Bartlett's Farmers' Market: Bumpy Start

The Bartlett is a gorgeous spot for a farmers' market, but they've got some kinks to work out. As it opened at 10, there was very little parking up close, so cars had to turn around and park somewhere else. I don't know where, because my friend did a U-turn and drove over a curb to get us the last good spot. We walked down, trailing people carrying their reusable bags... and there were only four tents. The FM was tiny. Then... a dog ran out of the woods and ate three pies off the pie stand!

Of course, the only people there at 10:10 were oldish people and youngish moms, but one brave lady stepped forward to at least get the aluminum plate out of the rascal's mouth. Then, his harried owner emerged from the forest and dragged him away as we all scowled at her.

I had to leave at 10:20, and there was at least one more stand setting up as I left, so maybe the teensy market got bigger. However, on my previous post, Irene commented today, "They've got to work on the Farmers Market, I don't think they expected the crowd that showed up: I was there at 10:30, parking was at a premium, and some vegetables were already sold out."

The market has great potential. I am optimistic that the Bartlett will use this as a learning experience, and that with the enthusiastic crowd as motivation, more sellers will come. There was a big crowd and the Bartlett is gorgeous. There was only one produce area spread out under two tents, so I'd have to say it was... 1/8 the size of the Saturday market on Bedford? However, what the Bartlett did have looked good. There were nice-smelling candles for 10 bucks, honey from the Bartlett and robust vegetables. I only bought a pie, so I can't comment on how reasonable the veggie prices were. Were there any fruits there? I don't recall seeing any.

Check out my pics of the market on flickr. Evvvvvvvvvvvveryone was toting their reusable bags!

I, as usual, forgot mine.

Bartlett Likes 10am; I Don't

Bartlett, why does your farmers' market start at 10am? That is way too late.

And, why does your classical music on Sundays start at 10am? That is way too early. Still, I'll check it out to see who is out for classical music in the morning.

There's a nice feature on the Barlett Arboretum and Gardens in the Advocate. (Note: I reposted their article on my resource site so you can see it after the Advocate rips it off their site in two weeks- yes, I am so very bitter about that.) We're lucky to have places like this in our city and I feel bad I don't take more advantage of the Bartlett's cool stuff, like their clinic where you can bring in your plants and get advice. I'm totally psyched for the farmer's market today. It looks like it should be good lighting for pictures.

For real, 10am for a farmer's market? Why not 8 or even 9? Anybody with a regular 9-5 job can't make a 10am time. I'm a teacher so I have summers off, so for this blissful 2 months, I get to see the outside world and re-learn what adults do during the day. (It looks like they eat, shop, and go to work.) Not being with kids is unbelievably wonderful. I can curse up a storm during the day, say what I actually think, etc. I feel so free. I'm bordering on euphoric.

Don't get me wrong; I could not have a better teaching job. My students rock and my co-workers are some of my best friends. But having to be a goody two-shoes all day kills me. If I have to tell one more kid to stop running in the hallways... actually, now I just stick my arm out and clothesline them. Why should I waste my breath telling them a rule they already know? Nope. You better watch yourself on my end of the hall.

See, this is why it's important for teachers to have the summers off. Things would get ugly if we didn't. I have, no joke, the patience of a saint, and if I tell you we need summers off, we need summers off. Even a month is fine if you want to get all anal and jealous and begrudging about it.

Lest you think my clothesline move is cruel, running is dangerous. The poor kids are late to class, so they run, but they don't know how to run carefully. They smash into each other, and sometimes, teachers, who aren't as resilient as children. One teacher got badly hurt by a kid, and another time, a pregnant teacher almost got run down by a boy who was bigger than her. And my clothesline move is done early, so they usually see my arm, and slow down. What's funny is when they either try to limbo under my arm or veer around it. Then I have to use my voice.

New Farmers' Market in North Stamford

I don't mean to be a b!&@h, but isn't it a little exclusive to have a farmers' market that people have to drive to? Now that I've gotten that negativity out, the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens are having their first farmers' market this Wednesday July 9 from 10-2.

I'll certainly check this place out; the market sounds great. I'm just saying, it's not conveniently located like the Saturday market on Bedford St. and that limits who can go to it. However, I don't deny that the Bartlett, a beautiful park, will be a more pleasant location than busy, belching Bedford... if you happen to be free in the middle of the day on a Wednesday.

I question the timing of that, but maybe local restaurants will buy produce there. I bet most people there will be women with young children, but I could be wrong.

