Connecticut Travel

The aroma of steaming chowder, the tantalizing scent of garlic, and the chance to sample the best specialties of Iceland await autumn visitors to Western Connecticut, home to three of the season’s top food festivals.
Chowdafest, New England’s largest cooking competition, will be held at Westport’s Sherwood Island State Park on October 11, a new location spacious enough to accommodate the growing fan base, while another popular event, the tenth annual Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival takes place October 10-11, 2015 at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds. The following Saturday, October 18, the fifth annual Iceland Affair and Fire and Ice Music Festival once again will bring fans to Winchester, CT. for a rare treat, one of only two such festivals in the United States.

YOU ARE THE JUDGE AT CHOWDAFEST

At this SOUPerbowl of festivals to benefit the Connecticut Food Bank, attendees are the judges as more than two dozen of the regions best restaurants compete in four categories: classic New England Clam Chowder, Traditional Manhattan and Rhode Island chowders, “creative” chowders that might be anything from sweet potato to Cajun shrimp, and bisque soups such as Butternut Squash and Golden Corn. Everyone receives a spoon, pencil and ballot and can sample unlimited chowder and soups, grading entries on a scale from 7 to 10. Winners are announced at the end of the event.

For tasting variety, samples are offered at the Cheese and Cracker Corner, at ChowdaMex featuring salsas and chips and at a beverage center stocked with beer and wine. The ChowdaKIDS area will provide samples of ice cream and milk as well as free chef hats, coloring books and stickers provided by Stop & Shop, the event sponsor.
Admission is $10 in advance for adults, $15 at the door on October 11. Ages 6 to 12 pay $5, children under 6 are free. Hours are 12 noon to 4 p.m. Proceeds from this food festival to fight hunger have provided over 100,000 meals for the CT Food Bank. For information, see www.chowdafest.org

GARLIC IN ITS GLORY
Foodies flock each year to the Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival where they enjoy cooking demonstrations, informative food talks, lessons in growing garlic, plus free samplings of garlic dips, spreads, cheeses and oils from specialty food vendors. Visitors can buy farm-fresh garlic as well as other bounty from the fall harvest. All of that is the warm-up for some serious eating that includes treats like homemade roasted garlic sausage with peppers and onions, garlic marinated steak sandwiches, garlic roast pork sandwiches, deep fried garlic, and even garlic ice cream.

Live bands add to the festive feel, fine artisans are on hand offering hand made crafts and young visitors will find rides and games to keep them entertained.

The Garlic Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday October 10 and 11
at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds, Route 61 just north of town. Adult admission is $7, under age 12, just $1. Find more details at www.garlicfestct.com

TAKE A TRIP TO ICELAND
One woman’s love affair with Iceland was the spark that began this unusual festival. Gerri Griswold, a former chef and current broadcaster, visited the “land of fire and ice” and fell in love.

She has made over a dozen trips to Iceland since 2002 and in 2009, decided to introduce more Americans to their northern neighbor in what she thought would be a one-time event in her home town. Instead, the Iceland Affair keeps growing. At this year’s fifth edition at Winchester Center’s Grange Hall visitors will hear experts talk about Iceland’s arts and amazing nature, see prize photography of the land’s lavish geysers and waterfalls, and will be able to sample authentic Icelandic foods such as goat sausage, smoked and dried fish, sensational chocolates and licorice, the special local yogurt known as skyr, pure Icelandic water, and what Griswold calls the best hot dogs in the world. On the Winchester Center Green the public will meet Iceland’s biologically pure animals including Icelandic horses, sheep, sheep dogs, and chickens. The event will be held on October 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All the day’s activities are free.

For details on the festival see http://icelandaffair.com.

For more area information www.visitwesternct.com

Beer, brats and live music are featured as the 6th Annual Brew-Ski Fest returns bigger and better than ever to the Salisbury Fall Festival on Sunday, Oct. 11th 2015 at Satre Hill in Salisbury.

The event is sponsored by Stateline Wine and Spirits and hosted by the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) boasts a record number of breweries in attendance this year according to Stateline representative and Brew-Ski organizer with more than 30 breweries signed up. Popular brands like Big Elm, City Steam, Charter Oak, Goose Island, Sam Adams and Berkshire Mountain will return as well as new names like Black Hog, Broad Brook and Fool Proof.

Live music also returns to the Brew-Ski this year when the popular local band The Nice Ones perform. NASCAR Dave and his group will serve up brats and burgers with proceeds to benefit the Country Food Drive.

Tickets for Brew-Ski Fest cost $30 per person in advance and are available at Stateline Wine and Spirits in Canaan, 860 824-7295 and Ledgebrook Spirit Shop in Winsted 860 379-4216. Tickets will cost $35 the day of the event. The tented tasting will be held rain or shine. For more information visit http://www.brewskifest.com.

Museum After Dark events at the Fairfield Museum and Historic Center feature exhibit openings, forums, and presentations by authors, scholars, artists, and historians, with ample opportunities for socializing and networking. The evening begins with a wine and cheese reception followed by a short program and discussion.

