Antiques Shows______

Saturdays (through mid-Dec): 38th Season Woodbury’s Famous Antiques & Flea Market, 787 Main St South (Rte 6, near Rte 64), Woodbury, 7 am-1 pm, 150± vendors each week; 203-263-2841.

Sundays (through Dec 11): Elephant’s Trunk Country Flea Market, Rte 7, New Milford, 7 am-2:30 pm (early buying 5:45 am, $20), adm $1; 508-896-1975.

Sept 18: Wilton DAR Antiques Show, Wilton High School Field House, Rte 7, Wilton, 10 am-5 pm, adm $9 (early buying 9 am, adm $20 incl breakfast), exhibitors from CT, IL, KY, MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA & VT participating; 203-762-3525.

Sept 24: 39th Annual Outdoor Antiques Show, Lebanon Green, Rte 207 at 87, Lebanon, 10 am-4 pm rain or shine, adm $4, 100 dealers participating.

Sept 25: 2005 Automated Music Show, The Inn at Ethan Allen, Lake Avenue Ext, Danbury, 7 am-3 pm, adm $10 (free after 10:30 am), 20th anniv season continues w/ dealers presenting talking machines, Victrolas, music boxes, parts, etc; 330-325-7866.

Art Exhibits, Museums Historic Places__ _____

Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, 258 Main St, Ridgefield. Hours: Tues-Thurs & Sat-Sun 1-5 pm, Fri 12-8 pm. Call 203-438-4519.

*(new show) Through March 12: “Karkhana: A Contemporary Collaboration,” works by 6 contemporary Pakistani artists – Aisha Khalid, Hasnat Mehmood, Muhammad Imran Qureshi, Nusra Latif Qureshi, Talha Rathore & Saira Wasim; Oct 16, panel discussion featuring Karkhana artists & curators, 2 pm; also Oct 16, opening reception (for all fall shows), 3-6 pm.

Through Oct 9: “Emil Lukas: Connection to the Curious,” sculpture that can be viewed from outside museum or from inside w/ aid of snaking camera, installation incl series of small-scale cast-concrete sculptures placed discretely throughout sculpture garden, elements of sculpture expected to change during course of exhibition, visitors will be invited to make rubbings & castings from artist’s forms.

Through Oct 9: “Sarah Morris: Los Angeles,” continuous screenings of recent film that captures a week in the life of a city known as center for film production on eve of annual Oscar Awards celebration.

Booth Library, 25 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown. Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 am-8 pm, Fri 12-5 pm, Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun 12-5 pm. Call 426-4533.

In Olga Knoepke Meeting Room (lower meeting room) — Through Sept 30: “History In The Making: Faces Of Newtown,” 13 new portraits honoring current & former (deceased) residents of distinction, nominated by library’s Board of Trustees, created by award-winning members of CT Society of Portrait Artists.

In first & second floor display cases — Through Sept 30: “The Prehistory of Newtown,” artifacts from collection of Town Historian Dan Cruson that illustrate the development of Native American culture in the area & the science of archaeology that enabled conclusions to be reached about development.

On library’s main floor — Through Sept 20: hand hooked rugs by award-winning rug hooker Liz Alpert Fay.

Fenn Gallery of Contemporary Art, 345 Main Street/Rte 6, Woodbury. Hours: Thurs-Sun 11 am-5 pm. Call 203-263-2821.

*(new show) Through Oct 23: “Vibrant Rhythms,” modernist paintings by Diran Deckmejian & Howard Fussiner; Sept 17, artists’ reception (public invited), 4-6 pm.

Fine Line Art Gallery, 586 Main St South/Rte 6, Woodbury. Hours: Thurs-Sun 11 am-5 pm. Call 203-266-0110.

*(new show) Through Sept 25: “Fire and Stone II,” unique pottery & jewelry by gallery members incl Debbie Altschwager, Zufar Bikbov, Rita Caldwell, Lorraine Skelsky Chapin, Adelita Chirino, Bonny Current, Mally DeSomma, Barbara Goodspeed, Richard Kaminskas, Carla Koch, Anita Liebskind, Susan A. Nally, Nadine Newell, May Phillips, Judith Secco & Felicity Sidwell; Sept 17, opening reception, 11 am-6 pm.

