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SUMMARY:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre opens Friday\, September 11\, for a two-week run of John Cariani’s romantic comedy about love found\, lost and occasionally turned upside down beneath the northern lights. \nThe Granite Theatre production runs September 11–20 in downtown Westerly\, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursdays\, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30–$35. \nRather than following one couple through a conventional love story\, Almost\, Maine tells nine interconnected stories about the residents of a tiny fictional community in northern Maine. During the course of one cold Friday night\, relationships begin\, end\, stumble and take some wonderfully strange turns. \nWelcome to Almost\nAlmost isn’t technically a town. \nIn Cariani’s fictional geography\, it’s an unorganized community so far north in Maine that it’s almost in Canada. On a clear winter night\, with the aurora borealis overhead\, its residents experience a series of encounters that revolve around falling in love\, falling out of it or discovering that what they thought they understood about another person wasn’t quite right. \nThe structure is closer to a collection of short stories performed on stage than a traditional beginning-to-end narrative. \nMost of the scenes involve just two characters\, with different residents moving in and out of focus as the evening progresses. The stories stand on their own\, but the shared place\, time and themes gradually turn them into a portrait of one small community. \nCariani also gives the play a touch of magical realism. \nEmotions sometimes become physical things. Characters carry the consequences of love in ways that couldn’t happen in the real world\, yet the feelings behind those moments remain recognizable. That lets Almost\, Maine move quickly between comedy\, absurdity\, heartbreak and tenderness without becoming a conventional romantic comedy. \nA Play That Almost Disappeared\nThe story behind Almost\, Maine is nearly as unlikely as some of the stories inside it. \nJohn Cariani developed the play at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002. It received its world premiere at Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004\, where it broke box-office records. \nBy then\, Cariani was already familiar to Broadway audiences as an actor. He earned a Tony Award nomination for playing Motel the tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and had appeared on television in Law & Order. \nAlmost\, Maine reached New York next\, opening Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in January 2006. \nThat production lasted only about a month. \nOrdinarily\, that might have been the end of the story. Instead\, after the play was published and became available to other theaters\, something unexpected happened. \nSmall professional theaters began producing it. Then community theaters picked it up. Colleges and high schools followed. \nAnd they kept doing it. \nFrom Short Off-Broadway Run to Thousands of Productions\nToday\, Almost\, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced contemporary American plays. \nThe play’s official site reports that more than 6\,000 theater companies in the United States have staged it\, along with more than 100 international companies. It has also repeatedly ranked among the most-produced plays in North American high schools. \nPart of the appeal is built into Cariani’s unusual structure. \nWith largely self-contained two-person scenes\, directors can distribute substantial material among an ensemble rather than building an entire production around one or two leading roles. Each vignette gives its actors a complete little story to develop. \nAudiences get something different from that structure\, too. One scene may land as broad comedy while the next turns unexpectedly bittersweet. Not every relationship works out\, and the title itself becomes something of a running idea. \nThings in Almost are frequently close. \nAlmost a town. Almost Canada. Almost together. Almost over someone. Almost happy. \nBut not quite. \nJohn Cariani Wrote About the Maine He Knew\nThe fictional setting wasn’t chosen at random. \nCariani grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County\, the enormous and sparsely populated region at the northern end of Maine. He has said those years shaped his affection for the landscape\, language and people that eventually found their way into Almost\, Maine. \nThe setting is intentionally remote. The cold matters. The darkness matters. So does the northern sky. \nAgainst that isolation\, the small interactions between people become bigger. A conversation on a bench\, an unexpected visitor at the door or an encounter between two neighbors can become the most important thing happening for miles. \nCariani eventually returned to the world he created in another form. In 2022\, he adapted Almost\, Maine into a novel\, expanding the interconnected stories and characters beyond what audiences see on stage. \nBut the theatrical version remains the work that made Almost into a place thousands of actors and audiences have visited. \nInside Westerly’s Historic Granite Theatre\nThe setting for this production has its own story. \nGranite Theatre occupies a restored Greek Revival building at 1 Granite Street in downtown Westerly. Long before actors performed there\, the building was a church. \nThe congregation that became the Broad Street Christian Church was organized in 1843\, and the building was completed in 1849. Its prominent classical façade and columns remain part of one of downtown Westerly’s distinctive historic structures. \nThe building eventually found a second life as a performance space\, reopening as the Granite Theatre in 2000. \nToday\, Renaissance City Theatre operates the Granite as a nonprofit theater\, presenting plays\, musicals\, family productions\, educational programs and special events throughout the year. \nIt’s also an intimate room. With roughly 140 seats\, the audience is close to the performers rather than watching from the distance of a large regional theater. That should suit a play built around small conversations and two-person encounters particularly well. \nOpening Night Begins a Seven-Performance Run\nAlmost\, Maine opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday\, September 11. \nA second evening performance follows Saturday\, September 12\, before the first Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. September 13. \nThe production returns the following Thursday and continues through Sunday\, September 20\, for seven performances in all: \n\nFriday\, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 13 at 2 p.m.\nThursday\, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.\nFriday\, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 20 at 2 p.m.\n\nTickets range from $30 to $35. \nAccessibility at the Granite\nBecause the Granite occupies a historic 19th-century building\, accessibility comes with some limitations. \nThe theater performance space itself is wheelchair accessible\, but the Granite notes that its lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible. \nA small number of accessible parking spaces are available behind the building and need to be reserved. The theater recommends that anyone who needs accessible parking or has mobility concerns call ahead rather than relying on availability when arriving for a performance. \nDetails\nEvent: Almost\, Maine\nPlaywright: John Cariani\nOpening Night: Friday\, September 11\, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.\nRun: September 11–20\, 2026\nEvening Performances: 7:30 p.m.\nSunday Matinees: 2 p.m.\nNumber of Performances: Seven\nGenre: Romantic comedy\nVenue: Granite Theatre\nAddress: 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nTickets: $30–$35\nBox Office: 401-596-2341\nAccessibility: Theater space is wheelchair accessible; lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible\nAccessible Parking: Limited spaces are available and should be reserved in advance \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/almost-maine-at-the-granite-theatre/2026-09-18/
LOCATION:The Granite Theater\, 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Granite Street Theater
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SUMMARY:Lee Brice: Sunriser Tour at Foxwoods
DESCRIPTION:Lee Brice: Sunriser Tour at Foxwoods brings one of country music’s most successful singer-songwriters to the Premier Theater on Friday\, September 18\, for an 8 p.m. show built around a catalog that has produced nine No. 1 country singles and more than 10 billion career streams. \nBrice has spent the better part of two decades moving between two sides of Nashville. He’s the rough-edged baritone behind hits including I Drive Your Truck\, I Don’t Dance\, Rumor\, One of Them Girls and A Woman Like You. But before much of the country knew his voice\, other stars were already singing his songs. \nGarth Brooks\, Kenny Chesney\, Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw are among the artists who have recorded Brice’s work. That songwriting background remains central to a career that has earned him CMA and ACM awards\, a Grammy nomination and a collection of multi-Platinum records. \nNine Trips to No. 1\nThere isn’t one particular kind of Lee Brice hit. \nDrinking Class is a working-week anthem. Rumor rides a considerably more soulful groove. A Woman Like You and I Don’t Dance move toward romance\, while I Hope You’re Happy Now\, his duet with Carly Pearce\, is about two people discovering that moving on isn’t nearly as clean as it sounds. \nThen there’s I Drive Your Truck. \nThe 2012 recording became one of the defining songs of Brice’s career\, telling the story of someone coping with a loved one’s death by climbing into his truck and driving. \nThe song was inspired by the real story of Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti\, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2006 while attempting to rescue a fellow soldier and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Monti’s father\, Paul\, kept his son’s Dodge Ram and drove it as a way of remaining connected to him. \nBrice didn’t write I Drive Your Truck — Jessi Alexander\, Connie Harrington and Jimmy Yeary did — but his performance helped turn it into a major country hit. The song won Song of the Year at both the CMA and ACM awards. \nIt’s also a useful example of what Brice does particularly well. His biggest recordings often depend less on vocal gymnastics than on making a story sound believable. \nHe Was a Hit Songwriter Before He Was a Country Star\nBrice understands the relationship between a songwriter and the artist who eventually makes a song his own because he’s been on both sides of it. \nOne of his biggest early breaks came without his name on the front of the record. \nBrice co-wrote Garth Brooks’ More Than a Memory with Billy Montana and Kyle Jacobs. When Brooks released the song in 2007\, it did something no single had previously accomplished in the history of Billboard’s country chart: it debuted at No. 1. \nBy then\, Brice had begun landing songs with other performers as well. \nJason Aldean recorded his material. So did Tim McGraw. Kenny Chesney would eventually join the list. \nBrice was simultaneously trying to establish himself as a recording artist\, but that side of his career took longer to catch. \nHis breakthrough finally arrived with Love Like Crazy. The song spent 56 weeks on Billboard’s country chart\, establishing Brice as more than the songwriter whose work other singers were recording. \nThen the hits began stacking up. \nHis nine country-radio No. 1 singles now include A Woman Like You\, Hard to Love\, I Drive Your Truck\, I Don’t Dance\, Drinking Class\, Rumor\, I Hope You’re Happy Now\, One of Them Girls and Memory I Don’t Mess With. \nFrom Clemson Football to Nashville\nThere was a point when music wasn’t Brice’s only possible future. \nBorn in Sumter\, South Carolina\, he grew up singing in church\, started playing piano at 7 and moved on to guitar. By 10\, he was already writing songs. \nBut he was also an athlete. \nBrice played football at Clemson University before an arm injury helped redirect his attention toward music. Nashville eventually became the destination\, and songwriting became his way into the industry. \nThat history helps explain the mix that still runs through his records. \nThere’s traditional Nashville songcraft underneath music that freely borrows from rock and pop. Brice can make a large room work with a song like Parking Lot Party and then turn around and build a performance around something as restrained as I Don’t Dance. \nThe latter is particularly personal. \nBrice wrote I Don’t Dance for his wife\, Sara\, and performed it at their wedding before eventually recording and releasing it. It became another No. 1 and one of his signature love songs. \n“One of Them Girls” Had a Historic Awards Run\nBy 2020\, Brice was more than a decade removed from his first album\, but some of the biggest successes of his career were still ahead. \nOne of Them Girls became his longest-running No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and eventually earned an unusual sweep of songwriting honors. \nThe track was named Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and also received song-of-the-year recognition from ASCAP and BMI. \nAround the same period\, Brice joined Carly Pearce for I Hope You’re Happy Now. \nThe duet won Musical Event of the Year at the CMA Awards and both Single of the Year and Music Event of the Year at the ACM Awards. \nThose songs appeared on Brice’s 2020 album Hey World\, which has since been certified Platinum. \nRather than settling into the role of a country nostalgia act built around 2010s hits\, Brice had managed to add another group of career-defining songs a decade after his breakthrough. \nThe Next Chapter Includes “Cry\,” Country Friends and Colbie Caillat\nBrice’s recent recordings continue moving between solo material and collaboration. \nIn 2025\, he released Cry\, followed by Said No Country Boy Ever\, which brought him together with longtime Nashville friends Jamey Johnson\, Randy Houser\, Jerrod Niemann\, Dallas Davidson and Rob Hatch. \nHe’s also teamed with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat for the duet Kinda Single. \nThe collaborations make sense for an artist whose career has always been intertwined with Nashville’s songwriting community. Brice isn’t simply handed songs after the writing is finished. He’s a songwriter himself\, with 11 co-writing credits on his 2020 Hey World album alone and decades of experience writing both for himself and other artists. \nThe Sunriser Tour gives him a catalog broad enough to move between those newer releases and songs that have been country-radio fixtures for years. \nThe Premier Theater Keeps the Show Short of Arena Scale\nFoxwoods is putting Brice in the Premier Theater\, its primary room for major touring concerts and comedians. \nThe theater sits inside The Fox Tower and offers something different from seeing the same performer in an arena. It’s large enough for a full touring production but considerably more contained\, with reserved seating and relatively close sightlines throughout much of the room. \nFoxwoods recommends The Fox Tower for the most convenient parking. \nAnyone attending should also pay attention to the theater’s bag rules. Shopping bags and backpacks aren’t permitted\, and all bags are subject to search. Ticketmaster also specifies that guests must use their assigned seats and that smoking is prohibited in and around the theater. \nFood and drinks can be purchased inside the venue\, while the surrounding resort offers considerably more options for anyone making dinner part of the night. \nOne Night\, a Lot of Country Radio History\nA Lee Brice concert presents an interesting problem when it comes time to build a setlist. \nLeave out A Woman Like You and you’re skipping a No. 1. The same is true of Hard to Love. And I Drive Your Truck. And I Don’t Dance. And Drinking Class. \nThen come Rumor\, I Hope You’re Happy Now\, One of Them Girls and Memory I Don’t Mess With. \nThat’s before getting to Love Like Crazy\, Parking Lot Party or the newer music. \nThe result is a Friday night at Foxwoods that can function as both a current tour stop and something approaching a survey of mainstream country music from the past 15 years. \nAnd underneath much of it is the part of Lee Brice’s career that started before the fame: a songwriter who figured out how to make the stories he wrote for other people work just as well when he stepped behind the microphone himself. \nDetails\nEvent: Lee Brice: Sunriser Tour\nDate: Friday\, September 18\, 2026\nTime: 8 p.m.\nPerformer: Lee Brice\nTour: Sunriser Tour\nMusic: Country\nVenue: Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino\nAddress: 39 Norwich-Westerly Road\, Mashantucket\, CT 06339\nSeating: Reserved seating; guests must sit in their assigned seats\nBest Parking: The Fox Tower\nBag Policy: No shopping bags or backpacks; all bags are subject to search\nSmoking: No smoking in or around the Premier Theater \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/lee-brice-sunriser-tour-at-foxwoods/
LOCATION:Premier Theater at the Foxwoods Resort & Casino\, 39 Norwich-Westerly Rd\, Ledyard\, 06339\, United States
CATEGORIES:Foxwoods
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Lee-Brice-Sunriser-Tour-at-Foxwoods.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T203000
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SUMMARY:Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center's Stargazing Nights
DESCRIPTION:Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center’s Stargazing Nights turn a quiet Friday evening in Ninigret Park into one of the most atmospheric experiences in southern New England. Hosted by Frosty Drew Observatory & Science Center\, the weekly gathering invites visitors to explore the night sky through powerful telescopes while astronomers guide guests across planets\, star clusters\, distant galaxies\, and the glowing band of the Milky Way overhead. Under some of the darkest skies in Rhode Island\, the experience feels less like a formal science program and more like stumbling into a community of people quietly obsessed with the universe. \nAs darkness settles over Ninigret Park\, visitors can expect views that change depending on the season and sky conditions\, often including Saturn’s rings\, Jupiter’s moons\, the cratered surface of the Moon\, and deep space objects rarely visible in brighter suburban areas. The observatory’s Sky Theatre and telescope stations create an immersive environment where curious first-timers mingle with amateur astronomers and longtime stargazers. There’s something strangely calming about standing in near silence while strangers take turns peering into the cosmos\, especially on clear summer nights when the Milky Way stretches visibly across the sky. \nThe observatory typically opens around 8:30 p.m. on Friday nights and remains active through at least 10:30 p.m.\, sometimes later depending on weather and viewing conditions. Because the event is weather dependent\, updates are posted on the day of the event before 3 p.m. Organizers also note that Ninigret Park’s dark sky rules prohibit white light use after dusk in order to protect night vision and sensitive astronomical equipment\, giving the entire area an almost surreal glow of dim red lights and shadowy pathways. Tickets for Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center’s Stargazing Nights can be purchased by clicking the event link below. \nWhen ticket sales open\, a link to purchase / acquire tickets will be added to the “Cost” field on the event page. Once event capacity is reached\, these fields will be listed as “Sold Out“\, and we will be unable to allow entry to any more guests. \nRules and Suggestions:\n• Guests should avoid using white flashlights\, phone flashlights\, or bright screens after dusk\n• Red light flashlights are encouraged to preserve night vision\n• Bug spray is highly recommended during warmer months due to mosquitoes and insects near the wildlife refuge\n• Weather conditions may affect visibility or event operations\n• Children ages 5 and older require tickets\n• Arriving early is recommended for the best viewing opportunities and parking access \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/frosty-drew-observatory-and-science-centers-stargazing-nights/2026-09-18/
LOCATION:Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center\, 61-62 Park Lane\, Charlestown\, RI\, 02813\, United States
CATEGORIES:Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Frosty-Drew-Observatory-and-Science-Centers-Stargazing-Nights.jpeg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T010000
DTSTAMP:20260913T031559Z
CREATED:20260913T031559Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T031559Z
UID:10007592-1789765200-1789779600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Bar Crawl Mystic Takes the Whaling City Run Club Off the Running Route and Into Four Downtown Pubs
DESCRIPTION:Bar Crawl Mystic gives the Whaling City Run Club a different kind of Friday-night course September 18\, trading mileage for four downtown Mystic bars during a late-night crawl that begins at 9 p.m. \nThe schedule starts at Friar Tuck’s Tavern at 9 p.m.\, moves to Dive at 9:45 p.m.\, continues to The Harp and Hound at 10:15 p.m.\, and finishes at Chapter One Food & Drink at 10:45 p.m. \nThere’s no advertised 5K\, pace group or finish-line clock here. \nThe club’s invitation is considerably simpler: “Join the pod.” \nWhaling City Run Club Is Building a Community Beyond Running\nWhaling City Run Club is part of the growing social-running scene in southeastern Connecticut\, bringing runners together for organized group outings rather than treating running strictly as a solitary workout. \nThe group has become increasingly visible at community events as well. \nEarlier this summer\, Whaling City Run Club organized a 5K run and walk ahead of Celebrate New London\, the citywide July festival that filled downtown and the waterfront with music\, food\, art and fireworks. \nBut the Mystic bar crawl illustrates another part of modern run-club culture. \nThe running may be what brings everyone together. \nIt doesn’t have to be the only thing they do together. \nThis time the group is meeting for drinks\, conversation and a walk through Mystic’s Friday-night bar scene. \nFour Stops\, Less Than Two Hours\nThis isn’t one of those pub crawls requiring a complicated map or transportation between neighborhoods. \nAll four stops are clustered in downtown Mystic\, making the crawl easily walkable. \nThe published schedule is: \n9 p.m. – Friar Tuck’s Tavern\n9:45 p.m. – Dive\n10:15 p.m. – The Harp and Hound\n10:45 p.m. – Chapter One Food & Drink \nThe itinerary also moves through four bars with noticeably different personalities. \nYou’ve got a medieval-flavored tavern. \nA subterranean dive bar. \nA tiny Irish pub. \nAnd a Main Street restaurant that shifts into nightlife mode as Friday night gets later. \nThat’s a pretty good survey of downtown Mystic drinking in less than two blocks. \nStop One: Friar Tuck’s Tavern\nThe crawl begins at Friar Tuck’s Tavern\, 12 Water Street\, at 9 p.m. \nFriar Tuck’s leans hard into its tavern identity\, combining an Irish and British-inspired menu with a medieval atmosphere\, draft beer\, whiskey\, cocktails and a late-night bar crowd. \nThe food menu includes the sort of things you’d expect to encounter in a pub: Scotch eggs\, English fish and chips\, burgers\, wings and hearty comfort food. \nFor a bar crawl\, however\, the important feature may simply be that Friar Tuck’s is accustomed to being a late-night downtown gathering place. \nFriday hours extend until 2 a.m.\, well beyond the group’s scheduled departure. \nWhaling City Run Club is giving it 45 minutes. \nThen the course heads across Water Street. \nStop Two: Dive\nAt 9:45 p.m.\, the group moves to Dive. \nDive is the downstairs bar beneath The Port of Call at 15 Water Street\, one of downtown Mystic’s more ambitious cocktail destinations. \nUpstairs and downstairs are intentionally different experiences. \nThe Port of Call is the polished side\, with an inventive beverage program and internationally influenced food. \nDive is exactly what the name suggests it wants to be: the more casual late-night sibling. \nThe downstairs room has a deep-sea exploration theme\, shuffleboard\, a photo booth\, drinks and late-night snacks. \nThere’s also a nightly reverse happy hour from 10 to 11 p.m.\, currently featuring $6 well drinks\, $6 wine and $6 drafts. \nThat means the Whaling City crew’s 9:45 arrival lands almost perfectly. \nThe crawl moves on at 10:15\, but reverse happy hour will have begun before they leave. \nStop Three: The Harp and Hound\nThe third stop is The Harp and Hound\, tucked upstairs at 4 Pearl Street. \nArrival is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. \nThe Harp and Hound has been part of Mystic since 2002\, when Irish proprietor Leo Roche opened the pub in a building dating to the early 18th century. \nRoche grew up in Glin in County Limerick\, Ireland\, and the Mystic pub was designed to evoke the kind of Irish country pub he knew there. \nIt’s small. \nThat’s part of its charm. \nThe room has the cozy\, slightly hidden feeling that people tend to mean when they talk about finding a “real pub\,” with Guinness\, whiskey and traditional pub food at the center of the experience. \nThe Harp also has a longstanding connection to live music and Mystic’s local bar crowd. \nAnd unlike a large restaurant where a group can disappear into separate tables\, it’s difficult for a crowd to enter The Harp and Hound without becoming part of the room. \nThat should work well for a run club. \nThen It’s Back Down to Main Street\nThe final scheduled move comes quickly. \nAt 10:45 p.m.\, the group heads to Chapter One. \nThe walk from Pearl Street back to West Main Street takes only a few minutes\, and by this point the crawl has made essentially a small loop through the heart of downtown. \nThere isn’t another departure time on the schedule. \nChapter One is the finish line. \nStop Four: Chapter One\nChapter One Food & Drink\, at 32 West Main Street\, is one of the later-night establishments directly on Mystic’s main downtown strip. \nDuring the day\, it’s a full-service restaurant serving seafood\, burgers\, steaks\, pasta and other New American dishes. \nThe beverage side includes cocktails\, beer and an unusually large collection of drink flights\, including margarita\, mule\, espresso martini\, mimosa and Old Fashioned flights. \nOn Friday and Saturday nights\, the atmosphere can change considerably. \nChapter One stays open until 2 a.m.\, making it a natural final stop for a crawl beginning at 9. \nThe Whaling City schedule gives the group an arrival time but no finish time. \nSo unlike an actual group run\, nobody has to sprint the final stretch. \nMystic Is Particularly Well Suited to a Crawl\nDowntown Mystic’s compact layout makes this itinerary work. \nFriar Tuck’s and Dive sit practically across Water Street from one another. \nThe Harp and Hound is tucked just off West Main on Pearl Street. \nChapter One is back on West Main. \nThere is no need to drive from stop to stop. \nThat’s important for an event built around alcohol\, but it also changes the atmosphere of the evening. \nThe walking becomes part of it. \nYou leave one bar\, step into downtown Mystic at night\, walk a few minutes with the group and pile into the next one. \nIt’s less a tour of four isolated businesses than a night moving through one compact downtown. \nDon’t Let “Run Club” Confuse You\nNothing in Whaling City Run Club’s announcement indicates that participants will be running between the bars. \nThis is advertised as a bar crawl\, not a run. \nThat’s probably for the best. \nThe four venues are close enough together that walking is easy\, and alcohol and road running make a particularly poor training combination. \nThe poster also doesn’t advertise a registration fee\, ticket or package of included drinks. \nSo don’t assume the crawl price includes beverages. \nThe current announcement simply gives participants the meeting point\, times and four-bar route. \nA Different Kind of Friday Night With the Pod\nRunning clubs have always provided something beyond exercise. \nTraining partners become friends. \nFriends start getting together when nobody is wearing a race bib. \nWhaling City Run Club’s Mystic crawl is that idea distilled into a Friday night. \nThe group starts together at Friar Tuck’s. \nMoves together through Dive and The Harp and Hound. \nThen lands at Chapter One before 11. \nNobody needs a personal best. \nNobody needs to check their mile splits. \nAnd for once\, ordering another round probably doesn’t mean running another lap. \nDetails\nEvent: Bar Crawl Mystic\nDate: Friday\, September 18\, 2026\nOrganizer: Whaling City Run Club\nStart Time: 9 p.m.\nLocation: Downtown Mystic\nFormat: Four-stop walking bar crawl\nAdmission: No ticket or registration fee is advertised in the current announcement\nDrinks: No included drink package is advertised; participants should expect to purchase their own beverages\nAge: Participants drinking alcohol must be 21+ and should carry valid ID\nRunning: The announcement describes a bar crawl and does not indicate participants will run between venues \n9 p.m. – Friar Tuck’s Tavern\n12 Water Street\, Mystic \n9:45 p.m. – Dive at The Port of Call\n15 Water Street\, Mystic \n10:15 p.m. – The Harp and Hound\n4 Pearl Street\, Mystic \n10:45 p.m. – Chapter One Food & Drink\n32 West Main Street\, Mystic \nTransportation: All four establishments are within walking distance in downtown Mystic. Anyone drinking should arrange a designated driver\, rideshare or other safe transportation home rather than driving. \nMore information is available through the Whaling City Run Club social media pages. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/bar-crawl-mystic-takes-the-whaling-city-run-club-off-the-running-route-and-into-four-downtown-pubs/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/The-CT-Beacon-Mystic-Bridge.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T120000
DTSTAMP:20260511T024639Z
CREATED:20260508T022649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260511T024639Z
UID:10000898-1789808400-1789819200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Stonington Village Farmers Market
DESCRIPTION:Stonington Village Farmers Market has become one of the defining Saturday morning traditions along the Connecticut shoreline\, bringing together local farms\, food vendors\, artisans\, musicians\, and neighbors inside and outside the historic Velvet Mill. Running year-round since becoming a permanent seasonal fixture in 2008\, the market transforms with the seasons\, moving outdoors during the warmer months and indoors during late fall and winter while continuing to serve as a gathering place for the community. \nThe market offers far more than produce stands. Visitors can browse locally grown vegetables and fruits\, cheeses\, baked goods\, meats\, seafood\, maple syrup\, flowers\, mushrooms\, prepared foods\, and handmade crafts while live music plays in the background. The atmosphere feels distinctly coastal New England\, blending small-town community energy with the creativity and food culture that defines Stonington Village. Families\, dog owners\, and longtime locals mingle throughout the morning while vendors showcase everything from handmade soaps and pottery to organic kombucha and Mediterranean cuisine. \nWhat makes the Stonington Village Farmers Market stand out is how deeply connected it feels to the rhythm of the region itself. Some visitors arrive early for greenhouse spinach or fresh seafood before it sells out\, while others come simply to wander with coffee in hand and reconnect with neighbors. Between the local farmers\, prepared food vendors\, musicians\, and rotating artisan booths\, the market has evolved into more than a shopping destination. It has become a weekly community ritual that reflects the character\, creativity\, and agricultural roots of southeastern Connecticut. \nParticipating Vendors & Farms \n\nAPIS VERDI\nBroad Brook Acres\nDavis Farm\nISSA Catering\nJon Fish\nSeacoast Mushrooms\nSugar Maple Farms\nSweet Acre Farm\nWakin’ Up Waggin’\n18th Century Purity Farm\nStonyledge Farm and Studio Farm Products\nSummer Hill Catering\nCato Corner Farm\nTreatzles\nFiber + Mud\nYALLA\n\nSponsors & Organizers \n\nStonington Village Improvement Association (SVIA)\nVelvet Mill\n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/stonington-village-farmers-market-3/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Velvet Mill\, 22 Bayview Ave\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Velvet Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Stonington-Village-Farmers-Market-at-the-Velvet-Mill.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T170000