On October 8 the theme concentrates on Design and Function for 21st Century Fairfield from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Town of Fairfield and Fairfield Museum are working together on an exciting plan to revitalize Fairfield’s historic Town Green. The plan will explore ways to enhance the Green’s unique cultural, historic and environmental features to make the Green a more cohesive community park and realize its potential as a vibrant center for Fairfield’s cultural, artistic and educational activities. Please join them and landscape designer Tom Elmore to share your ideas about the Green and its future uses.

Modern Design: Collecting from the Jazz Age to the Space Age is planned for November 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Guests will be joined by John Stuart Gordon, the Benjamin Attmore Hewitt Assistant Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Yale Art Gallery for a lively lecture about his role in acquiring design objects for Yale’s collection and the current decorative arts market. What objects and eras are hot among collectors? What aesthetics and issues are of interest to auction houses, scholars, and museums?

John Stuart Gordon, the Benjamin Attmore Hewitt Assistant Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Yale University Art Gallery, has a Ph.D. from Boston University and is the author of A Modern World: American Design from the Yale University Art Gallery, 1920–1950 (Yale University Press, 2011). He specializes in American design from the late 19th through 21st centuries. In addition, he supervises the Furniture Study, the Yale University Art Gallery’s large study collection of American furniture and wooden objects.

For more information visit http://www.fairfieldhistory.org/

When night settles on creaky old buildings during the scariest time of the year, you never know what you may bump into . . . ! This spooky evening for kids ages 8 – 12 will take place on Saturday, October 10, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Wilton Historical Society.

During a candlelight walk through the dimly lit period rooms, and up and down groaning stairs of the 1740 Betts House and the 1772 Fitch House, kids will hear stories of the families who lived there. They will wend their way to the Burt Barn, where deep in the darkest chamber they will hear classic scary Halloween stories and folklore told in the dark by actress Mara Fleming.

The evening will conclude with games, cider and donuts.
This is a drop-off program. Registration required. Members: $15 per child; maximum $25 per family. Non-members: $25 per child, maximum $35 per family. To reserve: e-mail info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257. For more information, When night settles on creaky old buildings during the scariest time of the year, you never know what you may bump into . . . ! This spooky evening for kids ages 8 – 12 will take place on Saturday, October 10, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Wilton Historical Society.
During a candlelight walk through the dimly lit period rooms, and up and down groaning stairs of the 1740 Betts House and the 1772 Fitch House, kids will hear stories of the families who lived there. They will wend their way to the Burt Barn, where deep in the darkest chamber they will hear classic scary Halloween stories and folklore told in the dark by actress Mara Fleming. The evening will conclude with games, cider and donuts.
This is a drop-off program. Registration required. Members: $15 per child; maximum $25 per family. Non-members: $25 per child, maximum $35 per family. To reserve: e-mail info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257. For more information, www.wiltonhistorical.org The Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 The Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897.

For more area event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Beer, brats and live music are featured as the 6th Annual Brew-Ski Fest returns bigger and better than ever to the Salisbury Fall Festival on Sunday, Oct. 11th 2015 at Satre Hill in Salisbury.

The event is sponsored by Stateline Wine and Spirits and hosted by the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) boasts a record number of breweries in attendance this year according to Stateline representative and Brew-Ski organizer with more than 30 breweries signed up. Popular brands like Big Elm, City Steam, Charter Oak, Goose Island, Sam Adams and Berkshire Mountain will return as well as new names like Black Hog, Broad Brook and Fool Proof.

Live music also returns to the Brew-Ski this year when the popular local band The Nice Ones perform. NASCAR Dave and his group will serve up brats and burgers with proceeds to benefit the Country Food Drive.

Tickets for Brew-Ski Fest cost $30 per person in advance and are available at Stateline Wine and Spirits in Canaan, 860 824-7295 and Ledgebrook Spirit Shop in Winsted 860 379-4216. Tickets will cost $35 the day of the event. The tented tasting will be held rain or shine. For more information visit http://www.brewskifest.com. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The members of the Merwinsville Hotel Restoration will host their 28th Annual Arts and Fine Crafts Show on Columbus Day Weekend at the Merwinsville Hotel located on 1 Brown’s Forge Rd. in Gaylordsville Connecticut. Gaylordsville is located in the northwest corner of New Milford and is conveniently located 15 minutes from Kent, Sherman, New Milford and the Harlem Valley/Wingdale Railroad Station.

This event will kick off with a gala preview “Meet the Artists” reception on Friday, October 9th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.. In addition to a sneak peek at all the goodies for sale, there will be passed hors d’oeuvres prepared by the Community Culinary School of Northwestern CT, beverages, dessert and live music provided by Patrick James McHenry. Tickets to the gala event are $25 at the door or $20 if you prepay using paypal.

The arts and crafts show opens to the public on Saturday, October 10 and runs through October 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a $2 donation at the door that will go toward the restoration of this historic gem. There will be more than 75 quality arts and crafts vendors at the Merwinsville Hotel on all three days showcasing items such as: artwork, photography, jewelry, and fine artisan crafts.

For further information, please call 860-350-4443 or visit www.merwinsvillehotel.org to prepay for Friday evening’s gala.

For more area event information visit www.litchfieldhills.com