Madison News Roundup

The Town of Madison will be closing its three town beaches — The Surf Club, East Wharf, and West Wharf — to all residents at noon on Friday, September 3, due to the expected high winds and surf conditions from Hurricane Earl.  Residents are asked to factor this in to their plans. For more information on this, residents are asked to contact John N. Bowers, director of emergency management for Madison at 203-996-7396.

In addition, Madison public schools will be dismissed early on Friday. Afternoon kindergarten and preschool will not be held. The dismissal times are as follows:

• DHHS        11:30 A.M.
• Polson MS   11:30 A.M.
• Brown MS    12:15 P.M.
• Elementary   1:00 P.M

FRIDAY:

• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.
• Madison Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m. Madison Town Green – 26 Meetinghouse Rd. Madison: The Madison Farmers Market was established in 2007, and will commence May 7th-October 22nd every Friday from 3-6pm in the 2010 season. This beautiful and diverse market is centrally located in Madison, CT, on the Historic Madison Green. The farmers/vendors who make up this bustling market offer a wide array of CT Grown/produced items, which are beautifully presented.
• “Love Your Local” Farmers’ Market, 3-6 p.m., Deacon John Grave house, 581 Boston Post Road in Madison, CT: The Deacon John Grave House will present a new “Love Your Local” Farmer’s Market every Friday through September 10 from 3 to 6 p.m. Unlike the farmer’s market on the Town Green, the market will feature locally resident farmers, bakers, and chefs offering fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, baked goods, soups and more.  Look for the “Love Your Local” Farmer’s Market on the front lawn of the Deacon John Grave house, 581 Boston Post Road in Madison, CT at the corner of Route 1 and Academy Street.
• Jamie’s Junk Show, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille, 1320 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT: Live music.

SATURDAY:

• Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting, 9 a.m., Memorial Town Hall – Route 1  on the Green Madison Center: Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting Saturdays at the  Memorial Hall, Route 1 on the Green, Madison 1-800-824-8650 www.oa.org
• Film Screening of “Harvest,” 4:15 p.m., Madison Art Cinemas, 761 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT: Movie filmed in and around Madison, CT.
• The Convertibles, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille, 1320 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT: Live music.

SUNDAY:

• Film Screening of “Harvest,” 4:15 p.m., Madison Art Cinemas, 761 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT: Movie filmed in and around Madison, CT.
• Nicole Frechette, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille, 1320 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT: Live music.

In a wide-ranging letter to parents (and a posting on the school system’s new website), Schools Superintendent David J. Klein provides important information about the upcoming school year, including:

• Students & Media Coverage
• Release of Directory Information to Military Recruiters
• Pest Management / Pesticide Application
• Asbestos Management Program
• School Bus Schedules
• School Lunch Prices
• Code of Conduct
• Board of Education Policies

SATURDAY:

• The Madison Historical Society’s Antiques Fair, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., The Green in Madison, CT – 26 Meeting House Ln. Madison: The Madison Historical Society’s 39th Annual Antiques Fair. Saturday, August 28, 9 am to 4 pm. Rain or Shine. With 90 quality Antiques Dealers, MHS Country Store, Booth Chats and a Sidewalk Cafe by Chef Paul Staley of Splash & Madison Chocolates. Benefits The Madison Historical Society.
• Fundraiser for HIV/AIDS Widows and Orphans, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., E C Scranton Memorial Library – 801 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT: Oil paintings, art prints, and photographs of Africa by Sandra and Terry Kensler: daily (Monday through Saturday) August 2-29, 9:00 AM until library closing. Reception and conversation with Sandra and Terry on Thursday, August 19, 6:00 – 7:30 PM. All proceeds donated to CLOUT Cares to benefit HIV/AIDS widows and orphans of Kenya.
• Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting, 9 a.m., Memorial Town Hall – Route 1  on the Green Madison Center: Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting Saturdays at the  Memorial Hall, Route 1 on the Green, Madison 1-800-824-8650 www.oa.org
• Art Reflects History, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Deacon John Grave House – 581 Boston Post Road Madison: The Madison Art Society and the Deacon John Grave Historical House will celebrate art reflects history. It will be held at the Deacon John Grave House located near the Madison Green, 581 Boston Post Road. The public is invited free of charge to take advantage of the guided tours and sample the open hearth cooking Over twenty artists will display their paintings and donate a portion to the DJG House.
• Madison Historical Society Annual Summer Exhibition, 11 a.m.-4  p.m., Lee Academy, Madison, CT: Visitors to Madison’s iconic Lee Academy often  wonder about its history and its varied uses through nearly two centuries. The  MHS Annual Summer exhibition should satisfy the curiosity of all visitors with  its representation of a nineteenth-century school and classroom. Supported by a  grant from the Erwin C. Bauer Charitable Trust, the 2010 exhibition will present  the history of the Academy, including its place in a New England-wide  educational movement. Learn the stories of the people who served the Academy’s  goals and discover those who benefited from the vision of Captain Frederick Lee  and his fellow citizens.
• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.
• Crown Street Orchestra, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille, 1320 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT: Live music.