Glebe House Museum & The Gertrude Jekyll Garden, 49 Hollow Rd, Woodbury. Hours: (May-Oct) Wed-Sun 1-4 pm, (Nov) Sat-Sun 1-4 pm. Call 203-263-2855.

Through Oct 9: “The Marshall Family at Home,” special exhibit celebrating 80th anniv of Glebe House Museum will portray members of Marshall family, their slaves & friends as they would have gone about typical day in Sept 1776 of an 18th Century well-educated middle class family (Marshalls moved into Glebe House ca 1771), exhibition will feature mannequins dressed in carefully researched & hand sewn clothing by curators Sandie Tarbox & Hallie Larkin.

Haas Library at Western CT State University, Osborne St (midtown campus), Danbury. Call 837-8486.

*(new show) Through Oct 7: “Excursions – An Exhibition of Recent Works by Herm Freeman, Thomas Hamann, Kim Hanna & Phil Demise Smith,” 25+ original engravings, paintings & mixed media works by well respected artists.

Institute for American Indian Studies, 38 Curtis Rd, Washington. Hours: Mon-Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun 12-5 pm. Call 860-868-0518.

Through Sept 30: “Inuit Artists – Inuit Hunters: Arctic Stories in Ivory, Bone and Stone,” Inuit sculpture carved from walrus ivory, soapstone, whalebone & musk ox horn loaned from IAIS member’s private collection.

Kent Art Association, 21 South Main St/Rte 7, Kent. Hours: Thurs-Sun 1-5 pm. Call 860-927-3989.

*(new show) Sept 16-Oct 16: “Annual Fall Art Show & Sale,” more than 100 paintings incl oils, watercolors, pastels & graphics, also sculpture, by prize-winning artist from local areas & adjacent states; Sept 16, opening reception, 6-8 pm; Sept 17, awards reception, 3 pm.

Miller Studio & Gallery, 495 Main St/Rte 6, Woodbury. Hours: Tues-Sat 9:30 am-5:30 pm, Mon-Tues by chance or appt. Call 203-263-3939.

Through Oct 18: “North Light: Classical Realism by Robert Holden,” classically lit still life paintings & fine portraiture by Mr Holden.

Richter Association for the Arts, 100 Aunt Hack Rd, Danbury. Hours: Sat-Sun 2-5 pm. Call 798-2245.

*(new show) Sept 17-18: “Bop,” surrealistic paintings on canvas, glass & metal by Richard R. Budman, show will be open 12-5 pm each day, live music by Ol’ Boi on Sunday.

River Glen Fine Arts Gallery, 3 Washington Ave/Rte 34, Sandy Hook. Hours: Tues 12-4 pm, Sat-Sun 11 am-4 pm. Call 270-1199.

Through Oct 23 (show dates extended): “Tercentennial Celebration: En Plein Air Exhibit of Newtown and Sandy Hook,” brand-new works done en plein aire in Newtown & Sandy Hook by 16 award-winning CT-based artists incl gallery-represented artists, also incl Newtown artists Pat Barkman, Betty Christensen, Ron DeFelice, Ruth Newquist, et al.

Sherman Library, 1 Sherman Center, Sherman. Hours: Tues-Fri 11 am-6 pm, Sat 10 am-4 pm. Call 860-354-2455.

Through Sept 30: “Chairs by Kristine Tino,” paintings by Ms Tino that depict chairs & shadows in series that incorporates the bold use of complementary colors in place of actual colors of chairs & their shadows.

Silvermine Guild Arts Center, 1037 Silvermine Rd, New Canaan. Hours: Tues-Sat 11 am-5 pm, Sun 1-5 pm. Call 203-966-9700.

*(new show) Through Oct 9: “Susan Manspeizer: Painting as Sculpture”; Sept 28, Wednesday Lunchtime, 11 am, artist walk & talk w/ Ms Manspeizer.

*(new show) Through Oct 9: “Leslie Giuliani: Myths, Masks & Monsters”; Sept 14, Wednesday Lunchtime, 11 am, artist walk & talk w/ Ms Giuliani.

