You've Got Nails - New Management?

My friend TL and I are regulars at You've Got Nails, so I was surprised to see the windows covered in brown butcher paper with a sign indicating that it was to be reopened under new management. We had grown very fond of Richard, the management we knew, and his wife and adorable children. I wish them and their staff the very best, whether or not they remain with the company. They are good people who were always kind to me and my friends.

Show House - LAST DAY TODAY

Don't forget to check out the Show House. Today is your last shot! It's an interesting display of design work from your backyard. I went with my friend TK yesterday, and a few highlights include:

- My favorite, the guest area on the very top floor, painted a dark blue with a smart mix of modern and traditional elements. It has a dark gray flannel chair with Eames era lines flanked by both industrial and Chinese vintage lighting. There is a textured white couch that pops against the dark walls and beautiful oversized contemporary light fixture. The mind behind the room is Greg Lanza Design.

- There's a little girl's room that reminded me of the charms of being three feet tall. With a color wash of greens and blues, it's soothing, sweet and sophisticated. The designer, Bartony (bartony7@aol.com), has a charming Texas accent and an equally charming rerelease of old fashioned wallpaper featuring sparrows overhead and lovely white birds tending their young. There are Victorian shoes poking out from under tables. It's a youthful fairy tale with a Beatrix Potter sensibility.

- The home's potting shed is not to be missed. With a wall of lush green plants and a trompe l'oeil battered board mat underfoot, it's a green thumb's dream getaway. There is a chair with grasses growing out of the seat and a pretty little greenhouse behind. Brought to you by Robin Horton of Urban Gardens, the space is mossy and elegant.

Take a look yourself before it's too late.

(photo from piddy77, flickr.com)

Raising Some Halloween Hell Tonight!

For those of you looking for a little scary and perhaps alcohol induced fun this evening, you have some options! For example:

- Hula Hanks (261 Main St.) is hosting Hulaween!! tonight from 8pm until you're good and partied out. They will feature drink specials, giveaways and a contest for the best Halloween costume. Costume categories are Scariest, Sexiest and Most Original. Put on your chicken suit and raise a glass with them.

- BUtterfield 8 (112 Bedford St) is getting into the festivities too with their 2nd Annual Heaven & Hell Halloween Party tonight. They are offering prizes and giveaways from 9pm until they toss your costumed butt out. Call ahead (203.504.8123) to see if their earlier weekly Saturday Treehouse Comedy Night has some spots open for you.

- Your friendly neighborhood G/R/A/N/D is throwing a Halloween Costume Ball. If you don't go, you must hate fun.

From Tags to Riches

Looking to snag some swag for a small price tag? Join the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk for their fundraising tag sale.

It takes place on November 7th from 10am to 4pm. You'll find clothes, shoes, accessories, books, toys, sporting goods, small electronics, household goods and then some!

You can find the big event at the JLS-N's headquarters, located at 748 Post Rd. in Darien. There is an Early Bird Special from 9am-10am (if you pay a lil' extra: $10).

(photo from feeliz, flickr.com)

Show me the House

Don't forget about the Stamford Museum & Nature Center's fantabulous Show House, on until the end of October. I am planning to go this weekend, and I am really looking forward to it. It looks gorgeous! My dear friend TL went this past weekend and gave it rave reviews (she might even write it up!). They were kind enough to send me tickets, but I was busy accidentally carving my finger instead of a pumpkin (oops!) and traveling to Texas for work (yee haw!). You can learn more about it by visiting the Nature Center's website. I blogged about it previously here. Hope to see you there this weekend!

Fairwoooo!

What says scary Halloween goodness more than giant giant wrestlers? Nothin! Treat your kids to some muscle-bound fun with the WWE and Fairway Market at the Stamford Boys & Girls Club (347 Stillwater Ave).

On Friday, October 29th at 6pm, the WWE superstars known as The Hart Dynasty - David Hart Smith, Tyson Kid and Diva Natalya - will be on hand for games, kids crafts and autographs. Ticket prices are $10, which includes food, fun and autographs for the fans.

Donations benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford. Event planners warn that the wrestlers appearing at the event may change, but the odds that they could kick your butt will not. For more info, see the Fairway website.

(photo from Ed Yourdon, flickr.com)

Limited Edition Human Condition

Want to impress your date with a "by-appointment-only" day of high brow goodness? Take that lucky lady or gent to see Donald Axleroad's exhibit "Myth, Reality and The Human Condition" on display now at the Sackler Gallery at The Palace Theatre.

The work reveals connections between the mythology of old and the challenges of the modern day world. The artist's website reveals images that are stark, sad and striking. He uses the raw edges of woodcuts against a vivid mod color pallet to illustrate isolation and struggle. Examples of his work include The Loneliness of Alzheimer's, Cerberus and The Minotaur.

It's yours to explore from now until January 10, 2011, but only by appointment. Call 203-517-3425 to check "culture" off your list.

(photo provided by The Palace Theatre)

Trick or Treat on the Farm

Heckscher Farm at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center is hosting some Halloween fun on the big day itself (Oct 31) from 1-3pm. If you take a map, you can find treats on site at the trick-or-treat stations.

