You Simply Can't Beet This

Coventry Regional Farmers Market, one of the best in the land, will give the simple beet its due at an event called Beet-Nic Bash this Sunday, July 31, at the Nathan Hale Homestead.

Whole Foods Market chefs will prepare Beet and Fennel Salad with apples and mixed greens; Delmatta Farm will demonstrate how to make pickled beets; Connecticut Specialty Food Award winner Can't Beet It will give out samples of its Authentic Ukrainian-Polish beet and horseradish condiment, and kids can go home with a beet tattoo.

Music will be courtesy of Three Course Meal, a trio with a sound purported to be reminiscent of the roaring '20s. Over at the Hale Homestead, brains will be teased by a Fact or Fiction Contest and Children’s Scavenger Hunt.

That's the thing about the Coventry farmers market – there's plenty of action, plenty of entertainment, plenty of vendors, plenty of scenery, and plenty of homegrown foods and homemade goods for all tastes. About 75,000 people visit every year, half of them from outside the area. And good dogs are welcome.

Yankee Magazine, after visiting 50 such sites, has just dubbed it the best in Connecticut and among the top five in New England. Boston Magazine's Best of New England 2011 issue also gave Coventry the top nod among Connecticut markets.

Meanwhile, the market is one of three finalists in a national contest to win an $80,000 post-and-beam barn for its site. A victory over markets in Michigan and New Jersey could lead to shelter for some musical acts, demonstrations and other market activities in Coventry. Voting takes place Aug. 1-15 at the Yankee Barn Web site. You can also vote to keep Coventry in the lead for Connecticut in the America's Favorite Farmers Market Contest.

Plan ahead to hit these upcoming themed market draws: Old-Fashioned Corn Roast, Aug. 14; Heirloom Tomato Festival, Aug. 28; Three Sisters Celebration, Sept. 11; Fiber Twist, Sept. 19; Blues & Brews, Oct. 16; and Great Pumpkin Festival, Oct. 30.

Coventry Farmers Market runs Sundays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Nathan Hale Homestead, 2299 South St., from June through October. For information, visit the market's Web site.

Want Sommore Laughs?

Sommore, one of the top-grossing stand-up comediennes in the country, will tickle weekend Hartford Funny Bone audiences with her sassy take on today's range of issues. Her shows around the country sell out, even at Radio City and Madison Square Garden. And she is called Queen.

Sommore will perform five evening shows at the Buckland Hills comedy shop Friday through Sunday, July 29-31.

Sommore was the first woman to host BET's “Comic View,” and has appeared as special guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The View” and "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.” She wrote and produced “The Queen Stands Alone,” a filmed version of her stand-up act, and has appeared widely on TV and film.

Oprah Winfrey calls the straight-talking comic “a force to be reckoned with in the new millennium.” Oprah speaks.

Shows at the Funny Bone, 194 Buckland Hills Dr., Manchester, are at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25 with a $3 service charge. For information, call 860-432-8600 or visit the Funny Bone site.

Case Mountain Climb

History buffs, are you buff enough? The Manchester Historical Society invites you to join a free history talk and 3-mile trek to the summit of Case Mountain, named for the historic twin brother industrialists of Manchester, Saturday, July 30.

You can opt to stay just for the talk at the first of the 1 p.m. program at the Case Brothers National Historic District in Highland Park, in the southeastern part of town. If you join the hikers, you will see a waterfall, stonewalls, carriage path and Case mansions, as well as plenty of nature. At the summit you will see the Hartford skyline.

The brothers' district was added to the National Register of Historic Places two years ago. The twins, Alfred Wells Case and Albert Willard Case, opened their paper mill in Highland Park, producing washed cotton for Union soldiers during the Civil War. After the end of the war, they started making pressboard, a strong paper product used for shoe soles, albums and binders, and were lauded internationally as leaders in its manufacture. The 640-acre Case Mountain Recreational Area stretches from the Glastonbury border north to Case Pond.

The hike, led by society member Susan Barlow, will start at the Spring Street trailhead, off exit 4 on I-384. For information, visit the historical society events site. Wear sturdy shoes.

Eric Carle Series of Fun at Lutz

Three age groups of youngsters can vibe to author Eric Carle's artistic style Tuesday, Aug. 2, in separate sessions at Lutz Children's Museum in Manchester. At 10 a.m., children ages 2-3 accompanied by caregivers, can channel the author/illustrator's finger painting enthusiasm and get messy creating art in the style of Little Cloud, the title character of one of Carle's books.

At 1 p.m., children ages 3-5 will work on art inspired by Carle's book, Rooster's Off to See the World, and perhaps be visited by one of the museum animals.

At 3 p.m., children ages 6-8 will learn how Carle illustrates his books and brings characters to life. You will be “as busy as a spider,” program organizers promise.

The first session lasts a half hour and is $10 for members, $12 for non-members; the second and third sessions last an hour each and cost $13 for members and $15 for non-members.

For information, call 860-643-0949 or visit the museum Web site.

'Dr. Doolittle' in Tolland Summer Stock

If you can talk to the animals, check out the Tolland Youth Services Community Theater production of “Doctor Doolittle” Friday and Saturday, July 29-30, in the Tolland High School Auditorium.

Performances start at 7 p.m. Tickets for this summer musical are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased through July 28, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Human Services Office in Town Hall or 6-6:30 p.m. at Tolland High School. For information, call 860-871-3612 or -3648 or e-mail nancydunn@tolland.org.

Many Stories at Rockville Lib

In its “One World, Many Stories” Summer Reading Program, Rockville Public Library is offering a “Life in a River” wildlife program at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, July 28, and Boston Museum of Science's “Super Cold Science” at 2:30 p.m. Friday, July 29. The “Life in a River” program requires pre-registration.

Programs next week include a movie at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, and an event titled “Two Right Feet,” with music, movement and stories, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2. Children ages 2-4 are invited to a story hour at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3.

For more information or to register, call the library at 860-875-5892 ext. 26.

Interactive Drumming Concert

Everybody but everybody plays at an interactive drumming circle Wednesday, Aug. 3, at Hall Memorial Library in Ellington.

Drumming expert Bob Bloom, certified as a “Master Teaching Artist” by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, will bring drums and percussion instruments from all over the world to this family and kids afternoon event.

Bloom has been all over the region, teaching interactive drumming to oodles of adults and kids in settings that range from libraries and organizational retreats to music festivals and big-city First Night celebrations. From 2007 to 2010 he served as chair of the Interactive Drumming Committee of The Percussive Arts Society, the largest percussion organization in the world.

The program starts at 1 p.m. Interested participants may pick up free tickets in advance at the library, located at 93 Main St., Ellington. For more information, call the library at 860-870-3160.