*(new show) Through Oct 9: “Barbara Rothenberg: Out of Longing and Out of Song”; Sept 21, Wednesday Lunchtime, 11 am, artist walk & talk w/ Ms Rothenberg.

*(new show) Through Oct 9: “director’s choice – Suzanne Crossland: Just Plain America.”

*(new show) Through Oct 9: “web to wall – Selected Photography Works from the Guild Imagebank.”

Woodbury Public Library, 269 Main St South/Rte 6, Woodbury. Call 203-263-3502.

Through Sept 29: “Scrapbag Quilt Artists’ 20th Anniversary,” collection of works by members of guild that originated 20 yrs ago in Newtown & now incl members from Brookfield, Easton, Danbury, Monroe, Newtown, Norwalk, Oxford, Weston & Woodbury offers look at traditional & contemporary quilting.

Auditions, Juried Events  _____

Connecticut Master Chorale, at South Britain Congregational Church Parish Hall, Rte 172 at East Flat Hill Rd, South Britain. Call 775-2602.

Opening for 2005-06 season for bass voice, rehearsals begin after Labor Day & are Tues eves 7:30-9:30 pm, director is Tina Johns Heidrich, performances scheduled for Nov, March & May, also performance planned in Nov at Carnegie Hall under direction of John Rutter, visit CMChorale for details, contact Ms Heidrich for audition appt.

Newtown Choral Society, Newtown. Call 426-3769.

Openings in all sections for new season, preparing for Dec performance of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols & other works, director Mary Andreotta seeking singers w/ love of singing & willingness to learn, weekly rehearsals Wed pm, call for details.

TheatreWorks New Milford, 5 Brookside Ave, New Milford. Call 860-350-6863.

Sept 26-27: Auditions for Ghost of A Chance, 7-9 pm each night, original production picks up after Christmas Carol ends, w/ death (murder?) of Ebenezer Scrooge, directors need 2 human actors (1 male, 1 female, ages 25-40) & 10 puppeteer performers (Avenue Q style), singing & non-singing roles available, singers need to prepare 16 bars, accompanist provided, puppet experience not required (just willingness to learn), call or visit www.TheatreWorks.us for details.

Concerts, Musical Events ____

Sept 17: “Sandip Burman and Friends: A Concert of Indian Tabla & Tabla Torung, with a Hint of Jazz,” WCSU Student Center theater, White St/Rte 6, Danbury, 6:30 pm, tickets $17 adults, $10 students, performance of classical & folk dances of India by local students of Indian dance will be followed by concert by Burman, who has spent his life studying a circle of tablas tuned to 12-tone scale, adding jazz fusion to mix of Indian melodies & rhythms; 748-1131.

Sept 17: Tara Leigh Cobble at Community Coffeehouse, 7 Madison Ave, Danbury, 7:30-10:30 pm, free adm & refreshments (freewill donation), performance by Nashville-based singer-songwriter will open Community Coffeehouse’s 14th season, opening set by The Core Band (from Walnut Hill Church, Bethel); 748-4972.

Sept 17-18: Bluegrass Festival at Woodbury Ski Area, Rte 47, Woodbury, 10 am-8 pm, Sat will feature competition, Sun music all day, performances by David Davis & The Warrior River, Northern Lights, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, Digger David & Tombstones, et al,  tickets $40/adv for both days, $25/adv per day or $30/day at gate, skate park also open both days (exhibition team Sat), arts & crafts & food vendors; 203-263-2203.

Sept 19: Lyra at Woodbury United Methodist Church, at corner Main St at Church, Woodbury, 7 pm, free performance by Russian a cappella group that specializes in sacred music of Russian Orthodox Church & folk music in effort to popularize Russian music, reservations suggested (seating limited), also performance by Mt Olive AME Zion Church Choir (Waterbury); 203-263-0869.

Sept 24: Community Contra Dance series begins, WCSU’s Williams Gymnasium, Osborne St (WCSU’s midtown campus), Danbury, $8, beginning dancers should arrive at 7 for lesson, soft-soled shoes required for dancing, live music by Wild Notes, spectators also welcome; 262-8411 (betw 12-8 pm).