DTSTAMP:20260912T003908Z
CREATED:20260912T003908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260912T003908Z
UID:10007549-1789808400-1789837200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Velvet Mill End-of-Season Indoor Sidewalk Sale
DESCRIPTION:The Velvet Mill End-of-Season Indoor Sidewalk Sale takes over the sprawling Stonington mill September 19 and 20\, as participating merchants move sale and clearance merchandise out of their shops and into the hallways for a building-wide weekend of browsing. \nThe idea is essentially a sidewalk sale without having to worry about the sidewalk. \nInstead of setting up along Bayview Avenue\, businesses throughout the historic Velvet Mill will place markdowns\, clearance merchandise\, and special finds immediately outside their doors. Shoppers can wander through the building\, discovering sales as they go. \nAnd “wander” is the appropriate word. \nThe Velvet Mill is now home to dozens of independent businesses\, with an unusually eclectic retail mix that includes antiques\, vintage clothing and furniture\, art\, jewelry\, home décor\, books\, bicycles\, crystals\, paper goods\, handmade products\, food\, beer and rum. \nOrganizers recommend coming early for the best selection. \nHere’s What You’ll Find Around the Mill\nThe Velvet Mill has not published a definitive list identifying exactly which tenants will participate in the sidewalk sale. Here is a list of all of the businesses. \nVintage\, Antiques and Collectibles\nThis is probably the strongest shopping category for anyone who likes hunting rather than knowing exactly what they’re going to buy. \n21st Century Antiques deals in antiques and estate items and also handles estate sales and online estate auctions. \na little something is a vintage shop combining older pieces with merchandise selected to work in contemporary homes. \nEpoch Destiny Boutique specializes in collectibles\, antiques and vintage merchandise. \nFun and Funky Vintage lives up to its name with vintage furniture\, housewares\, lighting\, artwork and smaller decorative finds. \nGranary Farmhouse Antiques takes a more refined approach\, concentrating on antique furniture and carefully selected pieces for the home. \nVictoria Clare Vintage is another vintage seller and collector operating from the Mill. \nUnit 88 specializes in vintage and nautical merchandise\, an appropriate combination about a mile from Stonington Harbor. \nBalls of Yarn mixes new\, vintage\, upcycled and consigned merchandise rather than fitting neatly into a single category. \nStevie T’s Treasure Tent adds another treasure-hunting stop to the building. \nBooks & Collectibles is exactly what its name suggests\, adding used and collectible books and other finds to the mix. \nFor a clearance event\, these may be some of the most interesting shops because “sale merchandise” doesn’t necessarily mean last season’s mass-produced inventory. \nAt the Velvet Mill\, it could mean something that hasn’t been in season for 50 years. \nClothing\, Jewelry and Things to Wear\nThe Mill also has several boutiques and makers selling fashion and accessories. \nValomie Boutique offers women’s clothing\, accessories and gift items. \nMountain Hollow combines jewelry and accessories with botanicals\, rocks and minerals\, books\, home décor\, T-shirts and nature-inspired goods. \nNomad’s Novelties sells handmade and novelty merchandise through its Mill studio and online shop. \nThere are also individual artists and makers throughout the building whose work can include wearable art and handcrafted pieces. \nThat’s part of what makes the sale different from a conventional shopping-center clearance event. A significant amount of what’s sold inside the Mill comes from small independent sellers rather than national brands. \nFurniture and Home Décor\nIf you’re looking for something larger\, the Mill has that covered too. \nBali Bungalow specializes in handmade furniture and natural home décor. \nHandcrafted Homestead Furniture produces handcrafted furniture from its Mill workshop. \nFun and Funky Vintage overlaps this category with vintage furniture\, lighting\, housewares and artwork. \nGranary Farmhouse Antiques offers antique and vintage furniture and decorative pieces with a more traditional farmhouse aesthetic. \nInterior Connections works in interior design and furnishings. \nThis is one category where a clearance sale could get interesting quickly. Furniture and décor occupy space\, and end-of-season events give retailers an obvious reason to make room for incoming inventory. \nRocks\, Crystals and Nature-Inspired Finds\nMountain Hollow deserves its own category. \nThe South Studios shop began with rocks and minerals and has grown into a broader nature-oriented store offering polished and natural stones\, crystals\, botanicals\, jewelry\, books\, décor\, clothing and wellness-oriented merchandise. \nIt’s one of those shops where “I’m just going to look around for five minutes” is an optimistic prediction. \nArt Is Everywhere\nThe Velvet Mill isn’t simply a collection of stores. \nIt’s also one of southeastern Connecticut’s larger concentrations of working artists and galleries. \nStonington Gallery and Park Fine Art provide traditional gallery stops. \nAllgood Studios & Gallery combines gallery space with a creative agency and an arcade. \nBlack Star Studio is an artist studio. \nOther painters\, designers and independent artists maintain working spaces throughout the building\, including Mystic Rose Decorative Painting and a number of individual studios. \nThat means shoppers walking the sale can move from vintage merchandise and clothing into original art without ever leaving the building. \nPaper Goods\, Stickers and Handmade Pieces\nShuttle Press & Bindery has been operating since 2014 and produces handcrafted paper goods using traditional printing and binding techniques. \nLaurel Hill Designs specializes in stickers\, decals and customizable creative goods. \nThese smaller items make particularly good sidewalk-sale territory because merchants can easily move selections into the corridor for people to browse without entering every studio. \nEven the Bicycle Shop Is Vintage\nThen there’s Dave’s Bicycles. \nIts specialty stretches from bicycles dating to approximately the 1890s through 2010\, including vintage road\, track and mountain bikes\, three-speeds\, cruisers and youth bicycles. \nThat’s a pretty good illustration of why the Velvet Mill is difficult to describe as simply a shopping center. \nYou can go from antique furniture to crystals to handmade stationery and end up looking at a century-old bicycle. \nThere’s Plenty to Eat While You Wander\nThe weekend doesn’t have to be an exercise in continuous shopping. \nMeryl + Masa is a sourdough bakery and Latin eatery making its food by hand with an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients. \nThe Back Door Kitchen & Pizzeria specializes in wood-fired sourdough pizza alongside salads\, sandwiches and desserts. \nWhitecrest Eatery is the Mill’s bistro-style restaurant\, with a seasonal menu ranging from burgers and salads to seafood\, pasta and specialty cuts. \nBeer’d Brewing Co. – The Mill operates its original brewery and taproom here\, while Rum Tropic Distillery produces rum and serves cocktails\, flights and bottles. \nBorough Bagel Co. handles the breakfast end of things with fresh bagels and breakfast sandwiches. \nAnd Dock 9 adds cocktails and a restaurant menu at the rear of the Mill. \nThat makes it fairly easy to turn the sidewalk sale into a half-day visit rather than a quick shopping stop. \nSaturday Comes With a Farmers Market\nSaturday morning adds another reason to arrive early. \nThe Stonington Village Farmers Market operates inside the Velvet Mill from 9 a.m. to noon\, bringing local farmers\, food producers and makers into the building. \nThat means Saturday visitors can effectively shop two events at once. \nStart with the farmers market\, wander into the Mill’s shops and studios\, see what participating businesses have put into the hallways for the sidewalk sale\, stop for lunch and keep exploring. \nIt’s difficult to think of many places where the shopping list could plausibly include vegetables\, sourdough bread\, an antique lamp\, a crystal\, an original painting\, a vintage bicycle and a locally brewed IPA. \nThe Velvet Mill can get weird that way. \nFrom Velvet Factory to Indoor Main Street\nThe building itself makes the sale more interesting. \nThe Velvet Mill was constructed in 1888 and became home to the American Velvet Company\, which produced textiles here for more than a century before manufacturing ceased in Stonington in 1996. \nRather than demolishing the enormous industrial complex or converting the entire building into residences\, it gradually became something resembling an indoor neighborhood. \nArtists moved in. \nThen galleries. \nMakers. \nSmall retailers. \nRestaurants. \nFitness and wellness studios. \nA brewery. \nA distillery. \nAnd more businesses followed. \nThe old industrial corridors now function almost like streets connecting them. \nFor one weekend in September\, that analogy becomes literal. \nThe merchants are putting their merchandise out on the “sidewalk.” \nThe sidewalk just happens to be inside a 19th-century velvet factory. \nDetails\nEvent: The Velvet Mill End-of-Season Indoor Sidewalk Sale\nDates: Saturday\, September 19 and Sunday\, September 20\, 2026\nVenue: The Velvet Mill\nAddress: 22 Bayview Avenue\, Stonington\, CT 06378\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Participating businesses place sale\, clearance and promotional merchandise in the hallways outside their shops\nMerchants: The Velvet Mill has not published a definitive list of participating sidewalk-sale businesses; not every tenant should be assumed to be offering sale merchandise\nShopping: Vintage and antiques\, clothing\, jewelry\, furniture\, home décor\, art\, collectibles\, books\, bicycles\, rocks and minerals\, handmade goods and more\nFood & Drink: Multiple restaurants\, bakeries and beverage businesses operate inside the Mill\nSaturday Farmers Market: 9 a.m.–noon\nTip: Organizers recommend arriving early for the best selection\nSetting: Indoors; the sale takes place throughout the Mill’s interior hallways \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/the-velvet-mill-end-of-season-indoor-sidewalk-sale/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Velvet Mill\, 22 Bayview Ave\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Velvet Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Velvet-Mill-End-of-Season-Indoor-Sidewalk-Sale.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T180000
DTSTAMP:20260901T212201Z
CREATED:20260901T212201Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T212201Z
UID:10007321-1789808400-1789840800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill 2026: Complete Guide
DESCRIPTION:B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill is now open for the 2026 season\, beginning another fall of fresh-pressed sweet cider\, cider donuts\, traditional hard cider\, apple wine and one of the most unusual pieces of working history in Connecticut. \nThe family-owned Old Mystic landmark opened for the season September 1 and is currently scheduled to operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 129 North Stonington Road. \nBut calling Clyde’s a cider shop doesn’t quite explain why generations of families make a trip here every fall. \nThe mill has been family-owned since 1881. Fourth\, fifth and sixth generations of the family still work in the business. Apples are still crushed and pressed using historic machinery powered by steam. Visitors can watch the machinery operate\, descend into the cellar for traditional hard cider tastings\, sample apple wines in a converted grist mill and leave with a bag of cider donuts. \nClyde’s calls itself the oldest steam-powered cider mill in the United States. \nMore precisely\, it is the last operating steam-powered cider mill in the country\, according to the mill\, and its historic cider-making machinery has been recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. \nIt isn’t a reproduction of an old cider mill. \nIt’s the real thing. \nA Mystic Fall Tradition Since 1881\nThe story begins with Benjamin F. Clyde. \nIn 1881\, Clyde began producing cider from apples he had pressed at other local mills. He eventually rented a press before purchasing his own mill in 1897. \nThe equipment that followed would become the heart of the operation visitors still come to see. \nClyde purchased a screw press manufactured by Boomer & Boschert of Syracuse\, New York. The company also supplied the apple grater\, elevator and cider pump\, along with plans for the mill building. \nThe machinery was installed in 1898. \nAt the time\, cider mills were hardly unusual in rural America. \nThey served much the same role for apple growers that grist mills did for farmers growing grain. Orchards could bring surplus apples to a centrally located mill\, where the fruit could be processed and pressed into juice. Some of that juice could then be fermented into hard cider. \nMost of those community mills disappeared. \nClyde’s didn’t. \nThe Steam-Powered Mill Is Still Working\nThat’s what makes a visit different from touring a preserved historic building. \nThe machinery still has a job. \nApples enter the cider-making system and are elevated to a grinder\, where they’re reduced to pulp. That pulp is prepared for pressing\, and the historic screw press applies the tremendous pressure needed to extract the juice. \nThe technology was impressive for its era. \nAccording to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers\, the all-steel screw press could apply pressure at three speeds and represented one of the last generations of screw presses before hydraulic presses became widespread during the 20th century. \nASME designated B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1994\, recognizing the machinery as a rare survivor of an industry that was once common throughout America’s apple-growing regions. \nMore than a century after the equipment was installed\, Clyde’s still uses the mill to make cider. \nWhen Can You Watch Clyde’s Press Cider?\nVisitors don’t have to settle for looking at the machinery. \nClyde’s runs it during the season. \nThe mill’s typical pressing schedule is: \nTuesday and Thursday: 10 a.m.–noon\nSaturday and Sunday: 10 a.m.–noon \nThe schedule can vary because Clyde’s presses according to production needs\, so the machinery isn’t guaranteed to be running continuously throughout those periods. \nEven when the press isn’t operating\, visitors are welcome to look inside the historic press building. \nFor anyone specifically interested in seeing the steam-powered machinery at work\, a pressing morning is the best time to plan a visit. \nHow Clyde’s Makes Sweet Cider\nFresh sweet cider is the product that started everything. \nClyde’s purchases its apples from small orchards rather than operating a pick-your-own orchard of its own. The apples are processed at the mill and pressed into cider using the historic equipment. \nThe finished sweet cider is flash pasteurized on the property. \nVisitors can buy cider to take home or drink it while visiting\, and seasonal cider drinks have become part of the experience alongside the mill’s baked goods. \nThat combination has helped turn what was originally a working agricultural business into a fall destination. \nYou can come to learn how a 19th-century cider press works. \nYou can also come because you want cider and a donut. \nNeither is the wrong reason. \nAbout Those Clyde’s Cider Donuts\nFor plenty of visitors\, the steam engine has competition. \nClyde’s cider donuts have become almost as closely associated with the mill as the cider itself. \nThe store sells its well-known cider donuts along with other baked goods and seasonal treats. The selection can vary\, but the broader shop also carries jarred products\, honey from local beekeepers\, candied apples made by the family and other locally produced goods. \nIt’s part bakery\, part country store and part historic attraction. \nAnd on a busy fall weekend\, the line is evidence that plenty of people know exactly what they came for. \nThen There Is the Cider Downstairs\nThe word “cider” gets considerably more complicated at Clyde’s. \nSweet cider is only part of the story. \nClyde’s also makes traditional hard cider using a process very different from the sweeter\, carbonated canned ciders that have become common in supermarkets and bars. \nThe hard cider begins with apple juice and ferments before aging in oak whiskey barrels. \nThe process from juice to finished hard cider typically takes about a year. \nAfter fermentation and aging\, the hard cider receives relatively little filtration before being sold. That preserves more of the raw\, oaky character produced by the barrel. \nThe result is considerably stronger than many commercial hard ciders. \nClyde’s hard ciders and apple wines generally contain 12 to 14 percent alcohol. \nHard Cider vs. Apple Wine: What’s the Difference?\nThis is one of the more interesting parts of Clyde’s operation because the two products begin in essentially the same place. \nBoth the hard cider and apple wine start as fermented apple juice aged in oak whiskey barrels. \nWhat happens afterward separates them. \nClyde’s hard cider is only lightly filtered to remove sediment. That leaves it with a bolder flavor\, more pronounced oak character and more bite. \nThe apple wine receives considerably more filtration. \nThat additional processing produces a smoother\, somewhat sweeter product that is also shelf stable before opening. \nSo someone expecting Clyde’s hard cider to taste like a modern canned hard cider may be surprised. \nThis is closer to an older cider-making tradition. \nWhat’s in the Hard Cider Cellar?\nThe hard cider cellar sits underneath the press building. \nThat’s where visitors can taste Clyde’s traditional hard ciders and where the product has been made for generations. \nAvailability changes throughout the season\, but Clyde’s 2026 lineup includes several recurring varieties. \nThe Original is the starting point. It’s dry\, without added fruit flavors competing with the oak character of the barrel. \nLucky Lion is also dry and crisp\, with a character Clyde’s says some drinkers compare to Scotch. \nBlackout goes even further in that direction. It’s Clyde’s most popular hard cider and wine flavor\, with strong oak notes that the mill describes as almost reminiscent of whiskey. \nThen things get fruitier. \nBoomerang combines apple and cranberry for a tart\, sweeter cider. \nGoodfella adds blackberry and lands on the sweeter end of the lineup. \nYellow Jacket combines apple and orange\, producing some sweetness with a citrus bite. \nCherry Bomb adds another fruit-driven option. \nBecause Clyde’s rotates its hard ciders\, individual varieties can change during the season. \nThe Apple Wine List Goes Much Further\nThe wine side of the operation offers even more variety. \nClyde’s currently lists 14 apple wines\, ranging from dry expressions of apple to much sweeter fruit combinations. \nApple Wine is the driest of the wine lineup. \nSpiced Apple uses mulling spices for a distinctly fall-oriented version. \nSpider Cider combines sweetness with pumpkin spices and can be warmed or used in a hot toddy. \nStrawberry Bliss is the sweetest wine in the lineup\, combining apple and strawberry. \nBlueberry Spinner combines apple and blueberry. \nApple Raspberry leans sweet but tart. \nCider House Blend combines apple\, orange and cranberry. \nSeveral of the hard cider varieties\, including Original\, Lucky Lion\, Blackout\, Boomerang\, Goodfella and Yellow Jacket\, are also produced as wines. \nThe distinction comes back to filtration. \nSame roots. \nDifferent finish. \nYes\, You Can Taste Them for Free\nClyde’s offers separate hard cider and wine tastings throughout its season. \nAnd the tastings are free. \nNo purchase is required and no reservation is necessary. \nVisitors can sample up to four hard ciders and up to four wines at their respective tasting locations. \nHard cider tastings take place in the cellar beneath the press building. \nWine tastings are held in the tasting room\, which has its own connection to the property’s history: the building is a converted grist mill once used to produce johnnycake meal. \nTastings are first-come\, first-served. \nCurrent tasting hours are: \nMonday–Saturday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.\nSunday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. \nEveryone participating in a tasting must show a valid ID\, regardless of age or appearance. Clyde’s does not accept expired IDs or photographs of identification. \nConnecticut alcohol rules also mean Clyde’s cannot sell its hard cider or wine before 10 a.m. on Sundays. \nA Few Clyde’s Flavors to Know Before You Taste\nIf you don’t know where to start\, the tasting bottles are generally arranged from driest to sweetest\, and the staff can help narrow the choices. \nFor something dry: Original or Apple Wine. \nFor strong oak character: Blackout. \nFor dry and crisp: Lucky Lion. \nFor tart cranberry: Boomerang. \nFor something sweeter: Goodfella. \nFor fall spice: Spiced Apple or Spider Cider. \nFor very sweet fruit: Strawberry Bliss or Blueberry Spinner. \nOne warning for anyone accustomed to mass-market hard cider: remember the alcohol content. \nAt 12 to 14 percent ABV\, Clyde’s hard cider is much closer to wine strength than a typical bottle or can of commercial cider. \nCan You Bring Back a Clyde’s Growler?\nYes. \nClyde’s sells 64-ounce growlers of hard cider and offers growler refills. \nThere are a couple of important rules. \nClyde’s refills growlers rather than exchanging them\, so customers should clean their growler before bringing it back. The mill can only refill glass growlers that have a stamped or imprinted 64-ounce measurement. \nWine cannot be used for growler fills. \nThe refill program is for hard cider. \nHard cider should also be kept cool after purchase. Clyde’s recommends refrigeration. \nThere’s More Than Cider\nThe tasting room also contains Clyde’s gift shop\, with merchandise and locally made products that can include handmade earrings\, postcards and art prints. \nElsewhere at the mill\, visitors can browse honey produced by local beekeepers\, jarred foods\, family-made candied apples\, baked goods and other seasonal products. \nThat makes it possible to spend considerably more time at Clyde’s than simply buying a gallon of cider and heading home. \nWatch the press. \nGet cider and donuts. \nExplore the store. \nGo downstairs for a hard cider tasting. \nVisit the wine tasting room. \nBrowse the gift shop. \nIt’s effectively several different experiences spread across the historic property. \nIs B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill Good for Kids?\nYes. \nClyde’s welcomes children of all ages. \nThe working mill is also an opportunity to show kids a piece of machinery doing the job it was actually designed to do more than a century ago. \nThere is no alcohol involved in the regular sweet cider\, and the bakery\, cider and mill demonstration make Clyde’s an easy family fall stop. \nJust don’t confuse the two kinds of cider. \nThe traditional hard cider and apple wines are 12 to 14 percent alcohol and are strictly for adults 21 and older. \nCan You Pick Apples at Clyde’s?\nNo. \nThis is one of the most useful things to know before making the trip. \nB.F. Clyde’s is a cider mill\, not a pick-your-own orchard. \nThe mill purchases apples from small orchards and uses them to produce its cider. \nIf apple picking is part of your fall plans\, you’ll need to visit an orchard separately. \nCan You Bring a Dog?\nYes\, with restrictions. \nLeashed pets are permitted on the grounds. \nThey aren’t allowed inside the buildings or on the porch\, and visitors need to bring whatever they need to clean up after their pets. \nParking Can Be the Hardest Part of a Fall Visit\nClyde’s popularity comes with one predictable problem. \nIt gets busy. \nThe main parking lot can fill during peak periods\, particularly on fall weekends. \nClyde’s asks visitors to try the main lot first and to respect posted no-parking areas and neighboring properties if parking along nearby roads. \nAn auxiliary lot is available at 49 North Stonington Road. It’s approximately four-tenths of a mile from the mill\, so visitors using it should expect a walk. \nIf your schedule is flexible\, a weekday visit can make the entire experience easier. \nIf you’re coming specifically to see the press operate\, Tuesday or Thursday morning offers the combination of a weekday visit and a scheduled pressing window. \nClyde’s Isn’t a Museum\, and That’s the Point\nThere are plenty of places where historic machinery survives behind ropes. \nClyde’s is different. \nBenjamin Clyde started making cider in 1881. \nHe acquired his own mill in the 1890s. \nThe equipment installed in 1898 survived the arrival of hydraulic presses\, mass food production\, supermarkets\, interstate highways and more than a century of changes in how Americans buy their food. \nThe family survived with it. \nToday\, fourth\, fifth and sixth generations are involved in the operation. \nEvery September\, the doors open again. \nApples arrive. \nThe steam-powered machinery starts moving. \nFresh cider begins flowing. \nAnd people line up for cider donuts. \nThat’s why B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill is more than another place to add to a Connecticut fall checklist. It’s a piece of New England’s agricultural and industrial history that never stopped doing its job. \n2026 Visitor Guide\nAttraction: B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill\n2026 Season Opening: September 1\, 2026\nCurrent Hours: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.\, seven days a week\nLocation: 129 North Stonington Road\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nChildren: Welcome\nPets: Leashed pets allowed on the grounds; not inside buildings or on the porch\nApple Picking: No\nSweet Cider: Available\nCider Donuts and Baked Goods: Available\nHard Cider: Available for adults 21+\nApple Wine: Available for adults 21+\nAlcohol Content: Hard cider and wine are generally 12–14% ABV\nTastings: Free; no reservation required\nHard Cider Tastings: Cellar beneath the press building\nWine Tastings: Tasting room\nTasting Hours: Monday–Saturday\, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday\, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.\nTypical Pressing Schedule: Tuesday\, Thursday\, Saturday and Sunday\, 10 a.m.–noon\nParking: Main lot plus auxiliary parking at 49 North Stonington Road\nThanksgiving: Closed\nShipping: Not available\nPreorders/Call-Ahead Orders: Not available \nHard Cider Menu\nAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers History \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/b-f-clydes-cider-mill-2026-complete-guide/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill\, 129 North Stonington Road\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BF-Clydes-Cider-Mill-2026-Complete-Guide.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T130000
DTSTAMP:20260624T031304Z
CREATED:20260624T030727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260624T031304Z
UID:10006249-1789812000-1789822800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Waterford Farmers Market
DESCRIPTION:The Waterford Farmers Market returns for the 2026 season\, bringing local food\, handmade goods\, and community spirit to the Waterford Community Center every Saturday from June 20 through October 24. Shoppers can browse a rotating selection of vendors offering fresh produce\, baked goods\, meats\, honey\, flowers\, artisan crafts\, specialty foods\, and other locally made products. \nWhether you’re picking up ingredients for the week\, searching for unique gifts\, or simply enjoying a Saturday morning outing\, the market offers a chance to support local farmers\, makers\, and small businesses. New vendors and seasonal offerings appear throughout the season\, making each visit a little different from the last. \nEvent Details \nDates: Saturdays\, June 20 – October 24\, 2026\nTime: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM\nLocation: Waterford Community Center\, 24 Rope Ferry Road\, Waterford\, CT \nVendors May Include: \n\nFresh fruits and vegetables\nLocal meats and seafood\nBaked goods and breads\nHoney and specialty foods\nFlowers and plants\nArtisan crafts and handmade goods\nLocal artists and makers\n\nAdmission: Free \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/waterford-farmers-market/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Waterford Community Center\, 24 Rope Ferry Rd\, Waterford\, 06385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Waterford Community Center
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Waterford-Farmers-Market-Saturdays-June-20-October-24-10am-1pm-Waterford-Community-Center-24-Rope-Ferry-Road-Waterford.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T160000
DTSTAMP:20260905T020341Z
CREATED:20260905T020341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260905T020341Z
UID:10007471-1789812000-1789833600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Ninigret Park Annual Arts and Crafts Show
