Category Archives: Essex

HOPE Partnership Welcomes the Community to Attend a FRIENDraiser, March 30

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hope

On Wednesday, March 30, HOPE Partnership will be hosting their annual “FRIEND raiser” at the Essex Steam Train’s River Valley Junction Building in Essex, Conn.  This event will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. with a cocktail hour, complete with appetizers, beer and wine and is free to all who wish to attend.

HOPE is inviting all interested members of the community to come together and learn about HOPE’s mission to develop affordable housing options along the shoreline.  Executive Director, Lauren Ashe noted that, ”The issue of the need for affordable housing is often surrounded by myths, which we work to dispel.  Residents in need of affordable housing may be working full time but unable to make ends meet for their family or they may be young adults who wish to stay or return to the area where they grew up.   This evening is about friendship, partnership and educating the community while enjoying a glass of wine and refreshments at an amazing venue”.

Anyone interested in attending can RSVP to Loretta@HOPE-CT.org or by calling 860-388-9513.

Founded in April 2004, HOPE Partnership is a non-profit organization committed to advocating and developing affordable housing opportunities to support families living and working in southern Middlesex County and surrounding towns.  HOPE’s purpose is to advocate for and create high-quality rental housing targeted to people earning between 50 and 80 percent of the local median income.

Enjoy the ‘Essex go Bragh’ Irish Parade Today

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The 5th Annual Essex go Bragh Parade will be held March 12.

The 5th Annual Essex go Bragh Parade will be held March 12.

ESSEX – Many local organizations, led by Grand Marshal Augie Pampel, will be celebrating “All Things Green” at the Fifth Annual Essex go Bragh Irish Parade, on Saturday, March 12.

Mary Ellen Barnes, Park and Recreation Director, said, “Every parade needs a Grand Marshal, and the Essex go Bragh Parade is no exception! We have had some tremendously distinguished individuals serving that honored position in the past. Last year Essex Park and Recreation Commission was proud to announce that Augie Pampel would serve as 2015 Grand Marshal. However, thanks to a couple of mid-March snow storms, our parade was canceled and Mr. Pampel could not serve. We are hoping that with a little Irish Luck on March 12, 2016, the parade will return with Augie leading the way!”

Barnes continued, “Mr. Pampel has been living and contributing to the Essex community for many years. He has worked tirelessly as the Town of Essex Tree Warden since 1994. He is a proud member of the Essex Garden Club and was instrumental in securing Keep America Beautiful Grants, used for tree restoration throughout the three villages. We are tremendously honored by Augie Pampel’s participation in our 5th Annual Essex go Brag Parade as Grand Marshal.”

The parade steps off from Essex Town Hall at 10:30 a.m. The parade route is down West Avenue to Main Street, turning onto Ferry Street. Marching groups must arrive by 10 a.m. For more information about participating in the parade, contact Mary Ellen Barnes at 860-767-4340 x100 or mbarnes@essexct.gov.

In case of severe weather, the parade will be held on March 13.

Essex Winter Series Presents Patricia Schuman in “Winter Romance” This Afternoon

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Patricia Schuman

Patricia Schuman

Essex Winter Series will present the internationally renowned soprano Patricia Schuman on Sunday, March 6, at 3 p.m. at John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River. In a delightful program entitled “Winter Romance,” featuring music by Romantic-era early twentieth-century composers as well as selections from musical theater, Ms. Schuman will be joined by pianist Douglas Dickson and harpist Megan Sesma for the performance.

Ms. Schuman has appeared at the most distinguished opera houses throughout Europe and the United States, including the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, La Scala, the Salzburg Festival, and the Metropolitan Opera among many, many others. She has performed frequently on the Essex Winter Series, often with her husband, bass David Pittsinger, and is an audience favorite.

“Winter Romance” includes music for soprano and piano by three Spanish composers – Manuel de Falla, Reveriano Soutullo and Geronimo Gimenez – as well as three songs by Sergei Rachmaninoff and music by Antonin Dvorak. The harp will be featured in three songs by English composer Benjamin Britten.

A special guest artist, also known for a brilliant operatic career, but whose identity will not be revealed until the performance, will sing opera duets by Offenbach and Delibes with Patricia Schuman.

“I decided on the theme of ‘Winter Romance’ for this program,” says Patricia Schuman, “because I feel that after the gray, silent days of winter, one needs the lush romanticism of Rachmaninoff and Dvorak, as well as the passion of de Falla. I added the Britten pieces as a contrast, since they are yin and yang, brittle and poignant at the same time.”

She continues, “Much of the music I selected is based on the folk music of the country from which it comes. De Falla has Spanish dances as the format for his seven popular songs; Britten arranges Irish popular melodies by Thomas Moore into soulful ballads. The Rachmaninoff and Dvorak are simply gorgeous romantic songs. Interspersed with the songs are some arias and operatic duets with my ‘special surprise guest.’ I think it will be an inhalation of passion fruit after the bare landscape of winter.”

The March 6 concert is co-sponsored by Essex Savings Bank. The piano sponsor is Essex Meadows.

Tickets, all general admission, are $35 ($5 for students) and may be purchased online at www.essexwinterseries.com or by phone at 860-272-4572.

Essex Wellness Center Offers Free Presentation on Pain Management, Feb. 27

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Essex Wellness Center

Essex Wellness Center

Essex Wellness Center presents a “Live Well 2016!” lecture series throughout the winter and spring of 2016. The series features free 90-minute (60-minute lecture plus 30-minute Q & A) educational lectures presented by various Essex Wellness Center holistic professionals. All lectures will be held at the Essex Wellness Center Group Space upstairs at 8 Novelty Lane in Essex Village — parking is in the lot and on Main Street. Pre-registration* is required because space is limited.