Danbury Concert Assn, WCSU/Ives Concert Hall, Fifth Ave at White St, Danbury. Call 748-0522.

Subscription $32 (good for all season), $12 single ticket, students age 18 & under free, post-performance receptions w/ performers: Sept 18, pianist Olga Vinokur, season-opening concert for DCA’s 2005-06 series will incl works of Mozart, Chopin, Scriabin, Prokofiev & Rachmaninoff.

McLaughlin Vineyards, Albert’s Hill Rd, Sandy Hook. Hours: daily 11 am-5 pm. Call 426-1533.

Sunday Music Series, 1-4 pm, $10/adv, $12/day of: Sept 18, Bluegrass & Folk, $12/adv, $15/day of; Oct 2, Bluegrass & Folk, $12/adv, $15/day of; Oct 16, Bluegrass & Folk, $12/adv, $15/day of.

Merryall Center for the Arts, Chapel Hill Rd (off Merryall Rd), New Milford. Call 860-354-7264.

Performances 8 pm (unless noted), tickets $15, season tickets available: Sept 17, Penny Schnell & Home, contemporary folk ensemble offers memory-stirring songs incl ballads & blues delivered in rich blend of vocal & instrumental arrangements.

Ridgefield Playhouse for Movies & Performing Arts, 80 East Ridge Ave, Ridgefield. Call 203-438-5795.

Performances 8 pm unless noted: Sept 17, Playhouse’s 5th Anniversary Gala featuring Melissa Manchester, cocktails & catered dinner 6 pm, silent & live auctions, performance by Ms Manchester begins 9:30 pm, tickets $90 (performance only), $250 (full evening incl post-performance reception w/ Ms Manchester); Sept 30, jazz singer Jane Monheit, 8 pm, tickets $65, opening set by Joshua Payne.

Films _________________

Bethel Cinema, 269 Greenwood Ave, Bethel. Call 778-2100.

Sept 16-22: Asylum (R), daily 7:15 & 9:15 pm, mat Fri 5:15 pm, Sat-Sun, Wed 1:15, 3:15 & 5:15 pm; Broken Flowers (R), daily 9:45 pm, mat Sat-Sun, Wed 2:45 pm; The Constant Gardener (R), daily 6:45 & 9:25 pm, mat Fri 3:50 pm, Sat-Sun, Wed 1 & 3:50 pm; Junebug (R), daily 7 & 9:35 pm, mat Fri 4 pm, Sat-Sun, Wed 1:30 & 4 pm; March of The Penguins (G), daily 7:25 pm, mat Fri 5 pm, Sat-Sun, Wed 12:45 & 5 pm.

Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown. Call 426-2475.

Sept 16-22: Crash (R), daily 7 & 9 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 & 4 pm, Tues 1 pm.

For Kids & Families _________

Sept 18: Flanders Family Fun: Fall Flowers, at Flanders Trail House, Flanders Rd at Church Hill Rd, Woodbury, 1-2:30 pm, $5, discover nature while spending family time together, registration requested; 203-263-3711.

Sept 25: Family Fun Day at CityCenter Green, Ives St at Patriot Dr, Danbury, 11 am-4 pm, free adm, face painting, balloons, appearance by Sparky from Danbury Fire Dept, kickboxing demos, arts & crafts vendors, 50-50 raffle, games, snacks, presented by Families Network of Western CT; 791-8773.

Ridgefield Playhouse for Movies and The Performing Arts, 80 East Ridge Ave, Ridgefield. Call 203-438-5795.

Sept 18, Carole Demas & Paula Janis in The Magic Garden, shows at 1:30 & 4:30 pm, tickets $15, stage adaptation of children’s show will offer song, storytelling & a (puppet) squirrel named Sherlock.

Miscellaneous ___________

Sept 17: Waldorf Treasure Chest: A Tag Sale for Families, at Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, 40 Dodgingtown Rd/Rte 302, Newtown, 9 am-3 pm, adm $5, sale will feature items in good condition & of interest to families w/ emphasis on natural materials, craft supplies, toys, gardening, children’s winter clothing, baby supplies, books & more expected, proceeds to benefit senior class trip in April 2006; 364-6522.

