what is now the Burns School used to be the Hartford Orphan Asylum!) Check out this website for a photo taken by someone lucky enough to find no cars parked out in front of the building. It’s a challenge to get photos that avoid power lines, air conditioners, cars, and political signs, all of which conspire to uglify pictures.

Continue reading 'Casa Linda: Week of August 10-August 16'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 31, 2010 7:09 pm

The Pump House on the edge of Bushnell Park has been closed for a few years. In past incarnations, it has been a cafe and a grill, in addition to a gallery.

On August 26th, there will be an art opening at the Pump House Gallery. Before this happens, the building and grounds will need some sprucing up.

This morning, community volunteers began to remove weeds and overgrown vegetation from the patio that faces Pulaski Circle.

Inside the building, volunteers began to clean and refresh the movable canvas walls which art will be mounted on later. A more thorough clean up of the park will be happening on Thursday, August 26th during the Week of the Parks. Attending to the overgrown hedges around the Pump House is one of the items on the City’s to do list for late August. Continue reading 'New Life for the Pump House Gallery'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 29, 2010 1:10 am

The clean up planned for late August goes beyond picking up litter. As you can read below, broken items will be removed, courts will be repaired, and so forth. The City provides the following information:

The Week of the Parks schedule will include a centralized focus on the following areas:

Monday, August 23^rd: Keney Park (Woodland Street entrance):

· Cut and remove fallen trees

· Clean and remove leaves along hiking roads and trails

· Remove old fence at tennis courts, clean area

· Repair broken benches

· Repair broken basketball rims

· Clean, patch and paint handball courts

· Remove old baseball backstop

Tuesday, August 24^th: Colt Park

· Cut, remove and prune trees

· Repair park benches

· clean area under old stage/pavilion

· Clean and remove boards at old ice rink

· Repair Massek parking lot

· Repair basketball courts

Wednesday, August 25^th: Goodwin Park

· Remove branches and wood along Maple Avenue

· Repair fit trail and equipment

· Repair basketball courts

· Trim and cut trees on Maple Avenue

Thursday, August 26^th: Bushnell Park

· Remove perimeter shrubs near Pump House

· Repair park benches

· Prune Pump House shrubs

· Refurbish mulch beds where needed

· Trim and prune trees

· Remove old fencing around playground area

Friday, August 27^th: Keney Park (Barbour Street entrance)

· Cut up and remove fallen trees

· Remove old fence and nets at northern tennis courts

· Replace or repair rims and nets at basketball courts

The Department of Health and Human Services, as part of the City’s “Health Hartford” campaign, will sponsor a number of activities in the parks on these same days. Health screenings and recreational events will occur and swimming pools will remain open this week (the week before school starts in Hartford) which is one extra week beyond what has already been scheduled.

The educational component will engage the newly created Green Ribbon Task Force. Mayor Segarra announced that neighborhood activist Bernadine Silvers and noted local architect Tyler Smith— both Founding Directors of Riverfront Recapture— are the Chairpersons. One of their many roles is to be part of panel discussions about the unique park system’s past, present and future including exciting activities at the Pump House in Bushnell Park.

What will kick off on August 20th as a celebration at the Riverfront with the Dragon Boat and Asian Festival will culminate on Saturday, August 28th with a Community Clean-Up Day. All of this is in conjunction with the long term vision of the “One City, One Plan” strategy for conservation and development (POCD 2020) that was adopted in June.

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By Kerri Provost, July 24, 2010 1:30 pm

Tianna Glass uses the term Jazzmania 2010 on her blog, so I’m borrowing it here to refer to both the Jazz festival last weekend as well as to the free Monday night Jazz. If you have not read her blog, Things Black People Do in Hartford, you best get over there and check it out. And before freaking out about how that sounds so racist, I’ll offer this thought: almost all of the mainstream organizations and media give plenty of coverage to events and venues that already appeal to a particular audience as a whole. If a person is not feeling especially represented by that coverage, what harm is there in creating a new outlet? I mean, that is basically why this blog got started. I did not feel that most of the news in the local mainstream (and I include so-called “alternative” weeklies in this) represented my experience as a Hartford resident, and the experience of someone who is neither in abject poverty nor living in a mansion on the edge of town is somewhat needed if one is to “get” what it is like to live here. So, we welcome yet another perspective to the mix.

Last night as you probably have heard, offered up a free concert in Bushnell Park. The critiques will come below the fold, be sure, but for now, I will say that artist Janelle Monáe, the feature performer, definitely surpassed all of the hype that was permeating the cultural air space in the previous few weeks. Because of the hype, combined with underwhelming video clips online, I had gone to the show more excited for the other acts. I had never heard of her before recently, and as someone who has a radio show on a community station that receives oodles of independent, unique, and out there albums, I thought it strange that Monáe was off my radar. Usually if I do not hear of someone, it is because she is a lackluster, musically talentless pop star.

It’s safe to say that I became a Monáe fan last night.

Her show was theatrical, but not to the point of losing focus of what mattered– the music. Think of a collision between Ziggy Stardust, Freddie Mercury, Grace Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Lauryn Hill, Gwen Stefani, and Annie Lennox. Since I have seen none of them live in concert, this pleased me. There were costumes, a lot of movement on the stage, and a surprising vocal range. The guitarist wailed and made it seem effortless. This made the walk downtown worthwhile.

But, Monáe deserved a better venue and a better audience.
Continue reading 'Still Wavy versus Jazzmania 2010'»