11:00 am

Spring

Courtyard Gallery, 12 Water St., Mystic, CT

Opening reception 5-8 p.m. April 20 and 3-6 p.m. April 23; Vernal themed works including new paintings by Amy Foster. Through May 23. Hours 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. (860) 536-5059

10:00 am

Intertwined

Cooley Gallery, 25 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT , 06371

an exhibition of works by artist Judy Friday. This show, opening April 19th is the next chapter in the life of a multi-talented artist who fearlessly faces a variety of creative media with consistently great success. Over twenty new works in oil, pastel and textiles will be on view at The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme to attest.

10:00 am

Group Exhibition at Gallery One

Gallery One, 665 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT , 06475

Featured artists of this Group Exhibition include Paul Harper, William G. Nelson, Christopher James O'Flaherty, Judith Barbour Osborne, Rick Silberberg and Guest Artist Kay Knight Clarke.

On view from April 24 through June 17, with an opening night reception on Friday, May 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Art Show

Martha Link Walsh Gallery, 188 North Main Street, Branford, CT

9:00 am

The Sabbath of History

Knights of Columbus Museum, 1 State Street, New Haven, CT

Runs through Sept. 16.

1:30 pm

Opening Reception

Scranton Memorial Library, 801 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT

Madison Art Society 37th Annual Juried Exhibition and Sale.
Denise Casey 203-453-1609; Marge Casey 203-909-8749; Sandy Kensler 203-421-5708

5:00 pm

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Besito

Besito, 46 South Main St., West Hartford, CT , 06107

Besito will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo all week long with some festive specials. The special are as follows:

Monday, April 30th – Thursday, May 3rd
2 for 1 margaritas from 5 to 7 pm

Friday, May 4
Cinco de Mayo Raffle
Enter to win dinner for 8 guests
*Only dining guests will be eligible to enter

Saturday, May 5
Festival a la carte specials
Sample Specials
Tlacoyo de Pollo $10
Queso fresco filled fresh tortilla topped with chicken in a poblano cream.
Empanadas de Langosta $12
Three lobster empanadas served with mango salsa verde
Pescado Enfrijolado $26
Seared mahi mahi over mashed boniato and a black bean jalapeno salsa.

Sunday, May 6
Cinco de Mayo Brunch at 11 am
2 for 1 margaritas 12 – 2 pm
Live music with featured guitarist

2:00 pm

Uncovering Forgotten Stories of the Nehantic People

East Lyme Fire Station, Grand St., east Lyme, CT

East Lyme Historical Society presents part five in a series, funded in part by the Connecticut Humanities Council, continues at 2:00 pm, on Sunday, May 6th. This Lecture V, for the East Lyme Historical Society's "Remembering the Nehantics" year long focus, will be the showing of the film, "Mystic Voices".

4:00 pm

Pig Roast Fundraiser, May 6, Montville

VFW Montville, 91 Raymond Hill Road, Uncasville, CT

to benefit the S.E. CT Center of the Blind; $25; each ticket purchased will be entered to win two Southwest Airline tickets; (860) 447-2048 or (860) 848-1431.

10:00 am

Open House, May 6, Chester

Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, 55 East Kings Highway, Chester, CT

tour the building and meet teachers, students and parents of enrolled students; 11 a.m.-Noon, Family Education Program, songs and presentations by the students and a celebratory meal; (860) 526-8920 or email: bethshalom@snet.net.

11:30 am

Neighborhood Family Picnic, May 6, Norwich

St. Mary Church, 70 Central Ave., Norwich, CT

clowns, face painting, magician, DJ, music by Norwich's own Baton Brothers, food and more; rain location is the church basement; free admission & entertainment; (860) 908-6725.

9:00 am

Eyeglass Extravaganza

Colchester Farmers Club, 112 Hall Hills Road, Colchester, CT

The Lions Recycle For Sight program is seeking donations of used prescription eyeglasses and prescription and non-prescription sunglasses as part of a unique recycling program. The collected glasses will be cleaned and prepared for distribution in developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.
Collection date: May 6th from 9am to 2pm at the Colchester Farmers Club 112 Hall Hills Road, Colchester, CT or place them in the specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes located throughout the region. Please contact Ledyard Lion Steve Novic for more information!

11:00 am

Connecticut Sun Tip Off Brunch

Mohegan Sun Convention Center, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, CT , 06382

The Connecticut Sun will host a Tip-Off Brunch on May at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center to welcome fans back for the 2012 season. Registration for the event will begin at 11 am. The brunch, held from 11:30 am-1 pm, will be a chance for fans to meet the 2012 Sun roster. All attendees will receive an exclusive gift, have the opportunity to win raffle prizes, bid on unique silent auction items and experience private interaction with the players. All fans in attendance will have the opportunity to share their memories of the team for possible use in commercials and arena promotions. Net proceeds from the event benefit the Connecticut Sun Foundation. Tickets for the event are $75 and are going fast. To register, please contact Jen Hildebrand at 860-862-4087/jhildebrand@connecticutsun.com.

