News from Yale Peabody Museum . . .

Disease Detectives

Parents and grandparents are finding it hard to drag their kids away from the new "Disease Detectives" exhibition on view at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven through Jan. 31, 2010. Visitors meet Marcus, Adam and Yolanda, each of whom is sick with a different illness. One has the flu, another food poisoning and the third malaria. Visitors examine the patients--interactive mannequins--by taking their temperature and pulse rate and listening to their heart, lungs and bowels.

By interpreting laboratory tests and diagnosing each disease, visitors learn more about infectious disease transmission and prevention. Different clinical situations highlight the various ways that disease is transmitted. A historical timeline illustrates the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases. Larger-than-life 3D microbes invite visitors to touch, explore and learn more about a disease. And afterward you can play the microbe dance game.

For more information:
Disease Detectives
Yale Peabody Museum

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Be a Yale Peabody Museum Volunteer!

Be a volunteer!

Volunteers are vital to the success of the Yale Peabody Museum…

— if you have skills, background or interests to share, the Museum welcomes you!



For more information contact:
Jennifer Briggs
Volunteer Coordinator
Telephone: (203) 432-3731
Email: peabody.volunteers@yale.edu

Holiday Smiler from Barnum Museum . . .

Celebrate the Season!

9th Annual Holiday Exhibit

Opens the Day after Thanksgiving

at The Barnum Museum

Starting Friday, November 27th, The Barnum Museum galleries will be decorated representing the Victorian Christmas era with the Celebrate the Season displays presented this year by the Downtown Special Services District (DSSD) of Bridgeport.

For the ninth year, the museum, including both the Wheeler and Iranistan period rooms, will be decorated for the Christmas season in styles reflective of the 19th Century. The displays demonstrate how the ideal of Christmas became woven into American tradition. Explore the elaborate historic galleries and delight in the ornaments of the Victorian age, filled with festive decorations and costumes from the museum's collection. From sugared fruits and homemade ornaments, to glass decorations and the earliest electric tree lights, the presentation is a wonderful journey into holidays past.

Celebrate the Season will be on display during regular museum hours at The Barnum Museum through January 10th, 2010.

Celebrate the Season Exhibition Gallery Talks for the Holidays:
Thursday, December 17th 11:00 a.m. - noon
Thursday, December 17th 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

(includes a visual presentation)
Tuesday, December 22nd 11:00 a.m. - noon

This series of gallery talks and lectures will be conducted by Kathleen Maher, Executive Director and Curator of The Barnum Museum. Originally presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Museum's in Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Maher will discuss the innovations of holiday exhibitions at historic museums.

Each talk will chronicle the evolution of the Christmas celebration during the 19th century. Engaging and delightful, she will examine family meals, simple holiday decor and the elaborate décor of the mansions from the Victorian age.

Each talk will be followed by a walk through of the museum galleries showing the recently recreated P.T. Barnum Iranistan Library, representative of how the holiday celebrations began in 1850. The tour guides guests through the five decades of evolution from the Victorian ideals of nostalgia to our modern holiday.

Other holiday programs include:

Saturday, December 5th, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Barnum Holiday Fest
Delight in the spirit of the holidays and join us we celebrate the holiday season with crafts, caroling, hot cocoa and cookies! Create Victorian ornaments, holiday cards, snowflakes and more, or participate in the Gingerbread contest. Join in the events: flyer-pdf

Saturday, December 5th, 5:00 -7:00 p.m. – McLevy Green Tree Lighting
See the annual holiday tree lighting and stroll along the wonderful historic streets of downtown. The museum will be open so you can also enjoy the Celebrate the Season displays.

Tuesday, December 8th, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Holidays with the Mark Twain Family
Patti Philippon, Curator of the Mark Twain House and Museum, will tell us how the Mark Twain family celebrated Christmas at Nook Farm in Hartford. Visitors will hear engaging quotes from Twain, the wonderful tales he told his children and delight in the popular wit from one of America's most important literary figures. Tea, hot chocolate and cookies will warm you holiday spirit.

Tuesday, December 15th, 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. – Reading of Night Before Christmas
Bridgeport’s First Lady, Sonya Finch, will read Clement Clarke Moore's timeless holiday tale, the enchanting Night Before Christmas.

The Barnum Museum has three floors of absolutely fascinating exhibits that illustrate the extraordinary life of Phineas Taylor Barnum. P.T. Barnum, one-term mayor of Bridgeport and four-term member of the Connecticut General Assembly, was born July 5th, 1810 in Bethel and died April 7th, 1891 in Bridgeport. The original museum building, owned by the City of Bridgeport, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is handicap accessible.