DESCRIPTION:Ninigret Park Annual Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday\, September 19\, will bring about 50 artists and makers to the park for a day of handmade work\, live music and food. \nNow in its third year\, the show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the New Pavilion area of Ninigret Park. This year’s exhibitors span woodworking\, pottery\, jewelry\, quilting\, crochet\, macramé\, and other forms of handmade art and craft. \nStonington-area guitarist and singer-songwriter Ron Drago will provide live music during the event\, and local organizations and vendors will provide food and refreshments. \nA rain date is scheduled for Saturday\, September 26. \nAbout 50 Artists and Makers in One Place\nThe scale of the show is large enough to offer variety without turning the day into a sprawling commercial festival. \nOrganizers expect approximately 50 exhibitors\, with the emphasis on artists\, artisans and makers rather than mass-produced merchandise. \nThe announced mix includes woodworkers\, potters\, jewelers\, quilters\, crochet artists and macramé makers\, along with other crafts. \nOne returning Charlestown artist is Brian O’Connor of South County Paddles\, whose work goes well beyond the business name. \nO’Connor is a woodworker known for creating carved fish and detailed fish dioramas. His work frequently draws on the species and waterways of southern Rhode Island\, making his booth particularly connected to the landscape surrounding the show. \nOne of O’Connor’s past pieces\, Anadromous Ascension III\, depicted the migration of fish such as river herring from saltwater into freshwater rivers to reproduce. O’Connor is also a founding member of Protect Rhode Island Brook Trout\, connecting his woodworking with his interest in the region’s native fish and waterways. \nHe is scheduled to return to the show this year with a selection of his fish dioramas. \nRon Drago Provides the Live Music\nThe arts and crafts aren’t the only attraction. \nRon Drago\, a guitarist and singer-songwriter based in the Stonington area\, will perform live during the show. \nDrago is a familiar name around southeastern Connecticut and southwestern Rhode Island\, performing solo acoustic shows at wineries\, restaurants\, breweries and other local venues. \nHis repertoire draws from decades of popular music\, making the performance more of a soundtrack to an afternoon of browsing than a separate concert that requires visitors to stop everything and gather around a stage. \nThat format fits this event particularly well. Visitors can move between booths\, stop for food\, explore the park and return to the music throughout the day. \nFood Will Be Available at the Show\nFood and refreshments are also planned. \nThe Downey Weaver American Legion Post 34 is among the organizations scheduled to sell food\, and Del’s Lemonade is expected to be part of the day as well. \nAdditional food offerings may also be available. \nThat gives visitors the option of turning a quick trip through the craft booths into a longer afternoon at Ninigret Park. \nThe Park Is Part of the Day\nOne of the things that distinguishes this show from an indoor craft fair is its location. \nNinigret Park is one of Charlestown’s major public recreation spaces\, with a combination of open fields\, trails and recreational facilities spread across the property. \nThe show is being held near the New Pavilion\, but visitors aren’t limited to the vendor area. \nNinigret Park includes Little Nini Pond\, A Kid’s Place Playground\, picnic shelters\, walking and bicycling paths\, an 18-hole disc golf course\, basketball and tennis courts and other recreational areas. \nThat makes the show particularly easy to combine with a family day at the park. Someone who isn’t interested in spending several hours looking through craft booths has plenty of other options nearby. \nNinigret’s Wildlife Refuge Is Next Door\nThe natural landscape extends beyond the town park itself. \nNinigret Park sits alongside the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge\, part of the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. \nThe refuge protects coastal habitat associated with Ninigret Pond and includes trails through grasslands\, shrubland and other habitat used by migratory birds and wildlife. \nAccess from the park also connects visitors with the salt pond environment\, including a kayak launch area. \nIt’s an unusually fitting setting for an arts event with makers whose work often draws inspiration from Rhode Island’s coast\, forests and wildlife. \nFrom Naval Airfield to Community Park\nThe open landscape at Ninigret has another layer that’s easy to miss. \nMuch of the property was once part of a World War II-era naval auxiliary airfield. \nAfter the military use ended\, the former air station property eventually became a combination of town recreation land and federally protected wildlife habitat. Traces of the old airfield remain visible in the unusually broad\, flat landscape. \nToday\, the town-owned portion has become one of Charlestown’s busiest gathering places\, hosting everything from community recreation to major annual festivals. \nThe arts and crafts show operates at the opposite end of the scale from Ninigret’s largest festivals. Instead of multiple stages and thousands of visitors\, the focus is on individual makers\, their work and a day in the park. \nThe Show Is Only in Its Third Year\nDespite the “annual” name\, this isn’t a decades-old Charlestown tradition. \n2026 marks the third year of the Ninigret Park Arts and Crafts Show. \nThe event began with roughly 50 exhibitors\, a scale organizers have continued as the show has developed. \nThat also explains its straightforward format. There isn’t a midway\, complicated admission structure or packed schedule of attractions. \nIt’s essentially a community craft show in one of South County’s best-known parks: dozens of makers\, live acoustic music\, something to eat and plenty of room to spend time outdoors afterward. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Ninigret Park Annual Arts and Crafts Show\nDate: Saturday\, September 19\, 2026\nTime: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.\nRain Date: Saturday\, September 26\nLocation: New Pavilion at Ninigret Park\nAddress: Park Lane\, Charlestown\, RI 02813\nExhibitors: Approximately 50 artists and makers\nCrafts: Woodworking\, pottery\, jewelry\, quilting\, crochet\, macramé and more\nLive Music: Ron Drago\nFood: Downey Weaver American Legion Post 34\, Del’s Lemonade and additional offerings \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/ninigret-park-annual-arts-and-crafts-show/
LOCATION:Ninigret Park\, 5 Park Lane\, Charlestown\, RI\, 02813\, United States
CATEGORIES:Ninigret Park
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T180000
DTSTAMP:20260903T140908Z
CREATED:20260903T140908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T140908Z
UID:10007444-1789813800-1789840800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2026 Guide
DESCRIPTION:Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2026 transforms the Lebanon Country Fairgrounds into a sprawling 16th-century fantasy village for nine weekends of jousting\, comedy\, live music\, costumed characters\, artisan shopping\, food\, games and themed adventures. \nThe Faire runs from August 29 through October 25 at 122 Mack Road in Lebanon\, with regular hours from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. It also opens on holiday Mondays\, including Labor Day and Columbus Day. \nFor 2026\, the Faire is advertising more than 40 shows each day across 13 stages\, along with dozens of games and activities and more than 200 artisans\, food vendors and other merchants. \nAnd this isn’t an event where you simply watch from the sidelines. \nWalk through the gates and you enter a village populated by kings\, queens\, knights\, fairies\, musicians\, rogues and other characters who interact with visitors throughout the day. You can watch armored combat\, cheer at the joust\, throw an axe\, shop for a handmade sword or drinking horn\, take the kids on human-powered rides\, eat a turkey leg and end up in a conversation with a member of the royal court on the way to your next show. \nHere’s how to plan a day at the 2026 Connecticut Renaissance Faire. \nWhen Is the Connecticut Renaissance Faire?\nThe 2026 season runs from August 29 through October 25. \nThe Faire is generally open Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.\, with special openings on Labor Day and Columbus Day. \nThe season is divided into themed weekends\, so the experience changes as fall progresses. Themes for 2026 include Dragons & Dungeons\, Roses & Romance\, Shirefolk\, Faerie Ring Revels\, Pirates & Vikings\, Time Travelers\, All Hallows and the new Merry Macabre weekend. \nLabor Day weekend\, September 5–7\, is Dragons & Dungeons\, a fantasy-focused weekend built around quests\, heroes and legendary characters. \nCostumes aren’t required to attend. Some visitors arrive in everyday clothes\, while others treat the themed weekends as an opportunity to build elaborate Renaissance\, fantasy\, pirate\, Viking or other character costumes. \nHow Much Are Connecticut Renaissance Faire Tickets?\nGeneral admission for the 2026 season is $18 for adults and $10 for youth\, while children in the Faire’s child admission category enter free. \nAdmission covers the Faire itself and its regular stage performances. Certain games\, rides\, food\, drinks and premium experiences cost extra. \nOne useful change from the way some fairs and festivals operate is that there are no food tickets. Food and beverages are purchased directly from individual merchants. \nSame-day re-entry is also permitted with a handstamp\, so leaving the grounds doesn’t necessarily mean the end of your Faire day. \nStart With the Shows\nTrying to see everything at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire in one day is probably the wrong approach. \nThere are simply too many performances. \nThe 2026 Faire uses 13 stages and advertises more than 40 shows daily. Entertainment ranges from music and comedy to acrobatics\, combat demonstrations\, theatrical performances and interactive shows. \nOne of the biggest spectacles is the armored combat demonstration from the Knights of Gore. These aren’t performers simply swinging lightweight theatrical weapons around one another. The demonstrations feature fighters in plate armor engaging in full-contact medieval-style combat. \nThe Knights of Gore also present educational demonstrations throughout the day covering subjects such as medieval helmets\, the roles of knights and squires and siege weapons including the trebuchet. \nThe Joust Remains a Centerpiece\nIt’s difficult to imagine a Renaissance faire without knights charging toward one another on horseback. \nJousting remains one of the major attractions in Lebanon. \nThe 2026 season includes jousting from Roundtable Productions and Equus Nobilis\, both listed among the Faire’s new entertainment additions this year. \nThe joust combines horsemanship\, theatrical storytelling and medieval-style competition on a scale that’s difficult to replicate on one of the smaller stages. \nIf seeing a joust is high on your list\, check the schedule when you arrive and build the rest of the day around it rather than assuming you’ll simply stumble across the right performance. \nThere Is Plenty of Comedy\nNot everything involves swords and armor. \nComedy is scattered throughout the Faire\, sometimes on a stage and sometimes walking directly toward you in the lanes. \nThe Norfolk Theatricals specialize in interactive theatrical comedy\, presenting deliberately chaotic original plays with audience members sometimes pulled into the performance. \nBone Dallaire roams the grounds as a self-important thespian and playwright whose opinion of his own talent may exceed everyone else’s. \nThe Faire’s cast of Crown Players adds another layer of continuous theater. Instead of performing only at scheduled times\, characters inhabit the village and interact with guests throughout the day. \nThat distinction is important for first-time visitors. \nThe Connecticut Renaissance Faire isn’t simply a collection of scheduled shows surrounded by food booths. The space between the stages is part of the performance. \nMusic Runs From Celtic Traditions to Sea Chanteys\nLive music is another major part of the day. \nThe 2026 roster includes performers working with Celtic music\, traditional folk\, sea chanteys and other styles that fit naturally into the Faire setting. \nJesse Ofgang and the Diaspora\, new for 2026\, combine Scottish and Irish musical traditions with contemporary rhythms using instruments including bagpipes\, whistles and guitars. \nNemeton: Folk Fantasy Music and Dance brings an especially unusual collection of instruments to the Faire\, including bagpipes\, drums\, double flutes\, penny whistles\, English concertina\, medieval small pipes\, rauschpfeife and hurdy-gurdy. \nNew England’s Misfits of Avalon draw from Celtic music with hammered dulcimer\, mandolin\, guitar and violin. \nOther weekends bring different musicians\, including the maritime and Celtic sounds of the Crimson Pirates and southeastern Connecticut’s Bards of Gungywamp. \nBecause performers vary by themed weekend\, it’s worth checking the schedule for the specific date you’re attending. \nSome of the Best Entertainment Is Strange\nRenaissance faires have always left room for acts that don’t fit neatly into a category. \nThat’s part of the fun. \nFor 2026\, Fly by Night joins the Connecticut Faire with a combination of comedy\, juggling\, whip cracking and sideshow skills. The duo of Steve King and Ryan Roberts has been performing since 1990 and appeared as semifinalists on the fourth season of America’s Got Talent. \nCircus Stella puts rescued dogs into a circus environment alongside Dextre Tripp\, mixing canine tricks with juggling\, ladder balancing\, rope walking and unicycling. \nElsewhere\, visitors can encounter puppetry\, dance\, storytelling\, magic and roaming performers without necessarily planning to see them. \nLeave some empty space in the schedule. \nAt a Renaissance faire\, getting distracted is part of the itinerary. \nGames and Rides Go Beyond the Stages\nThere’s plenty to do when you want to participate rather than watch. \nThe Faire’s games and activities include old-fashioned and Renaissance-inspired challenges\, physical games and human-powered attractions. \nSome activities carry an additional fee. \nYou’ll find opportunities to test skill and strength\, explore the Royal Maze and take part in attractions spread throughout the village. \nFor families with younger children\, this can provide a useful break between longer stage performances. \nFor adults\, it can become surprisingly competitive. \nEat the Turkey Leg\, But Don’t Stop There\nYes\, there are giant turkey legs. \nThe Faire’s Turkey Legs and More stand serves the oversized roasted festival staple along with turkey sundaes\, mac and cheese\, smoked chicken\, lemonade and fried dough. \nBut the food selection has grown far beyond the Renaissance-faire stereotype. \nThe 2026 Faire lists 37 food merchants and seven pubs and taverns\, with meals\, desserts\, snacks and beverages distributed throughout the grounds. \nThere are burgers and hot dogs\, chicken sandwiches\, baked goods\, fried seafood\, sweets and a broad assortment of festival food. \nThe Faire also identifies vendors offering vegetarian\, vegan\, gluten-free and dairy-free choices. \nEvery food merchant is required to offer at least one item priced at $7\, an attempt to keep at least one lower-priced choice available at each location. \nOutside snacks and nonalcoholic drinks are also permitted. \nYou Can Walk the Faire With a Drink\nThere are no isolated beer tents requiring guests to remain inside a designated drinking area. \nAdults can purchase alcoholic beverages from the Faire’s pubs and taverns and carry their drinks while exploring the grounds. \nValid identification is required for alcohol purchases. \nThat also makes the taverns part of the atmosphere rather than simply concession stands. \nFor visitors looking for something more structured\, the Faire offers two separate 21-and-over experiences. \nThe Pub Crawl Is a 90-Minute Quest\nThe Connecticut Renaissance Faire Pub Crawl isn’t simply four drink tickets stapled together. \nThe approximately 90-minute experience is hosted by Fae Frostwhiperer and takes a group of no more than 15 participants through four Faire taverns. \nThere are four alcoholic drinks along the way\, but participants also complete challenges\, play games\, sing\, chant and interact with their guide. \nOne stop at Shattered Shield includes Liar’s Dice\, a vegetable platter and an exclusive small-batch mead that isn’t sold from the tavern’s regular menu. \nAnother stop includes a Test of Strength at King’s Inn Crossing. \nPub Crawls depart twice each Faire day\, at 11 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. \nThe price is $75\, plus a processing fee when purchased online. Tickets can also be purchased at Shattered Shield without the online processing fee\, although each crawl is limited to 15 participants and can sell out. \nParticipants must be 21 or older with valid identification. \nRegular Faire admission is not included with the Pub Crawl. \nWhiskey Tastings Offer a Quieter Break\nFor adults who prefer sipping to crawling\, guided whiskey tastings offer a considerably calmer experience. \nThe approximately one-hour sessions explore a curated selection of whiskies\, with hosts discussing origins\, production methods\, flavor profiles and techniques for nosing and tasting. \nCharcuterie is served alongside the pours. \nThe experience is designed for both beginners and experienced whiskey drinkers\, and advance reservations are strongly recommended because seating is intentionally limited. \nParticipants must be 21 or older and bring valid government-issued photo identification. \nLike the Pub Crawl\, a whiskey tasting is an additional experience. Regular Connecticut Renaissance Faire admission must be purchased separately. \nShopping Is a Major Part of the Faire\nDon’t treat the merchant area as an afterthought. \nThe Faire says the 2026 season includes 213 artisans\, games and food vendors\, with 32 new shops joining the grounds this year. \nThe marketplace is where the fantasy world starts becoming something you can take home. \nDepending on the merchant\, visitors can find clothing\, leatherwork\, jewelry\, drinking vessels\, artwork\, fantasy accessories\, home décor and handcrafted goods. \nSome merchants make items that are specifically useful for people building Renaissance or fantasy costumes\, while others sell pieces that work perfectly well outside the Faire. \nFor someone arriving without a costume\, the marketplace also provides an easy way to gradually become more appropriately dressed as the day progresses. \nYou may enter in jeans. \nThere is no guarantee you will leave without a cloak. \n2026 Is a Significant Expansion Year\nThe Faire has added a substantial amount of new material for 2026. \nIts official count includes 11 new shows\, 32 new shops and seven new food offerings. \nAmong the new entertainment are the two jousting productions\, Fly by Night and Jesse Ofgang and the Diaspora. \nThe Faire is also introducing Merry Macabre\, a new themed weekend for October 24–25 that takes the season into darker territory just before Halloween. \nThat expansion matters even to people who have attended in previous years. \nThe basic formula remains recognizable\, but the Faire is deliberately designed so returning on another weekend doesn’t simply reproduce the same day. \nBringing Kids to the Connecticut Renaissance Faire\nChildren don’t have to understand Renaissance history to find things to do here. \nThere are family-oriented performances\, interactive games\, rides and characters throughout the village. \nOne particularly memorable experience is the Knighting Ceremony with the King and Queen\, where children can present themselves before King Basil and Queen Gwendolyn Genevieve and receive royal recognition before the parade. \nThere are also quests and interactive encounters with the Knights of Gore. \nThe Faire’s combination of structured shows and wandering characters means children can become involved in the fantasy rather than spending the entire day watching adults perform. \nYes\, You Can Bring Your Pet\nThe Connecticut Renaissance Faire has an unusually broad pet policy. \nWell-behaved dogs\, cats\, rabbits\, ferrets\, rats and lizards are permitted. \nPet admission is $5 per animal\, while service animals enter free. \nDogs and cats must have proof of current rabies vaccination. A veterinarian’s letter\, email or current rabies tag can serve as proof. \nPets must remain on a non-retractable leash no longer than six feet and owners are responsible for cleaning up after them. \nLivestock\, horses\, donkeys\, mules and other large animals aren’t permitted. \nThe Faire advises owners to bring food and water for their animals. Water bowls may be available from merchants\, but pet food isn’t sold on the grounds. \nPets are also permitted on the parking shuttles. \nParking Has Changed for 2026\nThis is one section worth reading before leaving home. \nThe Faire has a new parking system for 2026. \nVisitors who want to park directly at the Faire grounds at 122 Mack Road can purchase Premium Parking for $10 per vehicle. \nThere are only 525 Premium Parking spaces available each Faire day\, and they must be purchased online in advance for the specific date you’re attending. \nYou cannot purchase Premium Parking when you arrive at the lot. \nVIP admission includes Premium Parking. \nThere are also 125 free ADA parking spaces at the main Faire site for vehicles displaying a valid handicapped placard or plate. These spaces can’t be reserved and are available on a first-available basis. \nMotorcycles can park at the main site for free. \nFree Parking and Shuttles Are Available\nYou don’t have to pay to park. \nThe Faire operates free satellite parking with continuous shuttle service beginning at 9:30 a.m. \nOne free lot is located at 744 Trumbull Highway in Lebanon. \nAdditional parking is available at Lebanon Middle School\, 891 Exeter Road\, and Lyman Memorial High School\, 917 Exeter Road. \nThere is one important wrinkle with the school lots: the shuttles do not pick up directly at the schools. \nGuests parking at either school walk to the Mobil station located between the two schools\, which serves as the shuttle pickup and drop-off point. \nThe last shuttle leaves the Faire 30 minutes after closing. \nAnd don’t blindly follow your GPS. \nThe Faire specifically warns visitors not to use Barker Road\, which police close to through traffic on Faire weekends. \nWhere to Stay\nFor visitors coming from farther away\, the Faire maintains a list of nearby lodging options rather than operating an on-site campground. \nBecause the event runs for nine weekends\, staying overnight can also make sense for visitors who want to attend both Saturday and Sunday without making the drive twice. \nCheck lodging availability early for popular themed weekends\, particularly as the season moves toward October and foliage season in eastern Connecticut. \nWhat First-Time Visitors Should Know\nThe easiest mistake is approaching the Connecticut Renaissance Faire like an attraction where everything follows one obvious route. \nIt doesn’t. \nThere are performances happening simultaneously\, characters wandering the lanes\, merchants to explore\, food to try and activities that can consume far more time than expected. \nCheck the day’s performance schedule first and choose the handful of shows you really don’t want to miss. \nThen allow the rest of the day to happen around them. \nYou might stop for lunch and encounter a roaming performer. \nYou might head toward a stage and spend 30 minutes shopping instead. \nYou might intend to watch one song and stay for an entire set. \nThat’s not poor planning. \nThat’s pretty much how a Renaissance faire is supposed to work. \nConnecticut Renaissance Faire 2026 Details\nEvent: Connecticut Renaissance Faire\nSeason: August 29–October 25\, 2026\nRegular Days: Saturdays and Sundays\, plus Labor Day and Columbus Day\nHours: 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m.\nLocation: Lebanon Country Fairgrounds\nAddress: 122 Mack Road\, Lebanon\, CT 06249\nAdult General Admission: $18\nYouth Admission: $10\nChild Admission: Free\nEntertainment: More than 40 shows daily across 13 stages\nMarketplace: More than 200 artisans\, food vendors\, games and other merchants\nFood: 37 food merchants and seven pubs and taverns\nPremium On-Site Parking: $10\, advance date-specific purchase required\nFree Parking: Satellite lots with shuttle service\nPet Admission: $5; service animals free\nSame-Day Re-Entry: Permitted with handstamp\nOutside Food: Snacks and nonalcoholic drinks permitted \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/connecticut-renaissance-faire-2026-guide/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Lebanon Fair Grounds\, 122 Mack Road\, Lebanon\, 06249\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lebanon Fairgrounds
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T170000
DTSTAMP:20260705T020852Z
CREATED:20260510T162306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260705T020852Z
UID:10000486-1789815600-1789837200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks
DESCRIPTION:Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks drops visitors into centuries of maritime mystery and disaster at Mystic Seaport Museum.. The internationally touring exhibition combines massive LEGO® ship recreations with real maritime history\, creating an experience that feels part museum exhibit\, part interactive adventure. As the first American stop for the exhibition\, Mystic Seaport becomes the latest host for a showcase that has previously appeared at major maritime museums in Europe and Australia. \nThe exhibit features eleven detailed LEGO® models recreating famous shipwrecks and maritime disasters spanning thousands of years\, including the Titanic\, the Vasa\, Franklin’s Arctic expedition ships Terror and Erebus\, and the ancient Uluburun trading vessel. Created in partnership with LEGO® Certified Professional Ryan “The Brickman” McNaught\, the displays combine historical storytelling with surprisingly intricate engineering and visual detail. Some models even include cross-section cutaways revealing what happened beneath the waterline. \nInteractive experiences throughout the exhibit invite visitors to test survival scenarios\, operate a remote underwater vehicle\, experiment with ship stability\, and build LEGO® creations of their own. Alongside the models are replica artifacts\, archaeological tools\, and multimedia displays exploring how modern researchers investigate shipwrecks and what those discoveries reveal about trade\, exploration\, disaster\, and human history. The result is an exhibit that works equally well for families\, history buffs\, LEGO® fans\, and anyone who still secretly wants to touch every museum display. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/brickwrecks-sunken-ships-in-lego-bricks-3/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Mystic Seaport\, 75 Greenmanville Ave\, Mystic\, CT\, \,06355-1946\,\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Seaport
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T170000
DTSTAMP:20260701T201347Z
CREATED:20260701T201347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260701T201347Z
UID:10006480-1789815600-1789837200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways at Mystic Museum of Art
DESCRIPTION:Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways at Mystic Museum of Art explores the history of textiles in southeastern Connecticut\, tracing how fabrics\, fashion\, and craftsmanship have shaped the region from the precolonial era through the present day. On view from June 26 through October 11\, 2026\, the exhibition brings together historic artifacts and contemporary works to examine how textiles reflect labor\, immigration\, cultural identity\, and changing ideas of luxury. \nInspired by southeastern Connecticut’s once-thriving velvet industry\, the exhibition features a collaboration between Mystic Museum of Art\, Historic Stonington\, Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center\, Mystic Seaport Museum\, and the Connecticut Region of the Studio Art Quilt Associates. Visitors will encounter an extensive collection of beadwork\, embroidery\, quilts\, velvet\, fashion\, and textile art drawn from partner institutions and the museum’s own collection. \nThe exhibition also highlights contemporary fashion designers with Connecticut connections\, including Xarea Lockhart\, Toriana Sauro\, Christian Siriano\, and Peter Som. Their work connects the region’s textile heritage with modern fashion\, demonstrating how clothing and material culture continue to influence art\, identity\, and design. Throughout the exhibition\, the museum will present lectures\, artist conversations\, and hands-on workshops that further explore these themes. \nExhibition Details\n\nExhibition: Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\nVenue: Mystic Museum of Art\nDates: June 26-October 11\, 2026\nLocation: Mystic\, CT\n\nExhibition Highlights\nVisitors will experience: \n\ns\nWorks from Mystic Museum of Art’s permanent collection\nLoans from regional museums and organizations\n\nFeatured Partners\nThe exhibition includes contributions from: \n\nHistoric Stonington\nMashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center\nMystic Seaport Museum\nStudio Art Quilt Associates\, Connecticut Region\n\nFeatured Designers\nThe exhibition showcases work by designers with Connecticut ties\, including: \n\nXarea Lockhart\nToriana Sauro\nChristian Siriano\nPeter Som\n\nAdmission\n\nGeneral Admission: $12\nNew London County residents: $10\nSeniors (65+): $10\nStudents with valid ID: $10\nFree:\n\nMystic Museum of Art members\nYouth ages 17 and under\nMilitary personnel and veterans\n\n\n\nExhibition Programs\nPublic programs are held on select Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. \nTuesday\, July 7\nMystic Mudlarking: The River and the Rossie Velvet Mill \n\nGuest speaker: Mary Hendrickson\n\nTuesday\, July 21\nImmigration and Industry \n\nGuest speaker: Chelsea Mitchell\, Library Director & Collections Manager\, Historic Stonington\n\nTuesday\, September 1\nConversation with Alana Ryder and Emerging Designers \nFeaturing: \n\nAlana Ryder\nXarea Lockhart\nToriana Sauro\n\nWorkshops\nAll workshops take place in KTJ Studios. \nSaturday\, September 19\nFrom Textile to Art: Felt Collage Workshop \nSaturday\, September 26\nIntroduction to Sewing Workshop \n\nFeatured designer: Toriana Sauro\n\nSaturday\, October 10\nRelief Printing on Silk Scarf Workshop \nWhy Visit\nLuxe CT examines how textiles have connected communities across centuries while reflecting the region’s history of manufacturing\, immigration\, craftsmanship\, and artistic innovation. By pairing historical artifacts with contemporary fashion and fiber art\, the exhibition offers visitors a deeper understanding of southeastern Connecticut’s cultural heritage and its continuing influence on today’s artists and designers. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/luxe-ct-velvet-mills-to-modern-runways-at-mystic-museum-of-art/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Mystic Museum of Art\, 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Museum of Art
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T180000
DTSTAMP:20260818T020946Z
CREATED:20260818T020946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260818T020946Z
UID:10007216-1789815600-1789840800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Stonington Vineyards Harvest Food & Wine Festival 2026
