Friday, February 14, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Bottomless Bricks Minifigure® Trading Night; Cuarteto Rotterdam at The Foundry; Olana Third Thursday; Maria Centola at American Mural Project; ‘Pulverize The Sound’ at RA; Dr. Seuss license plates

Every 3rd Wednesday, Bottomless Bricks presents a special evening dedicated to Minifigure® trading.

Bottomless Bricks presents Minifigure® Trading Night – kids and adult editions

Pittsfield— On Wednesday, March 20th at 6 p.m. at 7 p.m., Bottomless Bricks presents free Minifigure® Trading Nights, both kids and adults editions.

From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., it’s the kids edition. Is your child a Minifigure® collector? Every 3rd Wednesday, Bottomless Bricks presents a special evening dedicated to Minifigure® trading. Bring your duplicates and find that elusive Minifigure® you’ve been searching for! It’s a great opportunity for kids to work on their social skills and meet other kids who share a passion for LEGO®. Suitable for kids up to age 17. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Bottomless Bricks Minifigure® Trading Night. Image courtesy of Unsplash/BobCoyne.

From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., it’s the adults edition. This event is for serious Minifigure® collectors. Bring your collectible LEGO® Minifigures® to trade with others. All themes welcome, must be LEGO® brand only. This event is for ages 14+. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

LEGO® and Minifigures® are trademarks of the LEGO® Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse these events.

The events are on Wednesday, March 20th at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Bottomless Bricks at 163 South Street, Suite 4, in Pittsfield. More information can be found online.

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The Foundry presents Cuarteto Rotterdam

West Stockbridge— On Friday, March 22nd at 7:30 p.m., The Foundry presents Cuarteto Rotterdam.

With their creativity, imagination, and experience, the small orchestra Cuarteto Rotterdam conjures up a world of tango full of passion, virtuosity and power, taking into account more than 100 years of tango history.

Being conscious of this tradition, they perform the early and more cheerful kind of tango music from the Guardia Vieja era with such ease that it makes everyone want to dance. In compact quartet style, they present the Golden Age of tango from the 1940s with the highlights of the grand orchestras a la Di Sarli, Troilo, D’Arienzo, Pugliese, or Salgán. In searching for the tango of the 21st century, they have included contemporary Argentine and European tango pieces in the concert and dance programme. 

Cuarteto Rotterdam (Michael Dolak, Bandoneón; Susanne Cordula Welsch, Violin; Judy Ruks, Piano; Facundo Leónidas Di Pietro; Double Bass.)

The performance is on Friday, March 22nd at 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry on Harris Street in West Stockbridge. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25. Visit the Foundry online for tickets and more information. Parking is limited at the venue so please utilize the three public parking lots in Town. To avoid a parking ticket, visit the Foundry online for further details.

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The Olana Partnership ‘Free Third Thursday’ at Olana State Historic Site

Hudson, N.Y.—  On Thursday March 21st from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Olana Partnership will hold its monthly “Free Third Thursday” at Olana State Historic Site.

At 11 a.m., there is a special free “Lunch & Learn” with associate curator Allegra Davis for a look into some of the women who called Olana home. This talk, entitled “Women of Olana,” is in honor of women’s history month and will explore the untold histories of Olana’s female residents including their social circles and artistic contributions.

Beginning at 1 p.m., visitors are invited to explore themes of art and advertisement by experimenting with technologies used for popular print in the late 1800s, such as letterpress, engraving, woodcut, and lithography. Make your own poster or nature print and take away a special letterpress commemorating the event. Learn more about the history of printmaking from a special resource library of books, objects, and source images. This is a free artist-led drop-in art-making program with all materials provided.

Free tours begin at 11 a.m. Tours require a ticket. Tickets can be reserved on-site, day-of, starting at 10 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Tours will be offered in both Spanish and English. Spanish tours will be given at 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 pm.. Space is limited.

Olana. Photo by Peter Aaron.

To learn more about each month and upcoming events and programs or to secure your free tickets visit, OLANA.org/ThirdThursdays or call 518-751-0344.

