For almost twenty years, there has been a police sub-station on the corner of Ward and Affleck Streets, just blocks away from Trinity College.

A glance at the campus safety log over the last several weeks shows that crimes which would land non-students in court are typically handled only by the college administration. Possession of alcohol by minors, false identification, drug paraphernalia, drug use, and certain types of vandalism get brought to the Dean of Students. Vandalism of vehicles remain “open” or are at times reported to the Hartford Police Department.

There were six separate incidents on April 2nd — a Tuesday — involving liquor law violations. All of these were handled by the Dean of Students.

An attempted rape reported at Psi Upsilon on April 24 was brought to the Sexual Assault Response Team.  In March, a sexual assault in the Jones Hall dorm did get reported to the HPD.  On April 22nd, a first or second degree assault occurred in the context of relationship/dating violence. It happened off campus and was also dealt with by the Sexual Assault Response Team, not the Hartford Police Department.

In fact, the Hartford Police Department was involved in only a few incidents — one involving a fire hydrant, another involving a stolen laptop, and following thefts of a GPS and power tool from vehicles. In early March, after a student punched another student at the Alpha Delta Phi house on Vernon Street, the police were called and the Dean of Students became involved. At the end of March, a third degree assault in Vernon Place, a residential building, also resulted in HPD involvement, but the trend clearly steers toward not bringing the HPD onto campus.

While much was made by the media of an apparently unresolved assault involving a Trinity student who was off campus last year, none of the assaults — completed or attempted occurring in 2013 have made headlines.

Will this new substation at Broad Street and New Britain Avenue mean that the law will be enforced when students break it, or will most matters continue to be dealt with privately?

Found in Bushnell Park

Anti-violence messages are seen throughout the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood, just south of Downtown.

It’s the site of a much-loved community garden

Colt Park Homes

Perpetually under construction

A cafe joins the food carts and trucks that feed workers in this area

Bike Walk Connecticut reports that this morning’s Bike to Work Day had the highest participation to date, with nearly 700 Connecticut cyclists pledging to ride. The Old State House was one of the 25 locations statewide hosting a Bike to Work Day event.

Not reflected in this record number: how many walked to work this morning. Some pedestrians stopped by the Old State House for the breakfast event and expressed a desire for more outreach to this particular community, many of whom live right in Downtown.

Maybe someone with refined sensibilities can tell the difference between a ramp and any other kind of leek, or an imported “supreme” Swedish leech and the ones found down in the lake, but desirability has consequences beyond thinning one’s wallet. In the 19th century, those exotic Swedish leeches were in such high demand that they faced extinction, Andrea Rapacz, the Head of Interpretative Projects at the Connecticut Historical Society, told me.

Apparently, those hip imported leeches were better quality because they knew when to stop drawing blood from the patient.

A leech jar is one of the more pleasant objects in the current exhibit: This Won’t Hurt a Bit! A History of Pain Relief.

Squeamish readers might be the ones with the most to gain from this exhibit. Seeing historical pieces of medical equipment creates perspective on the options we have today.

Rapacz said this display was partially inspired by the way that “pain is a universal feeling.”

Moving through the rooms at CHS, one can learn about pain management and medical procedures used throughout Connecticut’s history.

A section highlighting the Civil War debunks myths that Rapacz says are still held about that era. There were cases of amputations and such happening on the battlefields without any type of pain relief, but at the time, they did have chloroform, morphine, and whiskey to help the wounded, she said.

That cocaine and heroin had been used by medical professionals is no secret, but seeing legit packaging for the drugs highlights how medical trends change as rapidly as current food trends. This is seen in the collection of tools for trephining — the practice of boring holes in the skull as an attempt to relieve or cure anything from severe headaches to epilepsy.

It’s easy to judge those who practiced these dangerous procedures or administered habit-forming, and likewise, dangerous substances…to think of them as terribly archaic, but the presence of equipment that only recently went out of vogue, or in some cases, continues to be used, shows that the industry has not made leaps and bounds across the board. The forceps on display are a reminder that childbirth has and continues to be treated more like something that always mandates medical intervention, than a natural experience that sometimes requires more assistance. While forceps have been associated with cranial trauma and had fallen out of favor with the popularization of c-sections and the use of vacuums, there has been backlash in recent years, with some questioning the safety of the latter methods.

Though the use of pain-relieving drugs during childbirth is sometimes seen as a sign of female weakness, one glance at the long epidural needle on display could convince adolescents to postpone sexual activity.

It might have that effect on adults too.

Less cringe-inducing are the materials manufactured and discoveries made in Connecticut. The E.E. Dickinson Company of Essex was not just a major producer of witch hazel; it is also credited as having started commercial production of the astringent. Horace Wells’ contributions to pain relief are highlighted in the exhibit. Hartford’s J.M. Ney Company was responsible for producing gold caps for teeth and some of the goods are on display.

Bling. Hartford Has it.

The pain exhibit at the Connecticut Historical Society (One Elizabeth Street) will be displayed through late September. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday. Admission prices vary, but there will be free admission on June 1st and June 8th.

Items being accepted this weekend include:
acids, adhesives, aerosols, alkaline batteries, ammonia, antifreeze, ant sprays and baits, artists’ paints, brake fluid, cleaning solvents, CFLs, disinfectants, drain cleaners, epoxies, flea repellants, floor care products, fluorescent bulbs, fungicides, gasoline, diesel, glues, herbicides, insecticides, kerosene, fuel oil, lighter fluid, lithium batteries, mercury, moth balls, oil or alkyd paint, oven cleaners, paint strippers/thinners, pesticides, polyurethane, pool chemicals, power steering fluid, rechargeable batteries, road flares, transmission fluid, turpentine, wood and metal polish, and wood preservatives and stains. The MDC has an info packet providing full instructions for transport and a listing of what they do not accept.

According to MDC regulations, residents must remain in their vehicles while the hazardous materials are removed by contractors. They ask that materials be placed in disposable bins or boxes and be transported in the trunk.

Do you know where this is? Leave a comment. The more specific the response, the better. Only current place names qualify.

Elizabeth Park is not the only place to find nature in the West End.

A trail along the North Branch of the Park River

A path of poetry

Fences. Lots of fences.

No Name Park

Elizabeth Park

The former Hartford College for Women campus

Evergreen Community Garden

In Your Neighborhood is a weekly photo series designed to show the different areas of Hartford on the average day. If you know someone whose entire perception of the city is based on what they see on the evening news, please share this series with him or her.

It’s about to get worse.

On Monday, May 13th, the MDC is starting water main work on Broad Street, with initial work being done at the intersections with both Capitol Avenue and Farmington Avenue. Work is scheduled between 8am-4pm. Delays are expected.

A few blocks away, at the Old State House, a crowd grows restless as the elephants are late to make an appearance. Most, seemingly affiliated with CRT, are not privy to the knowledge that the train was delayed three hours Tuesday night, meaning that it was not until almost midnight when the convoy from railroad tracks-to-civic center happened.

Behind-the-scenes, horses and elephants milled about quietly in their respective areas, which seemed more spacious than those found at county fairs. With elephants pacing behind him, Ryan Henning, an Animal Care Specialist with Ringling Bros, says he could never work a desk job. Being outdoors, traveling, and working with the animals he says he loves are preferred to the standard 9-to-5 fare.

