Ridgefield, CT | HamletHub

Stories

Mar 27, 2025

RHS Music Program performs in New Orleans!

The recent RHS music trip to New Orleans was an unforgettable experience filled with musical enrichment, cultural exploration, and thrilling excursions. Over the course of five days, students from the band, orchestra, and choir programs had the opportunity to showcase their talents, learn from esteemed professionals, and immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of one of America’s most musically significant cities. Senior jazz saxophonist Maxwell Crook says, “Visiting a city where music is a way of life was life-changing for a small-town aspiring musician like me. New Orleans gave me purpose and confidence, showing me where I belong. This legendary trip and the music in its streets will stay with me forever.” One of the highlights of the trip was the educational clinics at Loyola University on Friday. Each ensemble participated in a workshop led by university professors who provided valuable feedback on their spring performance repertoire. These sessions not only helped refine the students’ technical skills but also deepened their understanding of musical interpretation and expression. Choir Director Lauren Verney-Fink says “The clinic was my favorite part of the trip. Professor Duncan knew exactly what to say to motivate the students and improve our group sound. I was very proud of how the choir was able to immediately adjust their singing based on what she was suggesting.” The Jazz Band and Concert Choir had the opportunity to perform at the Jean Lafitte Jazz National Historical Park. This unique venue, dedicated to preserving New Orleans' rich jazz heritage, provided an authentic setting for students to share their music. Performing in such a historically significant place was both an honor and an inspiration for these young musicians. Band Director George Beratis says, “Performing at the Jazz National Historical Park was one of the best experiences in my career as a professional jazz musician and a teacher. This venue is there to preserve, support and to educate all on America’s music that was formed in the streets of New Orleans, and now the RHS jazz band is a thread in the history of the jazz park. It was inspiring to see tourists hear the music from the street and come in to listen to our band perform. This trip had magic, and this certainly was one of the peak moments.” The students explored the French Quarter, the heart and soul of New Orleans. The sights, smells, and sounds were incredible.  The students enjoyed strolling through the historic district, taking in the iconic architecture, food, shopping, street performances, and vibrant atmosphere.  And of course…beignets!  Some students even found a crawfish boil. Saturday began with a visit to (and performance at) the World War II Museum, deepening students’ appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who came before them. After the museum visit, the students embarked on an airboat ride through the Louisiana swamps, where they spotted alligators and experienced the beauty of the bayou. The weather was sublime!  The day concluded with a Cajun-style dinner at the Bayou Barn, complete with a dance party. Students got to let loose and celebrate their incredible journey together, and even the teachers got in the dance circle! RHS Orchestra Director and VPA Department Chair Mike McNamara says “The performances and clinics were incredible experiences in themselves as they provided great value to the kids’ music education.  But to see them bonding, forging new friendships and deepening old ones, and coming together as a music community literally made me teary.  The Bayou Barn dinner and dance party was when I kept saying to myself ‘This is what it’s all about.’” Sunday’s activities centered around Mardi Gras, one of New Orleans’ most famous traditions. Students visited Mardi Gras World, where they had the opportunity to design their own Mardi Gras masks and learn about the history and artistry behind the city’s legendary parade. A guided tour through Mardi Gras World gave them a behind-the-scenes look at how the floats are crafted. After another afternoon exploring the French Quarter, the trip concluded with a magical dinner and cruise aboard the Steamboat Natchez. The students enjoyed a delicious meal while soaking in the views of the Mississippi River, all while being serenaded by a live jazz band on deck, which ended its set (and our weekend) with “When The Saints Go Marching In.”  It was a perfect ending to a perfect trip.

