Kids Cove Schedule @ Norwalk Oyster Festival Sept. 7,8,9

Mark those calendars for September 7, 8, and 9 for the Norwalk Oyster Festival.  If you have children, head to Kids Cove that offers hours of kid-friendly fun with so much to do, see, and eat!  Kids Cove has exhibits, hands-on activities, and free entertainment sure to delight kids of all ages. Children can get their face-painted and then pose with one of their favorite characters, and, afterward, try their skill at pint-sized carnival games like the ring toss or the lollipop tree where every child gets a prize!

Hog Diggity Dog Review

You will feel like a kid again when watching the new show at this year's Oyster Festival, the  Hog Diggity Dog Review.  This amazing show is performed by animal trainer and second generation circus performer,  Hans Klose who took over from his parents, who also worked for Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Baily Circus. Klose started his career at Ringling Bros., and then as a dog trainer at just sixteen years old.  He has traveled all through the US and Canada and as far south as Mexico thrilling audiences with his act. Most recently he appeared on Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

Expect plenty of squeals of delight from crowds as the dogs and pigs perform. Today Kouse works with 20 dogs and four pigs.  The performing pigs, Roscoe weighing 750 pounds, and Shelton weighing around 700 pounds were part of Klose's act when he worked for Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. The Hog Diggity Dog Review will take place on Friday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 8 at 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The pigs were acquired from farms and his dogs, with the exception of a couple of standard poodles, are rescues with a talent for jumping.  The animals have their own climate controlled trailer and Mr. Klose is certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates zoos, circuses and marine mammal parks under the Animal Welfare Act that requires regular inspections.  The animals have regular vet care and the pigs get regular hoof trimmings and are fed a special diet.

Magic Show with Master Magician Doc Swan

Another not to be missed highlight of Kids Cove is the professional magic act conjured up by the award-winning Master Magician Doc Swan. This show delights the audience with fantastic illusions, magic with lots of audience participation, juggling, clowns and much more that takes place under the big circus tent.  The Doc Swan Magic Show will take place on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 8 at 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m.and 7:45 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

If you have children, be sure to take advantage of the $25 dollar wristband for unlimited rides from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and, best of all, Sunday, Sept. 9 is Family Day when kids get in free with a paying adult.

Complete Kids Cove Schedule

Friday, September 7, 2018

Face Painter Open at 6 p.m.

Seaport Festival of Magic 7 p.m. @Circus Tent

Hog Diggity Dog Review 8 p.m.

Saturday, September 8, 2018 

Face painters Open at 11 a.m.

Seaport Festival of Magic 12:30 p.m.

Hog Diggity Dog Review  1:30 p.m.

Karate Demo 2 p.m.

Character appearance 2:30 p.m.

Festival of Magic 3 p.m.

Hog Diggity Dog Review 4 p.m.

Festival of Magic 5 p.m.

Karate Demonstration 6 p.m.

Character appearance 6 p.m.

Hog Diggity Dog review 7 p.m.

Seaport Festival of Magic 7:45 p.m.

Hog Diggity Dog Review 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Face painters open at 11a.m.

Seaport Festival of Magic 1 p.m.

Character Appearance 1:30 p.m.

Karate Demo 2 p.m.

Hog Diggity Dog Review 2 p.m.

Seaport Festival of Magic 3 p.m.

Character Appearance 3:30 p.m.

Hog Diggity Dog Review 4 p.m.

Festival of Magic at 5 p.m.

Hog Diggity Dog Review 6:30 p.m.

Tickets, Parking & Metro-North

The event is held at Veteran’s Park, adjacent to Norwalk Harbor on Seaview Avenue in Norwalk, CT.  Admission for adults is $10 on Friday, $12 on Saturday and Sunday.  Senior tickets are $10 all days.  Children 5-12 year’s old are $5.  Children under 5 and U.S. military personnel on active duty are free.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.seaport.org.  On Sunday, Sept. 9 children 12 and under free with paying adult.

