Is It The Weekend Yet? Close Enough CT!

It may be winter but there is still plenty to do when it comes to “getting out”  Hartford.

Today, Thursday,  committee members of “Oscar Experience”  are over at the Mark Twain House & Museum waiting for the Oscar nominations to be announced as they prepare for the Feb. 24 Oscar night gala there benefiting the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition.

The “dress-up” or “dress as your favorite Oscar movie character,” event  begins at 6 p.m. In Hartford it includes a red carpet welcome (with Java hosting, of course!) as well as movie-themed food and drinks, viewing of the actual Oscar show, entertainment  and silent auction.

For more information go  here. 

Have you taken advantage of downtown Hartford’s Winterfest yet ? More than 40,000 people have so far! There is still time and there is also time to help fund the popular winter extravaganza.

 Have some fun at a  fundraiser Friday  from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at  Hartford’s Salute restaurant on Trumbull Street to help raise money to ensure that skating and other Winterfest Hartford activities remain free of charge this year and beyond. Sponsored by the iQuilt Partnership and the City of Hartford, the evening includes complimentary appetizers and drink specials. Pre-registration is $20. Walk-up registrations is $25. Click here to register.

Also on Friday, head over to the Mark Twain House & Museum where two authors, New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani  and Giulia Melucci, author of ”I Loved,I Lost, I Made Spaghetti” (brought to stage here by the museum’s Jacques Lamarre) will be featured at “A Conversation Between Adriana Trigiani & Giulia Melucci.”

The program begins 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, $20 for museum members. A special $65 package includes a pre-lecture Italian reception with the authors. Ticket information, 860-280-3130.

(And as a “by the way,” Lamarre was voted Best Connecticut Playwright in a broadwayworld.com poll. Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/2012-BWW-Connecticut-Awards-Winners-Announced-Goodspeed-Musicals-Wins-Big-20130109#ixzz2HZWcIhg1)

“Million Dollar Quartet,”  the story of a rockin’ 50s jam session with  Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash continues at the Bushnell through the weekend. Bonus? James Barry , who plays the legendary songwriter, singer and musician Carl Perkins , is a Connecticut guy!

On Saturday, The Connecticut Science Center, 250 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford, kicks off a fun 21 + film series titled “Martians & Martinis” on Saturday. The cocktail-hour event features once-a-month  screenings of science fiction movies.  Opening the series  is “Monsters From The Id.” Writer, director and producer David Gargani will do a Q&A after the screening. Doors open at 6 p.m. for concessions and cash bar; film starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $10 per film, or $35 for a four-film pass.