Sept 17: 4th Annual Antique & Muscle Car Show, at The Homesteads at Newtown, 166 Mt Pleasant Rd/Rte 6, Newtown, 11 am-2 pm, display of antique & muscle cars, also DJ Vince Lamenza w/ music of 1940s-50s, food booths, vendors, raffles & giveaways; 426-8118 x1049.

Sept 17: Church of the Good Shepherd Flea Market, 680 Racebrook Rd (at corner of Shepherd Lane, betw Post Rd & Rte 34), Orange, 8 am-2 pm rain or shine, refreshments available; 203-934-4446.

Sept 17: 26th Annual Lawn Festival & Family Fair, Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, 1428 Monroe Tpke/Rte 111, Monroe, 10 am-5 pm rain or shine, free adm, one of area’s largest tag sales will incl 2,500 square ft of items & thousands of great finds, also ethnic & American foods, music, cultural dancers, children’s games, rides & crafts, raffles; 268-6540, 459-8286.

Sept 17: Fourth Annual Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden Dog Show, at B-F House & Garden, 9 Main St North/Rte 61, Bethlehem, 1-3 pm, $5/dog (1 owner free), $5 for spectators, $1 children, dogs of all sizes, shapes & colors invited for fun-filled events to celebrate the wonder of dogs, also agility demos by Jack Crann (Peace of Mind Canine, Bethlehem), dog-related arts & crafts activities, canine organizations on site, ALL DOGS must be registered in advance, up-to-date on shots & on leash; 203-266-7596.

Sept 17: CT ConTacts Singles Dance Party at Colonial Tavern, 24 Hawley Rd (off Rte 67), Oxford, 8 pm-1 am, adm $15 incl dinner & dessert buffets, dancing to DJ selections, no bluejeans; 203-468-1144.

Sept 18: 3rd Annual NRPS Kitchens Tour, Newtown & Sandy Hook, 11 am-3 pm, tickets $20/adv, $25/day of, ticket-holders will be able to visit kitchens in 7 private homes (tickets incl map to the homes), light refreshments, presented by Newtown Residential Preservation Society, partial proceeds to benefit Newtown Historical Society; 426-0406, 270-9344, 364-9923.

Sept 18: Colonial Fair & Muster Day at Hurd House Museum and Glebe House Museum, Hollow Rd, Woodbury, 12-5 pm, free adm, road will be closed to through traffic so that visitors can enjoy skirmishing militias, musical entertainment & rides in horse-drawn wagonette, also tours of museums, crafters offering demos & sales; 203-263-2855..

Sept 18: “Historic Garden Walk: Garden Fashions and Traditions,” Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, 9 Main St South/Rte 61, Bethlehem, 3 pm, $5; 203-266-7596.

Sept 18: “The Spectrum of Love,” Woodbury Yoga Center, 122 West Side Rd, Woodbury, 6:45 pm, free discussion led by speaker & teacher Tully Moss will concern how anyone can realize, accept, give & respect love in its totality, group meditation & informal tea reception to follow; 203-263-2254.

Sept 21: Housatonic Valley Paddlers Club meeting, CL&P Service Center, Barnabas Rd, Newtown, 7 pm, public invited; 203-263-3281.

Sept 21: “Stop The Violence: A Program on Darfur,” Walzer Family Jewish Community Campus, 444 Main St North, Southbury, 7:30-9 pm, free program will be local offering for A National Day of Action for Darfur, local religious leaders will educate the community about the horrors of the continuing genocide in Darfur, Sudan, also special pictorial presentation by 12-year old Ariel Polokoff prepared for her mitzvah project, all welcome; 264-4500.

Sept 23: “Giving Up Fear & Victim Consciousness: The Transformative Power of Meditation,” Woodbury Yoga Center, 122 West Side Rd, Woodbury, 6:45 pm, free, WYC co-founder & principal instructor Janaki Pierson will discuss how through meditation the cycle of victim consciousness (“all this is happening to me”) can be broken, group meditation & tea reception follows; 203-263-2254.

