Come Sunday morning, the clocks will have been changed, and lots of laughs at The Rockwell

Posted By: David Fortier March 10, 2024

By David Fortier

Come Sunday morning, the clocks will have sprung ahead an hour. Just thinking about another change makes my head spin. I am all for cutting out the changes and sticking to standard time. Somewhere I’ve read that a few experts have decided standard time is the way to go.

On Saturday, night Mary and I attended another terrific show at The Rockwell–rather than The Rockwell Theater, I like the familiarity of The Rockwell. And I have become more inclined recently to refer to it as The Rockwell on Veterans Memorial Boulevard rather than The Rockwell at the BAIMS (Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School) for the simple reason that the theater belongs to the city rather than to the school.

The show on Saturday night, “Funny Women of a Certain Age,” featured show creator Carole Montgomery, Jane Condon and Leighann Lord. And it certainly was a night for women–we sat in the balcony and there could not have been more than 10 men. But the show was for women and men, and, well, I laughed all the way through. For a peek at the comedians, there is always YouTube.

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Tom Mazzarella and company’s “No Way to Live,” the documentary on homelessness in Central Connecticut, that premiered at The Rockwell last weekend has left an impression, so much so that as I was driving across the E. Bartlett Barnes Bridge along Rt. 72, for the first time since viewing the film, I noticed the tents on the banks of the Pequabuck.

I am guessing that the tents, and their occupants, have been there all along, but having watched the documentary, I was drawn to the tents, where I might have overlooked them in the past. That is what a film can do–redirect our attention. For more information, click here.

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Kudos to Rich Farm Ice Cream Shop of Oxford with a location here in Bristol which made the Yelp list of top ice cream shops in the United States at No. 64, with a ranking of 4.5. The other ice cream shop that made the list from Connecticut is Ferris Acres Creamery in Newtown at No. 82.

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Reading and listening this week starts with a very old favorite, the Ezra Klein Show, which I have neglected of late. However, when I saw that one of his recent offerings, included a conversation with Marilynne Robinson, novelist and essayist, I bit. This one is called “Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Beauty, Human Evil and the Idea of Israel.”

Klein and Robinson “the virtues evoked in Genesis — beauty, forgiveness and hospitality — and how to cultivate what Robinson calls ‘a mind that’s schooled toward good attention,'” summarizes the episode in the introduction to the podcast. Klein adds, “And we end on her reading of the story of Israel, which I found to be challenging, moving and evocative at a time when that nation has been front and center in the news.” Click here.

The pile of books that I am reading continues to grow. To “Poverty by America,” “How To Live or A Life of Montaigne,” a collection of Paul Bowles short stories and “IDA: A Sword Among Lions,” I have added a Chester Himes novel, “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” Jimmy Breslin’s “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” and “Sapiens,” which I have returned to. I have yet to pick up “The Mists of Avalon,” which comes highly recommended. Anyone have a recommendation? Email dfortier@bristoledition.org.

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City meetings this week include the following:

On Monday, March 11

  • American Rescue Plan Task Force, 4 p.m., in City Hall Council Chambers.
  • Cemetery Commission, 5:30 p.m., Bristol Historical Society.
  • Zoning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers.

On Tuesday, March 12

  • Board of Assessment Appeals.
  • Energy Commission, special meeting, Room 116, City Hall.
  • Joint Meeting of the Board of Finance and the City Council, 6:45 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers.
  • City Council Meeting, 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers.

On Wednesday, March 13

  • Capital Improvement and Strategic Planning Committee, 4 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers
  • Persons with Disabilities Meeting, City Hall.

On Thursday, March 14

  • Board of Assessment Appeals, City Hall Meeting Room 1-2.
  • Retirement Board, City Hall Council Chambers.

TBE will do our best to update meeting times and locations, but it’s a good idea to check the agendas ahead of time for cancellations. Click here for specific meetings and times.

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As for our efforts at TBE, we continue to work on developing our financial base. We are familiarizing our readers with a new look–the banner and post blocks on our pages waiting for sponsor messages. Because we are so small and in the startup phase, we work slowly, but we do work and we are getting closer to agreements with sponsors.

We encourage all people, young and old, from our community, who have an interest in telling Bristol stories and improving their skills to do this, to join us. If you are one of these people, or know of one, please contact dfortier@bristoledition.org.

TBE is the website of our nonprofit, The Central Connecticut Online Journalism Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization. One-time donations and regular recurring monthly donations from our members are welcomed and encouraged.

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Check those clocks.

All TBE readers, supporters and donors                

The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.                

  • Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
  • Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.                
  • Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.                

Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.