Things to Do in East Haven Nov. 2–8: A Psychic Medium at Hagaman, a Bluegrass Jam at the Trolley Museum and “The Santa Switch” Opens

Halloween is over, the clocks fall back Sunday, and East Haven’s calendar fills right back up. Next week brings a psychic medium and a tour of Arlington National Cemetery at the library, a weekday trolley ride, a bluegrass jam among the old streetcars, free yoga, two book clubs, and the opening weekend of a brand-new holiday musical on Main Street.

Here is what is happening in town from Monday, Nov. 2, through Sunday, Nov. 8. Every listing below was checked against the organizer’s own calendar or event page on Oct. 29. Several need registration or tickets, so read the details before you go. All of them are also on the East Haven Courier events calendar.

Monday, Nov. 2: “The Glass Menagerie” at Hagaman

Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main St., hosts its free, all-ages Classics Book Club at 3 p.m. in the DeMayo Room. This month’s pick is Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” the short memory play about Tom, his demanding mother Amanda and his painfully shy sister Laura in Depression-era St. Louis.

Hagaman Memorial Library on Main Street in East Haven, with its blue sign, front lawn and flagpole

Tuesday, Nov. 3: Trolley rides, poetry and a bluegrass jam

The Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St., runs Scenic Trolley Rides & Museum Tours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission includes unlimited rides aboard antique trolleys from cities such as New Haven, New Orleans, Brooklyn and Johnstown, Pa., plus access to the car barns and the collection. Tickets are sold at the Visitor Center or online and are good all day; the last trolley leaves the Visitor Center at 4 p.m. The museum notes that the historic cars take two or three steps to board, while the Sprague Visitors’ Center is fully accessible.

That evening the museum hosts its first-Tuesday Bluegrass Jam from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Musicians and listeners gather among the trolleys; bring an instrument or just a chair. It is free, with donations welcome.

At the library, Tuesday starts with free Chair Yoga with Michele Antisdel at 10:15 a.m. (registration required) and Toddler Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., with songs, rhymes, fingerplays and felt-board stories for babies and toddlers. Teens 12 to 18 can drop into the Teen Room at 3 p.m. for After-School Trading Card Games, with loaner decks for Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana and Pokémon. At 6 p.m. the Knitting Club and Crochet Club meet, and at 6:30 p.m. the Reference Department leads a free, all-ages Poetry Club discussion of T.S. Eliot in the Study Cove.

Wednesday, Nov. 4: A medium, a cemetery tour and free yoga

Hagaman has a full Wednesday night. At 6 p.m. in the Community Room, Connecticut-based psychic medium Patti Griffin will give readings for the audience. The event is free, but seating is limited and registration is required: call (203) 468-3890 ext. 106 or email Community Services Librarian Cynthia at cgwiazda@hagamanlibrary.org.

At 6:30 p.m. in the DeMayo Room, Cynthia Parzych presents “Arlington National Cemetery: A Guided Tour through History,” according to the library’s website. Also at 6 p.m., the library’s free Casual and Fun Yoga class runs until 7:15 p.m. It is taught by a certified instructor, open to beginners and needs no registration. Teens can play PS5 and Switch 2 games at Teen Drop-In Gaming from 3:30 to 5 p.m.; no RSVP needed.

Across town, the East Haven Historical Society Museum & Research Center at the R. Vernon Hays School, 1 Maple St., is open free from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (it opens again Saturday, same hours). Inside are farm and boat-building tools, an 1800s wedding gown, military uniforms, spinning wheels, a pump organ and the painted Foxon Park map. Read our look inside the museum.

Inside the East Haven Historical Society museum at Hays School, with the painted Foxon Park map, an American flag and old fire coats

Thursday, Nov. 5: “Project Hail Mary” book club

Space fans of all ages are invited to a free Science Fiction Book Club discussion of Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary” at 6:30 p.m. in Hagaman’s Study Cove, led by Reference & Local History Librarian Chris Hemingway. Earlier, at 5:30 p.m., the library’s Teen Advisory Group meets in the DeMayo Room.

Friday, Nov. 6: Storytime, then “The Santa Switch” opens

Little ones can start the day at Friday Crafty Tales, the library’s free 10:30 a.m. storytime for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, with a craft inspired by each book, in the Community Room.

That night, Cabaret on Main Theater, 597 Main St., opens “The Santa Switch,” a new holiday jukebox musical from Broadway on Main Theatre Company. When Santa and Mrs. Claus decide to retire, the magic sleigh bells pick an unexpected new Santa who wants nothing to do with the job. The score mixes holiday standards like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas” with pop songs such as “What a Wonderful World” and “Best Day of My Life,” staged with the theater’s 280-degree projections.

Opening weekend shows are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m. only (no matinee) and Sunday at 2 p.m. The run continues Nov. 13 to 22. Standard theater seats are $37, or $32 for children under 18; premium cabaret table seating, where you can bring your own food and drinks, is also available. Tickets are on Cabaret on Main’s website.

Poster for The Santa Switch, a holiday jukebox musical at Cabaret on Main, November 6 to 22

Saturday, Nov. 7: Will it waffle?

Teens 12 to 18 can test what else a waffle iron can cook at Hagaman’s “Will It Waffle?” at 1 p.m. in the DeMayo Room. Sign-up is required with Teen Services Librarian Emily at ekalotai@hagamanlibrary.org. The Historical Society museum is also open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and “The Santa Switch” plays at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8: Drive a trolley

Ever wanted to run a streetcar? The Shore Line Trolley Museum’s Guest Motorman Experience runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests book a private session at the controls of a historic electric railcar with a museum operator beside them. Space is limited and sessions must be reserved ahead through the museum, (203) 467-6927 or reservations@shorelinetrolley.org. “The Santa Switch” has a 2 p.m. matinee the same day.