Festival Hours: Friday, Sept. 7, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, September 8 from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., and Sunday, September 9 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

For those that want to take the train Metro-North is offering a discount package with free shuttle service from the train station to the Oyster Festival.

Free parking and shuttle service available from Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk City Hall, and Norwalk Community College.

About the Norwalk Seaport Association

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, education and public awareness of Norwalk’s maritime environment and heritage.  The Seaport Association and its volunteers are solely responsible for organizing and financing the Oyster Festival.  In addition to the Oyster Festival, the Norwalk Seaport Association owns Sheffield Lighthouse and its volunteers maintain the lighthouse and grounds as a museum and nature preserve. For more information, visit www.seaport.org. or call (203) 838-9444. 

Coconuts, The Boomer Humor Comedy Rock Party Band @ Carousel Museum

For the past forty years COCONUTS, have been entertaining audiences from Cape Cod to the Florida Keys with their unique blend of music and humor. Their show is a fast-paced mix of rock song parodies, comedy numbers, sing-alongs, and straight up rock 'n' roll mostly from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. 

COCONUTS are bringing their show to the Carousel Museum on Friday, September 21 from 7:00 - 10:30 pm. $20 tickets are on sale now and sales benefit the New England Carousel Museum. Grab a group of friends and laugh, dance and support this one of a kind organization on a one of a kind evening.  

COCONUTS parodies poke gentle fun at everything from medicine and technology to the many aspects of growing older, and although geared toward a Baby Boomer crowd, their humor appeals to younger and older folk as well. Be warned: sometimes their material is a bit risqué, but it's all in good fun. Audience participation is heartily encouraged and by the end of the night everybody is "in the band". Comments frequently heard after a COCONUTS show are "I haven't laughed this much in years!" and "where do guys your age get all that energy?" The three original Nuts will be joined for this special performance by the exceptional talents of Joey DeCarlo on lead guitar and Mike Savenelli on drums. So sit back and relax, then sing along and clap your hands, then get up and dance with COCONUTS!

Tickets and tables of 8 can be purchased online at www.thecarouselmuseum.org/book-online

or by calling 860-585-5411.

Alison Palmer: Creatures Great and Small” @ Sharon Historical Society

Sharon Historical Society & Museum announces the opening on September 8 in Gallery SHS of a solo exhibition of recent ceramics, papier-mâché, and photographs by local artist Alison Palmer titled “Creatures Great and Small”. An opening wine and hors-d'oeuvres reception to which the public is invited free of charge will be held on Saturday, September 8 from 4:00 to 7:00PM.  The show will run through October 19.  A portion of all purchases supports the Sharon Historical Society & Museum’s mission.  The opening will be held in conjunction with the second Sharon Art Walk, during which the art exhibitions at Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, Sharon Town Hall, Standard Space and Ice House Project Space will also be open to the public, along with the studios of several local artists.

Alison Palmer was born and raised in New York. After graduating high school she attended Kansas City Art Institute as well as the California College of Arts and Crafts where she received her BFA in ceramics. Alison then returned to New York where she implemented a “treatment through crafts” program at Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Katonah. While teaching at Four Winds, Alison began her own studio at a converted old schoolhouse in Croton Falls, New York. She met and married musician Steve Katz. Together they created a company called Ashes to Ashes which produced funerary urns for animals. The urns were to be designed and handmade by Alison while Steve did the sales and marketing. The pressures of dealing with grieving clients, however, were too much for the couple and so they concentrated solely on Alison’s handcrafted ideas. By 1986, Alison was exhibiting her work at a few of the finer craft galleries in New York City and elsewhere.

Gallery SHS is located at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, 18 Main Street, Route 41, Sharon, CT.  The gallery and museum are open Saturday from 10-2 and Wednesday through Friday from 12-4, and by appointment. For more information and directions to Gallery SHS, call (860) 364-5688.  For additional information about theSharon Historical Society & Museum, visit www.sharonhist.orghttp://www.sharonhist.org.

