Category: New England Travel

Harwinton Antiques and Design Weekend Sept. 3 and 4

Summer is fleeting and so is your opportunity to score those great antique, vintage and decorative items at the Harwinton Antiques & Design Weekend.

This coming Labor Day Weekend, September 3rd & 4th, marks the second and final show of the 2011 Harwinton Antique& Design Weekend season. So, spend your holiday weekend treasure hunting at the charming Harwinton Fairgrounds, located in beautiful Litchfield Hills.

Shop from country’s leading style makers. Over 200 renowned vendors, in tented and indoor booths, will offer the unique design essentials that simply can’t be found at the mall. Whether you’re beginning a decorating project or looking for those perfect finishing touches, you’ll find great design inspiration as well as the very finest in antiques. Bring your friends and family, enjoy the great food and savor one of the last and best shopping experiences of the season.

The Harwinton Antiques & Design Weekend will be held September 3-4, on the Harwinton Fairgrounds- 150 Locust Rd, Harwinton, CT. Show hours will be Saturday 8 am – 5 pm and Sunday 10 am – 5 pm. Admission will be $10.00 with Saturday’s admission good for both days. For more information visit www. harwintonantiquesweekend.com.

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Fine Fare, Friends & Fun in The Litchfield Hills at the 26 Annual Taste of The Litchfield Hills Sept. 3-5

Connecticut’s Oldest Food and Wine Festival Announces Menu for Labor Day Weekend.

From comfort food to gourmet dishes and from live entertainment to a shopping bazaar, you and your friends will enjoy a menu of fine fare and fun at the 26th Annual Taste of The Litchfield Hills.
Connecticut’s oldest food and wine festival will be held on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5, 2011, at its new location, Ski Sundown, 126 Ratlum Road, New Hartford.

Each year, since 1985, the festival has attracted thousands of guests for a sampling of the region’s food and wine, plus upscale shopping and live entertainment.

This year’s menu will feature such dishes as Angus beef sliders, baked mac and cheese, cedar plank roasted salmon, corn and Maine blue crab fritters, cherry-smoked chicken, fried goat cheese salad, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, grilled pizza, Lao crispy egg rolls, lobster salad sliders, mesquite-smoked pulled pork, New England clam chowder, seared scallops & braised short ribs, sesame chicken, shrimps in a blanket and many other delicious delicacies.

Sweet offerings will include apple cider cinnamon donuts, banana & toffee pie, dessert crepes, fruit smoothies, New England kettle corn, pumpkin chiffon roulade and many other delectable desserts. Northwest Community Bank is sponsoring an Internet download link for the complete 2011 Menu at http://www.LitchfieldFestivals.com.

Foodies will enjoy “grazing-sized” portions of house specialties prepared by chefs from regional restaurants, bistros and other purveyors of fine food with prices ranging from $4.00 to $8.00 per item. Table seating will be available in the festival’s Culinary Tent, at outdoor picnic tables and inside the air-conditioned ski lodge. Plus, guests are invited to picnic on the grounds with their own lawn chairs and blankets.

Participating culinary vendors include Chatterley’s Restaurant (New Hartford); Backstage Restaurant (Torrington); Faddy’s Donuts & Ice Cream (Bloomfield); Farm Restaurant (Avon); The Foothills Delery (Pine Meadow); The Green Papaya (Canton); The Green Room (Winsted); Little Sister’s Grilled Cheese (New London); Indochine Pavilion (New Haven); Infinity Bistro (Norfolk); KJ’ Grilled Pizza (Torrington); Mustard’s Last Stand (New Hartford); Rocket Fine Street Foods (Torrington) and Summertime Sno-Balls (New Hartford).

The festival will offer wine by the glass from Litchfield Hills wineries, including Hopkins Vineyard (New Preston), Jerram Winery (New Hartford), Miranda Vineyard (Goshen), Sunset Meadow Vineyards (Goshen) and White Silo Winery (Sherman). Thomas Hooker draught beer, plus a variety of soft drinks will also be served.