What: Celebrate the Season presented by DSSD Bridgeport

When: November 27th, 2009 – January 10th, 2010

Where: The Barnum Museum, 820 Main Street, Bridgeport CT. For more holiday programs and details call (203) 331-1104 or visit www.barnum-museum.org

Cost: Holiday Programs and Gallery Talks are

FREE with General Admission
Adults: $7

Seniors & college students: $5

Children 4 - 17: $4

Under 4: Free

Regular Barnum Museum Hours:

Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, Noon - 4:30 p.m.

The Barnum Museum Special Holiday Hours:
Closed on Thursday, November 26th;

Fridays, December 25th, 2009 and January 1st, 2010.

On Thursdays December 24th and December 31st the museum will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For more information about events at the Barnum Museum, contact (203) 331-1104, ext. 100 or visit www.barnum-museum.org.

Join The Barnum Museum on Facebook.

Cartoon trivia smiler . . .

Today is the birthday of Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000), cartoonist. He is best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip.
Schultz image source (1)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Beetle Bailey in Stamford . . .

Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey and the Beetle Bailey Balloon in the UBS Parade, Stamford, CT.

Mort Walker putting the finishing touches on Beetle Bailey - signal box by Government Center in Stamford, CT.

Miles of Smiles in Stamford . . .

UBS Parade Spectacular
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
12 Noon

One of the largest helium balloon parades in the country, featuring everyone’s favorite giant balloon characters, award winning marching bands and fabulous floats. It is great fun for the whole family.

Stamford's annual holiday balloon parade began sixteen years ago and has become one of the largest events of its kind in the country. Join in the fun with clowns and giant helium balloons floating through Stamford Downtown. Last year it drew over 100,000 people, not only Stamford residents, but also spectators from the surrounding region and even nearby states.


Admission: FREE
For additional info visit SDSSD.

Enjoy some archival footage of the parade:

Smiler from Barnum Museum . . .

The Barnum Museum
participates as a drop off location
for the 20th Annual
St. Luke’s LifeWorks Holiday Gift Collection

Gifts are collected and distributed to more than1,700 children in need.

Drop your holiday toys and gifts at The Barnum Museum 820 Main Street in Bridgeport from now until December 3rd for the 20th Annual St. Lukes LifeWorks Holiday Gift Collection.

St. Luke’s volunteers will wrap and distribute the donated gifts to more than 1,700 children affected by poverty, homeless and Aids. These gifts are often the only presents these children will receive during the holidays. Visit http://www.learnaliving.org/ for other drop off locations, a complete list of the types of toys and gifts accepted for this drive and other ways you may be able to contribute. Giving from the heart ties us all together in this worthwhile cause. For more information call Takeia McAlister at (203) 388-0103.


Holiday Gift Collection Sponsors are Ed McGettigan, the News 96.7 The Coast radio, UBS, Two Men and a Truck, Friends and Children, Downtown Special Services District (DSSD), and Purdue Pharma.

The Barnum Museum has three floors of absolutely fascinating exhibits that illustrate the extraordinary life of Phineas Taylor Barnum.

P. T. Barnum, one-term mayor of Bridgeport and four-term member of the Connecticut General Assembly, was born July 5, 1810 in Bethel and died April 7, 1891 in Bridgeport. The original museum building, owned by the City of Bridgeport is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is handicapped accessible.

For more information contact:

Kathleen Maher
Executive Director/Curator

The Barnum Museum
820 Main Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604

Telephone: (203) 331-1104
Email: kmaher@barnum-museum.org
or visit website: www.barnum-museum.org

Just a reminder . . .

How well is your outdoor furniture holding up?

Cool weather is upon us now and the winter holidays are approaching. Perhaps you are preparing to put away the outdoor furniture until spring, so Patti's Portico would like to ask you, Did you take the time to inspect the furniture before storing it?


Just a reminder: This is the perfect time of the year to get it back in shape. Patti's Portico specializes in outdoor furniture restoration. We make it easy for you, we will pickup, restore and deliver it back to you.


For more info contact us:
Patti's Portico
140 Highland Street
Port Chester, NY 10573

Telephone:
(914) 935-8839
(203) 869-6227

www.pattisportico.net

A Salute to Our Veterans . . .

And a Salute to all those who serve and have served!

Veterans Day Posters
1978 - 2009

Beetle Bailey Smiler . . .

The Beetle Bailey Store is Open!

Be the first to know about product features and specials!
Visit the online store and sign up for the shopping newsletter.
www.cafepress.com/bbailey

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Walk in the past smiler . . .
Classic Beetle Bailey Animation

Watch 23 For Officers Only.mp4 in Animation
View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Smiler from LA Boxing Norwalk . . .

www.facebook.com/LABoxing

See us on: YouTube.com/laboxing
Follow our tweets: twitter.com/LAboxing

Visit us in Norwalk, Connecticut

Stop in for a Free Class!