Wherever circuses using animals go, they are met with some degree of protest. Near the civic center, a small group of high school students gather, hoping to peek at the elephants. Speaking loudly, as teens are wont to do, a young female tells her classmates that “animals are mistreated.” The male students deny it.

In past years, organized protests have occurred outside of the performance venue. This time, a handful of animal advocates hold signs at the sides of the civic center. These voices were once seen as being on the fringes, but last year Alec Baldwin joined those calling for boycotts of circuses, bringing the controversy more into the mainstream.

Local animal rights’ advocate, Betsy Luz Correa Navarro, said “Animal Rights people would like to see all animal exploitation abolished. The way I see it welfarism is taking any being that is exploited time and time again and making excuses.”

Mother Jones covered the abuse allegations against Ringling; without much evidence, there was not enough of a case against Ringling/Feld Entertainment. Henning confirmed that Ringling never admitted wrongdoing, but paid the $270,000 fine so that the circus could “move forward.” He described this decision as a “business transaction.”

The seemingly damning, low resolution photos and videos that  are all just a Google search away do not line up with what was seen backstage at the civic center on Wednesday, where the animals and their environments seemed cleaned and cared for. Nobody blocked my access. Having watched enough of those grainy videos, it seemed like walking into squalor and brutality was inevitable, but there were no mysterious trails of blood. There were no gut-wrenching odors. From casual observation by someone who is not a veterinarian, there did not appear to be wounds on the animals that I saw.

Henning said the circus has vets on duty 24/7 and that all animals are kept up-to-date with yearly and monthly vaccinations. He said that they could pull an animal off the show if sick or injured, that they would do “what’s best for the animal.” Ringling Bros., he said, works closely with the USDA.

At the end of last year, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) actually settled with Ringling/Feld, agreeing to pay $9.3 million to the circus. The animal rights organization has also not admitted wrongdoing.

Allegations aside, some view the use of animals in entertainment as inherently problematic. Betsy Luz Correa Navarro says, “Exploitation of any sentient being is abuse and cruel, period.”

Even with this perennial controversy, people showed up in the streets of Hartford on a morning this week when a downpour seemed imminent.

In front of the Old State House, clowns touting the merits of exercise captured the crowd’s attention for only so long.

These kids wanted animals.

Tails and trunks entwined, the elephants marched into State House Square to cheers. The brunch program merged entertainment with education as the elephants crammed apples, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables into their mouths using their alarmingly versatile trunks. Children and their families were given fast facts about the types of elephants and how the creatures spend their time when not performing.

Later at the XL Center, Henning elaborated on how elephants, like people, have different personalities. The older animals tend toward quieter activities, but all do some “socializing” offstage. He said the elephants like playing in sand and with bamboo. But with the largest elephant in the group being 11,000 pounds, Henning said they can be quite “destructive.”

The wreckage left after the elephants’ brunch only hinted at their potential for destruction and need for lots of food. Henning said Ringling spends around $6 million per year to feed the animals, which is a logistically complicated task. Ensuring there is enough hay, grain, meat, and produce at each venue requires a bit of planning. He said they typically carry feed and bedding that fills half or three-quarters of a train car so that they are equipped for the journey and a bit longer, but most of the supplies are delivered to the destination in advance.

It’s not just the wrangling of animal supplies that’s complicated. Performances involving humans require special considerations. Andre McClain, the circus ringmaster, said that the tightrope walkers risk their lives while balancing on something “the size of my thumb.”

While the spotlight seems to be on the issue of animal treatment, circus acts involving animals are actually a minority of the show, with the elephants, tigers, horses, and smaller animals being on stage for mere minutes. Unlike the elephant march held on the streets of Hartford, the circus audience did not seem impatient or displeased by the performances involving just humans.  Stripping the animal acts would not take much of the awe factor away, given that one of the other acts involve Elliana Grace, a “human cannonball” who, immediately after landing, gets up to dance with the rest of the ensemble, unfazed by her flight across the stage.

Choosing to be a traveling clown or dancer is one thing, but opting for a career that continuously involves high level risk is quite another.

Inflatable crash pads seem like an insufficient safety net when the risk involves riding bicycles on a high-wire while transporting another performer who stands on her chair in the ultimate trackstand, as demonstrated by Mustafa Danguir and his troupe. Another act involves “walking on the ceiling,” with Franceleib Rodrigues stepping through loops while completely inverted. The aerialists swing on trapeze, spirals, long ropes, and each other. The steel vortex act provides many opportunities for performers to fall from the spinning object.

It was never clear if the steel vortex or high-wire performers actually stumbled, or if these missteps were part of the act, designed to build suspense in the audience.

Without relying on animals for applause, two duos grabbed the audience’s attention with balancing acts. Husband-and-wife team Ihosvanys Perez and Virginia Tuells stunned as she balanced her weight entirely on his head, all while striking a graceful pose. Tuells kicked the fitness level up with what looked to be eight-pack abs.

The King Charles Troupe, in the style of the Harlem Globetrotters, play a basketball “game” — all on unicycles. The game gets real when someone brings fire into the court. If UConn decided to start playing on unicycles, Real Hartford would consider covering their games.

All of the acts are accompanied by fast-paced music; a live orchestra was hidden in plain sight, only noticeable once the high-energy performers leave the stage for the evening. The charming ringmaster sings at points throughout the show. As many have come to expect, pyrotechnics are included in the display, which also features special lighting, confetti, and a fog machine.

One wonders: if the human-only performances are this good, why does Ringling maintain the animal acts that draw negative attention, regardless of whether or not the allegations of abuse are true?

Built to Amaze! has seven more performances at the XL Center, through May 12, 2013. To find out more about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performances and tickets, see their website.

Van Norden, making an appearance to read a letter

Following the latest hearing at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, one community member asked, “How much does Hartford’s Deputy Corporation Counsel Van Norden get paid to do nothing more than show up and read straight from a letter the Mayor wrote?”

The same could be asked of all ConnDOT representatives, aside from Judith Almeida, the Department of Transportation’s staff attorney and only employee appearing prepared for Wednesday evening’s first of two Flower Street Closing reconsideration hearings.

How could anyone have been prepared to respond to the City of Hartford’s 180° pulled minutes before the beginning of the hearing? This reversal, issued by Mayor Segarra, has been viewed by some in the community as a betrayal to residents and businesses, as a show of spinelessness, and one more poor decision in a stream of recent questionable choices.

In late April, officials from the City met with residents and stakeholders to discuss how to best move forward with the situation. The majority view was to keep pushing back against the DOT and not settle. This is what was supposed to be relayed back to Mayor Segarra: the neighborhood won’t settle. It wants to fight.

The few who did think having some settlement between the City and the DOT was a practical option insisted on having everything drawn up in writing to give it teeth. If it were to settle, the City, as of April, was going to include in its demands having the DOT commit to spend $30 million on Capitol Avenue improvements, look at making Sigourney Street safer for cyclists, alter State policies regarding affordable housing in Hartford, and more.