There's also an "Ick-Fest" and a slime table plus crafts around the creepy critters that help make Halloween spooky. For more information, check out the website.

(photo from peasap, flickr.com)

Fairway Opening November 3rd!

The Fairway folks wrote me today to say they are opening their doors in our backyard on Wednesday, November 3rd.

I really think Fairway will give its competitors a run for their money. We shall see! For more information, check out the Fairway website.

Like Finding A Beatle in a Haystack

Looking for a little Liverpool? Check out BEATexpo 2010 on the weekend of November 27-28th at the Holiday Inn (700 E. Main St). It's a local version of Beatlemania featuring Beatle buddies, tribute bands "The MerseyBeat" and "One Sweet Dream," memorabilia, rare videos, unique exhibits and lots-o-other goodies. There will also be a premier of a new Beatle movie called "Let Him Be."

Tickets are $15.75 when you purchase in advance on the BEATexpo website and $20 at the door.

If you are more Beatle savvy than me, I'm sure you (unlike me) will know the significance of some of the special guests, who include:
- Denny Laine
- Tommy Roe
- Beatles recording engineer Richard Langham
- Guitarist Carlos Alomar
- 60's Liverpool singer & Beatles-friend Julie Grant
- Bassist Gary Van Scyoc from Elephants Memory
- Hullabaloo's Lada Edmund
- Jimi Hendrix percussionist Juma Sultan
- Sid Bernstein
- Lennon engineer Dennis Ferrante
- Artist Shannon
- Singers Ian Lloyd of The Stories with John Ford of The Strawbs
- Author Jude Kessler
- Author David Bedford
- Author Kevin Roach
- Author Judith Furedi

For more information, contact LiverpoolTours@aol.com, call (203) 795-4737 or visit the event website.

(photo from swerdroid, flickr.com)

How Sweet Is This?

Two friends mentioned this to me today and the Stamford Advocate has it covered. The artist formerly known as the Clairol building on Blachley Road (Exit 9) is going to be magically transformed into Chelsea Piers Connecticut! It will be a sports complex a heck of a lot like the Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. The Advocate reports that the venue will feature activities like basketball, ice hockey and swimming. Take a look at the article and the Chelsea Piers website for more information.

Scarecrow and Tell

A fun event for the kiddies popped up on the Stamford Plus website. It's a little bit of a hike to get there, but if you work your way up to Old Lyme's Florence Griswold Museum, you can see Scarecrows at the Museum: A Harvestime Adventure.

The event runs for all of October and features over 30 artists who have helped make the museum's eleven acres into a masterpiece of scarecrows modeled after famous artists and paintings. Inspiration includes Van Gogh, Picasso and Dali. There are also costumes for kids to try on and a newly planted small field of Indian corn to set the autumn stage. For more information, see the museum's website.

To get to the museum, head to 96 Lyme Street in Old Lyme CT. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10am-5pm and Sunday noon-5pm. Admission will run you $14 for adults, $13 for seniors, $12 for students and $5 for members. Kids age 12 and under are admitted for free.

(photo from m-louis, flickr.com)

I *Heart* Chili

On Saturday, October 23 from 12-3pm, all your chili-related dreams can come true at the 3rd Annual Stamford Charity Chili Cook-off! Another great event (if I do say so myself) to benefit the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County.

No high falutin' cocktails at this event, though. It features a true down and dirty chili battle! Seven pros versus seven amateurs will face off to see whose chili packs just the right punch. The pros include Lucky's Classic Hamburger, Black Bear/Hula Hanks and Smokey Joes's BBQ, among others. Tickets are available at the door and will run you a perfectly palatable $10. If you bring a bag of food to donate, you can get in door for a mere $5!

Guests receive a spoon and a voting card to pick the winner. The winner of the cook-off gets crazy bragging rights and a shiny new trophy. The top amateur also one hundred dollars in cash.

Last year the event drew 200 people and brought in 550 pounds of food, and they are aiming even higher this year. You can join them at The Unitarian Universalist Society (20 Forest Street). For more information, visit the Unitarian Universalist Society website.

(photo from 96dpi, flickr.com)

I Dream of Gene

You may well have read about it already on the Stamford on the Cheap blog, but to be sure you got the messgage, Gene Wilder is A'ing your Qs this Tuesday night, October 12th.

He will be coming out to the Avon to visit you and your neighbors for the 40th Anniversary Screening of "Start the Revolution Without Me." His lovely bride, Karen Wilder, will moderate. The evening start at 6:30pm with a reception and the film starts rolling at 7:30pm. Tickets are:

- Free for Carte Blanche members
- $20 for Members and Educators
- $35 for Nonmembers

The Avon's website describes the film as follows (with attribution to Marshall Fine):

Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland play two sets of identical twins who are mismatched at birth shortly before the French Revolution. One pair is reared as royalty; the other is raised as the children of peasants. The plot in this film by Bud Yorkin is a wonderful mishmash of Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Molière, with the peasant brothers joining the revolutionaries while their bizarrely foppish siblings eat cake and ignore the events around them. Wilder and Sutherland are joined by a who's who of British comedy stars, including Billie Whitelaw, Hugh Griffith, Victor Spinetti, and a cameo by Orson Welles – this film became a cult item among college students of the period.