Sept 23: “Egypt and Its Revivals” lecture, Washington Art Association studio, Bryant Plaza, Rte 47, Washington Depot, 7:30 pm, $10, lecture by Professor Alex Purves (architecture, Yale Univ) will reveal the glories of one of  the world’s greatest ancient civilizations, also look at Egyptian architectural influences in modern times, reservations requested; 860-868-2878.

Sept 24: Annual Fall Fair & Tag Sale, Christ the King Lutheran Church, 85 Mt Pleasant Rd (Rte 6, at Tory Lane), Newtown, 9 am-3 pm, craft items, food specialties & baked goods, Cookie Walk, attic treasures & giant tag sale; 426-6300.

Sept 24: Nunnawauk Residents’ Assn Huge Tag & Bake Sale, Nunnawauk Meadows Community Building, 3 Nunnawauk Rd, Newtown, 9 am-3 pm, jewelry, collectibles, holiday items, toys & dolls, games, household items & plenty of baked goods, breads, etc; 426-5000.

Sept 24: 10th Annual Great American Health & Public Safety Fair, Newtown Middle School, Queen St, Newtown, 10 am-2 pm, free adm, 50-plus exhibitors, exhibition of children’s posters, mountain bike raffle; 270-4291.

Sept 24: CT ConTacts Singles Dance Party, Fireside Inn, 123 Main St South/Rte 25, Newtown, 8 pm-1 am, $15, dinner & dessert buffets, dancing to DJ selections (Top 40, soft rock, recent oldies & requests), no bluejeans; 203-468-1144.

Sept 24: Tag Sale at The Oratory of The Little Way, 8 Oratory Way (off Rte 7), Gaylordsville, 9 am-3 pm, fundraiser for Christian healing center; 860-354-8294.

Sept 24: Sprain Brook Apiary Honey Tasting at New Morning Store, Middle Quarter Mall, 738 Main St South/Rte 6, Woodbury, 10 am-2 pm, samplings of local raw honey offered by Mark Y Maura Moorman (owners, Sprain Brook Apiary, Woodbury), also bee pollen, cut comb & beeswax candles; 203-263-0673.

Sept 24: Benefit Auction & White Elephant Sale at Christ Church’s Diebold Hall, 1 North St (on the green), Roxbury, 10 am-3 pm, silent auction featuring treasures old & new, appraisals by Bernie McManus (up to 3 items/person, $10 first item, $5 each addt’l item), live auction will run 1-3 pm (call bed Mitchell Borenstein, Applebrook Auctions, Brookfield), also white elephant sale all day, refreshments, proceeds to benefit Oratory of The Little Way (Gaylordsville), Makindu Children’s Center (Kenya), Kondwa Children’s Center (Zambia) & Christ Church; 860-354-4113.

Sept 24: Alliance Française of Northwestern CT Cafe-Conversation, at Woodbury Public Library, 269 Main St South/Rte 6, Woodbury, 10 am-noon, join others who enjoy speaking in French or just sit in to listen & improve skills, conversation topics selected by volunteer member leader & vary by session; 203-266-5588.

Sept 24: 22nd Annual Chicken BBQ, Immanuel Lutheran Church, 25 Great Hill Rd (off Rte 67), Oxford, 4:30-7 pm, tickets $10 adults, $5 ages 12 & under, dinner will be half-chicken, potato, vegetable, bread/rolls, salad, pie & beverage; 203-888-4713.

Sept 24-25: Harvest Open House at McLaughlin Vineyards, Albert’s Hill Rd, Sandy Hook, 11 am-5 pm each day, tickets $5/adults, $10/day of adults, half-price for ages 21 & under, no pets or outside liquor, ongoing wine tastings & specialty food samplings, hat rides (12-1 & 4-5 pm), “Garden Jazz” (live music, 1-4 pm), fall foliage hike (1:30 pm) & “An Overview of the Harvest” winery & vineyard tour (3 pm); 426-1533.

Sept 24-25: 21st Annual CT Antique Machinery Assn (CAMA) Fall Festival, on CAMA Museum grounds, Rte 7, Kent, 10 am-4 pm each, free adm & transportation available, handicapped parking near museum grounds, exhibits of steam & gas engines, working farm equipment, award-winning Cream Hill Agricultural School restoration, mining exhibit, demos, refreshments & more; 860-927-0050.