The photo in this post is of a picnic a friend and I had at the Bartlett last August. The place is beautiful and not very far past the Merritt off High Ridge. The Bartlett's market will run until Oct. 1. You can read more about it in this Stamford Times article.

Weekend Planning: Yours, with the Fairfield Weekly

I tell ya, the Fairfield Weekly is where you need to go to plan your weekend. It's the most efficient way to find great events and the best resource for the local music scene.

I check the Weekly every Thursday. During the dark days when I first lived in Stamford, it was my lifeline to music, culture and creativity- the young kind. The FW led me to Green's, which led me to good music and all sorts of other things that are better off forgotten.

Scroll down a little bit to the "Leisure" tab on the right-hand side, and click on "7 Days: The Week That Is." The feature lists the top entertainment choice for each day of the week, which might be a lecture, concert, art show, or... any type of event you can think of that is legal. The wide variety of events means that you aren't only reading about things that cost 50 bucks, like tickets to shows at SCA.

Singer Songwriters in Greenwich!

Cooooolio.
Thataway, I am impressed.
One of the reasons I started Stamford Talk was my dismay at the lack of local music. Well, Thataway Cafe's Songwriter's Den is not in Stamford, but Greenwich Avenue is close enough. Every Thursday the restaurant has a singer/songwriter perform at 8:30. From the website, it doesn't look like it's the 'one depressing person with a guitar' type of music. The Fairfield Weekly featured tonight's songwriter in their weekly event roundup, and it sounds awesome.

Here's text from Thataway's site. Thataway, you rock, and your food is pretty well-priced. And, your burgers are good. And, I like your waitstaff.

The Songwriter's Den is a new music venue happening every Thursday Night at Thataway Cafe in Greenwich, CT. A home for Singer/ Songwriter's where they can present their own original material in a warm artist friendly setting.

Since its inception in November of 2006 it has been gaining momentum with strong performances and some of the best singer songwriter's on the circuit.

Come on by to Thataway Cafe located at 409 Greenwich Ave on a Thursday night. Have a dinner and enjoy a night of great music!

Performing Artist Schedule: April-June

* 4.03.08
Marc Douglas Berardo with Teresa Storch and Chuck E Costa
* 4.10.08
John Cain and Joe Meo
* 4.17.08
Marc Von Em and KJ Denhert
* 4.24.08
Jay Mankita and Artie Tobia
* 5.01.08
Songwriter's Den Montgomery Delaney and Rick Snyder
* 5.22.08
Trina Hamlin
* 5.23.08 - (Saturday night)
John Cain and The Blues Buster's with "Young Blood" RJ.
* 5.29.08
Jenny Goodspeed
* 6.23.08
Blues Busters

I probably can't go because it's the season premiere of Battlestar Galactica, but I haven't finished season 3, so you never know what will happen in my household tonight. I know Battlestar Galactica sounds dorky, but if I like it, it has to be OK, because I hate everything. BG is kind of like Lost, because so far we only know who a few of the cylons are, so the suspense is, who are the other cylons posing as humans?

Related Stamford Talk posts:
--Cold Stamford: No Love for the Music?- September 3, 2007

--Mystery, Power: Stamford and the Island of Lost- March 4, 2008

Trivia at Tigin: Stamford’s Hot Tuesday Ticket

Pub trivia has the virtue of pairing drinking with a somewhat cerebral activity: answering random questions like “which movie beat out Flight of the Hookiepoo in 1938 for Best Film in the Academy Awards.”

I really like the atmosphere of Tigin’s Trivia. Before round one, people run around finding a spot for their team and doing some pre-game trivia trash talking. Some people take that time to ask strangers if they can join their team. Usually people say yes, so gussy yourself up and go make some friends. I did that a few weeks ago and I have this fabulous Nigerian Pancakes team photo to show for it. I’m not in the photo, because I have to maintain my anonymity so Stamford Talk is not vulnerable to outside influences like bribery and blackmail.

During the rounds, of which there are 7, moderators read questions over the loudspeaker. Groups of young adults and middle-aged people, maybe 60 % men, huddle around tables scribbling answers in the booklets. Some rounds are easier than others. The pirate round was a low point for my team, and the "what novels are these first lines from" kicked my English major butt.