For tickets, call the administrative office during daytime business hours at 203-661-0321 or call the Box Office during movie times at 203-967-3660 x2.

Strike 3 Foundation

Apologies that I've been blog-less for a few days, citizens. I wrestled it to the ground and pinned it down, but somehow this week got away from me.

At a lovely wedding I attended this weekend, I learned about an important charitable event to be held on November 13th. It's the Third Annual First Pitch Celebrity Gala. The event is hosted by the Strike 3 Foundation, started by Oakland Athletics' Craig Breslow to honor his sister who fought and overcame pediatric cancer. That sister also happens to be a dear friend to me and my husband.

The event is underway at the Hilton Hotel in Stamford at 6:30pm. It features celebrities from the sports world, live entertainment and both live and silent auctions. The event will be hosted by Bobby Valentine and Karl Ravech. Celebrity guests from the sports world (subject to change) include:

- Andrew Bailey
- Jack Cust
- Rajai Davis
- Vin Mazzaro
- Kevin Slowey
- WWE Superstars
- Boston Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione
- (and of course) Craig Breslow

For tickets, visit the event site linked above. It's a pricey affair at $205 per person (for now, there is a minimum purchase of two tickets), but it's an important fundraiser designed to give very sick children a second chance at life.
(photo from kevindooley, flickr.com)

Are you done fighting cancer? Nope!

Join BUtterfield8 (112 Bedford) in showing cancer the door. On Friday, October 22 from 10-11pm, the restaurant will be profiling DJ's Louie Mancini and The Artchitect Davey B on the turntables. Apparently, it's 2 DJs on 4 turntables - don't try that at home. There's also a 2-for-1 bottle special. All event proceeds benefit breast cancer research. Call Talia for details at 203.504.8123.

Want to Work at BUtterfield8?

They are hiring servers and hosts/hostesses! Learn more on their Facebook page and by visiting their website. You can also call Talia at 203-504-8123 for more information.

Support for Sport

My dear friend CM told me about an event that she's excited to support: Sports Night. It's a high tone evening of high energy sports that benefits the Fairfield County Sports Commission. The Commission is devoted to fitness and nutrition education for children in the area.

Their Sports Night event gets underway on Monday, October 18th at 6pm at the Hyatt Regency (1800 East Putnam Avenue) in Old Greenwich. It features dinner and recognition for the sportspersons of the year. Tickets are $125. For more information, call 203-251-8481 or email tomc@fairfieldcountysports.com.

(photo from laffy4k, flickr.com)

Financial Crisis Up Close

Author James Kwak who blogs at The Baseline Scenario and co-wrote 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown is headed our way.

On Thursday, October 7th at 5:30pm, he will be speaking about the financial crisis at the Stamford Marriott. His focus will be whether new regulatory efforts will lead to meaningful change. Mr. Kwak's speech will be followed by an open forum and Q&A session with:

- Jon Lukomnik, World Bank Consultant
- Todd Peters, Chairman NS Capital Investment Committee
- John Wolfe, Managing Director Wolfehaus LLC
- Mark Ahern, Managing Director Seix Advisors LLC

The event is brought to you by NS Capital and costs you the meltdown-friendly price of zero dollars. To register to attend, call 866.913.8414 or visit www.nscapitalsymposium.com.

(photo from kevindooley, flickr.com)

Cans and Cocktails RESULTS

I just heard from Chinese Mirch, and between the 10% of sales donation and the cocktail sales, we raised about $1000 for the food bank. On top of that, donations from you all, dear citizens, brought in another $400. Fairway Market donated $500 worth of food and you all donated approximately $250 worth of food as well. That brings us to a grand total of just about $2150. Not too shabby!

We also donated most of the remaining postcards, and the food bank assures me they will be able to sell those and make even more money.

Thank you, citizens, for helping make it happen! Hope to do it again next year.

Salon Says So Long to Cancer

If you've noticed NFL players in hot pink cleats, you'll know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Locally, you can do your part by joining Shear Genius Salon in Norwalk on October 22nd from 9am-4pm for their second annual fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society.

This event is particularly significant to me because a friend and colleague is now contending with this terrible problem. Sadly, it sounds like salon owner, Brooke Gerber, has friends fighting breast cancer as well. She wanted to do good for women while helping them look their best. In support of that mission, the salon will offer special services during the event, including a deep conditioning treatment and blow out for a $20 donation and nail polishing for at $10 donation. There's no appointment required for the special services. There will also be a raffle for prizes, such as a family portrait sitting (worth $750).

What's really remarkable about this event is that the Yale New Haven Hospital Mammography Van will be on the premises offering FREE mammograms for women age 40 and older - with or without insurance - from 9am-2pm. You must make an appointment for the mammogram, and you can learn more by contacting the salon at 203-846-1200.

(photo from pfala, flickr.com)

Canned Goods Drop Off

Dropping off the last of the canned goods from Cans and Cocktails!