BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//The CT Beacon - ECPv6.17.4//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://thectbeacon.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The CT Beacon
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T120000
DTSTAMP:20260511T024639Z
CREATED:20260508T022649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260511T024639Z
UID:10000897-1789203600-1789214400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Stonington Village Farmers Market
DESCRIPTION:Stonington Village Farmers Market has become one of the defining Saturday morning traditions along the Connecticut shoreline\, bringing together local farms\, food vendors\, artisans\, musicians\, and neighbors inside and outside the historic Velvet Mill. Running year-round since becoming a permanent seasonal fixture in 2008\, the market transforms with the seasons\, moving outdoors during the warmer months and indoors during late fall and winter while continuing to serve as a gathering place for the community. \nThe market offers far more than produce stands. Visitors can browse locally grown vegetables and fruits\, cheeses\, baked goods\, meats\, seafood\, maple syrup\, flowers\, mushrooms\, prepared foods\, and handmade crafts while live music plays in the background. The atmosphere feels distinctly coastal New England\, blending small-town community energy with the creativity and food culture that defines Stonington Village. Families\, dog owners\, and longtime locals mingle throughout the morning while vendors showcase everything from handmade soaps and pottery to organic kombucha and Mediterranean cuisine. \nWhat makes the Stonington Village Farmers Market stand out is how deeply connected it feels to the rhythm of the region itself. Some visitors arrive early for greenhouse spinach or fresh seafood before it sells out\, while others come simply to wander with coffee in hand and reconnect with neighbors. Between the local farmers\, prepared food vendors\, musicians\, and rotating artisan booths\, the market has evolved into more than a shopping destination. It has become a weekly community ritual that reflects the character\, creativity\, and agricultural roots of southeastern Connecticut. \nParticipating Vendors & Farms \n\nAPIS VERDI\nBroad Brook Acres\nDavis Farm\nISSA Catering\nJon Fish\nSeacoast Mushrooms\nSugar Maple Farms\nSweet Acre Farm\nWakin’ Up Waggin’\n18th Century Purity Farm\nStonyledge Farm and Studio Farm Products\nSummer Hill Catering\nCato Corner Farm\nTreatzles\nFiber + Mud\nYALLA\n\nSponsors & Organizers \n\nStonington Village Improvement Association (SVIA)\nVelvet Mill\n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/stonington-village-farmers-market-3/2026-09-12/
LOCATION:Velvet Mill\, 22 Bayview Ave\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Velvet Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Stonington-Village-Farmers-Market-at-the-Velvet-Mill.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T130000
DTSTAMP:20260910T024634Z
CREATED:20260910T024634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260910T024634Z
UID:10007534-1789207200-1789218000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Polymer Clay Fashion Jewelry Making Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Polymer Clay Fashion Jewelry Making Workshop turns the jewelry people wear into the artwork they make Saturday\, September 12\, at Mystic Museum of Art. \nLed by artist-educator Carol Mann\, the three-hour hands-on workshop introduces participants to polymer clay through techniques including gilding\, imprinting\, stamping\, inclusions\, and cane making. Along the way\, students will experiment with color\, pattern\, and texture before learning the finishing techniques and jewelry findings needed to turn their creations into wearable pieces. \nThe workshop runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is part of the programming surrounding MMoA’s summer exhibition\, LUXE CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways. \nPolymer Clay Is Not the Clay You Remember From Art Class\nDespite the name\, polymer clay isn’t geological clay dug from the earth. \nIt’s a moldable synthetic material that remains workable until it is cured with heat. That makes it particularly useful for small-scale decorative work. Artists can roll it\, layer it\, texture it\, stamp it and combine colors before curing the finished design. \nFor jewelry makers\, that flexibility opens up an enormous range of possibilities. \nA piece can mimic stone or other materials. Colors can be layered into patterns that continue through the clay. Metallic elements can be applied to surfaces. Texture can be pressed directly into a piece. Different components can then become earrings\, pendants\, beads or other wearable objects. \nSaturday’s workshop