The final “Live Well 2016″ lecture in February is scheduled as follows:

Lecture No. 6: Feb. 27 1:30 p.m.

Title and Topic: “Stop the Suffering! Pain Management with Acupuncture”

Pain. So many of us suffer with it. So many of us have tried everything it seems to Make. It. Stop. This lecture will educate us about acupuncture, why, after thousands of years, it continues to be such a powerful treatment for so many conditions, and how it can help us – naturally! Alicia DeMartin successfully treats many individuals who come to her seeking relief from:

Orthopedic pain including:
Sports injuries
Musculoskeletal pain
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Post orthopedic surgery recovery and pain management
Joint replacements

Joint pain including:
Low back pain
Shoulder pain
Knee pain
Foot pain
Ankle pain
Neck pain
Wrist pain
TMJ pain

Pain conditions including:
Migraine headaches
Headaches
Abdominal pain
Pelvic and menstrual pain

REGISTER EARLY TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT — this lecture is already filling up!

Presented by: Alicia DeMartin, MSOM, LAc

Date and Time: Saturday, February 27, 2016 1:30pm-3:00pm

Alicia DeMartin Acupuncturist

Alicia DeMartin received her BS from The University of Vermont and a MS in Oriental Medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College in Boulder, Colorado. She discovered a passion for emergency medicine and orthopedics working as a Wilderness EMT and ski patroller at Stowe VT after college. Moving out West to pursue her passion for skiing, horses and an active mountain lifestyle, she successfully utilized the services of an acupuncturist to treat her own orthopedic injuries. Intrigued and healed, she decided to go against the grain of her medical family and enroll in graduate school for Oriental medicine.

DeMartin owned a private practice in Vail, Colorado for six years and has nine years of experience specializing in pain management and orthopedics. Alicia loves working with orthopedic conditions, arthritis, injuries, pain of all varieties and post-surgical rehab, especially joint replacements. DeMartin is currently working towards a Doctorate in Chinese medicine orthopedics and traumatology.

*Pre-registration is required to reserve your seat in these limited-space lectures. To register online, visit this link, click on ‘Workshops,’ find the lecture for which you wish to register and click ‘Sign Up.’ To register by email or phone, contact info@essexwellnessctr.com or 860-767-7770.

Essex Winter Series Continues with Jeff Barnhart And His Hot Rhythm, Feb. 21

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Jeff Barnhart

Jeff Barnhart

The 2016 Essex Winter Series (EWS) continues Sunday, Feb. 21, at Valley Regional High School at 3 p.m. with the Stu Ingersoll Jazz Concert featuring Jeff Barnhart and His Hot Rhythm.

The 2016 EWS season, which has been designed by Executive Director Mihae Lee for its quality and variety, promises to be an exciting one, with three very different programs all by world-class artists. Enjoy great chamber music, hot jazz, expressive vocal music, and the thrill of a full orchestra.

All of the concerts are on Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m. in Deep River. Concerts take place at Valley Regional High School, with the exception of the March 6 concert, which will be presented at John Winthrop Middle School. The schedule is as follows:

Feb. 21: Stu Ingersoll Jazz Concert
Jeff Barnhart and His Hot Rhythm
Valley Regional High School

Jeff Barnhart, our jazz artistic advisor, has thrilled EWS audiences for years with his performances of hot jazz. The renowned pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, re­cording artist, composer, educator, and entertainer will perform seminal jazz and pop standards from the first half of the 20th century with a top-notch band: Scott Philbrick on trumpet, banjo, and guitar; Joe Midiri on reeds; Paul Midiri on vibes and trombone; Anne Barnharton flute and vocals; Vince Giordano on bass, tuba, and bass sax; and Jim Lawlor on drums. Co-sponsored by The Clark Group and Tower Laboratories

March 6: Patricia Schuman, soprano
John Winthrop Middle School

We are delighted to welcome back to our stage the internationally-celebrated soprano Patricia Schuman. Her program, “Winter Romance,” will feature songs of love and loss as well as lighter fare from the great Amer­ican songbook and musical theater. She will be joined by harpist Megan Sesma, pianist Douglas Dickson, and a special surprise guest artist. Ms. Schuman has been engaged by the most distinguished opera houses throughout the world, and has collaborated with many of the foremost conductors and directors of our time. Co-sponsored by Essex Savings Bank and an anonymous foundation

April 3: Fenton Brown Emerging Artists Concert
New Haven Symphony Orchestra with violinist Tessa Lark
Valley Regional High School

Now in its 121st year of continuous operation, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra is one of the country’s finest regional orchestras. Returning to our series, the orchestra under music director William Boughton will perform Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Haydn’s “London” Symphony, and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, featuring our 2016 Emerging Artist, Tessa Lark. Lark won the prestigious Naumburg International Violin Award in 2012, and is one of today’s most sought-after young violinists. Co-sponsored by Guilford Savings Bank and an anonymous foundation

All tickets to Essex Winter Series concerts are general admission. Individual tickets are $35; four-concert subscriptions are $120, which represents a $20 saving over the single-ticket price for four concerts. Tickets may be purchased on the EWS website, www.essexwinterseries.com, or by calling 860-272-4572.

More program information, artist biographies and photos, and much more is available on the Essex Winter Series web site, www.essexwinterseries.com.