For the Love of Oysters - Norwalk Oyster Festival

When it comes to oysters, Connecticut has a lot to celebrate, especially Norwalk which has long been known as "Oyster Town".  The Norwalk Island chain, including Sheffield Island, creates the ideal environment for renewed oyster growing operations such as the Copps Island Oysters based in Norwalk. 

The Eastern Oyster was designated as the state shellfish in 1989.  It is a bivalve mollusk that grows naturally in Connecticut’s tidal rivers and coastal bays and is cultivated in seeded beds in Long Island Sound by oyster farmers. Norwalk has had a long history with oysters so it is no surprise the members of the Norwalk Seaport Association has organized an annual festival to fete this delicious shellfish.  September 7,8 and 9 marks the 41st annual Norwalk Oyster Festival that is held in Veterans Park on Seaview Ave. in Norwalk.

The Norwalk Oyster Festival is the perfect place to slurp fresh off the boat oysters raised right here in Norwalk. Norwalk's oysters are known for their freshness, sweet briny flavor, and buttery plump meats. If you are new to oyster slurping you might want to start small.  Although there is no incorrect way to slurp an oyster, we recommend that you slurp the meat with its "liquor" and give it two or three good chews.  Salt and brine hit first and is followed by a sweet buttery flavor that tastes of the sea.  Oysters come with a variety of accouterments such as lemon, cocktail sauce or red wine vinegar it's up to you how you want to garnish your oyster.

The Norwalk Oyster Festival offers a wide array of attractions the whole family will enjoy, including continuous entertainment by local musicians and national acts such as Steve Augeri, Journey former lead singer, a vast array of food at the International Food Court, an unlimited ride wristband for kids on Sat. & Sun., 100 plus art and craft vendors, and several special entertainment venues that round out three days of fun. Best of all, entertainment is included in the cost of admission.

Tickets, Parking & Metro-North

The event is held at Veteran’s Park, adjacent to Norwalk Harbor on Seaview Avenue in Norwalk, CT.  Admission for adults is $10 on Friday, $12 on Saturday and Sunday.  Senior tickets are $10 all days.  Children 5-12 year’s old are $5.  Children under 5 and U.S. military personnel on active duty are free.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.seaport.org.  

Festival Hours: Friday, Sept. 7, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, September 8 from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., and Sunday, September 9 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

For those that want to take the train Metro North is offering a discount package with free shuttle service from the train station to the Oyster Festival.

Free parking and shuttle service available from Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk City Hall, and Norwalk Community College.

About the Norwalk Seaport Association

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, education and public awareness of Norwalk’s maritime environment and heritage.  The Seaport Association and its volunteers are solely responsible for organizing and financing the Oyster Festival.  In addition to the Oyster Festival, the Norwalk Seaport Association owns Sheffield Lighthouse and its volunteers maintain the lighthouse and grounds as a museum and nature preserve. For more information, visit www.seaport.org. or call (203) 838-9444. 

Oyster History

Oysters were an important source of food for Native Americans and became a staple in the diet of early European settlers who learned how to harvest them from Long Island Sound.  By the 18th century, many natural oyster beds were depleted so laws were enacted relating to the designation of individually parceled oyster grounds. 

The 1800s is when oystering boomed in Norwalk and by the mid.-19th century, Connecticut led oyster seed production north of New Jersey. By 1911 Connecticut's oyster production peaked at nearly 25 million pounds of oyster meat, that was much higher than nearby states of New York, Mass. and Rhode Island. Demand for Norwalk oysters increased and with the expansion of the railroad's new markets were opened up.  Norwalk was the largest producer of oysters in Connecticut and had the biggest fleet of oyster boats with steam power in the world, and Norwalk became known as "Oyster Town".

Economic depressions, coastal human population, industrialization, and marine traffic lead to a decline in oyster production.  In 1997 and 1998 80% of the state's oysters were destroyed because of a spike in the water temperatures that resulted in a naturally occurring parasite.

