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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T110000
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SUMMARY:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly Sept. 24–27\, turning multiple venues on both sides of the Connecticut-Rhode Island line into screening rooms for one of the region’s largest celebrations of independent film. \nAnd the Chamber calendar seriously undersells this one. \nThe 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival includes narrative features\, feature documentaries\, dozens of short films\, three blocks devoted entirely to student filmmakers\, filmmaker conversations\, networking events\, a screenplay competition\, and a closing-night awards ceremony. \nThe official festival site is: Mystic Film Festival 2026 \nThe 2026 festival runs across several venues rather than operating out of a single theater. Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village remains the cornerstone venue and hosts opening night\, while screenings and programs expand to La Grua Center in Stonington Borough\, the Mystic & Noank Library\, and The UNITED in Westerly. \nMore Than a Weekend at the Movies\nMystic Film Festival was created by area filmmakers and artists with a deliberate dual mission: give Connecticut and New England filmmakers somewhere to show their work while bringing independent films from around the world to southeastern Connecticut. \nNine years later\, that local festival has developed a surprisingly large footprint. \nThe 2026 official slate contains more than 100 films\, spanning narrative and documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student work. The feature-documentary program alone includes films about politics\, sports\, Native identity\, aviation\, photography\, speed\, international borders and defectors. \nThis is also a festival where the people who made the films are part of the experience. Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, industry events and informal conversations are built around the screenings rather than treating each movie as a standalone theatrical showing. \nThe 2026 Film Schedule\nBecause several screens and venues operate simultaneously\, there isn’t one linear schedule. Audiences build their own festival. \nThe festival’s official individual film pages and venue schedules confirm the following major screening blocks. The festival’s Event Schedule should be checked before attending for the final screen assignment and any last-minute changes. \nThursday\, Sept. 24 — Opening Night\nThe festival opens at Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village\, traditionally putting the spotlight on locally produced work and filmmakers from the region. \nOpening night is specifically designed to celebrate films made by local filmmakers before the festival expands into its multi-venue schedule Friday through Sunday. \nFriday\, Sept. 25 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Crystal Cross\nNarrative Feature \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — The Life We Leave\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Micronations\nFeature Documentary \n7:30–9 p.m. — Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story\nFeature Documentary \nAll four screen in the UNITED Micro Cinema in Westerly. \nFriday — Mystic & Noank Library\nThe festival also moves into the library for programming Friday. One confirmed screening block runs 12:45–2:45 p.m. and includes Forever Home\, a 20-minute student documentary directed by Kyle Francis Barton about Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts and the work of rehabilitating injured wildlife for eventual release. \nFriday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMultiple short-film programs also run at the festival’s Mystic anchor venue. \nAmong the confirmed Friday programs is a 4–6 p.m. documentary-short block that includes Under the Ice\, director John Martin’s nearly 30-minute documentary about a woman confronting depression and alcoholism through an attempt to swim beneath the ice of a frozen Norwegian lake and pursue a Guinness World Record. \nSaturday\, Sept. 26 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Tails of the Himalayas…Of Dogs & Devotees + Unspoken Bond\nDocumentary Short + Feature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Art of Destruction\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\nNarrative Feature \n7:30–9:15 p.m. — Act One\nNarrative Feature \nSaturday — La Grua Center Student Film Showcase\nSaturday brings an entire parallel festival-within-the-festival to Stonington Borough. \nLa Grua Center hosts three blocks of student films\, moderated by Jim Quinn\, with opportunities for audiences to hear from participating filmmakers. \n11 a.m. — Student Shorts Block 1 \nYer Smackin’\nBusker\nWiwa\nRunning On The Edge\nUs And Them\nI Constantly Thank God For Estaban\nThe Magic Words\nPerspico\nHow’d It Go? \n1:30 p.m. — Student Shorts Block 2 \nThe Locked Groove\nNo Small Matter\nClucky’s\nValue\nDental Breakdown\nTrapped Air: Life With No Burp-Zone\nGarden Of Babel\nSeparate Together\nFace Me Face You \n4 p.m. — Student Films Block 3 \nSame Time Tomorrow\nMade Whole\nNight Of Silence\nFalling Behind\nRunning Against The Odds\nBatteries\nThe Last Hug\nCorsano’s Roach \nThe subjects alone demonstrate how broad the student program has become. Running Against the Odds\, for example\, tells the story of Narragansett runner Tarzan Brown\, a two-time Boston Marathon winner who represented the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. \nNo Small Matter comes from a 15-year-old filmmaker and examines a court designed to address homelessness and mental-health issues through treatment and support rather than conventional punishment. \nAnd Trapped Air: Life With No-Burp Syndrome is a five-minute documentary about R-CPD and the patients who live with the inability to burp. \nSaturday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMystic Luxury Cinemas simultaneously hosts additional short-film blocks. \nA confirmed 2–4 p.m. narrative-short program includes My Dog: The Paradox\, an animated short from Matthew Inman\, creator of The Oatmeal and co-creator of Exploding Kittens\, about the joy and inevitable heartbreak of loving a dog. \nThat same block includes The Lord of All Future Space and Time\, a 23-minute mashup of Western revenge story\, science fiction and comedy. \nAnother narrative-short program runs 4–6 p.m.\, including Drowned\, about a single mother with chronic illness confronting medical setbacks and the possibility of losing custody of her child. \nSaturday Night Becomes a Filmmaker Gathering\nAt 6:30 p.m. Saturday\, the movies give way to an Industry Networking Event at La Grua Center. \nThe gathering runs until 9 p.m. and brings filmmakers\, screenwriters and other festival participants together away from the theaters. \nIt’s an important part of what Mystic Film Festival has become. The festival isn’t only trying to find an audience for finished movies. It’s also trying to create relationships among people who may make the next ones. \nThe event requires a separate RSVP for participating filmmakers and screenplay finalists. \nSunday\, Sept. 27 — UNITED Theatre\nThe Westerly screenings continue throughout the festival’s final day. \n12–2 p.m. — In Spite of Ourselves\nNarrative Feature \n2:15–4:15 p.m. — School For Defectors\nFeature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Documentary Shorts Block\nResume of Regrets\nOne Soupy Season\nHow I Survived a Kamikaze Attack\nThe Petal Pusher\nPlant Life \n4:30–6 p.m. — Fat + One Woman One Bra\nNarrative Short + Narrative Feature \nThe 2:30 documentary block screens in the UNITED Main Cinema while the other Sunday programs use the Micro Cinema\, allowing simultaneous programming. \nSunday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nAdditional programs continue in Mystic. \nOne confirmed block begins at 11:30 a.m. and includes animation such as Half Baked\, a short comedy about a young adult repeatedly failing to learn how to cook and ordering pizza after every disaster. \nA 4–6 p.m. narrative shorts program includes The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge\, Michele Noble’s comedy about a couple whose disagreements over cleaning and household chores escalate on the day of a party. \nMore Than 100 Films\, From Features to Six-Minute Experiments\nThe size of the slate makes the festival difficult to summarize with a handful of marquee titles. \nAmong the documentary features are Art of Destruction\, Micronations\, Remaining Native\, Fork In The Road\, March Forth\, Nasty\, Public Access\, School For Defectors\, Sculptors of Speed\, Outliers\, People Vs. Politics\, Slowburn Shoot\, Team 28\, The Flight of Jackie Cochran\, The Life We Leave\, They Fight With Cameras\, Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story and Unspoken Bond. \nNarrative features include A Woman’s Work\, Act One\, Crystal Cross\, In Spite of Ourselves\, Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\, One Woman One Bra and Road To L’Etape Du Tour. \nThe shorts program goes considerably deeper\, with dozens of narrative and documentary films running from just a few minutes to nearly feature length. \nThat makes the festival less like going out to see one movie and more like sampling a film world that normally doesn’t make it to a commercial multiplex. \nScreenwriters Get Their Own Competition\nFilms aren’t the only stories competing. \nThe Mystic Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition is now in its sixth year\, providing a route into the festival for writers whose work hasn’t yet become a finished movie. \nThe competition has expanded its categories as the festival has grown\, and the top screenplay winners are announced during festival weekend. \nThat distinction matters. Independent film festivals often become one of the few places where an unproduced writer can enter the same professional conversation as directors and producers with completed films. \nMystic has deliberately made that part of its mission. \nSunday Night Ends With the Awards\nThe four days conclude where they began: Mystic Luxury Cinemas. \nThe Mystic Film Festival Awards Ceremony runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. \nA wine reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 7 p.m.\, followed by the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. \nAwards recognize standout work across the festival’s categories\, and the winners of the screenplay competition are also announced during the festival. \nBy that point\, audiences will have moved among two states\, several theaters and cultural venues\, features\, documentaries\, shorts and student films. \nThat’s a considerably bigger event than the little Chamber calendar listing suggests. \nFor four days\, Mystic and Westerly effectively become one regional independent-film campus. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival\nDates: Thursday\, Sept. 24 through Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nLocations: Mystic and Stonington\, Connecticut\, and Westerly\, Rhode Island\nCornerstone Venue: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\nAdditional Venues: The UNITED\, La Grua Center\, Mystic & Noank Library and other festival locations\nProgramming: Narrative features\, documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student films\nAlso Included: Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, networking events\, screenplay competition and awards celebration\nSaturday Student Showcase: La Grua Center\, 11 a.m.\, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.\nSaturday Industry Networking: La Grua Center\, 6:30–9 p.m.\nSunday Awards: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 6:30–9 p.m.; wine reception at 6:30 p.m.\, ceremony at 7 p.m.\nTickets: Individual screening tickets and festival passes are available through the festival’s ticketing system. Because multiple programs run simultaneously\, ticket holders should confirm the venue and screen for each selection when reserving. \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/15878/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Blvd Ste. 1-B\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Luxury Cinemas
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T170000
DTSTAMP:20260701T201347Z
CREATED:20260701T201347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260701T201347Z
UID:10006488-1790506800-1790528400@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/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Mystic Museum of Art\, 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Museum of Art
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END:VEVENT
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T170000
DTSTAMP:20260705T020852Z
CREATED:20260510T162306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260705T020852Z
UID:10000494-1790506800-1790528400@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-3/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Mystic Seaport\, 75 Greenmanville Ave\, Mystic\, CT\, \,06355-1946\,\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Seaport
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END:VEVENT
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T160000
DTSTAMP:20260924T150113Z
CREATED:20260924T150113Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T150113Z
UID:10008598-1790506800-1790524800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Pop vs. R&B Drag Brunch Turns The Social Into a Live Diva Concert
DESCRIPTION:Pop vs. R&B Drag Brunch Turns The Social Into a Live Diva Concert Sunday\, Sept. 27\, when New York performer Wesley returns to New London with a show built around some of pop and R&B’s biggest voices. \nThis edition of Pink Eggs & Glam Drag Brunch isn’t being presented as a conventional lip-sync drag show. Wesley sings live\, using the brunch as the setting for what organizers describe as essentially a concert in drag. \nThere are two performances at The Social Bar + Kitchen on Bank Street. The first seating begins at 11 a.m. for a noon show\, followed by a 2 p.m. seating for a 3 p.m. show. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door\, with brunch and drinks purchased separately. The event is open to ages 14 and older. \nThe Voice Is the Point\nDrag can encompass lip-syncing\, dance\, comedy\, theater\, impersonation and countless combinations of all of them. \nWesley’s specialty is different. \nShe’s a trained musical-theater vocalist whose drag performances are built around actually singing the material. \nWesley holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and has performed professionally in New York as well as at sea as a headline entertainer aboard Virgin Voyages. She is also the lead vocalist of The Bad Judies\, billed by organizers as New York City’s only all-drag live band. \nThat background explains the theme chosen for her September return to New London. \nRather than centering the show on a single artist\, Pop vs. R&B Divas gives Wesley a much bigger songbook to work with. \nPrevious appearances at The Social have highlighted her ability to tackle the music of artists including Lady Gaga\, Beyoncé and Ariana Grande\, pairing the vocals with the dance\, comedy and theatricality expected from a drag performance. \nThe result lands somewhere between drag brunch\, cabaret and pop concert. \nWesley Has Been Here Before\nThis isn’t Wesley’s first Pink Eggs & Glam appearance in New London. \nShe headlined a Pride edition of the brunch in June 2025\, when The Social described her as an emerging force in New York’s drag and cabaret scene\, combining powerhouse vocals with dance and comedy. \nThe September 2026 engagement brings her back with a more focused musical concept. \nPop and R&B have always overlapped\, particularly as artists move between dance music\, soul\, hip-hop\, rock and mainstream radio. Building a show around the two genres gives a live singer considerably more room than a single-artist tribute. \nA song can become a vocal showcase. \nThe next can turn the room into a dance floor. \nAnd because Wesley is singing rather than simply recreating a recording\, familiar music can be rearranged around the performer instead of the other way around. \nPink Eggs & Glam Has Become a New London Regular\nThe show is also part of something that has lasted considerably longer than a single brunch. \nPink Eggs & Glam is Sky Casper Entertainment’s recurring drag-brunch series at The Social\, combining visiting drag performers with food\, cocktails and audience interaction. \nSky Casper describes its brunches as high-energy\, interactive events ranging from live-singing cabaret performers to dancing divas. Its 2026 New London calendar has featured changing themes and headliners throughout the year\, with additional Pink Eggs & Glam dates already scheduled into December. \nThat rotating-headliner model means the basic brunch format can change substantially depending on who’s performing. \nSome editions lean heavily into comedy. \nOthers revolve around particular pop stars or themes. \nThis one is built around the thing Wesley does particularly well: sing. \nBrunch Is Separate From the Show\nOne practical detail is worth understanding before buying a ticket. \nThe $20 advance admission does not include brunch or beverages. Food and drinks are ordered separately from The Social. Door admission is $25 if tickets remain available. \nThe two-show structure also means guests should pay attention to both the seating time and performance time. \nFor the early show\, seating begins at 11 a.m. and Wesley performs at noon. \nFor the second\, seating begins at 2 p.m. with the show beginning at 3 p.m. \nThat hour before each performance gives guests time to get settled and order brunch before the focus shifts toward the stage. \nThe event is 14+\, and Eventbrite lists a no-refund policy. \nThen the restaurant becomes a concert room. \nBeyoncé-sized vocals may normally belong in arenas. On Sunday\, the distance between the singer and the brunch table will be considerably smaller. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Pop & R&B Pink Eggs & Glam Drag Brunch with Wesley\nDate: Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nLocation: The Social Bar + Kitchen\nAddress: 208 Bank St.\, New London\, CT 06320\nFirst Seating: 11 a.m.\nFirst Show: Noon\nSecond Seating: 2 p.m.\nSecond Show: 3 p.m.\nPerformer: Wesley\nTheme: Pop & R&B Divas\nAdmission: $20 in advance; $25 at the door\nAge: 14+\nFood & Beverages: Sold separately\nRefunds: No refunds\nPresented By: Sky Casper Entertainment and The Social Bar + Kitchen \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/pop-vs-rb-drag-brunch-turns-the-social-into-a-live-diva-concert/
