An Author Event, Walking Tours, a Masonic Lodge Open House, and More in Waterford This Weekend

The WARM Heart Gala
Friday, 6 p.m. - An evening of fine food, exciting auction items, and the music of Happy and the Moonshine. Silent and live auctions will be part of the evening with items ranging from four New York Yankees game tickets, a signed Yankees baseball, signed New England Patriots football, two Boston Red Sox game tickets, four passes to the Norman Rockwell Museum, two kayaks, dinner packages and much more. Come join as WARM also recognizes Christopher DiPaola and radio station WBLQ 1230 with a presentation of the John McCormick award. Tickets for the WARM Heart Gala are $75.

Author Event: Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage
Friday, 7 p.m. - Join children's middle grade author Annastaysia Savage as she reads and presents her book Any Witch Way. Enduring the teasing and ridicule of her school mates, Sadie struggles through life as a pre-teen on the eve of her 13th birthday. Three years ago, a car crash took her mother, but Sadie never saw her body. She refuses to believe her mother is really gone. Holding fast to that feeling earns her the nickname "Crazy Sadie." Savage is both a writer and an artist. She earned her BFA in Fine Arts, with honors, from Arizona State University. She is one residency shy of an MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University and is currently pursuing her MFA in Painting and Illustration from The Academy of Art University. She has had several short stories published in the last few years, her most recent a flash fiction piece for children and young adults in Crow's Nest Magazine called "Grimalkins" and a short story in the anthology: Journalstone's 2010 Warped Words for Twisted Minds. She is a member of The International Women's Writing Guild, The Association of Writers and Writing Programs , the Society of Children's' Book Writers and Illustrators, the National Art Education Association and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Eugene O'Neill Celebration - Realism: Birth of a Playwright and a New American Drama
Friday, 8 p.m. - Join the transition of American theater from 19th Century melodrama to 20th Century realism through the lens of Eugene O'Neill's earliest plays, his evolution as a writer, and the impact of realism on the American theater canon. This program is free and open to all. Register by calling 860-443-5378 ext. 288 or by e-mailing theaterlives@theoneill.org.

Coastal Masonic Lodge Open House
Saturday, 11 a.m. - Ever wondered what goes on in a Masonic Lodge? The Stonington area Masons invite you to find out when they host a cCommunity open house on Saturday. Ken Bickford, Master of Stonington's Coastal Lodge #57, notes "We welcome families, civic organizations, the community, and spiritual leaders to stop in and take a look. We have a great story to tell and we care deeply about the communities in which we live." Drop in for a few minutes or stay as long as you would like. There will be continuous refreshments and activities.

Walking Tour of Ye Antientist Burial Ground
Sunday, 1 p.m. - Just in time for Halloween, tour Ye Antientist Burial Ground - one of the earliest in New England - with Hempsted Houses Site Historian Sally Ryan and conservator Lance Mayer. Stay for refreshments afterward. The cost is $5 and Connecticut Landmarks members are free. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/152854991559830/.

Environmental Connection Book Talk and Walk
Sunday, 2 p.m. - Join local author Keith Cowley at the Nature Center for a book talk and immersion hike on the trails of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. Cowley will discuss his title Environmental Connection, a look back on a year -long immersion in nature completed in partnership with the Westerly Land Trust. Selections from his book showcase experiences and encounters with local wildlife. Cowley challenges us to take responsibility for the maintenance of our local environments through awareness and action and is launching a new non-profit initiative called New-Native Foundation. Cowley is a naturalist and program coordinator for the Westerly Land Trust, as well as the marketing and creative coordinator at the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter, RI. This program is free and open to the public. Call the Nature Center at 860-536-1216 for more information.