WEATHER WATCH
Weather watch for the weekend: A nor'easter passes offshore Friday through Sunday. It’s looking to be very windy, very rainy. Check with the organizer before you head out to any events listed below!
Good morning from the shoreline.
It's the first Thursday of fall. Apple picking is underway and the monarchs are working their way down the coast, but that all may have to wait for this weekend to pass.
Tuesday’s first Shoreline Dinner Club exceeded the goal: 36 showed up at six tables across four downtown Mystic restaurants, and 20 continued to Dive afterward. Thank you for taking a chance on dinner with people you had never met, it was great meeting many of you. Helping people get out and meet one another is exactly what this is for. The next one is Wednesday, October 14 in downtown Mystic, and booking is open.
I’m also starting an anonymous reader series about how people actually build a life here, and I need your help. Details below, or go straight to the form.
Here’s what I’ve surfaced this week.
In today’s issue: four days of the Mystic Film Festival · Maritime Trades and Foodways Day at the Seaport · Toxtoberfest on Bank Street · Magic Rocks at the Garde · Living on the Shoreline, a new reader series
Heads up: Gmail sometimes cuts this email short.
START HERE
The weekend in 30 seconds
THE MARQUEE
The 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival
Thursday–Sunday · Mystic, Stonington and Westerly · Screenings $15; opening night $20
There are 131 new short and feature-length films to four venues over four days. Thursday night’s opener at Mystic Luxury Cinemas is Slowburn Shoot: An Indie Wrestling Story, followed by a Q&A with the director and two wrestlers featured in it.
FOR FAMILIES
Saturday · 10am–5pm · Mystic · Included with Seaport admission
Mystic Seaport Museum demonstrates coopering, blacksmithing, sailmaking, caulking and open-hearth cooking, and parking is free.
INDOORS SATURDAY
Saturday · 8pm · New London · $39–$79 plus fees
Illusionist Leon Etienne brings stage illusions and sleight of hand to the Garde. A family four-pack is $100 with the code MAGIC4LEON.
SUNDAY FOR A CAUSE
Sunday · 5–9pm · Stonington · $45
Authors, a drink from Rum Tropic, hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction, all raising money for Operation Fresh Start.
NEW SERIES
Living on the Shoreline
I’m starting a series about how people actually build a life in southeastern Connecticut: work, housing, money, friendships, values and the reasons people stay. The form does not collect your name or email, every question is optional, and I’ll remove identifying details before publishing. Renters, owners, newcomers, returnees and lifers are all welcome.
16 questions · about 15 to 25 minutes · no name, no email
EDITOR’S PICKS
The Digest
THURSDAY–SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24–27
The Mystic Film Festival Opens Thursday
Mystic Luxury Cinemas, the UNITED, La Grua and the Mystic & Noank Library · Mystic, Westerly and Stonington · Screenings $15
The ninth Mystic Film Festival brings 131 short and feature-length films to four venues, along with filmmaker workshops, panels and a screenwriting competition. Opening night begins with a 6:30pm reception at Mystic Luxury Cinemas, followed by Slowburn Shoot: An Indie Wrestling Story and a filmmaker Q&A at 7pm. Library workshops are free.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 · 10AM–5PM
Maritime Trades and Foodways Day at Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville Ave · Mystic · Included with admission ($35 adults, $33 ages 65+, $25 ages 4–17, members free)
Coopering, blacksmithing, sailmaking, caulking and open-hearth cooking are demonstrated on Saturday, and parking is free. Silvermoon LaRose of the Tomaquag Museum cooks at the Buckingham-Hall House, and John Cox, head cooper at Quercus Cooperage, is the guest cooper. Cox also gives a talk on the history of barrel making at the museum on Friday, 6–7pm ($15 suggested donation, registration required, 40 seats).
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 · 12–9PM
Toxtoberfest on Bank Street
Tox Brewing, 123 Bank St · New London · Free to walk in; $25 ticket for extras
The Polka Country Musicians play Tox's Oktoberfest, and there's a steinholding contest with a separate entry fee. A $25 ticket gets you a one-liter boot with your first pour, a soft pretzel and access to the limited beers. General entry is free.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 · 1–8PM
The Pioneer: A Firefighters' Fundraiser at Outer Light
Outer Light Brewing, 266 Bridge St · Groton · Free admission
Outer Light brewed a Juicy IPA called The Pioneer for the Groton Firefighters' annual fundraiser. There's live music from Austin Neal Music, raffles, yard games, a bounce house and Taqueria Cinco. Proceeds go to the Groton Firefighters' Scholarship Fund.