is designed to introduce several of those approaches rather than concentrate on a single project. \nFrom Gilding to Millefleur Canes\nAmong the techniques Mann will introduce is gilding\, which can give polymer clay a metallic surface or accent. \nParticipants will also work with inclusions\, adding other materials to clay to change its visual appearance\, and experiment with imprinting and stamping to create surface textures and patterns. \nOne of the more distinctive techniques is cane making. \nA polymer-clay cane is constructed so a design runs through the length of a cylinder or other shape. When thin slices are cut from it\, the pattern appears repeatedly. \nThe concept has a long decorative-art relative in millefiori glass\, the centuries-old technique associated particularly with Venetian glassmaking in which patterned glass rods are sliced to reveal repeated designs. \nPolymer clay allows artists to explore a similar principle without a glass furnace. \nThe museum describes the workshop as including “millefleur canes\,” giving participants an opportunity to see how a complex-looking decorative pattern can actually be built from relatively simple components. \nThe Final Step Turns Art Into Something Wearable\nCreating the decorative clay is only part of the process. \nMann will also cover basic finishing and the use of jewelry findings\, the small functional components that allow an artistic object to become jewelry. \nDepending on the piece\, findings can include hooks\, posts\, jump rings\, clasps\, pins and other hardware connecting decorative elements to something that can actually be worn. \nThat’s an important distinction in a workshop connected to an exhibition about textiles and fashion. \nThe finished work isn’t simply a miniature sculpture. \nIt becomes part of what someone wears. \nThe Workshop Comes Directly Out of LUXE CT\nThe timing isn’t accidental. \nLUXE CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways is Mystic Museum of Art’s major summer 2026 exhibition\, running from June 26 through October 11. \nThe exhibition looks at textiles in Connecticut from the precolonial period through contemporary fashion\, using southeastern Connecticut’s once-significant velvet industry as one of its starting points. \nBut the show isn’t simply about fabric. \nIt’s about what people make\, how they make it\, who performs the labor and how materials can communicate wealth\, identity\, culture and changing ideas about luxury. \nObjects in the exhibition include beadwork\, embroidery\, quilts\, velvet and fashion\, combining historical material with contemporary work. \nMMoA assembled the exhibition in partnership with Historic Stonington\, Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center\, Mystic Seaport Museum and members of Studio Art Quilt Associates’ Connecticut Region. \nFrom Southeastern Connecticut Mills to Contemporary Fashion\nOne of the strengths of LUXE CT is the distance it covers. \nTextiles that might once have been understood primarily as household objects or industrial products are placed in conversation with contemporary fashion. \nThat gives the exhibition room to explore something as seemingly simple as a piece of fabric from several directions. \nWho made it? \nWhere did the material come from? \nWas it produced by hand or in a mill? \nWas it utilitarian or luxurious? \nWhat did the design communicate about the person or community that created it? \nAnd who decided it was valuable? \nThose questions become particularly interesting in southeastern Connecticut\, where textile production once provided jobs to generations of workers and immigrant families. \nThe exhibition connects those histories of labor and industrial production with cultural traditions that long predate the mills. \nConnecticut Fashion Doesn’t End With the Mills\nThe exhibition then carries the story into contemporary fashion through designers with Connecticut connections. \nAmong them is Christian Siriano\, who grew up in nearby Annapolis\, Maryland\, attended the American InterContinental University in London and became nationally known after winning Project Runway in 2008. His fashion house has since dressed figures ranging from actors and musicians to political leaders\, while Siriano has become particularly known for challenging the fashion industry’s restrictive approach to body size and inclusivity. \nAlso represented is New York-based designer Peter Som\, whose Connecticut connections are part of the exhibition’s contemporary story and whose career has included his own collections as well as work across fashion\, lifestyle and design. \nThe exhibition also features emerging designers Xarea Lockhart and Toriana Sauro\, giving visitors a look at how a new generation is thinking about clothing\, materials and identity. \nTogether\, the historic and contemporary