Madison News Roundup

No fireworks or parades this weekend, but still plenty of things to do in Madison, CT:

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.
• Friday Night at the Movies, Scranton Library, 801 Boston Post Road, Madison: After the Library is closed – for free movies and popcorn! Bring a friend! This week’s movie is 2012 – as the earth’s core heats to dangerous levels, the leaders of the world race to build an “ark” to escape the impending doom; all the while volcanic eruptions and earthquakes wreak havoc all over the world.
• The Girl Who Played with Fire, Madison Art Cinemas, Madison, CT: Bring your Madison Art Cinemas ticket stub from The Girl Who Played With Fire to RJ Julia and redeem it for a 10% discount on one copy of any Stieg Larsson title (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, or The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest). Booklover members, you’ll receive a 15% discount. Booklover members, come to R.J. Julia to obtain a voucher good for $1 off General Admission (or $0.50 off the Senior Citizen rate) – no purchase necessary. Vouchers can be applied toward two admissions to The Girl Who Played With Fire. One voucher per member. This offer lasts as long as the film is playing at Madison Art Cinemas. Movie tickets are available only through Madison Art Cinemas; call 203-245-3456 or visit their website at Madison Art Cinemas.
• Author Wendy Burden, 7 p.m., RJ Julia: The Burden’s were a clan of overfunded, quirky and brainy, steadfastly chauvinistic, and ultimately doomed bluebloods on the verge of financial and moral decline – and were rarely seen not holding a drink. Why do wealth and bad behavior seem so often to go hand in hand? You’ll get your chance to ask Wendy Burden, great-times-three granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and author of Dead End Gene Pool, the blackly humorous memoir of her deeply dysfunctional family. Tickets for this event are $5, which may be used toward the purchase of a book.
• The Convertibles, 9:30 p.m.- 1 a.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille – 1320 Boston Post Rd 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
• 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.
• Penguin Publishers 75th Anniversary, 3-5 p.m.RH Julia: What do Memory Keeper’s Daughter, On the Road, Three Cups of Tea, and Pride and Prejudice have in common? Find out when we celebrate Penguin Publishers 75th Anniversary with two of their top editors, tons of prizes, and the most adorably cool Penguin Mini Cooper you’ll ever see!
• The Convertibles, 9:30 p.m.- 1 a.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille – 1320 Boston Post Rd Madison, CT: Live music.

SUNDAY:

• Chuck E. Costa, 6 p.m. Madison Town Green – 26 Meetinghouse Rd. Madison CT: Folk and traditional music.

A worker on a barge from which Friday’s fireworks were launched off the Madison, CT shoreline was hospitalized with a leg injury after a shell exploded while still in the tube, the New Haven Register reports.

Madison Fire Marshal Sam DeBurra told the Register that the man, an employee of PYRO-FX, suffered lacerations caused by shrapnel that hit him after the explosion. The man was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, and DeBurra said that he expects that he will be discharged sometime today.

The incident occurred about 9:45 p.m., after which the fireworks were halted while the fire department responded to the accident. Many spectators were surprised that the display appeared to end without the traditional grand finale. After about 20 minutes, many people headed for their homes. The fireworks resumed about a half-hout after the stoppage.

Madison, CT attorney John Naizby is using his participation in a Kentucky Ironman Triathlon next month as a means of raising funds for a program that helps at-risk youths.

Naizby was featured in an article in the Connecticut Law Tribune detailing his plan to use his entry into the Louisville competition to raise awareness and funds for the Truancy Intervention Project, which serves New Britain schoolchildren through The Children’s Law Center, a Hartford-based non-profit organization. The project matches volunteer attorneys with children under 16 who have at least 10 unexcused absences during a school year. When a family grants permission, an attorney meets with the child and learns what’s happening in the child’s home life and other areas outside of school. Naizby hopes to raise enough money to expand the program into New Haven.