DESCRIPTION:Stonington Vineyards Harvest Food & Wine Festival 2026 celebrates the approaching fall season with two days of wine\, live music\, food trucks and local artisans on Saturday and Sunday\, September 19 and 20. \nThe annual festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days at the vineyard on Taugwonk Road in Stonington\, giving visitors a chance to spread out on the lawn\, listen to music\, explore local vendors and enjoy wine produced at one of Connecticut’s longtime vineyards. \nAnd Sunday’s music already has a familiar local name attached to it. \nWicked Peach takes the stage Sunday at 3 p.m.\, bringing one of southeastern Connecticut’s longest-running rock bands to the vineyard for the final afternoon of the festival. \nTwo Days at the Vineyard\nThis isn’t simply a Wicked Peach concert. \nThe Harvest Food & Wine Festival runs throughout the weekend\, with live bands\, food trucks and local artisans joining the vineyard’s wine offerings. \nMusic:\nSat: 11-2 Ben Freiert\nSat: 3-6  Nick Bosse Band\nSun: 11-2 Luke & Mike\nSun: 3-6 Wicked Peach \nFood:\nFlavors\nTaste House\nScoops T Ice Cream\nFresh Fire Food \nVendors:\nValomie Boutique\nDreaming Light Creations\nCandybox Watch Hill\nMade by Nowa\nSeacoast Alpacas\nWalking Tree Creations\nDipped by Britt\nMary Moonchild Candles\nGold Leaf Home Decor \nGuests are encouraged to make themselves comfortable. Bring lawn chairs and blankets\, or even a pop-up tent no larger than 10 feet by 10 feet for your group. \nThe festival takes place rain or shine. \nMusical Acts:\nBen Freiert — Saturday\, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.\nStonington-based musician Ben Freiert opens the Harvest Festival Saturday with a mix of indie\, folk\, alternative rock and acoustic music. \nFreiert has been making music for more than two decades\, beginning with trumpet before moving into guitar\, piano and songwriting. While in college\, he formed the original rock band Twenty Grand with his roommate\, playing shows near their school and in New York City. He later established himself as a regular performer around southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island\, both as a solo musician and alongside other area artists. \nHe’s also become particularly familiar to Stonington’s vineyard audiences. Freiert has performed repeatedly at Stonington Vineyards\, Saltwater Farm Vineyard and other area wineries\, and was part of Stonington Vineyards’ 2024 Kickoff to Summer celebration. In 2026\, he’s again part of the vineyard’s summer concert series before returning for Harvest Festival weekend. \nHis acoustic-driven sound makes him a natural fit for the festival’s opening hours\, when visitors are arriving\, finding a spot on the lawn and settling in for the weekend. \nNick Bosse Band — Saturday\, 3–6 p.m.\nSaturday afternoon shifts firmly toward country music with North Stonington singer-songwriter Nick Bosse and his band. \nBosse is a New England-based independent country artist and Nashville recording artist whose music draws heavily from traditional and outlaw country\, southern rock and bluegrass. His influences include Waylon Jennings\, Johnny Cash\, Merle Haggard\, Willie Nelson\, Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers. Rather than chasing contemporary pop-country\, Bosse has built his identity around a grittier\, working-class approach to the genre. \nHe began playing cover gigs in local bars in 2013 before forming his backing band\, The Northern Roots\, which has accompanied him for much of his career. His original song What Happened to Country has surpassed 2 million streams\, and Bosse has won a New England Music Award for Best Vocalist and headlined performances at both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. \nThere’s a particularly strong local connection here. Bosse grew up in North Stonington and has spent years playing venues throughout southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. In 2022\, Nick Bosse & The Northern Roots won Mohegan Sun’s Locals Live competition\, with judges considering originality\, stage presence\, musical presentation and audience response. \nThat makes the Saturday 3–6 p.m. slot considerably more substantial than the original festival post suggests. This isn’t simply background music from a local cover band. Bosse is an established regional country artist with original music and a following of his own. \nLuke & Mike open Sunday’s music with a three-hour set from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.\nThe Mystic-based duo have become familiar faces at Stonington Vineyards\, returning regularly for concerts and special events. They’ve appeared at previous Harvest Festivals\, performed for the vineyard’s annual holiday celebration and are part of its 2026 Summer Concert Series. They’re also scheduled at nearby Saltwater Farm Vineyard during the 2026 summer season. \nIn fact\, this isn’t their first time helping provide the soundtrack for Harvest Festival weekend. Luke & Mike were among the performers at Stonington Vineyards’ 2019 Harvest Fest and returned for the festival again in 2022. \nWicked Peach Closes Out Sunday Afternoon\nIf you’ve been around southeastern Connecticut for any length of time\, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered Wicked Peach somewhere. \nThe New London-area band has been performing throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island since 1996\, building a following with high-energy sets drawing heavily from rock and pop-rock. \nThe current core lineup features Ernie Lewis on lead vocals and guitar\, Stan Smith on bass and Jonathan Souza on drums\, with Dan Watson and Corey Carter serving as alternating guitarists. \nTheir repertoire stretches across decades\, but ’90s hard rock remains a particular strength. The City of Groton describes the band as a staple of southeastern New England’s music scene\, mixing its ’90s material with songs from the ’70s\, ’80s and 2000s. \nThat makes Wicked Peach a natural fit for the Harvest Festival’s Sunday afternoon rather than a quiet acoustic set tucked into the corner of the vineyard. \nTheir scheduled 3 p.m. performance on September 20 is also confirmed on the band’s own 2026 tour schedule. \nWine Is Part of the Admission\nFestival admission includes more than entry. \nEach ticket includes a glass of Stonington Vineyards wine and a keepsake wine glass\, along with access to the weekend’s live music and festival amenities. Additional wine will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle. \nGuests may also bring their own food\, making a picnic on the vineyard lawn another option if you’d rather pack something from home than visit the food trucks. \nThere is one firm restriction: no outside alcohol is permitted. \nCoolers may be checked\, and the vineyard says outside alcohol will be confiscated. \nOne of Connecticut’s Established Vineyards\nThe festival setting has its own story. \nStonington Vineyards was established by Nick and Happy Smith in 1987 after they purchased 58 acres in the Stonington Uplands. The winery followed in 1989\, combining contemporary winemaking equipment with traditional oak-barrel fermentation. \nIt also became one of the founding members of the Connecticut Wine Trail. \nWinemaker Mike McAndrew has been with Stonington Vineyards since its early days\, developing a reputation for European-style wines. The vineyard is particularly associated with its barrel-fermented Chardonnay and proprietary blends. \nToday\, more than 10 of the property’s 58 acres are planted\, with annual production of approximately 6\,000 cases. Its current wine list includes Oak Chardonnay\, Sheer Chardonnay\, Seaport White\, Cabernet Franc\, Triad Rosé\, Riesling and Pawcatuck River Red. \nSo a harvest festival here isn’t just seasonal branding. Wine grapes have been growing on this property for decades. \nMake Yourself at Home on the Lawn\nThe Harvest Festival is designed for people to settle in rather than continually circulate through a traditional fairground. \nBring lawn chairs\, blankets or a small pop-up tent and establish a spot for the afternoon. \nOutside food is permitted\, so you can also pack a picnic while leaving room to try the food trucks. \nThe vineyard describes the festival as suitable for couples\, families and groups of friends. \nDogs are normally welcome on the vineyard grounds when leashed and supervised\, although I’d wait for festival-specific confirmation before putting that in the Event Details as a guarantee for this particular weekend. \nTickets\nOne-day advance admission is $30. \nTickets purchased on the day of the festival are $35. Two-day passes are also offered through the vineyard’s ticketing page. Tickets are non-refundable. \nBecause parking at the vineyard is limited\, organizers are asking festival visitors to carpool whenever possible. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Stonington Vineyards Harvest Food & Wine Festival 2026\nDates: Saturday\, September 19 & Sunday\, September 20\, 2026\nTime: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. daily\nLocation: Stonington Vineyards\nAddress: 523 Taugwonk Road\, Stonington\, CT 06378\nSunday Music: Wicked Peach at 3 p.m.\nFeaturing: Live music\, food trucks\, local artisans and Stonington Vineyards wines\nAdvance One-Day Admission: $30\nDay-of Admission: $35\nIncludes: Glass of wine\, keepsake wine glass\, live music and festival amenities\nWeather: Rain or shine\nOutside Food: Permitted\nOutside Alcohol: Prohibited\nWhat to Bring: Lawn chairs\, blankets or a pop-up tent no larger than 10′ x 10′ ( \nMore information is available through the Stonington Vineyards Harvest Festival page. \nTickets can also be purchased through the festival page above. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/stonington-vineyards-harvest-food-wine-festival-2026/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Stonington Vineyards\, 523 Taugwonk Rd\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Stonnington Vineyards
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T190000
DTSTAMP:20260907T034526Z
CREATED:20260907T034359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260907T034526Z
UID:10007495-1789815600-1789844400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Olde Mistick Village Garlic Festival
DESCRIPTION:Olde Mistick Village Garlic Festival returns to Mystic on September 19 and 20 for its 19th year\, filling the Village with fresh garlic\, specialty foods\, regional farms\, artisans\, and live music during one of its longest-running fall traditions. \nThe two-day festival runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. \nMore than 50 vendors and 16 local bands and performers are expected for the 2026 festival\, transforming the walkways and greens of Olde Mistick Village into a sprawling celebration of the fall harvest. \nAnd\, as the name suggests\, there will be a lot of garlic. \nGarlic Is the Reason for the Weekend\nThe Garlic Festival was created around something that can get lost amid the food stands and live music: the agricultural cycle of garlic itself. \nGarlic is generally planted in Connecticut during the fall. It spends the winter underground\, resumes growing in spring and is harvested during the summer. After harvest\, growers cure the bulbs so they can be stored and sold well beyond the growing season. \nBy September\, local growers are arriving at the festival with garlic from that year’s harvest. \nVisitors can encounter different varieties of the bulb rather than the relatively limited selection usually found at a supermarket\, while farmers traditionally bring other parts of the season’s harvest as well. \nPast Garlic Festivals have included fresh vegetables and herbs alongside honey\, jams\, preserves\, syrups\, sauces and other locally produced foods. \nFor anyone who wants to take some of the festival home\, the farmers’ stands are as important as the prepared food. \nA Festival That Started With Farmers\nThe event’s roots stretch beyond its 19 years at Olde Mistick Village. \nThe Garlic Festival originated as a farmers market-style celebration at Adam’s Garden of Eden in Pawcatuck\, where the emphasis was on the fall harvest and locally grown garlic. \nIt eventually moved to Olde Mistick Village and grew considerably. \nBy 2020\, the festival was ordinarily attracting between 50 and 70 vendors and approximately 20\,000 visitors\, according to reporting at the time. What began with farmers and garlic had expanded to include food\, entertainment\, artists\, craftspeople and live music. \nEven as the festival has grown\, farmers remain part of its foundation. \nThat makes the weekend something of a hybrid: part harvest festival\, part food festival\, part artisan market and part outdoor music festival. \nCome Hungry\, and Don’t Expect Garlic to Stay in Its Lane\nOver the years\, vendors have demonstrated that there are very few foods into which someone won’t attempt to introduce garlic. \nPast festivals have offered everything from garlic fries and garlic fried dough to garlic fudge and garlic Italian ice. \nThose particular foods shouldn’t be considered a confirmed 2026 menu until this year’s individual vendors announce what they’re serving\, but they illustrate how far the festival has historically taken its central ingredient. \nPrepared-food vendors and Village restaurants participate alongside the growers\, and non-garlic choices are traditionally available for anyone who reaches their personal limit. \nBakers and specialty-food producers add another layer to the weekend\, while the Village’s permanent restaurants and food businesses remain open around the festival. \nThe result is less a single food court than a trail of things to eat spread throughout the property. \nMore Than 50 Vendors Fill the Village\nGarlic may provide the theme\, but the festival has grown well beyond food. \nThe 2026 event is expected to bring more than 50 vendors to Olde Mistick Village\, including farmers\, bakers\, crafters\, artisans and artists. \nTheir booths are incorporated into the Village itself\, lining paths between the shops\, restaurants\, duck pond and greens rather than occupying a separate fairground. \nThat layout is particularly suited to an event built around browsing. \nOlde Mistick Village was designed as a walkable interpretation of an early New England village\, with individual buildings arranged around pedestrian paths and landscaped common areas. It opened in 1973 and today contains more than 40 shops and boutiques along with restaurants and other businesses. \nDuring Garlic Festival weekend\, the visiting farmers and makers effectively add another temporary layer to the Village. \nSixteen Local Bands and Performers Bring Music to the Weekend\nFood isn’t the only reason to linger. \nThe 2026 Garlic Festival is expected to feature 16 local bands and performers across the two days. \nThe complete performance schedule has not yet been released by Olde Mistick Village\, but at least some of this year’s musicians have begun announcing their appearances independently. \nThe Rich Badowski Band is scheduled to perform Sunday\, September 20\, from noon to 3 p.m. \nBadowski is a familiar presence on the southeastern Connecticut music circuit\, performing blues and roots-oriented music at festivals\, restaurants\, breweries and other venues around the region. \nAnother Sunday performance has been announced by Liz Reed\, who is scheduled to appear as a duo with Dave at 3 p.m. \nAdditional performers and individual set times are expected as the festival approaches. \nLive music has become a substantial part of the Garlic Festival rather than background entertainment. Previous editions have placed performers at multiple locations around Olde Mistick Village\, allowing visitors to encounter different music as they move around the grounds. \nFrom Garlic Market to Major Fall Festival\nNineteen editions have given the Garlic Festival time to develop its own identity among Mystic’s increasingly crowded calendar of fall events. \nIts original agricultural purpose is still visible in the farmers selling freshly harvested garlic and produce\, but the festival now reaches considerably further. \nArtists sell original work. Crafters and makers set up along the pathways. Bakers and specialty-food businesses bring products that can be taken home. Prepared-food vendors turn garlic into lunch\, dinner and occasionally something that probably wasn’t meant to contain garlic in the first place. \nMeanwhile\, musicians perform throughout the Village. \nThe combination has previously earned the festival recognition from the American Bus Association\, which selected it for its list of top events in North America. \nIt has also become one of Olde Mistick Village’s signature annual events\, returning each September as summer gives way to the fall festival season. \nTwo Days to Explore Olde Mistick Village\nSaturday offers the longer festival day\, running from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. \nThe festival returns Sunday at 11 a.m. and continues until 6 p.m. \nBecause vendors and entertainment are distributed around the Village\, visitors can move between festival booths and Olde Mistick Village’s permanent shops and restaurants throughout the day. \nThere is no admission gate separating the festival from the rest of the property. \nVisitors can arrive for garlic and leave with local honey\, baked goods\, artwork or something they never intended to buy. They can stop for a band\, wander through the shops and return to the festival paths. \nOr they can simply follow the smell. \nEvent Details\nEvent: 19th Annual Garlic Festival\nDates: Saturday and Sunday\, September 19–20\, 2026\nSaturday Hours: 11 a.m.–7 p.m.\nSunday Hours: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nVendors: More than 50 expected\nEntertainment: 16 local bands and performers expected\nFeaturing: Local garlic and produce\, farms\, food vendors\, bakers\, specialty foods\, crafters\, artisans\, artists\, live music and family activities\nConfirmed Sunday Music: Rich Badowski Band\, noon–3 p.m.; Liz Reed with Dave\, 3 p.m. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nExcerpt\n  \nMeta Description\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \nURLs: \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/olde-mistick-village-garlic-festival/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Olde-Mistick-Village-Garlic-Festival.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T020703Z
CREATED:20260913T020703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T020703Z
UID:10007554-1789817400-1789851600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Oktoberfest at Jealous Monk Brings Five Weeks of Bavarian Food\, Seasonal Beer and Live Music to Mystic
DESCRIPTION:Oktoberfest at Jealous Monk isn’t a one-day festival. Mystic’s European-style beer hall is turning much of fall into Oktoberfest\, beginning Saturday\, September 19 and continuing through Saturday\, October 24\, with a special German-inspired menu\, seasonal beers\, live entertainment\, and Oktoberfest competitions and activities. \nThe extended celebration is something Jealous Monk has been doing for years\, and the restaurant takes the inspiration more seriously than the lederhosen-and-pretzel graphics might suggest. \nJealous Monk says members of its team have made annual research trips to Munich during Oktoberfest\, bringing ideas from the world’s most famous beer festival back to Mystic. \nThey even use the German word that helps explain what they’re trying to recreate: Gemütlichkeit. \nThere isn’t a perfect English translation. It’s a combination of warmth\, friendliness\, comfort\, good cheer\, and the feeling of enjoying yourself in good company. \nIn other words\, it’s pretty much the reason beer halls have big tables. \nMore Than a Single Oktoberfest Party\nJealous Monk’s 2026 celebration begins September 19\, but don’t read that as the date of the entire event. \nThe restaurant’s announcement calls this an “extended” Oktoberfest season running September 19 through October 24. \nThroughout that period\, Jealous Monk plans a special seasonal food menu and Oktoberfest beers along with a changing schedule of musicians and other entertainment. \nContests are part of the celebration as well\, including the most recognizable American Oktoberfest test of endurance: stein hoisting. \nThe restaurant is still completing its detailed 2026 entertainment schedule and Oktoberfest menu\, so individual performers\, contest dates and this year’s complete food and beer lineup have not all been announced yet. \nThat’s worth knowing before making plans around a particular weekend. \nBut the larger celebration is already confirmed. \nJealous Monk Was Practically Built for This\nThere are plenty of restaurants that can put bratwurst on the menu for three weeks and call it Oktoberfest. \nJealous Monk has a bit of a head start. \nThe locally owned restaurant describes itself as Mystic’s only beer garden\, and its home in Olde Mistick Village was designed as a contemporary interpretation of a European beer hall. \nInside\, there’s a barrel-vaulted ceiling\, old-world artwork and long communal tables rather than a dining room filled exclusively with little two- and four-person islands. \nOutside is an expansive beer garden with picnic tables\, games and gathering spaces. \nThen there are the taps. \nJealous Monk maintains 32 rotating draft lines\, allowing the restaurant to shift a significant portion of its beer selection as seasonal Märzens\, Festbiers and other fall releases arrive. \nIts regular menu already leans European in places\, too. Belgian frites\, a Bavarian-style pretzel\, bratwurst and schnitzel live comfortably alongside burgers\, wings\, chowder and other American pub food. \nOktoberfest isn’t much of a costume change here. \nThe Food Gets More German for the Season\nThe complete 2026 Oktoberfest menu has not yet been published\, but previous Jealous Monk Oktoberfest menus give a much better indication of what “special menu” means here. \nLast year’s seasonal offerings included Schweinshaxe\, the German pork knuckle strongly associated with Bavarian cooking. \nJealous Monk prepared its version braised and served it with spätzle\, rotkohl and beer au jus. \nSpätzle are small\, soft egg noodles or dumplings common throughout southern Germany and neighboring parts of Central Europe. \nRotkohl is braised red cabbage\, usually cooked until tender with a balance of sweet and acidic flavors. \nAnother recent Oktoberfest dish was Brathendl\, Bavarian-style roast chicken\, served at Jealous Monk with rotkohl and mashed potatoes. \nThose dishes went considerably further into Bavarian cooking than simply putting mustard on a sausage. \nUntil the restaurant releases this year’s finished menu\, however\, those should be treated as examples from previous celebrations rather than promises for 2026. \nSome Oktoberfest Food Is Available Even Before Oktoberfest\nA few things don’t have to wait until September 19. \nJealous Monk’s regular menu currently includes its Big A Pretzel\, a large Bavarian-style pretzel served with spicy and sweet mustards\, with bier cheese available to add. \nThere’s also a Bavarian Bratwurst\, available traditionally with sauerkraut and spicy mustard or prepared panini-style with Swiss cheese. \nThe regular Chicken Schnitzel is a less traditional Jealous Monk interpretation: crispy breaded chicken with Swiss cheese\, grilled onions and peppers and chipotle aioli\, served with house-cut Belgian frites. \nThose staples give the regular menu a European foundation before the temporary Oktoberfest dishes arrive. \nThen Come the Oktoberfest Beers\nBeer is where an extended celebration makes particularly good sense. \nOktoberfest beer doesn’t describe just one modern style. \nFor much of the 20th century\, Americans came to associate Oktoberfest with Märzen\, an amber German lager with a malty character and clean finish. \nThe beer traditionally had a practical connection to the brewing calendar. Before refrigeration\, brewing during warm summer weather was difficult and potentially dangerous for the beer. Märzen\, meaning “March beer\,” could be brewed in March\, stored through the summer and consumed in autumn. \nModern Munich Oktoberfest has shifted toward Festbier\, generally paler\, lighter in body and extremely drinkable despite retaining enough malt character to stand up to festival food. \nOnly beer from Munich’s six traditional breweries can officially be served at the Oktoberfest in Munich: Augustiner\, Hacker-Pschorr\, Hofbräu\, Löwenbräu\, Paulaner and Spaten. \nJealous Monk’s 32 rotating taps give the Mystic restaurant considerable room to explore both imported German beer and American interpretations of Oktoberfest styles. \nThe exact 2026 seasonal tap list is still developing\, so anyone hunting for a particular brewery should check the current list closer to their visit. \nThe Real Oktoberfest Isn’t Actually in October\nJealous Monk’s September 19 start also lines up almost perfectly with Munich. \nThe 2026 Oktoberfest in Munich runs September 19 through October 4. \nThat often surprises people who understandably assume a festival named Oktoberfest should happen primarily in October. \nIt used to. \nThe original Oktoberfest was held in October 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. \nThe public celebration included horse racing and proved popular enough to return. \nOver time\, the festival grew and its schedule moved earlier to take advantage of September’s generally better weather and longer daylight. \nThe October name stayed. \nJealous Monk begins its Mystic celebration on the same Saturday that Munich opens its 2026 festival\, then keeps going for another three weeks after Munich has packed up the tents. \nA Royal Wedding Started All of This\nThat first celebration took place on fields outside Munich’s city gates. \nThe site became known as Theresienwiese\, or Therese’s Meadow\, in honor of the bride. Munich residents still commonly shorten the name of Oktoberfest itself to the Wiesn. \nWhat began as a royal wedding celebration evolved into an enormous annual festival of beer\, Bavarian food\, music\, rides\, costumes and communal drinking. \nToday’s Oktoberfest bears little resemblance in scale to the 1810 event. \nMillions of people attend during a typical year. \nThe enormous beer tents can accommodate thousands of guests apiece. \nTraditional Bavarian clothing\, particularly lederhosen and dirndls\, has become inseparable from the modern image of the festival. \nAnd the beer arrives by the liter. \nAbout That Stein-Hoisting Contest\nJealous Monk says contests will be part of the 2026 festivities\, with stein hoisting among the activities being promoted. \nThe rules vary by competition\, but the basic concept is wonderfully uncomplicated. \nTake a full beer stein. \nHold it straight out in front of you with one arm. \nDo not bend the elbow. \nDo not lower the arm. \nDo not spill it. \nWait for everyone else to regret entering. \nA full one-liter glass stein weighs roughly five pounds\, so what seems fairly easy for the first few seconds becomes progressively less pleasant. \nIt’s become a staple of American Oktoberfest celebrations\, combining German beer-hall imagery with the very American instinct to turn practically anything into a contest. \nLive Music Will Rotate Through the Celebration\nThe other major piece still being assembled is the entertainment calendar. \nJealous Monk says live musicians will perform throughout the extended Oktoberfest season\, rather than concentrating entertainment into a single opening-day party. \nThat follows the format the restaurant has used in previous years. Its 2024 Oktoberfest\, for example\, featured live music on several dates spread between late September and late October. \nThe restaurant’s September 12 announcement says it is currently putting the finishing touches on its 2026 list of musicians and will add specifics to its events calendar as they are finalized. \nSo this is an event worth checking more than once. \nSeptember 19 is the beginning\, not the whole story. \nWhy Jealous Monk Works as a Beer Hall\nOktoberfest also makes some of Jealous Monk’s design choices easier to understand. \nTraditional beer halls aren’t designed around privacy. \nThey’re designed around gathering. \nLong tables put strangers next to one another. Food is hearty. Beer comes in substantial quantities. Music and conversation create enough noise that nobody expects a hushed dining room. \nJealous Monk borrowed that social model for its Mystic restaurant. \nThe indoor hall includes large communal tables\, while the outdoor beer garden uses picnic-style seating. Board games\, pinball and old-school video games add to the idea that customers are supposed to stay for a while rather than simply eat and leave. \nThe restaurant’s full name says it plainly: \nJealous Monk Social Hall & Beer Garden. \nFor five weeks beginning September 19\, the “beer garden” part gets to take center stage. \nYou Don’t Have to Drink Beer\nDespite the name and the Oktoberfest theme\, Jealous Monk isn’t exclusively for beer drinkers. \nThe restaurant also maintains wine\, liquor and cocktail selections\, and its food menu includes burgers\, sandwiches\, salads\, seafood and vegetarian options alongside the more obvious beer-hall fare. \nIt’s also a restaurant rather than a ticketed beer festival. \nThe currently announced Oktoberfest season does not carry a general admission charge. Customers visit Jealous Monk normally and order food and drinks\, while special entertainment and activities occur throughout the run. \nThat makes this fundamentally different from the one-afternoon Oktoberfests where admission buys a tasting glass and a fixed number of pours. \nYou can go once. \nOr you can go back as the taps\, menu specials and entertainment change. \nFive Weeks Gives You Time to Do It Properly\nThat’s really the advantage of Jealous Monk’s approach. \nOktoberfest doesn’t have to be crammed into one Saturday afternoon. \nThe first visit might be for the seasonal menu. \nAnother could coincide with live music. \nA third might involve a Märzen you haven’t tried. \nAnd eventually someone is going to convince you that holding a five-pound glass at arm’s length sounds like fun. \nThe 2026 celebration opens September 19. \nBy the time it ends October 24\, Mystic will be deep into foliage\, Olde Mistick Village will have shifted from late-summer visitors toward its fall crowds\, and Jealous Monk will have spent more than a month doing what a beer garden was designed to do. \nGather people around a table. \nPour the beer. \nBring out the food. \nProst. \nDetails\nEvent: Oktoberfest at Jealous Monk\nDates: Saturday\, September 19 through Saturday\, October 24\, 2026\nVenue: Jealous Monk Social Hall & Beer Garden\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\, Building 20\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: No general admission charge announced; food and beverages purchased separately\nFood: Special Oktoberfest menu planned for the season; complete 2026 menu is still being finalized\nBeer: Seasonal Oktoberfest beers plus Jealous Monk’s rotating draft selection\nDrafts: 32 rotating taps\nEntertainment: Live musicians throughout the Oktoberfest run; individual performers and dates are still being announced\nActivities: Oktoberfest contests and activities\, including stein-hoisting festivities\nIndoor/Outdoor: Indoor social hall and outdoor beer garden\, weather permitting\nRegular Hours: Monday–Thursday\, 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday–Saturday\, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sunday\, 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m.\nPhone: 860-536-6665 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/oktoberfest-at-jealous-monk-brings-five-weeks-of-bavarian-food-seasonal-beer-and-live-music-to-mystic/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Jealous Monk\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Jealous Monk
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Oktoberfest-at-Jealous-Monk-Brings-Five-Weeks-of-Bavarian-Food-Seasonal-Beer-and-Live-Music-to-Mystic.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T153000
DTSTAMP:20260911T235710Z
CREATED:20260911T235710Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260911T235710Z
UID:10007548-1789819200-1789831800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:1st Annual Misquamicut End of Summer Car Show