Throughout that meeting, the consensus was that nobody wanted a $6 million ramp built over the busway that would likely need to be removed in a few years when the viaduct is removed.

What also emerged in that meeting was the deep distrust everyone at the table — including City of Hartford employees — have regarding the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Thomas Deller, the Director of Hartf’ord’s Department of Development Services said he was “appalled” by how CTfastrak has done its planning, categorizing it as “haphazard.” A resident said, “the City has been victimized by the DOT for decades.”

By all accounts, it seemed that the City was going to fight the best it could for its residents and business owners.

Instead, Mayor Segarra effectively threw Hartford under the busway.

The vague letter addressed to Commissioner James P. Redeker states that the “DOT has committed to funding and constructing ‘up-and-over’ grade separated crossing, although, as has been explained to us, such funding is not currently in place. The City gratefully accepts the Department of Transportation’s commitment of comparable resources to work with the City of Hartford and local area residents and businesses to design and construct alternate projects to provide improvements to pedestrian and bicycle connections in the area. [...] The City has no intention seeking further adjudication or litigation on this matter.”

This concession, which demands none of the many items that were presented to the community, goes even further to semi-promise the one thing everyone agreed would be a waste of money and generally undesirable.

Not a single person  from the City or DOT could provide more details about this letter on Wednesday evening. Mayor Segarra was not present at the hearing; he was represented by the Deputy Corp Counsel.

The so-called “tireless” and” vigorous” discussions that have been happening between the City and entities like the Governor’s office demystify this sudden turn, but one has to wonder how it is possible for such disunity to be present at both the ConnDOT and City of Hartford.

On Monday, a series of emails hinted that some deal may have been in the works:

2013 05 06 Hartford to DOT Flower Street

These email exchanges make it appear as though some agreement had been reached, yet in a message from Deller on Tuesday afternoon, he said that as of Monday evening, “there was no deal.”

The bumbling of the City and DOT did not seem impress Ms. Almeida, who at Wednesday’s hearing asked several times, “Who’s going to handle the questions on the agreement,” specifically concerned with if there was “anybody capable of answering questions about the last paragraph” of Mayor Segarra’s letter.

Barry, noting the clarity of a letter that nobody could explain

Though Anna Barry, the Deputy DOT Commissioner, claimed that “these are very precise words chosen very carefully” while looking over Segarra’s letter, she stumbled through an inadequate explanation which directly contradicted that provided by one of her DOT colleagues. Looking at the letter, she declared that “up-and-over” is “not an option;” another DOT employee previously stated at this hearing that there would be further discussion of that as an option. It was said that the 9a.m. hearing on May 9th would also include a presentation by the DOT about the alleged dangers of the crossing at Flower Street, along with the “benefits of the pathway” being built.

To date, the DOT has not provided a shred of data or any other reliable evidence to prove that allowing pedestrians and cyclists to continue using Flower Street would present them with irrefutable danger.

As one employee claimed the letter was clear, another said that the DOT “doesn’t have much more than this letter” to go on regarding the agreement. Van Norden began by saying that the letter was “an understanding” and that he wasn’t “sure” that he “would call it an agreement.” Later, he changed his wording when describing this backroom deal.

On Twitter, locals have called it “selling out constituents.”

What has been evident during this process is that nobody from City or State seems familiar with the area in question, relying on residents to inform them. A DOT employee claimed that the “pathway” which goes between Flower and Broad creates a safe alternative, as cyclists would wind up on a “ten foot” sidewalk on Broad. The reality is that this sidewalk is too narrow for more than one user at a time, covered in trap rock, a cage, and is wholly useless in mitigating the problems created by blocking Flower Street.

In an attempt to distract those speaking at the hearing, one DOT employee kept asking irrelevant questions related to bicycle racks on buses and on the ground, implying that cyclists could just pop the bikes on buses and have their problems solved. Despite multiple attempts to educate her and others in the room that the busway, which runs east-to-west, would not alleviate the issue of blocked north-south access, she carried on.

Jennifer Cassidy of the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association criticized Mayor Segarra’s acquiescence, saying “I don’t see in here any dollars, any time frames.”

Cassidy, who spoke on record, said that the reason she and another neighborhood leader were “late is because it took almost fifteen minutes to get on the highway” due to the increased traffic that has resulted from motor vehicle traffic pushed off Flower Street.

David Corrigan, Chair of the Frog Hollow NRZ“, was also concerned about the letter, saying that there has been no statement, no acknowledgement of the harm done to this neighborhood by the busway. He added that since Segarra’s letter was handed to him just as he walked into the hearing room, it was “impossible” for him to comment.

A display in the lobby of the Connecticut DOT

Christopher Brown, speaking in capacity as Vice President of Bike Walk Connecticut said “we accepted and abided by the original ruling” that closed Flower Street to motorized traffic. Since this time, the Dunkin Donuts at Capitol and Flower/Lawrence has been sold because the previous owner saw a drop in profits since the Flower Street closure to traffic. Other area businesses, Brown said, have suffered roughly a 10% loss since implementation of the DOT’s previous ruling. Despite the neighborhood having to endure this, he said that it seems the DOT has never “acknowledged or addressed concerns about cyclist safety” which would be the next thing impacted if the DOT were to change its ruling to order the shutdown of this small side street to pedestrian and cyclist use.

Community members have speculated that this agreement is a transparent attempt to appease anyone who might potentially withhold funds from the City of Hartford, but the City has gotten no guarantee of a single thing in return.

Ms. Almeida turned this to the others at the DOT: “What happens if the funding [to build an actual structure which would mitigate the north-south closure] is never in place?”

Nobody answered.

The next dog and pony show will take place at the Department of Transportation on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington on May 9th at 9a.m. Those who cannot attend may send written testimony to Ms. Almeida. She asks that it be submitted within the next week.

While the City of Hartford has folded, community members have not indicated that they are backing down.

Female entrepreneurs might be interested in a free seminar about State and Federal Set-Aside Programs. From 9:30am-12pm, participants will learn about using government contracts, including how to navigate the new registration system, System for Award Management.

The May 10th seminar will be held at the Entrepreneurial Center at the University of Hartford, which is located in Butterworth Hall, 1265 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT. Registration is free.

Happen to know where this is? Leave a comment.

River Rock Yoga led a free class on the lawn, where people were invited to participate as long as they felt comfortable.

The BamBoom Drum Fitness tepee was a magnet for children.

Vendors sold everything from felted wool cat toys to fried dough to wind chimes.

Offerings included speakers on subjects like making seed bombs, food allergies and sensitivities, and avoiding negative energies. Erika Dworkin (pictured below) a certified Lifestyle Educator and Nutrition Consultant at the Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe presented information about removing gluten and dairy from one’s diet. She said that “less than 10% of celiacs know they have it,” and when trying to make major dietary changes, one should “go gentle with self.”

Ed Fast & Conga-Bop perform beside the Connecticut River at the 7th annual Samba Fest

A crowd gathers to watch a capoeira demonstration.

A typewriter at the Hartford Public Library’s booth is used for communal storytelling.

In Your Neighborhood is a weekly photo series showcasing Hartford’s neighborhoods.

At times we find it easier to just agree than to try to educate. This new series documents the ways in which the Parking Gods have been angered, resulting in “no parking” in Hartford. Emergency personnel actively addressing an emergency are given a free pass.

