RIDGEFIELD, CT — Two rock hall of famers, a comedy veteran and a string quartet playing inside a museum anchor a busy Columbus Day weekend in Ridgefield, from Thursday, Oct. 8, through Sunday, Oct. 11. Away from the big stages, a Main Street history walk, a closing-weekend musical with bring-your-own refreshments and a free Dixieland afternoon at Nod Hill Brewery round out the plans.
This Weekend's Arts & Entertainment
- Art Garfunkel: What a Wonderful World Concerts — Thursday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and voice of Simon & Garfunkel performs songs from his long catalog. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road
- Scoob! Family Screening — Friday, Oct. 9, 2 p.m. The library screens the PG-rated 2020 film for kindergartners through fifth-graders as part of its mystery-themed Scholarly Series; no registration is required, and children must be accompanied by an adult. Ridgefield Library, 472 Main Street
- RSO Quartet in Concert Inspired by The Aldrich Decennial — Friday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m. The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra's principal string players perform a program of music inspired by the museum's current Decennial exhibition. Tickets are $42.50, or $37.50 for members of the Aldrich and the RSO. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street
- Ann Wilson: The Voice of Heart & Tripsitter — Friday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m. The Heart frontwoman and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, who has sold more than 35 million records, headlines the Playhouse's rock series. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road
- Main Street Walking Tour With Jack Sanders — Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. Town historian Jack Sanders leads a 90-minute walk along southern Main Street, covering the people, businesses and vanished landmarks of the area. Tickets are $35, or $30 for Ridgefield Historical Society members; the group is capped at 20 people ages 12 and older, and check-in is by 9:50 a.m. Ridgefield Historical Society, meeting at Jesse Lee Church, 207 Main Street
- David Cross — Saturday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m. The Emmy winner, co-creator of HBO's "Mr. Show with Bob and David" and Tobias Fünke of "Arrested Development" brings his stand-up to the Playhouse comedy series. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road
- The Aldrich Decennial: I Am What Is Around Me — Thursday through Sunday; noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The survey features 40 Connecticut-based artists who have never had a solo museum show in the state, filling the galleries and the sculpture garden. Admission is $20 for adults. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street
- 49th Annual Juried Exhibition — Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The Ridgefield Guild of Artists' annual juried show, selected by Yale University Art Gallery curator Michèle Wije, is on view through Oct. 18. Ridgefield Guild of Artists, 34 Halpin Lane
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This Weekend's Restaurants & Bars
- Pre-Show Dinner Offer for Ann Wilson Ticket Holders — Friday, Oct. 9. Diners who show their tickets to the Ann Wilson concert at the Playhouse get a complimentary glass of house wine with their entree at this Parisian-style brasserie. Brasserie Saint Germain, 470 Main Street
- Jon Pousette-Dart With Jim Chapdelaine — Friday, Oct. 9; doors at 6:30 p.m., music at 7 p.m. Two left-handed guitarists with decades of collaboration play a ticketed show in the brewery's Backspace, with the Tuck In food truck serving until 8:30 p.m. Nod Hill Brewery, 137 Ethan Allen Highway
- "Disaster! The Musical" — Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m. The closing weekend of this 1970s jukebox musical about a floating casino beset by disasters, staged with cabaret seating at candlelit tables where audiences are invited to bring their own refreshments. Tickets are $45, or $40 for seniors, students and veterans; the show uses strobe effects and loud noises. Ridgefield Theater Barn, 37 Halpin Lane
- The Bottoms Up Dixieland Band — Saturday, Oct. 10, 3 p.m. The seven-piece band mixes a New Orleans second-line sound with modern jazz and pop in a free biergarten show; seating is first come, first served, and no tickets are needed. Nod Hill Brewery, 137 Ethan Allen Highway
Whether the weekend starts with Art Garfunkel on Thursday, a glass of wine at Brasserie Saint Germain before Ann Wilson on Friday or Dixieland in the Nod Hill biergarten on Saturday afternoon, Ridgefield offers plenty of reasons to stay in town. The Aldrich Decennial and the Guild of Artists' juried show stay open through Sunday for anyone who wants a quieter finish.
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