New Haven magazine August 2011

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The Summer of ‘61 If the third installment of the Transformers isn’t your idea of a summer blockbuster, consider placing the flat screen outside to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of some truly great films.

received two grants totaling $800,000 this summer from the U.S. Department of Justice.

A $600,000 grant will help the institute create an Evidence Response Training Center. Police with crime scene questions will receive assistance and realtime advice. Another grant for $200,000 will fund a Regional Forensics Technology Assistance Team., that will train detectives from around Connecticut to work to use specialized equipment such as “ground penetrating radar, 3D imaging and high definition cameras.”

One, Parish set in the tobacco fields of Connecticut with Troy Donahue, Claudette Colbert and Connie Stevens features a classic love triangle, and all the heat anyone will need in August.

Take as trip into a Connecticut few today have seen. If you’re lucky you might still find a VHS version at Best Video in Hamden, at least the website says so..

Luxuriate with a cigar and a lobster dinner and consider your own extended 1961 Cine Festival, it can include: West Side Story, the Guns of Navarone, The Hustler, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Parent Trap, The Innocents, Judgment at Nuremberg and a Hundred and One Dalmatians – so we guess they really “don’t make ‘em that way anymore”.

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The Last Newspaper New Haven: Outside the media industry not many folks have heard of Alden Global Capital but the New York City Hedge fund is the new owner of Journal Register Company. The JRC owns the New Haven Register, Middletown Press, Torrington Citizen and twenty weeklies and Connecticut magazine in the state.

A Great Fit for New Haven New Haven: If New Haven’s Restaurant Week did something to your waste line that you didn’t like – no fear Fitweek NH is next on the menu.

Sarah Aldrich of Aldrich Pilates in New Haven, had her own epiphany during restaurant week and she’s put together 15 studios now onboard to launch

Alden Global Capital also has stakes in nearly twenty other newspaper and media companies and is the lead financier in the Tribune bankruptcy. Tribune is the owner of the Hartford Courant, and the New Haven and Hartford Advocate as well as WTIC TV. Alden also owns a stake in LIN TV owner of WTNH in New Haven. Reporter, Harlen Levy wrote for the Springfield

Newspapers that Alden “could end up with ownership” of the Tribune properties.

Author Produces, “A Riveting Account” New Haven: Roya Hakakian New Haven writer, poet, Iranian expatriate, activist and the subject of New Haven magazine’s first One to One interview (October 2007) has a new book Assassins of the Turquoise Palace, it will be released for reviews in mid August. Published by Grove, “Assassins” describes the real life drama of the murder of Sadegh Sharafkandi and three others in a Berlin Restaurant. Sharafkandi was a leader of a dissident Iranian-Kurdish political group.

The trial of three of the assassins caused shockwaves throughout Germany with the discovery of hundreds of other murders and a pattern of German government support to Tehran’s Mullah’s.

| Vol. 4, No. 5 | August/September 2011

Publisher Mitchell Young, Editor Michael C. Bingham, Design Consultant Terry Wells, Contributing Writers Brooks Appelbaum,Jessica Giannone Duo Dickinson, Mimi Freiman, Liese Klein, Melissa Nicefaro, Karen Pasacreta, Karen Singer Photographers Steve Blazo, Anthony DeCarlo , Lisa Wilder

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FITWEEK NH, to run September 19 through September 25, 2011.

Aug u st/September 2011

Senior Publisher’s Representatives Mary W. Beard, Roberta Harris, New Haven is published 8 times annually by Second Wind Media Ltd., which also publishes Business New Haven, with offices at 20 Grand Avenue, New Haven, CT 06513.

203-781-3480 (voice), 203-781-3482 (fax). Subscriptions $24.95/year, $39.95/two years. Send name, address & zip code with payment. Second Wind Media Ltd. d/b/a New Haven shall not be held liable for failure to publish an advertisement or for typographical errors or errors in

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How onetime newspaperwoman Karen Olson forged a career as a crime novelist Steve Blazo Photos

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August/September 2011

K

aren E. Olson worked stints as a weekly newspaper reporter and copy editor for the Waterbury Republican and New Haven Register before quitting the rat race to embark on a career that nearly every scribe covets: mystery writer. Her first novel, Sacred Cows, was published by Mysterious Press in 2006. Its protagonist is Elm City reporter Annie Seymour. Three mysteries later Olson was onto The Tattoo Shop Mysteries, set in Las Vegas. With eight books under her belt but no current publishing deal, Olson continues to write as she shops her latest work in a publishing industry roiled by change. NEW HAVEN Publisher Mitchell Young interviewed Olson for ONE2ONE.

YYY Earlier this summer your publisher, Obsidian, released Ink Flamingos, the fourth in a series of Tattoo Shop mysteries.

How did the idea for the series originate?

My editor didn’t want [New Haven reporter and crime sleuth] Annie Seymour any more, but they still liked me and they liked my work, and they wanted me to continue to write for them.

They were looking for a ‘tattoo shop mystery.’ I laughed — ‘I have no tattoos and had no intentions of getting one, and it’s not my world.’ The first thing they teach you in writing is write what you know, and I knew nothing about this.

You didn’t get a tattoo, but you did go ahead with the book.

I did some research, and I found a book about the history of women and tattoos, which was fascinating, and I decided that even though I knew nothing about this, I was going to try it.

How did you create a protagonist? Are there different audiences for different type of protagonists?

My publisher publishes a lot of what are called cozy mysteries, which deal with amateur sleuths. Usually they’re young women between 20 and 40 — more on the young side.

I decided that she [tattoo parlor proprietress and crime solver Brett Kavanaugh] would be 32 and that she’d own her own business. She just grew in

my imagination. There aren’t a whole lot of women tattooists.

But a lot of women have tattoos now.

Young women, but people still have an attitude [about people with tattoos]. I wanted to break some stereotypes and present my tattooists in this book as regular people.

You had probably a lot of readers of your first series come over and read these. Do they get mad when favorite characters disappear?

I still get e-mails from people asking about Annie Seymour, and if I’m going to write any more Annie Seymour books. People miss her — I don’t! And I’m not going to miss Brett, either. I had a proposal for another book, but my publisher opted not to take that and wanted me to write another series.

I would have written another [Annie Seymour] book, but in retrospect I’m glad that I didn’t because it was very fast reaching the point where newspapers [Annie’s employer] were dying, and I was either going to have to lay her off or give her a buyout, and then I didn’t know what she was going to do, because her life was being a journalist, and being a reporter.

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Couldn’t she just become a blogger?

No, she was very dead set against blogging — very anti-technology, set in her ways.

Annie is almost 40, she started in journalism. She was about the same age I was when I started writing her.

She started when I started, and before newspapers started going downhill.

Forming her character was something you did know. So you looked around the newsroom at the New Haven Register…

I didn’t start writing her when I was at the New Haven Register; I was in Waterbury. So all the people in New Haven who thought that everybody was based on people in New Haven, they’re wrong [laughs]. I started putting stuff together when I was at the Waterbury Republican. It was exactly writing what I knew; she was easy because she was a compilation of people that I knew. When I finally had Sacred Cows [Grand Central

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Publishing, 2006] done, I was in New Haven.

The titles of your books are interesting.

Sacred Cows, the Ink titles are all plays on words.

I didn’t really want puns. That came from the publisher; they like puns.

So they came up with the idea for the setting, and you had to go along?

They came up with the tattoo shop. They let me have free reign, except they didn’t want it set in Connecticut, they didn’t want it in New Haven. They wanted some place with palm trees that was warm. Originally they had thought either Miami or southern California. But there are way too many crime writers that live in those areas, and I would be exposed as a complete fraud. I picked Las Vegas, because Las Vegas is everywhere.

That was another thing I didn’t really know, though, because I had only been to Las Vegas for two days 12 years before.

So you could just write about what it’s like in everybody’s mind?

Olson knew her first heroine — New Haven reporter Annie Seymour in Sacred Cows — all too well.

I made up a lot of stuff, and when I was halfway through the book, I looked at my husband and said, ‘We have to go to Las Vegas.’

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Did that ‘research’ affect the plot?

It didn’t really, but it was easier to see it in my head where she might be going, what it felt like. She does a lot of hiking up at Red Rock Canyon, so we were up there and it was incredibly beautiful. I could at least get her sense of what that would be like because I had finally been there. I went into the casinos and just took notes, wrote down what are the sounds, what are the smells, what are the people like so I could incorporate all that into the books, because I knew I’d be going home after four days. But I got three books out of that first trip [laughs] before we went back.

What made you want to become a mystery writer?

I started reading mysteries written by women. Contemporary mysteries, because I thought all mysteries were Agatha Christie, and I didn’t care for Agatha Christie. But then I discovered Sarah Pretsky, Marcia Muller and Linda Barnes and all these really fabulous contemporary women mystery writers. I read everything I could and decided that that was something I wanted to try because I really liked the main characters. They were very strong women, and I had been reading a lot of Oprah books, and they were

so depressing, and the women were so horrible in them [laughs].

Do you think kids today are interested in writing as you were as a young person?

What’s an ‘Oprah book’?

Sure, some are. My daughter has a friend who wants to be a writer. We were in Barnes & Noble a couple of weeks ago and she said, ‘Oh, this is where I want my book to be.’

The books that she promoted back in the ‘80s. They were supposed to be these very uplifting stories about women who pulled themselves up from the depths of despair, but they were just so depressing.

The women in them were victims, and I wanted to write a book about a woman who was really kick-ass.

You’re not quite of the age where feminism came to prominence, but would you call yourself a feminist?

I think feminist is a very old-fashioned word [laughs]. Because women are women now. Things have changed since the ‘60s.

I went to high school in the ‘70s. Madison — Daniel Hand. I was born in New Haven, at Yale [-New Haven Hospital]. My dad lived on Woodward Avenue when he was growing up; my mom lived in East Haven.

They went to church together — that’s how they met.

When you were a teenager thinking about what you were going to do, did you have a clue?

I wanted to be a writer since I was eight years old.

So he actually thought it would be a book, not an e-reader?

Oh no, the kids aren’t into the e-readers yet; it’s more an adult thing. I do know a lot of people who have e-readers; I don’t have one. But kids aren’t really using e-readers yet. I think they will by the time my daughter gets to college. There’s more and more talk of having textbooks on iPads. It’s inevitable.

Do you worry about how the interface with an e-reader affects the imagination of the reader?

I don’t think so, it’s still the same book. If you have an iPad, it looks like the book.

You can turn the pages [laughs]. My first series is all out of print, but you can get it on e-readers. People can still get my book, even though you can’t go into a bookstore and buy it. I’ve had a few people e-mail me or send me notes through Facebook saying, ‘Oh, I finished your Tattoo books

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and I’ve gone online and ordered your Annie Seymour books.’ I’m reaching people I wouldn’t reach if we didn’t have e-books.

So has the advent e-books and the way publishers are publishing books had any impact on authors getting stuff published?

somebody else, a little town reporter, because that’s what I did when I was a reporter. I covered little towns. I had a couple of fits and starts. My third try was Sacred Cows.

How did you get an agent without having published anything before?

Not for me. Nobody’s really quite sure how it’s all going to work. It’s sort of like newspapers not knowing really how to deal with the Internet. The publishers are trying to grapple with how to deal with e-readers and e-books. I’m on the National Board of Mystery Writers in America, and we now have ‘accepted publisher’ lists, and we’ve actually added e-books to that now.

You still have to meet all the guidelines.

You can’t just self-publish yourself on Amazon and be an active member of Mystery Writers of America. You still have to go through a legitimate publisher; you still have to get a decent advance.

Well I did what you do — you query. I queried and I queried. Finally I called a friend who was a writer and said, ‘Can you help me?’ He read my book and he recommended his agent, and his agent represented me.

Let’s go back to that first book. You’re reading mysteries and working for the Waterbury Republican. So if you were in Waterbury, why was Annie Seymour a reporter in New Haven?

So you started your first attempt in what year?

After that the product did the selling?

That was Sacred Cows, which he accepted about a month before 9/11, [after which] publishing shut down. Completely shut down for some time. So my poor little book just floundered. Nobody was looking at it. It was on desks in New York, but nobody was doing anything.

I started around ’91. It took me a long time.

It took a couple of years to write Sacred Cows.

Annie wasn’t originally in New Haven, and her name wasn’t Annie. She was

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August/September 2011

Sacred Cows involved a whole lot of ‘sacred’ issues — a Yale student, and prostitution for example.

Was there any controversy about that?

No. Nobody batted an eye. Everyone seemed happy that a Yale student was murdered. My agent thought that was funny [laughs]. My idea for the series was to have each book set in a different neighborhood in New Haven. And I decided to start with Yale because everybody knows Yale. I did have some references to [1999 unsolved homicide victim] Suzanne Jovin that my editor had me take out, because not everybody knows who she is. And the book isn’t about Suzanne Jovin; it was just making some comparisons between my dead Yalie and a real case.

The sort of ‘personalized’ murders of your mystery genre don’t have the real-life community impact of crimes like the Jovin or Petit murders.

I’m not one of those writers who has to have a social message; there are a lot of writers who do. The book I just finished deals a lot with missing teenagers, and issues that are affecting teenagers today, [including] the Internet and privacy, and

how they have a completely different perception of privacy than any other generation.

In terms of a series, are you again building characters from one novel to the next?

I wrote each of [the Tattoo Mysteries] so that [each] could stand alone. Some people have story arcs over a series of books and some don’t. I went into this Tattoo Shop series basically taking it one book at a time. You don’t know when the publisher is going to want another one. My original contract was for two books, then they gave me another contract for two more, but I knew when I started Ink Flamingos last summer it was going to be the last one.

We have now the ability for comments to get directed to you, the writer, personally, which is a little bit different than getting reviewed by a newspaper critic, for example.

Well that rarely happens anymore, because newspapers won’t review paperbacks. You have to have a hard cover, and that’s been the standard for a long time. My ďŹ rst two books came out in hardcover, and they were reviewed everywhere: Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times‌

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So if somebody publishes out an e-book in the future, then they’ll have to adjust to that too, right?

It’s going to be very hard to get reviewed. Now there’s a lot of bookreview bloggers. I have had a lot of bloggers reviewing my books.

I read online comments on your books and I could find hardly any that didn’t like them.

People love my books! My publisher doesn’t want any more, but people love my books [laughs]. I’ve gotten great reviews on all my books.

One issue out there is how to promote them, right? Is that part of the problem for everyone?

Publishers do very little these days, and a lot of it is left up to the author, and it depends on your resources. I know people who have a lot of money who can put a lot of money into advertising and into traveling to conferences and book fairs, and bookstores all over the country. I have a job [Olson works parttime editing a Yale medical journal] and I have a child, and I don’t have the resources to do that.

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When someone says to you, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I want to be a mystery writer,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; what advice do you give them?

Read. Whatever you want to write, read everything you can in that genre. Just so you know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s out there, so you know whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being written, so you know what the market is, know what people are looking for, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being published.

How much of it is passion for what you want to write about? Tattoos was your publisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea.

It was practical. They were going to pay me, and I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sure, I can be a writer for hire.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I did for years. I worked in newspapers and I got paid to write. I can do that now. But now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not being paid to write, because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a new contract. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still writing because I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop. And I feel like a moron because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not getting paid for it but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still writing. And Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to keep writing. I wrote for years before I got published. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a writer, you write.

Is it a question of finding the next thing that hits you, or is there a change going in the industry thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affecting you?

I wrote a young adult book because everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s writing young adult books.

The book I just submitted to my agent is

something that I really wanted to write; something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very different from my two series. It is a mystery, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a crime novel â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go back to Annie Seymour. Where do story lines come from?

Oh, I rip from the headlines. The whole plot of Sacred Cows came from Martin Frankel, the guy down in Greenwich who ripped off everybody, the insurance fraud thing. The whole book came from that. I just twisted it around. And then the Yale student whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the escort; there was a student at Brownâ&#x20AC;Ś For my second book [Second Hand Smoke], there was actually an unsolved crime in Branford where this womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house burned down, she was actually shot and found dead in her burned-down house.

They actually exhumed her cat to see if her cat had been shot, too, but the cat died from smoke inhalation. So I had a ďŹ re in my second book and it came from that.

Then I had the MaďŹ a in Wooster Square in that book. It was a fun book. I think that is a lot of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite book. And in the third book, I have the bomb-snifďŹ ng bees â&#x20AC;&#x201D; there really are bomb-snifďŹ ng bees. At the University of Michigan, they trained bees to sniff out land mines.

Was the same true in the Tattoo series?