Here’s a collection of vehicles parked wrong:

At a glance, one might assume this vehicle is paused in traffic, waiting for a light to change.

No,it’s parked. Stretch, a full-grown mutt, is posing to give perspective on how much of a gap is between this vehicle and the curb.

This end of the street has bad car karma. Last week a man was spotted urinating from his vehicle during afternoon rush hour.

This parking lot was not near capacity and this was not a large car. There was just no reason to park on the grass, or hover slightly above it, as the case may be.

In the same area, we witnessed lawn parking.

Capitol Avenue is a hotbed of parking badness, 24/7.

This seems especially mean if there were passengers in the back. Either they get to exit into traffic, step into the huge puddle, or leap out in an attempt to make it to the sidewalk with dry feet.

Have you witnessed examples of motorists proving they missed the parking unit of drivers’ education? Reader-submitted photos will be considered. Send to Real Hartford with “Learning Curb” as subject line. Photos must be taken recently in Hartford (not West Hartford, East Hartford, or New Hartford) and should not show the driver or passengers.

Less than one year later, Milner/Jumoke is seeking a new principal for the preschool-through-eighth grade elementary school.

From the job posting listed yesterday:

Applicants must apply online by May 13, 2013.

Even while abstractedly knowing about the gender gap in the sciences, it wasn’t until Laura Huerta Migus spoke at the Connecticut Science Center on Tuesday that I heard another female tell a similar story. While at Texas A&M University, Huerta Migus changed majors after having a discouraging lab experience. Nobody challenged her on this decision or offered any kind of advising or mentoring.

Title IX may have removed structural barriers for women, but a culture persists in which females take themselves out of the running, either as adolescents or while in college.

Laura Huerta Migus

Being “the only person representing your cultural experience and background,” Huerta Migus said, “cannot be minimized.” That experience of being the only woman in a classroom or in the workforce is “extremely dissuasive for persistence.”

Huerta Migus explained that while girls have a higher GPA than boys in math, there is a sharp drop off of females taking classes in science, technology, engineering, and math after a certain age.

In 2009, women earned 18% of all engineering degrees conferred to United States’ citizens. The disparity widens even more when looking at race and ethnicity. African American women earned only 1% of engineering degrees. That is fewer than 1000 African American women. Though demographically Hispanic women should have earned 8% of degrees in engineering, only 2% actually did.

Between that sense of being an “only” and the failure of being pushed to try, particularly in the high stakes, high stress setting created by No Child Left Behind standardized testing, females continue to opt out of science, technology, engineering, and math.

The keynote speaker, citing science centers as “no rules,” hands-on environments, considered them as spaces where girls and women could be engaged in ways they might not be in school settings. Huerta Migus, the Co-Principal Investigator on the Girls RISE Museum Network project, was at the Connecticut Science Center Tuesday to help launch the Celebrating Women in Science Initiative.

This initiative,  currently sponsored by the Petit Family Foundation, will include Saturday science workshops for girls, a career fair in the fall for middle school-aged girls, and a “scavenger hunt” at the Connecticut Science Center in which participants learn about women’s roles in the various exhibits.

Dr. William Petit, in explaining his support of the pilot program, asked “Why should we not reap the potential of half of society?”

He acknowledged that women are well-represented in the biological sciences, but not so much elsewhere. Huerta Migus echoed this with data showing how few degrees were conferred to women in computer science, physical science, and engineering. “Homogenous thought,” she said, “is not conducive to a diverse future.”

“What we’re still living with,” after the structural barriers have been removed, after schools have shown that they know how to create gender neutral experiences in science classrooms, are “cultural beliefs about who belongs,” Huerta Migus told the predominately female audience.

Dr. Theodore Sergi, the retired President & CEO of the Connecticut Science Center, said “you can’t live in that old failing culture and tradition.”

Besides providing girls and women with hands-on opportunities outside of the classroom, Huerta Migus said there are effective ways to address the issue of self-selection: counter-stereotypic imaging, self-affirmations, and growth mindset focus.

It’s important, she said, to not tiptoe around the issue with girls. Huerta Migus explained that they are aware, and when the issue of under-representation of females in science and engineering is brought up to them, many — especially adolescents — are propelled by their sense of justice and driven to stick with it.

Along with the new programs and scavenger hunt, the Connecticut Science Center will be adding a section to its website providing information about the initiative, along with resources that may help address these disparities.

Scenes from the Sidewalk is a collection of interesting or strange things found while walking through Hartford.

Though they say nothing about cyclist usage, it can be assumed that this unrecognized population will also be banned from using the north-south route while this construction occurs.

The “temporary pedestrian walkway” is useless for those seeking a direct north-south route alternative, but if you’d like a lovely stroll through a parking lot below the interstate, go ahead and enjoy the walkway that links Flower Street to Broad Street, an east-west route.

Construction is weather-permitting and may be rescheduled if necessary.

If you know where this is, leave a comment.

• The Hartford Public Library will be hosting a community program on planning for sustainability. The HPL says, “This workshop offers in partnership with the Hartford Foundation for Public giving. Sustaining your initiatives requires leadership, persistence and a plan. This workshop will enable you to think and act more strategically in demonstrating the sustainability of your initiative and will offer suggestions on planning for program continuation.”  10am-12pm in the Downtown Youth Program Room.
• Reel Youth Hartford Film Festival, founded by Public Allies Connecticut, “aims to engage and unite Hartford youth in telling their stories and the stories of their city through film.” Films created by youth living in Hartford will be screened tonight at Cinestudio. Doors open at 5:30pm, programming begins at 6. There will be an awards ceremony and reception. This is free and open to the public.
• Also at 5:30, young professionals are welcomed to the Connecticut Convention Center for the free networking event, Get HYPEd. This goes until 8:30pm. It’s casual. No rsvp required. Bring business cards!
• Ever wanted to try drawing with a live model as the subject? Who hasn’t? Studio N111 is offering a Life Drawing workshop with a different theme every month. For tonight, JaVon will model as artists of all skill levels wrangle with “proportion.” There is a $15 fee that includes materials. 7pm. Studio N111 is located at 75 Pratt Street, #301. No need to rsvp — just drop in.

May 2

• Wear red for free admission to First Thursday: The Sights and Sounds of Peru at the Wadsworth Atheneum, 5-8pm. The museum says, “Create your own worry dolls, listen to the Andean sounds of Mestizo Manta, watch a typical Peruvian dance demonstration, sample Peruvian tapas. Charter Oak Brewing will be sampling their newest brew, Wadsworth IPA.” The Art After Hours event will be followed at 8pm by the film, El Perro del Hortelano. 
• Julie Fenster, author of Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America’s Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It, will be giving a talk at the Connecticut Historical Society as part of the programming for the This Won’t Hurt a Bit! A History of Pain Relief exhibit at the museum. 5:30-7pm.  Tickets: $5 CHS members, $10 non-members.
• At 6pm there will be a meeting of the Blue Hills NRZ (Neighborhood Revitalization Zone). This will take place at Cull Books, 677 Blue Hills Avenue. Civic meetings are always free.
• Satirist Roy Zimmerman will be performing at the Unitarian Society of Hartford (space ship/spiderweb/volcano) on Bloomfield Avenue at 7pm. There is a suggested donation of $20, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds– pay what you can! Doors open at 6:30pm.