New this year is the The Farmers Market which will showcase locally grown and raised foods. Barden Farm, Hayes Dairy, Marwin Farms and other family farms located in the Litchfield Hills will offer native fare to enjoy at the festival and to take home.

Live entertainment will include country singer-songwriter Courtney Drummey (Saturday, 1-4 p.m.), oldies band The Rockin’ Hearbeats (Saturday, 5-8 pm), jazz recording artists The Christine & Elliot Spero Duo (Sunday, 1-4 p.m.), blues artists The Andy James Band (Sunday, 5-8 p.m.) and jam band Flipper Dave (Monday, 1-4 p.m.).

Festival goers will also enjoy an upscale shopping experience in the festivals’ outdoor bazaar featuring such unique gift items as artisan-crafted jewelry, gourmet food products, kitchenware and other products and services.

Hours for A Taste of the Litchfield Hills will be 12 to 8 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 3 & 4, 2011, and 12 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. Ticket prices are Adult (age 12-64): $10 On-Site or $8 Advance Purchase; Senior (age 65+): $8 On-Site or $6 Advance Purchase; and Child (Under 12): Free admission. Advance tickets and more information is available at http://www.LitchfieldFestivals.com. Admission does not include food and beverage, which is purchased separately.

Ski Sundown is located at 126 Ratlum Hill in the charming riverside town of New Harford, Conn., just a few minutes from the intersection of Routes 44 & 219. This central location makes this Taste of Litchfield Hills Festival an easy day-trip from Albany, The Berkshires, Hartford, The Hudson Valley, Metro New York, New Haven and Springfield.

With its antique shops, art galleries, covered bridges and quaint villages, the Litchfield Hills is an ideal get away destination for this three-day holiday weekend. Lodging optionsin the Litchfield Hills include dozens of charming bed and breakfasts, cozy country inns, and world class resorts, hotels and motels.

For more information on where to stay and what to do visit: http://www.litchfieldhills.com

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Rainforest Reptiles is at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo for a limited engagement! Aug. 25- Aug. 28!

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo concludes its summer programming schedule with Rainforest Reptiles, a dynamic, interactive, and educational show that is sure to engage and excite young and old alike. Rainforest Reptiles features over 200 exotic reptiles, ranging from iguanas, Burmese pythons, and boa constrictors to lizards, turtles, and American alligators. Visitors also will appreciate the Zoo’s newly renovated “Alligator Alley” exhibit, which is home to five new alligators.

Alligator Alley’s redesigned exhibit accommodates the five new alligators, all male, which reside there. A new deck has been constructed for the alligators, allowing visitors to better observe these reptiles as they go about their daily activities and feedings. A new roof now provides visitors with shading and protection from the elements, and the new audio system allows zookeepers to better interact with the audience. A higher plexi-glass wall prevents debris from easily falling in.

Alligators have been around longer than the dinosaurs, almost 65 million years, and are relatively unchanged in that time. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo’s alligators are between the ages of four and five and are still small, the largest weighing approximately 55 lbs, while the smallest averages 30 lbs. They range from four to five feet long.

Known to grow continuously throughout their lives, these creatures are known to reach lengths of thirteen to twenty feet and weights from 400 to 2,000 pounds. They can bite down with 2,000 pounds of pressure with a mouth that contains 65 teeth. Formerly an endangered species, more than one million adult alligators live in the wild today, representing a conservation success story!

The Rainforest Reptile Shows are Thursday, August 25 – Sunday, August 28; the shows take place on Thursday & Friday at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. On Saturday and Sunday the shows take place at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. All shows are FREE with paid admission to the Zoo!