pieces make the case that fashion doesn’t sit apart from history. \nIt records it. \nA Series of Workshops Turns the Exhibition Into a Studio\nThe polymer clay session is part of a larger series of LUXE CT-inspired workshops running alongside the exhibition. \nOn September 19\, the museum turns to felt collage. \nSeptember 26 brings an introduction to sewing workshop with featured designer Toriana Sauro. \nYoung artists ages 10 to 14 can explore embroidery September 27. \nOctober workshops move into marbled textile sketchbook covers\, relief printing on silk scarves and linocut printing on T-shirts. \nThe idea is a useful one: after seeing what generations of artists\, craftspeople\, textile workers and designers have done with materials\, visitors can go upstairs to the studio and start manipulating materials themselves. \nSaturday’s jewelry workshop provides one of the most approachable entry points. \nNo kiln\, metalsmithing bench or previous jewelry-making career is required. \nCarol Mann Leads the Workshop\nArtist educator Carol Mann is a familiar instructor within Mystic Museum of Art’s studio program. \nHer teaching at MMoA extends across media rather than being confined to jewelry. She leads courses in watercolor and mixed-media work and teaches younger artists as well\, including classes that combine clay\, fiber\, paper and wax. \nThat teaching background is useful for a workshop built around experimentation. \nParticipants aren’t simply following instructions to reproduce one identical piece. The museum’s description emphasizes learning techniques and then combining color\, texture and pattern into distinctive designs. \nThe goal is individual work. \nIf everyone leaves with exactly the same jewelry\, something has probably gone wrong. \nThe Material Is Supplied\, But There’s an Additional Fee\nParticipants don’t need to arrive with a jewelry-making toolbox. \nMystic Museum of Art says all materials are supplied for the workshop. \nThere is\, however\, an additional $8 materials fee\, payable directly to the instructor. That’s separate from registration\, which costs $60 for museum members and $70 for nonmembers. \nIt’s worth accounting for that when deciding whether to register: the actual total is $68 for members or $78 for nonmembers once the materials fee is included. \nThe workshop is listed as an adult studio program and runs for three hours. \nYou Can See the Exhibition That Inspired It\nThere’s also an opportunity to connect the studio experience directly to its source material. \nLUXE CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways remains on view through October 11. \nSpecial exhibition admission is $12 general admission and $10 for New London County residents\, seniors 65 and older and students with ID. Admission is free for Mystic Museum of Art members\, visitors 17 and younger and military members and veterans. \nThat means someone coming for Saturday’s workshop can approach the day from both directions. \nLook at how other people have transformed fabric\, thread\, beads and other materials into objects carrying cultural and personal meaning. \nThen sit down at a table and start making something. \nThe scale may be smaller. \nThe basic impulse isn’t very different. \nDetails\nEvent: Polymer Clay Fashion Jewelry Making Workshop: LUXE CT-Inspired Studio Workshop\nDate: Saturday\, September 12\, 2026\nTime: 10 a.m.–1 p.m.\nInstructor: Artist educator Carol Mann\nVenue: Mystic Museum of Art\nAddress: 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nProgram: Adult studio workshop / mixed media / jewelry making\nMember Registration: $60\nNonmember Registration: $70\nMaterials Fee: Additional $8\, payable to the instructor\nMaterials: All materials are supplied\nTechniques: Gilding\, inclusions\, imprinting\, stamping\, cane making\, color and texture work\, finishing and jewelry findings\nRelated Exhibition: LUXE CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\, on view through October 11\nMuseum Phone: 860-536-7601 \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo register for the workshop\, click the Event Registration 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/polymer-clay-fashion-jewelry-making-workshop/
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/Polymer-Clay-Fashion-Jewelry-Making-Workshop.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T120000
DTSTAMP:20260911T020412Z
CREATED:20260907T154955Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260911T020412Z
UID:10007499-1789295400-1789300800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Donuts & Design at the Mystic Museum of Art
