Hi all. So there is plenty going on in the coming week, and boy do I wish I could do it all.

Let's start with Friday night. The comic musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is being staged at 7 p.m. at East Hampton High School. For $10, you can see a cast of actors perform in a mock spelling bee. But not just actors get in on the fun -- they bring audience members onto the stage as well. My work buddy Jeff wrote a review on the performance, and advised the whole newsroom to attend. He had a blast, and I wish I could make it.

This certified bibliophile loves a good book sale, and the Durham Public Library is having its P.A.L.S. book sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. There's nothing like getting a few new gems for the shelves and supporting a local library in the process.

On Monday, The Middlesex County Historical Society will present “A Songwriter from Connecticut: The Civil War Era Music of Henry Clay Work” at 7 p.m. in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library. Work, a Middletown native, will be discussed and his music will be presented. It will be an interesting dip into Middletown's history through one of its gifted sons.

Another "historic" event will take place Tuesday, when the Portland Historical Society will host Sharon Smith, author of “Connecticut’s Civil War - A Guide for Travelers” at its monthly program meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Portland Library. Civil War buffs really have it made this week with these two events.

The May program of the East Hampton Art Association will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the East Hampton Community Center, 105 Main St. Wednesday. The program for the evening will be presented by Terry Oakes Bourret of Durham. She will be doing a color mixing demonstration on mixing greens for plein air painting. There is a suggested donation of $4 for non-members. I did a lot of en plein air painting growing up (mostly because I was a very sloppy fingerpainter). But in all seriousness, art keeps the creative mind alive, and I'd suggest painting to even the most notice stick-figure drawers (yours truly included).

Now, there have been a lot of events in the calendar recently raising funds for Relay for Life. One in particular is a fundraiser to be held at Illiano's in Middletown Wednesday, where from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., a portion of sales will be contributed to Relay for Life. Supporting at cause and getting some good food in the process -- there's nothing wrong with that!

As Memorial Day is fast approaching, many parades and ceremonies honoring those who have passed are coming up in the calendar. One of the earliest such events is a veteran's memorial ceremony. Members of the American Legion and VFW of Durham are decorating the grave sites of U.S. Veterans in the three Durham cemeteries Thursday. All veterans are encouraged to participate and will meet at the Durham Town Hall at 6 p.m. Keep an eye out in the calendar for Memorial Day events near you.

So what are you doing this week?