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Music Mountain presents Daedalus String Quartet: August 28th, Country Music Gunsmoke, August 27th and Tempo del Fuoco: August 26th

“America’s Oldest Continuing Summer Chamber Music Festival”

Music Mountain will host a triple play of events this weekend starting with the duo Tempo del Fuoco on Friday, August 26th (8PM), followed by the toe-tappin’ “New York’s Band of the Year,” Gunsmoke on Saturday, August 27th (6:30PM) and the acclaimed Daedalus String Quartet with award-winning pianist, Soyeon Lee on Sunday, August 28th (3PM). All three groups are just a sampling of the 150 artists have graced the stage of Gordon Hall this summer, bringing together chamber, jazz and country music for the first time. Concerts are scheduled to run thru September 4th.

Formed in 2009, Tempo del Fuoco, the guitar and violin duo, recently began work on a project encompassing the development of the tango into their concerts. Their Friday night program will feature: Piazzolla: L’Histoire du Tango, Wallace: El Primero, Schuttenhelm: “When the surface would suffice,” Riley: Cantos Desiertos, and Pujol: Suite Buenos Aires.

Music Mountain’s 1024 square foot dance floor will be hopping when Gunsmoke takes to the stage for a Saturday night of high-energy country and western music. The Fairfield County based band has been named “New York Band of the Year” six consecutive times and was just inducted into the Connecticut Country Music Association Hall of Fame. The audience favorite has opened for many country music superstars including Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., and Alan Jackson. If you love authentic country & western music you won’t be disappointed!

The lauded Daedalus String Quartet returns for an encore performance with Naumburg Award Winner, Soyeon Lee, piano. The quartet will offer a Sunday afternoon program including: the Schubert: Quartettsatz in C Minor, D703, the Beethoven: String Quartet in E Flat Major, Opus 74, and the Brahms: Piano Quartet in G Minor, Opus 25. Daedalus String Quartet has performed in many of the world’s leading music venues in the US, Canada, and Washington D.C., as well as abroad in Amsterdam, Paris, and Japan.

Praised by The New York Times and Washington Post, Soyeon Lee has been joyously received by audiences and critics alike, performing as guest soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra, as well as recital appearances in New York City, Washington D.C., Madrid, and Seoul, Korea.

Located in Falls Village, Connecticut, Music Mountain is located on Music Mountain Road, where a short scenic drive will bring music lovers to Gordon Hall with ample & free parking. Beer and wine are available and, as is the Music Mountain custom, audience members are invited to picnic before the concerts on the scenic grounds.

Ticket prices for the Music Mountain 2011 season are $30 at the door, $27 in advance. (Admission is FREE for those 18 and under.) All concerts begin at 6:30pm on Saturday evenings and 3pm on Sundays, unless otherwise stated. Group rates and pre season ticket vouchers are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit http://www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

Music Mountain is located 225 Music Mountain Rd, Falls Village, CT.

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B-17 “Aluminum Overcast” in Oxford Fly the Fortress At Waterbury-Oxford Airport! August 12-14

As part of its nationwide “Salute to Veterans” tour, EAA’s B-17 Flying Fortress “Aluminum Overcast” will be appearing at the Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Oxford, CT on Friday, August 12 through Sunday, August 14, bringing a living link of aviation’s and World War II’s past for residents of the surrounding area to enjoy.

The “Aluminum Overcast” presents an opportunity for the public to experience, firsthand, the allure of this historic warbird that helped turn the tide of World War II. EAA, a non-profit membership organization based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, embodies the spirit of aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. The Oxford stop of the tour is hosted by your local EAA chapter 1443.

Public flights and ground tours are available Friday, August 12 through Sunday, August 14

B-17 Flights are available at 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:15 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

B-17 Ground tours are available from 2-5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Ground Tour rates:
· $5 per person

· $15 per family (adults/children up to 17 – immediate family members)

· Free – Children under 8 (when accompanied by paying adult)

· Free – All Active Military or Veterans (and spouses)

Flight rates (pre-booking available at http://www.b17.org or call 1-800-359-6217.
· $425 EAA members ($399 before June 30)

· $465 non-members ($430 before June 30)

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Kent Sidewalk Festival Ready For July 28-31 In Litchfield Hills CT

The Kent Sidewalk Festival is scheduled for Thursday, July 28 through Sunday, July 31 and is sponsored by the Kent Chamber of Commerce.