LOCATION:The Social Bar + Kitchen\, 208 Bank Street\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
CATEGORIES:Social Bar + Kitchen
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T020703Z
CREATED:20260913T020703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T020703Z
UID:10007562-1790505000-1790542800@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/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Jealous Monk\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Jealous Monk
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T180000
DTSTAMP:20260903T140908Z
CREATED:20260903T140908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T140908Z
UID:10007447-1790505000-1790532000@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/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Lebanon Fair Grounds\, 122 Mack Road\, Lebanon\, 06249\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lebanon Fairgrounds
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T150000
DTSTAMP:20260915T211951Z
CREATED:20260915T211951Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260915T211951Z
UID:10007610-1790503200-1790521200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Brunch Sundays Brings Southern Comfort Food With a Haitian Island Twist to New London
DESCRIPTION:Brunch Sundays – Southern Dishes With an Island Twist turns Sunday into a five-hour affair at Favorites Bistro Bar in downtown New London\, pairing brunch standards like chicken and waffles\, French toast\, and grits with the Haitian and Caribbean flavors that have become the restaurant’s calling card. \nThe weekly brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday at Favorites\, located at 90 Bank Street. \nAnd while plenty of restaurants serve brunch\, Favorites has a fairly compelling reason for adding the words “island twist.” \nOwner Majan Pierre grew up with Haitian cooking\, and the restaurant she and her husband Ederjson “EJ” Pierre created uses those flavors as a jumping-off point rather than treating them as rigid boundaries. \nThe result can put oxtail beside grits\, Haitian seasonings into familiar American comfort foods\, and a caramelized crème brûlée treatment onto French toast. \nIt’s brunch\, but not necessarily the brunch you already know. \nChicken and Waffles Gets the Favorites Treatment\nThe restaurant’s current Brunch Sundays promotion puts three dishes front and center: chicken and waffles\, oxtail and grits\, and crème brûlée French toast. \nChicken and waffles already lives comfortably at the intersection of sweet and savory. \nFavorites pushes further into that territory. \nThe restaurant’s broader approach incorporates the seasonings\, sauces and ingredients of Haitian and Caribbean cooking into recognizable American dishes rather than separating the menu into “traditional” and “island” sections. \nThat philosophy has helped chicken and waffles become one of the dishes frequently associated with Favorites since the restaurant began developing its brunch service. \nBut the oxtail and grits may be an even better example of what the restaurant is trying to do. \nOxtail and Grits Connects Two Comfort-Food Traditions\nOxtail has a long history in Caribbean cooking\, including Haitian cuisine\, where slow cooking turns a notoriously tough cut into something rich and deeply flavored. \nGrits come from a different culinary tradition but perform much the same job on the plate: warm\, uncomplicated comfort food capable of carrying an intensely flavored braise. \nPut them together and the combination makes immediate sense. \nFavorites has used oxtail elsewhere on its menu in inventive ways\, including oxtail rangoons. \nThat willingness to move ingredients between culinary traditions is central to the restaurant’s identity. \nPierre has described Favorites as Haitian street food\, but she’s also made clear that she doesn’t want the menu confined by that description. \nThe restaurant has served familiar dishes such as Caesar salad and pasta alongside Haitian staples and Caribbean-influenced creations. \nWhat connects them is often what happens in the kitchen. \nHaitian Flavor Is Built Into the Food\nOne of the building blocks is épis. \nThe Haitian seasoning base varies from kitchen to kitchen but generally combines fresh herbs\, peppers\, aromatics and spices into a concentrated mixture used to season meats\, seafood and other dishes. \nAt Favorites\, épis has been incorporated into dishes such as braised short ribs. \nThen there’s pikliz\, the sharp Haitian pickled vegetable condiment that can bring acidity\, crunch and heat to rich food. \nFavorites uses versions of it throughout its cooking. \nPierre told Connecticut food writer James Gribbon that the goal isn’t necessarily to make everything overwhelmingly hot. \nThe seasoning goes into the food from the beginning. \nThat’s a meaningful distinction. \nAdding a hot sauce to an otherwise conventional brunch dish creates heat. \nBuilding a dish around a different seasoning tradition changes its underlying flavor. \nFavorites is aiming for the second approach. \nThen There’s the Crème Brûlée French Toast\nIf oxtail and grits represents the savory side of the menu\, crème brûlée French toast heads in the opposite direction. \nThe basic idea borrows from the contrast that makes crème brûlée work: a rich\, soft interior against a caramelized exterior. \nApplied to French toast\, it turns one of brunch’s most familiar dishes into something closer to dessert. \nFavorites has served French toast in several forms\, and the dish has become one of the restaurant’s recognizable brunch offerings. \nIt’s also a good example of why “Southern dishes with an island twist” doesn’t tell the entire story. \nThere are Caribbean influences here\, certainly. \nBut there are also French influences\, Southern American comfort food and contemporary brunch culture colliding on the same menu. \nIn Haitian cooking\, that kind of overlap isn’t particularly strange. \nHaitian Cuisine Was Already a Fusion Cuisine\nHaiti’s food traditions developed from an unusually complicated history. \nWest African culinary traditions mixed with Indigenous Caribbean ingredients and techniques and European\, particularly French\, influences. \nThat history can still be seen in the language and food. \nFrench-derived culinary terms coexist with ingredients and cooking methods rooted elsewhere. \nSo a New London restaurant moving comfortably among Haitian food\, Southern comfort dishes and French-inspired brunch isn’t necessarily abandoning one tradition for another. \nIt’s continuing the mixing that created the cuisine in the first place. \nPierre has described Haitian food as difficult to reduce to a single definition because of those influences and because recipes can vary considerably between communities and households. \nHer own reference point is especially personal. \nBefore opening Favorites\, Pierre had never worked in a restaurant. \nShe learned food at home. \nMajan Pierre Went From Home Cooking to Restaurant Owner\nFavorites Bistro Bar opened in 2023\, making Pierre’s route into the restaurant business an unusual one. \nShe wasn’t a chef leaving someone else’s kitchen. \nShe wasn’t a longtime restaurant manager finally opening her own place. \nPierre told Gribbon that Favorites was her first restaurant job of any kind. \nHer culinary background came largely from watching her mother cook and from her own interest in food. \nShe and EJ Pierre nevertheless turned that home-cooking foundation into a downtown restaurant. \nBy April 2026\, Favorites was celebrating its third anniversary and a grand reopening\, along with an expansion of its lunch service. \nThe restaurant also brought Chef Bel into its culinary leadership. \nBrunch has become an increasingly important part of that evolution. \nSundays Have Become Their Own Thing\nFavorites now dedicates 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday to brunch. \nThat’s not merely an hour or two added onto lunch service. \nIt’s the Sunday service. \nThe restaurant’s Brunch Sundays promotion makes that clear\, presenting the meal as a recurring weekly event rather than a one-off special. \nThat gives diners considerably more flexibility than a traditional late-morning brunch. \nCome at 10 and it’s breakfast. \nArrive at noon and you’re firmly in brunch territory. \nShow up at 2 and it can function as a late lunch. \nThe restaurant’s drinks follow the same leisurely approach to Sunday\, with brunch cocktails among the offerings. \nFavorites Has One of Downtown’s More Interesting Locations\nThe restaurant occupies space in the historic granite Roberts Building along Bank Street. \nIts location puts it in the middle of downtown New London’s restaurant\, arts and waterfront district. \nHygienic Art is nearby\, and the Thames River waterfront is only a short walk away. \nInside\, Favorites is bright during the day\, with large windows bringing natural light into a dining room and bar designed to feel more contemporary than rustic. \nThere’s also outdoor seating with views toward the harbor. \nThat gives Sunday brunch an easy extension into the rest of downtown. \nEat first\, then walk Bank Street\, head toward the waterfront or see what’s happening in the surrounding arts district. \nParking Is Easier on Sunday Than You Might Expect\nFor people who avoid downtown New London because they’re worried about parking\, Sunday has an advantage. \nFavorites lists Bank Street and State Street among the nearby free parking options. \nThe O’Neill-Tilley Municipal Lot and Water Street Garage provide additional paid parking nearby. \nAs always downtown\, availability depends on what else is happening that day. \nBut Favorites sits in a walkable part of New London\, so there’s little reason to circle the restaurant looking for the closest possible space if other downtown parking is available. \nA Sunday Brunch That Actually Tells You Something About the Restaurant\nChicken and waffles is everywhere now. \nFrench toast certainly isn’t difficult to find. \nNeither are eggs\, mimosas or grits. \nSo the interesting question isn’t whether Favorites serves brunch food. \nIt’s what happens when those dishes pass through this particular kitchen. \nA Haitian-American owner who learned from her mother’s cooking opened her first restaurant on Bank Street. \nShe began combining the food she knew with dishes that belonged to other traditions. \nThree years later\, that experiment has developed into a Sunday brunch where oxtail can land on grits and French toast can arrive dressed like crème brûlée. \nThat’s a much better reason to go to brunch than simply because it’s Sunday. \nDetails\nEvent: Brunch Sundays – Southern Dishes With an Island Twist\nDate: Sunday\, September 20\, 2026\nRecurring: Every Sunday\nTime: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.\nLocation: Favorites Bistro Bar\nAddress: 90 Bank Street\, New London\, CT 06320\nFeatured Brunch Dishes: Chicken and waffles\, oxtail and grits\, crème brûlée French toast\nCuisine: Southern comfort food with Haitian and Caribbean influences\nOwners: Majan and Ederjson “EJ” Pierre\nPhone: 860-446-6188\nParking: Free parking is available on Bank Street and State Street; paid options include the O’Neill-Tilley Municipal Lot and Water Street Garage\nReservations: Favorites accepts reservations; advance reservations may be useful for Sunday brunch\nAccessibility: Contact the restaurant directly for specific accessibility needs or seating accommodations. \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/brunch-sundays-brings-southern-comfort-food-with-a-haitian-island-twist-to-new-london/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Favorites Bistro Bar\, 90 B Bank Street\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
CATEGORIES:Favorites Bistro Bar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T113000
DTSTAMP:20260924T022136Z
CREATED:20260924T022136Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T022136Z
UID:10008532-1790503200-1790508600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Kids Create Their Own Superheroes in Five-Week Comic Art Class at Mystic Museum of Art
DESCRIPTION:Kids Create Their Own Superheroes in Five-Week Comic Art Class at Mystic Museum of Art beginning Sunday\, Sept. 27\, taking young artists from the first pencil marks on a page through the process of creating a short comic book of their own. \nThe Sunday morning series is designed for ages 7 to 14 and taught by Mystic comic-book creator Brett Swanson\, who isn’t simply teaching children how to draw a superhero. \nOver five classes\, students work through many of the same steps used to turn an idea into a finished comic: drawing characters and objects\, developing a story\, designing pages\, adding ink\, creating shadows and texture and assembling those pieces into a visual narrative. \nBy the end\, the goal is for each student to have put an original superhero and comic-book story onto the page. \nAnd Swanson knows what it’s like to begin with nothing but a blank sheet of paper. \nFrom Mystic Mail Carrier to Comic-Book Creator\nSwanson has spent decades working in Mystic as a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier\, but he’s also spent much of his life drawing. \nHe told the Postal Service in a 2024 profile that he had wanted to become a comic-book artist since childhood and studied cartoon graphics in the late 1980s. \nRather than waiting for a major comics publisher to hand him a character\, he eventually created his own. \nSwanson publishes his own comics and has exhibited his work at shows\, fairs and comic conventions. He has also taken what he learned into schools\, libraries and museums\, teaching children how comic books are made. \nHis own series\, Power Kid\, follows fourth-grader Johnny Brooks\, who gains superpowers from a glowing rock and finds himself battling a decidedly kid-friendly assortment of threats including robots\, aliens\, dinosaurs and even demented vegetables. \nSwanson writes and illustrates his comics himself\, by hand. \nThat makes him particularly well suited to teaching the entire process rather than one isolated part of it. \nA Comic Book Is More Than a Drawing\nChildren who love superheroes often begin by drawing a character. \nCreating a comic requires the next step: figuring out what that character actually does. \nStudents in the Mystic Museum of Art course learn basic drawing techniques involving shapes\, objects and figures\, but the curriculum moves beyond illustration into layout\, design and storytelling. \nThat’s where comic art becomes its own visual language. \nA comic-book artist has to decide how large a panel should be\, what the reader sees first\, where a character stands\, how one image leads into another and how much of the story can be communicated without words. \nStudents will also explore inking\, along with techniques for creating shadows\, depth and texture. \nThose choices can transform a simple pencil sketch into something that begins to resemble the comics sitting on a bookstore shelf. \nOne Person Doing the Work of a Comic-Book Team\nSwanson’s independent approach also gives students a useful look at how many different jobs can hide inside a single comic. \nMainstream comics are frequently produced collaboratively\, with different people handling writing\, penciling\, inking\, coloring and lettering. \nSwanson does the process himself. \nHe has said a single comic can take him three or four months to complete\, beginning with a blank page and continuing through the writing and artwork required to finish the book. \nFor young artists accustomed to seeing the polished final product\, understanding that process can be just as valuable as learning how to draw it. \nA finished comic isn’t created with one perfect drawing. \nIt’s built through ideas\, rough sketches\, revisions\, page layouts\, mistakes\, corrections\, ink and a lot of decisions about how the story should unfold. \nFive Sundays to Build a Comic\nThe course begins Sept. 27 and continues on Sundays through Nov. 1\, with no class Oct. 4. \nEach session runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. \nThat gives students time between classes to think about their characters and stories rather than attempting to cram the entire process into a single workshop. \nMystic Museum of Art has previously offered Swanson’s comic-art instruction in both multiweek classes and longer one-day workshops\, making comic creation a recurring part of its children’s studio programming. \nThe museum’s approach fits naturally with Swanson’s own philosophy about teaching comics. \nHe has described comic creation as a way for children not only to develop artistic skills\, but also to tell stories\, express ideas and develop the discipline needed to complete a project. \nAnd there’s a useful trick hidden inside all those superheroes\, villains and adventures. \nKids are writing. \nThey’re planning. \nThey’re sequencing ideas. \nThey’re solving visual problems. \nAnd they’re reading comics while learning how those comics work. \nThey just happen to be doing it while deciding whether their hero should battle a robot\, an alien or perhaps one of Swanson’s demented vegetables. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo register\, click the Event Registration link below. \nDetails\nClass: Comic Art: A Comic Book Making Class\nInstructor: Brett Swanson\nAges: 7–14\nDates: Sundays\, Sept. 27–Nov. 1\, 2026\nNo Class: Oct. 4\nNumber of Classes: Five\nTime: 10–11:30 a.m.\nLocation: Mystic Museum of Art\nAddress: 9 Water St.\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nMembers: $115\nNonmembers: $135\nSupplies: All supplies included with registration\nStudents Learn: Drawing fundamentals\, figures and objects\, comic-book layout and design\, visual storytelling\, inking\, shadows\, depth and texture\nFinal Project: Students develop and draw their own superhero and comic story\nContact: Mystic Museum of Art\, 860-536-7601 \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/kids-create-their-own-superheroes-in-five-week-comic-art-class-at-mystic-museum-of-art/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Mystic Museum of Art\, 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Museum of Art
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Kids-Create-Their-Own-Superheroes-in-Five-Week-Comic-Art-Class-at-Mystic-Museum-of-Art.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T180000
