All Madison Events

Potapaug Audubon Birding Walk

Starts Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 08:00 AM Meig's Point Nature Center parking lot Hammonasset State Park Madison, CT 06443 Free. For info, call 860-399-6400.

Barbara Walters: Audition

Starts Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 12:00 PM R.J. Julia 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations and book required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Mother's Day Brunch

Starts Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 11:00 AM Ends Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 03:00 PM Mercy Center at Madison 167 Neck Road Madison, CT 06443 203 245 0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org krista@mercybythesea.org Bring the whole family and dine by the sea for Mother's Day at Mercy Center at Madison. Reservations can be made for either the 11:00 a.m. seating or the 1:00 p.m. seating. A complete brunch offering will be prepared by Mercy Center's three amazing chefs. Entrees will include a carving station, Eggs Benedict, French toast, vegetarian dishes, an assortment of muffins, bagels and croissants with flavored butters and much more. Guests will then enjoy a range of home-made desserts and coffee served in the beautiful Grant Living Room with plate-glass windows offering unobstructed views of Long Island Sound. Tickets are $30 adults; $15 children 5 - 10; children under 5 free. In addition to brunch, a Mindfulness Walk around Mercy Center will take place at 2:30pm. Book early to avoid disappointment.

A Walk in Mindfulness

Starts Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 02:30 PM Ends Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 03:30 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org betty@mercybythesea.org With Bob Kuchta While walking the land at Mercy Center, participants will observe the richness and beauty of this place and its people. Reflect and listen to the energy and spirit to re-engage with your internal voice. Take time to smell, touch and connect to the multitude of habitats and places at Mercy Center including the beach, wetland and labyrinth garden. This will be a gentle walk. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Please no perfumes. Meet at the main entrance to Mercy Center. No Charge. Pre-registration is suggested. To register or for more information, please contact Betty Orosz at 203.245.0401 or betty@mercybythesea.org. Or register on-line at www.mercybythesea.org. **This walk is open to all those who are coming for Mother's Day brunch! Robert Kuchta is a botanist who has been connected with outdoor activities and the environment his whole life. He leads guided walks for Connecticut Audubon and is an ecological landscape designer.

Arthur Schwartz: Jewish Home Cooking

Starts Monday, May 12, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Amy Richards: Opting in: Having a Child without Losing Yourself

Starts Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Nature Detectives

Starts Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Bauer Park 257 Copse Rd. Madison, CT 06443 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. For ages 4 to 6 and younger siblings accompanied by an adult. Cost: $30. To register, call 203-245-5623 or visit www.madisonrec.com.

Bobby Flay: Bobby Flay's Grill It!

Starts Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 06:00 PM Ends Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 09:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Book purchase required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Margot Livesey: The House on Fortune Street

Starts Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

‘Native American History': “A Taste of Native American Cooking”

Starts Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 01:00 PM Scranton Library Madison, CT 06443 Free. For reservations, call 203-245-7365.

Elizabeth Kendall: Autobiography of a Wardrobe

Starts Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas: Fire in the Kitchen Concert Series

Starts Friday, May 16, 2008 at 07:00 PM North Madison Congregational Church 1271 Durham Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Tickets: $20 ($5 for kids). Free ice cream. For reservations, call 203-421-3241.

Jen Calonita: Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Family Affair

Starts Friday, May 16, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Shoreline Ringers: Handbell Choir

Starts Friday, May 16, 2008 at 07:30 PM First Congregational Church Madison, CT 06443 Free. For info, visit www.shorelineringers.org.