No, because all the plots in the Tattoo books have to have something to do with tattooing. Although I have a runaway bride in the ďŹ rst book. But I was very disappointed, because I found out with the ďŹ rst book that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually kill somebody with a tattoo machine. I wanted to skewer somebody with the tattoo machine, but the needle only goes down so far, so I actually have someone skewered with the needle before it goes into the tattoo machine.

A lot of online commentators are really into mysteries, but I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see too many blog posts from tattoo people.

Well, there is a blog called Tattoosday, and the blogger, who lives in Brooklyn, goes around New York City and takes pictures of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tattoos and writes their stories on his blog. He and I struck up e-mail correspondence, and now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re friends on Facebook, he loves my books. He things my books are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spot-on.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a woman in Poland who has a [tattoo] blog. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a lot of correspondence, because she has a split tongue and wanted to know if I was going to explore any other forms of body modiďŹ cations. I said no, but we had a really interesting e-mail correspondence

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and I acknowledge her in the front of the book for some of her insights. I got an e-mail from a woman who is a second grade teacher in Las Vegas and she sent me pictures of every one of her nine tattoos, because she absolutely loves my books. So I get pictures of people’s tattoos.

People write me all the time. I have had the occasional person who writes me and says, ‘Oh, I couldn’t stand your books, they’re horrible.’ That’s fine. Then I have the crazy people who think that I can’t cuss, ever [in print]. I had someone who said, ‘Oh, you worked in a newspaper, and you use this language?!’ I wrote her back and said that’s where I learned all this language!

When you first sit down to write, do you know the whole story?

No. It happens as I write. I’ve had the killer change halfway through the book.

I realize, ‘Okay, that person couldn’t possibly have done it!’ That happened in Sacred Cows. That happened in Pretty in Ink, and it happened in Ink Flamingos.

Sacred Cows was completed in 2001 but didn’t get published for five years. That must have been brutal, personally. You were up at bat, and they sent you back down to the minors?

It floundered for a while, but I ended up entering the Sara Ann Freed Memorial Award contest, a writing competition for best first novel. I beat out 500 manuscripts, and that’s how I got published.

So that kind of accreditation does matter?

September Promotion

Not really, because they dropped me after the second book, and I went to another publisher. So it doesn’t really matter. My fourth book got a Shamus Award nomination, which is the Private Eye Writers of America. It’s a very prestigious award, and I felt very honored to be nominated. It didn’t matter, either, because that was the last book in the Annie Seymour series. It’s interesting how there’s no magic formula for this. There’s just some book that some day will hit it.

And I’m not upset about it, because I’ve had eight books published. I feel really lucky and it’s been really fun and I’ve met some fabulous people. But I’m at this crossroads right now, where I don’t have a book contract. I feel like now I can write what I want to write.

What about writer’s block?

I was a journalist — c’mon, you can’t have writer’s block! You’ve got 45 minutes to write 20 inches. You don’t have any time to stop and say, ‘Oh, the muse has to come.’

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new haven

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Take a Hike!

By Jessica Giannone

H

ave you ever happened across an old Indian cave? Rested beneath a misty waterfall? Summited one of the highest points in New England? Cliffs, caves, clusters of trees and all, we’ve got you covered with four of our favorite places to hike within an hour of New Haven.

From giants to boulders, castles to waterfalls, the following day hikes offer a glimpse at the wide variety of diverse (and beautiful) trails not far from home. Be prepared to move, and don’t forget the bug spray!

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Whether it be the scenery, the stroll or the thrill, all the trails offer an experience worth savoring. The following sites range from easy to challenging (to say the least!) and include everything between scenic nature hikes along babbling brooks to climbing up giant formations of rock. Some walks may be a simple stroll along the beach, while others, let’s just say they’re quite a reach.

Sleeping Giant State Park 200 Mount Carmel Ave., Hamden Trails ranging from easy to difficult Bathrooms and picnic areas Parking free except weekends and holidays ($7 resident, $10 non-resident)

T

o climb or not to climb? That is the question. Well, if you like rocky ledges, picture-postcard views and don’t mind clambering up a wide, open rock face hundreds of feet in the air, the answer is obvious. Of course, if you would rather stroll through broad paths of tall grass along brooks and beneath majestic oak trees — that’s fine, too.

At Sleeping Giant, home to eight marked trails, hikers have the option to “chill” or be in for a thrill. As you pass through narrow paths of rocky clusters and mixed shrubs, then ponder which of the inviting paths to choose, remember that it’s the journey that counts. Yes, there is a castle at the top of the Giant, but that attraction pales in comparison to the exhilarating experiences to be savored on the way up.

The trails range in length from two to five miles, differing in route and elevation gain.

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Only the blue blazes and Tower Trail lead to the castle, though they all intersect.

If you select the popular pale-blue-blazed hing of trail, you are in for something es of a challenge. After five miles conquering rocky inclines and find straggling up hills, you’ll fi nd rth the that the views are well worth me “giant” climb. Although some parts may be intimidating,, this ther. trail offers views like no other.

The least demanding routee is h a bare-rock trail bed, which inclines moderately (still a workout to me). The bulk of the hike consists of edgingg up ns cliffs and exposed elevations reens as you pass through evergreens ntain and stands of lovely mountain laurel beneath the skyline, ains revealing views of mountains from afar.

The orange trail affords rlds, hikers the best of both worlds, offering gorgeous views overlooking surrounding woods, as well as gh comfortable climbs through ers narrow paths of tree clusters over smooth rock.

Thousand s of Castle Craig motorists spy Merid en’s each day fr a bit of effo o rt, you can m I-691. But with see it close up.

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A section of the violet trail involves some brief climbs up small rock clusters and a refreshing rest stop at a gracefully flowing stream beside flowers, more

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overhanging mountain laurels and little waterfalls off of paved stone — one of the prettiest spots in the park.

The yellow trail is a peaceful walk through glistening grass under the sun beyond hills and little tree clusters. The green trail is a steady ascent passing through even more green (go figure). The Nature and Tower Trails offer an easy stroll through the woods.

The white trail has some difficult climbs, but none like the blue.

Chatfield Hollow State Park 381 Route 80, Killingworth Trails easy to moderate with challenging sections Swimming, picnicking and restrooms

B

etween stone-strewn brooks and old Indian caves, cliff ledges and smooth rocky paves, it’s hard to decide which trails to choose. At Chatfield Hollow, no choice is a bad one.

The park is home to nine trails ranging from easy to moderate, some with brief climbs.

The shortest trail is the yellow-blazed Nature Trail. This 0.35-mile hike makes a quick turn around a portion of the woods, passing through fallen trees and an old stone structure. It loops back to the starting point as it leads you along little rock mounds between trees, up and over low ground rocks.

The green blazes are spread throughout two different sections of the woods, one a short-but-steep quarter-mile trail and one longer, double-looping trail. The shorter trail involves frequent climbs up large boulders, requiring you to stretch your body and carefully place your feet into rocky gaps, conquering new levels of flat rock surfaces. Reaching the peak, you overlook sheltered caves and cross down to scramble over rocks that lead back to a narrow path. This is a bit challenging, but not too high from the ground.

The larger green trail forms two overlapping loops — one short circular path and another longer loop bordering it. A section of this trail leads hikers perpendicular to an incline overlooking expanses of rocks and narrow paths. Once you level out, you will cross a beautiful stream over steppingstones and a giant rock surface in the middle. Further you will see old Indian rock barriers.

16

August/September 2011

Wadsworth Falls’ Little Falls form a wide staircase to the top of a hill.

A trail that stretches to both sides of the park, the orange-blazed Deep Woods Trail affords a steady and straight trek through the forest. It begins as a gentle incline leading you through narrow paths between trees. Part of the trail leads up to luscious views of woods below along smooth rock elevations of flat stony paths between bush clusters that glimmer under the sunlight atop the rock surface.

The blue-blazed trail offers some rocky climbs as cliffs surround you between boulders and stone ledges. You can follow the blue blazes on either side of the park (two separate trails) where they intersect with blue/white, blue/orange or purple blazes.

Castle Craig/Hubbard Park 199 Notch Rd., Meriden Trails easy to moderate with challenging sections Park open for hikers year-round. Parking at West and East Peak, as well as in the park. Restrooms and picnicking

E

ver wonder what is that giant stone structure standing high on a cliff when you’re driving on I-691 heading toward Meriden? If you hike the woodsy trails through Hubbard Park, you’ll find out — after something of a workout, that is.

The summit is the highest point within 25 miles of the coastline from Cadillac Mountain in Maine to Georgia, where one can admire breathtaking views of the New Haven skyline, shimmering Long Island

Sound and the Sleeping Giant to the south in Hamden.

Once you pass through the many blazed trails that pass by springs and brooks along rocky terrain, you reach East Peak (elevation 950 feet) where Castle Craig Tower sits atop the famous Hanging Hills of Meriden.

The castle was dedicated to the citizens of the Silver City in 1900 by Walter Hubbard, an industrialist who owned most of the land around East Peak for whom Hubbard Park is named.

There are five principal trails ranging from easy to hard leading to the tower, including four different color-blazed trails, countless unmarked trails and a challenging (to say the least) blue-blazed trail — part of the Metacomet Trail, a 4.6mile trek that takes three to 3.5 hours to complete.

The Hubbard Park section of the 51mile Metacomet trail, recommended by the Appalachian Mountain Club, is a moderate hike with challenging sections requiring some steep (but brief) climbing on rocky surfaces. Most trails within the park range from one to six miles and can take from 20 minutes to six hours.

Circling the park, the white-blazed trail remains mostly level with some short turns that intersect with other trails. If you follow the red blazes, you will be led through South Mountain, which offers scenic overlooks of the park, or follow them to the white- and blue-blazed trails.

Continued on 33

The Private Option

By Melissa Nicefaro

In troubled economic times, nonpublic schools seek to differentiate themselves to attract students

P

ublic schools are free to all children.

But even in a challenging economic environment, many area parents are choosing to make a hefty investment in their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s futures by enrolling them in private and parochial school in hopes of sparking greater academic achievement.

For example, at St. Thomasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day School on Whitney Avenue in New Haven, tuition is $18,500. For that investment, parents have expectations that class sizes will be kept small and that education will be top-notch. But at a school such as St. Thomasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, there is an added dimension of religious education.

School Head Fred Acquavita says that the K-8 schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spiritual center and afďŹ liation with the Episcopal Church is one reason parents choose the school.

The Foote School ... a coeducational Kâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;9 school where students are challenged every day.

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Nevertheless, “We don’t consider ourselves a ‘parochial’ school; we lean more toward an independent school,” Acquavita says. “By definition, we’re an Episcopal Parish School that’s set up to be an independent perspective similar to Foote, Hamden Hall and other private schools. But there is a spiritual aspect.”

and we’re moving forward and we like the end product.”

Though the parochial school operates independently from the public school system, St. Aedan/St. Brendan adheres to state standards for education, since the school receives federal funding for Title I services for those students who need remedial help in math and reading.

That funding covers a designated classroom and its equipment including computers, furniture, books for students who are pulled out of their regular classes for extra help. In addition, a special education teacher is provided through the New Haven Board of Education on a part-time basis.

Classes generally have 18 to 20 students, but for some special subjects, students are split between classrooms and the ratio is typically one teacher to ten students.

“Most of our parents are not consumerdriven, but are looking at other qualities like the service, the sense of community” the school offers, Acquavita explains.

“Parents are a little more consumeroriented [now] because of the economy.”

“It’s a nice environment,” Votto allows.

“I’m a proponent of public education, I’ve done it all my life, but there’s a little bit of extra they can get here that they can’t get in the public schools.”

Adds Assistant School Head Roxanne Turekian, “What parents are looking for is for kids to walk out of here and meet the kind of demand they’re going to meet at a very rigorous secondary school.”

Of the 19 graduates in June, one went to Hamden Hall, two went to Foote School, 12 went to Hopkins, one student each went to Amity, Hamden and West Haven and one student went out of state.

“The school is socio-diverse as well as economically diverse, and we maintain that balance by giving financial aid,” Turekian says. “Parents want their children in a diverse school, since it gives them the 21st-century skill they need to relate to one another.”

Nevertheless, according to Acquavita, “There’s always a market for wealthy kids to go to private schools, in a good or bad economy. But what is affected in a bad economy is a private school’s ability to maintain a strong financial aid program.”

Applications are flat at St. Thomas’s Day School, though there are more applications in the upper grades today than in years past. Where independent middle- and high schools seem to be bulging with applicants, the lower grades are showing a dropoff.

However, where St. Thomas’s is seeing its greatest increase is in requests for financial aid.

“What’s happening is the [income] range has opened up,” Acquavita says. “People who before would not have asked for aid are now asking for aid. There is a lot of pressure on families.” So the school head is working on putting together a campaign that addresses with that issue specifically.

“Since we have such strong feelings about maintaining the mix here, it is an issue,” 18

August/September 2011

That bit of “extra,” he says, includes a more structured and safe environment. he adds. “We have a few students who we just ask to pay a token $300 or so out of the $18,000. It’s the middle that’s really being hurt. They have houses and assets, but real cash-flow issues.”

When it comes to marketing, Turekian says, “We believe so strongly in our school and what we have to offer that we’re not responding to the public schools.”

One of the greatest strengths of a private school, according to Acquavita, is the speed at which change can take place.

“Private schools have the capability of instituting change at a much faster rate,” he says. “When I was a public school teacher, it seemed to take 50 years to get something through the system. Private schools can act very quickly, they have the resources and there’s no bureaucracy.”

Michael Votto, principal at St. Aedan/ St. Brendan School in Westville has seen education from both the public and private sides. He had 36 years of teaching experience in public schools before he assumed his current position two years ago. The Catholic elementary schools consolidated four years ago, shortly after the church parishes linked due to low parishioner enrollment.

“When I first came here, I had to unite two schools physically. I had to unite parents, teachers and students in one building,” Votto explains. “It wasn’t an easy task. These two schools were rivals for many years and they had to come into one building. There were some growing pains, but we’re coming over that hump

While many parochial schools are struggling or closing, Votto believes his school is well positioned for the future.

“We are very well aware of our competition, so therefore we have to show the public that we’re just as vigorous and just as up-to-date with our technology and library and that we’re as up to snuff on the new stuff, which keeps us in competition,” Votto says. “I hate to use the word business, but in a private school, you need to.”

As do many Catholic schools, St. Aedan/ St. Brendan School moves mountains to keep tuition affordable. Non-Catholic students pay $4,000, while parishioners of the church pay $3,600. Through the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, the archdiocese makes available $500 scholarships to those who qualify. In addition, there’s an organization called the Children’s Educational Opportunity for children in New Haven that offers $1,900 scholarships to those who meet income criteria. Roughly two dozen are awarded to St. Aedan/St. Brendan students in any given year.

Votto says word is out there that the school is doing a good job. “This spring, compared to last spring, I would say inquiries from parents tripled. I wish all of them enrolled, which they didn’t, but it is a step in the right direction,” he says.

Ten new students enrolled last spring for the 2011-12 school year.

“Parents are hearing about us,” says Votto.

“I have close to 20 kids in kindergarten

next year. What we’re doing is important to them. I think we’re doing okay.”

Parents who inquire with the school are primarily looking for a safe environment and smaller classrooms than public schools offer. With some classrooms in New Haven public schools stuffed with upwards of two dozen children, he believes that it’s the small class size — between 16 and 20 children on average — and the idea of a community feeling that parents are looking for.

“They do ask about discipline and curriculum. I think they assume the religion is going to be part of it,” he says.

Votto adds that students will learn where they are and they get out of education what they put into it.

Votto teaches a summer course at Choate Rosemary School, a private school in Wallingford. “Those kids want to be there and they want to learn,” he says. “Those who don’t want to be there aren’t learning.”

“You’re going to expect that child, when he or she graduates from Choate, to get into a good college, and if he or she doesn’t, you’re going to feel that you spent $130,000 not to get into Brown,” Votto explains.

“I’ve seen it happen.”

Out of a graduation eighth-grade class of 17 last year at St. Aedan/St. Brendan, ten went to a private high school such as Sacred Heart, Notre Dame-West Haven or Lauralton Hall.

“Some leave when they get to eighth grade and go to Hopkins,” Votto says. “We’re also competing with Hopkins.”

YYY Saint Aedan/Saint Brendan also competes with Foote School in New Haven.

With tuition at $19,750 for grades K-5 and $23,000 for grades six through nine, Foote School has a waiting list for the current school year. According to Laura Altschul, Foote’s director of admissions, it is a strong commitment to socioeconomic diversity that appeals to prospective students.

“It enriches us all,” she says. Thirty-five percent of Foote students are minorities and 21 percent of students take advantage of $1.4 million in need-based financial aid awarded each school year. Target class size at Foote School is 17 students.

“Many applicants are disappointed with the lack of diversity that they encounter on the shoreline,” she says of families who send their children to Foote from affluent

suburbs such as Guilford and Madison.

