Category: Connecticut Travel

Fright Haven is Connecticut’s Largest and Scariest INDOOR Haunted House with over 20,000 of scares in 20,000 square feet that is open from Sept. 23 through October 31 rain or shine at 7 p.m. Visitors explore the Dead End Manor, the Deadly Grounds and the 3-D Carnival of Evil. General Admission Tickets – Gets you into the entire haunt in advance online are $20.00 and ticket purchase at the door is $25.00. A V.I.P. Cut the Line Speed Pass – Jump to the front of the line online is $39.00 and $49.00 at the door.

Legend tells us that the deserted Dead End Manor was once home to Count Drake Romania Dudley. One Halloween, he threw a party, and the town showed up, eager to dance and drink the night away. But once the townsfolk entered that party, they were never seen again. Instead, those few who did not attend the party found this: no bodies, but congealing blood dripping down the wallpaper.

If you aren’t afraid of the dark, you will be after exploring the Deadly Grounds. Imagine yourself in the pitch black woods with no lights and no way to escape. In this haunt, brave wanderers venture through a land of torture and horror without their eyes to guide them. Is it their own imagination that betrays them? What is around every corner, lurking just out of sight?

Forced into retirement, the clowns and entertainers at Carnival Retirement Home have a lot to prove. They’ve set up their own circus in Eveville to resurrect their craft, and they’ve invited the whole gang, including clowns from the grave and those who were locked up for reasons unknown to their Carnival of Evil in 3-D.

This spooktacular venue is located at 411 Barnum Avenue CutOff in Stratford, CT next to L.A. Fitness & 99 Restaurant across from Home Depot/Walmart.

Carole Peck’s Good News Cafe located on 694 Main Street South in Woodbury is hosting a new art exhibit by Sebastian DiStefano that will run through November 21. DiStefano’s work from the 1960’s to the present includes watercolors, oil on Masonite, and acrylics which depict how he explores color, line, and composition. These paintings, that are the product of five decades of work depict a full expression of the emotional experiences of his life. “I love the elements of painting; it sets my mind in motion where I am seeking the balance even if the piece ends up unbalanced. I don’t speak for my paintings they speak for me.”

Mr. DiStefano was a Waterbury native. He spent his life painting abstract and non-objective art, a medium where he felt most comfortable. Color and balance were two focal areas for him. He was inspired by the Abstract Expressionists and Color Field artists and is also moved by Baroque painters. The incorporation of light and dark contrasts are woven into his works; and, as he painted, he continually turned his pieces around to seek balance. Even in the pieces that appear unbalanced, balance is found. This allows many of his works to be viewed from different perspectives, even though he had seen it in one particular orientation and allowing any owner of his works to hang these pieces from their own perspective.

Mr. DiStefano graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Art and continued his studies at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. He returned to Waterbury, Connecticut where he stayed the majority of his life until moving to Cheshire. Mr. DiStefano was a true artist and found artwork his expression from within. Rather than being driven to sell his artwork, Mr. DiStefano saw his work as an extension of himself. As a result, this collection remains intact today; as the family states, this show represents the true heart of the artist he was throughout his life. His work has been exhibited at Gallery 53-Meriden Arts and Crafts Association, Sharon Creative Arts Foundation, Mattatuck Community College, The University of North Dakota, the Waterbury Arts Festival, Slater Memorial Museum, Silvermine Guild of Artists, and previously before at Good News Restaurant & Bar.

Carole Pecks is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, from 12 noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday and is closed Tuesdays.

The 12th Annual Watertown House Tour will take place on Saturday, September 30 from 11am to 3pm, rain or shine. Five fabulous properties will be featured in this year’s tour including The Buell H. Heminway House at 305 Main Street, The Copper House at 28 Nova Scotia Hill Road, The Henry Long House at 423 Northfield Road, The Boone House at 561 Winding Brook Farm Road, and The Barrett House at 53 Hamilton Avenue. The Nova Scotia Schoolhouse at 22 DeForest Street will also be open for viewing.

Advance house tour tickets are $25 per person, and will be $30 the day of the tour. Tickets for this self-guided house tour and are non-refundable & can be purchased by mailing a check or money order to: Watertown House Tour P.O. Box 853 Watertown, CT 06795 Checks should be made payable to the “Watertown Historical Society”. Tickets can also be purchased online with a credit card or Paypal at: www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org Requests for tickets after Friday, September 22 will be held for pick-up on the day of the tour at the Nova Scotia Schoolhouse at 22 DeForest Street.

Call the Historical Society at 860-274-1050 or view www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org for more information. New this year, Sunset Grille, located at 834 Northfield Road in Watertown, is offering a special luncheon for attendees of the house tour. Present your house tour ticket for the purchase of lunch at a special house tour price.

About The Tour
The Watertown House Tour is a benefit for the Watertown Historical Society and Museum in Watertown, CT. The Watertown Historical Society is a private, nonprofit, all volunteer organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Watertown’s and Oakville’s history.

The Last Taste of Summer Craft Beer Fest takes place this year at the scenic Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, overlooking Greenwich Harbor on September 30 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The gates will open at 12 noon for VIP ticket holders. Early bird tickets are available online and at the gate on the day of the event.

Festival goers will enjoy a fabulous afternoon with family and friends at this zero-waste, craft beer festival that features brews and pours from over 30 of Connecticut’s finest craft breweries, live music, a variety of delicious food, an array of exhibitors, games and activities, making this the perfect finale to the summer craft beer festival season.

