Ridgefield's Full Weekend Guide: 'Beautiful' At A.C.T, Toad The Wet Sprocket And Nod Hill's Birthday Bash

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and Ridgefield is making a full weekend of it. A '90s favorite plays the Playhouse on Thursday, a Broadway-style Carole King musical runs four days at A.C.T. of Connecticut and young trick-or-treaters can collect candy at the library on Friday and on a Main Street church terrace on Saturday. Nod Hill Brewery turns nine with a costume party in its biergarten, and on Sunday the Keeler Tavern opens its grounds for free on the last day of its hands-on farm-tool exhibit.

This Weekend's Arts & Entertainment

• Toad the Wet Sprocket: Rings — The Acoustic Tour — Thursday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. The Santa Barbara band behind the platinum albums "Fear" and "Dulcinea" — and hits including "All I Want," "Walk on the Ocean" and "Fall Down" — plays stripped-down versions of its best-known songs from its acoustic album "Rings: The Acoustic Sessions." The Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road.
• "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" — Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. The Tony- and Grammy-winning musical traces Carole King's path from Brooklyn songwriter to "Tapestry" star, with songs including "You've Got a Friend," "Up on the Roof" and "Natural Woman." It's rated PG and recommended for ages 8 and up; as of Tuesday, the theater's ticketing system showed no seats available for the Thursday and Sunday performances. A.C.T. of Connecticut, 36 Old Quarry Road.
• New at the movies: "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York" and "Wildwood" — Thursday through Sunday. The R-rated thriller "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York" premieres Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and plays at 1:15, 4:15 and 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For families, the animated adventure "Wildwood" (PG-13), directed by Travis Knight, shows at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The Prospector Theater, 25 Prospect St.
• Artist Conversation: "The Aldrich Decennial" — Friday, Oct. 30, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Artists Lula Mae Blocton, Anoka Faruqee, David Driscoll and Kristy Hughes discuss their work with Karis Medina, associate curator at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. The talk accompanies "The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me," which features 40 Connecticut artists. In-person tickets are $26.50 for general admission, $15.90 for students and seniors and $10.60 for members; a cheaper Zoom option is also available. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main St.
• Halloween Storytime & Parade — Friday, Oct. 30, 10:30 to 11 a.m. Little ones hear Halloween stories, then parade in costume through the library to trick-or-treat; the library provides the goodie bags. Registration is encouraged, and drop-ins are welcome as space allows. Ridgefield Library, 472 Main St.
• Trick-or-Treating on the Terrace — Saturday, Oct. 31, starting at 5 p.m. The First Congregational Church invites costumed kids to its Main Street terrace for candy, hot chocolate, spooky music, animated monsters and photo ops — with full-size candy bars for the adults. The church notes it has restrooms and easy parking. First Congregational Church of Ridgefield, 103 Main St.
• Meet the Orchestra, Featuring the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra — Sunday, Nov. 1, 2 p.m. Musicians ages 8 to 18 lead an interactive family concert with conductor Eric Mahl, introducing the instruments one at a time before showing how they come together. The Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road.
• First Sunday and the Last Day of "Hands-On History: Living Off the Land" — Sunday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free all day, including a tour of the historic museum and family activities in the Garden House. It's also the final day of the museum's "please touch" exhibit in the Carriage Barn, where visitors can try out 18th- and 19th-century farm tools such as corn shellers and oat cleaners. No registration is needed; check in at the red brick Visitor Center. Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, 152 Main St.

This Weekend's Restaurants & Bars

• Pre-Show Margarita Before Toad the Wet Sprocket — Thursday, Oct. 29. The Ridgefield Playhouse lists Southwest Cafe as the featured restaurant for Thursday's Toad the Wet Sprocket concert: show your ticket and get a complimentary margarita with your entree at dinner before the show. Southwest Cafe, 109 Danbury Road.
• Junco Partners: Voodoo Night — Friday, Oct. 30; doors at 6:30 p.m., music at 7 p.m. The brewery promises a "swampy, spooky" night of New Orleans soul and roots from a band whose members have played with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Gov't Mule, the Dap-Kings and the Blues Brothers. Tickets are $15 for the show in the brewery's Backspace. Nod Hill Brewery, 137 Ethan Allen Hwy.
• Nod Hill 9th Anniversary Party — Saturday, Oct. 31, all day. Nod Hill celebrates nine years of brewing with special beer releases and live music in the biergarten: Hitch & the Giddyup at 1 p.m., a Halloween costume contest at 3 p.m. and Massive Diva at 3:30 p.m. Three food trucks — The Chamo, Tuck In at Nod Hill and Maine-ly Oysters — will be on hand, and entry is free. Nod Hill Brewery, 137 Ethan Allen Hwy.

Start the weekend with a margarita and "Walk on the Ocean" on Thursday, catch the Decennial artists on Friday evening or Carole King's songbook at A.C.T. any day through Sunday and save room on Saturday for oysters, a costume contest at Nod Hill and full-size candy bars on Main Street. Then let Sunday wind down with young musicians at the Playhouse and one last chance to work a corn sheller at the Keeler Tavern.

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