Irish History Round Table: Ogham Art — Tuesday, May 15

The ancient Irish writing form is the topic of Tuesday night's meeting.

  The Irish History Round Table will host its next meeting tonight, at the Knights of St. Patrick Hall, 1533 State Street in New Haven, starting at 7:30 p.m. This month's meeting's guest speaker will be Chris & Colleen Conway. The two will discuss the the ancient Irish writing form "Ogham," and it's importance to Irish history. Ogham — pronounced "o’-hem" — was employed throughout Ireland from 200 to 400 A.D. It was a "stone-on-stone" technology, according to the Conways, with the country's inhabitants using rocks to carve symbols into a stone tablet in order to record and transfer information.. Tonight's talk is free and open to the public. The Irish History Round Table meets on the third Tuesday of each month at The Knights of Saint …

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Root 6 Performing Benefit Concert for Woodbury Church

The benefit will take place in June.

  Root Six will perform a benefit concert from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, at Triple Play Sports Bar, 16 Straits Turnpike, Watertown. All proceeds will benefit the young people attending St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church's 2012 summer mission trip to Sutton, N.H. Band members are Frank Hallenbeck of Woodbury, Tim Roosa of Woodbury, Chris Allan of Southbury, Mark Pancrazio of Woodbury, Mike Quicquaro of Watertown and Paul Peters of Woodbury.

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Flanders' Nature Artist Named Conservation Artist of the Month

Bridget Grady is one of the artists who works on environmental awareness programs at the Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust in Woodbury.

  Programs at the Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust frequently connect art with environmental concerns, so it isn’t surprising that an artist associated with the Woodbury nature facility has been named Conservation Artist of the Month. Foothills Media Group reported that Grady received the award from the art organization Artists for Conservation, and it means she is invited to present a workshop at the organization’s convention in October in Vancouver, British Columbia. The article said Grady is working with the Flanders Nature Center to raise awareness of the impact of pollinator decline on food crops and the natural ecosystem.

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Ridgefield Author Maurice Sendak Dies at 83

The celebrated children's author was best known for his book "Where The Wild Things Are."

  Ridgefield's famed children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak died Tuesday, May 8, at the age of 83. The celebrated children's author, best known for his book "Where The Wild Things Are," was "widely considered the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century," the New York Times reports. The Times reports that Sendak died of complications from a recent stroke, according to his longtime editor, Michael di Capua. "Where The Wild Things Are" was published in 1963, and the story of a little boy named Max who sails into his dreams to have a "wild rumpus" with imaginative, sometimes nightmarish monsters was a bestseller. The Times described his work: "In book after book, Mr. Sendak upended the staid, centuries-old …

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Woodbury Lions Aid Local Minister with A Love of Reading

When faced with early-onset macular degeneration that hindered reading, the pieces fell into place to help a local minister read well again.

  In the late 18th Century, William Cowper wrote that "God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform." For the Reverend Dr. Craig McClellan, senior minister of the North Congregational Church in Woodbury, and the Woodbury Lions Club, there could be no other reason than divine intervention when an unusual piece of reading equipment, and the right person to use it, were put together at just the right time. In the fall of 2011, Dr. McClellan realized he had problems seeing. An eye exam diagnosed him with a rapidly-progressing early-onset macular degeneration, hindering him professionally, and impairing his favorite hobby, reading. By the beginning of 2012, Dr. McClellan was relying on a powerful magnifying glass to help him prepare …

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Woodbury-Middlebury Patch In

Connecticut 6-Year-Old Piano Prodigy Gained International Fame This Weekend

He plays Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and the Beatles by ear — and by the way, he has autism.

  Ethan Walmark, I am always going to be able to say, “I knew you when.” Because judging by the past weekend, this 6-year-old, piano-playing phenom from Westport is destined to be a star. Ethan is the son of my friends, Allison and Michael Walmark. Like a lot of other 6-year-olds, he has a ton of energy, an irrepressible laugh and a beautiful smile, and he loves kindergarten. He developed an amazing musical ability and interest very early on — at only 12 months, he could plink “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on the piano. By age four, Ethan had developed a remarkable talent for listening to a song only a handful of times and being able to play it on the piano almost perfectly right away. His musical gift is awe-inspiring to witness and it’s clear…

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'Fifty Shades of Grey': Just How Smutty Is It?

Plenty, but it's also unintentionally humorous and so badly written it hurts (and not in a good way).

  In keeping with the number theme in the title, here's what you need to know before buying "Fifty Shades of Grey." Number of times the protagonist, Anastasia Steele, says "Crap" or "Holy Crap": 86 Number of times Anastasia refers to her lover Christian Grey and his moves as "hot" or "freaking hot": 37 Number of times a specific part of the female anatomy is referred to as "down there": 6 If fine writing is like bittersweet truffles, this book is like a wad of Gummi Bears stuck to your back teeth. To use another food metaphor — and I'm not sure this author knows what a metaphor is — it's the literary equivalent of eating Sugar Smacks for dinner. Author E.L. James gives us the first-person perspective of a naive 21-year-old college graduate…

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Woodbury Resident Taking Road Trip to Document Drive-In Theaters

Carl Weese photographs drive-in theaters and created a Kickstarter project to help him take a photographic road trip this summer.

  Going to the movies: The phrase has a special place in people's hearts. And for some, when it comes to drive-in movies, the phrase resonates even more. This is especially true of Woodbury resident Carl Weese. "It's about Hollywood, the movies, the open road," he said. "There are so many Route 66 drive-ins and for an awful lot of people, drive-ins were where they had their first dates, their first feelings of independence. I think that resonates with people when they see the pictures." Weese has been photographing drive-in theaters for years. "I've been working with the drive-in theater subject for a long time," he said. After photographing the old Torrington Drive-In of Burrville, Weese added the photograph to his portfolio. "People were…

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Woodbury-Middlebury Briefing: Friday, April 20 — This Weekend's Activities

What's going on in Middlebury, Woodbury and nearby this weekend? Read on to find something fun to do.

  Today is Friday, April 20, the 110th day of the year. Today's Headlines   Events & Reminders: Friday, April 20 7 p.m. Evolution of a Bird Artist at Flanders Nature Center     Events & Reminders: Saturday, April 21   Events & Reminders: Sunday, April 22   Today's Weather Friday in Middlebury: Sunny, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming south between 7 and 10 mph. Friday Night in Middlebury: A slight chance of showers after 10pm. Increasing clouds, with a low around 53. South wind between 3 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Friday in Woodbury: Sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming south between 10 and 13 mph. Friday Night in Woodbury: Isolated showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. South wind …

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