DESCRIPTION:Donuts & Design brings artmaking\, donuts\, coffee\, and a little end-of-summer fun to the museum’s riverfront patio on Sunday\, September 13. The 90-minute family program runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon and is designed for both families already familiar with the museum and newcomers looking for an easy way to introduce children to art. \nThe morning combines hands-on creative activities with time to explore the museum. Families can make art together\, use bubbles and chalk\, enjoy donuts and coffee\, and visit Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\, Mystic Museum of Art’s summer exhibition exploring Connecticut’s long relationship with textiles\, craftsmanship\, and fashion. \nThe event takes place at Mystic Museum of Art at 9 Water Street in downtown Mystic. Rather than setting up a formal children’s class where adults watch from the sidelines\, Donuts & Design is being presented as a family morning\, with creative activities meant to be shared by children and the adults who bring them. \nAdmission is priced per family rather than per person: $25 for Mystic Museum of Art member families and $35 for nonmember families. Space is limited and advance registration is encouraged. \nDonuts\, Coffee and Artmaking by the Mystic River\nThe morning starts with two things that should make getting the family out of the house on a Sunday a little easier: donuts and coffee. \nDonuts for the event come from Deviant Donuts\, the Mystic shop known for elaborate small-batch creations and frequently changing specialty flavors. Deviant began in 2017 as a pop-up inside its sister business\, Vault Coffee\, before developing into its own shop at Olde Mistick Village. The bakery makes its fillings\, glazes and garnishes by hand and has built its menu around rotating flavors rather than a fixed lineup of conventional donuts. \nCoffee comes from Wakin’ Up Waggin’\, a Pawcatuck-based mobile coffee and kombucha business founded by Tim and Erika Lebling. The mobile operation serves organic nitro coffee\, kombucha and other nonalcoholic drinks and has become a familiar sight at southeastern Connecticut events\, including the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival. \nOnce everyone is sufficiently caffeinated and sugared\, the art begins. \nMystic Museum of Art staff and educators will lead creative activities\, while families will also have access to bubbles\, chalk and opportunities to spend time together on the museum grounds. The museum specifically welcomes its summer camp families and workshop participants back for the morning but has made clear that newcomers are invited as well. \nA Family Introduction to Mystic Museum of Art\nDonuts & Design also offers families who haven’t visited Mystic Museum of Art an informal introduction to what happens there beyond its gallery exhibitions. \nArt education is a significant part of the museum’s work. Its programming ranges from classes and camps to family programs\, school visits and hands-on studio experiences for children\, teens and adults. The museum describes its broader mission as fostering the creation\, understanding\, appreciation and enjoyment of art\, with education programs intended to encourage creativity\, observation and critical thinking. \nThat makes Donuts & Design somewhat different from simply taking children through an art museum. \nKids get something to do with their hands. Parents and caregivers can participate rather than spending the morning reminding everyone not to touch anything. And the museum’s location along the Mystic River gives families room to move between art\, food and outdoor activities during the 90-minute program. \nExplore Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\nFamilies can also explore Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\, the museum’s major summer exhibition\, which remains on view through October 11. \nThe exhibition looks at Connecticut’s textile history from the precolonial period through contemporary fashion\, with particular attention paid to southeastern Connecticut’s once-important velvet industry. \nHistoric and contemporary beadwork\, embroidery\, quilts\, velvet and fashion are used to tell stories about the people behind the objects\, including labor\, immigration\, cultural identity and the changing meaning of luxury. \nThe exhibition was developed with Historic Stonington\, Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center\, Mystic Seaport Museum and the Connecticut Region of Studio Art Quilt Associates. It also brings the story into the present through work by contemporary fashion designers with Connecticut connections\, including Christian Siriano\, Peter Som\, Xarea Lockhart and Toriana Sauro. \nFor families attending Donuts & Design\, that creates a natural bridge between making something themselves and then seeing how materials\, design and craft are used by working artists and designers. \nMore Than a Century of Art in Mystic\nMystic Museum of Art’s roots stretch back well before the current museum took its