Native Awareness I

Starts Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 09:00 AM Ends Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 04:00 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org betty@mercybythesea.org Our ancestors, the native cultures around the globe, needed an acute awareness of their surroundings to survive, but they took this further and cultivated an expansive awareness, using it as a bridge to bring experiences of Divinity into their daily lives. In this class, we will introduce core routines, as handed down by Tom Brown Jr. of the Tracker School, which allow us to experience this native awareness of our physical and spiritual realms. Exercises will include meditations, sit spots, seeing with "owl eyes", foxwalking, and sensing presence. Please bring a notebook, pen, pad for sitting on the ground, and dress comfortably for the weather as we will be doing both indoor and outdoor exercises regardless of the conditions. Program includes lunch. $45 ($40 Friends) Program includes lunch. Scholarships are available for this program. To register or for more information, please email or call Betty Orosz at betty@mercybythesea.org or 203.245.0401. Presenters: Timothy Kowalik, Timothy Grantham and Cynthia Kazmirsky. Tim Grantham has had a lifelong love affair with old skills and ways of living. He has studied primitive skills with the Tracker School, been trained in the Vision Quest experience with Earth-Heart. Tim has taught survival skills and ceremony at the Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living and works with schools and local Boy Scouts. He is a member of New England Trackers. Cynthia Kazmirsky has played in the woods and swamps and honored the plants and nature since childhood. A child of Slovak farmers, she became aware of the healing spirit of plants and herbal medicines. She has studied with Tom Brown, Jr., attended the Tracker School and herbal studies with Gail Ulrich and Rosemary Gladstar. She now lives in the woods of south central Connecticut and caretakes the land that owns her. Timothy Kowalik, PhD, has been studying healing and awareness in the aboriginal traditions taught by Tom Brown, Jr. He has taught awareness and basic survival skills at the Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living, the Bioneers by the Bay Conference, and to schools and scout troops. Tim is on the Board of The Children of the Earth Foundation (COTEF), which teaches awareness and survival to children throughout the US. He is also a founding member of New England Trackers.

Pine Needle Basketry

Starts Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 09:00 AM Ends Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 01:00 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org sherill@mercybythesea.org With Elyse Wighton Explore the wonders of nature working with fresh pine needles. In this Native American coil basket technique, we will collect the pine common to the Center and embellish it with treasures we collect from woodlands and sea. Creating our precious tokens adorned with spirit and peace of our working with gifts from Mother Earth. Program includes lunch. $35 ($30 Friends) Program Includes lunch. Pre-registration suggested. To register or for more information, please contact Betty Orosz at 203.245.0401 or Betty@mercybythesea.org. Or to register on-line, go to www.mercybythesea.org. Elyse Wighton Love of artistic handwork and love of nature; combine. As a child, the old country ways had drawn her passion. The basic handwork skills taught by her grandmother and the childhood of feeling so at peace in the embrace of trees led her to study with herbalist Rosemary Gladstar and healing through plant medicine. Listen to the Earth and its voice.

Ryerson's Wide World of Sports: Fun Fair

Starts Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 10:00 AM Ends Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 03:00 PM Ryerson Elementary School Madison, CT 06443 For info, call 203-421-0045.

Paranormal Lecture: CT Ghost Hunters of Shoreline Towns

Starts Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 02:00 PM Ends Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 04:00 PM Scranton Library 801 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. For info, call 203-245-7365 or visit www.cghosts.org.

Scanner Photography Demonstration & Walk

Starts Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 01:00 PM Ends Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 02:30 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org betty@mercybythesea.org Join artist Ellen Hoverkamp and botanist Bob Kuchta to meander the grounds at Mercy Center and collect a few natural souvenirs of the day. Ellen Hoverkamp will present a slide show of her work and demonstrate the basics of her scanner photography process. Samples will be then be used from the nature walk collection as participants collaborate to compose an image using a flatbed scanner as a camera. Demonstration workshop limited to 20 people. Pre-registration is required. No Charge. To register or for more information, please contact Betty at 203.245.0401 or betty(at)mercybythesea.org. You can also register on-line at www.mercybythesea.org. Also join us at 3pm on Sunday, May 18th after the demonstration for an Exhibition Opening for Ellen Hoverkamp - "Her Neighbors Garden" show in the Mary C. Daly, RSM Gallery. Come and celebrate the delights of this unique exhibition. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

Pastel Demonstration: Rob DeBartolo

Starts Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 01:30 PM Scranton Memorial Library 801 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free; donations welcome. For info, call 203-458-3938.

Shoreline Soul

Starts Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 04:00 PM First Congregational Church Meetinghouse Ln. Madison Green Madison, CT 06443 Free. For info, call 203-245-6944.

