Connecticut Travel

This year on July 23 and 24 at the Goshen Fair Grounds located on 116 Middle Road (Rte. 63) in Goshen thriteen Connecticut Vineyards have come together to present the 2016 Connecticut Wine Festival.

The participating vineyards include:Bishop’s Orchards Winery Paradise Hills Vineyard DiGrazia Vineyards Priam Vineyards Holmberg Orchards & Winery Sharpe Hill Vineyard Hopkins Vineyard Sunset Meadow Vineyards Jonathan Edwards Winery Taylor Brooke Winery Jones Winery White Silo Winery and Miranda Vineyard.

Visitors are invited to come and sample the best of Connecticut’s wineries as well as sample delicious locally produced specialty foods, browse for handicrafts while listening to live music. The tickets are 27.00 in advance/$35.00 at the gate and $10.00 Designated Driver. Advance Tickets are available until midnight on Saturday, July 16th and can be purchased online or at the gate.

Tasting Tickets include admission to the festival, samples of up to 4 wines at each of the wineries, a free CT Wine Festival wine glass and a CT Wine Festival tote bag. Designated Driver Tickets include admission to the festival, a free CT Wine Festival tote bag and free water.

If you are part of the 2016 Passport to Connecticut Wineries this is a perfect opportunity to get your passport stamped; wineries will not be stamping their individual pages, but the CT Wine Festival has a page of it’s own to be stamped. Please remember to bring a valid I.D. and remember that there are no pets or outside food and beverages allowed on the fairgrounds.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The fourth of July is around the corner and the folks at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is offering a unique water view of municipal holiday displays – times two, thanks to reflections on the surface – and avoid the crowds and traffic aboard Fireworks Cruises that they are offering this year.
The Fireworks Cruises on boardR/V Spirit of the Sound™, the country’s only research vessel with quiet “green” hybrid-electric propulsion gives participants special, easy access to the local displays. Best of all, you won’t have to lug lawn chairs and there won’t be any trees in your way. Forget waiting in traffic when cruising the Sound while enjoying a fabulous view of fireworks displays from one of two levels on the ship.

Here’s the Aquarium’s patriotic-pyrotechnics plan, with fireworks viewing at sea:

Thurs., June 30 – Westport’s Compo Beach display
• Fri., July 1 – Stamford’s Cummings Beach display
• Sat., July 2 – Fairfield’s Penfield/Jennings Beach display
• Sun., July 3 – Norwalk’s Calf Pasture Beach display

Each cruise departs at 7 p.m. from The Maritime Aquarium dock (outside the IMAX® Theater). Return is expected by 11 p.m. Food in small soft-sided coolers is allowed aboard the boat, but alcoholic beverages and glass bottles are prohibited. Tickets are $50 per person. All participants must be at least 42 inches tall to board. Those under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. R/V Spirit of the Sound has a climate-controlled cabin but participants should dress for time outside on deck, where the best viewing occurs. There is a restroom onboard.

Capacity is limited so advance reservations are strongly suggested. Reserve your tickets online – and see the full summer schedule for public cruises aboard R/V Spirit of the Sound – at http://www.maritimeaquarium.org. Or call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.

For a complete fireworks calendar for Fairfield County and Litchfield Hills visit http://www.visitwesternct.com

The Danbury Museum & Historical Society located on 43 Main Street in the heart of Danbury has launched a new exhibit, Toy Time: Playful Pieces that will be on display through October 29, 2016. This is a free exhibit that is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The exhibit features something for kids of all ages. Vintage toys from the museum collection will be showcased including Lincoln Logs, dolls, tin toys, trains, board games and puzzles, as well as outdoor play items and much more.

This show is sure to please parents and grandparents visiting with their children, neighbors, school classmates, brothers and sisters; there is something for everyone viewing this fun exhibit with items that boys and girls of every generation have enjoyed.

This summer is a great time to visit the museum and awaken fond memories of past play dates. The Museum’s extensive toy collection will surely help folks do just that.

Visit www.danburymuseum.org for a full list of upcoming events being held at the museum. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The summer season at Quassy Amusement Park has ramped up and is dishing out plenty of summer fun for families. This fun filled lakeside amusement park has a history that goes back to 1888 when Mr. Richards opened a grove house for clambakes. By 1905, the Wallace Hotel replaced the grove house and a trolley, picnic area and carousel was added. By 1937, three local businessmen purchased the property and began adding attractions. In 1952, the park became a full-fledged amusement park with the addition of even more rides. Today this unique family amusement park overs more than twenty rides, swimming, picnicking, a large arcade and Spash Away Bay Water Park as well as the award winning Wooden Warrior roller coaster.