More this week
Thursday, September 24
Sabino Cruise plus Grab and Go Dinner
5–7pm · Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville Ave · $50 adults, $30 youth; members $40 / $24 · order dinner from Mystic Fish Camp separately and pick it up downtown · MYSTIC
StreetLight at the Garde
7pm · Garde Arts Center, 305–325 State St · artists and musicians project a live video and sound collage onto the Garde’s façade, with music by Brisa Azul, to open the We Live Here/New London housing exhibit in the Garde Gallery · NEW LONDON
Friday, September 25
Honor Book Weekend at Bank Square Books
10am–5pm (Saturday 10am–1pm) · Bank Square Books, 53 W Main St · buy a book the librarians picked and it joins the Mystic & Noank Library's collection with a bookplate in someone's honor · MYSTIC
Book Discussion with Tom Verde
11am–12:30pm · Stonington Free Library, 20 High St · The Arrogant Ape by Christine Webb; no registration · STONINGTON
Jaws at the Misquamicut Drive-In
gates 6:30pm · Wuskenau Beach Pondside, 316 Atlantic Ave · $25 per carload · WESTERLY
Harvest Moon Cruise on the Thames
5:45–6:45pm, Saturday too · City Pier · $53, $37.10 ages 4–17 · weather permitting, so check before you go · NEW LONDON
A Toast to Dolly
9pm · 33 Golden Street · $10 cover, 21+ · Dolly Parton songs, drag and burlesque; profits go to Dolly's Imagination Library · NEW LONDON
Saturday, September 26
Walk to End Alzheimer's
opens 9am, walk 10:30am · Ocean Beach Park, 98 Neptune Ave · Free to register · NEW LONDON
Tour of Fort Griswold with David Rose
10am · meets at Bill Memorial Library, 240 Monument St · Free, registration required (860-445-0392) · GROTON
Intro to Sewing Workshop with Toriana Sauro
10am–1pm · Mystic Museum of Art, 9 Water St · $60 members, $70 non-members · beginners, eight spots; register with the museum · MYSTIC
The Makers Market
2–9pm · The Velvet Mill, 22 Bayview Ave · STONINGTON
Mystic Museum of Art’s 10th Birthday
4:30–7pm · Mystic Museum of Art, 9 Water St · Free, RSVP requested · birthday cake, art-making for all ages, free entry to Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways, and a sunset concert by composer Garth Stevenson on the Mystic River at 5:30pm · MYSTIC
Paint Night with Lana Gunn Art
6–7:30pm · Coastal Town Collective, 2 Broad St · $49.87 with fees, supplies included · WESTERLY
Sunday, September 27
Todd Gipstein: Photography Shutter Talk
1–3pm · Hygienic Art, 79 Bank St · NEW LONDON
Food & drink
“Pink Eggs & Glam” Drag Brunch at The Social
Sunday, seatings at 11am and 2pm (shows at 12 and 3) · 208 Bank St · $20 advance, $25 at the door, food and drinks separate · Pop and R&B with Wesley; ages 14+ · NEW LONDON
Denison Farmers Market
Sunday 12–3pm · Denison Homestead, 120 Pequotsepos Rd · Free · MYSTIC
Live Music
Wheelchair Sports Camp at The Social
Thursday, doors 7pm, show 8pm · 208 Bank St, New London · $20 advance, $25 at the door · all ages · Cafe Nine presents, with Spray Bottle Fever, Chef The Chef and Softwalls · Details →
Dogbite & Friends at the Hygienic Art Park
Saturday, doors 3pm · 79 Bank St, New London · $10 · Arlene Wow at 3:30, Ken Atkinson & The Honky Tonk Kind at 4, Dogbite at 5 · Details →
Mystic Chamber Music Series: “America at 250”
Saturday 5:30pm, doors 5pm · Noank Baptist Church, 18 Cathedral Heights · Noank · Dvořák, Amy Beach, Florence Price and Scott Joplin · Details →
Billy Gilman at the UNITED
Saturday 7:30pm, doors 6:30pm · UNITED Theatre Black Box · Westerly · $35, fees included · all ages · “25 Years of Hits & Showstoppers.” · Tickets →
Felicia Rose in the Oasis Room
Sunday 2pm · Garde Arts Center, 325 State St · New London · $27–$32 plus fees · presented by Mezza Stage + Studio · Tickets →
Full live-music list at wailingcity.com.
SAVE THE DATE
On the horizon
FRIDAY–SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2–4
Stonington Literary Festival: three days in the Borough for the James Merrill centennial, with a keynote by Henri Cole on Saturday and a Hilton Als reading on Sunday. Henri Cole’s keynote, the open mic and the Fellows and Water Street readings are free; most other sessions, the Hilton Als reading included, are $25. Details → · Stonington
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
Two brewery festivals: Outer Light’s Fall Fest runs 12–8pm in Groton, while Tox hosts its second Toxoween Market from 12–5pm in New London. Outer Light → · Tox → · Groton
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
The Garde at 100 recreates the theater’s 1926 opening night with a 6pm reception, classic cars, a 7:30pm reenactment and a speakeasy with live jazz afterward. $26–$126 plus fees. The Garde → · New London
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Black Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told, a boat tour from Fort Trumbull State Park. $35 adults. Details → · New London
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
Friday Night Folk with Crys Matthews at All Souls, 7:30pm. $20 advance, $25 at the door. Details → · New London
COASTAL WEATHER
The weekend outlook
FRIDAY
63°
Mostly cloudy, chance of showers
SATURDAY
59°
Showers likely, then thunderstorms
SUNDAY
62°
Showers and thunderstorms
That’s your week. Booking is open for the October 14 Dinner Club, and the first Living on the Shoreline questionnaire is ready.
Next Dinner Club → theshorelinecrew.dnnr.io
Share your shoreline story → theshorelinecrew.com/story
Pick one thing off the list and get out the door.
Talk Thursday.
Reach shoreline locals every Thursday
Presenting partnerships, featured events, Crew Corner campaigns, and local notices are available.