Jim Sheeler: Final Salute

Starts Monday, May 19, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Friends of Hammonasset Plant Sale

Starts Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 09:00 AM Ends Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 05:00 PM Rte. 1 800 ft. from Hammonasset Beach State Park Madison, CT 06443 Benefits Hammonasset events.

Jewels for ‘U'ganda: Girls Night Out

Starts Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 06:30 PM Mercy Center Madison, CT 06443 Benefits Call to Care: Responding to the Needs of Uganda's Children. For info, call 203-245-3932.

Social Card and Game Night

Starts Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 06:30 PM The Winter Club Madison, CT 06443 Open to adults in the shoreline community. Donation: $12. Benefits community service by the Women's Club of Madison. For info, visit www.womensclubofmadison.org.

Debbie Macomber: A Good Yarn

Starts Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Bring knitting project. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Carl Hiaasen: The Downhill Lie

Starts Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 07:00 PM Scranton Memorial Library 801 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Tickets: $7. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Jay McCullough: A Tale of Two Subs

Starts Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Kenny Mayne: An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport

Starts Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 07:00 PM R.J. Julia Booksellers 768 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Free. Reservations required. For info, call 203-245-3959.

Music and Modernism in the Graphic Arts, 1860-1910

Starts Thursday, March 27, 2008 Ends Sunday, May 25, 2008 Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University 301 High St. Madison, CT 06443 Thursday, March 27: Opening Reception: 5 to 7 p.m. Free. Runs Friday, March 28 through May 25. For info, call 860-685-2500 or visit www.wesleyan.edu/dac.

33rd Annual Juried Exhibition: Madison Art Society

Starts Friday, May 9, 2008 Ends Friday, May 30, 2008 Scranton Memorial Library 801 Boston Post Rd. Madison, CT 06443 Friday, May 9: Opening Reception: 5 to 7 p.m. Show runs through May 30. For info, call 203-458-3938.

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants: Putting the Right Species in the Right Place

Starts Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 09:00 AM Ends Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 01:00 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org Betty@mercybythesea.org With Charlotte Pyle This workshop will cover uses of native plants for wildlife, erosion control, and landscape aesthetics. Site requirements of specific native shrubs and herbaceous plants as well as general guidelines for the use of native plants in natural habitats also will be covered. Following the classroom work, we will adjourn to the outdoors to view the opposite: invasive plants in winter on the Mercy Center's Invasive Plant Walk. $20 Program includes lunch. Pre-registration suggested. To register or for more information, please contact Betty Orosz at 203.245.0401 or Betty@mercybythesea.org. To register on-line go to www.mercybythesea.org. Charlotte Pyle is a Landscape Ecologist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service which is a federal agency that promotes conservation on private lands. Dr. Pyle works on invasive plants, use of native plants, wildlife habitat, and issues relating to the management of conservation land.

Dancing by the Sea

Starts Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 06:00 PM Ends Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 11:30 PM Mercy Center at Madison 167 Neck Road Madison, CT 06443 203 245 0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org krista@mercybythesea.org What could be better than a lobster dinner, champagne, and dancing under the stars? Mercy Center at Madison will host their second annual Dancing by the Sea gala on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person and proceeds will benefit Mercy Center programs. The event starts at 6 p.m. with champagne on the newly rennovated patio overlooking the 1700ft Long Island Sound beachfront. Guests will then take their seats under a beautiful tent to enjoy a lobster or steak dinner and dancing until midnight. This dinner dance gala event will also feature a live and silent auction with an enticing array of items ranging from weekend getaways, original artwork, jewelry, gift baskets and more. Come and dance by the sea - it's the ticket to have this summer!