DTSTAMP:20260901T212201Z
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LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T212201Z
UID:10007329-1790499600-1790532000@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/2026-09-27/
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:20260927T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T170000
DTSTAMP:20260918T214807Z
CREATED:20260918T214807Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260918T214807Z
UID:10008464-1790499600-1790528400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Clark Farms Fall Festival Celebrates 250 Years of Rhode Island Farming
DESCRIPTION:Clark Farms Fall Festival Celebrates 250 Years of Rhode Island Farming with a corn maze devoted to the state’s agricultural history\, plus hayrides\, zip lines\, farm animals\, live music\, food\, and a full farm park in Matunuck\, 25 miles from Mystic. \nThe festival is underway for the fall season at Clark Farms\, where the 2026 theme connects one of New England’s quintessential autumn traditions to Rhode Island’s 250th anniversary. \nThis year’s corn maze is “250 Years of Farming in Rhode Island\,” and the farm uses the attraction to explore how agriculture has changed throughout the state’s history. The maze and farm park are open during the week\, but weekends expand into the full Fall Festival experience with additional attractions\, food\, and entertainment. \nMore Than a Corn Maze\nMaking it through the maze is only part of the day. \nAdmission also opens up a collection of farm attractions including pedal-powered go-karts\, a petting zoo\, corn pit\, straw maze\, giant Mountain Slide\, farm basketball and a Western Town shooting gallery. \nThen there’s the corn cannon\, which gives visitors a chance to launch ears of corn across the farm. \nWeekend festival days add zip lines\, food\, performances and live music\, along with one of the more traditional fall experiences: a hayride through the surrounding Matunuck countryside. Clark Farms says its newer hayride is wheelchair accessible. \nThe farm’s butterfly house is also expected to remain open through late September\, while pumpkins and fall decorations are appearing throughout the property. Gem mining is available for an additional charge. \nCelebrating Rhode Island’s Farming Story\nThe 2026 theme is especially appropriate for a farm whose own history began with vegetables. \nClark Farms was established in South Kingstown in 1989 as a vegetable farm. Over the decades it expanded into plants\, nursery operations and landscape design\, eventually adding its larger Matunuck location in 2008. \nToday\, the business operates both as a working garden center and landscaping operation and as a seasonal destination\, bringing visitors onto the property for events including its summer sunflower displays and annual Fall Festival. \nFor this year’s maze\, Clark Farms is looking farther back than its own history. The attraction showcases the evolution of Rhode Island agriculture across 250 years\, turning a trip through the corn into a little state history along the way. \nFood\, Music and This Weekend’s Schedule\nClark Farms runs its own farm canteen during the festival\, with food that includes fresh-cut fries made with Matunuck-grown red potatoes\, hot dogs\, doughboys and corn dogs. Fresh hot donuts are also available on busy weekends. \nFor the weekend of Sept. 19–20\, the farm has announced additional food and entertainment. \nSaturday\, Sept. 19\nDel’s Frozen Lemonade — 11 a.m.–4 p.m. \nSunday\, Sept. 20\nDrink Coffee — 9 a.m.–2 p.m.\nPot Cellar — Live music\, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.\nCalifornia Taco food truck — 11 a.m.–3 p.m.\nDel’s Frozen Lemonade — 11 a.m.–4 p.m. \nSaturday also marks the deadline for Clark Farms’ new Scarecrow Competition. The contest has been accepting entries throughout September\, with a $500 Clark Farms gift card going to the winner. \nWeekends Bring the Full Festival\nVisitors can tackle the corn maze and explore the farm park throughout the week\, but there’s an important distinction between a weekday visit and the weekend Fall Festival. \nWeekend admission is when Clark Farms adds attractions such as the hayride\, zip lines\, expanded food offerings\, performances and live music. \nWeekend Fall Festival admission is $20 per person\, with children age 2 and younger admitted free. Weekday admission to the corn maze and farm park is $15 per person. \nTickets can be purchased at the farm\, although Clark Farms recommends buying them online in advance to avoid the in-person ticket line. \nSturdy shoes aren’t a bad idea either. This is a real cornfield rather than a paved attraction\, and paths can get muddy after rain. \nDogs are permitted in some of Clark Farms’ shopping areas but are not allowed inside the farm park or Fall Festival area because of the animals. Service animals are permitted. \nFrom a corn maze tracing 250 years of Rhode Island agriculture to a hayride through present-day Matunuck farmland\, this year’s Fall Festival puts a little history behind the pumpkins\, cider donuts and traditional fall fun. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Clark Farms Fall Festival\nSeason: Sept. 19–Nov. 1\, 2026\nLocation: Clark Farms\nAddress: 2984 Commodore Perry Highway\, Matunuck\, RI 02879\n2026 Theme: 250 Years of Farming in Rhode Island\nWeekend Admission: $20 per person; children 2 and younger free\nWeekday Admission: $15 per person\nTickets: Available online or at the farm; advance online purchase is recommended\nIncluded Attractions: Corn maze\, petting zoo\, corn pit\, straw maze\, Mountain Slide\, pedal go-karts\, basketball\, Western Town shooting gallery\, corn cannon and other farm activities. (Most attractions are during Fall Fest on Sat & Sun\, not during the week)\nWeekend Extras: Hayrides\, zip lines\, food\, performances and live music\nPets: Dogs are not permitted in the farm park/Fall Festival area; service animals are permitted\nWhat to Wear: Sturdy footwear is recommended\, particularly after rain \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/clark-farms-fall-festival-celebrates-250-years-of-rhode-island-farming/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:Clark Farms\, 2984 Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry Memorial Hwy\, Matunuck\, RI\, 02879\, United States
CATEGORIES:Clark Farms
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Clark-Farms-Fall-Festival-Celebrates-250-Years-of-Rhode-Island-Farming.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260927T010000
DTSTAMP:20260924T181959Z
CREATED:20260924T181959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T181959Z
UID:10008606-1790456400-1790470800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Eclectic Electric\, The Forest Room and The Kosmographers Turn Oasis Into a Three-Genre Experiment
DESCRIPTION:Eclectic Electric\, The Forest Room and The Kosmographers Turn Oasis Into a Three-Genre Experiment Saturday\, Sept. 26\, when three very different corners of New England’s independent music scene share the stage at the Oasis Pub in New London. \nCalling this an indie-rock show doesn’t quite explain it. \nThe night moves from the jazz of a Connecticut guitar trio to a one-man collision of electronic beats\, live guitar and custom lighting before reaching the bass-heavy psychedelic rock of a Providence power trio. \nOasis describes the combination as moving through sophisticated jazz grooves\, hypnotic electronic beats and heavy psychedelic rock. \nIn other words\, don’t expect three bands that sound alike. \nEclectic Electric Brings the Heavy End of the Night\nProvidence-based Eclectic Electric has been working the Southern New England underground since 2015. \nThe trio features Thomas McCorry on vocals and bass\, Alyson Hammond on drums and Andrew Labossiere on guitar\, with a sound built around an unusually prominent bass presence and a mix of rock\, soul and psychedelia. \nThere are pieces of different generations in it. \nThe warmth and groove of 1960s and ’70s rock sit alongside the heavier textures of ’90s alternative and stoner rock. Rhode Island music writer Rob Duguay has described the band as bass-driven rock that incorporates heavy metal\, rhythmic elements and alternative-rock influences. \nTheir 2024 single Little Black Cat provides a good example. \nMcCorry said the band approached it with the idea of capturing something in the territory of ZZ Top or Cream. The result is less retro imitation than evidence of where Eclectic Electric’s musical vocabulary comes from. \nThe trio has become a regular presence around Providence’s independent music rooms and has also played the Particle Accelerator Music Festival. In 2025\, Eclectic Electric was nominated in the Rhode Island Music Awards’ alternative-rock category. \nSaturday brings them back to a room they already know. Oasis lists Eclectic Electric among the regional acts that have become regular performers at the New London club. \nThe Forest Room Calls It “Positive Gloom”\nThen there’s The Forest Room\, and this is where the bill takes a sharp turn. \nThe Plainville\, Connecticut project is a one-man band\, combining live acoustic and electric guitar with electronic rhythms\, progressive beats and trip-hop atmosphere. \nThe Forest Room has a name for the resulting sound: “positive gloom.” \nIt’s a pretty effective description. \nInstead of trying to reproduce the sound of a conventional band alone onstage\, the project treats electronics as part of the instrumentation. Guitar moves against programmed and electronic rhythms\, creating music that can be dark and atmospheric without becoming static. \nThe visual presentation is part of it\, too. \nThe Forest Room performs with custom-built vertical light towers\, surrounding the solo setup with changing light and giving the performance a scale that wouldn’t necessarily be expected from one musician. \nThe project has been active around independent venues throughout New England and the Northeast\, taking what is essentially a self-contained audio-visual performance into rooms normally occupied by full bands. \nAt Oasis\, that means the stage can go from a traditional jazz trio to one person surrounded by guitars\, electronics and light. \nAnd then change completely again. \nThe Kosmographers Start From Jazz\nConnecticut’s The Kosmographers occupy another part of the musical map. \nThe trio features Scott Drouin on guitar\, Fred Fagan on bass and Glen Metcalfe on drums\, working in a jazz format built around the interaction between three musicians rather than a large arrangement. \nOasis characterizes their sound as sophisticated and smooth\, but placing a jazz trio on this particular bill makes things more interesting than simply booking them for a conventional jazz night. \nImprovisation is one of the few threads that can connect jazz to the more experimental electronic and psychedelic music surrounding it Saturday. \nThe vocabulary changes. \nThe willingness to see where a piece can go doesn’t necessarily have to. \nThree Acts That Shouldn’t Necessarily Be on the Same Bill\nThat’s what makes this night worth noticing. \nA lot of three-band shows are variations on a theme. If you like the first band’s style\, there’s a good chance the next two are working somewhere nearby. \nSaturday’s lineup works differently. \nThe Kosmographers bring guitar-led jazz. \nThe Forest Room moves into trip-hop\, progressive electronic music and atmospheric guitar. \nEclectic Electric finishes the journey in the heavier territory of psychedelic\, alternative and bass-driven rock. \nIt makes the show less like three separate concerts and more like a progression. \nAnd Oasis is the kind of room where that experiment can work. \nA Small Room Built for New London’s Alternative Side\nThe Oasis Pub at 16 Bank Street has long occupied its own place in New London’s music ecosystem. \nIt’s a 21+ bar rather than a formal concert hall\, with live music sharing the space with the club’s craft beer and drinks program. \nThat intimacy matters for underground music. \nThere isn’t much distance between performers and audience\, and a band doesn’t need to fill hundreds of seats before it makes sense to put it onstage. Rooms like Oasis give regional musicians somewhere to experiment\, build an audience and share bills with acts that don’t necessarily fit neatly into the same genre. \nSaturday night may be a particularly good demonstration of why that matters. \nYou could arrive for jazz and leave having discovered a one-man electronic project. \nYou could show up for psychedelic rock and hear a guitar trio you wouldn’t otherwise encounter. \nOr you could simply let three very different approaches to making music take over the same small stage. \nThe show begins at 9 p.m. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Eclectic Electric with The Kosmographers and The Forest Room\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 9 p.m.\nVenue: The Oasis Pub\nAddress: 16 Bank Street\, New London\, CT 06320\nAge: 21+\nPerformers: Eclectic Electric\, The Kosmographers and The Forest Room\nMusic: Jazz\, electronic\, trip-hop\, psychedelic rock\, alternative rock and rock\nOasis Saturday Hours: 7 p.m.–2 a.m.\nAdmission: A confirmed admission price was not published on the official event page at the time of publication. \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/eclectic-electric-the-forest-room-and-the-kosmographers-turn-oasis-into-a-three-genre-experiment/
LOCATION:Oasis Pub\, 16 Bank Street\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
CATEGORIES:Oasis Pub
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Eclectic-Electric-The-Forest-Room-and-The-Kosmographers-Turn-Oasis-Into-a-Three-Genre-Experiment.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T230000
DTSTAMP:20260926T164442Z
CREATED:20260920T190017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T164442Z
UID:10008475-1790452800-1790463600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Steve Smith & The Nakeds Bring 53 Years of Rhode Island R&B to the Charlestown Rathskeller (cancelled)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event has been cancelled due to the nor’easter.\nSteve Smith & The Nakeds Bring 53 Years of Rhode Island R&B to the Charlestown Rathskeller Saturday\, Sept. 26\, when one of the state’s longest-running bands takes over the Rathskeller’s Down Back stage for three hours of horns\, rock & roll\, soul and rhythm & blues. \nThe 10-piece band performs from 8 to 11 p.m.\, bringing more than half a century of Rhode Island music history to the wooded outdoor venue in Charlestown. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. \nOn the Road Since 1973\nSteve Smith & The Nakeds trace their beginnings to 1973\, when the group started performing as Naked Truth. \nMore than five decades later\, this is still a big band in the literal sense. The current lineup combines a four-piece rhythm section with five horns and Steve Smith on lead vocals and harmonica. \nThat horn section is fundamental to the band’s identity. Saxophones\, trumpet and trombone give the group the punch of classic American soul and R&B rather than the leaner sound of a typical rock cover band. \nOver the years\, The Nakeds have played thousands of shows\, moving from the New England college and club circuit to major stages while building the kind of regional following that allows a band to keep working for more than 50 years. \nThe Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame inducted Steve Smith & The Nakeds in 2013. \nA Connection to the Big Man\nOne particularly notable chapter in the band’s history came through Clarence Clemons. \nBest known as the saxophonist whose larger-than-life presence and sound became inseparable from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band\, Clemons also performed and recorded with Steve Smith & The Nakeds. \nThe relationship went well beyond a one-night guest appearance. Clemons toured with the group when his Springsteen schedule allowed\, while Clemons and E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren contributed material to the Nakeds’ Never Say Never album. \nIt became one of several connections between a homegrown Rhode Island band and a much larger national music world. \n“I’m Huge” Finds a Second Life\nThe band’s longevity has also produced some unexpected twists. \nSteve Smith & The Nakeds recorded the tongue-in-cheek original “I’m Huge (And The Babes Go Wild)” years before the song suddenly reached an entirely new audience when it appeared on Family Guy in 2008. \nThe exposure revived interest in the song and helped introduce a band formed in the early 1970s to listeners who weren’t alive for much of its original run. \nThe Nakeds’ music has also appeared in movies\, while the band’s career has included national television appearances and performances ranging from local clubs and festivals to an appearance with President Bill Clinton. \nBut the center of the operation has remained New England and live performance. \nDown Back at the Rathskeller\nSaturday’s setting fits that tradition particularly well. \nThe Charlestown Rathskeller’s Down Back area takes the music outside\, surrounded by the trees and grounds behind the historic tavern. Instead of a formal theater show\, this is a Saturday night built around dinner\, drinks and three hours of live music. \nThe Rathskeller encourages concertgoers to arrive early for food and drinks before heading Down Back for the 8 p.m. performance. \nAnd while a 53-year history gives Steve Smith & The Nakeds plenty of material for nostalgia\, the band isn’t being resurrected for an anniversary tour. \nThey’re still doing what they’ve been doing since 1973: putting a large horn section behind rhythm & blues\, soul and rock & roll and taking it to a live audience. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Steve Smith & The Nakeds at the Charlestown Rathskeller\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 8–11 p.m.\nVenue: Charlestown Rathskeller — Down Back\nAddress: 489A Old Coach Road\, Charlestown\, RI 02813\nMusic: R&B\, soul and rock & roll\nAdvance Admission: $10 plus applicable ticketing fees\nAt the Door: $15\nFood & Drinks: Available at the Rathskeller; arriving early for dinner and drinks is encouraged. \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/steve-smith-the-nakeds-bring-53-years-of-rhode-island-rb-to-the-charlestown-rathskeller/
LOCATION:Rathskeller\, 489A Old Coach Rd\, Charlestown\, RI\, 02813\, United States