New this year is the new ride called reverse time that will be the first ride of its kind in all of North America plus new waterslides. Reverse Time, themed as a giant clock, accommodates 24 riders seated in a circular configuration facing outward. As the ride starts to spin it is lifted into the air with the supporting turntable rotating in the opposite direction.

Guests will dip and dive as the ride reaches a maximum speed of 20 revolutions per minute. Mid-cycle, the ride will change direction adding to the exciting experience.

The park is also hosting many special events this summer that includes:

July 4- ‘3D’ Fireworks – Have a blast this July 4th at the Quassy special ‘3D’ fireworks presentation after dark to benefit Healthy Eyes Alliance. Viewing glasses will be sold for $1. Parking $10 on July 4th. Presented by TD Bank, Price Chopper, Premier Auto Group of Watertown, Pepsi and Quassy.

Aug. 27-Christian Dance Day – Christian praise and worship dance teams perform on the Carousel Theatre stage at 2 p.m. Great family entertainment.

Sept. 3 & 4 -Irish Dance Competition – 20th Annual Constitution State Feis (Irish Dance Competition) with hundreds of dancers from throughout New England competing. To take place at the Carousel Theatre. Presented by the Horgan Academy of Irish Dance.

Sept. 5 – Carload Labor Day – Say goodbye to summer with a special $45 Carload Labor Day (up to 10 persons in your car) at Quassy! Support the Campership Fund as a portion of the day’s proceeds helps to send kids to camp!

Sept. 24- Second Annual Dance Competition – 11 a.m. at Carousel Theatre stage.

Sept. 24 & 25- 25th Annual OKTOBERFEST – Great German food, live music, dancing and more. Noon to 6 p.m. both days in the OKTOBERFEST pavilion. Music starts at 12:30 p.m. Rides operate 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information about the park visit www.quassy.com. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Singer Songwriter Network and the Torrington Historical Society are once again collaborating to present the Ladies n’ Lyrics Summer Concert Series on the grounds of the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, 192 Main Street, Torrington. The event will take place on Thursday evening, June 23, 2016 from 6-8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.; music will begin at 6:30 p.m. For added enjoyment bring your comfortable lawn chair and a picnic supper. This is the fifth year that the Singer Songwriter Network has presented concerts at the Society. For this upcoming concert, the SSN is welcoming back Lara Herscovitch and Thea Hopkins, both of whom have performed at the Torrington Historical Society in the past.

Internationally touring songwriter Thea Hopkins (www.theahopkins.com) has been described as a “standout songwriter” by the Washington Post and as an “artist whose narratives drip with metaphor and imagery” by Americana UK. Her summer 2015 tour included performances at the Greenbelt Festival (UK), the Mosley Folk Festival (UK), the Woody Guthrie Festival (OK), and the Outside the Box Festival (MA). This was her third tour of England in three years. She is currently recording a new CD to be released later this year. “The beauty of Thea’s voice is matched by the brilliance of her lyrics,” stated Roberta Schwartz of Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange.

With her voice “clear and smooth like expensive liquor,” she stands “above and beyond the pack” (Northeast Performer). A former Connecticut State Troubadour, Lara brings a charm, authenticity, and love of performing that immediately resonates with diverse audiences. She has appeared as a guest on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor and tours from Maine to Miami. She also has extensive experience as a policy social worker, and has worked in the US, Latin America and Asia on behalf of disadvantaged individuals, focusing on education, community development, and juvenile justice. Echoes of these themes resonate throughout her music. “Singer songwriter Lara Herscovitch doesn’t write songs just for the ears, but also for the heart and soul.” (Daily Journal, Tupelo, MS). For more information about Lara visit www.LaraHerscovitch.com

Tickets for the event are $10 and may be purchased at the door or online. Tickets may be purchased in advance at http://www.ssnt09.org or at www.ladiesnlyricsjune23.eventbrite.com. Torrington Historical Society members are entitled to a discounted admission of $5; members can purchase their discounted tickets at the door. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Wilton Historical Society located on 224 Danbury Road is offering a creative Father’s Day workshop for kids ages six to twelve that allows them to let their imaginations run wild!

In this fun workshop, kids will use potatoes to make easy and appealing stamp designs which they can use to make Father’s Day cards and wrapping paper.

While making their project, Museum Educator Lola Chen, will talk with the children about the origins of Father’s Day and its history in the United States. There is even a healthy snack included to keep the creative juices flowing!

Wilton Historical Society members $10 per child, maximum $25 per family; Non-members $15 per child, maximum $35 per family. Please register: info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257.

Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 www.wiltonhistorical.org. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com