May 3

Tick Tick BOOM! will bring improv comedy to La Paloma Sabanera at 7 tonight.

May 4

• Jay Kaplan from Roaring Brook Nature Center will be leading a Feathered Friends walk at the Cedar Hill Cemetery. This is free, but the price is needing to be there at 6:30am. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable footwear and bring binoculars and water.
• Re:Create CT, a holistic & green living event, takes place from 10am-4pm today in Elizabeth Park. There will be sound meditation, yoga, poetry, speakers, demonstrations, and vendors. Want to learn about GMOs? Going dairy-free? Avoiding negative energy? Want to participate in community weaving? Festivities will be in the Rose Garden and Pond House areas of the park. Free.
• HUZZAH! Another season of Vintage Base Ball begins with a doubleheader at Colt Meadows. The first game is scheduled for 11am, with the second one beginning about twenty minutes after the conclusion of the first game. This is free, family-oriented fun in Colt Park. Vintage Base Ball is ultra old school, following rules from the 1800s. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs.
• The 7th annual Samba Fest — an event co-produced by Trinity College and Riverfront Recapture — will bring music to the Riverfront Plaza from 11am-5pm. There will be Maculelê and Capoeira dance, along with performances by Ed Fast & Conga-Bop, Trinity Steel, De 4 Ahwee and Co. Steelband, and the Trinity Samba Ensemble. This is free. Rain or shine.
• The second annual Trinity Film Festival will take place at Cinestudio from 5-10pm. Free.
• Speak Up, an evening of true stories centered on a common theme, begins at 7:30pm at Real Art Ways. This is the first in the series. Storytellers for the inaugural event will include: James Bengiovanni, Ellen Painter Dollar, Rachel Leventhal-Weine, Okey Ndibe, Plato Karafelis, Kim Damokosh, and Matthew Dick. Admission is free. Doors open at 7.
• Catch Ferris Bueller at Spotlight Theatres at 11pm. $6.

May 5

30th Annual Foodshare Walk Against Hunger begins at 2pm in Hartbeat Park. Walkers can check-in starting at 1.

May 6

• To mark World Organ Day, organist Jason Charneski will perform works by Messiaen, Widor, and Vierne at Center Church from 12:10-12:35p.m. Free.
• Youth ages: 8 and up are invited to “celebrate Cinco de Mayo with papel picado, a traditional Mexican craft, and explore papel picado decorations from around the world” at the Mark Twain branch of the Hartford Public Library, 4-5pm.
• Frog Hollow Social Club. This one’ll cost you.

still from Downeast // Photo by Meghan Brosnan

• John Dankosky of WNPR will be moderating a forum on the Skills Gap at the Hartford Public Library from 5:30-7:30 tonight. This is free and open to the public, but registration is required because seating is limited. This conversation will be recorded and broadcast on Where We Live. Refreshments will be provided.
• There will be a free screening of Downeast at La Paloma Sabanera. Downeast is “an experiential story that unfolds over the course of a year-and-a-half in the small lobster village of Prospect Harbor, Maine. It observes the closing of the last remaining Sardine Cannery in the United States that shut down in April 2010. A few months later, Boston-based entrepreneur Antonio Bussone purchased the plant, hoping to re-build a lobster processing facility and rehire the laid-off sardine workers (most of whom are women over 65 years old).”   Film starts at 7p.m.

May 8

Blancanieves. Cinestudio describes this film: “With Pablo Berger’s utterly distinctive new silent film of Snow White, you can forget any memories of Disney’s bluebirds or cheery dwarfs whistling as they work. This is Gothic dark romanticism à la Brothers’ Grimm, set in a 1920s Iberian world of volatile passions. Carmen, the Snow White character, played by Macarena García, is the daughter of a bullfighter and a flamenco dancer, who is exiled to the forest by a sly and kinky stepmother (Maribel Verdú) after the death of her mother. Carmen is befriended by a cheeky rooster and a band of little people (one a cross-dresser) who encourage her desire to become a bullfighter.” 7:30pm. Ticket prices vary.

May 9

• The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center will host a wrap-up event for the CT Girlcott, “an initiative to raise awareness about body image and the relationship between women and makeup.” This will highlight the accomplishments and begin the planning for next year’s CT Girlcott. Refreshments from 5-5:30pm, discussion from 5:30-7pm. Free.
• Expressions in Sounds and Motion, a photo exhibition By Maurice D. Robertson, opens today at the Butler-McCook House and Garden. The event will also include music by pianist Orice Jenkins and his trio. This is free. 5:30-7:30pm. The photo exhibit will be viewable through early June.
• Study in Lace opens in the Hartford History Center at the Hartford Public Library at 6pm. This is a free event. This exhibit will feature the work of thirty artisans from the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center. When the exhibit closes in August, weavers’ creations will be up for sale.
• A Raisin in the Sun comes to the Charter Oak Cultural Center, through May 12th. Tonight’s show is at 7. $15 adults, $10 children under fifteen.

May 10

• KNOX will be holding its annual plant sale today from 9am-6pm at 75 Laurel Street. They will have shrubs, perennials, annuals, herbs, and vegetables.
• Lauren Drain, author of Banished: A Memoir – Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church, will be at the Mark Twain House & Museum for a conversation with Susan Campbell and book signing. Free. 7pm.

May 11

• Today is the final day of the KNOX plant sale — 9am-4pm. Get there early for best selection.
• Join in a walking tour of Keney Tower, the Old North Cemetery, and the Isham-Terry House. $12 general, $10 for Connecticut Landmarks members. 10a.m.-1p.m. Contact CTL to register and get directions.
• Saint Patrick – Saint Anthony Church will hold a Bluegrass Mass at 6:30pm. Church Street, free.
• Michael Korman‘s second Master of Music recital will be held in the Berkman Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Hartford at 8pm. This free event will also include performances by baritone Junhee Lee, soprano Allison Holst-Grubbe, cellist Kayla Herrmann, and violinist G. Asa Gudjonsdottir. The Berkman Recital Hall is located in the Fuller Music Center.
• Back to the Future is the $6 late-night film at Spotlight Theatres tonight. 11pm.

May 12

Sea Tea Improv will be hosting an evening of improvised comedy at City Steam Brewery’s Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club. Doors open at 6pm; show begins at 7pm. Admission is free. Those under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian because City Steam sells alcohol.

May 13

• The WordForge Reading Series features Alfred Corn and Glyn Dowden tonight at 7. There will be an open mike. This is free– Studio at Billings Forge on Broad Street, located on the opposite side of the parking lot from the Firebox.
• Last chance to see LIFE: A Journey Through Time at the Hartford Public Library’s ArtWalk Gallery. Free.

May 14

Black-eyed Sally’s hosts a free show by Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra, an 18-piece band. 8pm.

May 15

Catch a screening of Hava Nagila at Real Art Ways. <– Check back to the Real Art Ways site for the updated film time(s). Ticket prices vary.