CATEGORIES:Rathskeller
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Steve-Smith-and-The-Nakeds-Bring-53-Years-of-Rhode-Island-R-and-B-to-the-Charlestown-Rathskeller.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T220000
DTSTAMP:20260926T164323Z
CREATED:20260924T200916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T164323Z
UID:10008610-1790452800-1790460000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:I Petty the Fool Brings Tom Petty’s American Rock Songbook to Sneekers (cancelled)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event was cancelled due to the nor’easter.\nI Petty the Fool Brings Tom Petty’s American Rock Songbook to Sneekers. Saturday night\, the Connecticut tribute band takes over the longtime Groton music room for an 8 p.m. show built around one of rock’s most enduring catalogs. \nThe Sept. 26 performance brings I Petty the Fool back to southeastern Connecticut after a busy year that has included appearances around Connecticut and Rhode Island. Current regional music listings confirm the Saturday show at Sneekers Cafe. \nFor anyone who knows Tom Petty only from a handful of radio staples\, there’s considerably more material for a tribute band to explore. \nPetty’s career with the Heartbreakers stretched across four decades\, while his work with the Traveling Wilburys and his solo albums added another layer to a catalog that moved comfortably between rock\, folk\, country and the jangling guitar sound associated with his Florida roots. \nI Petty the Fool has built an entire show around it. \nMore Than Free Fallin’\nThe Connecticut-based group bills itself as a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute and has become a regular presence on the New England circuit. Other venues hosting the band describe its approach as faithful to the records rather than a loose reinterpretation of Petty’s music. \nThat leaves them with an unusually deep songbook. \nThere’s the early Heartbreakers period that produced Breakdown and American Girl. The band’s commercial peak brought Refugee\, Don’t Do Me Like That and The Waiting. Petty’s enormously successful solo period added Free Fallin’\, I Won’t Back Down and Runnin’ Down a Dream\, while the later years produced songs including Learning to Fly\, Mary Jane’s Last Dance and You Don’t Know How It Feels. \nWhat ties much of it together is Petty’s economy as a songwriter. \nThe songs rarely depend on elaborate arrangements. Instead\, Petty and the Heartbreakers built them from memorable guitar parts\, choruses that arrive quickly and lyrics that could communicate defiance\, disappointment or freedom without overexplaining any of them. \nThat simplicity is deceptive. \nA convincing Tom Petty tribute has to reproduce not only recognizable melodies but the interplay that made the Heartbreakers sound like the Heartbreakers in the first place. \nI Petty the Fool has been taking that approach around the region throughout 2026. The band played the North Stonington Agricultural Fair in July\, while other recent bookings have included New Park Brewing in West Hartford and the Charlestown Rathskeller in Rhode Island. \nA Neighborhood Music Room Since 1984\nSaturday’s setting is considerably more intimate. \nSneekers Cafe has occupied 568 Poquonnock Road in Groton since 1984\, combining a neighborhood restaurant and bar with a long-running schedule of live music. The venue describes itself simply as offering “great food & live music since 1984.” \nThat longevity matters. \nRather than a theater-style tribute show where the audience sits at a distance from the stage\, Sneekers puts the band into the kind of neighborhood bar setting where much of this music has lived for decades. \nAnd Tom Petty’s songs are particularly well suited to it. \nThey’ve survived changing formats\, changing generations and changing definitions of rock music largely because so many of them work in exactly this environment: a band\, a room full of people and choruses almost everyone already knows. \nOn Saturday night\, I Petty the Fool gets an entire evening to work through them. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: I Petty the Fool: Tom Petty Tribute\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 8 p.m.\nVenue: Sneekers Cafe\nAddress: 568 Poquonnock Road\, Groton\, CT 06340\nMusic: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute\nPhone: 860-445-1967 \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/i-petty-the-fool-brings-tom-pettys-american-rock-songbook-to-sneekers/
LOCATION:Sneekers Cafe\, 568 Poquonnock Road\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Sneekers Cafe
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/I-Petty-the-Fool-Brings-Tom-Pettys-American-Rock-Songbook-to-Sneekers.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T220000
DTSTAMP:20260928T002153Z
CREATED:20260920T191833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260928T002153Z
UID:10008476-1790452800-1790460000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Magic Rocks Brings Illusionist Leon Etienne’s Rock-and-Roll Magic Show to the Garde
DESCRIPTION:Magic Rocks Brings Illusionist Leon Etienne’s Rock-and-Roll Magic Show to the Garde on Saturday\, Sept. 26\, combining large-scale illusions\, sleight of hand\, and comedy with the pace and attitude of a rock concert. \nEtienne brings his touring Magic Rocks! production to New London for an 8 p.m. performance at the Garde Arts Center. The family-friendly show runs roughly two hours and is designed less like a traditional magician standing behind a table and more like a theatrical spectacle built around music\, lighting and high-energy stage illusions. \nMagic With the Volume Turned Up\nLeon Etienne calls himself “America’s Rock Illusionist\,” and the description fits the approach he has taken to modernizing the traditional magic show. \nMagic Rocks! mixes close-up skills and sleight of hand with much larger theatrical illusions\, comedy and a rock-and-roll presentation. Rather than slowing the evening down to demonstrate individual tricks\, Etienne builds the show around speed\, surprise and spectacle. \nIt is an approach that has taken him considerably farther than the touring theater circuit. \nEtienne has performed at Radio City Music Hall and appeared internationally in countries including England\, Ireland\, France\, China and Australia. His career has also included performances at casinos and entertainment venues around the world. \nFrom America’s Got Talent to Penn & Teller\nTelevision brought Etienne’s magic to an even larger audience. \nHe has appeared on America’s Got Talent\, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon\, Masters of Illusion and Penn & Teller: Fool Us. \nThose appearances are particularly suited to Etienne’s style. Television magic has to move quickly\, establish the premise of an illusion almost immediately and deliver a payoff before an audience has time to lose interest. That same rapid-fire approach carries into Magic Rocks!. \nBut the touring show gives him something television can’t: a full stage. \nThat allows the performance to move between smaller demonstrations of sleight of hand and the grand illusions that have become a signature of the production. \nA Family Show Without the Kiddie-Show Treatment\nThe Garde is presenting Magic Rocks! as an all-ages\, family-friendly performance\, but this isn’t being packaged solely as children’s entertainment. \nThat’s an important distinction. \nThe production is built to work for children seeing theatrical magic for the first time while still delivering the larger illusions\, humor and showmanship expected by adults. The result is one of the relatively uncommon Saturday-night theater events that can work for multiple generations without being specifically aimed at young children. \nThe historic Garde should also provide an appropriately theatrical setting. The State Street venue originally opened in 1926 and celebrates its centennial this year\, giving Etienne a nearly century-old movie palace-sized stage for a show deliberately built around spectacle. \nA Touring Show With a Long Reach\nNew London is one stop on an extensive Magic Rocks! tour. \nEtienne performs in Natick\, Massachusetts\, the night before his Garde appearance\, followed by dates in Ohio\, Illinois\, Wisconsin\, California\, New York\, Florida and Canada into 2027. \nThat touring history helps explain the scale of the production coming to New London. This isn’t a locally assembled magic program or a collection of individual tricks brought together for one appearance. Magic Rocks! is Etienne’s established touring stage show\, developed for theaters and large entertainment venues. \nOn Saturday night\, the next one happens to be downtown New London. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Magic Rocks! — Illusionist Leon Etienne\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 8 p.m.\nVenue: Garde Arts Center\nAddress: 325 State Street\, New London\, CT 06320\nRunning Time: Approximately two hours\nAdmission: $39–$79 plus applicable fees\nAudience: Family-friendly/all ages\nShow: Grand illusions\, sleight of hand\, comedy and rock-and-roll-style theatrical production \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/magic-rocks-brings-illusionist-leon-etiennes-rock-and-roll-magic-show-to-the-garde/
LOCATION:Garde Arts Center\, 325 State Street\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
CATEGORIES:Garde Arts Center
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Magic-Rocks-Brings-Illusionist-Leon-Etiennes-Rock-and-Roll-Magic-Show-to-the-Garde.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T230000
DTSTAMP:20260528T144458Z
CREATED:20260528T144458Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260528T144458Z
UID:10002632-1790451000-1790463600@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/2026-09-26/
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T220000
DTSTAMP:20260924T191549Z
CREATED:20260924T191549Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T191549Z
UID:10008608-1790451000-1790460000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Franklin Brothers Turn The Social Into a Two-Night Steely Dan and ’70s Soul Showcase
DESCRIPTION:The Franklin Brothers Turn The Social Into a Two-Night Steely Dan and ’70s Soul Showcase Friday and Saturday\, Sept. 25–26\, when the New London-based 10-piece brings its horns\, harmonies\, and deep catalog back to Bank Street for consecutive 7:30 p.m. performances. \nThis isn’t a stripped-down bar band squeezing Steely Dan songs into a corner. \nThe Franklin Brothers Band travels with keyboards\, guitars\, bass\, drums\, percussion\, multiple vocalists\, and a four-piece horn section\, giving it the personnel needed to tackle music famous for being difficult to reproduce outside a recording studio. \nAnd while Steely Dan has become the band’s calling card\, it isn’t the whole show. \nThe Franklin Brothers mix those songs with ’70s soul and funk\, contemporary material and their own original music\, making the two-night stand considerably broader than a conventional tribute concert. \nThey Didn’t Set Out to Become a Steely Dan Band\nBrothers Carl and Jay Franklin formed the Franklin Brothers Band in New London in 2013. \nJay handles keyboards and vocals\, while Carl plays guitar and sings. \nInitially\, Steely Dan wasn’t the plan. \nThe brothers were writing and performing their own horn-driven material\, drawing from jazz\, soul\, funk and sophisticated pop. But as Steely Dan songs began working their way into the repertoire\, something became obvious. \nAudiences wanted more of them. \nCarl Franklin has explained that the band noticed more people came to shows when they advertised the Steely Dan material. Around 2017\, Strange Brew Pub owner Jason Wallace suggested going further and devoting an entire night to it. \nThere was one problem. \nThey needed roughly seven more Steely Dan songs to fill out the set. \nThe musicians learned them\, packed the room and discovered a direction for the band that has lasted ever since. \nToday\, the Franklin Brothers describe themselves as Southern New England’s premier Steely Dan tribute band\, while deliberately maintaining the soul\, funk\, rock and original music that came before it. \nTen Musicians for Music That Demands Them\nThere’s a reason Steely Dan attracts musicians. \nDonald Fagen and Walter Becker built records around unusually sophisticated chord changes\, jazz-influenced harmonies and meticulous studio arrangements. Their albums became famous for assembling exceptional session players and demanding performances precise enough to survive Becker and Fagen’s notoriously exacting standards. \nReproducing that music live takes more than knowing the chords to Reelin’ in the Years. \nThe Franklin Brothers’ current lineup gives them considerable firepower. \nAlongside Carl and Jay are Nichelle Rollins on lead and backing vocals\, Kevin Carey on bass\, Tom DeFaria on drums and Big Al Daniels on percussion. \nThen comes the horn section: Dave Cafro on trumpet\, Rob Funk on trombone\, Gary Boigon on tenor and baritone saxophones and Mike King on alto saxophone. \nThat’s ten musicians. \nIt allows the band to dig much deeper into the Steely Dan catalog than the obvious radio songs. \nIts repertoire includes Peg\, Deacon Blues\, Black Cow\, My Old School\, Aja\, Home at Last\, Josie\, Dirty Work\, Dr. Wu\, Gaucho\, Babylon Sisters\, Green Earrings\, Don’t Take Me Alive and The Caves of Altamira. \nFor Steely Dan listeners\, that’s a set list that reaches well beyond greatest-hits territory. \nThen the Band Leaves Steely Dan Behind\nThe other half of the Franklin Brothers identity may be even more revealing. \nTheir non-Steely repertoire includes music associated with Stevie Wonder\, Tower of Power\, Labelle\, Dusty Springfield\, Average White Band\, The Beatles and B.B. King\, among others. \nSongs the band has performed include Lady Marmalade\, Pick Up the Pieces\, Son of a Preacher Man\, Ain’t Nobody\, What Is Hip?\, Superstition\, I Wish\, Drive My Car and The Thrill Is Gone. \nThat explains the horns. \nIt also explains why the poster advertises “Steely Dan\, ’70s Soul & More” rather than simply calling this a tribute show. \nThe connective tissue is groove. \nThe band’s own recordings follow the same philosophy. \nThe Franklin Brothers’ second album\, Lifeboat to Nowhere\, includes songs such as New London Blues\, I’ve Been to the Waters\, State Street Jam and She Won. Carl Franklin’s solo album Been a While even includes jazz guitarist John Scofield on Chain Reaction. \nThe New London connection isn’t decorative\, either. It’s embedded in the music. \nThe Band Came Together Because of a Friend\nThere’s a more personal story behind the current version of the group. \nCarl Franklin traces its real beginning to 2015 and a childhood friend named John Boyle\, who was terminally ill. \nBoyle wanted the brothers to assemble an exceptional band to play his wedding and gave them enough money to hire some of the area’s best musicians. They bought and wrote arrangements\, brought together the larger lineup and began rehearsing. \nBoyle never made it to the wedding. \nInstead\, the musicians performed at his celebration of life on the same date. \nThe group stayed together. \nThe horn players discovered they had a band capable of tackling music they’d long wanted to perform\, the repertoire kept expanding\, and eventually those Steely Dan arrangements helped turn the Franklin Brothers into one of southeastern Connecticut’s larger and more recognizable ensembles. \nMore than a decade later\, they’re still playing together. \nTwo Nights Back Home in New London\nFor this weekend\, the band doesn’t have to travel far. \nThe Social Bar + Kitchen sits at 208 Bank Street in downtown New London\, and the venue has made the Franklin Brothers a full weekend booking rather than a single-night appearance. \nThe Social is promoting Friday as Night 1 and Saturday as Night 2\, with music beginning at 7:30 p.m. both evenings. The band’s own schedule lists a $15 cover and says reservations are required for a table. \nThat last part is worth paying attention to. \nA 10-piece band takes up considerably more room than the average trio or quartet\, and this is music that attracts listeners who may actually want to sit down and hear the arrangements rather than simply encounter background music over dinner. \nTwo nights gives them another option. \nIf Friday fills up\, there’s Saturday. \nAnd if you’re the kind of Steely Dan fan who knows the difference between Peg and Dr. Wu\, there may be an argument for both. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: A Weekend With The Franklin Brothers\nDates: Friday\, Sept. 25 and Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 7:30 p.m. both nights\nVenue: The Social Bar + Kitchen\nAddress: 208 Bank Street\, New London\, CT 06320\nAdmission: $15 cover\nReservations: Required for a table according to the band’s current schedule\nMusic: Steely Dan\, ’70s soul\, funk\, rock\, contemporary covers and originals\nBand: 10-piece ensemble with vocals\, keyboards\, guitars\, bass\, drums\, percussion and four-piece horn section\nPhone: 860-442-6900 \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/the-franklin-brothers-turn-the-social-into-a-two-night-steely-dan-and-70s-soul-showcase/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:The Social Bar + Kitchen\, 208 Bank Street\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Franklin-Brothers-Turn-The-Social-Into-a-Two-Night-Steely-Dan-and-70s-Soul-Showcase.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T213000
DTSTAMP:20260926T162825Z
CREATED:20260920T194125Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T162825Z