Today, marine biologists have teamed up with local oystermen to develop hardier parasite resistant oysters and ways to improve water quality in order to create a sustainable breeding and farming environment for oysters.  Because of the success of these programs, there is a resurgence in renewed oyster growing operations like Copps Island Oysters based in Norwalk.

Sheffield Island Lighthouse 150 Anniversary Dinner Sept. 15

Sheffield Island is the site for one of falls most highly anticipated events, the Anniversary Dinner on Sheffield Island to fete the 150th birthday of the Sheffield Island Lighthouse.   “As caretakers of this iconic maritime treasure, we have planned an exceptional night out for friends, old and new, that support the conservation efforts of the Seaport Association.   We want this dinner to be memorable because it is not every day that an iconic edifice like the lighthouse turns 150 in a state that is just over 360 years old,” said Mike Reilly, President of the Norwalk Seaport Association.

This evening’s celebratory dinner menu has been inspired for the most discerning palates and has been organized with foodies and lovers of lighthouses in mind.  The menu will showcase the bounty of the sea with a raw bar featuring oysters three ways from Copps Island, grilled and chilled cilantro shrimp, lobster tails and Rhode Island clam chowder, and all the fixings.  There will be a dessert table and even s’mores by the fire pit!  Mixers, soda, and water for alcoholic beverages are included. 

Tickets to this exceptional dining experience, on the island, are $100 per person and include the cruise to Sheffield Island, dinner, and entertainment. Advance reservations are required. Please RSVP to the Seaport Association at 203-838-9444 or online https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3598573.  The boat departs from the Sheffield Island Ferry Dock on 10 North Water Street at 4 p.m. and returns to the dock at 8:30 p.m. Ticketing fees are applied to all reservations and all tickets are non-refundable unless there is a weather cancellation. Parking is available at the Maritime Garage.

Proceeds support the conservation of the Sheffield Island Lighthouse.

How to Win a trip to Iceland !

White Memorial Foundation on 80 White Hall Road in Litchfield is celebrating its 37th annual Family Nature Day on Sept. 22 and in honor of this event, there is a fantastic raffle going on for the trip of a lifetime with Krummit Travel to Iceland.  The drawing will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2018, 4:00 pm.  With only 1000 tickets printed and four really beautiful prizes which include TWO trips, we’d call your $10.00 donation per ticket a worthy investment!  The drawing takes place at 4pm at the 37thAnnual Family Nature Day. You need not be present to win the prizes.

First Prize: A trip for two to Iceland , January 2 – 7, 2019, which includes RT airfare from New York or Boston, (other gateways available at an extra cost), Breakfast and dinner daily, accommodations in a cozy hotel with private bath, ground transportation in Iceland, admission to swimming pools, and a few bells and whistles which are none of your beeswax. The trip is a $7600 value and has been donated by Krummi Travel LLC www.krummitravel.com

Second Prize: A $1500 gift card to the lovely Beaverkill Valley Inn in Lew Beach, New York. This stunning fishing lodge has an indoor swimming pool, make your own sundae bar, gorgeous rooms, hiking and kayaking opportunities. The gift card can be used as you wish but should cover room for 2 with private bath, breakfast, and dinner daily, for three nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). http://www.beaverkillvalleyinn.com/

Third Prize: A Pelican Two Man Kayak with life vests, wet pack, and paddles ($650 value) donated by Foxgloves Gardening Gloves which are THE BEST!!!! (and sold in our gift shop!) https://foxglovesinc.com/

Fourth Prize: A $350 Gift Card to Cabela’s! https://www.cabelas.com/

Buy your raffle tickets by calling the Gift Shop: 860-567-0857 or order online right HERE! Your “winning ticket stubs” will be sent to your email inbox as a jpeg. The originals will be kept on file at the Museum.  Should you want them you must collect them in person.