Native Awareness II

Starts Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 09:00 AM Ends Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 04:00 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org betty@mercybythesea.org In this program, we will begin where Introduction to Native Awareness I ended (May 17); we will go deeper in our exploration of the worlds of Nature and Spirit. We will experience nature with indoor and outdoor exercises. There will be little review of Introduction to Native Awareness I; participants should have taken the Introduction course or other tracker programs. Please dress comfortably for the weather. Please bring a notebook, pen and a scarf for a blindfold. Program includes lunch. $45 ($40 Friends) Program includes lunch. Scholarships are available for this program. To register or for more information, please email or call Betty Orosz at betty@mercybythesea.org or 203.245.0401. Presenters: Timothy Kowalik, Timothy Grantham and Cynthia Kazmirsky. Tim Grantham has had a lifelong love affair with old skills and ways of living. He has studied primitive skills with the Tracker School, been trained in the Vision Quest experience with Earth-Heart. Tim has taught survival skills and ceremony at the Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living and works with schools and local Boy Scouts. He is a member of New England Trackers. Cynthia Kazmirsky has played in the woods and swamps and honored the plants and nature since childhood. A child of Slovak farmers, she became aware of the healing spirit of plants and herbal medicines. She has studied with Tom Brown, Jr., attended the Tracker School and herbal studies with Gail Ulrich and Rosemary Gladstar. She now lives in the woods of south central Connecticut and caretakes the land that owns her. Timothy Kowalik, PhD, has been studying healing and awareness in the aboriginal traditions taught by Tom Brown, Jr. He has taught awareness and basic survival skills at the Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living, the Bioneers by the Bay Conference, and to schools and scout troops. Tim is on the Board of The Children of the Earth Foundation (COTEF), which teaches awareness and survival to children throughout the US. He is also a founding member of New England Trackers.

Walking Amongst the Trees

Starts Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 10:00 AM Ends Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 11:30 AM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org sherill@mercybythesea.org Join Glenn Dreyer, Director of the Connecticut College Arboretum and learn about the trees at Mercy Center. Mercy Center's rolling 33 acres of property are dotted with trees – both native species and some unusual and rare gems. Trees have been planted over the years by the Sisters of Mercy, W.T. Grant and Marie Hotchkiss; some have even survived the Hurricane of '38. Enjoy a walk with Glenn to identify and learn about the trees on the property. Please wear sturdy shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather. $5 Pre-registration suggested. To register or for more information, please contact Betty Orosz at 203.245.0401 or Betty@mercybythesea.org. To register on-line go to www.mercybythesea.org. Glenn D. Dreyer is the Director of the Connecticut College Arboretum in New London, which encompasses all 750 acres of College property. Mr. Dreyer is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Botany at Connecticut College and serves on the Connecticut Urban Forest Council and the Connecticut Tree Protection Examining Board. A hybrid ecologist and horticulturist, his professional interests include the cultivation and ecology of eastern North American native shrubs; vegetation management, the problem of exotic invasive woody plants, and Connecticut big and historic trees. He is the author of the book Connecticut's Notable Trees and co-editor of Greening Connecticut Cities and Towns: Managing Public Trees and Community Forests.

Only One Future: Perspectives on Cosmology and Sustainability

Starts Friday, June 27, 2008 at 07:00 PM Ends Friday, June 27, 2008 at 09:00 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org betty@mercybythesea.org Miriam MacGillis - Friday lecture and Saturday Day of Reflection Drawing from the writings of geologian Thomas Berry and cosmologist Brian Swimme, Miriam will open perspectives from "deep time" into the seamless fabric of our planet's origin in the stars, and the intricacy of the memory woven into the DNA of the one single community of life.  The unity of the whole provides the perspectives for our generation to re-vision itself in a new identity and purposefulness. Friday night's lecture will provide an overview of this perspective with a sense of direction for ending the ecological, and social devastation of our times. Saturday's Day of Reflection on the same themes will provide more resources for the inner and outer transformation to which we are called. Miriam Therese MacGillis, OP, lives and works at Genesis Farm, which seeks to educate people of good will to learn more authentic ways to live in harmony with the natural world and each other. She has conducted workshops in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. In 2005, Miriam was presented with the Thomas Berry Award by the Center for Life and the Environment, and in 2007 was named among the planet's top 15 green religious leaders by Grist magazine. Friday, June 27, 7pm, $10 Saturday, June 28, 9:30 - 4pm, $65 (includes lunch) Please note, no lodging available Pre-registration suggested

