This week in Stamford: Jesse McCartney at the Palace, five Damon Wayans Jr. shows on Tresser, and the telescope out past dark at Scofieldtown

Morning, Stamford. Labor Day weekend here is doing the thing Stamford does well, which is act like a small city with a big city's booking calendar. A pop headliner at the Palace on Friday, a Wayans doing five sets over three nights on Tresser Boulevard, and a planetarium that keeps the observatory open until 10 PM two nights running. None of it requires leaving the city, and most of it is a ten minute walk from a train.

Best for families this week: the Nissen Carousel at Mill River Park, open 9 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday, and the Sunday Farm Market at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, free to walk into and running 10 AM to 2 PM.

Planetarium shows at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, running through the day. "One World, One Sky" at 10 AM, "Forward! To the Moon" at 11, "Habitat Earth" at 1, "Stamford Skies" at 2, "5000 Eyes" at 3, and "Messengers of Time and Space" at 4. Most shows run $8 to $12, with "Stamford Skies" at $8 to $15. The daily otter feeding at 1 PM is included with admission and is, reliably, the loudest ten minutes on the property. Ticketed, all ages, indoors. Details.

The Nissen Carousel at Mill River Park, 1010 Washington Boulevard, Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM. Ticketed, all ages, outdoors. Details.

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Vinyasa Yoga at Harbor Point Triangle Park, led by instructors from Connecticut Power Yoga. Bring a mat, the surface is grass. Free, adults, outdoors. Details.

Karaoke Thursday at RIZZ Lounge and Grill, a weekly one, low stakes, no cover mentioned. 21+, indoors. Details.

Jesse McCartney, The Weightless Tour, at the Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic Street, 8 PM with doors at 7. Tickets start at $39.50 before fees, and there is a VIP add on with a post show meet and greet if you know someone for whom that would land. The Palace flags this one as intended for teens and adults, and every child over their first birthday needs a ticket. Ticketed, teens and adults, indoors. Details.

Damon Wayans Jr. at New York Comedy Club, 230 Tresser Boulevard, 7 and 9:30 PM. Five shows across the weekend, which is a real run for a room this size. There is a $20 per person minimum in the showroom on top of the ticket, and Connecticut tax and an 18 percent gratuity on top of that, so budget accordingly rather than being surprised at the table. Ticketed, adults, indoors. Details.

Night Sky Observing at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, 7 to 10 PM, $12 to $15. The observatory is open, and North Stamford is dark enough that it matters. Ticketed, all ages, outdoors. Details.

TGIF Live at RIZZ Lounge and Grill, the weekly Friday live music set. 21+, indoors. Details.

The state's Inspector General closed the file on the December 2 standoff, and the report is grimmer than the headline. Inspector General Eliot D. Prescott released his final report on August 28 and found that the three Stamford officers who fired at Jed Parkington, 63, were legally justified. Parkington had barricaded himself in a fortified home after a state marshal attempted an eviction, fired repeatedly at police, and was never actually struck by their gunfire. He died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. Officers then found that he had killed his tenant, Carmine Boccuzzi, 80, and had multiple firearms and improvised explosive devices in the house. Prescott's finding: "None of the officers at the scene used deadly physical force until Parkington used deadly physical force against the officers." Source: Patch.

A Stamford judge ruled a $165,000 Keith Haring drawing is real, and the buyer still lost. The Superior Court case pitted a buyer against a Greenwich gallery, and while the court found the drawing authentic, the buyer's case largely failed and he was ordered to cover the gallery's legal fees after proving only one warranty claim, which turned out to be time barred. The practical outcome is stranger than the legal one: the major auction houses still will not list the piece, citing provenance concerns, so a court has declared real a thing the market will not touch. Source: Patch.

Volunteers spent August pulling phragmites out of Boccuzzi Park to give the salt marsh a chance. SoundWaters is running a multiyear restoration of one of Stamford Harbor's last salt marshes, clearing invasive reed to make room for native plants. Katie Boback, the group's Assistant Director for Salt Marsh Education, is leading it, and volunteers Celeste Vigant and Greg Bound were among those in the mud. Vigant's line was the best argument for signing up: "Being out in the salt marsh gave me a new appreciation for just how much life is there." The next volunteer session is Thursday, September 10, 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Source: Patch.

Stamford Downtown Farmers Market at Veterans Memorial Park, 130 Atlantic Street (Downtown), 9 AM to 1 PM, running through October 10. Free yoga at 9 and live music from 10:30 to 12:30 while you shop. The market takes WIC and SNAP benefits. Free to browse, all ages, outdoors. Details.

Damon Wayans Jr. at New York Comedy Club, 230 Tresser Boulevard, 7 and 9:30 PM. Ticketed, adults, indoors. Details.

Night Sky Observing at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, 7 to 10 PM, $12 to $15. Ticketed, all ages, outdoors. Details.

German School of Connecticut open house at Rippowam Middle School, 381 High Ridge Road, 10 AM. Saturday language classes, and the open house is how you find out whether your kid would tolerate them. Free, families welcome, indoors. Details.

Daytime Bachata Party at Tequila Escape, noon, with DJ Bently LMP running bachata, salsa, dembow and tipico. A day party is a genuinely good format for people who like to dance and also like sleeping. Ticketed, 21+, indoors. Details.

Sunday Farm Market at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, in the North Lot, 10 AM to 2 PM. Free to enter, local farms and food producers, running Sundays through November 1. Free, all ages, outdoors. Details.

Harbor Point Farmers Market at Harbor Point Square, the weekly Sunday market on the water side of town. Free, all ages, outdoors. Details.

Damon Wayans Jr. closes the run at New York Comedy Club, 230 Tresser Boulevard, 4:30 PM. An early show, which for a holiday Sunday is the correct call. Ticketed, adults, indoors. Details.

Labor Day. Stamford Public Schools are closed, and so is most of downtown. The Nissen Carousel and the museum grounds are the reliable options if the weather holds.

SoundWaters runs its next salt marsh volunteer session at Boccuzzi Park on Thursday, September 10, 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Bring boots you do not care about. Details.

Trivia Night at Flinders Lane Kitchen and Bar returns Tuesday, September 8, free to play. Details.

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Cooper

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