History, Airplane Rides, Theater, and More in Durham and Middlefield This Weekend

Burying Grounds and Gravestones: The History Behind Our Outdoor Museums
Friday, 7 p.m. - Join Ruth Brown from the Connecticut Gravestone Network as she discusses old burying grounds and gravestones. The presentation will start with some early burying ground basics: Just what are you looking at? What’s missing? What are the boundaries? How many graves? Stones in rows and facing which direction? All things that every family genealogist and historian with an interest in old cemeteries should know. Then Brown will proceed to the gravestones themselves to discuss who may have carved them, how to read illegible inscriptions and can you safely clean colonial stones (with before and after photos) along with some explanations on gravestone symbolism. Brown will also share some interesting stories from her years of working in old burying grounds. Bring your curiosity and questions to this fun talk about the history in our outdoor museums. You will not look at an old burying ground the same after this presentation. Tickets are free but seats are limited so call 860-349-9369 to reserve your tickets. 

The Helium Project
Friday, 8 p.m. - Brian Adler blurs the lines between ‘jazz’ and ‘world’ music and Helium is a delightfully uplifting representation of his musical philosophy. The cost is $10. For more information on the Helium Project, visit http://www.heliummusicproject.com/. Click here to reserve your seat.

Young Eagles Event
Saturday, 9 a.m. - The EAA Chapter Pilots out of MMK Airport will provide free airplane rides to kids ages 8-17. All kids must have a parent and/or guardian present to sign a waiver. Watch your child soar. To learn more about these pilots, visit www.eaa27.org. EAA memorabilia will be on hand for purchase.

Monty's Fall Festival
Saturday, 10 a.m. - The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art Village will host the 12th annual Monty’s Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday through Monday. Festival activities will include fall crafts, balloon bending, a "Mad Science" show, moon bounce, petting zoo and more. Admission to the festival is free with tickets to The Dinosaur Place. Tickets are $14.99 for ages 2-59 and $12.99 for senior citizens ages 60 and older. One dollar for every ticket purchased during the festival will be donated to L & M Hospital’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection program. For more information, call 860-443-4367 or visit www.naturesartvillage.com.

Castle Craig Players Present: Dial M for Murder
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. - Tony Wendice has married his wife, Margot, for her money and now plans to murder her for the same reason. He arranges the perfect murder. He blackmails a scoundrel he used to know into strangling her for a fee of one thousand pounds, and arranges a brilliant alibi for himself. Unfortunately… the murderer gets murdered and the victim survives. But this doesn't baffle the husband: he sees his hireling's death as an opportunity to have his wife convicted for the murder of the man who tried to murder her, and that is what almost happens. Luckily, the police inspector from Scotland Yard and a young man who is in love with the wife discover the truth, and in a scene of almost unbearable suspense they trap the husband into revealing his guilt, thus freeing Margot. Tickets are $15 each. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 203-634-6922 or visiting www.castlecraig.org.

Lecture/Demonstration by Shashank Subramanyam
Saturday, 8 p.m. - Trained by his father and vocal maestros R.K. Srikantan and Palghat K.V. Narayanaswami, Shashank Subramanyam started performing in 1984 at the age of six. Today, Subramanyam is considered one of the best bamboo flute artists in Indian classical music. He has collaborated with Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, and Ustad Sultan Khan. At Wesleyan, Subramanyam will be accompanied by violinist Nishanth Chandran and Sai Giridhar on mridangam.