Things to Do in Stratford

Since 1997, ice skaters have gracefully glided beneath clear skies atop the shiny surface of the outdoor Westport PAL Rink at Longshore. Every night when the sun goes down, overhead lights flicker on around the boards to accommodate late-night triple axels and hockey games delayed by puck strikes. The rink’s instructors are each certified by the United States Figure Skating Association and offer group and private instruction in figure skating, hockey, or basic technique.

After his daytime gig as a financial planner in Manhattan, Eli Newsom returns to his theatrical roots as artistic director of Bridgeport Theatre Company, a nonprofit founded by a band of Connecticut-based artists in 2010. Eli harnesses more than 15 years of performing and teaching expertise into each season's productions, which range from acclaimed dramatic fare to beloved musicals. The company’s ace staffers strive to bring each script to life with local actors and designers, and the BTC New Works program annually highlights the work of local playwrights, actors, and directors. In addition to its local cast and crew, each production depends on the aid of 25–50 volunteers, who lend a hand with countless tasks such as set construction, ushering, and haunting the theater dressed in a phantom costume.

In 1976, educator, musician, and kinesiologist Robin Wes longed for a children's gym that prioritized personal growth over competition. Unveiled at a time when physical-education classes pushed students to focus almost exclusively on winning, Robin's program was swiftly adopted and is now used in more than 300 Little Gyms worldwide. Robin still pens original music to accompany lessons, which engage whippersnappers aged 4 months to 12 years with gymnastics, dance, karate, and parent and child activities.

Each of The Little Gym's classes introduces simple movements that sharpen motor skills and set brains whirring, allowing kids to progress at their own pace until they can finally build a computer out of macaroni and glitter. Staff members strive to build a base for lifelong social skills and self-assurance with each exercise, including activities rooted purely in fun, such as summer camps or birthday parties, which helped The Little Gym to earn title of #1 Birthday Chain in Parents Magazine.