WALKS & TALKS Meet the cast of LTM's production of 'In the Heights'

Oct. 20—MANCHESTER — David Garnes will discuss Little Theatre of Manchester's production of "In the Heights" on Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.

Garnes, a LTM member and dramaturg, will be speaking with members of the cast and creative team at Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road.

The free Lunchtime Lecture is an informal opportunity to ask questions after the chat.

LTM will present the Tony Award-winning Best Musical about family, community, and life in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, Nov. 4-20.

For more information and updates on health and safety protocols, visit: cheneyhall.org

Rail trail hike

MANCHESTER — The Manchester Land Conservation Trust will lead a history walk of the Cheney Railroad on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Hikers will have an easy 90-minute, 2 1/2 -mile walk along the former railroad, built in 1869 to connect the Cheney silk mills to the main rail line in the North End.

Meet at the tracks at the north end of Main Street, on the north (right) side of Farr's Sporting Goods, 2 Main St.

Park at the nearby shopping plaza or Eighth Utilities District office building (do not park in Farr's parking lot).

For more information about the land trust and a printable self-guided rail trail map, go to: manchesterlandtrust.org

Irish culture

MANCHESTER — The Manchester Historical Society will host a lecture by Mary Ann Handley on "Culture and Anarchy in Ireland — and the Three Literary Giants Who Helped to Forge Modern Ireland" on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the History Center, 175 Pine St.

Handley, a former state senator, is a retired Manchester Community College history professor.

Her lecture will be about Irish writers and their perspectives on the culture of Ireland and its people.

The cost is $5, $3 for historical society members, free for children younger than16.

Parking is available along Pleasant Street, off Forest Street (no on-street parking), and in a small lot next to the History Center.

For more information, go to: manchesterhistory.org

"Does My Vote Count?"

EAST HARTFORD — Join the East Hartford Works Resident Advisory Council, for a Living Room Conversation titled "Does My Vote Really Matter" on Monday at 6 p.m. at the East Hartford library lower level, 840 Main St. Entrance is through the back door by the parking lot.

Dinner will be provided. Register through: easthartfordct.gov

Inside the election process

HARTFORD — The Connecticut Democracy Center's discussion series, "Untangling the Talley: A Look Inside the Election Process," takes place Oct. 27 and Nov. 1 at noon at Connecticut's Old State House, downtown Hartford.

The topic will be barriers to voting.

Take a deep dive into how modern elections work and the ways citizens engage with this core system of democracy. This series aims to untangle the logistics of elections, the role of technology and news coverage during elections, and the challenges faced by electors to help build trust in their ability to participate in our government with confidence.

Admission is free and registration, though not required, is requested and available at: ctdemocracycenter.org

—Also in the series, a post-election conversation with voters will be held Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Old State House.

Wadsworth gallery talk

HARTFORD — The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Curator Erin Monroe and Atheneum Director Matthew Hargraves will explore the meaning and story behind Whistler's powerful composition "Alone with the Tide" on Friday at 1 p.m.

Meet in front of the museum shop. The talk is free with museum admission.

—The Wadsworth Atheneum will present the Emily Hall Tremaine Lecture in Contemporary Art, with photographer Justine Kurland, on Wednesday.

There will be a gallery viewing at 5 p.m. with the lecture starting at 6 p.m. The talk is free; reservations are required.

Kurland specializes in American landscapes and the fringe communities that inhabit them. Her monumental series "Girl Pictures" (1997 — 2002) documents teenage girls as rebels at play in bucolic frontier landscapes.

Meet in the galleries before the lecture to view all 69 photographs from "Girl Pictures."

For more information about this and other programs, call 860-278-2670 or visit: thewadsworth.org