name. \nThe institution grew from the Mystic Art Colony and Mystic Art Association\, founded in 1913 by artists who had been drawn to Mystic and the surrounding shoreline. The organization later operated as the Mystic Arts Center before adopting the Mystic Museum of Art name in 2016. \nToday\, the museum occupies a riverfront location just west of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge\, a short walk from the center of downtown Mystic. Along with exhibitions\, its calendar includes studio classes\, children’s programming\, workshops\, gallery talks and community events. \nDonuts & Design fits neatly into that community side of the museum: less of a formal museum visit\, more of a Sunday morning where a child can draw\, make something\, wander through a gallery and leave with a little evidence of the morning on their hands. \nDonuts & Design Details\nEvent: Donuts & Design: A Family Morning at Mystic Museum of Art\nDate: Sunday\, September 13\, 2026\nTime: 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.\nLocation: Mystic Museum of Art\nAddress: 9 Water Street\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: $25 per member family; $35 per nonmember family\nRegistration: Advance registration is recommended; space is limited\nFood & Drink: Donuts from Deviant Donuts and coffee from Wakin’ Up Waggin’\nActivities: Family artmaking\, creative activities\, coloring\, bubbles\, chalk and more\nAlso Included: Access to Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways\nWho Can Attend: Families\, including newcomers as well as museum members\, previous workshop participants and summer camp families\nEvent Contact: Mystic Museum of Art\, 860-536-7601 \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/donuts-design/
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/Donuts-Design.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T120000
DTSTAMP:20260511T024639Z
CREATED:20260508T022649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260511T024639Z
UID:10000898-1789808400-1789819200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Stonington Village Farmers Market
DESCRIPTION:Stonington Village Farmers Market has become one of the defining Saturday morning traditions along the Connecticut shoreline\, bringing together local farms\, food vendors\, artisans\, musicians\, and neighbors inside and outside the historic Velvet Mill. Running year-round since becoming a permanent seasonal fixture in 2008\, the market transforms with the seasons\, moving outdoors during the warmer months and indoors during late fall and winter while continuing to serve as a gathering place for the community. \nThe market offers far more than produce stands. Visitors can browse locally grown vegetables and fruits\, cheeses\, baked goods\, meats\, seafood\, maple syrup\, flowers\, mushrooms\, prepared foods\, and handmade crafts while live music plays in the background. The atmosphere feels distinctly coastal New England\, blending small-town community energy with the creativity and food culture that defines Stonington Village. Families\, dog owners\, and longtime locals mingle throughout the morning while vendors showcase everything from handmade soaps and pottery to organic kombucha and Mediterranean cuisine. \nWhat makes the Stonington Village Farmers Market stand out is how deeply connected it feels to the rhythm of the region itself. Some visitors arrive early for greenhouse spinach or fresh seafood before it sells out\, while others come simply to wander with coffee in hand and reconnect with neighbors. Between the local farmers\, prepared food vendors\, musicians\, and rotating artisan booths\, the market has evolved into more than a shopping destination. It has become a weekly community ritual that reflects the character\, creativity\, and agricultural roots of southeastern Connecticut. \nParticipating Vendors & Farms \n\nAPIS VERDI\nBroad Brook Acres\nDavis Farm\nISSA Catering\nJon Fish\nSeacoast Mushrooms\nSugar Maple Farms\nSweet Acre Farm\nWakin’ Up Waggin’\n18th Century Purity Farm\nStonyledge Farm and Studio Farm Products\nSummer Hill Catering\nCato Corner Farm\nTreatzles\nFiber + Mud\nYALLA\n\nSponsors & Organizers \n\nStonington Village Improvement Association (SVIA)\nVelvet Mill\n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/stonington-village-farmers-market-3/2026-09-19/
LOCATION:Velvet Mill\, 22 Bayview Ave\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Velvet Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Stonington-Village-Farmers-Market-at-the-Velvet-Mill.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260919T160000
DTSTAMP:20260905T020341Z
CREATED:20260905T020341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260905T020341Z
UID:10007471-1789812000-1789833600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Ninigret Park Annual Arts and Crafts Show