DESCRIPTION:1st Annual Misquamicut End of Summer Car Show brings classic and specialty vehicles to the Misquamicut Drive-In Theatre on Saturday\, September 19\, for a free afternoon of cars\, live music and end-of-season fun near the beach. \nThe inaugural show runs from noon to 3:30 p.m. and is presented by the Misquamicut Business Association. Admission is free for spectators\, with classic and specialty cars providing the main attraction and a $100 cash prize waiting for one Best in Show winner. \nLive music comes from Never Enuff\, adding a local rock soundtrack to an afternoon designed to give Misquamicut one more big gathering before summer officially gives way to fall. \nA New September Tradition Starts in Misquamicut\nThe “1st Annual” on the poster matters. \nThis isn’t the latest edition of an established Westerly car show being given a new name. The Misquamicut Business Association is launching a new event built specifically around the end of the beach season. \nThat’s familiar territory for the organization. \nThe MBA has spent years stretching Misquamicut’s calendar beyond the traditional Memorial Day-to-Labor Day beach season with festivals\, drive-in movies and other events that give visitors reasons to return when the biggest summer crowds have disappeared. \nA car show fits surprisingly well into that strategy. \nSeptember still offers the possibility of beautiful beach weather\, but Atlantic Avenue is no longer dealing with the relentless traffic of peak summer weekends. \nAnd the venue was practically made for parking interesting cars where people can walk around them. \nThe Misquamicut Drive-In Becomes a Show Field\nThe car show will be held at the Misquamicut Drive-In Theatre\, the seasonal outdoor movie venue operated by the Misquamicut Business Association. \nThe drive-in is located at 316 Atlantic Avenue\, on the grounds of Wuskenau Town Beach. \nDuring movie nights\, vehicles line up facing the giant outdoor screen. \nSaturday afternoon\, the vehicles themselves become the entertainment. \nThe show is being promoted for classic and specialty cars\, which gives organizers considerably more flexibility than a show restricted to one make\, decade or automotive category. \nExpect the potential for restored American classics\, muscle cars\, sports cars\, customs and other unusual vehicles rather than rows of identical late-model automobiles. \nWhat Exactly Makes a Car a Classic?\nThat’s a question with more than one answer. \nThe term “classic car” is used casually for almost anything old and desirable\, but formal definitions vary. \nConnecticut\, Rhode Island\, insurers\, collectors and automotive organizations can all use different age requirements or terminology. \nCollectors may also make distinctions among antique\, vintage\, classic\, muscle\, exotic and specialty vehicles. \nFor a community car show\, those boundaries are generally less important. \nWhat matters is whether the vehicle gives people a reason to stop walking. \nSometimes that’s a meticulously restored car that looks exactly as it did when it left the showroom decades ago. \nSometimes it’s a custom build that looks nothing like the factory intended. \nAnd sometimes it’s the car someone remembers sitting in as a kid. \nThe Cars Can Turn Into Time Machines\nThat’s one reason small local car shows remain so popular. \nPeople don’t necessarily respond to an old car because they know its horsepower\, engine displacement or production numbers. \nThey remember it. \nA 1950s Chevrolet can evoke an entirely different America than a late-’60s muscle car. \nA 1970s land yacht with acres of hood and chrome can instantly recall an era when fuel economy wasn’t exactly leading the design meeting. \nCars from the 1980s and 1990s are now old enough to trigger the same nostalgia among younger collectors. \nThe definition of an “old car” keeps moving. \nSomeone who attended a classic-car show in 1986 probably wasn’t expecting to see a 1986 vehicle entered as a collectible. \nForty years later\, that same car can qualify for historic plates in many states. \nTime is rude that way. \nThere’s $100 Riding on Best in Show\nThe afternoon isn’t purely exhibition. \nOrganizers are offering a $100 cash prize for Best in Show. \nThe event announcement doesn’t break the competition into a long list of vehicle classes\, so the emphasis appears to be on choosing an overall standout rather than distributing trophies among dozens of narrowly defined categories. \nThat should make the field interesting. \nAn immaculate restoration can end up competing for attention with a custom build\, unusual survivor or specialty vehicle. \nThe poster also promises other giveaways during the afternoon. \nFor spectators\, however\, judging is unofficial and considerably easier. \nWalk around until you find the one you’d most like to drive home. \nThat’s your winner. \nNever Enuff Supplies the Live Soundtrack\nThe show isn’t relying entirely on engines for its soundtrack. \nNever Enuff will perform live during the afternoon. \nThe Rhode Island-based group has been a familiar presence at area bars\, festivals\, outdoor concerts and community events\, playing danceable rock and popular favorites designed for a crowd rather than a quiet listening room. \nThat makes the band a good match for the loose format of a car show. \nPeople can wander the rows\, stop to talk with vehicle owners\, grab something nearby and listen to the music without needing to organize the afternoon around a formal concert schedule. \nThe cars remain the headliners. \nThe band keeps the field alive. \nMisquamicut and Cars Have Always Gone Together\nThere’s also a historical logic to holding a car show here. \nMisquamicut became the kind of beach destination generations of southern New England families could reach by automobile. \nAtlantic Avenue’s motels\, restaurants\, amusement businesses and beach parking developed in a world increasingly shaped by the family car. \nUnlike an older resort community built primarily around a railroad station or grand hotel\, much of modern Misquamicut is linear. \nYou drive Atlantic Avenue. \nYou choose a beach. \nYou park. \nYou walk to the water. \nThe area’s surviving roadside character is part of its identity. \nPutting classic automobiles along Atlantic Avenue taps directly into that history. \nThe Drive-In Is Part of That Same Car Culture\nEven the venue depends on the automobile. \nDrive-in theaters emerged as one of the quintessential forms of mid-20th-century American entertainment. \nFamilies could watch a movie without leaving their cars. Parents didn’t have to worry as much about restless children. Teenagers discovered certain other advantages that drive-in theater advertisements tended not to emphasize. \nThousands of drive-ins eventually operated around the United States. \nMost disappeared as land values increased and entertainment habits changed. \nMisquamicut’s drive-in is a modern revival rather than a continuously operating relic from the drive-in boom\, but it recreates the same basic experience: arrive by car\, park facing a screen and tune in for the movie. \nOn September 19\, the Misquamicut Business Association flips that formula around. \nInstead of driving to the theater to watch the show\, people bring cars that are the show. \nA Last Saturday of Summer at the Beach\nThe timing is almost perfect. \nThe astronomical end of summer arrives only a few days later. \nBy September 19\, the busiest portion of Misquamicut’s season is finished\, but there’s still every reason to hope for an afternoon warm enough to enjoy Atlantic Avenue and the beach. \nThat’s exactly the period the event’s name captures. \nNot quite summer. \nNot quite fall. \nOne more Saturday at Misquamicut. \nBring out the classics\, turn up the music and see which car leaves with $100. \nIf the first edition works\, the “1st Annual” on this year’s poster becomes a promise. \nDetails\nEvent: 1st Annual Misquamicut End of Summer Car Show\nDate: Saturday\, September 19\, 2026\nTime: Noon–3:30 p.m.\nVenue: Misquamicut Drive-In Theatre\nAddress: 316 Atlantic Avenue\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nPresented By: Misquamicut Business Association\nAdmission: Free\nVehicles: Classic and specialty cars\nBest in Show: $100 cash prize\nGiveaways: Additional giveaways are planned\nLive Music: Never Enuff\nSetting: Outdoor event near Misquamicut Beach\nWeather: Outdoor programming is weather-dependent\nSponsors: Coastal Graphics\, Vito Ventures and Final Touch Auto Detailing\nSpectators: Free and open to the public \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/1st-annual-misquamicut-end-of-summer-car-show/
LOCATION:Misquamicut Drive-In\, 316 Atlantic Avenue\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Misquamicut Drive-In
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1st-Annual-Misquamicut-End-of-Summer-Car-Show.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T190000
DTSTAMP:20260913T011836Z
CREATED:20260912T023117Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T011836Z
UID:10007553-1789830000-1789844400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:First Wilcox Lobster Boil Brings a New England Feast to Historic Charlestown Tavern
DESCRIPTION:First Wilcox Lobster Boil brings Maine lobster and steamers\, locally harvested oysters and clams\, live music and all the traditional fixings to Caf Bar at the Wilcox on Saturday\, September 19\, as the historic Charlestown tavern starts what organizers hope will become a new end-of-summer tradition. \nThe boil runs from 3 to 7 p.m. on the Wilcox patio\, weather permitting. Tickets are $85 and include the seafood feast plus a complimentary glass of wine or Narragansett beer. \nAnd this is a serious seafood spread. \nCaf Bar’s menu calls for Maine lobster and steamers\, oysters from nearby Quonochontaug and Ninigret ponds\, clams\, corn on the cob\, red potatoes\, sausage and the other fixings associated with a traditional New England lobster boil. \nThere will also be live music and a sweet treat to finish the afternoon. \nLobster From Maine\, Oysters From Right Down the Road\nThe menu gives the meal a nice combination of northern New England and very local South County seafood. \nThe lobsters and steamers are coming from Maine\, while the oysters are being sourced from Quonnie and Ninigret ponds. \nThose two salt ponds are part of what makes the southern Rhode Island coast particularly well suited to shellfish aquaculture. \n“Quonnie” is the local shorthand for Quonochontaug Pond\, the coastal lagoon stretching behind the barrier beach between Charlestown and Westerly. Ninigret Pond lies immediately to its east. \nBoth are protected from the open Atlantic by barrier beaches while remaining connected to Block Island Sound through breachways. That exchange of salt water creates the kind of environment in which oysters can thrive. \nAnd Caf Bar has an especially close connection to the local product. \nQuonnie Oyster Is Part of the Wilcox\nThe Wilcox isn’t occupied by Caf Bar alone. \nThe historic property now brings several businesses together under one roof\, including Caf Bar\, Bend Yoga Studio\, The Venue at the Wilcox and Quonnie Oyster. \nThat makes the local oysters more than a generic Rhode Island flourish added to the menu. \nShellfish is part of what the property does. \nIt’s difficult to get much more South County than eating oysters grown in the nearby salt ponds while sitting outside a tavern that has been welcoming people along the Old Post Road for more than two centuries. \nWhat Comes With the $85 Ticket\nThe ticket covers a complete lobster-boil meal rather than simply admission to the event. \nThe published menu includes: \n\nMaine lobster and steamers\nNinigret and Quonnie oysters and clams\nCorn on the cob\nRed potatoes\nSausage and traditional boil fixings\nA sweet treat\nOne complimentary glass of wine or Narragansett beer\nLive music\n\nThe event itself lasts four hours\, from 3 to 7 p.m.\, giving it more of a leisurely afternoon gathering than a timed dinner-seating feel. \nTickets are limited\, and Caf Bar’s current ticket page lists September 14 at 6 p.m. as the end of advance ticket sales. \nThe New England Lobster Boil Is More Than Lobster\nThe genius of a traditional lobster boil is that most of dinner can be cooked together. \nLobsters and shellfish provide the centerpiece\, but corn\, potatoes and sausage turn it into a complete meal. Depending on the particular New England tradition\, onions and other vegetables can join the pot as well. \nThe ingredients don’t all require the same cooking time\, so they’re typically added in stages. \nWhat eventually emerges is less a carefully plated restaurant entrée than a pile of summer. \nLobster. \nClams. \nCorn. \nPotatoes. \nButter. \nNapkins. \nLots of napkins. \nThe meal is inherently communal\, messy and informal\, which is probably why the lobster boil has survived as a New England summer ritual. \nThe Tradition Goes Back Much Further Than the Modern Lobster Dinner\nLong before lobster became an expensive delicacy\, Indigenous people along the New England coast were harvesting and cooking shellfish. \nThe Narragansett and other Indigenous peoples of the region cooked seafood using heated stones and seaweed\, traditions that helped shape later New England clambakes. \nLobster itself had a very different reputation in colonial New England. \nIt was extraordinarily abundant. \nSo abundant\, in fact\, that it wasn’t initially regarded as luxury food. Lobster could be eaten by working people\, used as fertilizer and fed to animals. \nIts status changed dramatically as transportation and preservation improved during the 19th century. Lobster could reach diners farther inland\, demand increased\, and what had once been commonplace became desirable. \nToday\, a whole lobster is practically shorthand for a New England summer celebration. \nThe Wilcox Has Been Feeding Travelers for a Very Long Time\nThe setting has considerably more history than the event. \nThe building at 5153 Old Post Road is historically known as both the Joseph Stanton House and Wilcox Tavern. \nThe house dates to the early 18th century. Charlestown’s historic-property records place its establishment around 1730\, while National Register documentation identifies it as an important surviving example of 18th-century vernacular architecture. \nIt was associated first with the prominent Stanton family. \nJoseph Stanton Jr.\, who was born there\, went on to become a Revolutionary War officer\, delegate to the Confederation Congress and one of Rhode Island’s first United States senators. \nThen came the Wilcoxes. \nEdward Wilcox Saw Opportunity on the Old Post Road\nIn 1811\, Edward Wilcox purchased the Stanton property. \nIts location mattered. \nThe Old Post Road was an important overland route through southern Rhode Island\, carrying travelers between population centers including New York and Boston. \nWilcox recognized the value of serving those travelers and began operating a tavern at the property. \nThat hospitality function became part of the building’s identity for generations. \nThe National Register of Historic Places specifically recognizes the Wilcox Tavern not only for its architecture and connection to the Stanton and Wilcox families\, but also for its long role as a place of public gathering and a landmark to travelers along the Post Road. \nMore than 200 years after Edward Wilcox began welcoming travelers\, people are still gathering there for food and drink. \nOn September 19\, they’re just adding a lot of lobster. \nThe Building Even Played a Role During World War II\nThe Wilcox property’s history didn’t stop with stagecoach-era travelers. \nDuring World War II\, the building was used to house U.S. Navy officers connected with the nearby Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Air Station. \nThe former air station occupied what is now largely Ninigret Park and the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. \nThat means the Wilcox has moved through several versions of Charlestown history: colonial home\, roadside tavern\, wartime lodging\, restaurant and now a multi-use community and hospitality property. \nCaf Bar is the newest chapter. \nCaf Bar Has Given the Old Tavern Another Life\nCaf Bar operates two Rhode Island locations\, with its original cafe in Wakefield and the second location at the Wilcox. \nThe Charlestown operation is intentionally different. \nBy day\, it functions as a cafe serving coffee and food. \nBy evening\, the historic building shifts toward a full bar\, cocktails\, small plates\, live music and special events. \nThe property has multiple rooms and fireplaces inside\, while warmer weather brings events onto the patio. \nFriday nights throughout the season already feature live music. \nThe lobster boil expands that programming into a ticketed Saturday event and\, if the “first” in First Wilcox Lobster Boil works as intended\, the beginning of something recurring. \nA Narragansett Beer Makes Sense Here\nGuests can choose a complimentary glass of wine or Narragansett beer with the meal. \nNarragansett Brewing’s Rhode Island history stretches back to 1890\, when the original brewery began in Cranston. \nThe brand eventually became one of New England’s dominant regional beers before declining under later ownership. It was revived as a Rhode Island company in the 2000s and eventually returned brewing operations to its home state. \nPairing Narragansett with lobster\, steamers and Rhode Island oysters isn’t particularly complicated culinary theory. \nIt just makes geographic sense. \nSummer Isn’t Quite Finished Yet\nThe event is being billed as an End of Summer Wilcox Lobster Boil\, and September 19 lands almost perfectly for it. \nThe autumnal equinox is only days away. \nSouth County’s enormous July and August beach crowds have diminished. \nBut the ocean is still relatively warm\, the coastal restaurants and businesses haven’t disappeared for winter\, and a good September afternoon can feel every bit like summer without peak-season traffic. \nThat’s the sweet spot the Wilcox is aiming for. \nOne more outdoor gathering. \nOne more lobster. \nOne more afternoon of live music and cold drinks. \nThen fall can have its turn. \nDetails\nEvent: First Wilcox Lobster Boil\nOfficial Listing: End of Summer Wilcox Lobster Boil\nDate: Saturday\, September 19\, 2026\nTime: 3–7 p.m.\nVenue: Caf Bar at the Wilcox\nAddress: 5153 Old Post Road\, Charlestown\, RI 02813\nLocation: Wilcox patio\, weather permitting\nTickets: $85\nTicket Sales End: Monday\, September 14 at 6 p.m.\, according to the current ticket page\nMenu: Maine lobster and steamers; Quonnie and Ninigret oysters and clams; corn on the cob; red potatoes; sausage; traditional boil fixings; and a sweet treat\nIncluded Beverage: Complimentary glass of wine or Narragansett beer\nEntertainment: Live music\nSetting: Historic Wilcox Tavern/Joseph Stanton House\nTickets: Limited; advance purchase is required through Caf Bar’s event page \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/first-wilcox-lobster-boil-brings-a-new-england-feast-to-historic-charlestown-tavern/
LOCATION:Caf Bar\, 5153 Old Post Road\, Charlestown\, RI\, 02813\, United States
CATEGORIES:Caf Bar + Venue
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/First-Wilcox-Lobster-Boil-Brings-a-New-England-Feast-to-Historic-Charlestown-Tavern.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T210000
DTSTAMP:20260908T005412Z
CREATED:20260908T005412Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T005412Z
UID:10007513-1789846200-1789851600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Almost\, Maine at the Granite Theatre opens Friday\, September 11\, for a two-week run of John Cariani’s romantic comedy about love found\, lost and occasionally turned upside down beneath the northern lights. \nThe Granite Theatre production runs September 11–20 in downtown Westerly\, with 7:30 p.m. performances on Thursdays\, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30–$35. \nRather than following one couple through a conventional love story\, Almost\, Maine tells nine interconnected stories about the residents of a tiny fictional community in northern Maine. During the course of one cold Friday night\, relationships begin\, end\, stumble and take some wonderfully strange turns. \nWelcome to Almost\nAlmost isn’t technically a town. \nIn Cariani’s fictional geography\, it’s an unorganized community so far north in Maine that it’s almost in Canada. On a clear winter night\, with the aurora borealis overhead\, its residents experience a series of encounters that revolve around falling in love\, falling out of it or discovering that what they thought they understood about another person wasn’t quite right. \nThe structure is closer to a collection of short stories performed on stage than a traditional beginning-to-end narrative. \nMost of the scenes involve just two characters\, with different residents moving in and out of focus as the evening progresses. The stories stand on their own\, but the shared place\, time and themes gradually turn them into a portrait of one small community. \nCariani also gives the play a touch of magical realism. \nEmotions sometimes become physical things. Characters carry the consequences of love in ways that couldn’t happen in the real world\, yet the feelings behind those moments remain recognizable. That lets Almost\, Maine move quickly between comedy\, absurdity\, heartbreak and tenderness without becoming a conventional romantic comedy. \nA Play That Almost Disappeared\nThe story behind Almost\, Maine is nearly as unlikely as some of the stories inside it. \nJohn Cariani developed the play at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002. It received its world premiere at Portland Stage Company in Maine in 2004\, where it broke box-office records. \nBy then\, Cariani was already familiar to Broadway audiences as an actor. He earned a Tony Award nomination for playing Motel the tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and had appeared on television in Law & Order. \nAlmost\, Maine reached New York next\, opening Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in January 2006. \nThat production lasted only about a month. \nOrdinarily\, that might have been the end of the story. Instead\, after the play was published and became available to other theaters\, something unexpected happened. \nSmall professional theaters began producing it. Then community theaters picked it up. Colleges and high schools followed. \nAnd they kept doing it. \nFrom Short Off-Broadway Run to Thousands of Productions\nToday\, Almost\, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced contemporary American plays. \nThe play’s official site reports that more than 6\,000 theater companies in the United States have staged it\, along with more than 100 international companies. It has also repeatedly ranked among the most-produced plays in North American high schools. \nPart of the appeal is built into Cariani’s unusual structure. \nWith largely self-contained two-person scenes\, directors can distribute substantial material among an ensemble rather than building an entire production around one or two leading roles. Each vignette gives its actors a complete little story to develop. \nAudiences get something different from that structure\, too. One scene may land as broad comedy while the next turns unexpectedly bittersweet. Not every relationship works out\, and the title itself becomes something of a running idea. \nThings in Almost are frequently close. \nAlmost a town. Almost Canada. Almost together. Almost over someone. Almost happy. \nBut not quite. \nJohn Cariani Wrote About the Maine He Knew\nThe fictional setting wasn’t chosen at random. \nCariani grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County\, the enormous and sparsely populated region at the northern end of Maine. He has said those years shaped his affection for the landscape\, language and people that eventually found their way into Almost\, Maine. \nThe setting is intentionally remote. The cold matters. The darkness matters. So does the northern sky. \nAgainst that isolation\, the small interactions between people become bigger. A conversation on a bench\, an unexpected visitor at the door or an encounter between two neighbors can become the most important thing happening for miles. \nCariani eventually returned to the world he created in another form. In 2022\, he adapted Almost\, Maine into a novel\, expanding the interconnected stories and characters beyond what audiences see on stage. \nBut the theatrical version remains the work that made Almost into a place thousands of actors and audiences have visited. \nInside Westerly’s Historic Granite Theatre\nThe setting for this production has its own story. \nGranite Theatre occupies a restored Greek Revival building at 1 Granite Street in downtown Westerly. Long before actors performed there\, the building was a church. \nThe congregation that became the Broad Street Christian Church was organized in 1843\, and the building was completed in 1849. Its prominent classical façade and columns remain part of one of downtown Westerly’s distinctive historic structures. \nThe building eventually found a second life as a performance space\, reopening as the Granite Theatre in 2000. \nToday\, Renaissance City Theatre operates the Granite as a nonprofit theater\, presenting plays\, musicals\, family productions\, educational programs and special events throughout the year. \nIt’s also an intimate room. With roughly 140 seats\, the audience is close to the performers rather than watching from the distance of a large regional theater. That should suit a play built around small conversations and two-person encounters particularly well. \nOpening Night Begins a Seven-Performance Run\nAlmost\, Maine opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday\, September 11. \nA second evening performance follows Saturday\, September 12\, before the first Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. September 13. \nThe production returns the following Thursday and continues through Sunday\, September 20\, for seven performances in all: \n\nFriday\, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 13 at 2 p.m.\nThursday\, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.\nFriday\, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.\nSaturday\, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.\nSunday\, September 20 at 2 p.m.\n\nTickets range from $30 to $35. \nAccessibility at the Granite\nBecause the Granite occupies a historic 19th-century building\, accessibility comes with some limitations. \nThe theater performance space itself is wheelchair accessible\, but the Granite notes that its lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible. \nA small number of accessible parking spaces are available behind the building and need to be reserved. The theater recommends that anyone who needs accessible parking or has mobility concerns call ahead rather than relying on availability when arriving for a performance. \nDetails\nEvent: Almost\, Maine\nPlaywright: John Cariani\nOpening Night: Friday\, September 11\, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.\nRun: September 11–20\, 2026\nEvening Performances: 7:30 p.m.\nSunday Matinees: 2 p.m.\nNumber of Performances: Seven\nGenre: Romantic comedy\nVenue: Granite Theatre\nAddress: 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nTickets: $30–$35\nBox Office: 401-596-2341\nAccessibility: Theater space is wheelchair accessible; lobby and restrooms are not fully accessible\nAccessible Parking: Limited spaces are available and should be reserved in advance \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/almost-maine-at-the-granite-theatre/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:The Granite Theater\, 1 Granite Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Granite Street Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Almost-Maine-at-the-Granite-Theatre.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T230000
DTSTAMP:20260528T144458Z
CREATED:20260528T144458Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260528T144458Z
UID:10002631-1789846200-1789858800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Dance Saturday at THE MISFIT CLUB
DESCRIPTION:Dance Saturday at THE MISFIT CLUB brings late-night dance energy to downtown Mystic every Saturday with DJs\, theme nights\, and a growing nightlife crowd looking for something a little louder after dinner hours wind down around town. Doors open early in the evening before the dance floor fully shifts into party mode at 7:30 p.m.\, with modern dance music and big-city club energy taking over the space for the rest of the night. \nWhile Mystic is often associated with quieter waterfront evenings and laid-back coastal bars\, spots like THE MISFIT CLUB are helping carve out a younger nightlife scene built around DJs\, dancing\, themed parties\, and late-night social crowds. The venue leans into a more playful and high-energy atmosphere than many traditional shoreline spots\, with rotating themes like “Pink Underground” adding an extra layer of unpredictability from week to week. \nFor anyone looking to trade vineyard sunsets and seafood dinners for flashing lights\, dance music\, and a packed floor later in the evening\, Dance Saturday offers one of the more nightlife-focused experiences happening around southeastern Connecticut right now. Organizers encourage guests to follow the club’s Instagram page for updates on upcoming themes\, music\, and special event nights. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/dance-saturday-at-the-misfit-club/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:The Misfit Club\, 12 Water St APT 12\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Misfit Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Dance-Saturday-at-the-Misfit-Club-Saturdays-730-pm.jpeg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T213000
DTSTAMP:20260428T125631Z
CREATED:20260428T124451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260428T125631Z
UID:10000095-1789848000-1789853400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Boyz II Men
DESCRIPTION:There’s a reason Boyz II Men still feel like an event when they hit the stage. Their sound isn’t built on gimmicks… It’s built on harmony\, control\, and emotion that lands right where it’s supposed to. On their current run of tour dates through 2026\, they’re bringing that signature blend of R&B\, soul\, and pop balladry to venues across the country\, mixing standalone shows with larger events and festival appearances. \nAt the center of it all are those songs that don’t really age… “End of the Road\,” “I’ll Make Love to You\,” “On Bended Knee.” They’re not just hits\, they’re moments people carry with them. The group—Nathan Morris\, Wanya Morris\, and Shawn Stockman—still lean into what made them iconic in the first place: tight\, layered vocals and a stage presence that doesn’t need flash to hold attention. And when those harmonies lock in live\, it’s one of those rare things that sounds just as full as you remember. \nDepending on the stop\, the experience shifts a bit. Some dates are more intimate\, others are part of larger tours or special events\, but the core feeling stays the same… nostalgic without feeling stuck in the past. It turns into a shared experience pretty quickly\, especially once the crowd realizes they know *every word*. If you’re looking for a night that leans into timeless R&B and pure vocal chemistry\, this tour delivers in a way that feels both familiar and still worth showing up for.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/boyz-ii-men/
LOCATION:Mohegan Sun\, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd\, Uncasville\, 06382\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mohegan Sun
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Boyz-II-Men.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T170000
DTSTAMP:20260912T003908Z
CREATED:20260912T003908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260912T003908Z
UID:10007550-1789894800-1789923600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Velvet Mill End-of-Season Indoor Sidewalk Sale