Luscious Lavender

Starts Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 09:30 AM Ends Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 02:00 PM 167 Neck Road P. O. Box 191 Madison, CT 06443 203.245.0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org betty@mercybythesea.org With Cynthia Kazmirsky Explore the wonderfully fragrant, medicinal, decorative, calming, culinary and luscious properties of lavender. We will wander among the blooming lavender on the Mercy Center landscape and gather the blooms to create gifts of the season. Come see, smell, taste, and feel the wonderful delights of this luscious plant. Materials fee of $3 paid to instructor. Program includes lunch. $40 ($35 Friends) Program includes lunch. Pre-registration suggested. Please contact Betty Orosz at 203.245.0401 or betty@mercybythesea.org. To register on-line, go to www.mercybythesea.org. Cynthia Kazmirsky has played in the woods and swamps and honored the plants and nature since childhood. A child of Slovak farmers, she became aware of the healing spirit of plants and herbal medicines. She has studied with Tom Brown, Jr., attended the Tracker School and herbal studies with Gail Ulrich and Rosemary Gladstar. She now lives in the woods of south central Connecticut and caretakes the land that owns her.

Madison Farmers Market

Starts Friday, May 2, 2008 at 03:00 PM Ends Friday, October 24, 2008 at 06:00 PM Town Green 26 Meetinghouse Road Madison, CT 06443 madisonfarmersmarket@gmail.com The Madison Farmers' Market was established in 2007, commencing May 2nd and every Friday from 3-6 through October 24th. This beautiful and diverse market is centrally located in Madison, CT, on the Historic Town Green. The farmers/vendors who make up this bustling market offer a wide array of CT Grown/produced items, which are beautifully presented. To enhance your market experience there is live music weekly, which has been carefully selected to add to the festive market mood. We proudly present the following farm-fresh vendors: Dondero Orchards of Glastonbury with farm fresh produce, Robert Guzzo of RCG Fisheries offering fresh caught seafood and shellfish, Michele's Pies for yummy baked goods, Starlight Gardens with Organic Micro Greens and Tomatoes, Staehly Farms with fresh produce, Wave Hill Bakers with delicious breads, Windham Gardens with gorgeous flowers and early corn, Highland Thistle Farm with a beautiful array of certified naturally grown produce and eggs, New Gate Farm with a wide variety of farm fresh produce, berries, corn, delicious pies and baked goods; Sankow's Beaver Brook Farm with wholesome dairy, cheese, fresh yogurt and pesto; Sunflower Farm with beautiful perennials, herb plants, farm made herbal and milk soaps, body products, organic local honey and more; Four Mile River Farm with natural meats, steaks, hamburgers, nitrate free hotdogs, kielbasa and more; Barberry Farm with cut flowers, vegetables, wool, free-range eggs, potted plants, and orchard fruits.

Fair Earth Bazaar

Starts Friday, November 7, 2008 at 09:00 AM Ends Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 03:00 PM Mercy Center at Madison 167 Neck Road Madison, CT 06443 203 245 0401 http://www.mercybythesea.org krista@mercybythesea.org New England's largest Fair Trade marketplace, the 3rd Annual Fair Earth Bazaar, will be held November 7-9, 2008, at Mercy Center in Madison, offering thousands of unique, beautiful and reasonably priced items--jewelry, accessories, baskets, clothing, home goods, food and much more. Handcrafted by artisans in dozens of developing nations in Africa, the Pacific Rim, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, all items will be Fair Trade, ensuring that workers enjoy fair wages and fair working conditions. Fair Trade efforts around the world link more than a million small-scale farmers and artisans with access to global markets, thereby empowering them to financially support their families and create thriving local communities. An estimated two-thirds of Fair Trade artisans are women, often the sole wage earners for their families. Come and shop the world at Mercy Center. Hours for the Fair Earth Bazaar are Friday, November 7, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 8, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, November 9, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Admission is free and the event is indoors, so come rain or shine. For more details, call 203-245-0401 or visit www.mercybythesea.org.