May 16

Free yoga! This happens at 6pm every Thursday at the Kabbalah House (1023 Albany Avenue). This is sponsored by True Colors.

May 17

Bike to Work Day!

May 18

• Help clean up the Earle Street Community Garden with the KNOX Green Team. 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• The Hartford Public Library hosts some intense dialogues. Today there will be one about the skills gap — a continuation of the discussion that began earlier this month — from 10am until 3pm. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. This is free but participants are asked to register.
• Last chance to see HartBeat Ensemble’s Riding the Turnpike at the Carriage House Theater. Based on the book, The Berlin Turnpike: A True Story of Human Trafficking in America by Raymond Bechard, HartBeat Ensemble says the play is “set in a strip club on the Connecticut Berlin Turnpike in which four women are involved in prostitution in different ways and for different reasons. The lines between who is trafficked, who is there of their own free will and who is there for survival, are blurred as we watch the women navigate their own disparate situation, each more complex than the next. The play looks at what makes certain women and girls targets and examines all that one person can and will do to survive and secure their needs.” Not for kids. Performance at 7:30pm. Ticket prices vary.

May 19

Live bluegrass at the Firebox from 5-8pm. No cover charge. Tonight’s feature: Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys.

May 20

Jazz Mondays at Black-eyed Sally’s is open to all ages. Check the Jazz Mondays page for details on performers and cover charge (it’s usually free). 8-11p.m.

May 21

Partnership for Strong Communities hosts another of its forums: “A key question in the fight to end homelessness: how to best serve frequent users of emergency rooms and other expensive health services?”

Breakfast and networking, 8:30-9a.m.; 9-11:30a.m. program. This is free. Advanced registration is suggested. This is at the Lyceum (227 Lawrence Street).

May 22

• What were they thinking? Hartford Then and Now is a free lunchtime lecture at the Old State House, which is in view of many of the things you have probably asked that exact question about, such as Constitution Plaza and the plans to rip out part of the State House Square plaza to accommodate buses. The event will include a talk by Tomas Nenortas, Associate Director of the Hartford Preservation Alliance, who will explore “the impact of urban renewal on the city of Hartford, lost treasures and current efforts to restore historic buildings and adapt them for 21st century life.” This will be followed by a panel discussion. 12pm-1pm.
• SYLLABLE returns to La Paloma Sabanera from 7-8:30 tonight with the theme of “crime.” Check out the submission policy if you’d like to read; just show up if you want to listen. Suggested donation: $5. Nobody turned away for lack of funds.

May 23

Behind the Wheel, an exhibit of 20th century posters about automotive safety, opens at the Connecticut Historical Society. Admission prices vary.

May 24

Gimme the Loot opens at Real Art Ways. Check the Real Art Ways site for updated showtimes. Ticket prices vary.

May 25

• Colt Meadows Invitational: an afternoon of Vintage Base Ball, Mark Twain, and kids’ activities in Colt Park. Free, 10a.m.-5p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
• The 9th Annual Spring Festival will be held at the Ebony Horsewomen Equestrian & Agricultural Center (337 Vine St.) from 11a.m.-7p.m.: pony rides, antique cars, vendors, farmers’ market, train rides, kiddie carnival rides, exotic animals, music, and more. Free admission. The rain date is May 26th.

May 26

Cinestudio will be screening Safety Last, a fantastically-titled silent film. This marks the film’s 90th anniversary. Showtimes today: 2:30 and 7:30pm. This will be at Cinestudio through May 30th. Ticket prices vary.

May 27

The Hartford Jazz Orchestra will perform at the Arch Street Tavern. 8pm, free.

May 28

MathAlive! opens at the Connecticut Science Center today. This traveling exhibit shows visitors practical uses for the math they are learning in school. Ticket prices vary.

May 29

Drop by the Barbour branch of the Hartford Public Library “to meet your neighbors, discuss local or national issues, cooking, sports, or the latest book or movie you enjoyed. Refreshments served.” 6-7:15pm. Free, no registration needed.

May 30

Inspiring Action: Human Rights in the 21st Century will include a free networking followed by a panel discussion from 3-5:30pm at the Immanuel Congregational Church (10 Woodland Street). Panelists will include Michelle Alexander, Mike Lawlor, Victoria Steele, and Rev. Michael Williams.

May 31

Sea Tea Improv performs long form at the Studio at Billings Forge. 8-9:30pm. $10 at door.

Want your event listed next month? Get the information to us before May 25th. Preference is given to free or low cost civic and cultural events that occur in Hartford.

In Your Neighborhood is a weekly photo series showcasing Hartford’s neighborhoods. This is the beginning of the second round of the series.

Please share this with someone you know who has either a neighborhood-specific or Hartford-in-general phobia.

 Let us know about the most interesting, beautiful, creepy, and weird things in your neighborhood.

Barry’s contribution to the meeting was acknowledgement that the City has been engaged in “vigorous discussion” with the Connecticut DOT and that no conclusion has been reached between those parties about what is an acceptable path forward.

The remaining several hours were spent discovering how many different ways it is possible for all present parties — Barry excluded, as she removed herself from the Studio at Billings Forge before this conversation launched — to have independently developed a distrust of the State’s transportation agency.

Although the State agency essentially ruled against itself months ago, it is trying to appeal that ruling. If the DOT loses this appeal, it may stall CTfastrak progress and the State would have to give approximately half a million dollars back to the Federal government. There have been discussions between the State and City regarding the possibility of a settlement, but with the DOT’s use of noncommittal language, none of that lost trust was re-earned by those at Thursday evening’s meeting.

Residents questioned the likelihood of the DOT fulfilling any possible financial obligation, with some calling the agency “disrespectful” and others equating it with an “occupying force.” Some residents wondered aloud if civil disobedience would be a more effective way of dealing with the DOT.

An earnest discussion about the direction of the skatepark planned for a section of the New Ross, County Wexford Park was able to take place this week thanks to the down-to-earth nature of the designer and builder, along with the inclusion of those who will be directly impacted — skaters.

Mike McIntyre and Kanten Russell from Stantec/Who Skates? presented the plans for a space to be used by skateboarders and bikers, asking for feedback, of which they got plenty. Questions came from primarily teens and young adults: Will the performance stage have shade? Will the police be told to back off? Why is part of the park flat and wide open? Can we tell people about this?

Items beyond the reach of the design team were handed over to members of the Skateboard Task Force who had a better understanding of potential programming and legal issues. Park visitors were told that rules will be established and posted; then the police would be informed about what they will be allowed to enforce. If an area of the park is deemed off limits for skating or painting, then the police will be able to address that.

It was unclear what the hours of operation would be, as this is not a City park exactly; Hartford leases the space from the CT DOT because the park is situated directly above I-84. The actual skatepark design will need approval by the CT DOT, which depending on who you ask, will be passed right through or stalled eternally. Technically, there is no change to the park’s usage, but there could be balking at the addition of weight. What serves as the roof of I-84 has a weight limit of 800 pounds per square foot. The proposed skatepark would weigh, at most, 200 pounds per square foot.