DESCRIPTION:The Velvet Mill End-of-Season Indoor Sidewalk Sale takes over the sprawling Stonington mill September 19 and 20\, as participating merchants move sale and clearance merchandise out of their shops and into the hallways for a building-wide weekend of browsing. \nThe idea is essentially a sidewalk sale without having to worry about the sidewalk. \nInstead of setting up along Bayview Avenue\, businesses throughout the historic Velvet Mill will place markdowns\, clearance merchandise\, and special finds immediately outside their doors. Shoppers can wander through the building\, discovering sales as they go. \nAnd “wander” is the appropriate word. \nThe Velvet Mill is now home to dozens of independent businesses\, with an unusually eclectic retail mix that includes antiques\, vintage clothing and furniture\, art\, jewelry\, home décor\, books\, bicycles\, crystals\, paper goods\, handmade products\, food\, beer and rum. \nOrganizers recommend coming early for the best selection. \nHere’s What You’ll Find Around the Mill\nThe Velvet Mill has not published a definitive list identifying exactly which tenants will participate in the sidewalk sale. Here is a list of all of the businesses. \nVintage\, Antiques and Collectibles\nThis is probably the strongest shopping category for anyone who likes hunting rather than knowing exactly what they’re going to buy. \n21st Century Antiques deals in antiques and estate items and also handles estate sales and online estate auctions. \na little something is a vintage shop combining older pieces with merchandise selected to work in contemporary homes. \nEpoch Destiny Boutique specializes in collectibles\, antiques and vintage merchandise. \nFun and Funky Vintage lives up to its name with vintage furniture\, housewares\, lighting\, artwork and smaller decorative finds. \nGranary Farmhouse Antiques takes a more refined approach\, concentrating on antique furniture and carefully selected pieces for the home. \nVictoria Clare Vintage is another vintage seller and collector operating from the Mill. \nUnit 88 specializes in vintage and nautical merchandise\, an appropriate combination about a mile from Stonington Harbor. \nBalls of Yarn mixes new\, vintage\, upcycled and consigned merchandise rather than fitting neatly into a single category. \nStevie T’s Treasure Tent adds another treasure-hunting stop to the building. \nBooks & Collectibles is exactly what its name suggests\, adding used and collectible books and other finds to the mix. \nFor a clearance event\, these may be some of the most interesting shops because “sale merchandise” doesn’t necessarily mean last season’s mass-produced inventory. \nAt the Velvet Mill\, it could mean something that hasn’t been in season for 50 years. \nClothing\, Jewelry and Things to Wear\nThe Mill also has several boutiques and makers selling fashion and accessories. \nValomie Boutique offers women’s clothing\, accessories and gift items. \nMountain Hollow combines jewelry and accessories with botanicals\, rocks and minerals\, books\, home décor\, T-shirts and nature-inspired goods. \nNomad’s Novelties sells handmade and novelty merchandise through its Mill studio and online shop. \nThere are also individual artists and makers throughout the building whose work can include wearable art and handcrafted pieces. \nThat’s part of what makes the sale different from a conventional shopping-center clearance event. A significant amount of what’s sold inside the Mill comes from small independent sellers rather than national brands. \nFurniture and Home Décor\nIf you’re looking for something larger\, the Mill has that covered too. \nBali Bungalow specializes in handmade furniture and natural home décor. \nHandcrafted Homestead Furniture produces handcrafted furniture from its Mill workshop. \nFun and Funky Vintage overlaps this category with vintage furniture\, lighting\, housewares and artwork. \nGranary Farmhouse Antiques offers antique and vintage furniture and decorative pieces with a more traditional farmhouse aesthetic. \nInterior Connections works in interior design and furnishings. \nThis is one category where a clearance sale could get interesting quickly. Furniture and décor occupy space\, and end-of-season events give retailers an obvious reason to make room for incoming inventory. \nRocks\, Crystals and Nature-Inspired Finds\nMountain Hollow deserves its own category. \nThe South Studios shop began with rocks and minerals and has grown into a broader nature-oriented store offering polished and natural stones\, crystals\, botanicals\, jewelry\, books\, décor\, clothing and wellness-oriented merchandise. \nIt’s one of those shops where “I’m just going to look around for five minutes” is an optimistic prediction. \nArt Is Everywhere\nThe Velvet Mill isn’t simply a collection of stores. \nIt’s also one of southeastern Connecticut’s larger concentrations of working artists and galleries. \nStonington Gallery and Park Fine Art provide traditional gallery stops. \nAllgood Studios & Gallery combines gallery space with a creative agency and an arcade. \nBlack Star Studio is an artist studio. \nOther painters\, designers and independent artists maintain working spaces throughout the building\, including Mystic Rose Decorative Painting and a number of individual studios. \nThat means shoppers walking the sale can move from vintage merchandise and clothing into original art without ever leaving the building. \nPaper Goods\, Stickers and Handmade Pieces\nShuttle Press & Bindery has been operating since 2014 and produces handcrafted paper goods using traditional printing and binding techniques. \nLaurel Hill Designs specializes in stickers\, decals and customizable creative goods. \nThese smaller items make particularly good sidewalk-sale territory because merchants can easily move selections into the corridor for people to browse without entering every studio. \nEven the Bicycle Shop Is Vintage\nThen there’s Dave’s Bicycles. \nIts specialty stretches from bicycles dating to approximately the 1890s through 2010\, including vintage road\, track and mountain bikes\, three-speeds\, cruisers and youth bicycles. \nThat’s a pretty good illustration of why the Velvet Mill is difficult to describe as simply a shopping center. \nYou can go from antique furniture to crystals to handmade stationery and end up looking at a century-old bicycle. \nThere’s Plenty to Eat While You Wander\nThe weekend doesn’t have to be an exercise in continuous shopping. \nMeryl + Masa is a sourdough bakery and Latin eatery making its food by hand with an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients. \nThe Back Door Kitchen & Pizzeria specializes in wood-fired sourdough pizza alongside salads\, sandwiches and desserts. \nWhitecrest Eatery is the Mill’s bistro-style restaurant\, with a seasonal menu ranging from burgers and salads to seafood\, pasta and specialty cuts. \nBeer’d Brewing Co. – The Mill operates its original brewery and taproom here\, while Rum Tropic Distillery produces rum and serves cocktails\, flights and bottles. \nBorough Bagel Co. handles the breakfast end of things with fresh bagels and breakfast sandwiches. \nAnd Dock 9 adds cocktails and a restaurant menu at the rear of the Mill. \nThat makes it fairly easy to turn the sidewalk sale into a half-day visit rather than a quick shopping stop. \nSaturday Comes With a Farmers Market\nSaturday morning adds another reason to arrive early. \nThe Stonington Village Farmers Market operates inside the Velvet Mill from 9 a.m. to noon\, bringing local farmers\, food producers and makers into the building. \nThat means Saturday visitors can effectively shop two events at once. \nStart with the farmers market\, wander into the Mill’s shops and studios\, see what participating businesses have put into the hallways for the sidewalk sale\, stop for lunch and keep exploring. \nIt’s difficult to think of many places where the shopping list could plausibly include vegetables\, sourdough bread\, an antique lamp\, a crystal\, an original painting\, a vintage bicycle and a locally brewed IPA. \nThe Velvet Mill can get weird that way. \nFrom Velvet Factory to Indoor Main Street\nThe building itself makes the sale more interesting. \nThe Velvet Mill was constructed in 1888 and became home to the American Velvet Company\, which produced textiles here for more than a century before manufacturing ceased in Stonington in 1996. \nRather than demolishing the enormous industrial complex or converting the entire building into residences\, it gradually became something resembling an indoor neighborhood. \nArtists moved in. \nThen galleries. \nMakers. \nSmall retailers. \nRestaurants. \nFitness and wellness studios. \nA brewery. \nA distillery. \nAnd more businesses followed. \nThe old industrial corridors now function almost like streets connecting them. \nFor one weekend in September\, that analogy becomes literal. \nThe merchants are putting their merchandise out on the “sidewalk.” \nThe sidewalk just happens to be inside a 19th-century velvet factory. \nDetails\nEvent: The Velvet Mill End-of-Season Indoor Sidewalk Sale\nDates: Saturday\, September 19 and Sunday\, September 20\, 2026\nVenue: The Velvet Mill\nAddress: 22 Bayview Avenue\, Stonington\, CT 06378\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Participating businesses place sale\, clearance and promotional merchandise in the hallways outside their shops\nMerchants: The Velvet Mill has not published a definitive list of participating sidewalk-sale businesses; not every tenant should be assumed to be offering sale merchandise\nShopping: Vintage and antiques\, clothing\, jewelry\, furniture\, home décor\, art\, collectibles\, books\, bicycles\, rocks and minerals\, handmade goods and more\nFood & Drink: Multiple restaurants\, bakeries and beverage businesses operate inside the Mill\nSaturday Farmers Market: 9 a.m.–noon\nTip: Organizers recommend arriving early for the best selection\nSetting: Indoors; the sale takes place throughout the Mill’s interior hallways \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/the-velvet-mill-end-of-season-indoor-sidewalk-sale/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:Velvet Mill\, 22 Bayview Ave\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Velvet Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Velvet-Mill-End-of-Season-Indoor-Sidewalk-Sale.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T180000
DTSTAMP:20260901T212201Z
CREATED:20260901T212201Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T212201Z
UID:10007322-1789894800-1789927200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill 2026: Complete Guide
DESCRIPTION:B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill is now open for the 2026 season\, beginning another fall of fresh-pressed sweet cider\, cider donuts\, traditional hard cider\, apple wine and one of the most unusual pieces of working history in Connecticut. \nThe family-owned Old Mystic landmark opened for the season September 1 and is currently scheduled to operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 129 North Stonington Road. \nBut calling Clyde’s a cider shop doesn’t quite explain why generations of families make a trip here every fall. \nThe mill has been family-owned since 1881. Fourth\, fifth and sixth generations of the family still work in the business. Apples are still crushed and pressed using historic machinery powered by steam. Visitors can watch the machinery operate\, descend into the cellar for traditional hard cider tastings\, sample apple wines in a converted grist mill and leave with a bag of cider donuts. \nClyde’s calls itself the oldest steam-powered cider mill in the United States. \nMore precisely\, it is the last operating steam-powered cider mill in the country\, according to the mill\, and its historic cider-making machinery has been recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. \nIt isn’t a reproduction of an old cider mill. \nIt’s the real thing. \nA Mystic Fall Tradition Since 1881\nThe story begins with Benjamin F. Clyde. \nIn 1881\, Clyde began producing cider from apples he had pressed at other local mills. He eventually rented a press before purchasing his own mill in 1897. \nThe equipment that followed would become the heart of the operation visitors still come to see. \nClyde purchased a screw press manufactured by Boomer & Boschert of Syracuse\, New York. The company also supplied the apple grater\, elevator and cider pump\, along with plans for the mill building. \nThe machinery was installed in 1898. \nAt the time\, cider mills were hardly unusual in rural America. \nThey served much the same role for apple growers that grist mills did for farmers growing grain. Orchards could bring surplus apples to a centrally located mill\, where the fruit could be processed and pressed into juice. Some of that juice could then be fermented into hard cider. \nMost of those community mills disappeared. \nClyde’s didn’t. \nThe Steam-Powered Mill Is Still Working\nThat’s what makes a visit different from touring a preserved historic building. \nThe machinery still has a job. \nApples enter the cider-making system and are elevated to a grinder\, where they’re reduced to pulp. That pulp is prepared for pressing\, and the historic screw press applies the tremendous pressure needed to extract the juice. \nThe technology was impressive for its era. \nAccording to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers\, the all-steel screw press could apply pressure at three speeds and represented one of the last generations of screw presses before hydraulic presses became widespread during the 20th century. \nASME designated B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1994\, recognizing the machinery as a rare survivor of an industry that was once common throughout America’s apple-growing regions. \nMore than a century after the equipment was installed\, Clyde’s still uses the mill to make cider. \nWhen Can You Watch Clyde’s Press Cider?\nVisitors don’t have to settle for looking at the machinery. \nClyde’s runs it during the season. \nThe mill’s typical pressing schedule is: \nTuesday and Thursday: 10 a.m.–noon\nSaturday and Sunday: 10 a.m.–noon \nThe schedule can vary because Clyde’s presses according to production needs\, so the machinery isn’t guaranteed to be running continuously throughout those periods. \nEven when the press isn’t operating\, visitors are welcome to look inside the historic press building. \nFor anyone specifically interested in seeing the steam-powered machinery at work\, a pressing morning is the best time to plan a visit. \nHow Clyde’s Makes Sweet Cider\nFresh sweet cider is the product that started everything. \nClyde’s purchases its apples from small orchards rather than operating a pick-your-own orchard of its own. The apples are processed at the mill and pressed into cider using the historic equipment. \nThe finished sweet cider is flash pasteurized on the property. \nVisitors can buy cider to take home or drink it while visiting\, and seasonal cider drinks have become part of the experience alongside the mill’s baked goods. \nThat combination has helped turn what was originally a working agricultural business into a fall destination. \nYou can come to learn how a 19th-century cider press works. \nYou can also come because you want cider and a donut. \nNeither is the wrong reason. \nAbout Those Clyde’s Cider Donuts\nFor plenty of visitors\, the steam engine has competition. \nClyde’s cider donuts have become almost as closely associated with the mill as the cider itself. \nThe store sells its well-known cider donuts along with other baked goods and seasonal treats. The selection can vary\, but the broader shop also carries jarred products\, honey from local beekeepers\, candied apples made by the family and other locally produced goods. \nIt’s part bakery\, part country store and part historic attraction. \nAnd on a busy fall weekend\, the line is evidence that plenty of people know exactly what they came for. \nThen There Is the Cider Downstairs\nThe word “cider” gets considerably more complicated at Clyde’s. \nSweet cider is only part of the story. \nClyde’s also makes traditional hard cider using a process very different from the sweeter\, carbonated canned ciders that have become common in supermarkets and bars. \nThe hard cider begins with apple juice and ferments before aging in oak whiskey barrels. \nThe process from juice to finished hard cider typically takes about a year. \nAfter fermentation and aging\, the hard cider receives relatively little filtration before being sold. That preserves more of the raw\, oaky character produced by the barrel. \nThe result is considerably stronger than many commercial hard ciders. \nClyde’s hard ciders and apple wines generally contain 12 to 14 percent alcohol. \nHard Cider vs. Apple Wine: What’s the Difference?\nThis is one of the more interesting parts of Clyde’s operation because the two products begin in essentially the same place. \nBoth the hard cider and apple wine start as fermented apple juice aged in oak whiskey barrels. \nWhat happens afterward separates them. \nClyde’s hard cider is only lightly filtered to remove sediment. That leaves it with a bolder flavor\, more pronounced oak character and more bite. \nThe apple wine receives considerably more filtration. \nThat additional processing produces a smoother\, somewhat sweeter product that is also shelf stable before opening. \nSo someone expecting Clyde’s hard cider to taste like a modern canned hard cider may be surprised. \nThis is closer to an older cider-making tradition. \nWhat’s in the Hard Cider Cellar?\nThe hard cider cellar sits underneath the press building. \nThat’s where visitors can taste Clyde’s traditional hard ciders and where the product has been made for generations. \nAvailability changes throughout the season\, but Clyde’s 2026 lineup includes several recurring varieties. \nThe Original is the starting point. It’s dry\, without added fruit flavors competing with the oak character of the barrel. \nLucky Lion is also dry and crisp\, with a character Clyde’s says some drinkers compare to Scotch. \nBlackout goes even further in that direction. It’s Clyde’s most popular hard cider and wine flavor\, with strong oak notes that the mill describes as almost reminiscent of whiskey. \nThen things get fruitier. \nBoomerang combines apple and cranberry for a tart\, sweeter cider. \nGoodfella adds blackberry and lands on the sweeter end of the lineup. \nYellow Jacket combines apple and orange\, producing some sweetness with a citrus bite. \nCherry Bomb adds another fruit-driven option. \nBecause Clyde’s rotates its hard ciders\, individual varieties can change during the season. \nThe Apple Wine List Goes Much Further\nThe wine side of the operation offers even more variety. \nClyde’s currently lists 14 apple wines\, ranging from dry expressions of apple to much sweeter fruit combinations. \nApple Wine is the driest of the wine lineup. \nSpiced Apple uses mulling spices for a distinctly fall-oriented version. \nSpider Cider combines sweetness with pumpkin spices and can be warmed or used in a hot toddy. \nStrawberry Bliss is the sweetest wine in the lineup\, combining apple and strawberry. \nBlueberry Spinner combines apple and blueberry. \nApple Raspberry leans sweet but tart. \nCider House Blend combines apple\, orange and cranberry. \nSeveral of the hard cider varieties\, including Original\, Lucky Lion\, Blackout\, Boomerang\, Goodfella and Yellow Jacket\, are also produced as wines. \nThe distinction comes back to filtration. \nSame roots. \nDifferent finish. \nYes\, You Can Taste Them for Free\nClyde’s offers separate hard cider and wine tastings throughout its season. \nAnd the tastings are free. \nNo purchase is required and no reservation is necessary. \nVisitors can sample up to four hard ciders and up to four wines at their respective tasting locations. \nHard cider tastings take place in the cellar beneath the press building. \nWine tastings are held in the tasting room\, which has its own connection to the property’s history: the building is a converted grist mill once used to produce johnnycake meal. \nTastings are first-come\, first-served. \nCurrent tasting hours are: \nMonday–Saturday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.\nSunday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. \nEveryone participating in a tasting must show a valid ID\, regardless of age or appearance. Clyde’s does not accept expired IDs or photographs of identification. \nConnecticut alcohol rules also mean Clyde’s cannot sell its hard cider or wine before 10 a.m. on Sundays. \nA Few Clyde’s Flavors to Know Before You Taste\nIf you don’t know where to start\, the tasting bottles are generally arranged from driest to sweetest\, and the staff can help narrow the choices. \nFor something dry: Original or Apple Wine. \nFor strong oak character: Blackout. \nFor dry and crisp: Lucky Lion. \nFor tart cranberry: Boomerang. \nFor something sweeter: Goodfella. \nFor fall spice: Spiced Apple or Spider Cider. \nFor very sweet fruit: Strawberry Bliss or Blueberry Spinner. \nOne warning for anyone accustomed to mass-market hard cider: remember the alcohol content. \nAt 12 to 14 percent ABV\, Clyde’s hard cider is much closer to wine strength than a typical bottle or can of commercial cider. \nCan You Bring Back a Clyde’s Growler?\nYes. \nClyde’s sells 64-ounce growlers of hard cider and offers growler refills. \nThere are a couple of important rules. \nClyde’s refills growlers rather than exchanging them\, so customers should clean their growler before bringing it back. The mill can only refill glass growlers that have a stamped or imprinted 64-ounce measurement. \nWine cannot be used for growler fills. \nThe refill program is for hard cider. \nHard cider should also be kept cool after purchase. Clyde’s recommends refrigeration. \nThere’s More Than Cider\nThe tasting room also contains Clyde’s gift shop\, with merchandise and locally made products that can include handmade earrings\, postcards and art prints. \nElsewhere at the mill\, visitors can browse honey produced by local beekeepers\, jarred foods\, family-made candied apples\, baked goods and other seasonal products. \nThat makes it possible to spend considerably more time at Clyde’s than simply buying a gallon of cider and heading home. \nWatch the press. \nGet cider and donuts. \nExplore the store. \nGo downstairs for a hard cider tasting. \nVisit the wine tasting room. \nBrowse the gift shop. \nIt’s effectively several different experiences spread across the historic property. \nIs B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill Good for Kids?\nYes. \nClyde’s welcomes children of all ages. \nThe working mill is also an opportunity to show kids a piece of machinery doing the job it was actually designed to do more than a century ago. \nThere is no alcohol involved in the regular sweet cider\, and the bakery\, cider and mill demonstration make Clyde’s an easy family fall stop. \nJust don’t confuse the two kinds of cider. \nThe traditional hard cider and apple wines are 12 to 14 percent alcohol and are strictly for adults 21 and older. \nCan You Pick Apples at Clyde’s?\nNo. \nThis is one of the most useful things to know before making the trip. \nB.F. Clyde’s is a cider mill\, not a pick-your-own orchard. \nThe mill purchases apples from small orchards and uses them to produce its cider. \nIf apple picking is part of your fall plans\, you’ll need to visit an orchard separately. \nCan You Bring a Dog?\nYes\, with restrictions. \nLeashed pets are permitted on the grounds. \nThey aren’t allowed inside the buildings or on the porch\, and visitors need to bring whatever they need to clean up after their pets. \nParking Can Be the Hardest Part of a Fall Visit\nClyde’s popularity comes with one predictable problem. \nIt gets busy. \nThe main parking lot can fill during peak periods\, particularly on fall weekends. \nClyde’s asks visitors to try the main lot first and to respect posted no-parking areas and neighboring properties if parking along nearby roads. \nAn auxiliary lot is available at 49 North Stonington Road. It’s approximately four-tenths of a mile from the mill\, so visitors using it should expect a walk. \nIf your schedule is flexible\, a weekday visit can make the entire experience easier. \nIf you’re coming specifically to see the press operate\, Tuesday or Thursday morning offers the combination of a weekday visit and a scheduled pressing window. \nClyde’s Isn’t a Museum\, and That’s the Point\nThere are plenty of places where historic machinery survives behind ropes. \nClyde’s is different. \nBenjamin Clyde started making cider in 1881. \nHe acquired his own mill in the 1890s. \nThe equipment installed in 1898 survived the arrival of hydraulic presses\, mass food production\, supermarkets\, interstate highways and more than a century of changes in how Americans buy their food. \nThe family survived with it. \nToday\, fourth\, fifth and sixth generations are involved in the operation. \nEvery September\, the doors open again. \nApples arrive. \nThe steam-powered machinery starts moving. \nFresh cider begins flowing. \nAnd people line up for cider donuts. \nThat’s why B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill is more than another place to add to a Connecticut fall checklist. It’s a piece of New England’s agricultural and industrial history that never stopped doing its job. \n2026 Visitor Guide\nAttraction: B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill\n2026 Season Opening: September 1\, 2026\nCurrent Hours: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.\, seven days a week\nLocation: 129 North Stonington Road\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nChildren: Welcome\nPets: Leashed pets allowed on the grounds; not inside buildings or on the porch\nApple Picking: No\nSweet Cider: Available\nCider Donuts and Baked Goods: Available\nHard Cider: Available for adults 21+\nApple Wine: Available for adults 21+\nAlcohol Content: Hard cider and wine are generally 12–14% ABV\nTastings: Free; no reservation required\nHard Cider Tastings: Cellar beneath the press building\nWine Tastings: Tasting room\nTasting Hours: Monday–Saturday\, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday\, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.\nTypical Pressing Schedule: Tuesday\, Thursday\, Saturday and Sunday\, 10 a.m.–noon\nParking: Main lot plus auxiliary parking at 49 North Stonington Road\nThanksgiving: Closed\nShipping: Not available\nPreorders/Call-Ahead Orders: Not available \nHard Cider Menu\nAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers History \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/b-f-clydes-cider-mill-2026-complete-guide/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill\, 129 North Stonington Road\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BF-Clydes-Cider-Mill-2026-Complete-Guide.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T130000
DTSTAMP:20260911T223532Z
CREATED:20260911T223532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260911T223532Z
UID:10007547-1789898400-1789909200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Giant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea Author Visit & Book Signing
DESCRIPTION:Giant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea Author Visit & Book Signing brings Connecticut children’s author Elaine M. Alexander to Mystic Aquarium on Sunday\, September 20\, for a three-hour celebration of one of the ocean’s strangest animals. \nAlexander will be in the aquarium’s Gift Store from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.\, meeting visitors and signing copies of her new nonfiction picture book\, Giant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea. Books will be available for purchase during the event. \nAnd Mystic Aquarium has added a particularly appropriate companion to the book signing. \nVisitors can head into the Main Gallery and see a flamboyant cuttlefish\, giving families a chance to meet one of the remarkable relatives of Alexander’s giant Australian subject. \nMeet the Author Behind the Cuttlefish\nElaine M. Alexander is a Connecticut author with a particular interest in introducing children to animals that don’t always receive the attention given to sharks\, dolphins and whales. \nHer previous picture book\, Anglerfish: The Seadevil of the Deep\, took young readers into the deep ocean to explore the bizarre life of the anglerfish. \nThat book was illustrated by Fiona Fogg and published by Candlewick Press in 2022. \nAlexander has now moved from the darkness of the deep sea to an animal capable of creating an extraordinary visual display of its own. \nGiant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea again pairs Alexander with Fogg\, combining marine science with illustrations designed for young readers. \nThe subject this time is the Australian giant cuttlefish\, the largest cuttlefish species in the world. \nA Cuttlefish Isn’t a Fish\nThe name is misleading. \nCuttlefish aren’t fish at all. \nThey’re cephalopods\, making them relatives of octopuses\, squid and nautiluses. \nThat means an animal called a cuttlefish is actually more closely related to an octopus than to a cod\, tuna or striped bass. \nLike other cephalopods\, cuttlefish have sophisticated nervous systems\, large eyes and an impressive ability to manipulate their surroundings. \nThey also have eight arms and two longer feeding tentacles that can shoot outward to seize prey. \nHidden inside the body is another distinctive feature: the cuttlebone. \nUnlike the hard external shells of many mollusks\, the cuttlebone is internal. Its chambered structure helps the animal control buoyancy\, allowing it to move vertically through the water. \nAnyone who has owned a pet bird may have encountered a cuttlebone without ever thinking much about the animal it came from. Cuttlebones are commonly sold as calcium supplements for birds. \nTheir original owner was considerably more exotic. \nWhy Call It the Chameleon of the Sea?\nThe book’s subtitle gets to the spectacular part. \nCuttlefish can alter their appearance with astonishing speed. \nSpecialized pigment cells called chromatophores allow them to display different colors and patterns across their skin. Other structures contribute reflective and iridescent effects. \nThe result is a biological display system capable of changing almost instantaneously. \nA cuttlefish can use those changes for camouflage. \nIt can communicate. \nIt can threaten a rival. \nIt can advertise to a potential mate. \nAnd it doesn’t merely switch between a couple of colors. Cuttlefish can produce moving patterns\, bands\, spots and dramatic contrasts across their bodies. \nThey can even alter the apparent texture of their skin using structures called papillae\, helping them visually blend into complicated surroundings. \nCalling them chameleons of the sea may actually undersell what they can do. \nThe Giant Cuttlefish Really Is a Giant\nAlexander’s book focuses on Sepia apama\, the Australian giant cuttlefish. \nIt is the world’s largest known cuttlefish species. \nLarge individuals can reach roughly three feet in length and weigh more than 20 pounds. \nThey live in coastal waters around southern Australia\, where one population has become famous for an extraordinary annual gathering. \nEach winter in the Southern Hemisphere\, enormous numbers of giant cuttlefish congregate in shallow waters around the upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia to breed. \nThat produces intense competition among males. \nAnd this is where cuttlefish behavior becomes wonderfully strange. \nSome Males Win by Looking Like Females\nLarge male giant cuttlefish compete for access to females\, frequently using dramatic color displays to intimidate rivals. \nSmaller males face an obvious problem. \nThey can’t outmuscle the giants. \nSo some use deception. \nA smaller male can change his coloration and posture to resemble a female\, slip past a larger male guarding a mate and approach the female without triggering the same aggressive response. \nThen he attempts to mate. \nIt’s an unusually sophisticated reproductive strategy\, made possible by the cuttlefish’s extraordinary control over its appearance. \nResearchers have even observed males displaying different signals on opposite sides of their bodies simultaneously\, presenting courtship coloration toward a female while showing a less threatening appearance toward a nearby rival. \nOne animal. \nTwo audiences. \nTwo visual messages at the same time. \nMystic Aquarium Has a Smaller Show-Off Waiting\nThe aquarium’s flamboyant cuttlefish provides a great real-world companion to the book. \nIt isn’t the same species. \nThe flamboyant cuttlefish\, Metasepia pfefferi\, is much smaller and occurs in tropical Indo-Pacific waters. \nBut visually\, it lives up to its name. \nFlamboyant cuttlefish can produce striking displays of yellow\, white\, brown\, red and other contrasting colors and patterns. \nThey’re also unusual among cuttlefish because they frequently walk along the seafloor\, using their arms and specialized lobes rather than simply swimming above it. \nThe species is known for dramatic warning coloration and is one of the few cephalopods known to contain potent toxins in its tissues. \nMystic Aquarium’s new animal can be found in the Main Gallery\, giving families attending the signing an immediate opportunity to compare the science in Alexander’s book with a living cuttlefish. \nA Book Signing That Can Continue Into the Aquarium\nThat’s what makes this author visit particularly well matched to its venue. \nA child can meet the person who wrote a book about cuttlefish. \nOpen the book. \nLook at the illustrations. \nLearn what a chromatophore does. \nThen walk into the aquarium and look at an actual cuttlefish. \nFor children interested in animals\, that connection between page and living subject can turn an ordinary book signing into something much more memorable. \nAnd for parents who discover that their child has suddenly developed a cuttlefish obsession\, there is plenty more to learn. \nCephalopods are among the most neurologically complex invertebrates on Earth. \nThey solve problems. \nThey learn. \nThey remember. \nThey communicate visually. \nAnd cuttlefish accomplish all of that despite following an evolutionary path dramatically different from our own. \nThere is something living in the aquarium that can rapidly rewrite the appearance of its own skin. \nThat’s a pretty good reason to put the book down for a few minutes and go find it. \nDetails\nEvent: Giant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea Author Visit & Book Signing\nDate: Sunday\, September 20\, 2026\nTime: 10 a.m.–1 p.m.\nAuthor: Elaine M. Alexander\nBook: Giant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea\nIllustrator: Fiona Fogg\nVenue: Mystic Aquarium\nLocation: Mystic Aquarium Gift Store\nAddress: 55 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Author visit and book signing are free with general aquarium admission\nBooks: Copies will be available for purchase\nAdditional Attraction: A new flamboyant cuttlefish is on exhibit in the Main Gallery\nAges: Family-friendly; the book is intended for young readers and families\nAquarium Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on September 20\nParking: Free on-site parking \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/giant-cuttlefish-chameleon-of-the-sea-author-visit-book-signing/
LOCATION:Mystic Aquarium\, 55 Coogan Blvs\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Aquarium
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T180000
DTSTAMP:20260705T020116Z
CREATED:20260520T023536Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260705T020116Z
UID:10002546-1789898400-1789927200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Tree Trails Adventures Locals Day!