“Every family’s story is individual.”

It is a 47,000-book library with three fulltime librarians that Altschul calls the heart of the school.

In addition to reading, writing, math, science and foreign languages, every Foote student also takes music, drama, art and physical education every year through grade nine.

Though public schools are facing growing challenges in terms of reduced funding, program reductions and swelling class sizes, it has not affected the way Foote School markets itself, according to Altschul.

Keith Kaliszewski, Hamden Hall Country Day School’s assistant director of admissions, agrees. “We haven’t had to change our marketing strategy because families who are unhappy in public school have been coming to us on their own.”

Hall also has different levels of teams in all sports to help accommodate any student who wants to play.

Right outside of downtown New Haven, the Cold Spring School on Chapel Street is a small, co-ed independent elementary school with tuition at $13,440 for preschool and $19,740 for kindergarten through sixth grade.

Sara Armstrong, Cold Spring’s director of admissions, says that because the school is small, it’s a place where every child is known by every adult on campus, which forges a powerful partnership between and among parents, students and teachers.

Each classroom at Cold Spring School has two full-time teachers, and all classrooms (with the exception of sixth grade) serve mixed-age groupings.

The economic downturn has, however, affected the number of applications for financial aid over the past few years.

“Mixed-age groupings work for a multitude of reasons,” Armstrong explains. “Students stay with the same teachers for two years so students, families and teachers develop particularly close relationships, and students returning to a classroom for their second year help entering students with routines so transitions at the start of the year are lessened.” That way, students’ needs, both academic and social, can be addressed through individualization and differentiation of curriculum.

“All of our financial aid is need-based,” Kaliszewski explains. “That said, we have an endowed scholarship, the Weber Scholarship, that is awarded to two new students each year.”

“For example, math groupings may be according to grade level, but may be according to skill level and the groupings can have ebb and flow depending on the concepts taught,” Armstrong says.

The Weber Scholarship is a need-based scholarship given to recipients who have superior academic records.

Cold Spring School has long known that the best marketing of the school comes from parents’ word-of-mouth.

Hamden Hall has maintained a consistent enrollment throughout the economic downturn over the last few years — “which says a lot about the educational experience that we offer,” Kaliszewski says.

One hundred percent of Hamden Hall seniors go to four-year colleges, most of which are top-tier schools. Many seniors are offered merit-based scholarships to encourage them to enroll in a particular college. Tuition at Hamden Hall begins at $14,000 at the preschool level and increases incrementally to $30,000 for grades 9-12.

Class size is capped at 16.

Smaller class sizes means more individual attention for students.

“We also have the freedom to teach a traditional curriculum without having to teach to any state-mandated tests,” Kaliszewski says.

Hamden Hall offers arts and athletic opportunities to all students regardless of ability and experience. While fielding varsity athletic teams that are competitive with those at public schools, Hamden

“Our parents, both present and alumni, have long been incredible advocates for the school,” she says. “They are involved in our school tours and have been available to talk with prospective families about their and their children’s experiences at Cold Spring.”

A recognition that social media is a way that many parents and prospective students gather information has made Cold Spring School work to create a more powerful presence on the Web, so that parents looking at school options can get a first glimpse of Cold Spring School there.

“However, we still believe strongly that parents interested in Cold Spring School should come see the school and witness how our philosophy plays out in our Continued on 45

new haven

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b m i L a n o t u O Up and s in a g spec home in d il u b to roach A radical app

By Duo Dickinson

Feature Photos: Anthony DeCarlo Cover: steve Blazo 20

August/September 2011

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AT HO M E

L

ike no other profession, architecture involves the marriage of art and commerce. A painter’s blank canvas or a sculptor’s block of marble cost little in comparison to even the smallest porch addition to a house.

Unlike a painting or sculpture, a building’s design is more than an aesthetic nicety.

Buildings have to exist in the world where the realities of gravity, weather and the cultural norms of the community surrounding them cannot be ignored.

Having said that, many architects engage in commerce by treating buildings as if they are mere commodities — objects to be bought and sold. The problem is that the act of design is a process that leads ultimately to something that gets built. But by definition, the practice of architecture is a service.

Architectural designer Gernot Bruckner directly addressed these issues in a major career shift three years ago.

Bruckner was gainfully employed in a Greenwich branch office of a Southern architecture firm that drew up traditional homes for affluent clients. That rarified practice and clientele encouraged him to pursue a different type of career. So Bruckner created Brio54, a company that is a one-stop-shopping venue for those in search of an overtly new type of home.

Brio54 is Bruckner and a roster of ondemand builders who will build any one of five stock Bruckner designs wherever the client wishes. “We are not an architecture firm,” Bruckner asserts. “We are builders, not architects.”

Living room looking out to a water view over traditional homes, this modern ‘statement’ home has an absence of expressed trim but countless small details that simplify and celebrate planes and lines over ornament and ‘decorating.’

As one might guess, the proof in the pudding is the building itself. Even during the most fevered housing bubble why would potential gamble their hard-earned dollars on mere drawings? So Bruckner decided to put his money, and his family, where his conceptual breakthrough was and build Model H4 in Milford. A classic modernist ideation, it is sculpture, structure and geometry distilled in a structure that is as crisply “modern” as any building you would see from the Yale

new haven

21

The exterior of the Brio54 model of Gernot Bruckner’s line of home designs. This is a classic Modernist ‘idea’ house where a ‘box for living’ floats above the ground, its dramatically striped siding ‘voided’ to create porches. A simple stucco-faced connection to the ground helps emphasize the floating quality and its flat roof enables the home to both meet the minimum code height for coastal living space and get a full second floor under the city of Milford’s height restriction.

School

of

namic The dy e in light. nderful fram d e th a o b w y a il s d m d n fin g fa na A youn of family life simple, clea ce eir presen ground in th e. m ck and ba -designed ho ly e is c e r p

Architecture.

But it’s more than simply design.

It’s actually a building that’s built in a real place with real materials and with a real price tag — $463,000.

The central hallway allo ws for access to storage and a bathroom on either si de as well as two smalle r bedrooms, and creates a to pfilled light fr om a single skyl ight, illuminatio n that continues d ow the stairwel n l connecting this floor to the floor below.

22

August/September 2011

Like most other buildings in Connecticut, it had to deal with heavy-handed government input. First, federal coastal regulations meant that its first floor had to be at a certain height (creating the space under the built block for cars and a very small stair and storage area touching the ground level). Next was the city of M Milford’s height restriction that, at 35 feet to the mean distance between the peak and the eave, would have meant essentially a one-and-ahalf-story house floating above the federally mandated one-story void to let the raging hurricane-fed saltwater w wash below it.

F Fortuitously, Bruckner’s m modernist inclination was to create a geometric shape an not a symmetrically and pi pitched-roof house (part of hi graphic presentation of his Br Brio54 is the classic gabled hou icon with the equally house clas “do not” diagonal slash classic thro through it). The bold flat roof in coastal Connecticut allow for a full third level allowed th house on a very small of the lot — resulting in 2,171 square o finished space with feet of

three bedrooms and 2.5 baths.

It should be noted that the H4 model is one of Bruckner’s five prototype designs (known as H1 through H5) from largest (four-bedroom H1, with 2,540 square feet) to smallest (H5, a studio of 510 square feet and one bath). Those paper designs follow the same rigorous modernist ethic of rectilinear cubist construction that engages quite well with current building technology.

It’s clearly an aggressive move to build an uncompromisingly modernist design as a speculative project during a recession. But there is a real method to Bruckner’s insight.

The Connecticut coastline is glutted with thousands upon thousands of gable-roofed bungalow/Cape/Federal/ Colonial houses all squeezing up to the edge of the Sound in tight lockstep. All of these stereotypes sit waiting for buyers who are left to value price first when there is so little stylistic distinction from one home to the next.

Bruckner has opted to go the opposite way — the contrarian notion that distinctiveness is its own marketing. He needs only one buyer for one house — one buyer who can see the elegance of a modern design, even one at odds with its surroundings.

When asked about the ability of his flat roofs to deal with the windswept torrents of this last season, Bruckner says he didn’t have a single problem — and a visual inspection of the 18-month-old ceilings shows that to be true. This winter Bruckner did have to shovel that roof given the quantity of snow that fell — as did so many owners of low-pitchedroof ranches.

This is an architecture of unbroken planes, abstracted shapes and super clean lines where there is virtually no trim, only gaskets of aluminum strips that create a reveal — a visual gap between doors and walls,

walls and floors and even shower curtains and ceilings.

This gapped aluminum trim is rigorously applied to the corners of the house and extrapolated into the galvanized steel column supports for the house itself.

The home’s starkly flat wall planes are perfectly mimicked by its consistently detailed maple veneered custom cabinets’ spare and clean lines (which also incorporate aluminum trough detailing).

There is one central skylight (which hasn’t leaked yet, either) but the house is small enough that light enters from all sides. With natural light from so many sources it eliminates the harsh glare of the south-facing coastal exposure.

Obviously, a box starkly elevated on steel columns is dramatic. But it is Bruckner’s treatment of the exterior surfaces and balconies that make it memorable. Using offthe-rack pre-painted concrete clapboards of alternating dark and light striping, a vibrant pattern is set up for the home’s skin. Porches are recessed on both of the narrow ends of the house creating a sense of shadow and depth which breaks the flatness of the cubist shape and reveals the sinuous system of wire and steel railings, narrow mullions between windows and doors and stucco ceilings.

Stiffness against the harsh coastal wind is provided by invisible sheer walls (steel panels), which do eat some square footage at the corners of the home, and are invisible in one set of interior walls.

Modernist houses distill each and every part of a house to line, shape, space and plane — inside and out. The goal is to find a universal sense of design without reference to culture, context or ornament.

This home embodies those principles and thus is as much sculpture as it is house.

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23

Dining area facing away from the water. This open space has built-ins (far right) and a full connection to the outdoor world despite its floating one story above it.

The master bedroom. Looking into the common hallway, the simple floor plan is unified by the wonderful wood floors that flow throughout both levels of the home.

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August/September 2011

The quiet elegance of its flowing open floor plan is a blissful complement to the rest of the family that lives within.

Gernot is married to Suzanne Bruckner, an early childhood development researcher at Yale. Exactly parallel to Bruckner’s decision to leave a stable design job creating traditional American architecture in the epicenter of traditional suburbs, Greenwich, he and Suzanne designed, built and delivered their own extremely collaborative effort – young Julian, born a year and a half ago, whose vibrant and playful charm is a delightful counterpoint to the serene distilled lines of the home he inhabits.

As a testament to the durability of Bruckner’s detailing, living with a toddler has inflicted virtually zero damage on the home’s simple surfaces. It is also a testament to the designer’s detailing that the home feels nothing like a machine or a box. It feels essentially like a distilling frame both for the natural activity of the Sound facing south but also a family life — a quiet refuge from the messiness of day-to-day life and a celebration of the

need to impose order on an inherently complicated world.

are erected from stock plans untouched by anyone with architectural training.

Clearly, building houses on spec in this economy is risky — but it’s a risk that other architects have taken in other eras.

Frank Lloyd Wright intended his Usonian homes to be mass-produced and sold to buyers who could not normally afford an architect’s fee. The Architect’s Small House Service Bureau of Minnesota built more than 10,000 homes between the World Wars — most of them traditional in style — but those were sold only as a plan service versus Brio 54’s high-risk, built-product business model. During pre2007 building boom, nouvelle Modernist developments on both coasts attempted to capture the cachet so cleanly defined by Dwell magazine.

Although Bruckner is not a licensed architect in the U.S., his education in Austria is virtually the equivalent of that required for an architectural degree here.

Notwithstanding, the home is replete with elements of light, space, detail, line, form, plane, void and solid that are straight out of any architect’s formal training.

Beyond all the artful aspects of the home, each one of the “H series” offers a thoroughly engineered approach with every detail well thought out. Truth be told, many homes now built in America have a “by guess and by gosh” engineering approach, and perhaps 95 percent of them

This is not a house for everyone — but it is a house for those who want a breath of fresh air during a time of settling for low-risk options. Even though Bruckner proffers the now-expected ethos of “green” materials and high efficiency mechanical systems, those admirable underpinnings are not as compelling as his moral imperative to break the paradigms of a real estate market in which low expectations and easy answers are hyped to create an excessive price tag in good times — and to sit tight in lean times. Given his sincerity and commitment, one cannot help hoping that his high intentions are met with equally lofty success.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: Anthony DeCarlo

Whiz Kid Testing the limits of Will power, a teen academic prodigy tries to remain just a kid

By Jessica Giannone

Not many students graduate from high school and college in the same month, but this spring Will Sawin did just that, earning diplomas from Fairfield Warde High School and Yale.

W

ill Sawin is pretty much your average 17-year-old: tall, skinny, short brown hair, bold brown eyes and defined eyebrows. He has a boyish demeanor, accompanied by a dynamic tone of voice and quick pace of speech.

Will just graduated from Fairfield Warde High School. Like most teenagers, he is still figuring out what he wants to do with his life. He has an older sister in college and a younger brother in high school. He enjoys karate and playing the collectible card game Magic. In his spare time he likes to read blogs and goof around with friends his age. Also like most kids, he admits he procrastinates from time to time.

Just one thing sets him apart from other 17-year olds: In the same month Will Sawin graduated from high school, he also graduated from college. That college was Yale, where he double-majored in math and economics.

In September he will attend grad school at Princeton, concentrating in mathematics.

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August/September 2011

Will attended his first Yale class (discrete math) at age nine, auditing it after he and his mother spoke to the professor of the course. His mother says it helped that Will knew another Yale professor to vouch for his intellectual ability. Will enrolled at Yale as a non-degree student as a ten-yearold fifth-grader, and moved on to Yale’s Eli Whitney program for “non-traditional” students (most of whom are older than typical undergrads) at age 14.

It took two attempts before he was accepted into the Eli Whitney program as a part-time student.

Will and his parents discussed the possibility of Will entering a Yale degree program. He underwent the same process as any other applicant, but also took the SAT and AP tests (not required of other Eli Whitney applicants), which may have been positive factors in his admission.

Will says that over the year that elapsed from the first to the final time he applied, he had more time to mature and gain a broader range of knowledge. He had already been taking Yale classes, and with

more experience under his academic belt, it became clear he was up to the challenge.

Will was too young for the regular degree program, but not too young to learn.

YYY Will Sawin’s unusual academic aptitude became evident early in his life.

“I feel like this is one of those things in which confidence comes with ability,” he says. “When I was seven and reading books, they were telling me how awesome I was.”

Will has always had a strong aptitude for math. His mother Lisa recalls when second-grader Will began reading her college differential equations math book, which she acknowledges was difficult for her to apprehend even as a college sophomore.

His parents attribute Will’s abilities to both nature and nurture. Lisa Sawin holds a math degree from Penn State, while

father Stephen, a mathematics professor at Fairfield University, is a Princeton grad.

Lisa Sawin says she thinks her son’s strong academic capabilities are a combination of natural aptitude, not unlike a person who can play a musical instrument.

“He has an intuition for the next subject,” Lisa says, referring to the fact that Will knows how to effectively grasp the next concept in logical order.

Will’s mother says she and her husband never attempted to teach their children math, but one thing she takes credit for in terms of nurture is how smart her offspring “feel” they are. She says the elder Sawins always read a lot to their kids, and talked about math and science.

Lisa refers to Will’s math prowess as a “gift from biology,” an aptitude bestowed on her son by Mother Nature.

Growing up in an enriched intellectual environment, Will was ahead of his peers academically, but was treated no different by his fellow classmates. But different he was — Will started tackling high school classes when he was eight years old.

Thomas Pesce, principal of Stratfield Elementary School in Will’s hometown of Fairfield, says the young prodigy played with and related to the other students, although it was evident early on that Will’s intellectual abilities were out of the ordinary.

“He was so bright and ahead of children in so many things that he did,” says Pesce.

“He was kind of on his own plane.”

After Lisa brought Will’s abilities to the elementary school’s attention, the teachers there worked with him to make sure he had the academic basics, then proceeded based on what would benefit Will’s learning the most. Pesce recalls that the school had a special teacher work with him because of how accelerated he was.

“He was always an out-of-the-box thinker,” says Pesce. “He was very perceptive. He saw things differently. He was extremely bright. He especially found math so easy — he was so intuitive with it.”

Jim D’Acosta, Will’s Cub Scoutmaster in elementary school, who has known the Sawins for ten years, says when Will was young, everyone — adults and students alike — became protective of him.

Lisa Sawin says there were always people in Will’s life he liked to talk to (such as college professors Will liked to chat with on visits to Yale with his mother), which fueled his enthusiasm. By the third

grade, Will was meeting every other week with a professor at Yale, after the district math curriculum leader arranged for a introductory lunch.

