mobanmarketCONNECTICUT — Labor Day is in the rearview, and that means we’re “unofficially” in autumn, the season completely owned by Connecticut. The first full weekend of September doesn’t disappoint, either, with multiple fairs and festivals.
It’s harvest time in Hebron, and they’re celebrating bringing in the maize at the Hebron Harvest Fair. The gates open on Thursday, and close Sunday night. In between will be four days of racing pigs, pigs that jump and sing, tractor pulls, trapeze artists, a demolition derby, live music, pie and watermelon-eating contests, an entire building devoted to arts and crafts, and carnival rides along the midway. Fair times at the Hebron Lions Fairgrounds are Thursday 4 p.m.-10:30 p.m, Friday noon-midnight, Saturday 10 a.m.-midnight, and Sunday 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
The Bethlehem Fair runs Friday through Sunday, with an emphasis on its agricultural roots, and plenty of exhibits. You’ll find carnival rides at the Wapping Fair in South Windsor, alongside the usual ag shows and live music. It runs Thursday through Sunday.
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At the 46th Annual Norwalk Oyster Festival, the emphasis is firmly upon entertainment, and that’s the way the locals like it. From Sept. 6-8, plan on partying through multiple stages, featuring a wide spectrum of talent, including Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. New this year at the 35-acre Veteran’s Memorial Park in Norwalk will be The Ready Go Dog Show as seen on ESPN; and Xpogo, an exhibition of “extreme” stunts as performed on pogo sticks, as if pogo sticks weren’t extreme enough. For those who prefer more old-school humiliation, look for multiple shows featuring medieval knights bashing themselves about. There’s also plenty of food, and carnival rides. Tickets are available online here.
The Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival will be docked at Fort Trumbull State Park and the Waterfront Park in New London on Sept. 7-8 (There will be shuttles available between both venues). Events are scheduled 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and include The Little Mermaids and Sea Monsters Parade, “The Burning of Benedict Arnold” presented by The Flock Theatre, a maritime skills challenge, fishing clinic, kids’ “Nautical Zone,” rum tasting, live music and plenty of food trucks. The Coast Guard will be on hand to provide a helicopter search and rescue demonstration on the Thames River, and there’s a Basque Fest rolling in at noon on Saturday.
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It’s a fairly recent trend: otherwise rather sedate and cerebral local historical societies throwing pub-vibed but history-tinged fundraisers, and we’re here for it. The granddaddy of the movement might well be the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society’s Real Ale Harvest Fest, in its ninth year. Over 20 top area breweries will compete in a cask challenge, where guests sample and vote for the Taster’s Choice champion.
Of course, all the competing brewskies “must contain a historically appropriate flavoring” and “include an ingredient from Noah Webster’s 18th century garden or pantry” yadda yadda, but that’ll just give you a chance to impress your date with herbalism lore. Dictionary boss Noah Webster for the win-win. Tickets for both the 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. sitting on Sept. 7 are available online here.
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There’s more brew, and even more festivities, at the 2024 Brass City Brew & ‘Que, noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Library Park in Waterbury. Now in its 19th year, the event is an opportunity for beer lovers to sample hundreds of varieties of craft and specialty brews, as well as international and domestic beers. You can also win cash prizes for your backyard pit-master skills. Plenty of food trucks will be in attendance, and (oh, Waterbury…) there’s even a Beer Olympics, new this year.Tickets are available online here.
Later on, detox at the 13th Annual Health Wellness & Lifestyle Expo along beautiful Harbor Point in Stamford, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s Connecticut’s largest health and wellness confab, with 120 exhibitors, free classes, free parking, and free admission.
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