Sept 25: Beatrix Farrand Garden Open, Promisek at Three Rivers Farm, 694 Skyline Rd, Bridgewater, 10 am-4 pm, suggested donation $5, public invited to visit privately-owned historic garden created by Ms Farrand, a founding member of American Society of Landscape Architects; 860-354-1788.

Sept 25: Family Fun Day at CityCenter Green, Ives St at Patriot Dr, Danbury, 11 am-4 pm, free adm, face painting, balloons, appearance by Sparky from Danbury Fire Dept, kickboxing demos, arts & crafts vendors, 50-50 raffle, games, snacks, presented by Families Network of Western CT; 791-8773.

Sept 25: “Connecticut’s Black Governors,” Kellogg Environmental Center, 500 Hawthorne Ave, Derby, 3 pm, free program by Dr Katherine Harris will share new information about an important chapter in American history, also reenactors from John E. Rogers Cultural Center, presented to celebrate CT Freedom Trails Month; 734-2513.

Sept 26: “Combating Sex Slavery Here & Now: An Exploration of Human Trafficking” panel discussion, in WCSU Student Center Theater, 181 White St/Rte 6 (midtown campus), Danbury, 7 pm, free discussion will incl anti-slavery activist Maria Sliwa moderating panel to incl Carmen Lomellin (executive secretary, Inter-American Commission of Women for the Organization of American States), State Sen Andrea Stillman (author of a legislative study on trafficking of women & children in CT), local physician Dr Patricia Whitcombe, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton & Danbury Chief of Police Alan Baker; 731-5200 (Women’s Center of Greater Danbury).

C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown. Call 426-4533.

Programs free unless noted: Sept 22, Evening Book Group meeting, 7:30 pm, group will discuss Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime, newcomers welcome; Sept 29, “Spanish & Italian Gardens with Patricia Carr,” 7:30 pm, slide lecture will illustrate how to achieve elegance & style w/ minimum effort; Oct 5, author program w/ Prill Boyle, 7:30 pm, join Ms Brill for discussion of her book Defying Gravity & the ideas it presents.

McLaughlin Vineyards, Albert’s Hill Rd, Sandy Hook. Call 426-1533

Sept 24-25, Harvest Open House at McLaughlin Vineyards, Albert’s Hill Rd, Sandy Hook, 11 am-5 pm each day, tickets $5/adults, $10/day of adults, half-price for ages 21 & under, no pets or outside liquor, ongoing wine tastings & specialty food samplings, hat rides (12-1 & 4-5 pm), “Garden Jazz” (live music, 1-4 pm), fall foliage hike (1:30 pm) & “An Overview of the Harvest” winery & vineyard tour (3 pm); Oct 1-2, VIP Wine Tasting, 12-2 pm, $10, in-depth tour of the vineyards & winery incl private tasting of current wines, 2-hour tour offers info on everything “from grape to bottle,” walk-ins welcome.

Newtown Hikers. Call 426-2897 or 788-1398 (Ester Nichols), 270-4340 (Newtown Parks & Rec).

Hikes leave from lower lot @Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main St, Newtown, 9 am, free, all welcome (children must be accompanied), bring bag lunch/beverage, wear sturdy shoes, destinations & leaders as follows: Sept 17, Gay City, Hebron (Pat Callan, 264-2153); Sept 24, Kettletown Trail, Southbury (Dale Rupert, 794-9350); Oct 1, Chaiola Park, Patterson, N.Y., dogs OK, moderate hike (leader Liz Cowan, 845-878-6104).

Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main St/Rte 25, Newtown. Call 426-6224.

Non-profit weight loss support group meets every Mon 6-8 pm (weigh-ins 6-6:45, meetings 7-8), meetings $2/week, membership $20/year.

Treehouse Comedy Productions.