Mar 27, 2025

Few Words: A Dance Cycle at A.C.T. of CT – A Profound Journey Beyond Language

Some performances entertain. Others move you. And then there are those rare, transformative works that stay with you long after the final curtain falls. Few Words: A Dance Cycle is one of those productions. For one week only, from March 26–30, A.C.T. of CT invites audiences to experience a breathtaking, emotional journey told not through dialogue, but through the language of movement and music.Conceived and directed by A.C.T. of CT’s visionary Artistic Director, Daniel C. Levine, Few Words: A Dance Cycle is unlike anything the theater has produced before. Inspired by the evocative compositions of A.C.T.’s Resident Music Supervisor, Bryan Perri, this original work explores the depths of human connection, resilience, and love—without a single spoken word.Levine, deeply moved by Perri’s newly released album Few Words, saw in its melodies the potential for something greater—stories yearning to be told through dance. And so, he created a piece that captures moments of joy, heartbreak, and understanding in their purest form. Collaborating with four renowned choreographers—Jennifer Archibald, Sara Brians, Ellenore Scott, and Maleek Washington—Levine brought to life four distinct yet thematically intertwined narratives, each revealing the power of communication beyond language.The stories unfold like vignettes, each one a testament to the human experience:<ul><li>The Legend of the Nun of Monna Tessa (choreographed by Sara Brians) – A poignant love story set in Tuscany, where devotion transcends time and fate.</li><li>Jane Goodall & David Greybeard: A Landmark Encounter (choreographed by Jennifer Archibald) – The groundbreaking connection between a scientist and a chimpanzee that forever changed our understanding of communication and empathy.</li><li>Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (choreographed by Maleek Washington) – A deeply emotional exploration of love, identity, and the silence imposed by policy.</li><li>The Story of Marta C. González: The Prima Ballerina with Alzheimer’s Disease (choreographed by Ellenore Scott) – A stirring tribute to the enduring power of memory, music, and dance.</li></ul>With a full orchestra of 13 musicians performing live on stage, their presence subtly woven into the visual tapestry of the production, the result is a symbiotic masterpiece—music and movement intertwined in perfect harmony. The musicians appear behind the dancers, bathed in a soft, flickering glow, creating a sense of intimacy that amplifies the emotional resonance of each performance.Levine’s passion for dance and storytelling stems from his own Broadway career and a lifelong admiration for dancers—the unsung heroes of the stage. “Dancers are the hardest-working, most collaborative artists out there,” Levine shares. “They create magic with their bodies, expressing emotions words cannot. That’s what drew me in—the idea of telling stories with few words, using only our bodies, our energy, our intention.”What makes Few Words: A Dance Cycle so profoundly moving is its ability to speak directly to the heart. Whether it’s the tender love story unfolding in a Tuscan monastery, the silent plea for acceptance and identity, the undeniable connection between human and animal, or the prima ballerina awakened by music, each piece resonates on a level that words could never reach.A.C.T. of CT is known for its Broadway-caliber productions, and Few Words is no exception. But this piece is also a bold step forward—proof that theater can evolve, challenge, and inspire in new ways. The overwhelming response has led to an additional performance on Sunday, March 30, at 7 PM, giving more audiences the chance to witness this extraordinary work.As the lights dim and the first notes of Perri’s score fill the theater, prepare to be transported. This is more than a performance—it’s an experience, a journey, a revelation. For ninety minutes, words become unnecessary. The language of music and movement takes over, and in that shared silence, we understand everything.Don’t miss your chance to witness Few Words: A Dance Cycle—a groundbreaking work that proves the most profound stories are sometimes told without words at all.Purchase tickets <a href="https://ci.ovationtix.com/36285/production/1200842" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">https://ci.ovationtix.com/36285/production/1200842</a>