1:00 pm

Pet Fair, May 6, O. Saybrook

Old Saybrook High School, 1111 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT

held by The Old Saybrook Lions Club; bring family, friends and pets; educational booths, items for sale, demonstrations, raffles, food and more; (860) 388-6454 or (860) 388-9613.

9:30 am

Lemonade for a Cure

Indian Neck Volunteer Firehouse, 6 Linden Avenue, Branford, , 06405

Help The Awesome Lemonade Stand to find a cure for ALS by buying a glass of lemonade this Sunday!

11:30 am

Calvary May Fair

Calvary Nursery School, 27 Church Street, Stonington, CT , 06378

Come join Calvary Nursery School in celebrating May with our annual May Fair held in the backyard of the Calvary Church. Family friendly activities include children's games, pony rides, bunny hut, basket raffle, bake sale, live music, and lunch.
http://www.facebook.com/CalvaryNurserySchool
http://calvary-stonington.org/?page_id=14
(860) 535-0398

2:00 pm

Extraordinay Minds-A Vendor Event To Benefit Autism and Aspergers

Mohegan Fire Company, 2029 Norwich New London Turnpike, Uncasville, CT , 06382

This event is to raise money for Autism and Aspergers.Event is at Mohegan Fire Co, 2029 Norwich-New London Tpke, Uncasville. 2-6pm.
There will be over 15 vendors at this event, each who have donated a raffle prize. The vendors will be Tastefully Simple, At Home America, Shannon's Jammins, Mary Kay, WineShop At Home, Premier Designs, Origami Owl, Quivana and many, many more.
Raffle prizes are being donated by the vendors, private donations as well as local businesses. Raffle tickets will be sold at $5.00 an arm length.
There will be food, drinks, games and much more.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Trudy Bolt at 860-705-5308/email address is skyokitten2u@aol.com. Vendors and questions about vendoring can be directed to Rhonda DiMaggio at 860-319-3090/email address is rhondatourville@sbcglobal.net.

4:00 pm

MADISON-The Bookmarks! Book Club

RJ Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Rd., Madison, CT

We are proud to announce, after an extremely successful first meeting, the official name of our Middle Grade Book Club: The Bookmarks! Check out our next pick for May!

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
The Unwanteds has the feel of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games all rolled into one with it's own spin on the Dystopian/Magic genre(s). The Society of Quill prides itself on perfection and those who display any type of creativity are deemed weak and "unwanted." The penalty: Death. Alex Stowe has been declared Unwanted and is separated not only from his parents but also his twin brother, Aaron. But when he is taken to "The Death Farm" he finds out that it is far from what he expected...

While it is not required, we encourage you to buy the book club picks with us. Shop local!

Religious School Open House

Congregational Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, 55 East Kings Hwy, Chester, CT

Tour building and meet teachers,students, and parents of enrolled students. Family Education Program from 11 to noon includes songs and presentations by students and celebratory meal.

6:00 pm

BRANFORD-Cooperstown Baseball Pasta Dinner

Italian American Club, Hamre Lane, Branford, CT , 06405

The 2012 Branford Baseball Cooperstown Team will be holding its annual Fundraising Pasta Dinner on May 6. Raffles, Silent Auctions and Door Prizes. Admission is $10. Proceeds will help benefit the Branford Baseball Club team travel to Cooperstown this summer to compete in a 12U youth baseball tournament. The dinner will start at 6:00 p.m. at the Italian American Club.

The Branford Baseball Club will be competing against over 100 teams from all over the country in Cooperstown, NY, the week of August 4-10, 2012. The players on the team have been selected because of their combination of talent, sportsmanship, and general love of the game of baseball. For more information e-mail doug.shaw@cccymca.org or 203-494-8510.

5:00 pm

Wine Tasting, May 6, New London

Thames Yacht Club, 396 Pequot Avenue, New London , CT , 06320

to benefit Hospice Southeastern Connecticut; $20; RSVP by May 3 to Rob Amrein at: mail@steppingstonesedctr.com or call (860) 848-5699; sponsored by Hahn Winery.

St. Andrew the Apostle Society Dinner

Anthony's Ocean View, 450 Lighthouse Road, New Haven, CT

Noon (cocktails and hors d'oeuvres); 1 p.m. (dinner). Tickets include open bar. Dinner. Recognizes two Society members: Guilford resident Harry DeBenedet and Carrie (Proto) DiMartino.

