Real Hartford

City Council Agenda

Excuse me, the Court of Common Council (how British sounding!) will be meeting on Monday to secure the righteous excellence of Hartford. Here are selected items for your previewing pleasure:

2. MAYOR PEREZ, with accompanying resolution de Authorization to accept the COPS 2008 Secure Our Schools (SOS) Grant Program from the United State Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for state of the art surveillance and communications equipment.

Because surveillance is always the answer.
Continue reading City Council Agenda…

Clown Cabaret

Hartbeat Ensemble’s latest production–Rich Clown, Poor Clown, Beggar Clown, Thief–can be caught at 233 Pearl Street. It’s described as an “adult clown cabaret” with lots of physicality. The show is concerned with poverty, and like most of Hartbeat Ensemble’s works, has a distinct Hartford flavor to it.

You can catch it until November 1st. It begins at 8pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7 & 9:30 on Saturdays. For ticket information, call 548-9144.

Pearls

Monday-Monday is a weekly gathering/party hosted by the Pearl Street League at TheaterWorks (233 Pearl Street), mainly for downtown residents, though they haven’t thrown me out yet. It’s free, as is the wine and cheese provided by Bin 228. Each week they focus attention on a few individuals who might be doing something in Hartford. Last night was a bloggers night.

As pictured, Helder Mira, Sam McKinniss, Kerri Provost (me), and Amy Bergquist were asked a few questions. Continue reading Pearls…

Cinema, Cocktails, and Creative Cuisine

In November, the Capitol Cinema Collective will be bringing independent short and feature-length films to the city in its Hartford International Film Festival. This Wednesday (10/22) there will be a fundraiser for the Hartford International Film Festival at Barça Restaurant and Tapas Bar in Parkville at 7pm.

I have had the chance to preview some of the films to be shown in November and will be going on Wednesday to support this. Barça is in the Design Center at 1429 Park Street.

Busy Week at the HPL

On Thursday night:

Civil Liberties
and the
Presidential Election
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Light Refreshments 5:30 p.m.
Program 6:00 p.m.
Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street

When the next president takes the oath of office in January, he will pledge to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” But once in office he will also be called upon to restore provisions of the Constitution that have been stripped away in recent years in favor of greatly expanded executive power. American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut Executive Director Andrew Schneider will talk about many of the civil liberties challenges the next president will face such as racial profiling, gender discrimination, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) discrimination, the restoration of habeas corpus, reform of the state secrets privilege, the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, the use of torture as an interrogation technique, the warrentless spying program, and more.

Reopening of Mall Downtown

Not that kind of mall, the other kind.

There is a great lunchtime event coming up at the Burr Mall in downtown Hartford (home of the huge, red ‘Stegosaurus’ sculpture between City Hall and the Atheneum) this Wednesday, October 15th. The Ella Burr McManus Trust is hosting a celebration to officially reopen the newly refurbished space. There will be a 7-piece Latin jazz band ‘Esteban’, an African stiltwalker, ice cream, lunch tastes by six Hartford restaurants, and a brief ceremony at 12:30 p.m. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. and will occur rain or shine (if bad weather will be inside City Hall Atrium just off Mall).

WFSB/Channel 3’s Dennis House will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event and Tom Condon of The Hartford Courant will also speak.

The Mall is a lovely spot for downtown residents, workers and visitors to enjoy. All are invited to come out and see the new and improved space!

Nothing to Do, Nowhere to Go

Continue reading Nothing to Do, Nowhere to Go…

Protest Waste Facility

Heritage-Crystal Clean–a company which touts its “environmental services”–is being protested this Tuesday at Constitution Plaza by the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice. The Illinois-based company transports and disposes hazardous and non-hazardous waste. It is seeking to establish a hazardous waste transfer station on Murphy Road in Hartford. CCEJ’s website notes that Hartford already has eight multi-town waste facilities, putting an unfair burden on the city. Tuesday’s rally begins on the corner of Market and State at 4pm on Tuesday. For more on this issue, see the CCEJ website.

Step One: Turn off the TV

Step Two: Go to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church at 6:30 this Wednesday to be involved where it counts–local politics. Hartford Organizing for Power & Equality (H.O.P.E.) is sponsoring a candidate forum. The following people have been invited to participate: Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson, Larry Charles, Senator Eric Coleman, Senator John Fonfara, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, Rep. Ken Green, Rep. Marie Lopez Kirkley-Bey, Rep. Doug McCrory, Barbara Ruhe & Craig Stallings. Come see who qualifies as our very own local Sarah Palin.

Sukkah Decorating Party at Charter Oak Cultural Center

At 5:30 on Tuesday, the Charter Oak Cultural Center will be hosting a celebration of Sukkot. A dinner will be prepared (and served) from vegetables grown in the C.O.C.C.’s organic garden. The Klezmer band Heavy Shtetl will be performing. This is a free event.