Mar 27, 2025

Why Small Businesses Matter: Young's of Ridgefield

<h2>Local Business Champion: <a href="https://www.gotoyoungs.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Young’s of Ridgefield.</a></h2>Dan Rella and Chris Couri share the Young's story with HamletHub.How and where did Young’s begin?The original Young’s Feed Store opened in 1948 on Catoonah Street (where Colonial Cleaners is currently located)  and supplied several types of animal feed to local farmers. The store was a mainstay of the community. In 1978, John Couri, a successful businessman and entrepreneur, purchased Young’s. John had settled in Ridgefield a few years earlier after marrying Elaine Conklin, a local girl with deep family roots in town. How has the business evolved over the years?After Couri took over the business, he expanded it into a Feed & Garden store, selling plants, soil and mulch in addition to animal feed and hay. In 1982, they expanded again, opening a power equipment showroom at 99 Danbury Road (where Young’s is currently located). In 1981, Couri hired Dan Rella to be manager of both the feed store and the power equipment store. In 1984, Young’s Feed & Garden left Catoonah Street and merged with the power equipment operation at the larger location on Danbury Road. There they continued to sell feed and garden supplies alongside John Deere tractors and other equipment. In 1990, an equipment rental arm of the business was added.     Young’s expanded again and became a full-service residential landscaping contractor in 1995. Arnie Nielsen joined the team in 1998, the same year that Chris Couri graduated from Babson College. Chris took the reins of Young’s in 2001 and, with Dan Rella, expanded the business to include estate management and commercial landscaping. In 2010, Young’s was forced to close the Feed & Garden retail store as well as the rental equipment business when John Deere pulled their licensing rights and big-box stores started taking over the garden supply market. Never ones to be discouraged, Young’s pivoted and started selling and installing fences alongside their landscaping services. Since then, Young’s has grown into a full-service fence and landscape business, employing more than 35 employees. The company has been named a “Top Workplace in Fairfield County” by Hearst Media Group in 2023 and 2024. It is a true family environment, with some team members working at Young’s for more than 25 years. Dan Rella and Chris Couri still lead the team today. Do you support any local nonprofits or collaborate with fellow small businesses?Young’s love to support our local nonprofits in any way that we can. In the past few years, we have had the pleasure of supporting Founders Hall, The Ridgefield Theatre Barn, The Lounsbury House, Leir Retreat Center, The Ridgefield Library, The Ridgefield Garden Club, Jesse Lee Church Pumpkin Patch, SPHERE and many of the local PTA’s, sports teams and Scout troops.Learn more about Young’s by visiting their website <a href="https://www.gotoyoungs.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">https://www.gotoyoungs.com/</a> Follow along on social media @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/youngsofridgefield/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">youngsofridgefield</a>Young’s is located at 99 Danbury Road in Ridgefield. HamletHub thanks<a href="http://www.jkinfordbeautygroup.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"> </a><a href="https://www.fairfieldcountybank.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Fairfield County Bank </a>for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!

Mar 27, 2025

The Aldrich Gala in the Garden to Honor Gov. Ned Lamont & Artist Maren Hassinger

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will host its largest annual fundraiser, Aldrich Gala in the Garden, on Saturday, April 26, at 6 PM in the Museum’s newly renovated Sculpture Garden. This year’s event honors Governor Ned Lamont and the State of Connecticut, along with artist Maren Hassinger. The Gala raises crucial support for The Aldrich’s mission of presenting and commissioning the work of emerging and underrecognized artists.For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit <a href="https://thealdrich.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://thealdrich.org/</a>.This year’s Gala will be the first held in the Museum’s Sculpture Garden following its recent revitalization. The evening will feature cocktails at the Museum, followed by dinner, a live auction, and a special performance. Actress and singer Renée Elise Goldsberry and actor/production designer Christopher and Sherman Meloni will serve as honorary co-chairs.This year, The Aldrich celebrates Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and the State of Connecticut in recognition of their recent support for the Museum’s Sculpture Garden renovation project. Governor Lamont has been an ardent supporter of the arts, working to secure funding for arts organizations across Connecticut and recognizing the importance of these institutions in connecting communities and supporting tourism. Under his leadership, Connecticut has prioritized funding for the Connecticut Office of the Arts and established the state’s cultural district designation, which was awarded to Ridgefield in 2021.The Museum will also honor artist Maren Hassinger, whose work is currently on view in the Sculpture Garden as part of the exhibition A Garden of Promise and Dissent. Hassinger’s five-decade career spans sculpture, film, dance, performance, and public art, exploring the relationship between the natural world and industrial materials. Her work is included in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hirshhorn Museum (Washington, D.C.), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others.Photo: Claudio Papapietro