UID:10008477-1790451000-1790458200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Billy Gilman Celebrates 25 Years of Music With a Home-State Show at the UNITED (postponed)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event was postponed due to the nor’easter.\nBilly Gilman Celebrates 25 Years of Music With a Home-State Show at the UNITED Saturday\, Sept. 26\, bringing the Rhode Island singer back to Westerly for an anniversary concert that looks back at one of the more unusual careers in modern country music. \n25 Years of Hits & Showstoppers begins at 7:30 p.m. in the UNITED’s Black Box Auditorium. The fully seated\, all-ages performance will mix songs from Gilman’s career with classics\, covers\, and stories from a musical journey that began when he became nationally famous before he was even a teenager. \nFor this particular anniversary show\, the location matters. Gilman was born in Westerly and grew up in nearby Hope Valley. Twenty-five years after his childhood career put a Rhode Island kid on country radio across America\, he’s returning home to celebrate the music that followed. \nWhen “One Voice” Changed Everything\nGilman’s career exploded in 2000 with “One Voice.” \nHe was only 11 when the song became a major country hit\, making him the youngest solo performer at the time to reach Billboard’s country charts. The song also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100. \nHis debut album\, also titled One Voice\, followed and became a major commercial success. Suddenly\, a child from Rhode Island was sharing the country music conversation with established Nashville stars. \nThen came the Grammys. \n“One Voice” earned Gilman a nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 43rd Grammy Awards\, putting the 12-year-old singer in a category alongside adult country performers. The songwriters also received a nomination for Best Country Song. \nGilman went on to release Classic Christmas\, Dare to Dream and Music Through Heartsongs during a remarkably compressed period of childhood fame. \nWhat Happens When a Child Singer Grows Up?\nGilman’s story became more complicated as he got older. \nThe voice that had made him famous as a child inevitably changed during adolescence. For most singers\, that’s an ordinary part of growing up. For Gilman\, his career had been built around a voice millions of people already knew. \nHis recording career slowed considerably. \nThat could easily have been the end of the story: a former child star remembered primarily for one extraordinary period at the beginning of the 2000s. \nInstead\, Gilman eventually found another national stage. \nA Second Introduction on The Voice\nIn 2016\, Gilman auditioned for Season 11 of NBC’s The Voice. \nThis time\, audiences weren’t meeting an 11-year-old country prodigy. They were hearing an adult singer essentially asking to be judged again. \nHis blind audition of Adele’s “When We Were Young” turned all four coaches’ chairs. Gilman chose Adam Levine’s team and ultimately made it all the way to the season finale\, finishing as runner-up. \nThe appearance reintroduced him to a national audience more than 15 years after “One Voice\,” while also allowing him to move beyond the expectations attached to his childhood sound. \nThat arc gives the title 25 Years of Hits & Showstoppers more weight than a standard anniversary concert. It’s a career that has effectively contained two introductions to the American public. \nComing Home to Westerly\nNow 38\, Gilman returns to the town where he was born for a show built around that entire journey. \nThe UNITED describes the concert as a combination of familiar songs\, heartfelt classics and powerful covers reimagined in Gilman’s current style\, with storytelling connecting different periods of his career. \nThe setting should make this one particularly intimate. \nRather than the UNITED’s larger configurations\, the concert is a fully seated performance in the Black Box Auditorium\, with reserved seating selected when tickets are purchased. \nDoors open at 6:30 p.m.\, with the show beginning at 7:30. Tickets are $35 with fees included. \nFor longtime Rhode Island fans\, there is an obvious full-circle element to the night. The kid from Hope Valley who became a national country star at 11\, disappeared from the center of the industry as his voice changed\, and then sang his way back onto national television as an adult is celebrating the anniversary close to where the whole thing started. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Billy Gilman: 25 Years of Hits & Showstoppers\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nDoors: 6:30 p.m.\nShow: 7:30 p.m.\nVenue: UNITED Black Box Auditorium\nAddress: 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nAdmission: $35\, fees included\nSeating: Fully seated show; seating location is selected when purchasing tickets\nAge: All ages\nAccessibility: The UNITED is wheelchair accessible and recommends contacting the box office before purchasing tickets to discuss the best location for accessible seating.\nTicket Policy: Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. \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/billy-gilman-celebrates-25-years-of-music-with-a-home-state-show-at-the-united/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Billy-Gilman-Celebrates-25-Years-of-Music-With-a-Home-State-Show-at-the-UNITED.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T220000
DTSTAMP:20260926T163648Z
CREATED:20260921T013641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T163648Z
UID:10008485-1790445600-1790460000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Florence Griswold Museum’s 44th Benefit Auction Recreates the World of the Lyme Art Colony (moved)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: The benefit auction has been moved to Sunday September 27 from 4 pm to 8 pm due to the nor’easter.\nFlorence Griswold Museum’s 44th Benefit Auction Recreates the World of the Lyme Art Colony Saturday\, Sept. 26\, transforming the Old Lyme museum grounds into an evening inspired by the artists who gathered there more than a century ago. \nRunning from 6 to 10 p.m.\, this year’s annual fundraiser is built around the light\, landscape\, and creative energy that helped turn Florence Griswold’s boardinghouse into the center of one of America’s most significant art colonies. \nRather than holding a conventional gala with assigned tables and a formal dinner\, the Museum is taking a more immersive approach. Guests will move through the property for cocktails\, food stations\, and hors d’oeuvres while artists work\, auctions unfold\, and the historic grounds become part of the evening. \nArtistic and creative attire is encouraged. Black tie is optional. \nThe Place Where American Impressionists Came to Stay\nThe theme has unusually deep ties to the property hosting the party. \nAt the turn of the 20th century\, artists began arriving at Florence Griswold’s home in Old Lyme\, attracted by the Connecticut landscape and the opportunity to work alongside other painters. \nThe arrival of Henry Ward Ranger in 1899 helped establish what became known as the Lyme Art Colony. Other artists followed\, including Childe Hassam\, Willard Metcalf\, Matilda Browne and William Chadwick. \nMany stayed as boarders in Florence Griswold’s house. \nWhat developed was part boardinghouse\, part artists’ clubhouse and part creative experiment. Painters worked outdoors during the day\, then returned to the house for meals and evenings together. \nThey also left their work behind in an extraordinary way. \nArtists painted directly onto doors and wall panels inside the house\, creating an informal collection that remains there today. Instead of encountering the Lyme Art Colony only through paintings hanging in a modern gallery\, visitors can enter the rooms where its members ate\, talked and lived. \nSaturday night’s benefit takes that history as its starting point. \nArtists Creating Art While the Party Unfolds\nThe Museum describes the evening as an opportunity to experience artists creating their own masterpieces while guests circulate through the event. \nThat connects the fundraiser to one of the defining features of the original Lyme Art Colony: art wasn’t isolated from everyday life on the property. \nPainters worked throughout the surrounding landscape\, capturing the Lieutenant River\, gardens\, fields\, trees and changing New England light. The Museum grounds still preserve much of the relationship between art and landscape that attracted them. \nThe 13-acre campus now includes the historic Florence Griswold House\, the Robert and Nancy Krieble Gallery\, gardens and the half-mile Robert F. Schumann Artists’ Trail. \nOn Sept. 26\, those surroundings become more than scenery for a fundraiser. They’re part of the theme. \nNo Sit-Down Dinner This Year\nThe Museum is deliberately moving away from the traditional gala dinner format. \nInstead of spending much of the evening at a table\, guests will find hors d’oeuvres\, food stations and cocktails distributed throughout the event\, encouraging people to explore and socialize. \nFood comes from Gourmet Galley\, the catering team behind the Museum’s seasonal Café Flo. \nVegetarian and gluten-free options will be available. \nIt’s a format that makes particular sense on this property. Café Flo normally overlooks the Lieutenant River\, the Museum grounds stretch well beyond the galleries and the historic house itself is central to the story being celebrated. \nThe evening is intended to use that setting rather than confine the benefit to a ballroom. \nHow the Evening Unfolds\nThe benefit is structured to keep guests moving rather than settling in for a traditional gala dinner. \nFrom 6 to 10 p.m.\, cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening. The first two hours also give guests time to explore the silent auction and watch demonstrations by artists working during the party. \nAt 8 p.m.\, the silent auction closes and guests gather beneath the tent for a champagne toast. The live auction begins at 8:30 p.m. \nThen the evening shifts from bidding to music. From 9 to 10 p.m.\, a live jazz and funk quartet performs\, leading into what the Museum is billing as a grand finale under the stars. \nThe Silent Auction Starts Before the Party\nGuests don’t have to wait until Sept. 26 to start bidding\, and they don’t have to attend the benefit to participate. \nThe Museum’s online silent auction opens Monday\, Sept. 14 at 8 a.m. and continues until 8 p.m. on Sept. 26\, when bidding closes during the benefit. \nThe auction is built around what the Museum describes as rare experiences\, art and objects of beauty that aren’t easily found elsewhere. Offerings include exceptional works of art\, décor\, experiences and travel. \nAn early preview begins Sept. 8\, giving bidders nearly a week to look through the offerings before online bidding officially opens. \nEvery silent-auction bid is placed online\, including bids from guests attending the benefit in person. That also means supporters can participate from home and still win without ever setting foot at the party. \nSilent Auction Preview: Begins Sept. 8\nOnline Bidding Opens: Sept. 14 at 8 a.m.\nOnline Bidding Closes: Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.\nAttendance Required to Bid: No\nOnline Bidding: FloGrisAuction.GiveSmart.com \nThe Auction Extends Beyond Old Lyme\nThe benefit has been held every September for more than four decades\, but bidding isn’t limited to the people attending Saturday night’s event. \nAn accompanying online silent auction is open to bidders from anywhere\, with hundreds of items spanning art\, home décor\, jewelry\, travel and experiences. \nA live auction will also take place during the benefit. \nThat makes the auction itself substantially larger than the four-hour party in Old Lyme\, while allowing supporters who aren’t attending the benefit to participate. \nWhere the Money Goes\nThe evening is one of the Museum’s major annual fundraisers. \nProceeds directly support the Florence Griswold Museum’s education and outreach programs\, extending the impact of the auction beyond exhibitions and preservation of the historic property. \nThat’s particularly fitting for an institution built around the idea that art should be experienced rather than simply stored. \nToday\, the Museum combines the historic house and its Lyme Art Colony collection with changing exhibitions\, family programming\, classes\, public events and educational activities. \nFor one September night\, though\, the focus returns to the people who first made the property famous and the environment they found when they arrived in Old Lyme: artists gathering together\, food and conversation flowing and somebody nearby working on the next painting. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 44th Annual Florence Griswold Museum Benefit Auction\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 6–10 p.m.\nVenue: Florence Griswold Museum\nAddress: 96 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, CT 06371\nFormat: Indoor/outdoor benefit evening with food\, cocktails\, artists\, live auction and online silent auction\nFood: Hors d’oeuvres and food stations by Gourmet Galley\nDietary Options: Vegetarian and gluten-free options available\nAuctions: Live auction during the event plus an online silent auction with hundreds of items\nAttire: Artistic and creative attire encouraged; black tie optional\nBeneficiary: Florence Griswold Museum education and outreach programs\nNote: Café Flo is closed Sept. 26 for the Museum event \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/florence-griswold-museums-44th-benefit-auction-recreates-the-world-of-the-lyme-art-colony/
LOCATION:Florence Griswold Museum\, 96 Lyme Street\, Old Lyme\, 06371\, United States
CATEGORIES:Florence Griswold Museum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Florence-Griswold-Museums-44th-Benefit-Auction-Recreates-the-World-of-the-Lyme-Art-Colony.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T193000
DTSTAMP:20260926T163153Z
CREATED:20260924T152152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T163153Z
UID:10008599-1790445600-1790451000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Paint Night With Lana Gunn Turns Coastal Rhode Island Into a Canvas (postponed)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event was postponed due to the nor’easter.\nPaint Night With Lana Gunn Turns Coastal Rhode Island Into a Canvas Saturday\, Sept. 26\, as a Westerly artist whose work is inspired by shorelines\, dunes\, and quiet natural spaces leads a 90-minute painting workshop at Coastal Town Collective. \nThe 6 to 7:30 p.m. class is designed as a guided paint night rather than an open studio session. Gunn will lead participants through creating a coastal landscape\, with all painting supplies included in registration. No shopping list\, brushes\, or half-used tubes of paint need to come from home. \nAnd the subject is particularly appropriate for the artist teaching it. \nLana Gunn Paints the Coast as a Place to Slow Down\nGunn’s work is rooted heavily in nature\, particularly the landscapes and seascapes of coastal Rhode Island. \nHer paintings often begin with things encountered on walks: coastal paths\, rocky shorelines\, wildflowers\, dunes and water. She describes her approach as blending soft realism with impressionistic color\, using gentle blues\, creams\, blushes and sunlit greens to create landscapes that feel recognizable without functioning like photographic reproductions. \nThere’s a purpose behind that softness. \nGunn describes her paintings as an attempt to capture the stillness people can experience in nature\, particularly those moments when the noise of everything else seems to drop away. \nFor Saturday’s class\, participants get to try that process themselves. \nAn Artist Who Also Learned How to Teach Art\nThere’s another piece of Gunn’s background that matters for a paint night. \nShe isn’t simply an artist demonstrating her own technique. \nGunn is a 2019 graduate of Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts and later earned a Master of Arts in Art + Design Education from Rhode Island School of Design. \nHer work has included drawing and painting plants\, animals\, landscapes and the human figure\, but education has remained part of her practice. \nEarlier paint nights with Gunn have emphasized creativity and expression rather than trying to reproduce an instructor’s painting with mechanical precision. Her teaching has focused on guiding participants through the process while leaving room for individual choices. \nThat distinction can make an art workshop considerably less intimidating for someone who hasn’t held a paintbrush since school. \nThe goal isn’t to discover whether you can paint exactly like Lana Gunn. \nIt’s to discover what your version of the landscape looks like. \nWhy Coastal Landscapes Are a Good Place to Begin\nLandscape painting offers beginners an unusually forgiving way into art. \nA face can look noticeably wrong if an eye moves half an inch. \nA shoreline doesn’t have that problem. \nClouds can change shape. Waves don’t have to match. Grass can lean in different directions. Colors can become warmer or cooler depending on the painter. \nEven two people following the same instructor can finish with paintings that feel completely different. \nGunn’s own combination of realism and impressionistic color provides plenty of room for that variation. \nThe recognizable structure of a coast gives painters something to follow\, while water\, sky\, vegetation and changing light allow them to experiment with color and brushwork. \nAnd when the 90 minutes are finished\, the painting goes home with its creator. \nCoastal Town Collective Was Built for Exactly This Kind of Night\nThe setting is part of the story\, too. \nCoastal Town Collective occupies 2 Broad Street in downtown Westerly and describes itself as both an artists’ shop and creative space. \nRather than operating strictly as a gallery\, the Collective brings work from multiple local makers into one storefront while also hosting hands-on workshops. \nIts shelves and displays have featured locally produced artwork\, woodworking\, candles\, jewelry\, soap and other artisan goods. Gunn’s artwork has also been among the work carried by the shop. \nThe Collective has increasingly used workshops to make the relationship between shopper and maker more participatory. \nRecent programming has included sea-glass canvas workshops and small painting projects alongside the work available for purchase. \nSaturday takes that idea further. \nInstead of buying a coastal painting from a local artist\, participants spend an evening with one learning how to create their own. \nPart of a Growing Downtown Arts Community\nThe location also places the workshop inside Westerly’s increasingly interconnected arts scene. \nCoastal Town Collective participates in the Westerly Arts Crawl\, the monthly downtown event connecting galleries\, working studios\, shops\, restaurants and other businesses displaying art. \nThat network stretches through a compact downtown where visual art\, theater and live music increasingly overlap. \nFor a small workshop\, that’s useful context. \nPaint Night isn’t taking place in an isolated classroom. \nIt’s happening inside a store devoted to regional makers\, in a downtown where artists are increasingly sharing walls\, storefronts and audiences. \nFor 90 minutes Saturday evening\, one of those storefronts becomes the studio. \nAnd nobody needs to arrive already knowing how to paint the ocean. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Paint Night With Lana Gunn Art\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 6–7:30 p.m.\nLength: 90 minutes\nLocation: Coastal Town Collective\nAddress: 2 Broad St.\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nInstructor: Lana Gunn\nProject: Guided painting of a coastal landscape\nSupplies: All painting supplies are included\nRegistration: Required\nTicket Price: Approximately $50 including listed Eventbrite fees\nRefunds: Available up to seven days before the event\nVenue: Local artist shop and creative workshop space in downtown Westerly \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/paint-night-with-lana-gunn-turns-coastal-rhode-island-into-a-canvas/