The skatepark’s design had a lukewarm reception, but McIntyre and Russell repeatedly said their plan was by no means final and adjustments could still be made to make skaters and bikers happy, so long as the suggestions fit the budget. Adding a permanent canopy to the performance stage — one request made during Tuesday’s meeting — would cost thousands of dollars, something that would mean reducing skate features. The few pushing for a shade structure seemed appeased by the suggestion that a temporary canopy be borrowed during events so that no funds would be moved away from items like rails or the volcano feature.

A goal of this project is to incorporate the arts, which is why a stage is part of the plans. Those using the park would be responsible for any programming they would like, such as hip hop festivals or skateboard competitions.

No timeline was given for how long it would take before seeing completion of the park.

If you’ve been following the Flower Street debacle at all, you’re familiar with the CT DOT’s desire to “mitigate” the closure of a north-south route by creating an east-west one between Broad Street and Flower Street.

Well, we found a path has essentially been created by throwing up some fencing along and below the highway.

After walking it a few times, we confirmed that it still does not solve the issue of traveling between Capitol Avenue and Farmington Avenue if the DOT is successful in its mission to shut Flower Street down to pedestrian and cyclist use. The street is already closed to motor vehicles.

There is a public meeting on Thursday during which the City of Hartford and CT DOT will discuss that Flower Street issue further.

At the same time as residents are being urged to accept a potential change to Pope Park or Colt Park that nobody seems to want — a Cal Ripken Sr.Foundation Youth Development Park (with artificial turf) — the finishing touches are finally being happening on a different kind of park that has had enough buy-in to warrant the creation of the Hartford Skateboard Task Force.

When something sits unused long enough, people find other uses for it. In this case, the underutilized New Ross, County Wexford Park was unofficially reestablished — at least by those who regularly visited it — as Heaven, a space for skateboarding, parkour, and art.

Temporary ramps have appeared in this spot located on top of I-84, but something more permanent was desired.

Tonight, Mike McIntyre and Kanten Russell from Stantec/Who Skates? — the designer and builder selected for this project — will present the final design for the skatepark at Heaven. The aerial plan (right) shows features like grind ledges and rails. A rain garden is also included in the plans.

For those who have trouble conceptualizing information when it is simply posed in the form of plans, this will be an opportunity to ask questions and get more information about what improvements are in the works.

Because of the park’s location — over a highway — the Department of Transportation will have to review plans. Interested parties can find out tonight how they can advocate for this project so that it is not stalled by the DOT.

The presentation will be held in the Center for Contemporary Culture at the Hartford Public Library tonight, April 23, from 5:30-7:30.

Leave a comment if you know where this is

Cardboard trees transformed Hartford’s City Hall on Saturday for the Trashion Fashion Show, an event designed to promote environmental awareness.

Live drumming gave models — mostly shoeless — a rhythm for the runway.

Some footwear made stilettos look like a joke.

Designers were challenged to create garments by reusing materials. Some fashioned dresses out of t-shirts. One dress was crocheted out of stretched VHS tapes.

Proceeds from the third annual Trashion Fashion Show will go to the Sustainable Farm School.

Garments were on display at various locations in the building.

Vendors made use of an upper level, selling jewelery, furniture, cookie cutters, cat and dog treats, clothing, bath products, and other handmade items.

For more photos, see the Photobucket album

Billed as the official afterparty of the Trashion Fashion Show, Welcome to Bohemia! featured a dj, belly dancers, and band. This also doubled as an art show, with works from artists including Andres Chaparro and Tao LaBossiere.

]]> http://www.realhartford.org/2013/04/21/bohemia/feed/ 0 http://www.realhartford.org/2013/04/21/earth-day-celebration-at-riverfront/ http://www.realhartford.org/2013/04/21/earth-day-celebration-at-riverfront/#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:32:07 +0000 Kerri Provost http://www.realhartford.org/?p=15981 Vendors, organizations, and musicians gathered at the Riverfront Plaza Sunday afternoon to celebrate Earth Day.

Festival-goers could learn about using solar cookers from someone preparing cookies and beans.

Information about energy audits, safe routes to school, cycling, non-GMO foods, the Farmington River Watershed, reusable moving boxes,  and more was made available.

Besides the usual suspects at this sort of event, there was strong representation from the faith community, particularly Catholic. The Franciscan Action Network was one of the groups pressing for social justice.

On one table were cards urging people to “take the St. Francis Pledge,” which includes acting “to change my choices and behaviors by reducing my carbon footprint” and advocating “principles of solidarity and stewardship for God’s creation in climate change discussions and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable.”

Other literature echoed the seamless thread ideal: “Protecting life involves addressing the obvious threats to children’s health and development: abortion, violence, and lack of adequate food, shelter and health care. But the less obvious threats are very real, especially toxic pollutants that reach the infant in the womb and harm growing children. [...] These pollutants come from sources such as electric power generation, trucks and autos, pesticides, industrial and household chemicals, and wastes.”

]]> http://www.realhartford.org/2013/04/21/earth-day-celebration-at-riverfront/feed/ 0 http://www.realhartford.org/2013/04/20/coming-soon/ http://www.realhartford.org/2013/04/20/coming-soon/#comments Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:31:26 +0000 Kerri Provost http://www.realhartford.org/?p=15959

Pretty soon you’ll be able to get some bread with your roses at State House Square.

These d.i.y. signs are popping up all over.

The State entity has been striving to close Flower Street — a quiet side street that serves as a safe connection between Asylum and Capitol for cyclists and pedestrians — to all traffic. Once construction on CTfastrak began, the road was sealed off to motorized vehicles. Though claiming that the desire to close the street is for safety reasons, the CT DOT, in various conversations, has straight out said that there is no data to back these claims. Activists seeking to keep the road open have speculated that there are other reasons and that this fight has nothing to do with the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

Closing this street entirely would go against the stated goals of Hartford’s One City, One Plan — Plan of Conservation and Development.

Residents, stakeholders, and neighborhood organizations have not given silent consent. There have been attempts to be heard at a DOT hearing, and when voices seemed ignored there, wherever the DOT would show up. The next step was to be fighting it out, again, at a Reconsideration Hearing requested by the DOT.

The DOT was petitioning itself to spread out the Reconsideration Hearing (with itself) over several days in early April. This was stalled, pushing the new Reconsideration Hearing into May.

None of these hearings –the outcomes of which most directly impact Hartford’s Asylum Hill and Frog Hollow neighborhoods — have been held in Hartford, where residents and stakeholders could more easily attend. Opponents of the Flower Street closure have viewed this entire process as being filled with attempts to suppress public engagement, from the Newington-based hearings, to multiple hearings, to refusing to grant “intervenor” status at these hearings.

Now, we have learned that the DOT has been meeting with the City of Hartford about the Flower Street matter. The City had been challenging the DOT during this process, but those closely involved in this ordeal have seemed less optimistic about the nature of these closed door meetings. The expectation from those fighting the closure is that some “agreement” has been reached between the City and the State that would render moot the Reconsideration Hearing in May.

On Thursday, April 25 at 5pm the DOT and City of Hartford will be having a public meeting at the Studio at Billings Forge to discuss the latest on the Flower Street closure(s). Because it is public, anybody can show up.

Leave a comment if you know where this can be found.

In the name of science, we pressed the button four or five times. It doesn’t say where the octopus will be released. You’ve been warned.