Naizby signed up for the Louisville Ironman Triathlon, which allows participants to compete in support of their favorite charities. He has been training for the last 7 months to compete in the event, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.

You can donate to the Truancy Intervention Project by visiting www.januscharitychallenge.com, clicking on “How To Donate” in the left-hand corner and typing in John Naizby’s name. You can also make checks payable to The Children’s Law Center and send them to P.O. Box 4145, Madison, CT 06443.

It’s an hour of classic New England Americana: Veterans, emergency responders, fife and drum corps, cheerleaders, sports teams, Shriners in tiny cars, cheerleaders, local civic organizations and clubs, Civil War reenactors — you can see it all at Madison’s annual Independence Day Parade sponsored by the Madison, CT Exchange Club. A happy crowd lined both sides of the historic Boston Post Road on Sunday to show their appreciation of the marchers, many of whom were friends and neighbors.

Couldn’t make it this year? Catch the highlights in our parade video.

Much to see and do in Madison, CT this weekend, including the annual fireworks display on Friday night, the Concert on the Green on Saturday evening, and the Independence Day Parade on Sunday afternoon.

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.
• Voices in the Bookstore, 7-9 p.m., RJ Julia: Attention all fans of the written word: Madison area writers read from their work: poetry, fiction, essays – all kinds of writers are welcome! If you are a writer, sign up in advance to read from a finished piece or a work-in-progress. If you are a fan of new writing & local authors, come to listen. This event is free but advance sign up is required.
• Fireworks, 9:30 p.m., Surf Club and all town beaches: Annual fireworks display. Rain date is July 9.
• The Taxmen, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille – 1320 Boston Post Rd 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
• Walk along Ironwoods Trail, 10 a.m.-noon, Ironwoods Preserve, Madison, CT: Co-hosted by Shoreline Greenway Trail and Madison Land Conservation Trust. Approx. 2 miles, an hour & a half to two hours through forest, around a pond, past a waterfall & historic ruins with some moderate hills. This hiking trail is not suitable for strollers. Meet at 10AM at Trailhead #1, Race Hill Road, Madison. Directions: Travel north on Route 79 from I 95 exit 61. Take the nine oclock turn of the traffic circle onto Route 80 west. Race Hill Road is a north turn off Route 80 approximately 1 mile west of the traffic circle. Go .6 mile on Race Hill to the trailhead on the left just south of a farm at the base of the hill. Look for SGT arrow signs. There is a small parking lot and more parking along the road.
• Concert on the Green, 5-7:30 p.m., Town Green, Madison, CT: The Annual Concert on the Green will start at 5pm Saturday with the Shoreline Youth Symphony, followed by the Ancient Mariners, then the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra at 7pm. This annual event is sponsored by Madison Cultural Arts. Get there early (but not before 6am!) to reserve your spot, or contact Rich Evans at 203-215-4362 to make a donation & secure a place closer to the stage. Help for the concert is always welcome, too, so call Rich if you’d like to volunteer.
• Blues Patrol, 9:30 p.m., Donahue’s Madison Beach Grille – 1320 Boston Post Rd Madison, CT: Live music.

SUNDAY:

• Independence Day Parade, 1 p.m., downtown Madison:  The Madison Exchange Club’s 31st Annual Independence Day Parade takes place this year on Sunday, July 4 2010. The parade begins at 1:00 PM and winds its way from the Stop & Shop parking lot, through the center of downtown Madison and into the Surf Club. The parade features approximately 100 community groups, floats, bands, clowns, antique cars, trucks, bicycles and a number of professional performance groups. It has been recognized as one of the best parades in Connecticut. We will have a special category for neighborhoods or groups that would like to participate in a Float Competition. Entry fee will be $25 and prizes will be awarded to the top three floats provided we get enough entries. The theme for this year’s parade is “A Salute to Our Animal Friends” to help highlight various groups in the area that dedicate efforts to help the animals or to teach us how to better live within our environment.