DESCRIPTION:Tree Trails Adventures Locals Day! returns Sundays throughout the summer from June 21 through September 20 at TreeTrails Adventures Mystic\, giving residents from Mystic\, Stonington\, Groton\, and Ledyard discounted access to one of SE Connecticut’s most popular outdoor adventure attractions. The seasonal promotion was created specifically to encourage local families and residents to enjoy the aerial adventure park during the busy summer tourism season while making new summer memories close to home. \nGuests who live in Mystic (06355)\, Stonington (06378)\, Groton (06340)\, or Ledyard (06339) can use promo code BRNeighbor25 to receive $10 off Main Park tickets for up to four people. Valid ID is required for verification. The park’s aerial obstacle courses\, climbing elements\, rope bridges\, and zipline-style experiences have become a major summer attraction in the Mystic area\, offering a mix of outdoor recreation\, physical activity\, and family-friendly adventure surrounded by wooded scenery. \nTree Trails Adventures Locals Day! adds a community-focused layer to the park’s summer programming by reserving space and discounts specifically for nearby residents during one of the busiest times of year along the shoreline. Whether visiting with family\, friends\, or returning for repeat visits throughout the season\, the promotion offers local residents a chance to experience the adventure park at a reduced price while staying active outdoors during the summer months. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/tree-trails-adventures-locals-day/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:TreeTrails Adventures\, 715 Noank Ledyard Road\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:TreeTrails Adventures
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T180000
DTSTAMP:20260903T140908Z
CREATED:20260903T140908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T140908Z
UID:10007445-1789900200-1789927200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2026 Guide
DESCRIPTION:Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2026 transforms the Lebanon Country Fairgrounds into a sprawling 16th-century fantasy village for nine weekends of jousting\, comedy\, live music\, costumed characters\, artisan shopping\, food\, games and themed adventures. \nThe Faire runs from August 29 through October 25 at 122 Mack Road in Lebanon\, with regular hours from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. It also opens on holiday Mondays\, including Labor Day and Columbus Day. \nFor 2026\, the Faire is advertising more than 40 shows each day across 13 stages\, along with dozens of games and activities and more than 200 artisans\, food vendors and other merchants. \nAnd this isn’t an event where you simply watch from the sidelines. \nWalk through the gates and you enter a village populated by kings\, queens\, knights\, fairies\, musicians\, rogues and other characters who interact with visitors throughout the day. You can watch armored combat\, cheer at the joust\, throw an axe\, shop for a handmade sword or drinking horn\, take the kids on human-powered rides\, eat a turkey leg and end up in a conversation with a member of the royal court on the way to your next show. \nHere’s how to plan a day at the 2026 Connecticut Renaissance Faire. \nWhen Is the Connecticut Renaissance Faire?\nThe 2026 season runs from August 29 through October 25. \nThe Faire is generally open Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.\, with special openings on Labor Day and Columbus Day. \nThe season is divided into themed weekends\, so the experience changes as fall progresses. Themes for 2026 include Dragons & Dungeons\, Roses & Romance\, Shirefolk\, Faerie Ring Revels\, Pirates & Vikings\, Time Travelers\, All Hallows and the new Merry Macabre weekend. \nLabor Day weekend\, September 5–7\, is Dragons & Dungeons\, a fantasy-focused weekend built around quests\, heroes and legendary characters. \nCostumes aren’t required to attend. Some visitors arrive in everyday clothes\, while others treat the themed weekends as an opportunity to build elaborate Renaissance\, fantasy\, pirate\, Viking or other character costumes. \nHow Much Are Connecticut Renaissance Faire Tickets?\nGeneral admission for the 2026 season is $18 for adults and $10 for youth\, while children in the Faire’s child admission category enter free. \nAdmission covers the Faire itself and its regular stage performances. Certain games\, rides\, food\, drinks and premium experiences cost extra. \nOne useful change from the way some fairs and festivals operate is that there are no food tickets. Food and beverages are purchased directly from individual merchants. \nSame-day re-entry is also permitted with a handstamp\, so leaving the grounds doesn’t necessarily mean the end of your Faire day. \nStart With the Shows\nTrying to see everything at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire in one day is probably the wrong approach. \nThere are simply too many performances. \nThe 2026 Faire uses 13 stages and advertises more than 40 shows daily. Entertainment ranges from music and comedy to acrobatics\, combat demonstrations\, theatrical performances and interactive shows. \nOne of the biggest spectacles is the armored combat demonstration from the Knights of Gore. These aren’t performers simply swinging lightweight theatrical weapons around one another. The demonstrations feature fighters in plate armor engaging in full-contact medieval-style combat. \nThe Knights of Gore also present educational demonstrations throughout the day covering subjects such as medieval helmets\, the roles of knights and squires and siege weapons including the trebuchet. \nThe Joust Remains a Centerpiece\nIt’s difficult to imagine a Renaissance faire without knights charging toward one another on horseback. \nJousting remains one of the major attractions in Lebanon. \nThe 2026 season includes jousting from Roundtable Productions and Equus Nobilis\, both listed among the Faire’s new entertainment additions this year. \nThe joust combines horsemanship\, theatrical storytelling and medieval-style competition on a scale that’s difficult to replicate on one of the smaller stages. \nIf seeing a joust is high on your list\, check the schedule when you arrive and build the rest of the day around it rather than assuming you’ll simply stumble across the right performance. \nThere Is Plenty of Comedy\nNot everything involves swords and armor. \nComedy is scattered throughout the Faire\, sometimes on a stage and sometimes walking directly toward you in the lanes. \nThe Norfolk Theatricals specialize in interactive theatrical comedy\, presenting deliberately chaotic original plays with audience members sometimes pulled into the performance. \nBone Dallaire roams the grounds as a self-important thespian and playwright whose opinion of his own talent may exceed everyone else’s. \nThe Faire’s cast of Crown Players adds another layer of continuous theater. Instead of performing only at scheduled times\, characters inhabit the village and interact with guests throughout the day. \nThat distinction is important for first-time visitors. \nThe Connecticut Renaissance Faire isn’t simply a collection of scheduled shows surrounded by food booths. The space between the stages is part of the performance. \nMusic Runs From Celtic Traditions to Sea Chanteys\nLive music is another major part of the day. \nThe 2026 roster includes performers working with Celtic music\, traditional folk\, sea chanteys and other styles that fit naturally into the Faire setting. \nJesse Ofgang and the Diaspora\, new for 2026\, combine Scottish and Irish musical traditions with contemporary rhythms using instruments including bagpipes\, whistles and guitars. \nNemeton: Folk Fantasy Music and Dance brings an especially unusual collection of instruments to the Faire\, including bagpipes\, drums\, double flutes\, penny whistles\, English concertina\, medieval small pipes\, rauschpfeife and hurdy-gurdy. \nNew England’s Misfits of Avalon draw from Celtic music with hammered dulcimer\, mandolin\, guitar and violin. \nOther weekends bring different musicians\, including the maritime and Celtic sounds of the Crimson Pirates and southeastern Connecticut’s Bards of Gungywamp. \nBecause performers vary by themed weekend\, it’s worth checking the schedule for the specific date you’re attending. \nSome of the Best Entertainment Is Strange\nRenaissance faires have always left room for acts that don’t fit neatly into a category. \nThat’s part of the fun. \nFor 2026\, Fly by Night joins the Connecticut Faire with a combination of comedy\, juggling\, whip cracking and sideshow skills. The duo of Steve King and Ryan Roberts has been performing since 1990 and appeared as semifinalists on the fourth season of America’s Got Talent. \nCircus Stella puts rescued dogs into a circus environment alongside Dextre Tripp\, mixing canine tricks with juggling\, ladder balancing\, rope walking and unicycling. \nElsewhere\, visitors can encounter puppetry\, dance\, storytelling\, magic and roaming performers without necessarily planning to see them. \nLeave some empty space in the schedule. \nAt a Renaissance faire\, getting distracted is part of the itinerary. \nGames and Rides Go Beyond the Stages\nThere’s plenty to do when you want to participate rather than watch. \nThe Faire’s games and activities include old-fashioned and Renaissance-inspired challenges\, physical games and human-powered attractions. \nSome activities carry an additional fee. \nYou’ll find opportunities to test skill and strength\, explore the Royal Maze and take part in attractions spread throughout the village. \nFor families with younger children\, this can provide a useful break between longer stage performances. \nFor adults\, it can become surprisingly competitive. \nEat the Turkey Leg\, But Don’t Stop There\nYes\, there are giant turkey legs. \nThe Faire’s Turkey Legs and More stand serves the oversized roasted festival staple along with turkey sundaes\, mac and cheese\, smoked chicken\, lemonade and fried dough. \nBut the food selection has grown far beyond the Renaissance-faire stereotype. \nThe 2026 Faire lists 37 food merchants and seven pubs and taverns\, with meals\, desserts\, snacks and beverages distributed throughout the grounds. \nThere are burgers and hot dogs\, chicken sandwiches\, baked goods\, fried seafood\, sweets and a broad assortment of festival food. \nThe Faire also identifies vendors offering vegetarian\, vegan\, gluten-free and dairy-free choices. \nEvery food merchant is required to offer at least one item priced at $7\, an attempt to keep at least one lower-priced choice available at each location. \nOutside snacks and nonalcoholic drinks are also permitted. \nYou Can Walk the Faire With a Drink\nThere are no isolated beer tents requiring guests to remain inside a designated drinking area. \nAdults can purchase alcoholic beverages from the Faire’s pubs and taverns and carry their drinks while exploring the grounds. \nValid identification is required for alcohol purchases. \nThat also makes the taverns part of the atmosphere rather than simply concession stands. \nFor visitors looking for something more structured\, the Faire offers two separate 21-and-over experiences. \nThe Pub Crawl Is a 90-Minute Quest\nThe Connecticut Renaissance Faire Pub Crawl isn’t simply four drink tickets stapled together. \nThe approximately 90-minute experience is hosted by Fae Frostwhiperer and takes a group of no more than 15 participants through four Faire taverns. \nThere are four alcoholic drinks along the way\, but participants also complete challenges\, play games\, sing\, chant and interact with their guide. \nOne stop at Shattered Shield includes Liar’s Dice\, a vegetable platter and an exclusive small-batch mead that isn’t sold from the tavern’s regular menu. \nAnother stop includes a Test of Strength at King’s Inn Crossing. \nPub Crawls depart twice each Faire day\, at 11 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. \nThe price is $75\, plus a processing fee when purchased online. Tickets can also be purchased at Shattered Shield without the online processing fee\, although each crawl is limited to 15 participants and can sell out. \nParticipants must be 21 or older with valid identification. \nRegular Faire admission is not included with the Pub Crawl. \nWhiskey Tastings Offer a Quieter Break\nFor adults who prefer sipping to crawling\, guided whiskey tastings offer a considerably calmer experience. \nThe approximately one-hour sessions explore a curated selection of whiskies\, with hosts discussing origins\, production methods\, flavor profiles and techniques for nosing and tasting. \nCharcuterie is served alongside the pours. \nThe experience is designed for both beginners and experienced whiskey drinkers\, and advance reservations are strongly recommended because seating is intentionally limited. \nParticipants must be 21 or older and bring valid government-issued photo identification. \nLike the Pub Crawl\, a whiskey tasting is an additional experience. Regular Connecticut Renaissance Faire admission must be purchased separately. \nShopping Is a Major Part of the Faire\nDon’t treat the merchant area as an afterthought. \nThe Faire says the 2026 season includes 213 artisans\, games and food vendors\, with 32 new shops joining the grounds this year. \nThe marketplace is where the fantasy world starts becoming something you can take home. \nDepending on the merchant\, visitors can find clothing\, leatherwork\, jewelry\, drinking vessels\, artwork\, fantasy accessories\, home décor and handcrafted goods. \nSome merchants make items that are specifically useful for people building Renaissance or fantasy costumes\, while others sell pieces that work perfectly well outside the Faire. \nFor someone arriving without a costume\, the marketplace also provides an easy way to gradually become more appropriately dressed as the day progresses. \nYou may enter in jeans. \nThere is no guarantee you will leave without a cloak. \n2026 Is a Significant Expansion Year\nThe Faire has added a substantial amount of new material for 2026. \nIts official count includes 11 new shows\, 32 new shops and seven new food offerings. \nAmong the new entertainment are the two jousting productions\, Fly by Night and Jesse Ofgang and the Diaspora. \nThe Faire is also introducing Merry Macabre\, a new themed weekend for October 24–25 that takes the season into darker territory just before Halloween. \nThat expansion matters even to people who have attended in previous years. \nThe basic formula remains recognizable\, but the Faire is deliberately designed so returning on another weekend doesn’t simply reproduce the same day. \nBringing Kids to the Connecticut Renaissance Faire\nChildren don’t have to understand Renaissance history to find things to do here. \nThere are family-oriented performances\, interactive games\, rides and characters throughout the village. \nOne particularly memorable experience is the Knighting Ceremony with the King and Queen\, where children can present themselves before King Basil and Queen Gwendolyn Genevieve and receive royal recognition before the parade. \nThere are also quests and interactive encounters with the Knights of Gore. \nThe Faire’s combination of structured shows and wandering characters means children can become involved in the fantasy rather than spending the entire day watching adults perform. \nYes\, You Can Bring Your Pet\nThe Connecticut Renaissance Faire has an unusually broad pet policy. \nWell-behaved dogs\, cats\, rabbits\, ferrets\, rats and lizards are permitted. \nPet admission is $5 per animal\, while service animals enter free. \nDogs and cats must have proof of current rabies vaccination. A veterinarian’s letter\, email or current rabies tag can serve as proof. \nPets must remain on a non-retractable leash no longer than six feet and owners are responsible for cleaning up after them. \nLivestock\, horses\, donkeys\, mules and other large animals aren’t permitted. \nThe Faire advises owners to bring food and water for their animals. Water bowls may be available from merchants\, but pet food isn’t sold on the grounds. \nPets are also permitted on the parking shuttles. \nParking Has Changed for 2026\nThis is one section worth reading before leaving home. \nThe Faire has a new parking system for 2026. \nVisitors who want to park directly at the Faire grounds at 122 Mack Road can purchase Premium Parking for $10 per vehicle. \nThere are only 525 Premium Parking spaces available each Faire day\, and they must be purchased online in advance for the specific date you’re attending. \nYou cannot purchase Premium Parking when you arrive at the lot. \nVIP admission includes Premium Parking. \nThere are also 125 free ADA parking spaces at the main Faire site for vehicles displaying a valid handicapped placard or plate. These spaces can’t be reserved and are available on a first-available basis. \nMotorcycles can park at the main site for free. \nFree Parking and Shuttles Are Available\nYou don’t have to pay to park. \nThe Faire operates free satellite parking with continuous shuttle service beginning at 9:30 a.m. \nOne free lot is located at 744 Trumbull Highway in Lebanon. \nAdditional parking is available at Lebanon Middle School\, 891 Exeter Road\, and Lyman Memorial High School\, 917 Exeter Road. \nThere is one important wrinkle with the school lots: the shuttles do not pick up directly at the schools. \nGuests parking at either school walk to the Mobil station located between the two schools\, which serves as the shuttle pickup and drop-off point. \nThe last shuttle leaves the Faire 30 minutes after closing. \nAnd don’t blindly follow your GPS. \nThe Faire specifically warns visitors not to use Barker Road\, which police close to through traffic on Faire weekends. \nWhere to Stay\nFor visitors coming from farther away\, the Faire maintains a list of nearby lodging options rather than operating an on-site campground. \nBecause the event runs for nine weekends\, staying overnight can also make sense for visitors who want to attend both Saturday and Sunday without making the drive twice. \nCheck lodging availability early for popular themed weekends\, particularly as the season moves toward October and foliage season in eastern Connecticut. \nWhat First-Time Visitors Should Know\nThe easiest mistake is approaching the Connecticut Renaissance Faire like an attraction where everything follows one obvious route. \nIt doesn’t. \nThere are performances happening simultaneously\, characters wandering the lanes\, merchants to explore\, food to try and activities that can consume far more time than expected. \nCheck the day’s performance schedule first and choose the handful of shows you really don’t want to miss. \nThen allow the rest of the day to happen around them. \nYou might stop for lunch and encounter a roaming performer. \nYou might head toward a stage and spend 30 minutes shopping instead. \nYou might intend to watch one song and stay for an entire set. \nThat’s not poor planning. \nThat’s pretty much how a Renaissance faire is supposed to work. \nConnecticut Renaissance Faire 2026 Details\nEvent: Connecticut Renaissance Faire\nSeason: August 29–October 25\, 2026\nRegular Days: Saturdays and Sundays\, plus Labor Day and Columbus Day\nHours: 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m.\nLocation: Lebanon Country Fairgrounds\nAddress: 122 Mack Road\, Lebanon\, CT 06249\nAdult General Admission: $18\nYouth Admission: $10\nChild Admission: Free\nEntertainment: More than 40 shows daily across 13 stages\nMarketplace: More than 200 artisans\, food vendors\, games and other merchants\nFood: 37 food merchants and seven pubs and taverns\nPremium On-Site Parking: $10\, advance date-specific purchase required\nFree Parking: Satellite lots with shuttle service\nPet Admission: $5; service animals free\nSame-Day Re-Entry: Permitted with handstamp\nOutside Food: Snacks and nonalcoholic drinks permitted \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/connecticut-renaissance-faire-2026-guide/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:Lebanon Fair Grounds\, 122 Mack Road\, Lebanon\, 06249\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lebanon Fairgrounds
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DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T020703Z
CREATED:20260913T020703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T020703Z
UID:10007555-1789900200-1789938000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Oktoberfest at Jealous Monk Brings Five Weeks of Bavarian Food\, Seasonal Beer and Live Music to Mystic
DESCRIPTION:Oktoberfest at Jealous Monk isn’t a one-day festival. Mystic’s European-style beer hall is turning much of fall into Oktoberfest\, beginning Saturday\, September 19 and continuing through Saturday\, October 24\, with a special German-inspired menu\, seasonal beers\, live entertainment\, and Oktoberfest competitions and activities. \nThe extended celebration is something Jealous Monk has been doing for years\, and the restaurant takes the inspiration more seriously than the lederhosen-and-pretzel graphics might suggest. \nJealous Monk says members of its team have made annual research trips to Munich during Oktoberfest\, bringing ideas from the world’s most famous beer festival back to Mystic. \nThey even use the German word that helps explain what they’re trying to recreate: Gemütlichkeit. \nThere isn’t a perfect English translation. It’s a combination of warmth\, friendliness\, comfort\, good cheer\, and the feeling of enjoying yourself in good company. \nIn other words\, it’s pretty much the reason beer halls have big tables. \nMore Than a Single Oktoberfest Party\nJealous Monk’s 2026 celebration begins September 19\, but don’t read that as the date of the entire event. \nThe restaurant’s announcement calls this an “extended” Oktoberfest season running September 19 through October 24. \nThroughout that period\, Jealous Monk plans a special seasonal food menu and Oktoberfest beers along with a changing schedule of musicians and other entertainment. \nContests are part of the celebration as well\, including the most recognizable American Oktoberfest test of endurance: stein hoisting. \nThe restaurant is still completing its detailed 2026 entertainment schedule and Oktoberfest menu\, so individual performers\, contest dates and this year’s complete food and beer lineup have not all been announced yet. \nThat’s worth knowing before making plans around a particular weekend. \nBut the larger celebration is already confirmed. \nJealous Monk Was Practically Built for This\nThere are plenty of restaurants that can put bratwurst on the menu for three weeks and call it Oktoberfest. \nJealous Monk has a bit of a head start. \nThe locally owned restaurant describes itself as Mystic’s only beer garden\, and its home in Olde Mistick Village was designed as a contemporary interpretation of a European beer hall. \nInside\, there’s a barrel-vaulted ceiling\, old-world artwork and long communal tables rather than a dining room filled exclusively with little two- and four-person islands. \nOutside is an expansive beer garden with picnic tables\, games and gathering spaces. \nThen there are the taps. \nJealous Monk maintains 32 rotating draft lines\, allowing the restaurant to shift a significant portion of its beer selection as seasonal Märzens\, Festbiers and other fall releases arrive. \nIts regular menu already leans European in places\, too. Belgian frites\, a Bavarian-style pretzel\, bratwurst and schnitzel live comfortably alongside burgers\, wings\, chowder and other American pub food. \nOktoberfest isn’t much of a costume change here. \nThe Food Gets More German for the Season\nThe complete 2026 Oktoberfest menu has not yet been published\, but previous Jealous Monk Oktoberfest menus give a much better indication of what “special menu” means here. \nLast year’s seasonal offerings included Schweinshaxe\, the German pork knuckle strongly associated with Bavarian cooking. \nJealous Monk prepared its version braised and served it with spätzle\, rotkohl and beer au jus. \nSpätzle are small\, soft egg noodles or dumplings common throughout southern Germany and neighboring parts of Central Europe. \nRotkohl is braised red cabbage\, usually cooked until tender with a balance of sweet and acidic flavors. \nAnother recent Oktoberfest dish was Brathendl\, Bavarian-style roast chicken\, served at Jealous Monk with rotkohl and mashed potatoes. \nThose dishes went considerably further into Bavarian cooking than simply putting mustard on a sausage. \nUntil the restaurant releases this year’s finished menu\, however\, those should be treated as examples from previous celebrations rather than promises for 2026. \nSome Oktoberfest Food Is Available Even Before Oktoberfest\nA few things don’t have to wait until September 19. \nJealous Monk’s regular menu currently includes its Big A Pretzel\, a large Bavarian-style pretzel served with spicy and sweet mustards\, with bier cheese available to add. \nThere’s also a Bavarian Bratwurst\, available traditionally with sauerkraut and spicy mustard or prepared panini-style with Swiss cheese. \nThe regular Chicken Schnitzel is a less traditional Jealous Monk interpretation: crispy breaded chicken with Swiss cheese\, grilled onions and peppers and chipotle aioli\, served with house-cut Belgian frites. \nThose staples give the regular menu a European foundation before the temporary Oktoberfest dishes arrive. \nThen Come the Oktoberfest Beers\nBeer is where an extended celebration makes particularly good sense. \nOktoberfest beer doesn’t describe just one modern style. \nFor much of the 20th century\, Americans came to associate Oktoberfest with Märzen\, an amber German lager with a malty character and clean finish. \nThe beer traditionally had a practical connection to the brewing calendar. Before refrigeration\, brewing during warm summer weather was difficult and potentially dangerous for the beer. Märzen\, meaning “March beer\,” could be brewed in March\, stored through the summer and consumed in autumn. \nModern Munich Oktoberfest has shifted toward Festbier\, generally paler\, lighter in body and extremely drinkable despite retaining enough malt character to stand up to festival food. \nOnly beer from Munich’s six traditional breweries can officially be served at the Oktoberfest in Munich: Augustiner\, Hacker-Pschorr\, Hofbräu\, Löwenbräu\, Paulaner and Spaten. \nJealous Monk’s 32 rotating taps give the Mystic restaurant considerable room to explore both imported German beer and American interpretations of Oktoberfest styles. \nThe exact 2026 seasonal tap list is still developing\, so anyone hunting for a particular brewery should check the current list closer to their visit. \nThe Real Oktoberfest Isn’t Actually in October\nJealous Monk’s September 19 start also lines up almost perfectly with Munich. \nThe 2026 Oktoberfest in Munich runs September 19 through October 4. \nThat often surprises people who understandably assume a festival named Oktoberfest should happen primarily in October. \nIt used to. \nThe original Oktoberfest was held in October 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. \nThe public celebration included horse racing and proved popular enough to return. \nOver time\, the festival grew and its schedule moved earlier to take advantage of September’s generally better weather and longer daylight. \nThe October name stayed. \nJealous Monk begins its Mystic celebration on the same Saturday that Munich opens its 2026 festival\, then keeps going for another three weeks after Munich has packed up the tents. \nA Royal Wedding Started All of This\nThat first celebration took place on fields outside Munich’s city gates. \nThe site became known as Theresienwiese\, or Therese’s Meadow\, in honor of the bride. Munich residents still commonly shorten the name of Oktoberfest itself to the Wiesn. \nWhat began as a royal wedding celebration evolved into an enormous annual festival of beer\, Bavarian food\, music\, rides\, costumes and communal drinking. \nToday’s Oktoberfest bears little resemblance in scale to the 1810 event. \nMillions of people attend during a typical year. \nThe enormous beer tents can accommodate thousands of guests apiece. \nTraditional Bavarian clothing\, particularly lederhosen and dirndls\, has become inseparable from the modern image of the festival. \nAnd the beer arrives by the liter. \nAbout That Stein-Hoisting Contest\nJealous Monk says contests will be part of the 2026 festivities\, with stein hoisting among the activities being promoted. \nThe rules vary by competition\, but the basic concept is wonderfully uncomplicated. \nTake a full beer stein. \nHold it straight out in front of you with one arm. \nDo not bend the elbow. \nDo not lower the arm. \nDo not spill it. \nWait for everyone else to regret entering. \nA full one-liter glass stein weighs roughly five pounds\, so what seems fairly easy for the first few seconds becomes progressively less pleasant. \nIt’s become a staple of American Oktoberfest celebrations\, combining German beer-hall imagery with the very American instinct to turn practically anything into a contest. \nLive Music Will Rotate Through the Celebration\nThe other major piece still being assembled is the entertainment calendar. \nJealous Monk says live musicians will perform throughout the extended Oktoberfest season\, rather than concentrating entertainment into a single opening-day party. \nThat follows the format the restaurant has used in previous years. Its 2024 Oktoberfest\, for example\, featured live music on several dates spread between late September and late October. \nThe restaurant’s September 12 announcement says it is currently putting the finishing touches on its 2026 list of musicians and will add specifics to its events calendar as they are finalized. \nSo this is an event worth checking more than once. \nSeptember 19 is the beginning\, not the whole story. \nWhy Jealous Monk Works as a Beer Hall\nOktoberfest also makes some of Jealous Monk’s design choices easier to understand. \nTraditional beer halls aren’t designed around privacy. \nThey’re designed around gathering. \nLong tables put strangers next to one another. Food is hearty. Beer comes in substantial quantities. Music and conversation create enough noise that nobody expects a hushed dining room. \nJealous Monk borrowed that social model for its Mystic restaurant. \nThe indoor hall includes large communal tables\, while the outdoor beer garden uses picnic-style seating. Board games\, pinball and old-school video games add to the idea that customers are supposed to stay for a while rather than simply eat and leave. \nThe restaurant’s full name says it plainly: \nJealous Monk Social Hall & Beer Garden. \nFor five weeks beginning September 19\, the “beer garden” part gets to take center stage. \nYou Don’t Have to Drink Beer\nDespite the name and the Oktoberfest theme\, Jealous Monk isn’t exclusively for beer drinkers. \nThe restaurant also maintains wine\, liquor and cocktail selections\, and its food menu includes burgers\, sandwiches\, salads\, seafood and vegetarian options alongside the more obvious beer-hall fare. \nIt’s also a restaurant rather than a ticketed beer festival. \nThe currently announced Oktoberfest season does not carry a general admission charge. Customers visit Jealous Monk normally and order food and drinks\, while special entertainment and activities occur throughout the run. \nThat makes this fundamentally different from the one-afternoon Oktoberfests where admission buys a tasting glass and a fixed number of pours. \nYou can go once. \nOr you can go back as the taps\, menu specials and entertainment change. \nFive Weeks Gives You Time to Do It Properly\nThat’s really the advantage of Jealous Monk’s approach. \nOktoberfest doesn’t have to be crammed into one Saturday afternoon. \nThe first visit might be for the seasonal menu. \nAnother could coincide with live music. \nA third might involve a Märzen you haven’t tried. \nAnd eventually someone is going to convince you that holding a five-pound glass at arm’s length sounds like fun. \nThe 2026 celebration opens September 19. \nBy the time it ends October 24\, Mystic will be deep into foliage\, Olde Mistick Village will have shifted from late-summer visitors toward its fall crowds\, and Jealous Monk will have spent more than a month doing what a beer garden was designed to do. \nGather people around a table. \nPour the beer. \nBring out the food. \nProst. \nDetails\nEvent: Oktoberfest at Jealous Monk\nDates: Saturday\, September 19 through Saturday\, October 24\, 2026\nVenue: Jealous Monk Social Hall & Beer Garden\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\, Building 20\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: No general admission charge announced; food and beverages purchased separately\nFood: Special Oktoberfest menu planned for the season; complete 2026 menu is still being finalized\nBeer: Seasonal Oktoberfest beers plus Jealous Monk’s rotating draft selection\nDrafts: 32 rotating taps\nEntertainment: Live musicians throughout the Oktoberfest run; individual performers and dates are still being announced\nActivities: Oktoberfest contests and activities\, including stein-hoisting festivities\nIndoor/Outdoor: Indoor social hall and outdoor beer garden\, weather permitting\nRegular Hours: Monday–Thursday\, 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday–Saturday\, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sunday\, 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m.\nPhone: 860-536-6665 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/oktoberfest-at-jealous-monk-brings-five-weeks-of-bavarian-food-seasonal-beer-and-live-music-to-mystic/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:Jealous Monk\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Jealous Monk