Confirmed Brewers include: Armada Brewing, Ballast Point, Charter Oak Brewery, Lock City Brewing Company, New England Cider, New Belgium Brewing, Owls Brew Raddler, Shiner, Spiked Seltzer, Stony Creek, Tito’s Vodka, and Thimble Island. It is best to check the website for updated lists of breweries.

Festival goers will not go hungry with a line up of five of the state’s top food trucks including Bobby Q’s, Cowabunga, Lobster Craft, Melt Mobile, and Wendy’s Weenies. To add to the fun, participants will listen to the cool summer sound of Wilton Steel Community Band, blues, funk and rock & roll from The Clams, and Sacred Fire a Santana tribute band. Try your hand at games and activities, visit exhibits and enjoy the picturesque views of Greenwich Harbor. The Last Taste of Summer is the perfect finale for the Summer Craft Beer season.

Parking for this event is free at Island Beach and Horseneck Parking lots, Greenwich Plaza and all street parking in the area. The event is three blocks from Greenwich Metro North Station. Everyone should have a photo ID for admittance and must be 21+ for tastings.

To sign up for an area event newsletter visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

On Friday, September 22, The Sherman Playhouse will debut its fall production of Howard Richardson and William Berney’s Dark of the Moon, an eerie tale of forbidden love, set against the backdrop of the Smoky Mountains and the supernatural world. The curtain rises at 8:00 p.m. for a four-week run.

Dark of the Moon is based on the haunting folk ballad of “Barbara Allen” and recounts the story of John, a strange “witch boy” who upon first beholding the beautiful Barbara Allen immediately falls in love. He is given human form to woo and marry her on the condition that she remains true to him. Whether or not the rural, God-fearing townsfolk will allow this union to take place is the question that will plague them all “until death to them part.”

“Dark of the Moon is an interesting and inspiring look into the universality of the human condition,” said director, producer, and set designer Robin Frome of New Milford. “It delves into prejudice, religious morals and conventions, the verisimilitude of folklore, and the eternal struggle of partners in love against a disturbing and restricting environment. We have brought this production to a work of art utilizing a provocative set, sound, and lighting design.”

The production features a large cast of area actors: John Squiers (Pawling, N.Y.), John Fabiani (Watertown), Judy Sullivan (Roxbury), Paige Gray (Danbury), Michael Wright (Newtown); Patrick Kelly, William Kenyon (both Ridgefield); Kate Morris, Jeff Rossman, Bailey McCann (all New Fairfield); Rufus de Rham, Katherine Almquist (both Kent); Phair Haldin, Keli Solomon, Meg Jones, Lynn Nissenbaum (all New Milford); Jessica Gleason, Michael Schaner, and Chris Marker (all Sherman).

Besides Frome, the show’s crew consists of lighting designer Al Chiappetta, sound designer David White, costumer Lisa Bonelli, choreography Marissa Caron, cast musician John Bolster, and stage manager David Almquist.

Dark of the Moon made its Broadway Debut at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre) on March 14, 1945. The New York Times called the play “a provocative mixture of fantasy and earthiness…the color of folklore and the pathos of human yearning are effectively combined.”

Dark of the Moon runs September 22,23 29,30, October 1 6,7,8 13,14,15 at 8:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. There will be three 2:00 p.m. Sunday matinees on October 1, 8 and 15. Tickets are $24 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under. On Thursday, September 21, all patrons are invited to attend a “Half-Price Preview Night” at 8:00 p.m., where tickets are only $12. Students may see any performance for $12 if they carry a valid student ID.

Reservations can be made online at shermanplayers.org or by calling the box office at (860) 354-3622. The Sherman Playhouse is a non-Equity theatre company located at 5 Route 39 North (next to the firehouse) in Sherman, CT.

A spectacular fire-engine red c. 1885 road cart with racing stripes has made its way from the Gregory barn on Belden Hill Road, to Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania for restoration, and on to the Wilton Historical Society located on 224 Danbury Road in Wilton CT. The road cart, with its unusual seat suspension, was the Lamborghini of its day, and was given by Margaret Gregory in honor of her husband, the late Julian A. Gregory (1912-2002).

“This gift is the most important collection piece accessioned for the Society’s permanent collection in the past decade” said Executive Director Leslie Nolan, “the Road Cart’s ties to the illustrious Gregory family make its Wilton connection and educational value of the history of transportation in a small New England town, invaluable.”

According to the restoration specialist, Double E Carriages of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, “Road carts were designed to be a lightweight, economical, means of transportation, usually for one or two passengers. This cart has the somewhat unusual seat suspension, where the seat is mounted on wooden bars that pivot in the center with the front ends supported by leaf springs, to give a smoother ride for the passengers. This suspension is similar to the carts manufactured by the Coldwater Road Cart Co. and was also patented by then.”

About the Gregory Family

The Gregory family’s roots in Wilton go back to the very beginning. Jachin Gregory II moved to Wilton from Norwalk in 1718, and was a signer of the 1726 petition to make Wilton Parish a separate entity from Norwalk. The family home at 169 Belden Hill Road was built in 1740 by Matthew Gregory, and the family still resides there, 277 years later. Julian A. Gregory, Sr. was a founding member of the Wilton Historical Society, February 1938, and elected its first president. His son, Julian A. Gregory, established the prominent law firm of Gregory and Adams in 1964. The Gregory family has been a pillar of the Society. Their support and many contributions of important artifacts have helped preserve Wilton’s history for future generations.

The Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897 http://www.wiltonhistorical.org