A couple people were taken aback that this wasn’t electronic trivia and thought pencil-paper trivia was inefficient and too open to eavesdropping and cheating. Free WiFi on Bedford St.! I agree it’s inefficient, but it’s fun to run your answer sheet upstairs to the graders. You only get 5 minutes after the questions are read to answer them, so it feels like a leg of Amazing Race as you sweep by the other competitors to make sure you’re in line to hand in your sheet in a timely fashion. Don’t worry about cheating. Teams are seated close to each other, and cell phones aren’t allowed out. I’ve seen a hand-held device out once or twice, but those people were looked like they were just texting.

Caveat for the prim and proper: every trivia team picks a name, and some names are beyond sexually suggestive. I’m actually surprised that a public establishment would broadcast them loud and clear, but I love the fact that we have a safe place to be obscene in a good-natured way. I’m sure the moderators have the good sense to censor anything really bad. They clearly relish reading out team scores after each round, and the whole pub gets a good chuckle at the most ridiculous names.

If you want to try Trivia at Tigin soon, I’d go this Tuesday the 11th rather than next Tuesday the 18th. That’s the day after St. Patty’s Day, and I can’t even imagine what the place is going to look like. Head over at 7pm to get a good spot for the 8:30 start time. The place has been jam-packed all three times I've competed.

Related Stamford Talk post:
August 29, 2007: It's Easy to Meet People on Tuesday

Stamford Events Feb. 14-18: Movies!

Happy Valentine's Day, I've got strep! No romantic dinner for me, but report back if you go somewhere nice. I'm not bitter.

Entertainment suggestions this weekend and next week:
Today, Thursday: If you're single, go to SBC Brewery on Summer St. for some Valentine's Day karaoke. Why the hell not? Or, go there after your V-Day dinner. I called them; karaoke is on. TiVo Lost and go out tonight.
Saturday: Two fun Oscar-nominated films at the Avon. I'm going to both. Sweeney Todd at 9:30a.m. and Into The Wild at 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday the 20th is a big day in Stamford. We have the eclipse at 8pm at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center. We also have the Academy Nominated Shorts Program at 6:15pm at the Avon. Animated Shorts are at 6:15 p.m. and Live Action Shorts are at 8 p.m. I am so going to that.

More from this weekend:
There’s a play at Stamford Theatre Works that I’ve heard good things about. It plays through Feb. 17. It’s a mystery/drama called Bee-Luther-Hatchee Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; matinees Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets $25 -$43.

Not in Stamford:
Friday Feb. 15: Regina A. Quick Center, Fairfield University, Fairfield. 254-4010.: "Mardi Gras Celebration" with singer/pianist Marcia Ball and Grammy-winning BeauSoleil, Avec Michael Doucet; 8 p.m.; $35, $40.

Sunday Feb. 17: Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Ave., Ridgefield. 438-5795.. Buckwheat Zydeco 8 p.m., $58.

For a full account of this weekend’s and early next week’s events, check out my google calendar or visit the Stamford Times or Advocate. Enjoy, have fun, enjoy our sparkling city. If it’s nice, walk down Bedford, probably the prettiest city-scene in Stamford.

The Stamford Times has Stamford highlights and the Fairfield County Calendar. It also has a list of some of the library's events.

I'm not giving you the Advocate's link, because if you go to the site, you will never find the events calendar. Go ahead. You go look. Don't look under "entertainment" or "calendar." It's not there. I actually called the Advocate last summer to ask where the calendar is, and I was informed I'd find it if I typed in "weekend happenings" in their search form. Oh, how intuitive. Who wouldn't guess they should try that? Hm... how about you just give me a link that says "Weekend events?" Rrrrr!

Ahhhhhhhrrrrrrrrr! I just went back to the Advocate to give it one more chance, thinking, "maybe it's under this other calendar tab..." No. No, it's not. I don't mean to complain, but affronts to basic organization and communication principles bother me.

Stamford Calendar of Events

I'm continuing to keep the calendar to the right updated, culling through local websites so you don't have to! I don't put every single event up, just the ones I find appealing or ones I think will appeal to many people. If you think I have missed something, please email stamfordtalk at gmail.

I don't include meetup.com events on my Stamford calendar, but that's really where you should go if you are looking for fun activities in Stamford!

I don't have ongoing events listed, like Tuesday's Trivia at Tigin, because I don't want to jam up the calendar. I'm debating making a separate calendar for ongoing events, but for now, I'll add the Trivia to the Events calendar since it's the only ongoing activity besides karaoke that's worth going to on a weeknight.
Online sources I use are the Stamford Times, Stamford Advocate, Fairfield Weekly, Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Avon Theatre, Yahoo events, um.... I think that's it!