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T170000
DTSTAMP:20260705T020852Z
CREATED:20260510T162306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260705T020852Z
UID:10000487-1789902000-1789923600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks
DESCRIPTION:Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO Bricks drops visitors into centuries of maritime mystery and disaster at Mystic Seaport Museum.. The internationally touring exhibition combines massive LEGO® ship recreations with real maritime history\, creating an experience that feels part museum exhibit\, part interactive adventure. As the first American stop for the exhibition\, Mystic Seaport becomes the latest host for a showcase that has previously appeared at major maritime museums in Europe and Australia. \nThe exhibit features eleven detailed LEGO® models recreating famous shipwrecks and maritime disasters spanning thousands of years\, including the Titanic\, the Vasa\, Franklin’s Arctic expedition ships Terror and Erebus\, and the ancient Uluburun trading vessel. Created in partnership with LEGO® Certified Professional Ryan “The Brickman” McNaught\, the displays combine historical storytelling with surprisingly intricate engineering and visual detail. Some models even include cross-section cutaways revealing what happened beneath the waterline. \nInteractive experiences throughout the exhibit invite visitors to test survival scenarios\, operate a remote underwater vehicle\, experiment with ship stability\, and build LEGO® creations of their own. Alongside the models are replica artifacts\, archaeological tools\, and multimedia displays exploring how modern researchers investigate shipwrecks and what those discoveries reveal about trade\, exploration\, disaster\, and human history. The result is an exhibit that works equally well for families\, history buffs\, LEGO® fans\, and anyone who still secretly wants to touch every museum display. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/brickwrecks-sunken-ships-in-lego-bricks-3/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:Mystic Seaport\, 75 Greenmanville Ave\, Mystic\, CT\, \,06355-1946\,\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Seaport
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T170000
DTSTAMP:20260701T201347Z
CREATED:20260701T201347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260701T201347Z
UID:10006481-1789902000-1789923600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways at Mystic Museum of Art
DESCRIPTION:Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways at Mystic Museum of Art explores the history of textiles in southeastern Connecticut\, tracing how fabrics\, fashion\, and craftsmanship have shaped the region from the precolonial era through the present day. On view from June 26 through October 11\, 2026\, the exhibition brings together historic artifacts and contemporary works to examine how textiles reflect labor\, immigration\, cultural identity\, and changing ideas of luxury. \nInspired by southeastern Connecticut’s once-thriving velvet industry\, the exhibition features a collaboration between Mystic Museum of Art\, Historic Stonington\, Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center\, Mystic Seaport Museum\, and the Connecticut Region of the Studio Art Quilt Associates. Visitors will encounter an extensive collection of beadwork\, embroidery\, quilts\, velvet\, fashion\, and textile art drawn from partner institutions and the museum’s own collection. \nThe exhibition also highlights contemporary fashion designers with Connecticut connections\, including Xarea Lockhart\, Toriana Sauro\, Christian Siriano\, and Peter Som. Their work connects the region’s textile heritage with modern fashion\, demonstrating how clothing and material culture continue to influence art\, identity\, and design. Throughout the exhibition\, the museum will present lectures\, artist conversations\, and hands-on workshops that further explore these themes. \nExhibition Details\n\nExhibition: Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\nVenue: Mystic Museum of Art\nDates: June 26-October 11\, 2026\nLocation: Mystic\, CT\n\nExhibition Highlights\nVisitors will experience: \n\ns\nWorks from Mystic Museum of Art’s permanent collection\nLoans from regional museums and organizations\n\nFeatured Partners\nThe exhibition includes contributions from: \n\nHistoric Stonington\nMashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center\nMystic Seaport Museum\nStudio Art Quilt Associates\, Connecticut Region\n\nFeatured Designers\nThe exhibition showcases work by designers with Connecticut ties\, including: \n\nXarea Lockhart\nToriana Sauro\nChristian Siriano\nPeter Som\n\nAdmission\n\nGeneral Admission: $12\nNew London County residents: $10\nSeniors (65+): $10\nStudents with valid ID: $10\nFree:\n\nMystic Museum of Art members\nYouth ages 17 and under\nMilitary personnel and veterans\n\n\n\nExhibition Programs\nPublic programs are held on select Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. \nTuesday\, July 7\nMystic Mudlarking: The River and the Rossie Velvet Mill \n\nGuest speaker: Mary Hendrickson\n\nTuesday\, July 21\nImmigration and Industry \n\nGuest speaker: Chelsea Mitchell\, Library Director & Collections Manager\, Historic Stonington\n\nTuesday\, September 1\nConversation with Alana Ryder and Emerging Designers \nFeaturing: \n\nAlana Ryder\nXarea Lockhart\nToriana Sauro\n\nWorkshops\nAll workshops take place in KTJ Studios. \nSaturday\, September 19\nFrom Textile to Art: Felt Collage Workshop \nSaturday\, September 26\nIntroduction to Sewing Workshop \n\nFeatured designer: Toriana Sauro\n\nSaturday\, October 10\nRelief Printing on Silk Scarf Workshop \nWhy Visit\nLuxe CT examines how textiles have connected communities across centuries while reflecting the region’s history of manufacturing\, immigration\, craftsmanship\, and artistic innovation. By pairing historical artifacts with contemporary fashion and fiber art\, the exhibition offers visitors a deeper understanding of southeastern Connecticut’s cultural heritage and its continuing influence on today’s artists and designers. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/luxe-ct-velvet-mills-to-modern-runways-at-mystic-museum-of-art/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:Mystic Museum of Art\, 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Museum of Art
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T180000
DTSTAMP:20260818T020946Z
CREATED:20260818T020946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260818T020946Z
UID:10007217-1789902000-1789927200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Stonington Vineyards Harvest Food & Wine Festival 2026
DESCRIPTION:Stonington Vineyards Harvest Food & Wine Festival 2026 celebrates the approaching fall season with two days of wine\, live music\, food trucks and local artisans on Saturday and Sunday\, September 19 and 20. \nThe annual festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days at the vineyard on Taugwonk Road in Stonington\, giving visitors a chance to spread out on the lawn\, listen to music\, explore local vendors and enjoy wine produced at one of Connecticut’s longtime vineyards. \nAnd Sunday’s music already has a familiar local name attached to it. \nWicked Peach takes the stage Sunday at 3 p.m.\, bringing one of southeastern Connecticut’s longest-running rock bands to the vineyard for the final afternoon of the festival. \nTwo Days at the Vineyard\nThis isn’t simply a Wicked Peach concert. \nThe Harvest Food & Wine Festival runs throughout the weekend\, with live bands\, food trucks and local artisans joining the vineyard’s wine offerings. \nMusic:\nSat: 11-2 Ben Freiert\nSat: 3-6  Nick Bosse Band\nSun: 11-2 Luke & Mike\nSun: 3-6 Wicked Peach \nFood:\nFlavors\nTaste House\nScoops T Ice Cream\nFresh Fire Food \nVendors:\nValomie Boutique\nDreaming Light Creations\nCandybox Watch Hill\nMade by Nowa\nSeacoast Alpacas\nWalking Tree Creations\nDipped by Britt\nMary Moonchild Candles\nGold Leaf Home Decor \nGuests are encouraged to make themselves comfortable. Bring lawn chairs and blankets\, or even a pop-up tent no larger than 10 feet by 10 feet for your group. \nThe festival takes place rain or shine. \nMusical Acts:\nBen Freiert — Saturday\, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.\nStonington-based musician Ben Freiert opens the Harvest Festival Saturday with a mix of indie\, folk\, alternative rock and acoustic music. \nFreiert has been making music for more than two decades\, beginning with trumpet before moving into guitar\, piano and songwriting. While in college\, he formed the original rock band Twenty Grand with his roommate\, playing shows near their school and in New York City. He later established himself as a regular performer around southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island\, both as a solo musician and alongside other area artists. \nHe’s also become particularly familiar to Stonington’s vineyard audiences. Freiert has performed repeatedly at Stonington Vineyards\, Saltwater Farm Vineyard and other area wineries\, and was part of Stonington Vineyards’ 2024 Kickoff to Summer celebration. In 2026\, he’s again part of the vineyard’s summer concert series before returning for Harvest Festival weekend. \nHis acoustic-driven sound makes him a natural fit for the festival’s opening hours\, when visitors are arriving\, finding a spot on the lawn and settling in for the weekend. \nNick Bosse Band — Saturday\, 3–6 p.m.\nSaturday afternoon shifts firmly toward country music with North Stonington singer-songwriter Nick Bosse and his band. \nBosse is a New England-based independent country artist and Nashville recording artist whose music draws heavily from traditional and outlaw country\, southern rock and bluegrass. His influences include Waylon Jennings\, Johnny Cash\, Merle Haggard\, Willie Nelson\, Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers. Rather than chasing contemporary pop-country\, Bosse has built his identity around a grittier\, working-class approach to the genre. \nHe began playing cover gigs in local bars in 2013 before forming his backing band\, The Northern Roots\, which has accompanied him for much of his career. His original song What Happened to Country has surpassed 2 million streams\, and Bosse has won a New England Music Award for Best Vocalist and headlined performances at both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. \nThere’s a particularly strong local connection here. Bosse grew up in North Stonington and has spent years playing venues throughout southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. In 2022\, Nick Bosse & The Northern Roots won Mohegan Sun’s Locals Live competition\, with judges considering originality\, stage presence\, musical presentation and audience response. \nThat makes the Saturday 3–6 p.m. slot considerably more substantial than the original festival post suggests. This isn’t simply background music from a local cover band. Bosse is an established regional country artist with original music and a following of his own. \nLuke & Mike open Sunday’s music with a three-hour set from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.\nThe Mystic-based duo have become familiar faces at Stonington Vineyards\, returning regularly for concerts and special events. They’ve appeared at previous Harvest Festivals\, performed for the vineyard’s annual holiday celebration and are part of its 2026 Summer Concert Series. They’re also scheduled at nearby Saltwater Farm Vineyard during the 2026 summer season. \nIn fact\, this isn’t their first time helping provide the soundtrack for Harvest Festival weekend. Luke & Mike were among the performers at Stonington Vineyards’ 2019 Harvest Fest and returned for the festival again in 2022. \nWicked Peach Closes Out Sunday Afternoon\nIf you’ve been around southeastern Connecticut for any length of time\, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered Wicked Peach somewhere. \nThe New London-area band has been performing throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island since 1996\, building a following with high-energy sets drawing heavily from rock and pop-rock. \nThe current core lineup features Ernie Lewis on lead vocals and guitar\, Stan Smith on bass and Jonathan Souza on drums\, with Dan Watson and Corey Carter serving as alternating guitarists. \nTheir repertoire stretches across decades\, but ’90s hard rock remains a particular strength. The City of Groton describes the band as a staple of southeastern New England’s music scene\, mixing its ’90s material with songs from the ’70s\, ’80s and 2000s. \nThat makes Wicked Peach a natural fit for the Harvest Festival’s Sunday afternoon rather than a quiet acoustic set tucked into the corner of the vineyard. \nTheir scheduled 3 p.m. performance on September 20 is also confirmed on the band’s own 2026 tour schedule. \nWine Is Part of the Admission\nFestival admission includes more than entry. \nEach ticket includes a glass of Stonington Vineyards wine and a keepsake wine glass\, along with access to the weekend’s live music and festival amenities. Additional wine will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle. \nGuests may also bring their own food\, making a picnic on the vineyard lawn another option if you’d rather pack something from home than visit the food trucks. \nThere is one firm restriction: no outside alcohol is permitted. \nCoolers may be checked\, and the vineyard says outside alcohol will be confiscated. \nOne of Connecticut’s Established Vineyards\nThe festival setting has its own story. \nStonington Vineyards was established by Nick and Happy Smith in 1987 after they purchased 58 acres in the Stonington Uplands. The winery followed in 1989\, combining contemporary winemaking equipment with traditional oak-barrel fermentation. \nIt also became one of the founding members of the Connecticut Wine Trail. \nWinemaker Mike McAndrew has been with Stonington Vineyards since its early days\, developing a reputation for European-style wines. The vineyard is particularly associated with its barrel-fermented Chardonnay and proprietary blends. \nToday\, more than 10 of the property’s 58 acres are planted\, with annual production of approximately 6\,000 cases. Its current wine list includes Oak Chardonnay\, Sheer Chardonnay\, Seaport White\, Cabernet Franc\, Triad Rosé\, Riesling and Pawcatuck River Red. \nSo a harvest festival here isn’t just seasonal branding. Wine grapes have been growing on this property for decades. \nMake Yourself at Home on the Lawn\nThe Harvest Festival is designed for people to settle in rather than continually circulate through a traditional fairground. \nBring lawn chairs\, blankets or a small pop-up tent and establish a spot for the afternoon. \nOutside food is permitted\, so you can also pack a picnic while leaving room to try the food trucks. \nThe vineyard describes the festival as suitable for couples\, families and groups of friends. \nDogs are normally welcome on the vineyard grounds when leashed and supervised\, although I’d wait for festival-specific confirmation before putting that in the Event Details as a guarantee for this particular weekend. \nTickets\nOne-day advance admission is $30. \nTickets purchased on the day of the festival are $35. Two-day passes are also offered through the vineyard’s ticketing page. Tickets are non-refundable. \nBecause parking at the vineyard is limited\, organizers are asking festival visitors to carpool whenever possible. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Stonington Vineyards Harvest Food & Wine Festival 2026\nDates: Saturday\, September 19 & Sunday\, September 20\, 2026\nTime: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. daily\nLocation: Stonington Vineyards\nAddress: 523 Taugwonk Road\, Stonington\, CT 06378\nSunday Music: Wicked Peach at 3 p.m.\nFeaturing: Live music\, food trucks\, local artisans and Stonington Vineyards wines\nAdvance One-Day Admission: $30\nDay-of Admission: $35\nIncludes: Glass of wine\, keepsake wine glass\, live music and festival amenities\nWeather: Rain or shine\nOutside Food: Permitted\nOutside Alcohol: Prohibited\nWhat to Bring: Lawn chairs\, blankets or a pop-up tent no larger than 10′ x 10′ ( \nMore information is available through the Stonington Vineyards Harvest Festival page. \nTickets can also be purchased through the festival page above. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/stonington-vineyards-harvest-food-wine-festival-2026/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:Stonington Vineyards\, 523 Taugwonk Rd\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Stonnington Vineyards
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T180000
DTSTAMP:20260907T034526Z
CREATED:20260907T034359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260907T034526Z
UID:10007496-1789902000-1789927200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Olde Mistick Village Garlic Festival
DESCRIPTION:Olde Mistick Village Garlic Festival returns to Mystic on September 19 and 20 for its 19th year\, filling the Village with fresh garlic\, specialty foods\, regional farms\, artisans\, and live music during one of its longest-running fall traditions. \nThe two-day festival runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. \nMore than 50 vendors and 16 local bands and performers are expected for the 2026 festival\, transforming the walkways and greens of Olde Mistick Village into a sprawling celebration of the fall harvest. \nAnd\, as the name suggests\, there will be a lot of garlic. \nGarlic Is the Reason for the Weekend\nThe Garlic Festival was created around something that can get lost amid the food stands and live music: the agricultural cycle of garlic itself. \nGarlic is generally planted in Connecticut during the fall. It spends the winter underground\, resumes growing in spring and is harvested during the summer. After harvest\, growers cure the bulbs so they can be stored and sold well beyond the growing season. \nBy September\, local growers are arriving at the festival with garlic from that year’s harvest. \nVisitors can encounter different varieties of the bulb rather than the relatively limited selection usually found at a supermarket\, while farmers traditionally bring other parts of the season’s harvest as well. \nPast Garlic Festivals have included fresh vegetables and herbs alongside honey\, jams\, preserves\, syrups\, sauces and other locally produced foods. \nFor anyone who wants to take some of the festival home\, the farmers’ stands are as important as the prepared food. \nA Festival That Started With Farmers\nThe event’s roots stretch beyond its 19 years at Olde Mistick Village. \nThe Garlic Festival originated as a farmers market-style celebration at Adam’s Garden of Eden in Pawcatuck\, where the emphasis was on the fall harvest and locally grown garlic. \nIt eventually moved to Olde Mistick Village and grew considerably. \nBy 2020\, the festival was ordinarily attracting between 50 and 70 vendors and approximately 20\,000 visitors\, according to reporting at the time. What began with farmers and garlic had expanded to include food\, entertainment\, artists\, craftspeople and live music. \nEven as the festival has grown\, farmers remain part of its foundation. \nThat makes the weekend something of a hybrid: part harvest festival\, part food festival\, part artisan market and part outdoor music festival. \nCome Hungry\, and Don’t Expect Garlic to Stay in Its Lane\nOver the years\, vendors have demonstrated that there are very few foods into which someone won’t attempt to introduce garlic. \nPast festivals have offered everything from garlic fries and garlic fried dough to garlic fudge and garlic Italian ice. \nThose particular foods shouldn’t be considered a confirmed 2026 menu until this year’s individual vendors announce what they’re serving\, but they illustrate how far the festival has historically taken its central ingredient. \nPrepared-food vendors and Village restaurants participate alongside the growers\, and non-garlic choices are traditionally available for anyone who reaches their personal limit. \nBakers and specialty-food producers add another layer to the weekend\, while the Village’s permanent restaurants and food businesses remain open around the festival. \nThe result is less a single food court than a trail of things to eat spread throughout the property. \nMore Than 50 Vendors Fill the Village\nGarlic may provide the theme\, but the festival has grown well beyond food. \nThe 2026 event is expected to bring more than 50 vendors to Olde Mistick Village\, including farmers\, bakers\, crafters\, artisans and artists. \nTheir booths are incorporated into the Village itself\, lining paths between the shops\, restaurants\, duck pond and greens rather than occupying a separate fairground. \nThat layout is particularly suited to an event built around browsing. \nOlde Mistick Village was designed as a walkable interpretation of an early New England village\, with individual buildings arranged around pedestrian paths and landscaped common areas. It opened in 1973 and today contains more than 40 shops and boutiques along with restaurants and other businesses. \nDuring Garlic Festival weekend\, the visiting farmers and makers effectively add another temporary layer to the Village. \nSixteen Local Bands and Performers Bring Music to the Weekend\nFood isn’t the only reason to linger. \nThe 2026 Garlic Festival is expected to feature 16 local bands and performers across the two days. \nThe complete performance schedule has not yet been released by Olde Mistick Village\, but at least some of this year’s musicians have begun announcing their appearances independently. \nThe Rich Badowski Band is scheduled to perform Sunday\, September 20\, from noon to 3 p.m. \nBadowski is a familiar presence on the southeastern Connecticut music circuit\, performing blues and roots-oriented music at festivals\, restaurants\, breweries and other venues around the region. \nAnother Sunday performance has been announced by Liz Reed\, who is scheduled to appear as a duo with Dave at 3 p.m. \nAdditional performers and individual set times are expected as the festival approaches. \nLive music has become a substantial part of the Garlic Festival rather than background entertainment. Previous editions have placed performers at multiple locations around Olde Mistick Village\, allowing visitors to encounter different music as they move around the grounds. \nFrom Garlic Market to Major Fall Festival\nNineteen editions have given the Garlic Festival time to develop its own identity among Mystic’s increasingly crowded calendar of fall events. \nIts original agricultural purpose is still visible in the farmers selling freshly harvested garlic and produce\, but the festival now reaches considerably further. \nArtists sell original work. Crafters and makers set up along the pathways. Bakers and specialty-food businesses bring products that can be taken home. Prepared-food vendors turn garlic into lunch\, dinner and occasionally something that probably wasn’t meant to contain garlic in the first place. \nMeanwhile\, musicians perform throughout the Village. \nThe combination has previously earned the festival recognition from the American Bus Association\, which selected it for its list of top events in North America. \nIt has also become one of Olde Mistick Village’s signature annual events\, returning each September as summer gives way to the fall festival season. \nTwo Days to Explore Olde Mistick Village\nSaturday offers the longer festival day\, running from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. \nThe festival returns Sunday at 11 a.m. and continues until 6 p.m. \nBecause vendors and entertainment are distributed around the Village\, visitors can move between festival booths and Olde Mistick Village’s permanent shops and restaurants throughout the day. \nThere is no admission gate separating the festival from the rest of the property. \nVisitors can arrive for garlic and leave with local honey\, baked goods\, artwork or something they never intended to buy. They can stop for a band\, wander through the shops and return to the festival paths. \nOr they can simply follow the smell. \nEvent Details\nEvent: 19th Annual Garlic Festival\nDates: Saturday and Sunday\, September 19–20\, 2026\nSaturday Hours: 11 a.m.–7 p.m.\nSunday Hours: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nVendors: More than 50 expected\nEntertainment: 16 local bands and performers expected\nFeaturing: Local garlic and produce\, farms\, food vendors\, bakers\, specialty foods\, crafters\, artisans\, artists\, live music and family activities\nConfirmed Sunday Music: Rich Badowski Band\, noon–3 p.m.; Liz Reed with Dave\, 3 p.m. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nExcerpt\n  \nMeta Description\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \nURLs: \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/olde-mistick-village-garlic-festival/2026-09-20/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
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