I have enjoyed the sidewalk festival for many years and I am looking forward to visiting Kent this weekend for this festive event… If you like to treasure hunt for fabulous gifts amid a charming small town teaming with music and great food, this event is for you!

Every merchant and store up and down Main Street, in the Village Barns and on the Kent Green will be offering special discounted items, many in tents outside their stores. You will find great deals on women’s clothing at Terston, Country Clothes, Foreign Cargo and Wanda Elle, antique jewelry, glassware and collectibles at the North Main Street Market Place, David Armstrong prints and books at House of Books, shoes at Sundog Shoe and Leather, antiques galore at both Main Street and Rolling River Antiques, designer samples of wallpaper, pillows and more at LaVoie Color & Design, a designer tag sale at Kent Kitchen Works and a blowout on Reidel Glassware at Kent Wine & Spirit.

St. Andrews Church and the Kent Center School Scholarship Fund will have tag sales to benefit the work they do while the Library’s book sale will offer 10% off any purchases over $10. The volunteer fire department will celebrate their 100th anniversary with memorabilia and sale items near the library. As you go from shop to shop, be sure to enter the drawing for a Summer Shopping Spree at participating businesses. The drawing will be held Sunday at 2 PM on the Golden Falcon Field with a grand prize worth over $500 and 2 others worth $250 each.

Not to be left out, the restaurants in town will offer discounts and special food items. The Villager is open for breakfast and lunch, the Fife’n Drum will feature pulled pork sliders under their tent and popcorn at the Gift Shop, Millstone Café will serve Mexican churros, Smoked will have discounted prices while Webster Bank is bringing in their ice cream truck and Backcountry Outfitters will have Cheeseburgers in Paradise on Friday night.

Children will enjoy a Sidewalk Art Contest Saturday morning, face painting each day thanks to Kent Children’s Center. Fire truck rides from the new firehouse, several family exercise opportunities, a Petting Zoo at Three Monkeys and Me and Dancing on Main Street with the Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts are all part of family fun in Kent.

Music is another big part of the Sidewalk Festival with actors from Tri-Arts in Sharon performing excerpts from their current production, Hairspray. At Kent Coffee and Chocolate you can stop and listen to an Elvis impersonator that will sing your favorite hits. There will also be concerts on the porch at Richard Lindsey Bookseller on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. This year the Concerts will benefit the Fisher House of Connecticut. This house, next to the VA Hospital in West Haven, affords military and veteran’s family’s a place to stay near their loved one during recovery. The line up for the Concerts includes Andy and Jeannette Hicks, students from the Litchfield Jazz Camp, John Couch, Homegrown Band, the Joint Chiefs, Joe Bouchard and Bruce Wheeler.

Many merchants will also offer demonstrations and activities to inform and entertain. Fitness Matters Studio will offer free Juice Plus+ tastings as well as a polarity therapist, a resistance/stretching trainer and an energy healer Reiki Master (for a fee). Black Sheep Yarns has fiber related artisans doing demonstrations and selling materials, and Rolling River Antiques will offer chair caning demonstrations. You can get a Henna Tattoo at Terston for a $10 donation to the Kent Food Bank or try various fitness methods at Curves and Mountain Falls Fitness and afterward sample wine at Kent Wine & Spirit.

New this year and sure to be a big hit is Kent Cruise Night Saturday. This is a chance to show off your car, truck or hot rod. The event will also feature great food and music.

Not all events take place all hours each day, but there will be fun for all four days! Parking is available on the street and on the Kent Green property. For the most up to date information contact the Kent Chamber of Commerce at 860-927-1463 and check the website http://www.kentct.com. The mission of the Kent Chamber of Commerce is to bring local businesses together to develop and promote balanced economic growth that enhances the quality of life in our community.

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