DESCRIPTION:Ninigret Park Annual Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday\, September 19\, will bring about 50 artists and makers to the park for a day of handmade work\, live music and food. \nNow in its third year\, the show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the New Pavilion area of Ninigret Park. This year’s exhibitors span woodworking\, pottery\, jewelry\, quilting\, crochet\, macramé\, and other forms of handmade art and craft. \nStonington-area guitarist and singer-songwriter Ron Drago will provide live music during the event\, and local organizations and vendors will provide food and refreshments. \nA rain date is scheduled for Saturday\, September 26. \nAbout 50 Artists and Makers in One Place\nThe scale of the show is large enough to offer variety without turning the day into a sprawling commercial festival. \nOrganizers expect approximately 50 exhibitors\, with the emphasis on artists\, artisans and makers rather than mass-produced merchandise. \nThe announced mix includes woodworkers\, potters\, jewelers\, quilters\, crochet artists and macramé makers\, along with other crafts. \nOne returning Charlestown artist is Brian O’Connor of South County Paddles\, whose work goes well beyond the business name. \nO’Connor is a woodworker known for creating carved fish and detailed fish dioramas. His work frequently draws on the species and waterways of southern Rhode Island\, making his booth particularly connected to the landscape surrounding the show. \nOne of O’Connor’s past pieces\, Anadromous Ascension III\, depicted the migration of fish such as river herring from saltwater into freshwater rivers to reproduce. O’Connor is also a founding member of Protect Rhode Island Brook Trout\, connecting his woodworking with his interest in the region’s native fish and waterways. \nHe is scheduled to return to the show this year with a selection of his fish dioramas. \nRon Drago Provides the Live Music\nThe arts and crafts aren’t the only attraction. \nRon Drago\, a guitarist and singer-songwriter based in the Stonington area\, will perform live during the show. \nDrago is a familiar name around southeastern Connecticut and southwestern Rhode Island\, performing solo acoustic shows at wineries\, restaurants\, breweries and other local venues. \nHis repertoire draws from decades of popular music\, making the performance more of a soundtrack to an afternoon of browsing than a separate concert that requires visitors to stop everything and gather around a stage. \nThat format fits this event particularly well. Visitors can move between booths\, stop for food\, explore the park and return to the music throughout the day. \nFood Will Be Available at the Show\nFood and refreshments are also planned. \nThe Downey Weaver American Legion Post 34 is among the organizations scheduled to sell food\, and Del’s Lemonade is expected to be part of the day as well. \nAdditional food offerings may also be available. \nThat gives visitors the option of turning a quick trip through the craft booths into a longer afternoon at Ninigret Park. \nThe Park Is Part of the Day\nOne of the things that distinguishes this show from an indoor craft fair is its location. \nNinigret Park is one of Charlestown’s major public recreation spaces\, with a combination of open fields\, trails and recreational facilities spread across the property. \nThe show is being held near the New Pavilion\, but visitors aren’t limited to the vendor area. \nNinigret Park includes Little Nini Pond\, A Kid’s Place Playground\, picnic shelters\, walking and bicycling paths\, an 18-hole disc golf course\, basketball and tennis courts and other recreational areas. \nThat makes the show particularly easy to combine with a family day at the park. Someone who isn’t interested in spending several hours looking through craft booths has plenty of other options nearby. \nNinigret’s Wildlife Refuge Is Next Door\nThe natural landscape extends beyond the town park itself. \nNinigret Park sits alongside the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge\, part of the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. \nThe refuge protects coastal habitat associated with Ninigret Pond and includes trails through grasslands\, shrubland and other habitat used by migratory birds and wildlife. \nAccess from the park also connects visitors with the salt pond environment\, including a kayak launch area. \nIt’s an unusually fitting setting for an arts event with makers whose work often draws inspiration from Rhode Island’s coast\, forests and wildlife. \nFrom Naval Airfield to Community Park\nThe open landscape at Ninigret has another layer that’s easy to miss. \nMuch of the property was once part of a World War II-era naval auxiliary airfield. \nAfter the military use ended\, the former air