Twilight History Train Ride from Thomaston to Torrington Sept. 12 & 19

The Railroad Museum Of New England and the Torrington Historical Society are collaborating to offer train rides from Thomaston to Torrington and return and a brief presentation by Mark McEachern introducing the "All Hands on Deck: Torrington and World War I" exhibit.  Educational, self-guided tours about the WWI exhibit and a light barbeque supper will be included.   The history train tours will be offered on two Wednesday evenings, September 12 and September 19th.   The Naugatuck Railroad will provide the train service for the occasions.

The program will also offer self-guided tours of two Torrington History Museum exhibits, a WWI cemetery tour adjacent to the museum and the award-winning permanent history exhibit "No Place Like Home: The History of Torrington.”

During the First World War, Torrington, with its population of about 20,000, was a bustling factory town served by the Naugatuck Division of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. 

“Every city, town, and village in the country mobilized for the war effort,“ according to RMNE Chairman Howard Pincus.  “Railroads shipped military volunteers and enlisted personnel to where our country needed them, mostly to troop ships that took them to the main theater of operations in Europe.  The same was true for all supplies needed for the war effort manufactured in the many factories across the nation. This was an era when trains dominated transportation coast to coast.”   

Passengers will ride along the same route along the Naugatuck Railroad as they would have 100 years ago with the exception of track changes required by the construction of the Thomaston Dam in the 1960s.

All Hands on Deck: Torrington and World War I interpret the contributions of Torrington during the World War I years.  Visitors to the exhibit learn about the nearly 1,400 Torrington men and women who served in the military, home front activities, and the local industries that contributed to the war effort.  The exhibit sheds light on the Torrington residents who served in the military as well as the residents who aided the war effort by working at local factories, rationing food at home, or volunteering for organizations such as the Red Cross and Torrington Home Guard.

Passengers will enjoy the scenic view into the Litchfield Hills past the Thomaston Dam, along the upper Naugatuck River, and through East Litchfield. 

Tickets for this event are $25 and include the round-trip train ride, self-guided tours of the two Torrington History Museum exhibits and a light BBQ supper of pork sliders, coleslaw and beans provided by Zach and Lou's Barbeque.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.rmne.org or phone 860-283-7245 anytime.  All tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

Trains will leave Thomaston Station at 242 East Main Street, at 4:00pm, bound for Torrington’s Church Street Platform, and leave Torrington at 6:30pm to return to Thomaston.  In Torrington, passengers will walk three blocks from Church Street to the Torrington Historical Society at 192 Main Street.

Passengers may pick up tickets at the Thomaston Station's “Will Call” window 30 minutes before departure time.  Trains depart promptly at the scheduled times.

Live Concert and Contra Dance @ White Memorial Foundation Sept. 1

Strap on yer dancin' shoes, pack a picnic or a snack, BYOB, and kick off Labor Day weekend with White Memorial Conservation Center's favorite Robert Messore and his colleagues AKA O'Wryly! Tonight our Activity Shed will undulate with the gleeful sights and sounds of Contra!

Contra is danced to Celtic, Quebecois, Old Time, New England, Southern Appalachian, Jazz, Blues, and all sorts of other music played by live bands, either from Atlanta or elsewhere. In a contra dance, parallel lines of dancers stand opposite -- or "contra to" -- their partners. A dancer and his/her partner form a couple.

Bill Fischer is our caller! Through his instructions, each couple interacts with the couple next to them to form a four-person "set" and each set interacts with the sets on either side of them. Over the course of a dance, each couple moves up and down the hall, interacting with every other couple in their multi-set "line."

There is no fancy footwork involved (that is the other sort of line dancing) but the instructions given by the Caller do form a series of repeating figures that dancers eventually memorize. As this happens, the Caller provides fewer and fewer prompts until he drops out entirely; leaving you, your partner, and the others in your line to finish the dance, accompanied only by the exciting, lilting, haunting, and/or pulse-pounding music provided by the band.

White Memorial Foundation is located on 80 White Hall Road in Litchfield. This event is 7-9 pm in the activity shed and member cost $15, non-member cost $15. Call 860-567-0857  or click here to register online