LOCATION:Coastal Town Collective\, 2 Broad Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Coastal Town Collective
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paint-Night-With-Lana-Gunn-Turns-Coastal-Rhode-Island-Into-a-Canvas.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T193000
DTSTAMP:20260926T172649Z
CREATED:20260926T172649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260926T172649Z
UID:10008479-1790443800-1790451000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Full Moon Sunset Sail Pairs Two of Mystic’s Best Views Aboard the ARGIA (sold out)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event has sold out.\nFull Moon Sunset Sail Pairs Two of Mystic’s Best Views Aboard the ARGIA Sept. 25 and 26\, timing a two-hour evening sail so passengers can watch the sun disappear in the west as the full moon rises over the water. \nThe special sail aboard Mystic’s familiar two-masted schooner departs Steamboat Wharf at 5:30 p.m.\, just as the late-September light begins changing over the Mystic River and Fishers Island Sound. \nUnlike a standard sunset cruise\, the timing gives passengers two celestial events to watch from the deck: the colors of sunset spreading across one side of the sky and the full moon climbing into view from the other. \nPassengers are welcome to bring a picnic and a bottle of wine and settle in for the evening. \nSunset in One Direction\, Moonrise in the Other\nThere’s a reason the timing of this sail matters. \nA full moon rises near the time the sun sets because the moon is positioned on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. That means passengers can look toward the fading western sky for sunset\, then turn toward the eastern horizon for the moonrise. \nOut on the water\, there’s also considerably less in the way. \nBuildings\, trees and other obstructions that can hide a low moon from shore give way to longer views across the river and Sound. As daylight fades\, the moonlight begins reflecting from the water. \nARGIA schedules only a handful of these Full Moon Sunset Sails during its May-to-mid-October sailing season. The September trips are set for Friday and Saturday evenings\, with both departing at 5:30 p.m. \nSailing Mystic on a 19th-Century Rig\nThe setting adds another layer to the evening. \nARGIA isn’t an antique\, but she was built to sail like one. \nThe 81-foot wooden vessel was designed by Capt. Frank Fulchiero and built in 1986. Her rig is based on the working East Coast trading vessels of the 19th century and is properly described as a two-masted gaff topsail schooner. \nHer hull is Honduran mahogany over white oak frames\, with Douglas fir masts\, a cypress bowsprit and long-leaf yellow pine used in her Chesapeake Bay-style bottom planking. \nAbove deck are four sails carrying roughly 1\,500 square feet of sail area. \nThe schooner carries up to 49 passengers\, which keeps the experience considerably smaller than a sightseeing cruise aboard a large excursion vessel. Passengers can move around the wooden deck as the view changes and may even be invited to help the crew hoist and trim the sails. \nFrom the Mystic River to the Sound\nARGIA sails from Steamboat Wharf in downtown Mystic\, close to the Mystic River Bascule Bridge. \nThe beginning of the trip offers a familiar view from an unfamiliar angle as the schooner makes its way along the Mystic River past waterfront homes\, marinas and working docks. \nFarther south\, the river opens toward Fishers Island Sound and the shoreline begins to fall away. \nThat’s where ARGIA can become less of a sightseeing boat and more of a sailing ship. When conditions cooperate\, the crew raises the sails and lets the wind take over. \nFor a September evening trip\, the transition should coincide with the changing light: bright late-afternoon sky giving way to gold\, orange and pink before dusk settles over the water. \nBring Dinner — and a Bottle of Wine\nThe Full Moon Sunset Sail is also one of those events where bringing your own food is part of the experience rather than something you have to sneak aboard. \nGuests may pack a picnic and bring beer or wine. Hard liquor isn’t permitted. \nThat leaves plenty of room to make the two-hour trip into dinner on the water\, whether that means sandwiches and snacks or something more ambitious packed for the occasion. \nAnd unlike ARGIA’s daytime excursions\, sunset sails are limited to passengers age 10 and older. \nThe Friday and Saturday trips are priced differently. The Sept. 25 sail is $85 per person\, while the Sept. 26 sail is $95. \nBy late September\, Mystic’s summer crowds are beginning to thin and darkness arrives noticeably earlier. For two evenings\, ARGIA is using that changing season to its advantage: leaving the village in daylight\, sailing through sunset and returning with a full moon over the water. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Full Moon Sunset Sail aboard ARGIA\nDates: Friday\, Sept. 25 and Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 5:30–7:30 p.m.\nDuration: Two hours\nDeparture: Argia Mystic Cruises\, Steamboat Wharf\nAddress: 12 Steamboat Wharf\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nFriday Admission: $85 per person\nSaturday Admission: $95 per person\nVessel: ARGIA\, an 81-foot two-masted gaff topsail schooner\nCapacity: Up to 49 passengers\nAge: Children younger than 10 are not permitted on sunset sails\nFood: Guests may bring a picnic basket\nAlcohol: Beer and wine may be brought aboard; no hard liquor\nWeather: Sailing conditions and itinerary are subject to weather and conditions on the water\nWhat to Bring: A picnic\, drinks if desired and an extra layer for cooler evening temperatures on the water \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/full-moon-sunset-sail-pairs-two-of-mystics-best-views-aboard-the-argia-3/
LOCATION:Argia Mystic Cruises\, Steamboat Wharf\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Argia Mystic Cruises
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Sail-on-the-Argia-with-Live-Music.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T190000
DTSTAMP:20260922T020953Z
CREATED:20260922T020953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T020953Z
UID:10008490-1790443800-1790449200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Full Harvest Moon Cruise Puts New London’s Waterfront Under the September Moon
DESCRIPTION:Full Harvest Moon Cruise Puts New London’s Waterfront Under the September Moon Sept. 25 and 26\, taking passengers onto the Thames River just as daylight begins fading and one of early autumn’s most recognizable full moons rises over southeastern Connecticut. \nThe one-hour cruise departs New London City Pier at 5:45 p.m.\, timed for that transition when the waterfront begins losing its daylight colors and reflections become more prominent across the river. \nThere is no formal dinner\, no complicated itinerary and no lengthy historical program attached to this one. Guests can pack their own drinks and snacks\, board one of Thames River Heritage Park’s boats and spend an hour on the water. \nThe moon provides the main attraction. \nWhy It’s Called the Harvest Moon\n“Harvest Moon” doesn’t identify one particular month’s full moon. \nInstead\, it is the name traditionally given to the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox. Depending on the year\, that can make it either September’s or October’s full moon. \nThe name has a practical origin. \nAround the autumn equinox\, successive moonrises occur unusually close together in time. Before tractors carried powerful headlights into agricultural fields\, the bright moon rising shortly after sunset provided farmers with additional natural light during one of the busiest periods of the agricultural year. \nThat connection between moonlight and the harvest eventually gave the moon its familiar name. \nThe September full moon is also traditionally called the Corn Moon\, reflecting the time of year when corn and other crops reached harvest. \nThames River Heritage Park combines both names for its September cruise. \nThe Thames Looks Different From the Water\nThe route also puts passengers in the middle of one of Connecticut’s most historically dense waterways. \nNew London and Groton rise on opposite sides of the Thames\, a river corridor shaped by centuries of maritime trade\, military activity and shipbuilding. \nFrom the water\, the landscape includes working waterfronts and naval infrastructure alongside historic sites such as Fort Trumbull and Fort Griswold\, with the river opening toward Long Island Sound. \nThe cruise is operated by Thames River Heritage Park\, an organization that treats the river itself as the connecting corridor between historic and cultural sites on both shores. \nAnd the boats have some history of their own. \nThe Heritage Park uses refurbished former U.S. Navy utility boats that once transported sailors between ships and shore. Their second career now involves carrying visitors through the same river that remains closely associated with the Navy and the region’s submarine industry. \nBring Your Own Drinks and Snacks\nThis is also one of the more informal specialty cruises on the Thames. \nGuests are invited to bring a cooler with their favorite beverages and snacks\, making it possible to turn the hour into a floating picnic. \nAll ages are welcome. \nTickets are $50 for adults 18 and older\, $35 for children ages 4–17 and free for children 3 and younger. \nThe cruise leaves from City Pier at New London Waterfront Park and runs from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. \nThere are departures on both Friday\, Sept. 25 and Saturday\, Sept. 26. \nAn Autumn Cruise With One Uncontrollable Guest\nOf course\, putting the moon at the center of an event comes with one obvious complication. \nThe sky has to cooperate. \nCloud cover can determine whether the moon dominates the evening or remains hidden\, while wind and other marine conditions can affect whether the boat sails at all. \nThames River Heritage Park notes that its evening cruises are weather dependent and advises ticket holders to check its website and social media for the latest schedule information. \nBut even before the moon takes over\, the departure time provides another reason to be on the river. \nAt 5:45 on a late-September evening\, the cruise catches the Thames during the transition toward sunset\, turning what is normally a familiar New London and Groton waterfront into an hour framed by fading daylight\, autumn air and the approaching night. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Full “Corn or Harvest” Moon Cruise\nDates: Friday\, Sept. 25 and Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 5:45–6:45 p.m.\nDeparture: New London City Pier / Waterfront Park\nAddress: 1 Waterfront Park\, New London\, CT 06320\nOperator: Thames River Heritage Park\nAdult Admission (18+): $50\nChildren (4–17): $35\nChildren 3 and Younger: Free\nAge: All ages welcome\nFood & Drinks: Guests may bring a cooler with beverages and snacks\nLength: Approximately one hour\nWeather: Evening cruises are weather dependent; check for schedule updates before departure\nQuestions: 860-333-6706 \nExcerpt: \nMeta Description: \nReference Links\nhttps://business.mysticchamber.org/event-calendar/Details/full-corn-or-harvest-moon-cruise-1913594?sourceTypeId=Website \nhttps://business.mysticchamber.org/ap/Events/Register/wZFlBmGIeCxCw \nhttps://www.thamesriverheritagepark.org/ \nhttps://www.thamesriverheritagepark.org/repeating-harbor-cruises-historic-boat-tours-wrap-up-for-season/ \nhttps://ctvisit.com/events/full-corn-or-harvest-moon-cruise \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/full-harvest-moon-cruise-puts-new-londons-waterfront-under-the-september-moon/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:New London Waterfront Park\, 1 Waterfront Park\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
CATEGORIES:New London Waterfront Park
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T190000
DTSTAMP:20260928T002212Z
CREATED:20260920T202135Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260928T002212Z
UID:10008480-1790440200-1790449200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Museum of Art Celebrates 10 Years as a Museum and More Than a Century of Art in Mystic
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Museum of Art Celebrates 10 Years as a Museum and More Than a Century of Art in Mystic on Saturday\, Sept. 26\, with an evening of free art\, hands-on activities\, refreshments\, and a sunset concert along the Mystic River. \nThe celebration runs from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the museum’s waterfront home on Water Street. It marks a milestone that requires a little explanation: Mystic Museum of Art is turning 10\, but the organization behind it is actually more than a century old. \nFounded by a group of artists in 1913\, it spent generations as the Mystic Art Association and later the Mystic Arts Center before taking the name Mystic Museum of Art in 2016. \nTen years later\, the museum is celebrating that transformation while looking back at roots that stretch to Mystic’s early 20th-century artists. \nFrom an Artists’ Colony to a Museum\nMystic was attracting artists long before the museum existed. \nBy the late 1800s and early 1900s\, painters were being drawn to the southeastern Connecticut shoreline\, where fishing villages\, farms\, boats and changing coastal light provided subject matter for artists working in traditions including Tonalism and American Impressionism. \nIn 1913\, artists including Charles Harold Davis\, Frances Darby Davis\, George Albert Thompson\, Lorinda Dudley\, Dr. G.S.B. Leonard\, Mary Williams Reed Leonard\, Elizabeth Tift Mallory and Rev. Albert Earnshaw came together to establish the organization that eventually became today’s museum. \nTheir ambitions extended beyond simply finding somewhere to hang paintings. \nThe organization envisioned an art museum that would exhibit works of art\, encourage cultural education and historical interest and contribute to the beauty and cultural life of Mystic. \nMore than a century later\, that mission continues from the museum’s location directly beside the Mystic River. \nWhy This Is the 10th Birthday\nThe birthday being celebrated Saturday isn’t the organization’s founding anniversary. \nThe Mystic Art Association evolved into the Mystic Arts Center and\, in 2016\, became the Mystic Museum of Art. \nThat change reflected the institution’s development beyond its earlier identity as an artists’ association. Today\, MMoA combines exhibitions and a permanent collection with studio classes\, workshops\, children’s programs\, lectures and community events. \nIts permanent collection includes more than 250 works\, with particular connections to American Impressionism\, Tonalism and artists associated with Mystic and southeastern Connecticut. \nSo Saturday’s party effectively celebrates the first decade of the museum’s modern identity within an arts organization whose history reaches back 113 years. \nA Fashion Exhibition Opens for Free\nVisitors will also have free access Saturday evening to the museum’s current major exhibition\, Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways. \nThe exhibition examines the history and evolution of textiles in Connecticut\, stretching from the precolonial period through the state’s manufacturing history and into contemporary fashion. \nThe project brings together material from several regional institutions\, including Historic Stonington\, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center and Mystic Seaport Museum\, alongside contemporary fashion from designers including Christian Siriano\, Peter Som\, Toriana Sauro and Xarea Lockhart. \nThe exhibition normally carries a special summer exhibition admission charge\, but admission to Luxe CT will be free from 4:30 to 7 p.m. during the birthday celebration. \nThe show remains at the museum through Oct. 11. \nArtmaking\, Refreshments and a Concert on the River\nThis isn’t being staged as a formal anniversary ceremony. \nMMoA is opening the celebration to all ages\, with hands-on artmaking and refreshments on the museum’s patio overlooking the Mystic River. \nThen\, at 5:30 p.m.\, composer Garth Stevenson will perform a sunset concert on the river. \nThe waterfront setting has long been one of the museum’s distinguishing features. Its galleries and patio sit just south of downtown Mystic\, giving visitors views across the river while remaining within walking distance of the village center. \nFor the birthday celebration\, that setting becomes part of the program itself: galleries indoors\, artmaking and refreshments on the patio\, and live music as evening settles over the Mystic River. \nThe entire celebration is free and open to the public\, although the museum requests RSVPs. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Museum of Art’s 10th Birthday Celebration\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 4:30–7 p.m.\nSunset Concert: Garth Stevenson at 5:30 p.m.\nLocation: Mystic Museum of Art\nAddress: 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free and open to the public\nRSVP: Requested\nActivities: All-ages artmaking\, refreshments on the patio\, exhibition viewing and sunset concert\nExhibition: Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\nExhibition Admission: Free during the celebration from 4:30–7 p.m.\nParking: Parking validations will be provided to MMoA members. \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/mystic-museum-of-art-celebrates-10-years-as-a-museum-and-more-than-a-century-of-art-in-mystic/
LOCATION:Mystic Museum of Art\, 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Museum of Art
