Tastes of the Season, No Soldiers Left Behind, an Art Workshop, and More in Durham and Middlefield This Weekend

Lyman Orchards' Tastes of the Season
Saturday, 10 a.m. - Enjoy cooking demonstrations, free tastings and holiday recipes created by Apple Barrel Chefs. There will also be activities for the kids. This event is free. Plus, there are still apples for picking in the orchard. Varieties include Empire, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Crispin, Rome, Jonagold, Braeburn and Ida Red.

Juice Vocal Ensemble
Saturday, 8 p.m. - London's Juice Vocal Ensemble, an experimental a cappella trio that mixes contemporary classical with folk, jazz, world music, pop, and electronica, features sopranos Anna Snow and Sarah Dacey, and alto Kerry Andrew. The group's influences range from Meredith Monk and the Beach Boys to Camille (France) and Bjork (Iceland). Their playful debut album Songspin (2011) won an Independent Music Award for "Best Contemporary Classical Album" in May 2012. For their first U.S. tour since an appearance at the South by Southwest Festival in March 2011, at Wesleyan the group will perform vibrant classical works by U.K. composers including Gabriel Prokofiev, a new work by New York-based composer and Wesleyan alumnus Toby Twining MA '06, and unusual arrangements of British folk songs and pop music by Guns N' Roses, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Erasure, Kraftwerk, and Donna Summer. A Crowell Concert Series event presented by the Music Department and the Center for the Arts. The cost is $22 for the general public, $18 for senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff and non-Wesleyan students, and $6 for Wesleyan students. For more information, call 860-685-3355 or visit www.wesleyan.edu/cfa.

No Soldiers Left Behind
Sunday, noon - This is a fundraising event to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Let's pay it forward to our wounded veterans. Active and retired military, come as a guest so we can recognize and honor your bravery. Present ID. Join for a very special fundraiser as Zumba enthusiasts and Country Line dancers are united under one roof to help raise money for soldiers who are in need. Registration starts at 12:30 p.m. and the party will start at 1 p.m. Tickets are $20. Tickets can be purchased and donations can be made at https://nosoldierleftbehind.eventbrite.com/. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated to the WWP. This is a family organized event and there will be something for everyone. Don't dance? No problem. There will be a full lunch menu available and TV's in the bar so you can watch your favorite NFL team. Never tried a Zumba or country line dancing before? Now is your chance to try both.

East Hampton Railroad and Fire Station Tour and Air Line Trail History Walk
Sunday, 1 p.m. - The Chatham Historical Society (CHS) is organizing a walking tour of the old East Hampton Railroad Station and a walk on the Air Line Trail on Sunday. Marty Podskoch, a member of the CHS, will lead the walk. Blair Binge, owner of the railroad station, will give a tour and tell the history of the station. Presently Blair has an auto repair garage in the station called “Train Station Motors.” The walk will then proceed to the East Hampton Fire House for a tour of its facilities. The walk will then go to the Air Line Trail where walkers will learn about the history of the railroad that began in New Haven, traveled through East Hampton and stopped in Boston. The Walking Tour offers a wonderful and unique opportunity for new and old residents to learn about the history of East Hampton and for life-long residents to share their recollections and stories with others. Adults and children are welcome to join in what promises to be an afternoon of making local history come alive. The walk will begin and end at the new East Hampton parking lot near Main Street Pizza at the new entrance to the Air Line Trail at South Main Street (Route 196). The tour will take approximately one hour. Heavy rain or snow will cancel the hike. For more information, contact Podskoch at 860-267-2442, podskoch@comcast.net, or by visiting http://www.easthamptonrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=27025 or http://www.chathamhistoricalsocietyct.org/.

Family Night Social Art Workshop at Middletown Art Academy
Sunday, 5:30 p.m. - This is a great way to spend Sunday fun time with your family. The best way to encourage your children to create art is to participate along with them. Bring your family and enjoy step-by-step instruction with experienced and enthusiastic local artists. You’ll leave with a one-of-a-kind creation and a newfound talent you’ll want to explore. It’s a little bit of paint, a little bit of food, and a whole lot of fun. You must be 21+to bring and drink alcohol. The cost is $35 per person or a family discount of $60 for two people, $85 for three people, or $100 for four people. Reserve your spot by e-mailing rusa@middletownartacademy.com by calling 860-344-0554.

“Dancing With Our Heroes” Gala
Sunday, 6 p.m. - Military Veterans Jim Lucas, Dave Carney, and Doug VanHouten will be taking part in the “Dancing With Our Heroes” event which will benefit The Fisher House Foundation. The Fisher House Foundation builds and maintains long term residential facilities near military hospitals nationwide. Fisher House provides a place to stay free of charge to military families while their loved one undergoes treatment at a VA medical center. This ranges from the parents of a young soldier with a traumatic brain injury to the spouse and children of a soldier who has lost a limb in battle to the wife of a veteran who served in WWII and is living out his final days. The families are provided with all the comforts of home in a supportive environment so they can be near their loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. For more information on the Friends of Fisher Houses, visit www.fisherhousect.org. The gala will feature a silent auction, a sit-down banquet dinner, general dancing and the “Dancing With Our Heroes” competition. The dance competition will be between military heroes and their professional dance partners and winners will be chosen by celebrity judges and audience voting. Every Fred Astaire Dance Studio in New England is donating at least two instructors and twenty-five dance lessons each to prepare the heroes for the event. There are currently 57 instructors teaching heroes like these three men from Middletown to dance and compete in the gala. Tickets are $150 and are available online at www.dancingwithourheroes.com or by calling 860-788-7150.