*Actual freak show (probably) not included

The Connecticut Regional Market in the South Meadows neighborhood is active every morning. It closes down at 9, and when the flower and plant vendors begin appearing in larger numbers, parking actually does become a challenge here to anyone arriving after sunrise.

Some might not consider this mostly industrial area to be a neighborhood, but census data does indicate that people — albeit a small number — live here. After having a few of these conversations about where people possibly live, it needs to be put bluntly: Hartford, like many other places, has a population who is homeless. This does not tell the entire story of who lives in the South Meadows, but it is part of it.

This is sort of like a meadow.

In Your Neighborhood is a weekly photo series showcasing Hartford’s neighborhoods. This week concludes the first round of the series. There will be no feature next week. The second round will begin on April 27, 2013.

On April 27th the community is invited to help with various projects at the school from 8am-1pm.

Children have requested that their bathrooms be more kid-friendly, so adding stencils to the walls will be one of these projects. The cafeteria needs painting. One wall of it will be covered in special chalkboard paint. Bulletin boards will also need refreshing. Outside, there is work to do in the garden, along with routine removal of litter and overgrown vegetation.

There’s no need to rsvp — just show up. Burns is on the block between Russ, Putnam, Mortson, and Park Terrace.

If you can’t wait that long to get your hands dirty, there are other community building (and cleaning) events planned.

Summer of Solutions will be celebrating the opening of its Wesley Colbert Zion Street Community Garden on April 19th, and how better to celebrate than by doing some raking and digging? The workday from 2-6pm.

This space is on Zion Street between Park and Ward. Summer of Solutions says people should come if they just want to help by preparing gardens, if they want to bring their community group for a large volunteer project, or if they are interested in having a plot in this garden. Plots are free and the organization will provide seeds, soil, and water for those planning to participate in the garden. No need to rsvp for individuals, but they ask that volunteer groups call ahead: (860) 539-7231

Still not dirty enough?

KNOX will provide tools and trash bags for volunteer groups that organize themselves to clean up public locations. In the past groups have removed dozens of bags of garbage and recyclables from areas along the Park River, from sidewalks and streets, and the various parks. Hartford Cleans Up 2013! will take place on April 20, April 27, May 4, and May 11.

Call KNOX at (860) 951-7694 to register. By registering, volunteers can avoid redundancy in areas targeted for cleaning.

On the National Day of Action for immigration reform, Hartford joined cities across the United States as people took to the streets downtown during evening rush hour.

The Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA) organized the event, with rallies at both the Old State House and State Capitol, and a march in between.

CIRA is comprised of many organizations including the ACLU of CT, African American Affairs Commission, AFT Connecticut, Apostle Immigrant Services, Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Brazilian Immigrant Center, Center for Latino Progress, Comunidad Inmigrante de East Haven, Connecticut AFL-CIO, Connecticut Center for New Economy, Connecticut Coalition to Stop Indefinite Detention, Connecticut Students for a Dream, Immigration Rights Task Force of the Unitarian Society of New Haven, Immigration Task Force of New York Annual Conference of United Methodist Church, International Institute of Connecticut, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), Junta for Progressive Action, Latino Advocacy Foundation, MECha de Yale, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), New Haven Peoples Center, Oficina Católica de Justicia Social de La Arquidiócesis de Hartford, Seminarians for a Democratic Society, SEIU-32BJ, SEIU-State Council, Somos CT, Unidad Latina en Acción, UNITE HERE, and United Action Connecticut.

Students from nearby colleges and universities wore orange ribbons. At the State Capitol a group of students presented State Representatives Juan Candelaria and Gary Holder-Winfield with an immigration reform petition containing over 900 signatures from area students; these signatures were collected in two weeks.

Holder-Winfield told activists that while he is not an immigrant, he could, as an African-American, relate to the experience of feeling as if the police were not present to provide protection in his neighborhood.

“I know what it is to feel unsafe,” he said.

Because of the looming fear of deportation for lacking documentation, serious crimes often go unreported in immigrant communities.

Holder-Winfield has introduced legislation — Connecticut Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools (TRUST) Act — designed to restore trust in these communities.

Speaking of the day’s action, Yanil Teron, the Executive Director of the Center for Latino Progress, said “this is not about Latinos,” and proceeded to list all the countries and nationalities she knew were represented in the crowd.

Mayor Pedro Segarra temporarily joined the march as people passed City Hall.

If you know where this is, leave a comment.

The first person who has the most accurate, correct answer gets 24 hours of smugness, with no repercussions.

Lah Tere and Baba Israel hosted the main concert

Things to know about the 8th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival:

• It’s finished for this year
• It was free.
• The general public was invited and well represented.
• Not just for the young folk. People of all ages attended.

Dead Prez, headlining

Dead Prez, Lah Tere, and others delivered a message of self-respect and healthy lifestyles. A slogan associated with a fitness club promoted by Dead Prez: “Healthy is the new gangsta.”

Nearly all of this year’s activities were held in or around Mather Hall on the Trinity College campus

The festival provided spray paint to anyone registered for this activity.

Krudas Cubensi — a queer, feminist, group originating from Cuba — led the audience in a chant of “[expletive] big media.”

The Chromatics, from Trinidad

Keur Gui from Senegal

Freestyle rap, singing, and beat boxing between acts kept the show moving.

The audience, by and large, showed respect for each other and the facilities. Aside from the ID checks, security seemed to know how to step back and let a peaceful gathering carry on.

The Welfare Poets brought dancing and a call-and-response of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.” The group included a boy (not pictured) wearing a cape, who also danced and played an instrument.

Dancing

Dancing to Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual.”
Really.

The Urban Flea Market included art, vinyl, clothing, and more. Pictured: t-shirts from GMI Clothing, a company with the message: “Dream Big Do Big”

More videos and photos

The South West neighborhood — bordered by the South End, Behind the Rocks, and Barry Square neighborhoods, along with the towns of Wethersfield and West Hartford — is possibly the easiest to get lost in, between the maze of streets that more closely resemble a suburban tract housing development and the sprawling Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Here, one can go for blocks without spying a bodega.

Maybe not blocks.

One may just be driving in circles, unable to escape the streets that all seem to be named after colleges.

Cedar Hill Cemetery, though equipped with labeled sections, proves equally confusing. If you parked near “the pond,” ten minutes of walking around will have you forgetting which pond.

Cedar Hill Cemetery hosts events like tree plantings, lantern tours, and bird tours. Visitors are encouraged to use this graveyard for “quiet recreational activities.” Trying to find Katharine Hepburn’s modest monument could be an all-day quiet recreational activity.

Adjacent to the cemetery is a fancy playground with water features.

Cedar Hill Cemetery is frequented by deer, who leave plenty of evidence of their visits. We have heard that coyote drop by at night, which happens to be when the cemetery is closed, except for on special occasions.

With fewer abandoned buildings, concrete barriers, and such, this neighborhood has less graffiti that others, but it does pop up around the playground.

In Your Neighborhood is a weekly photo series showcasing Hartford’s neighborhoods. Please share this with someone you know who has either a neighborhood-specific or Hartford-in-general phobia.

Found near frequent unintentional and non-ironic Lord of the Flies reenactments.