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Mystic-Museum-of-Art-Celebrates-10-Years-as-a-Museum-and-More-Than-a-Century-of-Art-in-Mystic.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T190000
DTSTAMP:20260928T002230Z
CREATED:20260920T205604Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260928T002230Z
UID:10008481-1790438400-1790449200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Wine Tasting at Friar Tuck’s Lets Guests Choose the Tavern’s Next Wine List (sold out)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event has sold out.\nWine Tasting at Friar Tuck’s Lets Guests Choose the Tavern’s Next Wine List Saturday\, Sept. 26\, turning an afternoon tasting in downtown Mystic into something of a public audition for the bottles that will make the cut. \nFrom 4 to 7 p.m.\, guests won’t simply work their way through a predetermined flight. Friar Tuck’s is pouring more than 60 wines\, asking participants to taste and score them\, then using those votes to help build the tavern’s new wine menu. \nThat’s considerably more ambitious than the original event announcement\, which advertised more than 30 wines. Friar Tuck’s has since updated the event to say the selection has grown to more than 60. \nAnd the $35 ticket includes a substantial spread of small plates to go with them. \nSixty-Plus Wines\, One New Menu\nThe basic idea is simple: taste\, rate and help decide what Friar Tuck’s should pour in the future. \nThe wines receiving the highest scores in their respective categories will earn spots on the new wine list. \nFor guests\, that turns the tasting into a chance to compare wines side by side rather than ordering a single glass and wondering how it stacks up against everything else on the menu. \nIt can also make wine tasting a little less intimidating. \nThere isn’t necessarily a “correct” answer when deciding whether one bottle deserves a place on a restaurant’s list. Acidity\, tannins\, sweetness\, body\, aroma and finish all matter\, but so does the most straightforward question of all: Would you want another glass? \nOn Saturday\, enough people answering that question the same way could determine what Friar Tuck’s serves next. \nFilet Mignon\, Scallops and Crab Cakes Are Included\nThe food goes well beyond crackers between pours. \nFriar Tuck’s says the ticket includes an assortment of elevated appetizers featuring filet mignon crostini\, pan-seared scallops\, mini crab cakes\, lemongrass ginger chicken satay\, pasta and the tavern’s charcuterie board. \nThat’s worth emphasizing because Friar Tuck’s has earned some recognition for this side of its menu. Connecticut Magazine’s food experts included the Mystic tavern among the state’s notable restaurants for appetizers in its 2025 restaurant selections. \nThe regular menu reflects the pub’s British and Irish identity with dishes such as Ploughman’s Lunch\, fish and chips and other tavern fare\, but Saturday’s tasting menu moves in a different direction\, using small plates that can work across a range of red and white wines. \nThat gives guests another variable to play with. A wine tasted by itself can land very differently once it’s paired with beef\, seafood\, cheese or something carrying ginger and lemongrass. \nA Different Kind of Night at Friar Tuck’s\nFriar Tuck’s sits at 12 Water Street\, a short walk from the Mystic River and downtown drawbridge. \nThe tavern is better known for its casual Irish and English pub atmosphere\, craft beer\, whiskey\, cocktails\, live music and trivia than for formal wine tastings. That contrast is part of what makes this event interesting. \nSaturday afternoon essentially hands part of the beverage program over to the people sitting at the tables. \nThe event also falls early enough to make it the beginning of a night in downtown Mystic rather than the entire night. The tasting ends at 7 p.m.\, while Friar Tuck’s remains open until 2 a.m. on Saturdays and its kitchen stays open until 10 p.m. \nThere is one important planning detail: tickets must be purchased before the event. \nAt $35 per person for more than 60 wines to sample and score plus the accompanying appetizers\, the evening offers plenty to explore. But the unusual part is what happens after the glasses are cleared. \nThe favorites aren’t simply winning bragging rights. They’re competing for a place behind the bar. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Wine Tasting at Friar Tuck’s Tavern\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 4–7 p.m.\nVenue: Friar Tuck’s Tavern\nAddress: 12 Water Street\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: $35 per person\nTickets: Must be purchased in advance\nWine: More than 60 wines available to taste and rate\nHow It Works: Guests score the wines\, with top selections helping determine Friar Tuck’s new wine menu\nFood Included: Filet mignon crostini\, pan-seared scallops\, mini crab cakes\, lemongrass ginger chicken satay\, pasta and charcuterie\nSaturday Tavern Hours: 11:30 a.m.–2 a.m.\nSaturday Kitchen Hours: Until 10 p.m. \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/wine-tasting-at-friar-tucks-lets-guests-choose-the-taverns-next-wine-list/
LOCATION:Friar Tuck’s Tavern\, 12 Water Street\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Friar Tuck's Tavern
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Wine-Tasting-at-Friar-Tucks-Lets-Guests-Choose-the-Taverns-Next-Wine-List.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T210000
DTSTAMP:20260925T171813Z
CREATED:20260924T142058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T171813Z
UID:10008537-1790431200-1790456400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Makers Market Turns the Velvet Mill Into a Seven-Hour Showcase of Local Creativity (cancelled)
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event is cancelled due to the nor’easter.\nThe Makers Market Turns the Velvet Mill Into a Seven-Hour Showcase of Local Creativity Saturday\, Sept. 26\, bringing artists\, crafters\, vintage sellers\, and small businesses together inside one of Stonington’s most distinctive buildings. \nRunning from 2 to 9 p.m.\, the Makers Market takes over the Plaza room at the Velvet Mill with tables and displays filled with handmade goods\, artwork\, crafts\, vintage finds and one-of-a-kind pieces. \nIt’s also the second market to occupy the Mill that day. \nThe Stonington Farmers’ Market runs from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday\, followed two hours later by the Makers Market. That makes Sept. 26 an unusually market-heavy day at a building that has itself evolved into a year-round community of artists\, makers and independent businesses. \nA Market Built Around the People Who Make Things\nThe Makers Market is less about shopping from established retail brands and more about meeting the people behind what’s being sold. \nLocal artists\, crafters\, makers\, vintage dealers and small businesses set up individual displays\, creating a market where the inventory changes with the vendors. \nThat can mean original artwork and handmade crafts alongside jewelry\, decorative pieces\, repurposed objects\, vintage merchandise and other finds that aren’t likely to appear on the shelves of a conventional store. \nIt’s an approach that fits the Velvet Mill unusually well. \nThe building already houses a community of artists\, craftspeople\, designers and entrepreneurs. Visitors can encounter working studios and independent shops elsewhere in the sprawling complex\, along with places to eat and drink. \nThe Makers Market concentrates that creative culture into one room for the afternoon and evening. \nThe Building Was Made for Makers Long Before the Term Existed\nThere’s an interesting bit of continuity between what happens at the Velvet Mill today and what happened there more than a century ago. \nThe building was constructed in 1888\, when Stonington was looking to attract new industry. \nA. Wimpfheimer & Bro. eventually moved its velvet manufacturing operation to Stonington after initially attempting production in Astoria\, New York. By 1891\, the company was operating 25 looms and employing 35 people in Stonington. \nThe operation became enormous. \nBy the middle of the 20th century\, approximately 450 employees operated around 300 broad looms at the plant. The American Velvet Company became a major part of Stonington’s industrial economy\, with manufacturing processes ranging from weaving and dyeing to finishing taking place under the same roof. \nThe company eventually moved its Connecticut manufacturing operation to Virginia in 1996. \nThat could easily have been the end of the building’s productive life. \nInstead\, the old factory began another one. \nFrom Industrial Mill to Creative Community\nLike former textile mills throughout New England\, the Velvet Mill found a second life through adaptive reuse. \nBut the transformation here is particularly appropriate. \nThe machines and hundreds of industrial workers are gone\, yet the building remains filled with people who make things. \nToday\, the former factory contains artist studios\, craftspeople\, designers\, shops\, wellness businesses and other independent enterprises\, along with food and beverage businesses. \nThe Mill itself describes a kinship between the artisans working there now and the generations of people who worked inside the building when it was a factory. \nThe scale has changed dramatically. \nInstead of hundreds of employees producing velvet for a national market\, today’s occupants may be painters working in individual studios\, craftspeople producing small batches\, vintage dealers finding and restoring old objects or entrepreneurs building businesses one customer at a time. \nThe Makers Market pushes that transformation into the foreground. \nA building constructed for manufacturing becomes a place to buy directly from contemporary makers. \nMake an Afternoon of the Mill\nWith seven hours to wander the market\, there’s little need to treat Saturday as a quick shopping trip. \nThe Velvet Mill has gradually developed into something closer to a small indoor district than a single attraction. \nVisitors can explore the building’s independent shops and studios while stopping for food\, coffee or a drink at businesses elsewhere in the complex. The mix includes an artisanal bakery\, brewery\, wood-fired pizza and other food and beverage options alongside the creative businesses. \nAnd on Sept. 26\, people who arrive early enough can experience two different versions of the local-market idea. \nThe Stonington Farmers’ Market begins at 9 a.m.\, emphasizing locally grown\, raised and prepared foods. \nAfter a two-hour break\, the Makers Market begins at 2 p.m. and shifts the emphasis toward art\, craft\, vintage pieces and handmade goods. \nOne supports people growing and producing things locally. \nThe other supports people designing\, creating and finding them. \nBoth happen at the same 19th-century factory. \nA Fourth-Saturday Tradition\nThe Sept. 26 market isn’t intended as a one-off event. \nThe Makers Market follows a fourth-Saturday monthly schedule\, giving shoppers another reason to return while allowing the mix of vendors and merchandise to change from one market to another. \nThat’s particularly useful with handmade and vintage merchandise. \nAn artist can arrive with newly completed work. A craftsperson can introduce something different. A vintage seller’s inventory can change completely between visits. \nIt makes browsing part of the point. \nYou don’t necessarily need to arrive knowing what you’re looking for. \nIn a building that once produced thousands of yards of velvet according to carefully controlled manufacturing processes\, that’s quite a change. \nNow the appeal is finding something that may exist only once. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: The Makers Market at The Velvet Mill\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 2–9 p.m.\nSchedule: Held on the fourth Saturday of the month\nLocation: The Velvet Mill\, Plaza Room\nAddress: 22 Bayview Ave.\, Stonington\, CT 06378\nWhat You’ll Find: Local artists\, crafters\, makers\, vintage finds\, handmade goods and small businesses\nAlso Happening Sept. 26: Stonington Farmers’ Market\, 9 a.m.–noon\nVenue: Historic former American Velvet Company manufacturing complex\, now home to artists\, shops\, independent businesses and food and beverage establishments\nVelvet Mill Hours: Individual business hours vary \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/the-makers-market-turns-the-velvet-mill-into-a-seven-hour-showcase-of-local-creativity/2026-09-26/
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-Makers-Market-Turns-the-Velvet-Mill-Into-a-Seven-Hour-Showcase-of-Local-Creativity.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T200000
DTSTAMP:20260924T183510Z
CREATED:20260920T211648Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T183510Z
UID:10008482-1790427600-1790452800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Pioneer Fundraiser Brings a New IPA\, Live Music and a Community Cause to Outer Light (postponed. new date TBA)
DESCRIPTION:The Pioneer Fundraiser Brings a New IPA\, Live Music and a Community Cause to Outer Light Saturday\, Sept. 26\, as Groton firefighters return to the local brewery for seven hours of beer\, music\, food and family activities benefiting their scholarship fund and other community causes. \nThe annual fundraiser runs from 1 to 8 p.m. at Outer Light Brewing Company on Bridge Street\, and admission is free . \nThis year’s event also comes with its own beer. Outer Light is introducing The Pioneer\, a Juicy IPA created for the fundraiser\, continuing a tradition of pairing the firefighters’ annual event with a special brew. \nA Fundraiser That’s Becoming a Groton Tradition\nThis is the fourth annual Groton Firefighters fundraiser at Outer Light. \nLast year’s event was built around The Can Man\, an Oktoberfest-style beer\, with the same basic idea: turn an afternoon at the brewery into a community fundraiser where people can stay for a beer\, eat\, listen to music and bring the kids rather than simply dropping off a donation. \nFor 2026\, The Pioneer takes over as the event’s signature beer. \nThe brewery and firefighters haven’t published detailed tasting notes for the new Juicy IPA\, leaving one of the day’s discoveries for the first pour. \nMore important is what happens to the money raised. \nOrganizers say 100 percent of fundraiser proceeds will benefit the Groton Firefighters’ Scholarship Fund and other benevolent causes supporting the community. \nThe scholarship fund provides the event with a purpose beyond the brewery. Money raised helps the firefighters put something back into the community they serve\, including supporting students as they continue their education. \nAustin Neal Brings Country and Rock to the Brewery\nLive music comes from Austin Neal\, a singer-songwriter with a musical background that stretches from traditional country into Southern and classic rock. \nNeal grew up in the Ozark foothills of southeast Missouri and started playing guitar as a child\, absorbing the music of Alabama\, George Jones\, Don Williams and Waylon Jennings before adding influences including The Eagles\, The Black Crowes and Jim Croce. \nHe’s also a U.S. Navy veteran who has made Eastern Connecticut home in recent years. \nLocal audiences may recognize him from Mohegan Sun’s Locals Live competition. Neal was one of 12 acts selected for the 2024 competition at the Wolf Den\, advanced through the preliminary round and ultimately finished third in the finals. \nHis performance background also includes opening for country artists including Shenandoah\, Mark Chesnutt\, Craig Campbell\, Shooter Jennings and Neal McCoy. \nThat mix of country roots and rock influences should fit comfortably into an afternoon built around a brewery rather than a formal concert stage. \nTacos\, Raffles\, Games and a Bounce House\nThe fundraiser is designed to work for families as well as people coming specifically for the beer. \nTaqueria Cinco will be on hand serving food\, while the afternoon also includes raffles and prizes\, yard games and a bounce house provided by J&S Bounce House and Beyond. \nOuter Light will have its regular selection of beer and other beverages available in addition to The Pioneer. \nThat gives the event a loose\, drop-in structure. It runs for seven hours\, admission is free and there’s no requirement to arrive at the beginning or stay through the evening. \nCome for lunch and the bounce house with the kids\, stay for Austin Neal and the raffles\, or make the new IPA the excuse for stopping in. \nOuter Light Has Made Fundraising Part of the Taproom\nThe firefighters’ event also fits into a broader pattern at Outer Light. \nThe Groton brewery regularly uses its taproom for community fundraisers and benefit events. Its 2026 calendar alone has included events supporting the United Way’s Tommy Toy Program\, Groton Community Meals\, military and veterans’ programs and people affected by the Ledges fire. \nThe brewery has also collaborated with local organizations on beers tied specifically to Groton history and community events. \nThat makes Saturday’s fundraiser less like a charity event temporarily dropped into a brewery and more like something that has become part of how Outer Light uses the space. \nThis time\, it’s Groton’s firefighters taking over the taproom\, bringing a new beer with them and raising money for what comes next. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: The Pioneer: Annual Groton Firefighters’ Fundraiser\nDate: Saturday\, Sept. 26\, 2026\nTime: 1–8 p.m.\nVenue: Outer Light Brewing Company\nAddress: 266 Bridge Street\, Unit 1\, Groton\, CT 06340\nAdmission: Free\nSpecial Beer: The Pioneer\, a Juicy IPA\nLive Music: Austin Neal Music\nFood: Taqueria Cinco\nActivities: Raffles and prizes\, yard games and a bounce house from J&S Bounce House and Beyond\nBeneficiary: Groton Firefighters’ Scholarship Fund and other community benevolent causes\nFundraising: Organizers state that 100 percent of proceeds benefit the scholarship fund and other benevolent causes\nFamily Friendly: Yes; children’s activities include a bounce house \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/the-pioneer-fundraiser-brings-a-new-ipa-live-music-and-a-community-cause-to-outer-light/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T130000
DTSTAMP:20260917T165240Z
CREATED:20260917T165240Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260917T165240Z
UID:10007929-1790424000-1790427600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Climb 116 Steps Inside New London Harbor Lighthouse on Weekend Tours