The Friends of Scranton Library invite you to the library’s air-conditioned Community Room at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 26, to attend a presentation by  Bill Duesing, executive director of  the Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA, www.ctnofa.org).

CT NOFA is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the practice of ecologically sound farming, gardening and land care and is one of seven state chapters which make up the Northeast Organic Farming Association.

Mr. Duesing’s talk, “Food, Organic Gardens and Farms, and the Future,” will stimulate your thinking about what you eat, how your food is grown, and how you can make a difference.  Preregistration is highly recommended by calling the library (203)245-7365 or going online at www.scrantonlibrary.org/calendar.   Light refreshments will be served.

Author Elizabeth Brundage will be at RJ Julia at 7 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, August 25, to discuss here new thriller, A Stranger Like You.

Hedda Chase is a top-flight executive producer at Gladiator Films, fast-tracked in the business since she graduated from Yale. An aggressive businesswoman, she recently pulled the plug on a film project initiated by one of her predecessors. The screenwriter on the project was Hugh Waters, a wannabe with a dead-end marriage and a day job at an insurance company. This script was his ticket out-until Hedda tampered with his plans, claiming his violence was over the top, his premise not credible, and his ending implausible. Hugh decides to prove otherwise by staging his script’s ending and casting Hedda Chase as the victim. He flies to Los Angeles and finds Hedda, kidnaps her, and locks her in the trunk of her vintage BMW in the parking lot at LAX. He leaves the keys in the ignition, the parking ticket on the dash, and lets “destiny” take its course.

Tickets for this event are $5 and may be used toward the purchase of the book.

Harvest, a film shot primarily in Madison, CT, that had a successful advance screening in town over the weekend, will return to Madison for Labor Day weekend.

Written and directed by former resident  Marc Meyers and produced by Meyers and Jody Girgenti, the film sold out its Friday, Saturday, and Sunday showings at the Madison Art Cinemas.

Shot in September 2008 at venues that include downtown Madison, the Post Road, Island Avenue, Middle Beach Road, and West Wharf, Harvest won Best American Independent Film at the 34th Cleveland International Film Festival, the Jury Prize and Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Sacramento Film & Music Festival, and Best Connecticut Grown Film at the Connecticut Film Festival.

Harvest stars Academy Award-nominated Robert Loggia, Jack Carpenter, Arye Gross, Tony-winner Victoria Clark, and Academy Award-nominated Barbara Barrie, with Peter Friedman, Adriana Sevan, Kel O’Neill, Christine Evangelista, and Daniel Eric Gold.  The film tells the story of three generations of a family coming together one summer, around the eventual passing of the patriarch of the family, a WWII veteran. Gathered at the family home and in and around their beautiful shoreline town, years of resentment and betrayal surface, and the grandson does his part to hold them all together.

Madison Art Cinemas Owner/Operator Arnold Gorlick announced that Harvest will have a return engagement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of Labor Day weekend. Tickets will be available at the box office or at the the cinemas’ website, www.madisonartcinemas.com.

Harvest, a film shot in and around Madison, CT in September 2008, will have its local debut this weekend beginning this afternoon (Friday, August 20) at the Madison Art Cinemas.

The film, shot at venues that include West Wharf and the Madison Art Cinemas,  was written and directed by Marc Meyers and produced by Meyers and Jody Girgenti. Harvest won Best American Independent Film at the 34th Cleveland International Film Festival, the Jury Prize and Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Sacramento Film & Music Festival, and Best Connecticut Grown Film at the Connecticut Film Festival.

The film stars Academy Award-nominated Robert Loggia, Jack Carpenter, Arye Gross, Tony-winner Victoria Clark, and Academy Award-nominated Barbara Barrie, with Peter Friedman, Adriana Sevan, Kel O’Neill, Christine Evangelista, and Daniel Eric Gold.

Harvest tells the story of three generations of a family coming together one summer, around the eventual passing of the patriarch of the family, a WWII veteran. Gathered at the family home and in and around their beautiful shoreline town, years of resentment and betrayal surface, and the grandson does his part to hold them all together.

FRIDAY:

• Fundraiser for HIV/AIDS Widows and Orphans, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., E C Scranton Memorial Library – 801 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT: Oil paintings, art prints, and photographs of Africa by Sandra and Terry Kensler: daily (Monday through Saturday) August 2-29, 9:00 AM until library closing. Reception and conversation with Sandra and Terry on Thursday, August 19, 6:00 – 7:30 PM. All proceeds donated to CLOUT Cares to benefit HIV/AIDS widows and orphans of Kenya.
• Free Wine Tasting, noon-7:30 p.m., the Madison Wine Shop, 734 Boston Post Road: Wine tastings geared to educate over time, by providing an opportunity to sample and discuss a wide variety of wines, mostly outside of the mainstream, mostly affordable, and sometimes not. It’s free, informal, informative, face-to-face with Rick Lewis and your fellow participants, and its fun.
• Madison Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m. Madison Town Green – 26 Meetinghouse Rd. Madison: The Madison Farmers Market was established in 2007, and will commence May 7th-October 22nd every Friday from 3-6pm in the 2010 season. This beautiful and diverse market is centrally located in Madison, CT, on the Historic Madison Green. The farmers/vendors who make up this bustling market offer a wide array of CT Grown/produced items, which are beautifully presented.
• “Love Your Local” Farmers’ Market, 3-6 p.m., Deacon John Grave house, 581 Boston Post Road in Madison, CT: The Deacon John Grave House will present a new “Love Your Local” Farmer’s Market every Friday through September 10 from 3 to 6 p.m. Unlike the farmer’s market on the Town Green, the market will feature locally resident farmers, bakers, and chefs offering fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, baked goods, soups and more.  Look for the “Love Your Local” Farmer’s Market on the front lawn of the Deacon John Grave house, 581 Boston Post Road in Madison, CT at the corner of Route 1 and Academy Street.
• Film Screening of “Harvest,” 4:15 p.m., Madison Art Cinemas, 761 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT: Movie filmed in and around Madison, CT.
• The Convertibles, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille, 1320 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT: Live music.

