The fourth annual family-friendly community spelling bee will be held on Friday, October 22nd, from 7-9pm. This event will be at the Theater of the Performing Arts, which is located within the Learning Corridor at 359 Washington Street. It is free to watch teams scramble for correct answers.
It’s not free to play, however. It costs $500 to register a team; the registration deadline is September 30, 2010. This means you have a few weeks to decide whether to compete, study up, find better spellers than yourself to be on your team, and ask for help funding your registration. Team members can be high school age and up, and a word list will be made available so that spellers can study before humiliating themselves in public. A few past teams have included The Goode Spellerz (Asylum Hill Congregational
Church), Habeas Corpses (Law and Government Academy), and Ain’t mis-bee havin The Bee Sharps (Friends of Achieve Hartford!). Participants are encouraged to select names that will make the eyes roll.
Achieve Hartford! — a nonprofit organization that “has been established to monitor, support and be a catalyst for education reform and community involvement in the Hartford Public School District”– says that:
The Community Spelling Bee is our signature special fundraising event. The funds raised from the Bee will go to support literacy-based resource programs that help students excel in reading.
This home appears almost identical in style to most of the houses that were in my hometown before the whole McMansion craze hit in the early 1990s. The area of Hartford near Wethersfield has a number of single family homes that could easily pass as something found in Newington or West Hartford.
It’s comforting that this style of home exists here, even if it is not one I could visualize myself living in. People who want homes that are not multifamily (which, honestly, are often ugly) can find them if they look around. I’d suggest wandering in the area by First and Last Tavern/Goodwin Park.
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.
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'»
On Thursday afternoons Farm to Hearth sets up a wood fired clay oven in the courtyard of the Billings Forge compound on Broad Street. The pizzas are made from fresh, local ingredients.
East-West Grille, a Pan-Asian restaurant with a generous number of vegetarian dishes, sells lunches from a spot in front of the garden.
If these quick lunch options are not adequate, Firebox — a slower and pricier alternative — is just steps away from the weekly farmers’ market.
There are vendors from several local farms. Finding fresh food is no problem. A recent visit showed variety in abundance: tomatoes, peppers, melons, beets, raspberries, blueberries, apples, plums, basil, and more. Pies made from local fruits and berries were for sale, as were loaves of bread baked on the Billings Forge grounds.
On September 16th there will be a Farm-to-Table Dinner. This is by far the most expensive of the options listed here and is included to show the range that exists on a single city block: Broad Street between Capitol Avenue and Russ Street.
It’s been awhile. There’s never a shortage of sidewalk debris, but usually, it’s not worth stopping to take a second look at.
A mattress itself is not very interesting. Every week there are piles of mattresses taking up the sidewalk. Between bed bug infestations and an ever-so-mobile society, all manner of furniture decorates the roadside.
Take a closer look.
Who writes on a mattress?! Someone on Hungerford Street.
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.
There are over 300 community garden plots in Hartford, which means that an even greater number of people have the opportunity to grow (or attempt to grow) their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers. On Thursday evening, two bus loads of people (plus some cyclists) toured several of these gardens, checking out the creative choices made by this year’s gardeners.
Though some may be surprised about the presence of community gardens here, the first one in Hartford was established in the early 1970’s. Issues of “food security” are not new by a long shot, even if such phrases have become buzzwords in recent years. After creating a community garden in Keney Park, twelve more have been developed. How does one find space for such ventures in an urban setting? When a building is demolished, the land on which it sat often is left as a vacant, unkempt patch. Sometimes, these lots are converted into a more useful and attractive alternative — community garden space. Continue reading 'Hartford Community Garden Tour'»
The featured home this week is found in the West End near the UConn Law School. This home almost appears shy, with its subdued colors and location behind several trees.
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.
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The fourth annual family-friendly community spelling bee will be held on Friday, October 22nd, from 7-9pm. This event will be at the Theater of the Performing Arts, which is located within the Learning Corridor at 359 Washington Street. It is free to watch teams scramble for correct answers.
And now for something quite different.
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.
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 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 
On Thursday afternoons 
A mattress itself is not very interesting. Every week there are piles of mattresses taking up the sidewalk. Between bed bug infestations and an ever-so-mobile society, all manner of furniture decorates the roadside.
There are over 300 community garden plots in Hartford, which means that an even greater number of people have the opportunity to grow (or attempt to grow) their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers. On Thursday evening, two bus loads of people (plus some cyclists) toured several of these gardens, checking out the creative choices made by this year’s gardeners.
