Cherry Blossom Festival This Weekend

photo from Joe Shlabotnik, flickr.com

My friend TK asked me what was the deal with the Cherry Blossom Festival, so I did a little due diligence and here's what I know:

What is it?
- The event is a collaboration between the Mill River Park folks and Sakura Matsuri, which is the Japan Society of Fairfield County.
- It's not clear to me how far along the project is today, but the plan for the park includes cherry tree walks with over 100 cherry trees.

What events will there be?
- A karate demonstration from 11:30 to 11:50.
- A shamisen performance from 12:00 to 12:20. Shamisen is sort of a three-stringed guitar. You can see it in action in a crazy duel here.
- A Samurai Sword Soul Dance from 12:30-12:50. I don't know what that is, but it sounds like it kicks ass.
- A Taiko Masala drum performance from 1:45 to 2:10. See an example here.
- A kendo demonstration from 2:30-2:50. Kendo is martial arts + swords. What could go wrong?

Throughout the day, you can check out:
- Japanese sake tasting
- Magna & Anime on display
- A tea ceremony
- Kimono dressing
- Origami workshop
- Sumie (Japanese brush painting) workshop
- Dr. Robot demonstration (I have no idea what that is...but I'm dying to learn)
- Water yo-yo (ditto)

When is it?
- The event is on May 5th from 11-3pm

Where is it?
- You can join the party at Mill River Park by entering on Washington Boulevard across from Columbus Park

Bonsai Says I

photo from http://www.geograph.ie

Just in time for Arbor Day Weekend, the Stamford Nature Center is offering up something pretty cool.

Join them for The Art of Bonsai April 28, 10am to 5pm and again April 29, 11am to5 pm in the Bendel Mansion's Great Hall.

Those lovely little green works of art will be on display and a group called The Yama Ki Bonsai Society will be on hand to answer questions and explain how it's done. Just pay your way to get in the gate and the rest is free!

We All Live at The Avon

photo from bredgur, flickr.com

One of our best local resources - if you ask lil' ol' me - is The Avon Theatre. Not only to they bring us the finest in arty farty movies, they also feature quite a few cool and special feature evenings. 

Here are two that caught my eye:

1. An Evening with Frank Langella. On Monday, May 14th starting at 7pm, The Avon is showing the Connecticut premiere of Robot and Frank, an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival and starring Mr. Langella. Frank Langella is one of those actors that I know that I know...but couldn't quite place him until I recalled that he was Nixon in Frost/Nixon. He was tremendous! 

The event features a Q&A with Mr. Langella himself moderated by Joe Meyers, the CT Post's film critic. Tickets come with a copy of his new book, Dropped Names. 

Pick up a ticket ($25 for members/Carte Blanche and teachers; $35 for everyone else) by calling 203-661-0321 or stop by the box office. 

2. The Beatles' Yellow Submarine. On Thursday, May 24th at 9pm and again on Saturday, May 26th (mid-day, time TBD), The Avon will show the digitally restored the classic 1968 mop top movie. The CD is also being re-released. The animation has been painstakingly restored, frame-by-frame. There will also be a raffle for a T-shirt from Imaginations Smoke Shop in Stamford. Tickets will be free for Carte Blanche, $6 for members, $8 for students/seniors (Thurs show only) and $11 for everybody else.  

New Restaurants!

So, a very special source (aka, my husband) heard from a little ol' birdy that a new restaurant is moving in next to the not-so-old Mexican addition on Bedford, Picante. The new addition is a chain out of White Plains called Hudson Grille. It's moving into 128 Bedford Street, and it looks gorgeous! The interior design from the pictures is a little bit like BUtterfield8. The menu features upscale offerings like Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho and Lobster Cobb Salad (good! because I miss the one they had at Teluride...sad!). You can see what else your belly has in store for dinner here. They also offer a brunch menu, which is SO exciting, since I've been dying for a decent downtown brunch.

Bedford Street will also be welcoming a new place called Boca at 245 Bedford Street. I don't know a thing about it other than the name, but I'm excited to have another eatery popping up in our backyard. If you have any scoop on Boca, let me know and I'll spread the word.

A Toast to Good Health

On April 14th from 7:30pm to 10:30pm, join The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in their effort to fight cancer by raising a glass of wine or beer and enjoying some tasty treats. Their event is called Hops & Grapes, Toasts & Tastes, and it will be held at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk (303 West Avenue). There will also be both a live and silent auction. This is their third time hosting this event, and they're hoping to echo their same past success, raising about $50,000. Come help them meet their goal! Tickets are $75 or two for $125. For VIP tickets (that include a deluxe gift bag, raffle ticket and wrist band supporting the cause), tickets run $100 or two for $175.

Prefer to get out into the sunshine? The group is also hosting the Pineapple Classic 5K on May 19th. It includes obstacles, and registration is open now!

 Contact Kristen Angell for more information 203.665.1400 or Kristen.Angell@lls.org.