SATURDAY:

• Fundraiser for HIV/AIDS Widows and Orphans, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., E C Scranton Memorial Library – 801 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT: Oil paintings, art prints, and photographs of Africa by Sandra and Terry Kensler: daily (Monday through Saturday) August 2-29, 9:00 AM until library closing. Reception and conversation with Sandra and Terry on Thursday, August 19, 6:00 – 7:30 PM. All proceeds donated to CLOUT Cares to benefit HIV/AIDS widows and orphans of Kenya.
• Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting, 9 a.m., Memorial Town Hall – Route 1  on the Green Madison Center: Overeaters Anonymous Open Meeting Saturdays at the  Memorial Hall, Route 1 on the Green, Madison 1-800-824-8650 www.oa.org
• Art Show, Hammonasset Beach State Park, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Meigs Point Nature Center Grounds: Oils, watercolors from Madison Art Society members and others for sale as well as photos, jewelry from “nature”, drawings and more. Marvel at the works of the Tuesday  “en plein aire artists” who are at the Park throughout the summer.
• Madison Historical Society Annual Summer Exhibition, 11 a.m.-4  p.m., Lee Academy, Madison, CT: Visitors to Madison’s iconic Lee Academy often  wonder about its history and its varied uses through nearly two centuries. The  MHS Annual Summer exhibition should satisfy the curiosity of all visitors with  its representation of a nineteenth-century school and classroom. Supported by a  grant from the Erwin C. Bauer Charitable Trust, the 2010 exhibition will present  the history of the Academy, including its place in a New England-wide  educational movement. Learn the stories of the people who served the Academy’s  goals and discover those who benefited from the vision of Captain Frederick Lee  and his fellow citizens
• Pitching for Charity, 11 a.m., Madison Surf Club – 87 Surf Club Rd. Madison: The Madison Chamber of Commerce and the Madison Real Estate Companies of Coldwell Banker,Page-Taft, Prudential, William Pitt/Southbys, and William Raveis have teamed up for a Charity Softball Tournament on Sat Aug 21st to raise money for Madison Cares, Madison Food Bank, and Neighbor to Neighbor. The even begins at 11:00am at the Madison Surf Club. Tickets are $5.00. Please bring non-perishable food and personal care items and help us stuff a truck.
• Film Screening of “Harvest,” 4:15 p.m., Madison Art Cinemas, 761 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT: Movie filmed in and around Madison, CT.
• Diana Schoenbrun – Crafts, 4:30 p.m., RJ Julia: Calling all crafters: you’ve never seen anything like Beasties, clever and silly cloth creatures created by Diana Schoenbrun. With basic supplies (scraps of fabric, felt, maybe even a bit of faux fur), she’ll demonstrate how to make one of her fabulous monsters.
• Friend of Hammonasset Members BBQ, 6 p.m., Hammonasset Beach State Park: Summer fun and a chance to catch-up among FOH members on Sat., Aug. 21 at 6pm on MPNC grounds under the tent.  Hotdogs, hamburgers, rolls and condiments provided.  Please bring an appetizer, entree or dessert to share.  The Hammonasset Art Show given by the Madison Art Society will precede our cookout from 10am-5pm and those art society members have been invited to join us.
• The Rockaholics, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille, 1320 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT: Live music.

SUNDAY:

• “Harvest” film screening with Shoreline Hadassah, 4:15 p.m., Madison Art Cinemas 761 Boston Post Road in Madison: Filmed locally by Marc Meyers, son of a member, depicts 3 generations dealing with the passing of their patriarch. Winner Best American Independent Film Cleveland Int’l Film Festival 2010 (www.raisingHARVEST.com). Questions call (203) 494-3181.

In a tersely worded statement, Madison, CT police announced that a 16-year-old has been charged with first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Police did not divulge any details about the incident, saying only that the suspect surrendered to Madison Police Tuesday on an outstanding juvenile arrest warrant and was taken to the New Haven Juvenile Detention Center after processing.

“This is an isolated incident and not related to any other recent juvenile arrests or incidents,” according to a statement released by police.

Early this year, five Madison teens were arrested in connection with the highly publicized case of an alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl at a local New Year’s Eve party.