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American Mural Project presents the third performance of the ‘Happy Hour Piano Series’ with classical and tango pianist Maria Centola

Winsted, Conn.— On Friday, March 22nd from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the American Mural Project (AMP) proudly presents the third performance of their Happy Hour Piano Series with classical and tango pianist Maria Centola from InfiniTango.

Pianist Maria Centola has performed alongside Grammy Award-winning musicians of Argentine tango music. Her unique arrangements and interpretations fuse Italian, French, 1920s-30s jazz, and Latin rhythms. “Maria’s unique fusion of classical music and tango, played in AMP’s singular artspace, will create a one-of-a-kind experience for guests,” enthused AMP’s program director Michelle Begley.

Classical and tango pianist Maria Centola.

The spacious gallery at AMP includes a five-story mural and three viewing levels, creating a unique, resonant space for listening to music while taking in the art. “People can find comfy nooks or sit right out in the gallery to mingle over a drink or to just sit and listen, taking in the mural from different perspectives,” shared Amy Wynn, AMP Executive Director. “The fusion of art and music makes the piano series a very special way to start the weekend.”

The concert is on Friday, March 22nd from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the American Mural Project on Whiting Street in Winsted, Conn. Admission is $6. A cash/credit bar offers wine, craft and domestic beer, and assorted beverages. More information can be found online. 

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RA presents ‘Pulverize The Sound’

Great Barrington— On Saturday, March 23rd at 6 p.m., RA presents ‘Pulverize The Sound’. 

Pulverize the Sound (Peter Evans on trumpet, Tim Dahl and electric bass and vocal effects, and Mike Pride on drums and percussion) was formed in 2010, out of the intensely collaborative, hybridized, prolific, and promiscuous scene of NYC experimental music. Its members have clocked in time with musicians and bands from a huge variety of scenes, always ending up in a place peripheral to any definable genre.

Collectively, the members of Pulverize the Sound (PTS) have worked with Anthony Braxton, Lydia Lunch, Keiji Haino, Evan Parker, Frank Lowe, Child Abuse, Mary Halvorson, JG Thirlwell, Archie Shepp, Craig Taborn, Weasel Walter, Kanye West, MDC, and Mick Barr. In over more than decade of constant rehearsal and performance in the fertile DIY scene of NYC, Pulverize has explored an enormous range of original music from delicate chamber music textures to sprawling modernist composition and free improvisation. PTS has released three albums: their eponymous debut in 2015, Sequel in 2018, and Black, in 2022.

Pulverize the Sound. Image courtesy of RA.

The free concert is on Saturday, March 23rd at 6 p.m. at RA on Railroad Street in Great Barrington. More information can be found online. 

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Order Dr. Seuss license plates by March 31st

Springfield— The deadline is March 31st to order specialty plates through the Springfield Museums. 

Dr. Seuss license plates. Image courtesy of Springfield Museums.

Five years after launching a specialty license plate campaign featuring the Cat in the Hat, the Museums reached the DOT-required minimum of 750 pre-orders to launch production of the plates. “We were thrilled to reach that goal and are so very grateful to the hundreds of people who have patiently waited for us to get here,” said Museums’ President and CEO Kay Simpson. “Now we are so excited that we are just months away from seeing The Cat on the road!”

Although there is no limit to the number of plates that can eventually be ordered, the plate-ordering process must soon be suspended for a short time, so the Museums can submit the orders (now at 971) to the RMV and the state can begin manufacturing the plates, which will take 6-8 months. Therefore, the deadline for ordering a Dr. Seuss plate this year is March 31st.

The plates cost $40 ($28 of which goes to the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum). That specialty plate fee is in addition to regular vehicle- registration fees, and must be paid every two years when the car’s registration is renewed. When the plates are re-registered, the Museums will realize the entire $40 per plate. (There is also a one-time plate-swap fee of $20 when the initial Dr. Seuss plate is installed.) 

Order online by March 31st. Orders may also be submitted by mail, using a paper form (download form online)  and a $40 check; mail orders must be received by the Museums by March 28th. The Museums will email all those who have already placed orders, to explain the next steps in the process, including that there will be an auction for plate numbers 1-99 sometime in 2025.

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