Mar 27, 2025

Ridgefield Weekend Roundup: Few Words, Doo Wop, Rockin' for Connor, and More

Editor's note: the image you see here, courtesy of A.C.T. of CT is from the theater's powerful production: Few Words, A Dance CycleFriday, March 28<a href="https://www.hamlethub.com/ridgefield-connecticut/empower--elevate-mastering-business-balance-and-brilliance" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Ridgefield Chamber’s Women’s Forum</a><a href="https://www.hamlethub.com/ridgefield-connecticut/rockin-for-connor-at-ridgefield-theater-barn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Rockin’ for Connor at Ridgefield Theater Barn</a><a href="https://www.actofct.org/few-words-a-dance-cycle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Few Words - A Dance Cycle at A.C.T. of CT</a>Saturday, March 29<a href="https://www.hamlethub.com/ridgefield-connecticut/the-doo-wop-project" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">The Doo Wop Project at The Ridgefield Playhouse</a><a href="https://www.actofct.org/few-words-a-dance-cycle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Few Words - A Dance Cycle at A.C.T. of CT</a><a href="https://www.hamlethub.com/ridgefield-connecticut/danbury-hat-tricks-present-karen-connor-runs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Hat Tricks Present: Karen Connors Runs</a>Sunday, March 30<a href="https://www.hamlethub.com/ridgefield-connecticut/author-talk-with-janet-ettele---how-joyous-effort-works" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Author Talk with Janet Ettele at Ridgefield Library</a><a href="https://www.hamlethub.com/ridgefield-connecticut/sunday-afternoon-tour-at-the-aldrich-1743028150733" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Sunday Afternoon Tour at The Aldrich</a><a href="https://www.hamlethub.com/ridgefield-connecticut/al-di-meola" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Al Di Meola at Ridgefield Playhouse</a><a href="https://www.actofct.org/few-words-a-dance-cycle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Few Words - A Dance Cycle at A.C.T. of CT</a>

Mar 27, 2025

Film Screening and Talkback at KTM&HC on April 24

Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s (KTM&HC) Revolutionary Perspectives series continues this April - National Fair Housing Month - with a free film screening and panel discussion about the historical context and present-day impacts of Connecticut's housing crisis. Join us in KTM&HC’s Garden House on Thursday, April 24 at 6:30pm! The evening begins with a screening of CT Public's Fighting for Home: How Housing Policy Keeps Connecticut Segregated. The hour-long special, which originally aired in June 2024, explores how the legacy of exclusionary zoning and redlining imposed a painful divide we see today in our state’s current housing crisis. From CT Public: "Our towns and cities are segregated by race and class because of systemic barriers that have persisted over time. Witness the struggle and determination of those fighting for change."The film will be followed by a dynamic conversation between Melissa Kaplan-Macey, the chief initiative officer for the Centers for Housing Opportunity at the Housing Collective, and Rashida Rattray-Reid, education and outreach coordinator at the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. KTM&HC's Revolutionary Perspectives series celebrates innovative approaches to how we discover, interpret, and share American history, with an emphasis on themes of memory and identity. The series is supported by a grant from the Wadsworth R. Lewis Fund. Thank you!For more information, go to <a href="http://www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events</a>. Parking is available onsite at 152 Main Street, Ridgefield.

Mar 26, 2025

Step Inside À Table at The Marketplace: Heat, Serve and Smile!

<h2>Here…at The Marketplace at Copps Hill: <a href="https://www.atableus.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">À Table</a></h2>À Table (pronounced Ah TAH-bluh) means “come to the table.”À Table is prepared foods, imported French goods, homemade pastries and desserts, fresh baked sourdough, homemade pastas, sauces, dressings, chef-driven frozen dinners, homemade sausages, and then some.“Our hope is that we can make it easier to come to their table by just coming here and picking it up. Everything has heat and serve directions and you can have a beautiful meal in 10 minutes that’s fresh,” Chefs Sarah and Bernard say.For more details, visit –<a href="http://www.atableus.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"> www.atableus.com</a> or call: (203) 438-8282