What's Happening This Weekend

Happy Friday to everyone and it's a HOT one!  Before getting into some great things happening in our area this weekend and upcoming weekends, I wanted to share my experience of the Strawberry Festival with you. This was my first year going to the Strawberry Fest in Monroe, CT, (last weekend) and I went with my husband and the boy's.  This was the cutest festival ever and I really enjoyed walking around and meeting so many of Connecticut's Business Owners that create amazing furniture, bags, signs, bird feeder's, and everything in between.  I even saw BuyLocallyCT's own Carissa Black Bags at the Festival doing very well with her beautiful bright colored, summer bags, (www.buylocallyCT.com for more pictures).  They had live music playing, classic rock of course and it was so fun to dance and be silly to.  Then as you walk along, you can go inside the church to enjoy fresh, locally grown strawberries with home made ice cream and a biscuit, mmmmm, it was the best I had ever had.  Not to mention they were selling strawberry cakes and chocolate covered strawberries.  After all, it is the "Strawberry Fest."  For the kids, they had a long section of games like basketball, darts (with rubber darts), and so many other games where winning for the kids was actually obtainable.  At the end they would count up their prize tickets and pick something they would like; the boy's chose a blow up snake sword.  Then we went to get their faces painted.  Trevor chose a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for his cheek and Tyler chose the Superman Symbol for his forearm.  We loved every minute of the small quant fair and can't wait to go back next year!!  If you missed it this year, definitely try to get there next year.

All right, time for what's going on around Fairfield County this weekend and up coming weekends!  I hope you get out to at least one or two of them.

Beardsley Zoo - Tomorrow

Start Time: 11:00
End Time: 3:00
Admission: Zoo admission

Animal Enrichment Day gives visitors an opportunity to learn about how Zoo staff enriches the mental and physical well being of our animals. Join us for four interactive enrichment making activities at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm. Listen as Zoo staff explains the demonstration and see a display of enrichment items used at the Zoo.

Beautiful Morocco Festival

Stamford, Jun 23rd

Start Time: 1 pm
End Time: 10:30 pm
Admission: adult $5 children under 12 free

Beautiful Morocco Festival A Cultural Festival Celebrating the Beauty of Morocco & Multi-Cultural Unity Concert Mill River Park at Archstone 1020 Washington Blvd. Stamford, CT beautifulmoroccofestival.com In partnership with Wafin.com and the Mayor’s Office of the City of Stamford, Connecticut, USA, the Saida Fikri Foundation is organizing the second annual Moroccan Festival, called Beautiful Morocco Festival, on the 23rd of June 2012, in Stamford.  The Festival will take place at the Mill River Park at Archstone, in the center of Stamford, directly across the street from Columbus Park. In addition to the many activities throughout the afternoon, a multi-cultural concert will take place the night of the festival, featuring the world-renowned Moroccan singer/songwriter, Saida Fikri, as well as other local and international artists. The concert is free and open to the public. The Beautiful Morocco Festival will open to the public at 1pm. The concert will follow starting at 8pm and ending at 10:30pm. The goals of the festival are as follows: • To offer exposure to the exquisite Moroccan culture to the American public • To provide an opportunity to the Moroccan-Americans in the area to reconnect with their culture • For Multi-cultural unity • Offer Moroccan and American Businesses to advertise their products and services. • Fundraiser for building a school in a rural and needy area in Morocco The Festival will offer the following programs and venues: • Authentic Moroccan Food • A showcase of Moroccan arts and crafts • Pottery and Carpet Making Workshops for kids • Moroccan Wedding • Kaftan Show • Traditional Moroccan Music • Henna Tattoos • Camel Rides & Horses • Business Exhibit showcasing Moroccan and American companies.

http://www.beautifulmoroccofestival.com

Start Time: 11 am
End Time: 2:30 pm
Admission: Free!

Stamford Town Center is celebrating the kickoff to summer with a special visit from Clifford the Big Red Dog. This free interactive show for its Kids Club members and friends is on June 23rd and will encourage audience participation and fun for all ages. Clifford will perform three storybook shows at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:00p.m. in Grand Court on Level 3.

Start Time: 02:30 pm
Admission: Members: Free / Non-Members: Free with gate admission.

Tuesdays, Through August 28, 2:30 pm Do you ever wonder what it takes to be a farmer? Come join the SM&NC Farm staff each week as we bring fun to important farm tasks. Find out how they farmed in the past, the importance of grooming, where your every day items come from, and see the artistic side of pigs! Members: Free/Non-Members: Free with gate admission.

Weather permitting event. For more information call 203.977-6521, e-mail info@stamfordmuseum.org, or visit www.stamfordmuseum.org * * *

Stamford Museum & Nature Center is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of art, the natural and agricultural sciences, and history. The Museum is a vital cultural and educational resource for the community, and a focal point for family activity through exhibitions, educational programs and special events.

Start Time: 7:30 pm
Admission: $35

Calling all kids! The second annual Stamford KIC IT Kids Triathlon will be held on Saturday, June 30 at Cove Beach in Stamford. Open to children ages 7 to 13, the Stamford KIC IT Kids Triathlon is a fantastic opportunity for youngsters to participate in an enjoyable athletic event that promotes a healthy lifestyle, provides a chance to meet new friends and builds self-confidence. Children ages 7 – 10 will complete a course consisting of a 50 meter swim, 2 mile bike, and a half mile run, while young people ages 11 – 13 cover a 150 meter swim, 4 mile bike, and 1 mile run. Promoting a philosophy of completion rather than competition, the focus of the KIC IT Kids Triathlon is not on finish times, placing or rankings. Rather, the goal is for children to have fun and enjoy the experience. In this spirit, each child will receive a custom medal when they cross the finish line. Entry is $35 per child, and proceeds benefit Kids in Crisis. Youngsters also have the opportunity to further help children residing at Kids in Crisis by fundraising. For more details on the Stamford KIC IT Kids Triathlon and to register, please visit https://kicittriathlon.com/kids-triathlon/race-information

June 23 2012 - 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Fairfield Town Hall

725 Old Post Road

Fairfiled

June 23 2012 - 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Sommer Theater of New Canaan

11 Farm Road

New Canaan

Connecticut’s professional regional theatre, The Summer Theatre of New Canaan, presents The WIZARD OF OZ! This 70-minute adaptation of the classic story has been specifically designed for kids and young families by our Theatre for Young Audience.