Shows at Marisa’s Ristorante, 6540 Main St, Trumbull (call 459-4225), tickets $10 unless noted, shows start 9:45 pm: Sept 30, co-headliners Quentin Heggs & Jeff Norris; Oct 2, A Special Celebrity Comedy Event, showtime 6 pm, tickets $17.50, headliner Walt Willey (a/k/a Jackson Montgomery), opener TBA, optional VIP Tickets allow VIP seating & post-performance reception w/ Willey.

Shows at The New Sorrento, 32 Newtown Rd, Danbury, 9:30 pm, first act, featured act & headliners as follows, tickets $15 unless noted: Sept 17, Matt Burke & Macio co-headlining, Johnny Watson opening (show rated R); Sept 23, musical comedy by Tom Anzelone, 2nd co-headliner will be Quentin Heggs, opening set by Eric Tartaglione (show is rated PG-13); Oct 1, One Night One Show Special Comedy Event, showtime 8 pm, tickets $17.50 (addt’l $17.50 VIP tickets allow VIP seating & post-show reception w/ headliner), headliner Walt Willey a/k/a Jackson  Montgomery, opening act TBA.

Trinity Productions workshops, 24 Alpine Circle, Sandy Hook, or Brookfield Commons, 246 Federal Rd (Suite C-23A), Brookfield (call for location), or by appt, or in-home by appt. Call 426-9448.

Programs at Brookfield Commons: Sept 23, Angel Prayer & Healing Circle, 7:30-9:30 pm, guest leader is Sharon Johnson, also tonings & Shamballa healings; Sept 25, “Talking with Heaven” w/ Raffaello DiMeglio, 4-6 pm, $30, pre-registration required, readings by Mr DiMeglio;

Workshops at Fairfield County Agricultural Center (white building in rear), 67-69 Stony Hill Rd/Rte 6, Bethel: Sept 24, Kismet Discussion Group: Ancient Mystery Schools, 7 pm, $15 & BYO favorite dish to share.

Willow Creek Farm, 522 North George’s Hill Rd, Southbury. Call 262-9339.

Wednesdays in Sept, guest instructor Kerry Torrey Philhower available for clinics/lessons in show jumping & cross country, reservations required, private lessons unless set up in advance.

Theatre ______________

Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, Brookfield Playhouse, Rte 25, Brookfield Center. Call 775-0023.

Outward Bound, through Sept 24, curtain Fri-Sat 8 pm, call for ticket details.

Ridgefield Theater Barn, 37 Halpin La, Ridgefield. Call 203-431-9850.

The Shadow Box, through Oct 8, curtain Fri-Sat 8 pm, also Sun (Sept 25 only) 2 pm, tickets $18 adults, $15 seniors & students; cabaret-style seating, audience welcome to bring food & beverages, doors open one hour before showtime.

Sherman Players, Sherman Playhouse, Rte 37 at 39 (behind firehouse), Sherman. Call 860-354-3622.

Attracting Hummingbirds, Sept 16-Oct 1, curtain Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 3 pm, tickets $15 adults, $13 seniors & students.TheatreWorks New Milford, 5 Brookside Ave, New Milford. Call 860-350-6863.

the shape of things, Sept 22-Oct 22, curtain Fri-Sat 8 pm, also Sun (Oct 9 only) 2 pm, tickets $17.50; Sept 22, dress rehearsal/senior citizens’ pvw, free; Sept 29, Pay-What-You-Want performance, name your ticket price.

Town Players of Newtown, at The Little Theater, theater is on Orchard Hill Rd (mailing address is PO Box 211), Newtown. Call 270-9144.

Fuddy Meers, through Sept 24, curtain Fri-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun (Sept 18 only) 2 pm, tickets $15 evening shows, $12 mat.

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Events that appear by date have Newtown items listed first, with additional events listed by their start time. At the time of printing, the information here is accurate as presented; a call ahead is always a good idea to be safe.

DEADLINE INFORMATION

Press releases for the Enjoy calendar of events or the Enjoy section must be received by MONDAY NOON for publication in that week’s edition of The Newtown Bee. Send to the attention of Shannon Hicks, Arts Editor, Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown 06470, or to shannon@thebee.com. Photos are welcome and can be black & white or color, but must be in sharp focus. Please call for specs if you plan to email digital photo files.