Old Saybrook Lions Club Pet Fair

Old Saybrook High School, 1111 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT

Includes booths with educational materials and items for sale for pets and their owners. Demonstrations, raffles, and a food booth. Proceeds benefit Old Saybrook Lions Club charitable donations.

Young Adult Book Club

R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT

Discussion of The Unwanteds/Lisa McMann.
Registration required.

9:00 am

Big Food: Health, Culture, and the Evolution of Eating

Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT

Runs through Dec. 2. Collaboration between the Peabody, the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) at the Yale School of Public Health, and the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

League of Women Voters of East Shore Meeting

Blackstone Library, 758 Main Street, Branford, CT

Topic "Equal Justice Under the Law: Do We Still Honor the American Dream?" Event presents excerpts from pertinent books, articles and blogs, and invites audience discussion.

9:00 pm

Bashment Sounds

Captain Daniel Packer Inne, 32 Water St., Mystic, CT

3:00 pm

Harpsichordist, Gavin Black to Perform at Christ Episcopal Church

Christ Episcopal Church, 78 Washington Street, Norwich, CT , 06360

Chamber Music @ Christ Church presents: Gavin Black, harpsichordist.

Join us on Sunday, May 6th, 3pm and be transported to 17th-century Italy with recording artist and director of the Princeton Early Keyboard Center, Gavin Black. Bask in the music of Frescobaldi and S...torace, performed on a late 17th-century Italian harpsichord - a rare listening opportunity indeed !

A Champagne reception will follow the program and audience members will be able to chat with Mr. Black and see the marvelous historical instrument up close.

What better way to delight the palette and the senses ?

All programs are free and open to the public.

5:00 pm

Collomore Music Series - Ashu

Chester Meetinghouse, Goose Hill Road, Chester, CT , 06412

Young classical saxophonist Ashu has helped establish the saxophone as a solo classical music instrument for both recital and concerto performances. As reviewed on WQXR, “a remarkable saxophone virtuoso…an ability to keep an audience totally enthralled, as he certainly did at Steinway Hall,” Ashu attracts new and younger listeners to the concert hall. Beyond a phenomenal technique and exquisite tone, his musicality and ability to reach the audience with a sensitive performance and verbal interaction make his performances a new experience for concertgoers. Ashu will be accompanied on piano by Kuang-Hao Huang, who has performed internationally. His concert will be the last in the 38th season of the Collomore Music Series in the historic Chester Meetinghouse.

10:30 am

CMS Presents: Robbie Collomore Concert Series, Ashu Master Class

Community Music School, Studio 15, 90 Main Street, Centerbrook, , 06409

Join classical saxophonist Ashu for an educational musical journey where CMS students will perform pieces to be gently critiqued by this established guest artist. Free and open to the public!

5:00 pm

George Flynn Classical Concerts

Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 East Main Street, Clinton, CT

Presents David Finckel (cello), and Wu Han (piano).
For tickets, send a self addressed stamped envelope to George Flynn Classical Concerts, P.O. Box 473, Clinton, CT 06413 or call.

Robbie Collomore Concert Series

Chester Meeting House, 4 Liberty Street, Chester, CT

Featuring Classical Saxophonist Ashu. Reception follows performance. Tickets: $21 (adults); $5 (students).

4:00 pm

CONCORA in Recital: Songs of Love and Longing

St. John's Episcopal Church, 679 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT , 06119

CONCORA’s professional vocalists perform passionate solo art songs about the joys, perils, ecstasies, and pitfalls of love… and longing. A reception follows.

7:00 pm

Connecticut College Concert Band

Connecticut College, Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center, 270 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT , 06320

Gary Buttery, conductor, general admission $5, students and seniors $3, 7 p.m., Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center.

6:00 am

Early-Morning Bird Walk

Meigs Point Nature Center, Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison, CT

Spotting scopes and experts available to help ID birds. Bring binoculars and dress for weather. Easy walk for all ages. No dogs allowed.

10:00 am

Worship Gathering

Second Congregational Church of New London, 45 Broad Street, New London, CT , 06320

Sunday worship service. A traditional service with a welcoming, contemporary edge. We take scripture seriously, and are open to God's leading.

12:00 pm

Book Discussion, May 6, Westerly

Christ Church, 7 Elm St., Westerly, RI

Eternal Life: A New Vision, by Bishop John Shelby Spong; bring a bag lunch and we will provide the beverage and dessert; book is available at the parish hall for $10.25, through your local bookstore or on Amazon.com.

Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company

Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street, Old Saybrook, CT

Tickets: $35 (adults); $12 (children 12 and younger).