Experience the Sound in Greenwich

Now in it's 11th year, Experience the Sound hosted by the Greenwich Shellfish Commission is once again taking place on June 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Greenwich Point Park in Old Greenwich and best of all this event is free and you don't need a beach pass or car sticker to attend! This year the theme is  "From Streams Through Soil to Sea" to emphasize that the local ecology in our own backyard is connected to the Sound and to encourage the public to be good caretakers of the land and the Sound. Activities will take place around the Innis Arden Cottage and the Old Greenwich Yacht Club and it's docks at Greenwich Point. A free shuttle bus will be available to take participants back and forth between the two areas.

One of the highlights of this event is the Board a Boat exhibition.  Festival goers are invited to climb aboard commercial shellfishing barges as well as the other boats that dock at the Old Greenwich Yacht Club. The Soundwaters Schooner, an 80 ft. three-masted representation of a 19th Century Sharpie Schooner used for teaching science to students of all ages will be docked along with the Atlantic Clam Farms barge, and the Copps Island Oyster boat, a traditional shellfishing boat operated by the third generation of shell-fishermen in the Bloom family. 

If you have worked up an appetite, no worries as festival goers are invited to sample fresh clams and oysters from local waters. The raw bar hosts are local commercial shellfishing companies Atlantic Clam Farms and Hemlock Oyster Company.

The Greenwich Historical Society is teaming up with the Greenwich Point Conservancy and Old Greenwich Yacht Club to host a historical boat tour of the waters off Greenwich Point. Taking a new tack in honor of its exhibition Close to the Wind: Our Maritime History, the Historical Society is offering lucky guests a chance to test their sea legs during this 45-minute cruise. Each of the two tours (scheduled at 9:00 and 10:00 am) is limited to 11 passengers, so reservations must be made prior to the event and will be confirmed the day before. Participants will meet at the dock at Old Greenwich Yacht Club and are advised to dress appropriately for the weather, wear boat shoes or other footwear with soft, non-marking soles and apply sunscreen.

The Historical Society will also host a booth at Innis Arden Cottage from 1:00 to 4:00 pm featuring a fun family craft project involving the design of your very own nautical flag. In addition, outside the Innis Arden Cottage, attendees will have a chance to connect with many of the wonderful community groups and organizations in Greenwich and the surrounding area which organize water sports and other environmental and naturalist pursuits. The Greenwich Audubon and Wild Wings for example will be in attendance to talk about birds and other wildlife that make the Long Island Sound their home. The Bruce Museum Seaside Center will have a large touch tank with crabs, oysters, clams, fish, and more, and Naturalists on hand to answer your questions.