Featuring the songs: We’re off to see the Wizard, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, If I Only had a Brain, and many more!

So click your heels together and join Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Lion as they travel down the Yellow Brick Road through the magical Land of Oz!  Picnics, parties and munchkins are always welcome!

I hope you can make it out to one of these!  We have a lot of great Farmer's Markets open this weekend and coming up next week as well.  This weekend we have Fairfield's, Bridgeport's, New Canaan's and many other Farmer's Markets.  As always you can go to www.BuyLocallyCT.com to find a Farmer's Market in your area.

Stoneware by Krisa is offering summer classes on learning how to make your own pottery for kids and adults.  Here's her schedule and what's available:

Kids Classes:

Introduction to Handbuilding - ages 6 - 10   $225
Mondays and Wednesdays starting July 9th for 4 weeks, 9:30 - 11:30am.

There are only 4 spots available for this class.
Each child will receive a brand new tool kit for pottery and will be given as much clay as they need. The class will meet two days a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 - 11:30 am. During this class we will learn and discover different ways to build with stoneware clay including how to make pinch pots, coil pots and other special projects. We will also be glazing our pieces. During the class we will learn a little bit about the history of pottery and why it was so important to our ancestors and their everyday lives. If after the end of class your child still has pieces to be fired and/or glazed they will have the opportunity to do so.

Introduction to Handbuilding and the Potters Wheel - ages 11 - 17   $275
Tuesdays and Thursdays starting July 10th for 4 weeks, 9:30 - 11:30am.

There are only 2 spots available for this class.
Each child will receive a brand new tool kit for pottery and will be given as much clay as they need. The class will meet two days a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 - 11:30am. During this class we will learn and discover different ways to build with stoneware clay including how to make pinch pots, coil pots and other projects, plus the basics on how to throw pottery on a potters wheel. They will also have the opportunity to glaze all of the pieces made, while learning a little bit about the history of pottery and how it was such an important part to our ancestors and their everyday lives. If after the end of class your child still has pieces to be fired and/or glazed they will have the opportunity to do so.

Adult Classes:

Private Lessons - $400
A two hour lesson that meets once a week for 8 weeks anytime that is convenient for the both of us.

The private lesson will meet once a week for eight weeks. We can discuss a convenient time to schedule your class. I will provide the clay, a new tool kit, glazes, firing and anything else you may need during our creative time together. Doing it over an eight week period would provide enough time to do four firings. Two bisque and two glaze. So the first 4-6 weeks you would produce as many pieces as you like and the last two weeks would be glazing them. I usually fire at the end of the month. If there are some pieces left for you to glaze after the eight weeks, you are welcome to come back and glaze them anytime.

If you have never worked with clay before, the first class would be exploring handbuilding techniques and let you get a real feel of the clay. The next class we will begin to explore the potters wheel, centering the clay, throwing simple vessels like cylinders and bowls. By the forth week we will be trimming your pieces on the wheel, and then you will have the opportunity to work more on your own with my guidance, teaching you different techniques all along the way. If there is anything you may want to explore using and working with clay I am certainly open to teaching different methods.


Semi-private lessons - $350 each
A two hour lesson that meets once a week for 8 weeks anytime that is convenient for all of us.

If you have a friend that you would like to take lessons with I can accommodate 2 people at a time.
The semi-private lessons will meet once a week for eight weeks. We can discuss a convenient time to schedule the class. I will provide the clay, a new tool kit, glazes, firing and anything else you may need during our creative time together. Doing it over an eight week period would provide enough time to do four firings. Two bisque and two glaze. So the first 4-6 weeks you would produce as many pieces as you like and the last two weeks would be glazing them. I usually fire at the end of the month. If there are some pieces left for you to glaze after the eight weeks, you are welcome to come back and glaze them anytime.

If you have never worked with clay before, the first class we would explore handbuilding techniques and let you get a real feel of the clay. The next class we will begin to explore the potters wheel, centering the clay, throwing simple vessels like cylinders and bowls. By the forth week we will be trimming your pieces on the wheel, and then you will have the opportunity to work more on your own with my guidance, teaching you different techniques all along the way. If there is anything you may want to explore using and working with clay I am certainly open to teaching different methods.

Krisa makes beautiful pottery and you and your kids can now learn as well.  It's fun and different and take something you've made yourself home with you to use forever.  It's all about making memories and meeting new people.  For more information or to contact Krisa go to: www.StonewarebyKrisa.com.

That's all for now and always remember you can go to www.BuyLocallyCT.com to find locally made products, Farms and Farmer's Markets!  If you know someone that makes their own products in Connecticut, please send them over to my website and have them contact me.  As always, I'm looking for blogger's all over CT to make some extra money, which would also be residual income.  Thanks and have a great weekend!

Brought to you by Carissa Gulyas with BuyLocallyCT.com

203-223-0127

carissa@buylocallyCT.com