Many of his early teachers influenced him heavily. Lisa Sawin says they taught him how to “just be a kid,” which would prove a valuable gift.

Lisa Sawin says her son’s unusual abilities became apparent as early as the first grade, when Will began to read science books cover to cover.

“It became clear to me very rapidly that he was understanding it at a much deeper level than I was,” she says. “It took a few years for us to realize we were going to be continually surprised.”

Thus began a lifetime of the elder Sawins looking at each other and exclaiming, “Oh, my God — did he really just do that?”

Even so, “We just tried to be very matterof-fact about it,” recalls Will’s mother, trying to treat Will’s smarts simply as a trait, like being tall or funny. “Just to make it be not such a big deal.”

YYY

full-time member of either. Still, he says he has no regrets, and is proud of his academic achievements.

Although Will has gotten better at skills such as writing and organization (which he acknowledges weren’t initially strengths) his thirst for knowledge remains unquenched. He describes math as “what’s cool, what’s elegant, what’s beautiful.

“I may or may not have more or less broad brain power,” he says. “It’s just so hard to measure.”

Fairfield Warde Headmaster Jim Coyne says that during his years at Warde, Will has probably undergone a greater physical change, if anything.

“He has been here before a lot of [the current staff was hired, taking high school classes while still in elementary school],” Coyne jokes, as he praises Will’s ability to handle such a heavy workload at such a tender age.

Will’s Introduction to Fiction Writing professor at Yale this spring, John Crowley, says recalls how Will’s demeanor and class comments were unlike any other student’s.

Despite his obvious gifts, Will says he has never felt a great deal of external pressure to achieve academically. He characterizes himself as more internally driven.

“His way of twisting himself around in his chair with nearly a contortionist’s complexity as he worked out a thought was fascinating to watch,” Crowley says.

Will says he’s not intimidated by the college environment, but he thinks other students may sometimes be intimidated by him.

After he enrolls at graduate school at Princeton this fall, Will says he hopes to begin figuring out what he wants to do with his life beyond the classroom.

He says he wants to turn into someone capable of achieving in the “real world,” and graduate school seems like the best step for now.

Maybe it’s the fact that he has such a keen memory (he rarely needs to take notes in class) or that his work on problem sets is effortless. “I need less information in math than other people do,” Will explains.

Tobias Dyckerhoff, a post-doc teaching fellow in algebraic geometry at Yale, says Will stood out in class as a highly motivated and engaged student. He says his advanced math class is typically regarded as quite demanding by most students. Will, however, demonstrated “exceptional talent” compared to other students.

Dyckerhoff adds that the young Sawin got along well with his older classmates.

“I wouldn’t even have noticed his young age,” says Dyckerhoff. “It once just came up randomly in a class conversation.”

As far as his social life goes, Will says the biggest challenge has been

Like any parent, Lisa Sawin worries that her “watchful eyes” as a mother won’t be on Will after he leaves home, making sure he washes his sheets, goes to bed at a reasonable hour and turns off the lights.

“I turn off the lights,” Will retorts.

Whatever Will ends up doing with his life, his mother stresses that being happy is the most important thing for her prodigious offspring.

Will has covered just about everything between Pull-Ups to Princeton in 17 brief years. Some might say his “super smarts” are a result of learning, or they could be just another blessing from Mother Nature.

Others may simply call it Will power.

that, by splitting his time between high school and college, he never felt like a new haven

27

PHOTOGRAPHS: Anthony DeCarlo

heavy sheets of metal, and they have to walk on the little beams carrying that sheet.”

Berton’s predilection for peril began early, while hiking at Sleeping Giant State Park near her home in Hamden.

The people who perform New Haven’s scariest jobs

By Karen Singer

‘My father was a Marine, and he raised me tougher than most girls,’ says ironworker Kirra Berton. ‘I don’t cry about anything.”

W

hile many of us spend our days toiling away at desks, far fewer are doing jobs so physically demanding that a misstep can mean the difference between life and death.

Who are these people, who excel at work others regard as extraordinary and wouldn’t even contemplate trying.

What drives them to take such chances?

We asked a local ironworker and high-rise window washer to talk about the work they do — and why they do it.

‘We Built This City’

Woman of Steel

K

wearing a hard hat and 50-pound tool belt while navigating precarious narrow I-beams on high-rise buildings, pounding bolts into beams, tying 60-foot rods into bundles and performing the myriad other tasks in a profession that routinely turns up on top-ten lists of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

Berton has worked on buildings including the Smilow Cancer Hospital at YaleNew Haven, the 32-story 360 State Street apartment building and the downtown campus of Gateway Community College, where she recently helped install glass panels.

“We were on a concrete floor, which is not as bad as the [four-inch wide] iron [beams] I usually walk on,” she explains.

irra Berton is not your typical ironworker.

Berton describes the process of erecting structural steel as a kind of choreography.

“I can do something that most men can’t, and I’m a five-foot-seven blonde chick, 165 pounds but built like a bull,” says the 27-year-old self-described “risk taker.”

“It’s a fine-tuned thing,” she says. “You rely on the person in front of you. A piece of iron comes in on the crane. There’s one person on each end, and each puts in one bolt to hold it. The bolters come behind the[se] connectors. With major pieces it takes hundreds of bolts and it’s not easy because it never fits well. Once that’s done the deckers come, carrying really

One of just a handful of local female ironworkers, Berton says her male colleagues rarely recognize her when she walks into the union hall in street clothes.

That’s because they’re used to seeing her 28

August/September 2011

“I was the kid that would go into the castle and climb onto the window frame back before there were bars on it,” she recalls.

“My father was a Marine, and he raised me tougher than most girls. I don’t cry about anything.”

Playing ice hockey also toughened her up.

Following high school Berton became a metal technologist and welder machinist working on F-16 fighter jets at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M. “It was an active bomb-building base and there are live munitions on these things [fighter jets], so you don’t bang too hard,” she says.

Completing her military service in 2003, Berton returned home and began working at an auto body shop in Stamford. Four years later, a chance encounter with a union ironworker who saw her on a Metro North train with a welding shield led to her acceptance in a rigorous three-year apprenticeship program offered by Local 424, the Iron Workers Union in the New Haven area. “‘Call this number,’ he told me,” she recalls. “’They need girls bad.’”

Determined “not to let these frigging guys break me,” Berton survived the on-the-job and classroom training, and gradually earned the respect of her male colleagues.

“They test you, giving you heavier stuff and asking you to find things that don’t exist,” she says. “It’s like a rite of passage.

This is the most prideful job in the world because it’s so dangerous. There are not many people who can do it and they don’t want somebody screwing up what they’ve been doing so successfully.”

But not without injuries, which are commonplace, and the ever-present possibility of, um, death.

“We’re always getting cut with stuff and burnt with welding rods and torches,” Berton says. “There’s a big misunderstanding about safety. People think a big gust of wind can take you away. It’s not going to happen if you’re tied off [connected to a safety lanyard and retractable lifeline]. You can fall and be tied off and swing into something. It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the stop at the end. There is sharp metal decking and other hazards everywhere you look, but we’ve been trained to know them all.”

Even so, Berton has had close calls.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Anthony DeCarlo

“There was one little incident where I went sliding down a roof with a bad pitch.

You only have about 15 minutes [while dangling in the air by the lifeline] before your circulation gets cut off. You can die up there and gotta make sure your partner is capable of pulling you up.”

Window-washer Capozzi has no problem hanging out 140 feet above the ground. On the other hand, bungee jumping, he says ‘is completely out of the question.’

Swapping war stories is a favorite pastime.

“For the most part, everyone’s a happy person, and doesn’t have a death wish,” Berton says. “We know pretty much each other’s life stories, and a lot of times we’re joking.”

Even amid the jokes, fear is never far from the surface.

“I’ve seen old timers freeze up and start ‘cooning the beam’ like a raccoon, where you shimmy along on your knees,” Berton says. “I’ve done it. And when that happens you swing around, help your brother with a bolt and they’ll get over it.

“Sometimes you’re up there and it’s a windy day, and I think about stuff like, ‘Does somebody have a key to my apartment so they can get my dogs?’”

Berton acknowledges. “I’m not really too scared of dying.”

For Berton, the satisfaction of a job well done outweighs the lingering doubts.

“Building all the hammerheads on the Q Bridge (the two main struts across the water that hold the columns together) was awesome,” she says. “It was cool to look around and see everything.”

Berton takes immense pride in her accomplishments.

“I love my job,” she says. “I walk around downtown with my girlfriend [a pipefitter], and every ten feet there’s something we’ve worked on.

“We’ve really built New Haven.”

Heart of Glass

S

ome folks feel like they’re chained to a chair while working.

Richard T. Capozzi enjoys being harnessed to one high above the ground, washing windows.

“The highest I’ve been is a 13- or 14-story tower, which is close to 150 feet,” says Capozzi, who is owner and operator of New Haven County Window Cleaning LLC, (gleamingwindows.com).

In spring and fall, you might see the trim, 5-10, 174-pound Bronx native on the job

if you crane your neck, or look out the window.

Capozzi, 42, grew up assisting his father with janitorial jobs in New York and in Connecticut, where the senior Capozzi opened Ace Maintenance Co. in Westport in the mid-1980s. He continued to work in the family business after attending Saunders Trade & Technical High School in Yonkers, graduating from Andrew Ward High School and being hired as an auto mechanic for a Mercedes-Benz dealership.

“On the side I did maintenance,” Capozzi recalls. “I took a liking to the window cleaning part. It felt natural to me, and my interest went further than residential [window jobs].

“I guess I liked the ability I had to do apply my ingenuity and do something that most people can’t do. So I took to that niche.”

Capozzi learned the ropes — and the harnesses. The more he cleaned windows, the more he wanted to do it.

In 1995, he started Capozzi’s Professional Window Cleaning, changing the name to New Haven County Window Cleaning in 2007.

Capozzi and his crew wash storefront, residential and office park windows. Tall buildings are “more like my bonus jobs, where I pretty much take it to the next level,” he says. “I enjoy that the most.”

The high-rise buildings he has worked on include the 13-story 900 Chapel Street, as well as several Yale School of Medicine dormitory buildings around the same height.

Capozzi concedes his job is risky but insists it’s “only dangerous if you don’t have the proper equipment and don’t know how to tie your lines.

To get to the high-rise windows, Capozzi ties two lines, a main line and a lifeline, onto roof anchors if the building has them, or uses a rooftop rigging system.

He avoids platforms or scaffolding because they require “more inspections, more headaches and tend to fail a lot.

“Being on a chair is much safer than a platform or a ladder,” Capozzi explains.

“I wear a full body harness attached to the lifeline, and a rescue harness attached to the chair.”

Continued on 41

new haven

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As Magnolia, Sarah Uriarte Berry musters a deeply truthful and increasingly complex presence.

A River Runs Through It Goodspeed’s thoughtful, layered Show Boat will float yours Show Boat, music by Jerome Kern, book & lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Directed

by Rob Ruggiero. Through September 17 at Goodspeed Musicals, East Haddam. 860-8738668, goodspeed.org.

By Brooks Appelbaum

G

oodspeed Musicals’ choice to present Show Boat for the first time in the theater’s history is a cause for celebration.

One of the greatest and most difficult pieces in the musical theater oeuvre, Show Boat (based on Edna Ferber’s novel, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) deserves many and varied versions. Fortunately, director Rob Ruggiero is clear about his goal. “What interests me,” he writes in his “Director’s Vision,” “is telling the story of this intimate show business family; a family that reaches beyond any biological

30

August/September 2011

connection to a place that represents a very deep connection and love.”

Ruggiero has largely succeeded: In its best sections — and there are many — his Show Boat brings to the forefront the sorrowful love story of Nola and Gaylord; the harsh racial prejudice that drives Julie’s tragic arc; the deep affection between a father and a daughter; and the stoicism punctuated by momentary merriment that helped African-Americans survive the turn of a century that had been far from kind.

Casting Show Boat is key, since balancing the various tones creates a formidable challenge. Here Ruggiero has made marvelous choices in terms of finding terrific singers who are equally as strong and subtle in their acting. In almost every case, the principal actors avoid any trace of stereotype.

This production sets Magnolia Hawks (Sarah Uriarte Berry) at the emotional heart of the story, and no matter what other versions of Show Boat you have seen, Berry makes you forget there is any other choice. She has the smile that (as her father Captain Andy says) can light up a room, and her voice is unselfconsciously superb. More importantly, though, she radiates what many ingénues can’t muster: a deeply truthful and increasingly

complex presence. If you don’t fall for this Magnolia the moment you meet her, you have a heart of stone.

As Gaylord Ravenal, Ben Davis gracefully sidesteps every simplistic choice that a less intelligent actor might fall for in this role. He uses his glorious voice to communicate to Nola, not to show off to the audience. He hints at the qualities that will destroy their love, rather than showing us his hand from the start. Like Uriarte Berry, Davis’ performance is powered by subtle truth, so we believe in his sad journey from beginning to end.

As Julie, Lesli Margherita’s glowing stage presence and strong acting serve her well in the darkest scenes of Act I. Unfortunately, Ruggiero allows her to miss some important opportunities for warm connection with both Nola and Queenie during “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.” However, Margherita comes into her own completely in Act II: She delivers a “Bill” that chills the soul. I only wish that Ruggiero had let her fully inhabit the song, which takes place in a seedy rehearsal room, without the interference of a sudden light change from drab realism to nightclub sass. Julie is putting the song over, as she tells her boss, to show him that she’s the best leading lady he’ll ever get, even when she’s soused. Margherita provides all the

emotional colors of the scene — fury, pride, bitterness, self-hatred — without any need for technical effects.

A fun, respectful,

Ruggiero has chosen a remarkable Joe (David Aron Damane), whose voice and acting strength bring tears to the eyes with the first phrase of “Ol’ Man River.” The decision to cast a young Joe is inspired: When this youth sings, “Ah’m tired of livin’/An’ skeered of dyin’,” the familiar words take on a freshly jagged edge of heartbreak. The song is set simply, as it should be, with Joe sitting on a barrel downstage. Here, too, though, Ruggiero could intensify the emotion by simply dimming the lights behind Damane and giving the singer a spotlight, at least until the other singers join in. Yes, we would lose sight of the boat for a few moments, but this scene is about the river and about Joe. As it plays now, though, Damane almost creates his own spotlight through stoic dignity.

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As Ellie, Jennifer Knox is winningly down to earth, especially in “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” which can be done as cute — the wrong choice — rather than curdled. Knox convinces us that she’s sick of her situation. Opposite her is the nimble, elastic and graceful Danny Gardner, who has something of Buster Keaton in him. Gardner’s indefatigable energy enlivens each of his scenes.

As Parthy, Karen Murphy has been directed as a two-dimensional witch of a wife, and at first it seems that Lenny Wolpe will overact the alternately beaming show-biz host and hen-pecked husband. As the production moves forward, though, Wolpe delights with his obvious joy in performing. More importantly, he creates a deeply moving bond with Uriarte Berry/Nola, especially in a climactic scene in Act I and during “After the Ball.”

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Scenic Designer Michael Schweikardt has created an ingenious boat, and Amy Clark’s costumes along with Leah J. Loukas hair and wig designs beautifully recreate the several periods over which the show takes place. Noah Racey’s sparkling choreography helps speed along Show Boat’s lighter numbers.

Pick 2 or more concerts for only $19 per ticket!*

It comes as no surprise that Show Boat’s run has been extended; Ruggiero’s complex production is true both to the beauty of the music and to the pain novelist Edna Ferber wove into her story about life on Ol’ Man River.

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BIBL IO F I L E S League or other top college from the time they were small children,” Mullen observes. For Southern students, by contrast, “there was less motivation to do well [in high school] because one’s identity did not hinge on being a good student. Even if one intended to go to college, in the absence of Ivy League aspirations, getting into a local four-year college could be handily accomplished with average grades and test scores and little extracurricular involvement.

A Tale of Two Colleges Yale vs. SCSU: It’s all about the expectations Degrees of Inequality: Culture, Class & Gender in American Higher Education, by Ann L. Mullen. 2010 Johns Hopkins Press. 264 pps. $50 hardcover.

By Michael C. Bingham

E

ach September some 1,300 young men and women arrive in New Haven from all over the world to join the freshman class of Yale College. They come from some of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the United States and beyond. They aspire to become doctors, lawyers, statesmen, writers, filmmakers, professors. While at Yale they will play tennis or row and sing in one of Old Blue’s many renowned a cappella groups. expect to live in luxe surroundings, send their own children to private schools, and vacation around the world. They cannot remember a time when college was not a part of their future.