"You Don’t Have to be a Fighter to Train Like One"

LA Boxing Norwalk
30 Belden Ave. #2
Norwalk, CT 06850
Telephone: (203) 354-3540
www.laboxing.com/norwalk

Weekend Smilers . . .

Fall 2009
Open Studios Weekend!
Loft Artists Association

Friday, November 6th, 2009
6 PM - 9 PM
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
noon - 6 PM
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
noon - 6 PM

Join in on Friday night for live music, food and drinks with two floors of art - return on Saturday and Sunday for a leisure tour of the studios and meet the artists.




Loft Artists Association
845 Canal Street
Stamford, CT 06902

Telephone:
Loft Artist Association Gallery: (203) 323-4153

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Greenwich Library
101 West Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
www.greenwichlibrary.org

Friends Lending Art Reception
in Foyer at 7 PM
followed by Friends Friday Film
Sketches of Frank Gehry

November 6th, 2009
8PM - 10PM

Sketches of Frank Gehry
(2006)

The auditorium will open at 7 PM with the opening of the Friends Lending Art Collection. Snacks will be available.

The film will begin at 8 PM.

Directed by Sydney Pollack.
With architect Frank Gehry.

A candid and personal look at the architect by his friend and filmmaker Pollack. Filmed at home and in the spaces he created.

The film includes interviews with other noted figures, including the following:

* Charles Arnoldi
* Barry Diller
* Michael Eisner
* Hal Foster
* Bob Geldof
* Dennis Hopper
* Charles Jencks
* Philip Johnson
* Thomas Krens (former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum)
* Herbert Muschamp
* Michael Ovitz
* Robert Rauschenberg
* Edward Ruscha
* Esa-Pekka Salonen
* Julian Schnabel
* Dr Milton Wexler (Gehry's therapist)

Delightfully entertaining.

Also features architect Philip Johnson and actor Dennis Hopper.
83 min.



Admission to the Friends Friday Films is FREE
The series is made available by the Friends membership contributions
Show time is 8 PM

Greenwich Library
Cole Auditorium
Contact: Wayne Campbell
Telephone: (203) 622-7922

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Brookfield Museum and Historical Society
presents
Festival of Crafts Fair
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
9 AM - 4 PM

The Brookfield Museum and Historical Society sponsors its 18th Annual Festival of Crafts Fair. The Festival will be held at the Whisconier Middle School gymnasiums located on West Whisconier Road off of Route 25 in Brookfield.

It is one of New England's largest craft shows.

This year jewelry, artwork, textile products, holiday treasures, toys, gourmet foods and many other uniquely hand crafted items by highly recognized northeast artisans are for sale.


Admission for adults is $5 or $4 with a coupon that will appear in Danbury regional papers and on the Brookfield Museum and Historical Society Website.
Children 12 and under enter free.
Food and refreshments will be available for attendees.

For more information contact:
Stacey Olszewski
Telephone: (203) 270-9461

Brookfield Museum and Historical Society
165 Whisconier Road
P.O. Box 5231
Brookfield, CT 06804

Smiler at Greenwich Library . . .

Greenwich Library
101 West Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
www.greenwichlibrary.org

Directing the Story
by Francis Glebas
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
7:30 PM - 9 PM

Take a peek inside the world of animation with director, author and storyboard artist Francis Glebas at the Greenwich Library. Join him as he shares the magic and secrets of storytelling plus the inside workings of the animation world and computer graphics.


Francis Glebas is an animation director (Piglet’s Big Movie, Fantasia 2000, and award winning independent films and commercials) and storyboard artist on many of Disney’s classics (Aladdin, The Lion King, Hercules, Pocahontas, Dinosaur, Treasure Planet, Hunchback of Notre Dame). He’s also worked for other studios including Warner Brothers, Universal Animation, Sprite Animation and Mike Young Productions. His animation career has enabled him to travel the world working in Canada, Japan, England and consulting for the Irish and Korean governments. He is currently with Blue Sky Studios in Greenwich.

Admission is free.
Registration is required.

Call Matthew Sgritta at (203)622-7972 and leave your name.
No follow-up calls are necessary.

Greenwich Library
Cole Auditorium
Contact: Wayne Campbell
Telephone (203) 622-7922

Stay updated on the Flu . . .

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2009 H1N1 Flu: Free Resources

Follow on Twitter: @cdcemergency

Flu Tips from the New Canaan Health Dept.

Connecticut Flu Shot Update

Additional Fairfield County Flu Information

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