DESCRIPTION:Climb 116 Steps Inside New London Harbor Lighthouse on Weekend Tours for a rare look inside the historic 1801 tower\, with Saturday and Sunday tours taking visitors all the way to the lantern room overlooking Long Island Sound. \nThe New London Maritime Society is opening New London Harbor “Pequot” Light for 45-minute tours every weekend at noon through Feb. 28\, 2027. Groups are deliberately tiny\, limited to just five people\, turning the visit into something closer to a guided exploration than a typical historic-site tour. \nAnd there’s quite a bit waiting above those 116 steps. \nA Lighthouse That’s Been Watching the Harbor for Centuries\nNew London Harbor Light’s story stretches back to the colonial era. A lighthouse was established here in 1761 under King George III\, while the octagonal stone tower standing today was completed in 1801. \nAt 89 feet tall\, it’s the tallest lighthouse on Long Island Sound as well as its oldest. The U.S. Coast Guard still operates the light as an active aid to navigation. \nInside is another survivor: an 1850 fourth-order Fresnel lens that remains in use. \nVisitors climb the tower while learning about the lighthouse and the generations of keepers who tended it. At the top\, the lantern room opens up a view across New London Harbor\, the Thames River and Long Island Sound. \nThere are lighthouses everywhere you look. From Harbor Light\, it’s possible to spot at least seven others\, including New London Ledge Light\, Race Rock\, Little Gull Island\, Plum Island\, Little Dumpling\, Montauk and Avery Point. \nAnd then there’s the traffic below. \nNew London remains a working maritime port\, so the view can include ferries\, commercial vessels and Coast Guard traffic moving through the harbor. The Maritime Society makes one thing clear: they can’t promise you’ll see a submarine. \nBut in New London\, you never know. \nPart of New London’s Chain of Lights\nHarbor Light is one of three historic lighthouses owned and preserved by the New London Maritime Society. \nNew London Ledge Light\, completed in 1909\, stands offshore near the mouth of the Thames. Farther out\, Race Rock Light Station has guarded the notoriously difficult waters between Fishers Island and Long Island Sound since 1878. \nTogether with Harbor Light\, the three create a chain of beacons leading vessels from the Atlantic into the historic port of New London. \nThe Maritime Society took ownership of Harbor Light in 2010 through the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Money raised through lighthouse tours supports the preservation and restoration of the area’s historic lights. \nBefore You Climb\nThis isn’t a lighthouse where visitors can simply walk onto the property. \nTours are limited to five people\, and reservations should be made at least 48 hours in advance. Children must be at least 8 years old. \nVisitors meet their guide on Pequot Avenue in front of the lighthouse and must wait there for the New London Maritime Society representative. Guests should not enter the lighthouse property or neighboring driveways on their own. \nThe climb also requires proper footwear. Sneakers or deck shoes are required; sandals and flip-flops aren’t permitted. \nTours are weather dependent\, so visitors should check their email before leaving home for any cancellation notice. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nNew London 24 hour Harbor Cam\nDetails\nDates: Saturdays and Sundays through Feb. 28\, 2027\nTime: Noon–12:45 p.m.\nLocation: New London Harbor “Pequot” Lighthouse\, New London\nMeeting Point: Pequot Avenue in front of the lighthouse\nTour Length: Approximately 45 minutes\nCapacity: Maximum of five people per tour\nAdmission: $35 adults; $30 New London Maritime Society members; $25 children ages 8–18\nAge Requirement: Children must be at least 8 years old\nReservations: Reservations should be made at least 48 hours in advance\nClimb: 116 steps to the lantern room\nFootwear: Deck shoes or sneakers required; no sandals or flip-flops\nFood & Drink: Water is permitted; other food and beverages are not. Alcohol is prohibited.\nParking: Street parking is available on the west side of Pequot Avenue\, across from the lighthouse\nWeather: Tours are weather dependent. Check your email before departing for cancellation notices.\nCancellations: Must be made at least three days in advance. Payments are non-refundable except when a tour is canceled because of weather.\nLast-Minute Tickets: Call 203-444-2884 to ask whether space is available.\nImportant: Do not enter the lighthouse property or neighboring driveways without a New London Maritime Society representative. \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/climb-116-steps-inside-new-london-harbor-lighthouse-on-weekend-tours/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:Pequot Lighthouse\, Pequot Avenue\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
CATEGORIES:Pequot Lighthouse
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T020703Z
CREATED:20260913T020703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T020703Z
UID:10007561-1790422200-1790456400@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/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:Jealous Monk\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Jealous Monk
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T210000
DTSTAMP:20260922T025349Z
CREATED:20260922T025231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T025349Z
UID:10008493-1790420400-1790456400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Film Festival Brings Four Days of Independent Cinema to Mystic and Westerly Sept. 24–27\, turning multiple venues on both sides of the Connecticut-Rhode Island line into screening rooms for one of the region’s largest celebrations of independent film. \nAnd the Chamber calendar seriously undersells this one. \nThe 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival includes narrative features\, feature documentaries\, dozens of short films\, three blocks devoted entirely to student filmmakers\, filmmaker conversations\, networking events\, a screenplay competition\, and a closing-night awards ceremony. \nThe official festival site is: Mystic Film Festival 2026 \nThe 2026 festival runs across several venues rather than operating out of a single theater. Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village remains the cornerstone venue and hosts opening night\, while screenings and programs expand to La Grua Center in Stonington Borough\, the Mystic & Noank Library\, and The UNITED in Westerly. \nMore Than a Weekend at the Movies\nMystic Film Festival was created by area filmmakers and artists with a deliberate dual mission: give Connecticut and New England filmmakers somewhere to show their work while bringing independent films from around the world to southeastern Connecticut. \nNine years later\, that local festival has developed a surprisingly large footprint. \nThe 2026 official slate contains more than 100 films\, spanning narrative and documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student work. The feature-documentary program alone includes films about politics\, sports\, Native identity\, aviation\, photography\, speed\, international borders and defectors. \nThis is also a festival where the people who made the films are part of the experience. Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, industry events and informal conversations are built around the screenings rather than treating each movie as a standalone theatrical showing. \nThe 2026 Film Schedule\nBecause several screens and venues operate simultaneously\, there isn’t one linear schedule. Audiences build their own festival. \nThe festival’s official individual film pages and venue schedules confirm the following major screening blocks. The festival’s Event Schedule should be checked before attending for the final screen assignment and any last-minute changes. \nThursday\, Sept. 24 — Opening Night\nThe festival opens at Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village\, traditionally putting the spotlight on locally produced work and filmmakers from the region. \nOpening night is specifically designed to celebrate films made by local filmmakers before the festival expands into its multi-venue schedule Friday through Sunday. \nFriday\, Sept. 25 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Crystal Cross\nNarrative Feature \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — The Life We Leave\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Micronations\nFeature Documentary \n7:30–9 p.m. — Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story\nFeature Documentary \nAll four screen in the UNITED Micro Cinema in Westerly. \nFriday — Mystic & Noank Library\nThe festival also moves into the library for programming Friday. One confirmed screening block runs 12:45–2:45 p.m. and includes Forever Home\, a 20-minute student documentary directed by Kyle Francis Barton about Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts and the work of rehabilitating injured wildlife for eventual release. \nFriday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMultiple short-film programs also run at the festival’s Mystic anchor venue. \nAmong the confirmed Friday programs is a 4–6 p.m. documentary-short block that includes Under the Ice\, director John Martin’s nearly 30-minute documentary about a woman confronting depression and alcoholism through an attempt to swim beneath the ice of a frozen Norwegian lake and pursue a Guinness World Record. \nSaturday\, Sept. 26 — UNITED Theatre\n12–2 p.m. — Tails of the Himalayas…Of Dogs & Devotees + Unspoken Bond\nDocumentary Short + Feature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Art of Destruction\nFeature Documentary \n5–7 p.m. — Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\nNarrative Feature \n7:30–9:15 p.m. — Act One\nNarrative Feature \nSaturday — La Grua Center Student Film Showcase\nSaturday brings an entire parallel festival-within-the-festival to Stonington Borough. \nLa Grua Center hosts three blocks of student films\, moderated by Jim Quinn\, with opportunities for audiences to hear from participating filmmakers. \n11 a.m. — Student Shorts Block 1 \nYer Smackin’\nBusker\nWiwa\nRunning On The Edge\nUs And Them\nI Constantly Thank God For Estaban\nThe Magic Words\nPerspico\nHow’d It Go? \n1:30 p.m. — Student Shorts Block 2 \nThe Locked Groove\nNo Small Matter\nClucky’s\nValue\nDental Breakdown\nTrapped Air: Life With No Burp-Zone\nGarden Of Babel\nSeparate Together\nFace Me Face You \n4 p.m. — Student Films Block 3 \nSame Time Tomorrow\nMade Whole\nNight Of Silence\nFalling Behind\nRunning Against The Odds\nBatteries\nThe Last Hug\nCorsano’s Roach \nThe subjects alone demonstrate how broad the student program has become. Running Against the Odds\, for example\, tells the story of Narragansett runner Tarzan Brown\, a two-time Boston Marathon winner who represented the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. \nNo Small Matter comes from a 15-year-old filmmaker and examines a court designed to address homelessness and mental-health issues through treatment and support rather than conventional punishment. \nAnd Trapped Air: Life With No-Burp Syndrome is a five-minute documentary about R-CPD and the patients who live with the inability to burp. \nSaturday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nMystic Luxury Cinemas simultaneously hosts additional short-film blocks. \nA confirmed 2–4 p.m. narrative-short program includes My Dog: The Paradox\, an animated short from Matthew Inman\, creator of The Oatmeal and co-creator of Exploding Kittens\, about the joy and inevitable heartbreak of loving a dog. \nThat same block includes The Lord of All Future Space and Time\, a 23-minute mashup of Western revenge story\, science fiction and comedy. \nAnother narrative-short program runs 4–6 p.m.\, including Drowned\, about a single mother with chronic illness confronting medical setbacks and the possibility of losing custody of her child. \nSaturday Night Becomes a Filmmaker Gathering\nAt 6:30 p.m. Saturday\, the movies give way to an Industry Networking Event at La Grua Center. \nThe gathering runs until 9 p.m. and brings filmmakers\, screenwriters and other festival participants together away from the theaters. \nIt’s an important part of what Mystic Film Festival has become. The festival isn’t only trying to find an audience for finished movies. It’s also trying to create relationships among people who may make the next ones. \nThe event requires a separate RSVP for participating filmmakers and screenplay finalists. \nSunday\, Sept. 27 — UNITED Theatre\nThe Westerly screenings continue throughout the festival’s final day. \n12–2 p.m. — In Spite of Ourselves\nNarrative Feature \n2:15–4:15 p.m. — School For Defectors\nFeature Documentary \n2:30–4:30 p.m. — Documentary Shorts Block\nResume of Regrets\nOne Soupy Season\nHow I Survived a Kamikaze Attack\nThe Petal Pusher\nPlant Life \n4:30–6 p.m. — Fat + One Woman One Bra\nNarrative Short + Narrative Feature \nThe 2:30 documentary block screens in the UNITED Main Cinema while the other Sunday programs use the Micro Cinema\, allowing simultaneous programming. \nSunday — Mystic Luxury Cinemas\nAdditional programs continue in Mystic. \nOne confirmed block begins at 11:30 a.m. and includes animation such as Half Baked\, a short comedy about a young adult repeatedly failing to learn how to cook and ordering pizza after every disaster. \nA 4–6 p.m. narrative shorts program includes The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge\, Michele Noble’s comedy about a couple whose disagreements over cleaning and household chores escalate on the day of a party. \nMore Than 100 Films\, From Features to Six-Minute Experiments\nThe size of the slate makes the festival difficult to summarize with a handful of marquee titles. \nAmong the documentary features are Art of Destruction\, Micronations\, Remaining Native\, Fork In The Road\, March Forth\, Nasty\, Public Access\, School For Defectors\, Sculptors of Speed\, Outliers\, People Vs. Politics\, Slowburn Shoot\, Team 28\, The Flight of Jackie Cochran\, The Life We Leave\, They Fight With Cameras\, Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story and Unspoken Bond. \nNarrative features include A Woman’s Work\, Act One\, Crystal Cross\, In Spite of Ourselves\, Nobody Wants to Be Here\, Nobody Wants to Leave\, One Woman One Bra and Road To L’Etape Du Tour. \nThe shorts program goes considerably deeper\, with dozens of narrative and documentary films running from just a few minutes to nearly feature length. \nThat makes the festival less like going out to see one movie and more like sampling a film world that normally doesn’t make it to a commercial multiplex. \nScreenwriters Get Their Own Competition\nFilms aren’t the only stories competing. \nThe Mystic Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition is now in its sixth year\, providing a route into the festival for writers whose work hasn’t yet become a finished movie. \nThe competition has expanded its categories as the festival has grown\, and the top screenplay winners are announced during festival weekend. \nThat distinction matters. Independent film festivals often become one of the few places where an unproduced writer can enter the same professional conversation as directors and producers with completed films. \nMystic has deliberately made that part of its mission. \nSunday Night Ends With the Awards\nThe four days conclude where they began: Mystic Luxury Cinemas. \nThe Mystic Film Festival Awards Ceremony runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. \nA wine reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 7 p.m.\, followed by the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. \nAwards recognize standout work across the festival’s categories\, and the winners of the screenplay competition are also announced during the festival. \nBy that point\, audiences will have moved among two states\, several theaters and cultural venues\, features\, documentaries\, shorts and student films. \nThat’s a considerably bigger event than the little Chamber calendar listing suggests. \nFor four days\, Mystic and Westerly effectively become one regional independent-film campus. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 9th Annual Mystic Film Festival\nDates: Thursday\, Sept. 24 through Sunday\, Sept. 27\, 2026\nLocations: Mystic and Stonington\, Connecticut\, and Westerly\, Rhode Island\nCornerstone Venue: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\nAdditional Venues: The UNITED\, La Grua Center\, Mystic & Noank Library and other festival locations\nProgramming: Narrative features\, documentary features\, narrative and documentary shorts\, animation and student films\nAlso Included: Filmmaker Q&As\, workshops\, networking events\, screenplay competition and awards celebration\nSaturday Student Showcase: La Grua Center\, 11 a.m.\, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.\nSaturday Industry Networking: La Grua Center\, 6:30–9 p.m.\nSunday Awards: Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 6:30–9 p.m.; wine reception at 6:30 p.m.\, ceremony at 7 p.m.\nTickets: Individual screening tickets and festival passes are available through the festival’s ticketing system. Because multiple programs run simultaneously\, ticket holders should confirm the venue and screen for each selection when reserving. \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/15878/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:Mystic Luxury Cinemas\, 27 Coogan Blvd Ste. 1-B\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Luxury Cinemas
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T170000
DTSTAMP:20260701T201347Z
CREATED:20260701T201347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260701T201347Z
UID:10006487-1790420400-1790442000@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/2026-09-26/
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:20260926T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T170000
DTSTAMP:20260705T020852Z
CREATED:20260510T162306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260705T020852Z
UID:10000493-1790420400-1790442000@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-3/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:Mystic Seaport\, 75 Greenmanville Ave\, Mystic\, CT\, \,06355-1946\,\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic Seaport
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