Events, Maritime Aquarium film

NORWALK, Conn. — Some Norwalk announcements for you:

• Earth Day
• ADHD discussion at gala
• 4D film focuses on animal smuggling

Earth Day

“All Earthlings” are invited to the City’s second annual Earth Day On The Green, a free multi-faceted event at Norwalk Green on Saturday Apr. 22 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.  A noon program at the gazebo will be augmented by children’s activities, music and singing, tables staffed by environmental advocacy groups, a tree planting ceremony, “nature yoga,” food trucks, and other family-friendly components.

Attendees are urged to “Get to the Green Without Your Machine!”  To that end, several tours are planned:

Walking tour #1 will depart from City Hall (125 East Avenue), proceed along the Harbor Loop, up to the Mill Hill historic herb garden, and then on to the festivities at the Green.  Tour guide will be Nancy Rosett, Norwalk River Valley Trail board member.

Walking tour #2  will depart from Norwalk Public Library (1 Belden Avenue at Mott Street), proceed along Wall Street, then up historic Lewis Street to the Green. Further details of this tour are said to be forthcoming.

Bike tour #1 will depart from Norwalk Public Library SoNo Branch (10 Washington Street) and proceed to the Green. Further details are said to be forthcoming.

According to a news release, participating organizations include Norwalk Land Trust,  St. Paul’s on the Green, Norwalk River Valley Trail, Keep Norwalk Beautiful, Norwalk Green Association, Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission, Norwalk Bike Co-op, Norwalk Garden Club, First Congregational Church, Norwalk River Watershed Association, Norwalk Department of Transportation, Mobility & Parking, Norwalk Parking Authority, Norwalk Department of Public Works, Norwalk Zero Waste Coalition, Norwalk Community College Environmental Science Club, First Taxing District, Norwalk Historical Society, Norwalk Health Department,  Norwalk Tree Alliance, City Hall Neighborhood Association, and Wall Street Neighborhood Association.

Learning Differences at topic at gala

National LD/ADHD advocate Marc Hoffman will get a Community Service Award when Norwalk-based Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities stages its annual benefit gala “Minds in Bloom: Cultivating Growth for Kids with Learning Differences,” on Thursday Apr. 20 at Woodway Country Club, located at 540 Hoyt St. in Darien.  Start time is 6:30 p.m. A news release says, “All are welcome.”

Hoffman, who was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD at age 8, is a Smart Kids board member, founder and president of consultancy Hoffman Education Group, and president of Strong Start Early Care and Education which has schools in Trumbull and Shelton.  His book Positive Mindset, Self-Awareness, Perseverance: A Guide to Thrive with Learning Differences/ADHD was published in 2021.

Hoffman said, “It is truly an honor to receive the Community Service Award from Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, an organization that empowers and educates families and children with learning and attentional differences. I continue to be inspired by Smart Kids’ work towards helping the world embrace differences and accept that intelligence comes in many forms.”

Six 2023 Fred J. Epstein Youth Achievement Award-winning students with learning differences will also be recognized.

The gala will start with a cocktail reception featuring guitarist Glenn Roth, followed by dinner and an auction presided over by Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions.   Silent and live auction goodies including Yankees vs. Red Sox tickets, a long weekend in the Hamptons, a show at Westport Country Playhouse plus pre-theater dinner, a sunset cruise on the Sound with food and drink, and a variety of gift cards to Fairfield and Westchester County restaurants.

Dress is “festive attire.”  Tickets cost $250 per person, or $2,500 per table.  Buy them  here.   Customized sponsorships cost from $1,500 to $15,000–get details from Smart Kids Founder and Executive Director Jane Ross at (203) 216-3196.

Ross said, “We look forward to a wonderfully festive evening, as we join friends and colleagues to celebrate our Community Service Award honoree, Marc Hoffman, in addition to the outstanding young people receiving the 2023 Fred J. Epstein Youth Achievement Awards. As always, our youth winners demonstrate the wonderful gifts and talents and the very promising future of young people with learning differences.”

Sponsors include Marc Hoffman (platinum), Bridge Program at Wooster School (gold), The Southport School, Sasco River Center, Fairfield County Bank, and JT Hoffman Attorneys At Law (silver), and Winston Preparatory School, The Anxiety Institute, Russo & Rizio, LLC, First County Bank, and Eye to Eye National in honor of Marc Hoffman (bronze).

Smart Kids’ website is at  www.smartkidswithld.org.

Macaws star in Maritime 4D film offering

The earth’s last two surviving blue macaws’ frantic quest for freedom from animal smugglers propels them on a wild, colorful chase through Rio De Janeiro in SimEx-Iwerks’ new 12-minute animated feature Rio: The 4D Experience, now showing at the Maritime Aquarium’s 4D Theater.  Also on the bill is OCTOPUS: Blue Planet II 4D Experience, said to showcase “extraordinary octopus behaviors and dynamic oceanic landscapes.”

According to a news release, tickets cost $7 ($6 for Aquarium members), and can be bought with or without Aquarium admission.

Rio: The 4D Experience’s trailer is at Rio: The 4-D Experience ® | Trailer – YouTube.    More info is said to be at the Aquarium website www.maritimeaquarium.org.