Just two miles away, a similar sized class of young people will begin their university education at Southern Connecticut State University. They come mainly from Connecticut, and about half of them are the first in their families to attend college. They aspire to better jobs than their (largely) blue-collar parents had.

While at SCSU they won’t be doing much singing or rowing because many of them work 20 to 30 hours a week outside the classroom to help pay for college. Many chose Southern for its affordability and convenience — factors that don’t even factor into the calculus of their Yale counterparts.

So close geographically, yet so far in terms of class, culture and expectations. That is the theme of Degrees of Inequality by University of Toronto sociology professor Ann. L. Mullen, who attended graduate school at Yale. The central paradox of American higher education in the 21st century, she writes: “While access to 32

August/September 2011

college has become more egalitarian, where a student attends college and what she or he studies has become increasingly tied to social background and gender.”

Certainly the first part of that sentence is indisputable. Beginning with the post-World War II G.I. Bill, which paid for veterans to attend any college for which they could qualify academically, ignited an explosion in American higher education. Between 1950 and 2000, Mullen observes, the number of post-secondary institutions more than doubled, from 1,851 to 4,084. Over the same period college enrollment nationwide increased almost sevenfold — from 2.3 million to 15.3 million.

Whether that is desirable for society per se lies outside the scope of Mullen’s work. To provide much of the anecdotal evidence for her thesis, she interviewed 50 young men and women at both Yale and Southern. Among her book’s explorations is how “students make sense of their own place in the complex hierarchy of higher education by drawing on competing narratives about the purpose and value of education,” she writes. “These meanings range from the liberals arts ideal of producing an educated person [e.g., Yale] to the vocational model of training an individual for a specific occupation.”

Among Mullen’s conclusions, one of the most resonant is the role of expectations in the intellectual development of young people. “Many of the Yale students I interviewed were aiming for an Ivy

Objectivity alert: I have taught journalism part-time at Southern for 13 years. Having also lectured at Yale and known many Yale students past and present, to Mullen’s observations about the differences between students at the two institutions I can add one of my own: In my experience the difference between Southern and Yale students is less one of intellectually capability than of intellectual confidence. To generalize, many Yale students have been told they are the cream of the crop by parents, teachers and peers over so many years that they have internalized that assessment, and are not easily intimidated academically.

A particularly cruel illustration of what Mullen calls “the near-complete isolation of each university [Southern and Yale] from the other” comes with this anecdote.

Recently the SCSU Women’s Studies Program held a conference on global justice featuring a keynote address by Nobel prize-winner Rigoberta Menchu Tum. Yale learned of this event just a few days before it was to take place and, surprised that such an eminent speaker was coming to Southern and not Yale, tried to hijack part of the event to Yale.

“Unfortunately for them, Menchu’s schedule had already been filled and they were left only with the option of attending the talk at Southern,” Mullen relates. “[Yale] faculty and administrators alike, however, had never visited Southern and, although it was just two miles away, did not know where it was located or how to get there. Southern finally had to fax them a map.”

Hiking Continued from 16

The orange and yellow trails are short but sweet and lead to views of the Merimere Reservoir. You can follow the white blazes that merge with the blue blazes to get to the castle.

Wadsworth Falls State Park 721 Wadsworth St., Middletown Trails easy with some steep sections Parking $7-$10 on weekends Swimming, picnicking, bathrooms

Entering the park you will see a big pond for swimming right next to an old wooden covered bridge over a rocky stream. This is where you can continue on to the Main (orange) Trail, which leads to the falls.

Along the way you will pass the giant (mountain) laurel, known for its particularly wide range of branches, which spreads over the terrain with pale shades of creamy white flowers. The rest of this trail is fairly wide and flat, passing through different species of trees that stand tall along the path. A split in the trail is marked by a sign that leads hikers to the Big or Little Falls.

O

The Big Falls richly reward the effort.

Flowing broadly down about 25 feet into a river, the clear mountain water gracefully pours over giant clusters of rock, some of which stick out and form flat surfaces for people to sit and refresh in the mist on.

The park is home to six blazed trails and a few unmarked trails, but the waterfalls are the stars of the show.

Across the park, the Little Falls are just as refreshing to splash in, as one can step across the layered sandstone over which the water flows gently down the surface.

Although the water flow is lighter, don’t let the “little” name fool you. The rocks form a wide staircase to the top of the hill.

ver the river and through the woods (literally), two gorgeous waterfalls await hikers. And if admiring their beauty isn’t enough, you can even walk across one of them.

At Wadsworth Falls, the loveliness of the surrounding woods isn’t the only attraction.

the way to the river. Part of the blue trail includes a very rocky incline leading to an intersection with the red trail.

You can take the red (Cedar Loop) trail leading you to (you guessed it) a loop through the woods, passing between trees alongside rock formations and flowers peeking out from the earth. Just off the red trail is the narrow, level white-blazed trail, which spans across a small portion of the park, leading to the purple Bridge Trail. The Bridge Trail crosses an old, large stone bridge over an inviting stream.

The yellow (Laurel Grove Brook) trail, which turns into a narrow wind up and down the edge of a small hill, follows along a beautiful brook that is its namesake. This trail overlooks the brook, passing over thick tree roots and across three tiny wooden bridges.

Throughout the park, the un-blazed trails can be alluring to visitors. The best way to the falls, however, is the orange trail (and portions of the blue for the Little Falls). I fell for the falls the moment I saw them.

Hiker can take the blue trail to the Little Falls, passing some ups and downs on

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CALENDAR BELLES LETTRES The Mystery Book Club meets the first Wednesday to discuss a pre-selected book. Books are available for check out prior to the meeting. 3-4 p.m. August 3, September 7 at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. Free. 203-483-6653, blackstone.lioninc.org/booktalk.htm.

New members are welcomed to the Blackstone Library Second Tuesday Book Club. The group meets on the second Tuesday to discuss a preselected book. Books available for loan in advance of discussion. 6:45-8 p.m.

August 9, September 13 at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. Free.

203-488-1441, ext. 318, blackstone.lioninc. org/booktalk.htm.

Release your inner poet. Time Out for Poetry meets third Thursdays and welcomes those who wish to share an original short poem, recite a stanza or simply to listen. Ogden Nash, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Dr. Seuss and even the Burma Shave signs live again. 12:30-2 p.m. August 18, September 15 at Scranton Library, 801 Boston Post Rd., Madison. Free. 203-245-7365.

Multitudes: A Celebration of the Yale Collection of American Literature, 1911–2011. Founded in 1911 when Yale College grad Owen Franklin Aldis donated his distinguished library of first editions of American fiction, drama and poetry to the Yale Library, the Collection of American Literature is one of the most important collections of its kind. In the century following, the collection has continued to grow to include complementary materials, from individual manuscripts to expansive literary archives, from little magazines and lively ephemera to high-tech artists’ books. From the colonial period to the present, the collection celebrates American literature as a living art form with a complex history. Through October 1 at Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 121 Wall St., New Haven. Free.

Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat. 203-432-2977, beineckelibrary@yale.edu.

who mentor her to ultimate success.

2, 4 & 7 p.m. August 17 at Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $8. 860-510-0473, katharinehepburntheater.org.

How Is a Book…Written? Illustrated?

Printed? Bound? This summer exhibition shows just how a book goes from idea to ink-on-paper. Drawn from the archives in Beinecke Library’s collections of children’s literature, visitors will see the many stages a (pre-digital) book goes through on its journey from inspiration to the hands of a reader. Using Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths, the exhibition follows the trail from research, through drafts, sketches, press proofs and color separations, to the bound book. A companion display, “Dummies!,” shows off early book mockups by Peter Newell, Lillian Saarinen, Ludwig Bemelmans and Maud and Miska Petersham. Through October 1 at Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 121 Wall St., New Haven. Free.

Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat. 203-432-2977, beineckelibrary@yale.edu.

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara star in The Quiet Man (1952, USA, 129 min.), about a disgraced American boxer who retires to Ireland, where he finds true love. 5 p.m. August 25 at Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main St., East Haven. Free. Registration. 203468-3890, hagamanlibrary.info.

Riso Amaro (Bitter Rice) (1949, Italy, 108 min.). Francesca and Walter are two-bit criminals in northern Italy. To avoid the police, Francesca joins a group of women rice workers. She meets the voluptuous peasant rice worker, Silvana, and soon-to-bedischarged soldier Marco. Walter follows her to the rice fields, and the four characters become involved in a complex plot involving robbery, love and murder. 5:30 p.m. August 29 at New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven. Free. 203-946-8835,

BENEFITS

nhbulletin.blogspot.com

A Night in Vienna is the theme of Elm Shakespeare Co.’s gala and auction.

Cocktails, al fresco buffet, auction, performance — all for a good cause, of course. 5 p.m. (auction 6:45, curtain 8 p.m.) September 1 at Edgerton Park, 75 Cliff St., New Haven. $75 (patron $175, friend $125). 203-393-1436, elmshakespeare.org.

MidState Medical Center and the MidState Auxiliary present a Moonlight in Venice Gala to benefit MidState’s Palladino Cancer Center. Black-tie event will feature opulent five-course dinner, bellini table, sushi bar, Mediterranean table, silent auction and live music and dancing. 7 p.m.-midnight September 23 at Aqua Turf, 556 Mulberry St., Plantsville. $175. 203-694-8744, tfabian@ midstatemedical.org.

COMEDY Every Wednesday evening Joker’s Wild opens its stage to anyone who wants to try standup comedy — from brandnew comics to amateurs to seasoned pros. As Forrest Gump might say, each Open-Mic Night is kind of like a box of chocolates. 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Joker’s Wild, 232 Wooster St., New Haven. $5.

203-773-0733, jokerswildclub.com.

Alan Arkin, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey — all alumni of Chicago’s legendary Second City improv comedy theater that has been delighting audiences since 1959. 7 p.m. August 21 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $45. 877503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

CINEMA Katharine Hepburn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. star in Morning Glory (1933, USA, 74 min.). When an innocent, aspiring actress arrives on the Broadway scene, she is taken under the wing of several theater veterans

Follow Philly funnyman Coleman Green’s edgy comedic adventures, as he unveils his life, loves, family and the world in a style that has audiences all over cracking up.8 p.m. August 26, 8 & 10:30 p.m. August 27 at Joker’s Wild, 232 Wooster St., New Haven. $16.50. 203773-0733, jokerswildclub.com.

CRAFTS Calling all knitters and crocheters!

Meeting last Tuesdays, the Hagaman Library’s casual Knitting Circle is open to all who want to share tips and show off new projects. 6-8 p.m. August 30, September 27 at Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main St., East Haven. Free.

203-468-3890, hagamanlibrary.info.

CULINARY Consiglio’s Cooking Class Club.

Chef Maureen Nuzzo explains and demonstrates how to prepare mouthwatering southern Italian dishes that have been passed down from generation to generation. August’s menu features figs with proscuitto and goat cheese, apple and endive salad, shrimp Consiglio and orange almond drops with summer fruit. For September it’s eggplant Napoleon, Caprese salad and osso buocco, topped off by profiteroles with vanilla gelato.

6:30 p.m. August 18 & 25, September 8, 15, 22 at Consiglio’s Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven. $65.

Reservations. 203-865-4489, consiglios. com.

City Farmers Markets New Haven.

Eat local! Enjoy seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs from local farms including seafood, meat, milk, cheese, handcrafted bread and baked goods, honey, more. DOWNTOWN: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays at 165 Church St. WOOSTER SQUARE: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturdays at Russo Park, corner Chapel St. and DePalma Ct. EDGEWOOD PARK: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. second and fourth Sundays at Whalley and West Rock Aves.

FAIR HAVEN: 3-7 p.m. Thursdays at Quinnipiac River Park, Front St. & Grand Ave. THE HILL: Noon-4 p.m. Fridays at 34 Park St. 203-773-3736, cityseed.org.

EXPOSITIONS Odyssey: A Greek Festival is one of Connecticut’s largest Hellenic festivals celebrating Greek food, music and culture. Festivities include live music, dancing, marketplace vendors, kids’ area, church tours and lectures. Noon10 p.m. September 2-4, noon-8 p.m.

September 5 at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 480 Racebrook Rd.,

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August/September 2011

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Natural History, 170 Whitney Ave., New Haven. Free. 203-432-5050, peabody. yale.edu.

LECTURES The “Battle of Blair Mountain” in West Virginia was one of the largest civil uprisings in U.S. history. For five days in 1921, thousands of coal miners lined up against thousands of coal company security men and deputy sheriffs in a fight for union recognition and collective-bargaining rights. New Haven journalist Melinda Tuhus recently traveled to West Virginia to report on a march that was being held to support Blair Mountain’s preservation as a national historic site, to protest mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia, and to advocate for labor rights and sustainable jobs. 6 p.m. September 14 at New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven.

Free. 203-946-8835, blairmountain. eventbrite.com.

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times foreign-affairs columnist Thomas Friedman will discuss his new book, “That Used To Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World We Invented and How We Can Come Back.” Friedman’s 2005 bestseller, The World Is Flat, sold more than four million copies. 7 p.m.

September 14 at Quinnipiac University Recreation Center, 275 Mt. Carmel Ave., Hamden. Free. 203-582-8652, quinnipiac. edu.

MIND, BODY & SOUL

The No. 1 player in the world and three-time defending champion Caroline Wozniacki returns to the Elm City to defend her title at the newly renamed New Haven Open at Yale August 18-27.

Orange. Free. 203-795-1347, saintbarbara. org.

With more than 400 exhibiting companies, the two-day Connecticut Women’s Expo is described by event organizers as the “ultimate shopping experience.” There will be some serious soap-opera eye candy on premises to keep things interesting, including Galen Gearing (Rafe Hernandez on Days of Our Lives). Plus fashion shows, beauty makeovers, psychic readings and a dozen seminars on topics from feng shui to sex therapy. Noon-5 p.m.

September 10, noon-4 p.m. September 11 at Connecticut Expo Center, 265 Rev. Moody Overpass, Hartford. $10 (under 13 free). 203-222-9757, ctexpos.com.

FAMILY EVENTS Each Tuesday the Yale Astronomy Department hosts a Planetarium Show. Weather permitting there is also public viewing of planets, nebulae, star clusters and whatever happens to be interesting in the sky. Viewable celestial objects change seasonally. 7 & 8 p.m.

Tuesdays at Leitner Family Observatory, 355 Prospect St., New Haven. Free. cobb@astro.yale.edu, astro.yale.edu.

Creating Readers Saturdays at 2 Program. A fun, interactive program

that engages young readers by bringing books to life using theater, dance and music. Each family that attends receives a copy of that week’s book to take home. 2 p.m. Saturdays at Connecticut Children’s Museum, 22 Wall St., New Haven. $5. 203-562-5437, childrensbuilding.org.

There’s fun for all ages at the 37th annual Milford Oyster Festival. Tall ships, arts & crafts, food court, harbor activities, classic car hop, children’s activities, music (headlined by the Marshall Tucker Band at 3 p.m.

Saturday at Fowler Field). 6-9:30 p.m.

August 19, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. August 20 at multiple locations, Milford.

This summer’s Peach Fest features breakfast on the deck, free facepainting, horse-drawn wagon rides with Foxglove Farm, pony rides, a peach pie-eating contest and live music with CJ West & the Downtown Train. 8 a.m.5 p.m. August 20 at Lyman Orchards, 32 Reeds Gap Rd., Middlefield. 860-349-1793, lymanorchards.com.

Summer’s Last Roar might otherwise be known as “Free Peabody Day.” Puppet shows at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., hands-on activities for all ages in the galleries and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

August 27 at Yale Peabody Museum of

Led by Nelie Doak, Yoga promotes a deep sense of physical, mental and emotional well-being. Classes are designed to help cultivate breath and body awareness, improve flexibility, strengthen and tone muscles, detoxify the body and soothe the spirit. All levels welcome. Bring a yoga mat.

5-6:30 p.m. Fridays at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. $10. 203-4881441, ext. 313, yogidoakie@earthlink. net or events@blackstone.lioninc.org, blackstone.lioninc.org.

Full Moon Gong Relaxation. Deep sound healing with Kundalini yoga and meditative gong vibrations promise to bring you awareness and balance, physically and spiritually. 7-9 p.m. August 12, September 9 at Your Community Yoga Center, 39 Putnam Ave., Hamden. $20. 203-287-2277, yourcommunityyoga.com.

Tai Chi on the Terrace will explore a ten-form set of Yang style tai chi derived from the Yang-style 24 form.

The 24 form is the most widely practiced form in the world. Six-session series led by Kathleen Brenner, who has studied tai chi for 20 years and taught it for a dozen. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursdays through August 18 at New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven. $20. Reservations. 203-946-8835, taichisummer11.eventbrite.com.

NATURAL HISTORY National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes is a 6,000-square-foot traveling

exhibition developed by the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. Crittercam is a scientific videoand data-gathering tool safely worn by wild animals, offering researchers insights into animal behavior and clues to protecting animals and the world we share. The exhibit — which includes interactive displays, firsthand footage and evocative environments — focuses on Crittercam’s deployment on seals and sea lions, sharks, sea turtles, whales, penguins, bears and lions. Through November 30 at Mystic Aquarium, 55 Coogan Blvd., Mystic. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. $26 ($23 seniors, $19 children). 860-572-5955, mysticaquarium. org.

Invasion of the Bloodsuckers: Bedbugs & Beyond. How do you identify bedbugs, lice, mosquitoes, fleas and other bloodsucking arthropods? This family-friendly multimedia display will include interactives, giant models, preserved and living specimens, film footage of blood feeding and signage that explores where and how they live.

Visitors will learn about the complex evolution of their mouthparts that enables blood feeding and how these organisms differ from other household pests. Large-scale photos and specimens will compare and contrast them with common lookalikes such as spiders, mites, beetles, millipedes and silverfish. Through January 28 at Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Ave., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, noon-5 p.m. Sun. $9 ($8 seniors, $5 children). 203-432-5050, peabody.yale.edu.

SPORTS/RECREATION Birding Sorting Out Bird Songs. Birdsong can be an amazing aid to finding and identifying birds. Instructor Frank Gallo will introduce the basics of birding by ear, using sound resources as well as the tips, tricks, and even pitfalls to identifying birds by sound. Is that an oriole or a tanager singing? 7-9 p.m. September 15 at Coastal Center at Milford Point, 1 Milford Pt. Rd., Milford. $35. 203-878-7440, ctaudubon.org.

Canoeing Join the Connecticut Audubon Society on a Guided Canoe Tour of the Charles Wheeler Salt Marsh in Milford. Steeped in local history, the marsh hosts an abundance of birds and other wildlife, beautiful vistas and a chance to paddle and relax. Bring water and wear shoes that can get wet. 10:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

August 13, 1:30-4 p.m. September 17, 2:15-4:45 p.m. September 18 at Coastal Center at Milford Point, 1 Milford Pt. Rd., Milford. $25/person, $65/canoe (3 people) members, $35/$95 others. 203878-7440, ctaudubon.org.

Cycling Elm City Cycling organizes Lulu’s Ride, weekly two- to four-hour rides for all levels (17-19 mph average). Cyclists leave at 10 a.m. from Lulu’s European

Continued on 37

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ONSTAGE Opening The Elm Shakespeare Co., under James Andreassi’s artistic direction, presents Measure for Measure, the Bard’s dark comedy that examines justice and mercy in a city saturated with moral decline and government corruption.

8 p.m. August 18-21, 23-28 and August 30-September 4 at Edgerton Park, 75 Cliff St., New Haven. Free. 203-393-1436, elmshakespeare.org.

Hartford Children’s Theatre presents Class Clown, a play about Lucas, the most rambunctious pupil in Mrs. Hockaday’s fourth-grade class. When his teacher sends home a note, Lucas vows to behave, though most of his good intentions quickly go awry. Based on the book by Johanna Hurwitz. 11 a.m.

August 19 at the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton. $12. 860-767-7318, ivorytonplayhouse.org.

Long Wharf Theatre’s annual summer program Shake It Up Shakespeare presents Hamlet — with a twist.

Featuring songs from Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Evanesence and more, this production infuses perhaps the Bard’s perhaps best-known work with rock music. In addition, this year’s program will include an original work called Threads of a Spider Web written

by Annie Dimartino. 7 p.m. August 24-27 at Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven. 203-787-4282, longwharf. org.

The Timid Jester: A Night of Improv, Comedy and Song, featuring Shakesperience Production’s resident actors and special guests together with the audience in a series of improvisational scenes and standup comedy. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. August 26 at Shakesperience Productions, 117 Bank St., Waterbury. $10. 203-754-2531, shakesperienceproductions.org.

As part of the Festival! Stratford 2011, the sixth annual summer festival, Shakesperience Productions presents William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 8 p.m. August 28 on the grounds of the American Festival Theatre, 1850 Elm St., Stratford. festivalstratford.org.

The Irish Repertory Theatre production of Molly Sweeney, by Brian Friel.

Blind since infancy, Molly Sweeney knows the world only through touch, sound, taste and smell. But when she is goaded into an operation to restore her sight by her husband and doctor, she sees for the first time all the glory and harsh realities of the life she is living. Charlotte Moore directs.

September 14-October 16 at the Long Wharf Theatre Stage II, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven. $65-$45. 203-787-4282, longwharf.org.

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August/September 2011

Eric Martin Brown as Angelo and Sarah Grace Wilson as Isabella in Elm Shakespeare’s production of the Bard’s Measure for Measure August 18-September 4 at New Haven’s Edgerton Park South Pacific, the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical set on a tropical island during World War II. Songs include “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair,” “This Nearly Was Mine” and “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame.” 8 p.m. September 23, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. September 24, 1 p.m. September 25 at the Palace Theater, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. $70-$50. 203-346-2000, palacetheaterct.org.

A jazzy Hollywood musical, City of Angels is an ingenious spoof of 1940s Hollywood and whodunit films with side-by-side stories about the “real” world of a detective fiction writer and the “reel” world of his fictional gumshoe hero. Music by Cy Coleman, choreography by Peggy Hickey.

Darko Tresnjak directs. September 23-November 27 at the Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St., East Haddam. $75.50-$31.50. 860-873-8668, goodspeed.org.

The Marvelous Wonderettes, a musical featuring songs from the ‘50s and ‘60s, set in 1958 at the Springfield High School prom. Written by Roger Bean.

Musical arrangements by Brian William Baker; orchestrations by Michael Borth.

September 28-October 16 at the Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton. $40 ($35 seniors, $20 students, $15 12 & under). 860-767-7318, ivorytonplayhouse. org.

Continuing Straight from Broadway, Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, is a blend of witty

commentary and incisive observations.

Quinn channels personalities from the past with his unique, deadpan perspective. Starring Colin Quinn (Comedy Central, Saturday Night Live) and directed by Jerry Seinfeld. Through August 21 at the Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven. $50. 203-7874282, longwharf.org.

Nonie Newton-Breen returns to Long Wharf to reprise her performance as Sister, in Sister Strikes Again! Late Nite Catechism 2. Written by Maripat Donovan. Through August 21 at the Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven. $30. 203-787-4282, longwharf.org.

The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, a new musical about a young girl, Sam, who is at a crossroads in life. About to leave for her first year of college and preparing to make the first decisions of her adult life, Sam struggles to come to terms with her parents’ expectations, her first love and a lost friendship. Music

by Brian Lowdermilk, book and lyrics

by Kait Kerrigan. Through August 28 at the Norma Terris Theatre, 33 N. Main St., Chester. $45.50. 860-873-8668, goodspeed.org.

Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash is an onstage tribute to the legendary Man in Black. Feature songs include “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” “Boy Named Sue” and “I Walk the Line.” Created and directed by Richard Maltby Jr. Conceived by William Meade. Through September 4 at Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton. $40 ($35 seniors, $20 students, $15 12 &

under). 860-767-7318, ivorytonplayhouse. org.

Consiglio’s restaurant continues its Outdoor Garden Theatre season with Garlic: The Musical by Elizabeth Fuller, who also penned last summer’s popular production of Nonna’s Summer Wine Party on Wooster Street. Garlic is an interactive Italian entertainment that tells the amusing story of Mama Aglio and her delightfully wacky family.

The audience is drawn into joining the fun as they sing, clap and dance along to fabulous oldies. Gordon Costello directs. Doors open 6 p.m. Fri.-Sat. (also, 4:30 p.m. Sun.) through September 5 at Consiglio’s, 165 Wooster St., New Haven. $54.95 (includes prix fixe dinner).

Reservations. 203-865-4489, consiglios. com.

With lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and musical score by Jerome Kern, Show Boat is an American classic musical (see review this issue). It’s a tale spanning four decades of the lives of three generations of show folk on the mighty Mississippi River. Songs include “Ol’ Man River,” “Can’t Help Loving Dat Man” and “You are Love.”

Choreographed by Noah Racey and directed by Rob Ruggiero. Through September 11 at Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St., East Haddam. $75.50-$31.50.

860-873-8668, goodspeed.org.

Calendar Continued from 35 CafĂŠ as a single group; no one is dropped. 10 a.m.

Sundays at Luluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s European CafĂŠ, 49 Cottage St., New Haven. Free. 203-773-9288, elmcitycycling.org.

The Little Lulu (LL) is an alternative to the longstanding Sunday morning training ride. The route is usually 20-30 miles in length and the ride is no-drop, meaning that the group waits at hilltops and turns so that no rider is left behind. The LL is an opportunity for cyclists to get accustomed to riding in groups.

Riders should come prepared with materials (tubes, tools, pumps and/or CO2 inďŹ&#x201A;ators) to repair ďŹ&#x201A;ats. 10 a.m. Sundays at Luluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s European CafĂŠ, 49 Cottage St., New Haven. Free. 203-773-9288, paulproulx@sbcglobal. net, elmcitycycling.org.

Tuesday Night Canal Rides. Medium-paced rides up the Farmington Canal into New Haven. May split into two groups based on ridersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; speed but no one will be left behind to ride alone. Lights are essential. 5:30 p.m.

Tuesdays at CafĂŠ Romeo, 534 Orange St., New Haven.

Free. william.v.kurtz@gmail.com.

Elm City Cycling monthly meeting occurs on the second Monday. ECC is a non-proďŹ t organization of cycling advocates who meet to discuss biking issues in New Haven. Dedicated to making New Haven friendlier and more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians. 7 p.m. September 12 at City Hall Meeting Rm. 2, 165 Church St., New Haven. Free. elmcitycycling. org.

Golf Stratford Mayor John Harkins hosts the ďŹ fth annual Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf Tournament to beneďŹ t local charities. Eighteenhole event includes cart, course refreshments, cocktail hour, dinner, awards. 10:30 a.m. (registration; shotgun start 1 p.m.) August 29 at Mill River CC, 4567 Main St., Stratford. $225. 203-381-1351, balessie@townofstratford. com.

The New England Senior Amateur tourney is open to amateur golfers who have reached their 55th Hit the Tuesday Night Canal ride, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget your helmet. birthday by September 20 and hold a membership in 9 a.m. August 20 (8:15 kids fun run; 8:50 two-mile walk) a club belonging to one of at Short Beach, Stratford. $17 advance, $20 day of race the six New England State Golf Associations. Two-day, ($5 fun run). 203-374-6433, msrunningproductions@ 36-hole stroke-play championship. Field limited to 120 yahoo.com. players. September 20-21 at Race Brook CC, 246 Derby Ave., Orange. $250. 860-257-4171, csgalinks.org.

Liberty Bank sponsors the 14th annual BlueďŹ sh 5K Road Race. A USATF-certiďŹ ed single-loop course Road Races/Triathlons through the back roads of Clinton. 9 a.m. August 20 at In the 20 years since it began, Stratfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MADD Dash Jared Eliot Middle School, 59 Fairy Dell 5K has raised more than $125,000 for the FairďŹ eld County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

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37

MUSIC Classical The 42nd season of Chestnut Hill Concerts continues with a performance by violinist Ida Levin, cellist Ronald Thomas and pianist Mihae Lee. MOZART Violin Sonata in F Major, K. 376; STRAUSS Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6; SCHUBERT Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 99. 8 p.m. August 19 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $30-$25.

877-503-1286, chestnuthillconcerts.org.

Chestnut Hill Concerts concludes its 2011 season. TSONTAKIS Knickknacks for Violin & Viola (with Steven Copes, violin and Maiya Papach, viola); BRAHMS Cello Sonata in E minor, Op. 38 (Ronald Thomas, soloist); FAURÉ Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 15 (Benjamin Hochman, piano). 8 p.m.

August 26 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $30-$25. 877-503-1286, chestnuthillconcerts.org.

Conducted by Barry B. Asch, the Cappella Cantorum Men’s Chorus offers up an eclectic afternoon of great choral music. 3 p.m. September 11 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $16. 877503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

One of the world’s foremost instrumental ensembles, the Tokyo String Quartet has been in residence at Yale since 1976. 8 p.m. September 20 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. $35-$25. 203-432-4158, music. yale.edu.

The theme of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-12 season is “Inspiring Classics/Pops Celebrations: Concerts That Will Stimulate, Challenge & Delight.”

(Sounds like code words for “Some Contemporary Music Included.”)

That season unfolds with Peace, Love & Light under the baton of NHSO Music Director William Boughton. The program: ROSSINI Overture to “The Barber of Seville”; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 15 (Michael Brown, piano); THEOFANIDIS Peace, Love, Light YOUMEONE; MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 (“Italian”). 7:30 p.m. September 22 at Woolsey Hall, 400 College St., New Haven. $65-$10. 203-865-0831, newhavensymphony.org.

Quadre is a quartet of funny, selfdeprecation and quintessentially virtuosic French horn masters. Since joining forces in 1998, the ensemble has performed more than 1,000 concerts, lectures and workshops nationwide. 3 p.m. September 25 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $25. 877503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

38

August/September 2011

Michael Brown performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the New Haven Symphony September 22 at Woolsey

As part of Yale’s Horowitz Piano Series, virtuoso Boris Berman performs works

by Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Schoenberg. 8 p.m. October 5 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. $22-$12. 203-432-4158, music. yale.edu.

Judy Collins has thrilled audiences worldwide with her unique blend of interpretative folksongs and contemporary themes over a career has spanned more than a half-century.

7:30 p.m. August 25 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main

St., Old Saybrook. $75-$70. 877-503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

In the first of the new academic year’s Jazz at Lyman Center series, saxophonist and flutist Nelson Rangell brings his fine quartet to SCSU. 8 p.m.

August 26 at Lyman Center, Southern

Popular The Branford Jazz on the Green series continues with “acid jazz” practitioners Four80East. 6:30-8:30 p.m. August 18 on Branford Green, 1019 Main St., Branford.

Free. 203-488-0002, branfordjazz.com.

The Crickstones — Liz MacNicholl (guitar), John Hurley (guitar/mandolin), Fred McKay (bass) and Peter Blossom (dobro/guitar) — fuse folk, Americana and bluegrass into an intriguing and original stew. 7 p.m. August 18 at Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main St., East Haven. Free. 203-468-3890, hagamanlibrary.info.

At the ripe young age of 43, Roomful of Blues has been around even longer than its label, Alligator Records. Inspired by the spirit of the groundbreaking bands of the postWorld War II decade, they’ve breathed new life into vintage songs, infusing them with boundless energy and fiery, swinging solos and vocals. 8 p.m.

August 20 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $35-$30. 877-503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

Yikes — it’s Basically Yours: A Special Evening with Donny Osmond. Like, an evening with Donny could somehow be less than special? 7:30 p.m. August 24 at Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Rd., Wallingford. $84.25-$41.50. 203-265-1501, livenation.com.

The Branford Jazz on the Green series concludes with the contemporary jazz/R&B of Connecticut soprano saxophonist Marion Meadows. 6:308:30 p.m. August 25 on Branford Green, 1019 Main St., Branford. Free. 203-4880002, branfordjazz.com.

Soprano saxophonist and Nutmeg State fave Marion Meadows closes the 2011 Branford Jazz on the Green series August 25.

Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent St., New Haven. $22 ($20 SCSU faculty/ staff, $16 SCSU students). 203-392-6154, southernct.edu/lymancenter.

The Cute Lepers are proof positive that ‘77 punk rock/power pop in the vein of Generation X, Buzzcocks and the Boys is timeless in both sound and spirit.

With Something Fierce. 9 p.m. August 30 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $8. 203-789-8281, cafénine.com.

Maggie’s Guitar, which thrilled audiences with its Jim Croce tribute show, returns to the Kate with its Summer of Love Redux. Special guests including Arlene Wow!, Ian Frenkel, Jack Moriarty and Pat Morrissey. They join Maggie’s Guitar to perform classic songs by the Beatles, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and more that made 1967 Summer of Love a watershed year in music history. 8 p.m. September 2 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $20. 877503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

B. Willie Smith is simply the best blues-based band to come out of Connecticut. Ever. 9 p.m. September 8 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $15. 203-789-8281, cafénine.com. Also, 8 p.m. September 10 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $25. 877-503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

Blvd. North. $35 ($10 students). 203-8650831, newhavensymphony.org.

$16 SCSU students). 203-392-6154, southernct.edu/lymancenter.

Not to be missed is the Lyman Center All-Star Jazz Jam featuring Walter Beasley, Nick Colionne, Phil Perry and Brian Simpson. 8 p.m. September 24 at Lyman Center, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent St., New Haven. $32 ($28 SCSU faculty/staff,

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Boston-based indie folk-rock queen Melissa Ferrick comes to Daniel Street.

8:30 p.m. September 9 at Daniel Street, 21 Daniel St., Milford. $16. 203-877-4446, danielstreetclub.com.

The queen of blue-eyed rock ‘n’ soul, Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez, return to the “musicians’ living room.”

9 p.m. September 10 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $8. 203-789-8281, cafénine.com.

SCSU’s Lyman Center hosts a welcomeback concert with label-defying popsters A Rocket to the Moon and indie rock/electronica act the Ready Set. 8 p.m. September 16 at Lyman Center, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent St., New Haven. $5. 203-392-6154, southernct.edu/ lymancenter.

“Grammy-nominated Kim Richey would rule the charts in a land where Marshall Crenshaw was king, Aimee Mann queen, and the Beatles never put out another record after Revolver” (Steve Horowitz, popmatters). Jennifer O’Connor opens. 8 p.m. September 20 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $15 ($12 advance). 203-789-8281, cafénine.com.

Conductor Gerald Steichen and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra kick off the 2011-12 Pops Series with Broadway Bound: From Oklahoma! To Rent, including timeless favorites from the Golden Age to recent hits of the Great White Way. With soprano Mary Illes and Curt Olds, baritone. 2:30 p.m.

September 24 at Hamden Middle School, 2623 Dixwell Ave. $45-$35 ($10 students).

Also 3 p.m. September 25 at Shelton Intermediate School, 675 Constitution

Viva Italy! Marking the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, poet and guitarist Enzo Boscarino performs his popular musical tour of the Italian countryside. Ranging from Liguria (Sanremo, Genova) and Veneto

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ART Opening Milford Fine Arts Council Firehouse Art Gallery presents Humans, a juried art show and sale. Artists may choose to represent the human form in a figural sense, or concentrate on a particular aspect of the human condition. All styles and media represented. Thuan Vu was the juror. September 1-29 (opening reception 6-8 p.m. September 1) at Firehouse Art Gallery, 81 Naugatuck Ave., Milford. Open noon-5 p.m. Thurs.Sun. Free. 203-306-0016, milfordarts.org.

Around the World, an exhibition of photography by David McCarthy. On view will be images from France, China, Guatemala, England, Canada, Costa Rica, Amsterdam, New Haven and elsewhere in the U.S. September 2-January 30 (opening reception 5–7 p.m.

September 2) at Chestnut Fine Foods, 1012 State St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Free. 203-782-6767, davidmccarthymedia. com.

Susan Levin is a solo exhibition featuring works by this Marylandbased abstract painter. September 3-17 (opening reception 6 p.m. September 3) at Gallore Gallery, 68 Washington St., Middletown. Open 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Free. 860-770-2461, galloregallery.com.

For her second Kehler Liddell show, Emilia Dubicki will present a new series of abstract paintings that investigate the distance between collective memory and a perceived reality. Painter Blinn Jacobs will take issue with the space that art occupies, presenting new abstract minimalist works from the Counterpoise Series, Tie Rod Ribbon Series and a newly conceived wall installation. September 8-October 9 (artist reception 5-7 p.m.

September 10) at Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Free. 203-389-9555, kehlerliddell.com.

The artwork of Yale MFA (1998) Clint Jukkala is highlighted in the new exhibit Even If and Especially When.

September 9-October 7 at Gallery I, Fred Giampietro American Folk Art, 315 Peck St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.4 p.m. Tues.-Fri. Free. 203-777-7760, fredgiampietro.com.

South American Masks. September 9-October 7 at Gallery II, Fred Giampietro American Folk Art, 315 Peck St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues.-Fri. Free. 203-777-7760, fredgiampietro.com.

New exhibit by Sharon Butler and Jeffrey Detrani. September 14-December 9 (artist reception 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

September 13) at Gallery 195 at First Niagara Bank, 195 Church St. (4th fl.),

40

August/September 2011

’Inside Out’ (2010, oil and acrylic on canvas, 18 X 22 in.) by Clint Jukkala, from the exhibition Even If and Especially When at New Haven’s American Folk Art gallery.

New Haven. Open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.Wed., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs.-Fri. Free. fnfg. com.

New Haven Paint and Clay Club Members Show features more than 100 works by artist members of the club in virtually all manner of painting, mixed media and sculpture. September 19-October 9 at the John Slade Ely House, 51 Trumbull St., New Haven. Open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Free. 203-624-8055, elyhouse.org.

The Exacting Eye of Walker Evans is an exhibition that uses new scholarship to examine the post-Depression era work of photographer Walker Evans (190375), who captured a place in American social, cultural and artistic history with his unforgettable images of the Great Depression. October 1-January 20 at the Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.Sat., 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun. $9 ($8 seniors, $7 students). 860-434-5542, flogris.org.

Continuing Crossing America: The Appeal of Wandering, photography by Susan Varuolo. Through August 21 at the Atticus Bookstore Café, 1082 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 7 a.m.-9p.m. Sun.Thurs., 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. 203776-4040, atticusbookstorecafe.com.

The majesty, mystery and power of the ocean has long been a favorite subject for artists. The juried exhibit From the Sea comprises original artwork of or pertaining to the ocean and the variety of panoply of life it supports. All media included. Through August 25 at the Firehouse Art Gallery, 81 Naugatuck Ave., Milford. Open noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. Free. 203-306-0016, milfordarts.org.

Art in Bloom showcases works from artists Laurie Marchessault, Sharon R. Morgio, Ralph R. Schwartz, Regina M. Thomas and Margaret Ulecka-Wilson.

Traditional to contemporary, oil, pastel collage, mixed media and pottery as well as Giclée prints. Through August 27 at Elm City Artists, 284 York St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., noon-5 p.m.

Sun. Free. 203-922-2359, elmcityartists. com.

Loose Thread, Rich Colors: Xiang Embroidery from Early 20th Century China showcases contemporary and historic examples of fine embroidery and jewelry from Hunan. Xiang embroidery has long been treasured for its beauty, intricacy, vibrant colors and exquisite craftsmanship. Through August 30 at the Yale-China Association, 442 Temple St., New Haven. Open 2-5 p.m. weekdays. Free. 203-432-0884, yalechina.org.

The Colors of Summer is a group show by Central Connecticut Artists, a collaborative of artists who paint on location throughout New England.

Works by Thomas Mayer, William Tarn, Michael Berlinski and Sandra Karakoosh. Through August 31 at the Millhouse Gallery, 5 W. Main St., Chester.

Open 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily except Mon. Free. 860-526-5575, ctriverartisans.org.

Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) presents an installation by New Havenbased artist Noel Sardalla, entitled here/there/everywhere. Sardalla’s current work explores the ability of reticulated structures to define spatial boundaries while still allowing visual permeability. For this site-specific installation, a nearly-invisible net of monofilament is suspended in the Hilles Gallery. Botanical forms

fashioned from paper are attached to the net, creating a single, planar structure that is then manipulated to fill the gallery space. The net’s lightness allows it to move gently with currents of air, reminiscent of blooms waving and bending in the breeze. Through August 31 at CAW Hilles Gallery, 80 Audubon St., New Haven. Free. 203-5624927, creativeartsworkshop.org.

The exhibition My Brother Jack is based on an independent film of the same name by New Haven writer/ director Stephen Dest, shooting in New Haven this autumn. Dest’s main character is the well-known artist, Jack Burns. To create Jack’s character, Dest selected works by New Haven artists Larry Morelli (of Kehler Liddell Gallery) and Silas Finch from among hundreds of hopefuls. The exhibition will display paintings and mixed media objects from the film, as well as a selection of related works. Through September 4 at Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Free. 203389-9555, kehlerliddell.com.

Marie Celeste is a thematic environmental group exhibition, with works ranging from site specific installations to painting and photography. The 11 artists represented here ask viewers to see and think about humankind’s relationship to science, and nature — both as a physical environment and an idea. Debuts new works by Stephen Bush, Nick Lamia, Shari Mendelson, Jessica Schwind, Joseph Smolinski and Alison Williams.

Through September 9 at Artspace, 50 Orange St., New Haven. Open noon-6 p.m. Wed., noon-8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Free.

203-772-2709, artspacenh.org.

Connections includes more than 200 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, rare books, and manuscripts from the early seventeenth to the early twentieth century. Rubens’ bravura oil sketch “Peace Embracing Plenty” will be rarely exhibited as well as outstanding prints and drawings by Thomas Gainsborough. Through September 11 at Yale Center of British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tues.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 203432-2800, britishart.yale.edu.

Palettes is the 2011 Arts Council members show, including works in all media. Through September 16 at the Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery, 70 Audubon St., New Haven. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Free. 203-772-2788, newhavenarts.org.

Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Summer 2011 Student Art Show.

Through September 17 at Chauncey Stillman Gallery, 84 Lyme St., Old Lyme.

Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily except Sun. Free. 860-434-3571, lymeacademy.edu.

American Landscapes: Treasures from the Parrish Art Museum traces the evolution of American art from its roots in an emerging national landscape tradition to the liberating influences of European modernism. Artists represented include William Merritt Chase, William Stanley Haseltine, Theodore Robinson, John Henry Twachtman, John Marin, John Sloan, Ernest Lawson, Fairfield Porter, and Alex Katz. Of special interest is Lyme Art Colony painter Childe Hassam, whose view of the Church at Old Lyme (1906) will be featured. Through

September 18 at the Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St., Old Lyme. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. $9 ($8 seniors, $7 students). 860434-5542, flogris.org.

2011 Summer Exhibition of Gallery Artists featuring works in oil, watercolor and pastels. Connecticut landscapes, coastal views, and beach scenes. Through September 18 at the Sylvan Gallery, 121 W. Main St., Clinton. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. Free. 860-669-7278, sylvangallery.com.

Lori Warner Studio/Gallery presents Hope as the Anchor of the Soul: The Mount Lebanon Series Quilts, works by Denyse Schmidt. Through September 30 at Lori Warner Studio/Gallery, 21 Main St., Chester. Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.Thurs., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. Free. 860-322-4265, loriwarner. com.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness draws upon YUAG’s collection of American paintings, decorative arts and prints to showcase the diverse and evolving American experience from the time of the settlements of the late 17th century to the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. More than 200 works in this traveling three-part exhibition including Winslow Homer’s “Morning Bell”. Through December 31 at the Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays except Mon. (until 8 p.m.

Thurs.) 1-6 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-432-0600, artgallery.yale.edu.

Danger Continued from 29

His pre-ascent routine is as meticulous as a pilot going through a pre-flight checklist.

“I double-check everything before I go on, never rushing,” he says. “You feel very safe because you’re not relying on something someone else has rigged and you trust your equipment.”

Capozzi admits being scared the first time he cleaned windows on a scaffold.

“Those are the accidents you read about,” he says. “After that I realized I was just very good at it and had a gift.”

Suiting up, Capozzi first straps on the body harness, which goes around his shoulders, waist and legs.

The harness has a hook on the back, where he attaches a

shock-absorbing lanyard that attaches to the lifeline. For added protection, he wears a rescue climbing harness.

“You’re always keeping an eye on that lifeline, which must always be independent of the main line,” Capozzi says, “and you’re always watching your main line, which is the one you go down on. ” Once Capozzi puts on the rescue harness, he weaves the main line through a descent-control device used for rappelling, or going down a rope at a controlled rate of speed. Then he attaches himself to the chair and clamps onto the descent control.

“Now you suspend yourself, check all of your systems and

backup systems one more time, and get ready to descend and clean windows,” he says.

Using the descent-control system, he lowers himself to each window, locks on the brakes, washes the window and continues on down the side of the building.

“I uses a strip washer and a squeegee to take it off,” he says. “I prefer brass squeegees.

It’s what the professional window cleaning industry was founded on.”

So far, he has not had a mishap.

Capozzi says a 2009 Discovery Channel Dirty Jobs show accurately depicted high-rise window washers but it was not a good idea for the star, Mike Rowe, a novice, not to be strapped in the chair before going over the edge of the roof.

Capozzi delights in positive feedback from people who see him working.

“We get a lot of recognition and a lot of compliments, with people saying things like, ‘Better you than me,’ in the elevator when we’re going back up to the roof,” he says. “Sometimes people get startled when they are not aware you cleaning windows and you descend right outside their window. Then you’ll see smiles and reactions like ‘Wow, look at that.’”

“When you drive your truck away and look up and see the nice job you did there’s a whole lot of pride involved in that,” he says.

Windows often need much more than detergent and water to make them sparkle.

“The lower parts of any high rise building are more exposed to carbon monoxide, and the sun bakes it onto the glass,” Capozzi says. “There can be hard-water stains, and sometimes the windows are pitted.”

New construction is especially tough because “tradesmen overspray and building

materials splatter on the glass.”Capozzi uses acid and other chemicals to remove imperfections.

“I don’t recommend anybody neglect the glass on their building,” he says. “They may get a rude awakening when it comes time to pay the [cleaning and maintenance] bill.

“I don’t do any restoration work,” he explains. “I basically clean windows and restore glass when it has Stage II corrosion [including stains and rough surfaces]. I’m basically a maintenance-type company, and don’t like to veer off.”

The work sometimes requires a permit “if you have overhangs on the top of the building that prevent you from coming down from the top, and you have to rent an aerial boom to get up from under,” Capozzi says. He also may need a permit for obstructing sidewalks and creating a safety zone.

“New Haven is very stringent regarding the safety of pedestrians, and doesn’t allow work to be done where you’re obstructing traffic flow without a safety plan,” he adds.

Although business has been tough over the past couple of years because many building owners have deferred maintenance work, Capozzi is optimistic about 2011.

“The winter was so harsh, I’m thinking a lot of owners will want their buildings powerwashed,” he says.

Capozzi is not a recreational thrill seeker.

“I have been on roller coaster rides,” he says, “but bungee jumping is completely out of the question.

“A window cleaner or anyone who does high rise work has a different outlook, and is not going to be comfortable hooking up to a bungee cord and saying, ‘Geronimo.’”

new haven

41

W O R D S o f M O UT H

NEW EATS: Grand Bridge Restaurant

I

River run: Managers Alex Amati and Diana Nastri serve up a mean shrimp cocktail and steamed mussels on the deck of Fair Haven’s Grand Bridge Restaurant.

’m sorry, Shoreline Staple — it’s over. When I’m looking for seafood with a view from now on, I’ll be seeing someone else. After a visit to the new Grand Bridge Restaurant in New Haven, you and your oceanfront brethren’s clueless teenage servers, inflated prices and mosquito swarms have lost their appeal.

Grand Bridge opened this summer along the Quinnipiac River in Fair Haven Heights, in the space most recently occupied by the upscale Martin’s Riverside. The new owners, who run casual eateries in Fairfield, have kept some of Martin’s polish while lowering prices and simplifying the menu.

What results is an affordable and expertly run variation on the sit-down clam shack, without the I-95 traffic and long waits for a table (for now).

The new eatery retains Martin’s greatest asset: A peerless, peaceful view of the river’s fast-moving currents. Enjoy your view with one of Grand Bridge’s moderately priced wines by the glass or craft beers on tap.

However, the proof of any waterside eatery in these parts is in the strips — the clam strips, that is. Grand Bridge’s version came in a modest appetizer portion but the meaty shellfish were well served by a light, crisp breading and a luscious tartar sauce that tasted made to order. Dipping into this creamy, tangy iteration of tartar thick with chopped pickle, I finally understood why the sauce has become a staple.

Peel-and-eat shrimp, another oftenabused classic, again highlighted the kitchen’s skill. Each crustacean was cooked to perfection and complemented by another fresh and well-seasoned sauce, this time of the cocktail variety.

42

August/September 2011

Photo: Lisa Wilder

Sunset is prime time, with the strongest rays masked by trees on the opposite shore and only the occasional gnat arriving to pester diners. Compared to the salt-marsh swarms that rise to greet the day’s end at my former favorite, it’s positively bug-free.

Quality seafood also shone in an entrée salad with lobster, in which sizable chunks of meat played well with grapefruit and fresh greens. A nondescript dressing couldn’t quite pull it all together but the ingredients rescued the dish. On the more formal side, a platter of salmon with potatoes and asparagus scored high with both rich flavor and skilled cooking, the salmon nicely seared and still tender inside.

Chocolate cake tasted fresh and was presented beautifully, as best as I can recall: We lingered over each dish and the glasses of wine seemed to proliferate as the sun dropped over the water.

Serenaded by the excellent George Baker band, we celebrated a new waterfront favorite, so close to home.

Grand Bridge Restaurant, 3-5 Clifton St., New Haven (203-467-0300).

Photo: Lisa Wilder

EDITOR’S PICK: Red Lentil

D

espite its second-rate baseball team and overrated Ivy League school, Boston is undeniably a great town for dining. Now New Haven is benefiting from Beantown talent with the opening of Red Lentil on the ground floor of the Temple Street garage. In a space that has seen a succession of interesting but short-lived eateries, Red Lentil deserves to thrive based on its top-notch vegetarian fare.

Red Lentil chef Pankaj Pradhan with a butternut squash polenta.

Boston Chef Pankaj Pradhan has taken his Hub restaurant’s name, menu and concept in total to his Elm City eatery.

With bright green walls heralding the plant-based feast to come, Red Lentil improves on its predecessors in the space with a brighter and more inviting ambiance. Servers are eager and personable, and orders are filled with big-city efficiency, even as a reggae-heavy soundtrack sets a mellow mood.

We started with seared strips of seitan, a veggie staple made from wheat with a meaty taste and texture. Each strip was salty and savory on its own, but a dip in the zesty horseradish dressing sent the dish into the flavor stratosphere while clearing the sinuses. Beet and potato pancakes were earthy and satisfying if a bit limp for someone expecting the crispness of a classic latke. Appetizers were all under $10 and servings were generous considering the “small-plates” portion shrinkage found at many new eateries.

Continued on 45

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Same great food & original cocktails.

Our meticulously composed small plates provide our guests with a premier dining experience while offering seasonal American selections in the heart of New Haven Our signature cocktails incorporate fresh fruits, herbs, house made infusions and modern cooking techniques all for the sake of deliciousness.

Our guests can also enjoy an extensive wine list with over 27 wines by the glass, specialty beers and a vast selection of spirits.

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Aruro and Suzette Franco-Camacho (exRoomba, Bespoke) have themselves a new winner with Branford’s deceptively modest Tacuba Taco Bar.

cotija cheese, lime and chili powder. The charred kernels, citrus and salty cheese blended perfectly to make for a savory starter. A lobster arepa was less winning, the corn pancake a bit small and dry.

But the arepa’s accompanying serving of lobster was more than generous; the luxuriant, avocado-spiked sauce alone justified the dish’s $11 price.

Photo: Lisa Wilder

JUST A TASTE: Tacuba Taco Bar

A plate of tacos returned the kitchen to top form, each morsel a showcase for the beauty of simple, fresh ingredients skillfully prepared. A pork taco was a study in texture, tender meat set off by silky guacamole and radish for crunch.

Portobello mushrooms in a charred flour tortilla were satisfying and rich.

The temperatures were blazing outdoors, but the crowd inside the Tacuba Taco Bar in Branford on a recent evening was positively radiating cool. The dress was casual yet stylish and most of the patrons — families, couples and singles alike — looked as if they’d taken a break from the beach house.

The latest offering from former New Haven veteran restaurateurs Arturo and Suzette Franco-Camacho, Tacuba is the place to be in Branford this season, and for good reason. You won’t find Latin fusion this tasty and affordable for miles, and certainly not in such a pleasant setting.

hung in rows along the back of the main dining area. This “vertical garden” swayed gently in the breeze from the struggling air conditioners and provided both visual interest and, one imagined, some supplemental oxygen in a crowded room.

For a quieter meal, the FrancoCamachos’ other new venture, Swill Wine Bar, beckons serenely from an adjacent room.

The Franco-Camachos have long been known for their design sense, but Tacuba is special in its mix of high and low. Unfinished beams line the walls and floors, almost abrasive to the touch.

On the tables are mini-landscapes in succulents, each one a tiny masterpiece.

A round of drinks quickly established that Tacuba is not your typical stripmall taqueria. Instead of a sugary slush in a martini glass, the Tacuba margarita came in a Collins glass, subtle in its color and flavor. It hit the palate first with a peppery blast of quality tequila, followed by tart lime and only the lightest touch of sweetness. Another grown-up cocktail was the white sangria, cloudy with fruit pulp and anchored by dry white wine.

And the walls are a first for this diner: A forest of plantings set in large bags

We started our meal with elotes, an ear of grilled corn smothered in grated

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But the fish taco was the real revelation for this ex-Californian. Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho has captured the light and herbal essence of a classic Baja fish taco, perfect in its proportions of seafood, sauce and vegetables. For a minute there, I thought I heard the Pacific surf crashing in the distance.

A ceviche, reminiscent of the FrancoCamacho’s earlier Latin star turn at Roomba in New Haven, was also outstanding, scallops and shrimp firm and meaty in a delicate citrus broth.

With lively Cuban music in the background and a jungle swaying on the wall nearby, a diner could be excused for being transported south of the border on a typical evening at Tacuba. Transport yourself to Branford ASAP to try the latest from the ever-evolving FrancoCamachos.

Tacuba Taco Bar, 1209 Main St., Branford (203-208-0736, tacubataco.com).

Find It All Here!

F Al

Subscribe 203.781.3480 x 102 or www.newhavenmagazine.com

August/September 2011

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Su

Schools Continued from 19

daily work and interactions,â&#x20AC;?

Armstrong says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is why Cold Spring only holds tours when school is in session.â&#x20AC;?

Diversity in many forms, including socioeconomic diversity, is essential to Cold Spring School. Recognizing that some families may not have the means to explore independent school options, Armstrong says Cold Spring School remains committed

to enrolling children from a broad spectrum of economic backgrounds with both needbased ďŹ nancial assistance and payment-plan options. Fully a third of current Cold Spring students receive some degree of ďŹ nancial assistance that varies from ten to 90 percent of tuition. Cold Spring School offers ďŹ nancial aid to qualiďŹ ed students on the basis of demonstrated ďŹ nancial need and the availability of funds.

distinctive

Red Lentil Continued from 45

A sip of one of Red Lentilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s array of complex fruit and vegetable smoothies was a welcome palate-cleanser, with the Mustang adding the tang of cranberry and ginger to the richness of banana.

Nonalcoholic ginger beer was the strongest libation on offer during a recent visit.

Ever trendy, this diner sampled a gluten-free pizza as an entrĂŠe, wondering how the chef could create a crust without the protein that gives a pie its toothsome texture.

Turns out the gluten-free variation is more like a crisp cracker, but with a nice char and perfectly proportioned toppings, I hardly missed the gluten. Every element of the eggplant, pepper and basil pie tasted fresh from the farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market. At $12, the pizza was ample for one.

My companion ordered a $14 â&#x20AC;&#x153;meatless loafâ&#x20AC;? made of millet, a classic hippie grain with the heroic ability to retain its blandness in almost every preparation Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve attempted.

Arriving at the table, the brownish platter didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look

promising, but Chef Pradhan delivered by dialing up the Ethiopian spices and herbs like marjoram and sage to turbo-charge the grain.

We barely had room, but had to try the chocolate mousse pie, dense and rich and freshtasting with a crunchy fruitand-nut crust for contrast.

With every course scoring on ďŹ&#x201A;avor, portion size and heartiness, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be hard pressed to ďŹ nd a vegetarian restaurant in the area that can provide such a satisfying and interesting meal at the price. Red Lentil is also open for lunch and is considering a buffet special to add to downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s midday options.

This new restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upscale and artful cuisine is worth a trip to Temple Street at any time of day.

Red Lentil Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant, 25 Temple St., New Haven (203-891-7105).

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Aside from all that daredevil stuff, there are various inflatable playthings to have fun with, as well as a waterslide and a water trampoline.

Guts & Glory at the Quarry

By Jessica Giannone

One amusement that stands out from the pack is a giant ball-like flotation with an inflated ring around it (a la the planet Saturn). There are four log-shaped seats that are across from each other, where people face the center of the device with one leg on each side of the seat. People of all ages can rock it around to the point where it feels like it will tip over, but it doesn’t (it’s kind of like a rotating seesaw).

Come to think of it, Brownstone has an inflated seesaw, too.

There is also a giant (and I mean giant) inflated rock climbing wall. I couldn’t make it up the first nook, but I saw kids clambering up like they were training for the Olympics. Near that attraction you will see youngsters attempting to walk across a spinning pole on the surface of the water.

From the various cliffs you can see people wakeboarding and kayaking across the water (or the eight-year-old next to you jumping off the edge). But don’t worry, the free jumps are only off five- to 30-foothigh cliffs.

T

o be 100 feet under water and 100 feet in the air may seem like polaropposite experiences, but they come together at Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, where you can zip-line yourself from a 100-foot cliff right into a quarry.

At Brownstone, which bills itself as the No.1 adventure park in southern New England, an panoply of fun and challenging activities are offered in and out of the water. Rock climbing, cliff jumping, hiking, scuba, snorkeling, kayaking and wakeboarding are among the attractions that put visitors to the test.

Brownstone was opened five years ago by three brothers — Ed, Frank and Sean Hayes — who saw the park as the perfect opportunity for kids to challenge themselves, according to sales and event coordinator Laura Loffredo.

The park features different zip-lines, the longest spanning about 1,000 feet across 46

August/September 2011

the park (quite a rush, I must say). You can’t take the easy way up, though: “It’s all about the climb.” If you want to fly across the lake you have get yourself to the top. It looks easy, but once your hands and feet are clenched to the swaying net as you make your way to the intimidating wooden pole with metal loops sticking out, you suddenly find yourself not fearing the almost 100-foot-high zip-line so much (at least for me, anyway).

As I anxiously watched seven-year-olds clamber confidently to the top of the pole, I felt a rush of reassurance (though their comforting presence would have come in handy during my reluctant stagger up the 100-foot cliff).

Somehow, I doubted my body was equipped to handle the climb (that was my excuse, anyway), but I climbed and conquered.

I have to admit, the descent from the cliff was totally worth it. Loffredo refers to that first jump as a “leap of faith.”

For corporate clients Brownstone also offers three teambuilding challenge courses. One is a quick Survivor-type game that poses physical and mental challenges. Another challenge is raft building, in which teams compete to build and race rafts across the water. The third is a full-day program replete with different activities — a tug-of-war, or a giant wooden maze where blindfolded friends are guided to control a ball. Anyone can participate in the challenges. Party, school and corporate packages are available.

Every Friday the park hosts a movie night, and visitors can rent private floating gazebos or bring lawn chairs.

People of all ages enjoy the park. Just be sure to bring a towel!

Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, 161 Brownstone Ave., Portland (866-860-0208, brownstonepark.com). The season runs June to October. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Labor Day; noon to 5 p.m. weekends through September; noon to 9 p.m. weekends through October. Weekdays in Sept. and Oct. are group reservations only. $18 general swimming, $28 adventure sports.

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Nominate Your Healthcare Hero For more information and to nominate visit www.conntact.com/hcheroe.htm

Awards Categories Corporate Achievement

Volunteers of the Year

Education Award

Advancements in Healthcare – Corporate

Community Service – Corporate Nurse of the Year Ingrid Crocc Yale New o Haven Hospital

Healin

Community Service – Individual

g the W orld

Super nurse Ingrid — on the job and Crocco make s the world off a bette r place

Crocco : ‘You have for what you do to have passio going or else to love you’re n life.’ not

PHOTO:

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Y DECARL O

s a charge nurse Haven Hospit at Yale-New al (YNH M. Crocco says. “My H), Ingrid rooms, oversees first passion “orche 20 operat veterin stratin staffing” arian.” was to ing and assurin g scheduling be a for before and She change and weeken , during g patients are d her mind and after cared sophom On her child and d shifts, Crocco during ore year, surgery “vacations,” her continued . shephe had far-flung 2005, when rd injured when a Germa Crocco as a part-ti another corner n travels her pet she teams perform s of the mer until openin “I couldn to poodle planet g for an was chosen to ’t . to ing victims fill an operating nurse. what was imagine how and childresurgery on burnassist room charge I could palates figure out “She she recalls wrong with an and other n with cleft injured was just . It was She has facial deform lips, cleft caring animal then she visited for ,” Ena William a natural candid ities.

Brazil, Nepal, to,” was humans, whom realized that s, the ate,” Colum Myanm directo what bia, ar, r for periop hospital’s nursin says Vietnam, Peru, the Philipp she wanted “you can talk bright, After gradua erative g ines, to do.

China, Thailand and knowledgeab service on most recentl by her of science ting in 1979 le, highly s. “She’s colleag her nursin trips she says with a in nursin ues respect have enhancy, advoca g skills moved bachelor g degree ed te who’s — and a real and to New Haven ed , Crocco enriche Foreign patient not afraid about ways perioperative d her life. countries for a one-ye to speak to make to Crocco progra were hardly Haven, up ar patient m at Around which s safe.” unfam in Norwa , who grew up the same provides Yale-New trainin tapped “an army iliar y, Germa time, g in operat comprehensiv Crocco to take ny and brat” She becam ing-roo “For college also was part in patient e Italy. m protoc e a staff a s with and in ol. liver diseasenew program nurse at at Radfor , I came statesid 1980 “We hadn’t for YNHH d Univer e to study s. head nurse, was promo sity in ted to assista time and done livers at Virgini 1985 when a position a,” she nt Yale for she 6 Octobe compli were going to child. Returnshe left to have held until cated proced be doing a long r 2008 to her for ing to work her first very ures, and on evenin looked attention her previous g experie to detail,” Thus Crocco William nce and s says. became a membe r of the

ANTHON

2009 Healthcare Heroes Publication

first group of nurses team, “which on has grownthe tremen nurses dously around and numbe says. “She’s ,” Weinst r of firsts. done a dedicated ein broadprofess “Ingrid based experie to her ion had cardiac these missioand helps me nce in surgery with , neuros and trauma about pro ns, which are urgery all bono.” the critical , and she had Among thinkin Crocco respon g skills A highe d to ’s indelib to le memor many occur duringevents that r standard may journeys ies adds William a procedure,” is the storyof her within girl in Myanm of a reach s.

Crocco ar so severel believe burned s her her abroad have honed trips her chest. jaw was fused y skills. to those “All she wanted She first was to up at the became look the mid-19 involve stars,” “Missi 90s, when d in on accom Crocco says. plastic Yale surgeon plished .”

Before John Persing was assemb arrivin team membe g in a countr go to Manauling a team s, Brazil to local custom rs are briefed y, Interpl T for ast, an on s to avoid organization gaffes and sending major surgica T the local try to learn a l teams abroad bit of to lingo. and hand help burn, facial ons Crocco doesn’t T operating patients, and bring a phone an or compu cell had been room nurse who dio family membe ter, and asks asked her on a previous roo Dining rs to contac her only trip if she’d “if like to the immed there’s a deatht The team go. iate family. in cleft lips focused on fixing r “I want and cleft to live childre that trip totally n, which palates for and focus on openin proved hand,” the task g for Crocco eyeshe says. at r .

“Families ing Crocco came from tries not and days miles trips to schedu during and I was away to get there, basketball NCAA men’s le so humbl commi tourna “Marc tment these ed by the h Madne ment’s had for ss” husban their youngparents d, Gene, so her she says.

“We gave children,” UConn Huskie can travel expertise to s games. and our our In 2005, these familie time — Crocco was among to be part s allowed us and 300 recipie a Nighti nts to receive momen of a life-altering ngale Award t for them.

Excelle for nce “It really from candidin Nursing, put perspective my life into ates nomin chosen by more ated than my person — not only organizations 100 health al life care profess around state. ional life,”but my the Crocco says . “What She plainly it also me was did enable relishes me to think for “You the spot her work. more clearly have to on have passion for what .”

Follow you do ing you’re adds, “I that trip, Crocco not going or else was hooked Crocco to .” says. “It’s love life,” She has since gone too short.

“I’ve told similar on Dr. Malik my girls, journeys yourself ‘Do not is a for Interpl each year specia in lizing in renowned surge you wake a position whereget Children ast, Healing oculo for and you up in the mornin and ophth plastic surgeon Children’sand Changing dread the g almology.

Lives, a ry your life day and Haven Dr. Malik New is non-pr Find your going to be will be ofit formed by a local hell. seeing OptiCare’s plastic ride the passion and patien Mark Weinst surgeon just wave.’” ts in and HamdNew Have ein, Crocco to be one who asked en Office n membe of s. his — rs. board Karen Singer “I’ve known Ingrid and she’s for years one of the best Hamd en 2165 D 407-3 ixwell Ave 937 New Haven 1 457 www.optic 387-3 W halle y Ave 937

Advancements in Healthcare – Individual Health Care Professional

Physician of the Year

Individual of Merit

Nurse of the Year

Institution or Program

Researcher of the Year

Fallen Heroes

OptiCare Oculopla Welcomes stic Sur geon

Khurram Malik, M.D.

arepc.com

Healthc

are Heroes

7

Publication Date: 9.30.2011 Banquet Event early November For information 203-781-3480 x 104

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