station property eventually became a combination of town recreation land and federally protected wildlife habitat. Traces of the old airfield remain visible in the unusually broad\, flat landscape. \nToday\, the town-owned portion has become one of Charlestown’s busiest gathering places\, hosting everything from community recreation to major annual festivals. \nThe arts and crafts show operates at the opposite end of the scale from Ninigret’s largest festivals. Instead of multiple stages and thousands of visitors\, the focus is on individual makers\, their work and a day in the park. \nThe Show Is Only in Its Third Year\nDespite the “annual” name\, this isn’t a decades-old Charlestown tradition. \n2026 marks the third year of the Ninigret Park Arts and Crafts Show. \nThe event began with roughly 50 exhibitors\, a scale organizers have continued as the show has developed. \nThat also explains its straightforward format. There isn’t a midway\, complicated admission structure or packed schedule of attractions. \nIt’s essentially a community craft show in one of South County’s best-known parks: dozens of makers\, live acoustic music\, something to eat and plenty of room to spend time outdoors afterward. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Ninigret Park Annual Arts and Crafts Show\nDate: Saturday\, September 19\, 2026\nTime: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.\nRain Date: Saturday\, September 26\nLocation: New Pavilion at Ninigret Park\nAddress: Park Lane\, Charlestown\, RI 02813\nExhibitors: Approximately 50 artists and makers\nCrafts: Woodworking\, pottery\, jewelry\, quilting\, crochet\, macramé and more\nLive Music: Ron Drago\nFood: Downey Weaver American Legion Post 34\, Del’s Lemonade and additional offerings \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/ninigret-park-annual-arts-and-crafts-show/
LOCATION:Ninigret Park\, 5 Park Lane\, Charlestown\, RI\, 02813\, United States
CATEGORIES:Ninigret Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Ninigret-Park-Annual-Arts-and-Crafts-Show.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260926T120000
DTSTAMP:20260511T024639Z
CREATED:20260508T022649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260511T024639Z
UID:10000899-1790413200-1790424000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Stonington Village Farmers Market
DESCRIPTION:Stonington Village Farmers Market has become one of the defining Saturday morning traditions along the Connecticut shoreline\, bringing together local farms\, food vendors\, artisans\, musicians\, and neighbors inside and outside the historic Velvet Mill. Running year-round since becoming a permanent seasonal fixture in 2008\, the market transforms with the seasons\, moving outdoors during the warmer months and indoors during late fall and winter while continuing to serve as a gathering place for the community. \nThe market offers far more than produce stands. Visitors can browse locally grown vegetables and fruits\, cheeses\, baked goods\, meats\, seafood\, maple syrup\, flowers\, mushrooms\, prepared foods\, and handmade crafts while live music plays in the background. The atmosphere feels distinctly coastal New England\, blending small-town community energy with the creativity and food culture that defines Stonington Village. Families\, dog owners\, and longtime locals mingle throughout the morning while vendors showcase everything from handmade soaps and pottery to organic kombucha and Mediterranean cuisine. \nWhat makes the Stonington Village Farmers Market stand out is how deeply connected it feels to the rhythm of the region itself. Some visitors arrive early for greenhouse spinach or fresh seafood before it sells out\, while others come simply to wander with coffee in hand and reconnect with neighbors. Between the local farmers\, prepared food vendors\, musicians\, and rotating artisan booths\, the market has evolved into more than a shopping destination. It has become a weekly community ritual that reflects the character\, creativity\, and agricultural roots of southeastern Connecticut. \nParticipating Vendors & Farms \n\nAPIS VERDI\nBroad Brook Acres\nDavis Farm\nISSA Catering\nJon Fish\nSeacoast Mushrooms\nSugar Maple Farms\nSweet Acre Farm\nWakin’ Up Waggin’\n18th Century Purity Farm\nStonyledge Farm and Studio Farm Products\nSummer Hill Catering\nCato Corner Farm\nTreatzles\nFiber + Mud\nYALLA\n\nSponsors & Organizers \n\nStonington Village Improvement Association (SVIA)\nVelvet Mill\n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/stonington-village-farmers-market-3/2026-09-26/
LOCATION:Velvet Mill\, 22 Bayview Ave\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Velvet Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Stonington-Village-Farmers-Market-at-the-Velvet-Mill.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR