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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003806-1792607400-1792611000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-10-21/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005267-1792508400-1792519200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-10-20/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T170000
DTSTAMP:20261015T210907Z
CREATED:20261015T003516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T210907Z
UID:10009356-1792245600-1792256400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Rescue Benefit Car Show at Outer Light Brewing Company
DESCRIPTION:At a Glance\n\n\nWhat: Charity car show benefiting Mona’s House Rescue \n\n\n\n\nWhen: Saturday\, October 17\, 2026\, 2–5 p.m. \n\n\n\n\nWhere: Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Unit 1\, Groton\, CT 06340 \n\n\n\n\nAdmission: $5 \n\n\n\n\nActivities: Car show\, local vendors\, food truck\, and craft beer \n\n\n\n\nBeneficiary: Mona’s House Rescue\, an Eastern Connecticut animal rescue organization \n\n\n\n\nVehicle Registration: Advance registration available through the event organizer \n\n\n\n\nContact: Marissa Loranger\, (860) 884-5293 \n\n\n\n\nParking: At the brewery; event-day parking arrangements may vary \n\n\n\n\nWeather: Outdoor event; rain arrangements not specified \n\n\nEvent Description\nRescue Benefit Car Show at Outer Light Brewing Company brings classic cars\, local vendors\, and craft beer together for an afternoon supporting animals in need on Saturday\, October 17. Hosted at the Groton brewery\, the event benefits Mona’s House Rescue\, an Eastern Connecticut organization dedicated to helping rescued animals find safe\, loving homes. \nFrom 2 to 5 p.m.\, car enthusiasts and casual visitors can check out a collection of vehicles while enjoying food\, browsing vendor offerings\, and spending an autumn afternoon with fellow automotive fans. Whether you’re interested in vintage American muscle cars\, lovingly restored classics\, or simply enjoy seeing what local collectors bring out for a show\, the event offers an opportunity to appreciate the work and pride that go into maintaining these vehicles. \nThe $5 admission charge supports the rescue’s work\, making the afternoon about more than polished chrome and powerful engines. \nSupporting Mona’s House Rescue\nMona’s House Rescue works to give vulnerable animals a second chance by connecting them with people willing to provide the care\, stability\, and companionship they deserve. \nAnimal rescue organizations depend heavily on community support to help cover veterinary expenses\, food\, supplies\, transportation\, and other costs associated with caring for animals before adoption. \nEvents like the Rescue Benefit Car Show help raise awareness of those needs while introducing the rescue’s mission to people who might not otherwise encounter its work. \nFor visitors\, the afternoon provides a straightforward way to contribute: enjoy the car show\, support participating vendors\, and help a local rescue continue its efforts. \nCars\, Craft Beer\, and Community\nOuter Light Brewing Company provides the setting for the fundraiser at its Bridge Street brewery in Groton. \nKnown for its locally brewed craft beers and relaxed taproom atmosphere\, Outer Light has become a gathering place for community events\, entertainment\, and social outings. Its location makes it a convenient destination for visitors from Groton\, New London\, Mystic\, and surrounding communities. \nDuring the benefit\, attendees can browse the cars on display\, visit participating vendors\, and purchase food from an on-site food truck. The brewery’s craft beer offerings add another option for adults looking to spend a leisurely Saturday afternoon at the event. \nThe combination of vehicles\, food\, and local businesses makes the show accessible to visitors who may not consider themselves dedicated car enthusiasts. \nBringing a Vehicle to the Show\nOwners interested in displaying their cars can register through the event’s online vehicle registration form. \nThe show welcomes participating vehicles as part of the fundraiser\, giving owners an opportunity to share their cars with the community while supporting Mona’s House Rescue. \nFor event questions or additional registration information\, contact Marissa Loranger at (860) 884-5293. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nRegister your vehicle using the Ticketing link below. \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/rescue-benefit-car-show-at-outer-light-brewing-company/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Rescue-Benefit-Car-Show-at-Outer-Light-Brewing-Company.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T160000
DTSTAMP:20260927T222002Z
CREATED:20260927T222002Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260927T222002Z
UID:10008632-1792157400-1792166400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Fairview Fall Farmers Market Brings Four Fridays of Local Food\, Makers and Music to Groton
DESCRIPTION:Fairview Fall Farmers Market Brings Four Fridays of Local Food\, Makers and Music to Groton beginning Oct. 2\, turning the Town Green into an afternoon market filled with Connecticut produce\, baked goods\, coffee\, handmade wares\, food and live acoustic music. \nThe market runs from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on four Fridays — Oct. 2\, Oct. 16\, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 — and is free and open to the community. Fairview’s current schedule confirms all four dates. \nThis isn’t simply a farm stand set up for the afternoon. Organizers have assembled a mix of farms\, bakers\, food vendors and craftspeople\, then added a different musician in the gazebo for each market. \nAnd the opening market already has a fairly substantial vendor roster. \nFrom Pumpkins and Sourdough to Coffee and Local Honey\nThe fall timing means shoppers can expect some of the things that disappear quickly once Connecticut’s growing season winds down. \nFairview is advertising fresh fruits and vegetables\, pumpkins and gourds\, baked goods and sourdough\, coffee and prepared food\, honey\, jams\, candles\, handmade products\, hard cider and wine. \nAmong the vendors currently announced are Long Meadow Farm\, Cedar & Stone Farm\, Stahley’s Tree Farm & Garden\, Whittle’s Farm\, Radiance Gardens\, Baked by Rose\, Cedar Sweets\, Wisketopia\, Woodfellas\, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee\, Issa Catering\, Crystal Hunter Liz and A Cupcake for Later. \nThat mix pushes this closer to a compact fall festival than a produce-only farmers market: grab a coffee or something to eat\, browse the makers\, pick up fall produce and stay for the music. \nFour Market Days\, Four Musicians\nFairview is also changing the soundtrack each time. \nThe Oct. 2 opening market features Paul Scrungio in the gazebo. Kipp Sturgeon follows Oct. 16\, Clayton Allen plays Oct. 30\, and Sal Basile closes the series Nov. 6. HappeningNext \nIt’s a small detail that makes the four dates more than repetitions of the same market. \nCome back two weeks later and both the seasonal produce and the music have changed. \nA Preview of What’s Coming to Fairview\nThere’s another reason this particular farmers market caught our attention. \nThe poster invites visitors to stop at the booth for The Salty Radish\, described as the future healthy Vista Point restaurant\, with free farmers market bags available for Vista Point depositors. \nThat’s part of a much larger project taking shape at Fairview. \nVista Point at Fairview is being developed as a nonprofit Life Plan Community overlooking the Thames River. Plans call for six different dining concepts rather than a single traditional dining room\, along with amenities including a 216-seat performing arts center\, a 75-foot indoor saltwater pool\, fitness facilities and waterfront gathering spaces. Vista Point at Fairview | \nThe Salty Radish is planned as the health-focused member of that restaurant collection\, alongside an Italian pizzeria\, bakery and cafe\, traditional restaurant\, bar and lounge and another chef-driven dining concept. Vista Point at Fairview | \nSo while the farmers market stands perfectly well on its own as a Friday afternoon destination\, it also gives the wider Groton community an opportunity to see what’s happening on the Fairview campus. \nAn Afternoon Market Rather Than a Weekend Commitment\nThe timing may be one of its advantages. \nInstead of competing with the increasingly packed Saturday and Sunday fall-festival calendar\, Fairview has put the market on Friday afternoons. \nIt’s only two and a half hours. \nThere’s no admission charge. \nAnd visitors can treat it however they want — make a quick produce run\, grab coffee and baked goods\, browse the local makers or settle near the gazebo and listen to the music. \nThe first one arrives Oct. 2. \nThen the market returns every other Friday through the end of October before one final afternoon Nov. 6. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Fairview Fall Farmers Market\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 2; Friday\, Oct. 16; Friday\, Oct. 30; and Friday\, Nov. 6\, 2026\nTime: 1:30–4 p.m.\nLocation: Fairview Town Green\nAddress:  235 Lestertown Road\, Groton\, CT 06340\nAdmission: Free and open to the community\nOct. 2 Live Music: Paul Scrungio\nOct. 16 Live Music: Kipp Sturgeon\nOct. 30 Live Music: Clayton Allen\nNov. 6 Live Music: Sal Basile\nMarket: Local produce\, pumpkins and gourds\, baked goods\, sourdough\, coffee\, prepared food\, honey\, jams\, handmade goods\, candles\, hard cider\, wine and additional seasonal products\nEntertainment: Live acoustic music in the gazebo \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/fairview-fall-farmers-market-brings-four-fridays-of-local-food-makers-and-music-to-groton/2026-10-16/
LOCATION:Fairview Town Green\, 235 Lestertown RD\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Fairview Town Green
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Fairview-Fall-Farmers-Market-Brings-Four-Fridays-of-Local-Food-Makers-and-Music-to-Groton.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261014T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261014T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003805-1792002600-1792006200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-10-14/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261013T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261013T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005266-1791903600-1791914400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-10-13/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261010T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261010T153000
DTSTAMP:20261008T194336Z
CREATED:20261008T194336Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261008T194336Z
UID:10009346-1791637200-1791646200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Gungywamp Hike Explores Mysterious Stone Chambers and Ancient History in Groton
DESCRIPTION:Gungywamp Hike Explores Mysterious Stone Chambers and Ancient History in Groton on Saturday\, October 10\, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.\, offering a guided journey through one of southeastern Connecticut’s most intriguing archaeological landscapes. Organized by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center\, the afternoon adventure combines woodland hiking\, unusual geological formations and centuries of unanswered questions about the site’s mysterious stone structures.\n\n\nHidden among the woods of Groton\, Gungywamp contains winding stone walls\, rocky ridges\, swamps and remarkable stone chambers whose original purposes remain subjects of investigation and debate. The property offers a fascinating combination of natural history and evidence of human activity spanning different periods. \nThe guided hike covers approximately two miles of moderately difficult terrain\, giving participants an opportunity to explore a place that is normally accessible only through organized visits. \nStone Chambers\, Ancient Artifacts and Unanswered Questions\nGungywamp has attracted the attention of archaeologists\, historians and curious visitors because of its unusual collection of stone structures. Among its most recognizable features are chambers built from large stones\, some partially embedded in hillsides\, along with extensive stone walls and other remnants of earlier activity. \nArchaeological investigations have uncovered Native American stone tools and pottery fragments\, as well as artifacts associated with colonial and early American settlement. While these discoveries establish a long history of human activity in the area\, the origins and purposes of some structures remain uncertain. \nThe site has also inspired theories about ancient ceremonial uses and astronomical alignments. Those interpretations remain debated\, adding another layer of mystery to a landscape whose documented history is already compelling. \nIn 2023\, Gungywamp was recognized as a Connecticut State Archaeological Preserve\, acknowledging its importance as a cultural and historical resource. \nA Guided Walk Through a Remarkable Landscape\nThe Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center’s guided excursion takes hikers through wooded trails and across the rocky\, uneven terrain surrounding the archaeological features. Along the way\, participants can observe glacial erratics\, distinctive rock formations\, wetland habitats and the stonework that has made Gungywamp a subject of local fascination. \nThe hike is intended for adults and families comfortable walking two miles over uneven ground. Sturdy walking shoes are recommended\, particularly because the route includes rocky sections and natural surfaces that may be slippery after rain. \nUnlike a typical woodland walk\, this outing provides an opportunity to examine how geology\, archaeology and local history intersect in a landscape that has changed over thousands of years. \nAdvance registration is required\, and participation is limited to those who register for the guided program. The hike begins at 501 Gungywamp Road in Groton. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To register\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Gungywamp Hike\nDate: Saturday\, October 10\, 2026\nTime: 1–3:30 p.m.\nMeeting Location: Gungywamp\nAddress: 501 Gungywamp Road\, Groton\, CT 06340\nOrganizer: Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center\nAdmission: $25.50 for members; $30 for nonmembers\nRegistration: Advance registration required\nDistance: Approximately 2 miles\nDifficulty: Moderate\, with uneven terrain\nRecommended For: Adults and families comfortable with moderate hiking\nHighlights: Stone chambers\, archaeological features\, stone walls\, glacial erratics\, rocky ridges and wetlands\nWhat to Bring: Sturdy hiking shoes\, drinking water and weather-appropriate clothing\nParking: Meet at the Gungywamp Road location specified by organizers\nWeather: Contact the Nature Center regarding weather-related changes or cancellations\nAccessibility: Natural\, uneven terrain may be unsuitable for some mobility devices\nInformation: 860-536-1216 \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/gungywamp-hike-explores-mysterious-stone-chambers-and-ancient-history-in-groton/
LOCATION:Gungywamp Trails\, 500 Gungywamp Road\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Gungywamp Trails
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Gungywamp-Hike-Explores-Mysterious-Stone-Chambers-and-Ancient-History-in-Groton.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261007T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261007T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003804-1791397800-1791401400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-10-07/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261006T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261006T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005265-1791298800-1791309600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-10-06/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261004T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261004T120000
DTSTAMP:20261001T141326Z
CREATED:20261001T141326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261001T141326Z
UID:10009216-1791104400-1791115200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Run for The Cove Turns Bluff Point Into a Memory Lane for Grieving Families
DESCRIPTION:Run for The Cove Turns Bluff Point Into a Memory Lane for Grieving Families Sunday\, Oct. 4\, bringing families to one of Groton’s most familiar outdoor spaces for a two-mile Memorial Walk\, children’s fun run\, and a morning built around remembering people who have died. \nThis isn’t really a competitive running event despite the “Run for The Cove” name. \nThere is no 5K at the Groton event. The centerpiece is a two-mile Memorial Walk through Bluff Point State Park\, accompanied by a short Kids Fun Run\, children’s arts and crafts\, snacks\, and opportunities for families to remember loved ones together. \nThe event begins at 9 a.m. and raises money for The Cove Center for Grieving Children’s free programs for children and families throughout Connecticut. \nMemory Lane Makes the Walk Personal\nThe most meaningful section of the route may be Memory Lane. \nFamilies participating in The Cove’s fundraising program could raise $30 to have a memorial sign created with a photograph of someone they lost. Those signs are displayed along the walk\, turning part of the route into a collective remembrance. \nThe deadline for requesting a personalized sign for the Groton event was Sept. 24\, so new signs can no longer be ordered for Sunday’s walk. \nBut Memory Lane remains part of the experience for everyone participating. \nThat changes the character of a two-mile walk through the park. Rather than simply counting miles\, participants pass the names and faces of people being remembered by the families around them. \nThe Kids Run Ends With a Medal\nChildren have an event of their own. \nThe Kids Fun Run is intentionally described as quick and easy rather than competitive\, and every participating child receives a medal. \nThere will also be arts and crafts for children\, along with snacks and time for families to gather before and after the walk. \nThat family-centered approach reflects what The Cove does throughout the year. \nThe organization works specifically with children and teenagers coping with the death of someone significant in their lives. Rather than treating grief as something children should simply move beyond\, its programs give them places to talk\, remember and spend time with other young people who understand the experience. \nThe Cove Isn’t a Therapy Group\nThere’s an important distinction in the organization’s approach. \nThe Cove describes its core program as peer-based mutual support rather than therapy. \nVolunteer facilitators are screened and receive 15 hours of training in childhood grief before beginning their work. They also meet with staff before and after program sessions for continuing education and supervision. \nChildren and teenagers are able to interact with peers who have also experienced a death while participating in age-appropriate activities designed around grief and remembrance. \nWhen a child appears to need clinical grief therapy\, The Cove says staff can work with caregivers to identify qualified therapists. \nThat allows its programs to occupy a different space: not replacing professional mental-health treatment\, but creating a community where grieving children don’t have to be the only child in the room who has lost someone. \nWhat Sunday’s Walk Supports\nMoney raised through the Groton event helps keep The Cove’s programs free for participating families. \nThose programs currently include the Family Program\, Camp Compassion\, Virtual Program and Summer Program\, along with professional development work. \nCamp Compassion offers one example of what those donations make possible. \nThe free weekend-long overnight bereavement camp serves Connecticut children and teenagers ages 6 through 17 who have experienced the death of someone significant. Campers participate in familiar camp activities while also taking part in therapeutic grief activities led by bereavement professionals and trained volunteers. \nThe idea is to give children room both to grieve and to simply be children. \nThey can remember the person they lost\, learn coping skills and meet other kids carrying something similar. \nSunday’s walk translates that same philosophy into a public community event. \nThree Connecticut Communities Are Walking for The Cove\nGroton is one of three communities hosting Cove walks this fall. \nThe first took place Sept. 13 at Winding Trails in Farmington. \nGroton follows Oct. 4 at Bluff Point. \nThe organization’s largest October event comes Oct. 18 at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison\, where the program expands to include a timed 5K along with the two-mile Memorial Walk and Kids Fun Run. \nThat distinction is worth emphasizing for anyone looking at the Groton event: Sunday at Bluff Point is the Memorial Walk and Kids Fun Run\, not the 5K. \nA Different Kind of Setting for a Grief Event\nBluff Point gives the Groton walk a particularly appropriate setting. \nInstead of gathering inside a ballroom or event hall\, families spend the morning outdoors\, walking together through the state park. \nAnd this isn’t an event that requires participants to arrive with a particular story. \nSome may be walking shortly after a loss. Others may be remembering someone who died years ago. Children can run\, make crafts and collect their medals while adults walk alongside people who understand why they’re there. \nThere doesn’t have to be a finish line for grief. \nOn Sunday morning\, there is simply a path through Bluff Point and a community willing to walk it together. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To register\, click the Event Registration link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 2026 Groton Memorial Walk & Kids Fun Run\nDate: Sunday\, Oct. 4\, 2026\nTime: 9 a.m.\nLocation: Bluff Point State Park\nAddress: 55 Depot Road\, Groton\, CT 06340\nOrganizer: The Cove Center for Grieving Children\nMemorial Walk: Two miles\nKids Fun Run: Short\, noncompetitive children’s run; participants receive a medal\nFamily Activities: Children’s arts and crafts and snacks\nMemory Lane: Memorial signs honoring loved ones will be displayed along the walk; the Sept. 24 deadline for new Groton signs has passed\nT-Shirts: Included with registration while supplies last; guaranteed-size deadline has passed\nFundraising: Participants can create or join fundraising teams to support The Cove’s programs\nWeather: Rain or shine\nRefunds: No refunds\nRegistration: Advance registration is encouraged; day-of registration is available at an increased price\nBeneficiary: The Cove Center for Grieving Children\nPrograms Supported: Family Program\, Camp Compassion\, Virtual Program\, Summer Program and professional development\nThe Cove Contact: 203-634-0500\nEvent Contact: Pat Vlamis\, pat@covect.org \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/run-for-the-cove-turns-bluff-point-into-a-memory-lane-for-grieving-families/
LOCATION:Bluff Point State Park\, 55 Depot Road\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Bluff Point State Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Run-for-The-Cove-Turns-Bluff-Point-Into-a-Memory-Lane-for-Grieving-Families.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261002T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261002T200000
DTSTAMP:20261005T192926Z
CREATED:20260927T224634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T192926Z
UID:10008635-1790964000-1790971200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:500 Luminaries Turn Copp Family Park Into an Enchanted Forest for One Night
DESCRIPTION:500 Luminaries Turn Copp Family Park Into an Enchanted Forest for One Night Oct. 2\, when one of Groton’s woodland trails will glow after dark for the annual Luminaria Walk. \nThe Friday evening event transforms an easy\, one-mile loop at Copp Family Park with 500 illuminated luminaries\, creating a trail through the woods that’s more autumn enchantment than haunted attraction. Along the route\, walkers will encounter live local entertainment and a special performance of spirited witch dancing. \nThe walk runs from 6 to 8 p.m.\, catching the transition from the last light of an October evening into darkness. \nAnd there’s a second purpose behind all those lights: proceeds benefit the Groton Parks Foundation and its work supporting recreational projects in town. \nA Different Way to Experience Copp Family Park\nCopp Family Park is normally a daytime destination. \nThe town-owned property at 821 Gold Star Highway encompasses just over 227 acres of mature woodland\, wetlands\, streams\, fields and an extensive trail network. Groton’s 2025 stewardship plan also notes remnants of the property’s past\, including an old farmhouse foundation and former fields gradually returning to nature. \nThe Town of Groton acquired the land from the Copp family in 1988 through a combination purchase-and-gift arrangement intended to preserve the property for public open space and recreation. \nToday\, its network of trails ranges from smooth and relatively level paths to rockier routes through woods and mountain laurel. The park is also home to Central Bark dog park. \nFor the Luminaria Walk\, organizers aren’t sending families onto the more challenging sections. \nThey’ve selected an easy\, flat\, family-friendly one-mile loop and are lining it with hundreds of lights. \n500 Lights Through the Woods\nA luminaria is wonderfully simple: a small light enclosed within a translucent container\, traditionally a paper bag\, producing a soft glow rather than the concentrated beam of a flashlight. \nOne isn’t particularly dramatic. \nFive hundred are another matter. \nSpread along a wooded trail after sunset\, the individual points of light become a glowing pathway\, illuminating the edges of the forest without eliminating the darkness beyond them. \nThat distinction is part of what separates this event from October’s haunted trails. \nNobody is advertising chainsaws\, jump scares or monsters hiding behind trees. The idea is to experience the woods after dark in a way families normally can’t\, with the trail itself becoming the attraction. \nThe organizers are adding entertainment along the route\, including what may be the evening’s most unusual feature: witch dancing. \nThe special performance brings a little Halloween theatricality into the woods without turning the walk into a full-scale scare attraction. \nFor younger children — or adults who enjoy October but would rather skip being chased through a haunted house — that may be exactly the right balance. \nA Walk That Helps Build the Next Park Project\nThe Luminaria Walk is also a fundraiser for the Groton Parks Foundation\, a nonprofit organization supporting improvements to recreational opportunities in the community. \nThat connection to Copp Family Park goes back decades. \nIn 2002\, Connecticut authorized a $65\,000 grant-in-aid to the Groton Parks Foundation for design\, permitting and construction of an entrance and parking lot at Copp Family Park. More than two decades later\, the foundation continues raising money for recreational improvements in Groton. \nEvery admission to Friday’s walk goes toward that larger mission. \nAdults are $10\, children ages 8 and older are $5\, and children under 8 attend free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or reserved in advance. \nThose who can’t attend can also make a tax-deductible donation directly to the foundation. \nTwo Hours\, One October Night\nUnlike many of the season’s attractions\, this isn’t something running every weekend until Halloween. \nThe Luminaria Walk happens one night only. \nFrom 6 to 8 p.m. Friday\, the familiar trails of Copp Family Park become something different — 500 lights leading families through a mile of October woods\, with music and entertainment appearing along the way. \nThen the lights come down and Copp returns to being a woodland park. \nFor two hours\, though\, the forest gets to glow. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To register in advance\, click the Event Registration link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Luminaria Walk at Copp Family Park\nDate: Friday\, Oct. 2\, 2026\nTime: 6–8 p.m.\nLocation: Copp Family Park\nAddress: 821 Gold Star Highway\, Groton\, CT 06340\nTrail: Easy\, flat\, family-friendly one-mile loop\nExperience: 500 luminaries\, live local entertainment and a special witch-dancing performance\nAdmission: Adults $10; children ages 8 and older $5; children under 8 free\nTickets: Pay at the gate or register online\nBeneficiary: Groton Parks Foundation\nContact: Groton Parks & Recreation\, 860-536-5680\nEmail: parksrec@groton-ct.gov \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/500-luminaries-turn-copp-family-park-into-an-enchanted-forest-for-one-night/
LOCATION:Copp Family Park\, 821 Gold Star Highway\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Copp Family Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/500-Luminaries-Turn-Copp-Family-Park-Into-an-Enchanted-Forest-for-One-Night.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260930T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260930T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003803-1790793000-1790796600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-09-30/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005264-1790694000-1790704800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-09-29/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.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:20260923T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260923T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003802-1790188200-1790191800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-09-23/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260922T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260922T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005263-1790089200-1790100000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-09-22/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T200000
DTSTAMP:20260921T030525Z
CREATED:20260914T015847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260921T030525Z
UID:10007600-1789754400-1789761600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Puzzle Palooza Turns a 500-Piece Jigsaw Into a Race at Groton’s Thrive55+
DESCRIPTION:Puzzle Palooza turns a normally quiet night at the puzzle table into a race on Friday\, September 18\, as teams of up to four people compete to finish a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle first at Groton’s Thrive55+ Active Living Center. \nGroton Parks & Recreation and Thrive55+ are hosting the family-friendly competition from 6 to 8 p.m. at 102 Newtown Road. \nTeams can include one to four players; participants must be at least 8 years old\, and registration costs $25 per team\, not per person. \nAnd don’t spend too much time planning what you’ll do with the prize money. \nThe winning team’s official prize is “Bragging Rights” until the next event. \nFour People\, 500 Pieces and a Clock\nMost jigsaw puzzles are supposed to be relaxing. \nPuzzle Palooza removes that part. \nEach team faces the same basic challenge: complete a 500-piece puzzle faster than everyone else in the room. \nTeams can have as many as four players\, but going solo is allowed\, too. \nThat creates an interesting choice. \nFour people give a team eight hands and four sets of eyes. \nThey also give you four people simultaneously reaching into the same pile\, searching for the same edge piece and confidently insisting that the blue section belongs in completely different parts of the puzzle. \nFor competitive puzzlers\, teamwork matters almost as much as speed. \nThere Really Is Such a Thing as Competitive Jigsaw Puzzling\nIf the idea of racing someone to finish a jigsaw sounds like somebody invented a sport at the kitchen table\, that’s not far from the truth. \nBut competitive puzzling has developed into an organized activity with serious competitors and formal tournaments. \nAt major competitions\, puzzlers race against a clock individually\, in pairs or as teams. Everyone in a division receives the same previously unseen puzzle\, and the first competitor or team to assemble it correctly wins. \nThat means there are no advantages from already knowing the image. \nOnce the box opens\, everyone starts solving. \nPuzzle Palooza brings that concept down to a friendly community scale. \nNo national championship is at stake. \nYour reputation among friends and family might be. \nThe Border-First Strategy Isn’t Mandatory\nAnyone who has assembled enough jigsaw puzzles probably has a system. \nDump out the pieces. \nFlip everything face-up. \nFind the four corners. \nSeparate the edges. \nBuild the border. \nThen attack the most recognizable colors and objects. \nThat’s a perfectly reasonable way to solve a puzzle. \nIt isn’t necessarily how the fastest competitive puzzlers do it. \nSpeed puzzling rewards minimizing wasted movement and identifying useful patterns quickly. Experienced competitors may sort pieces by distinctive colors\, textures or shapes and work several recognizable sections simultaneously rather than insisting on completing the entire frame first. \nA team introduces another variable: division of labor. \nOne person can hunt edges. \nAnother can attack an obvious object. \nSomeone else can sort pieces by color. \nThe fourth can spend 20 minutes looking for the piece that has been sitting directly in front of them. \nEvery team needs a specialist. \nOne Registration Covers the Whole Team\nThe $25 registration fee applies to the entire team. \nOnly one person needs to register. \nThat makes the cost: \n$25 for one player \n$12.50 each for two players \nAbout $8.33 each for three players \n$6.25 each for four players \nThe organizers describe spaces as limited\, so teams need to register in advance rather than simply arriving Friday night and hoping a puzzle is available. \nRegistration is being handled through Groton Parks & Recreation’s MyRec system. \nKids Can Compete With Adults\nPuzzle Palooza is open to ages 8 and older. \nThere are no separate adult and children’s competitions advertised for the September event\, which creates the possibility of parents and children playing together or going head-to-head. \nThat’s part of what makes the format unusually accessible. \nNobody needs to run faster. \nNobody needs to be taller. \nNobody needs expensive equipment. \nAnd a child who’s particularly good at recognizing patterns may be exactly the teammate an adult needs. \nThe organizers specifically describe Puzzle Palooza as an event for family and friends\, rather than programming exclusively for older adults despite its location at Thrive55+. \nYes\, Thrive55+ Is Hosting an 8+ Event\nThe location can initially seem confusing. \nThrive55+ Active Living Center is Groton’s municipal center for older adults and is powered by the Groton Senior Center. \nBut the facility also serves as a community gathering place and regularly hosts programming that reaches beyond its core 55-and-older audience. \nPuzzle Palooza is explicitly an ages 8+ community event. \nThe competition is being presented jointly by Groton Parks & Recreation and Thrive55+\, making it an opportunity for multiple generations to use the same community space. \nGrandparents can bring grandchildren. \nParents can bring kids. \nFriends can form a team. \nOr one extremely confident puzzler can enter alone and attempt to embarrass all of them. \nThis Isn’t Groton’s First Puzzle Palooza\nGroton has been building Puzzle Palooza into a recurring event rather than treating September’s competition as a one-off experiment. \nThe Town’s recreation materials included Puzzle Palooza among its community events in 2025\, and another competition was held at Thrive55+ in November 2025. \nA previous edition used the same basic formula: teams of one to four\, a $25 team registration and light refreshments before the competition. \nThat helps explain this year’s most unusual prize. \nThe winners get bragging rights “until the next event.” \nThere actually is a next event. \nEventually somebody else gets a chance to take the title. \nRefreshments Come Before the Serious Business\nLight refreshments will be served before the competition begins. \nThat’s a useful distinction. \nOnce the clock starts\, stopping to contemplate a snack while another team completes the upper-left corner probably isn’t an ideal strategy. \nThe pre-competition period also gives teams time to arrive\, settle in and presumably engage in a little harmless psychological warfare. \nThen it’s puzzle time. \nThe current event listing doesn’t specify the exact refreshments\, so anyone with dietary restrictions shouldn’t assume particular food or beverages will be available. \nThere Are Actual Benefits to Doing Jigsaw Puzzles\nEven without a trophy at the end\, puzzles demand an interesting combination of skills. \nYou’re constantly comparing shapes\, colors\, patterns and spatial relationships. \nA piece that looked useless 10 minutes ago suddenly becomes obvious after another section is completed. \nLarge puzzles also force the brain to move between two different scales: the tiny information contained on an individual piece and the larger image you’re trying to construct. \nDoing that with teammates adds communication and cooperation. \nSomeone has to decide whether the dark-blue pieces belong to the sky\, the water or that suspiciously blue building on the box. \nAnd unlike plenty of activities that divide generations\, a jigsaw puzzle needs virtually no explanation. \nMost people already understand what they’re supposed to do. \nDon’t Underestimate the 500-Piece Puzzle\nFive hundred pieces sits in an interesting middle ground. \nIt’s manageable enough to make a two-hour competition realistic\, particularly for a team. \nIt’s also large enough to punish bad organization. \nA 500-piece puzzle doesn’t mean making 500 independent decisions. \nEvery correctly placed piece reduces the possibilities for the pieces around it. The puzzle gets easier as recognizable sections emerge and the number of unused pieces shrinks. \nThe hard part is getting there quickly. \nAt the beginning\, you’ve got hundreds of pieces that all seem convinced they’re part of the same cloud. \nThat’s where good teams can separate themselves. \nYou Might Want to Choose Your Teammates Carefully\nA four-person team sounds automatically better than a two-person team. \nNot necessarily. \nThe ideal team needs people who can work simultaneously without repeatedly undoing one another’s organization. \nA little strategy before the timer begins won’t hurt. \nDecide who’s sorting. \nDecide who’s looking for edges. \nDivide obvious sections of the image if that’s useful. \nAnd establish one important rule: \nIf somebody says\, “I swear this piece goes here\,” and it clearly doesn’t\, they’re allowed two attempts before the piece goes back into circulation. \nFriendships have limits. \nThe Only Trophy Is Being Able to Remind Everyone You Won\nThere is something refreshing about Puzzle Palooza’s prize structure. \nNo cash. \nNo giant trophy. \nNo championship belt. \nJust bragging rights. \nThat puts the emphasis where a community puzzle competition probably belongs: having a good time and being just competitive enough to care who wins. \nOf course\, “bragging rights” can be an extremely valuable prize depending on the family. \nIf you’re going to spend $25 and two hours earning the right to remind your siblings that they lost a jigsaw puzzle to you\, you might as well get your money’s worth. \nThe title lasts until the next Puzzle Palooza. \nUse it responsibly. \nDetails\nEvent: Puzzle Palooza: Jigsaw Puzzle Competition\nDate: Friday\, September 18\, 2026\nTime: 6–8 p.m.\nLocation: Thrive55+ Active Living Center\nAddress: 102 Newtown Road\, Groton\, CT 06340\nOrganizers: Groton Parks & Recreation and Thrive55+ Active Living Center\nChallenge: 500-piece jigsaw puzzle competition\nTeam Size: 1–4 players\nAge: 8+\nCost: $25 per team\nRegistration: Required; only one member of each team needs to register\nRefreshments: Light refreshments provided before the competition\nPrize: Bragging rights until the next event\nContact: Groton Parks & Recreation\, 860-536-5680\nRegistration Site: Groton Parks & Recreation MyRec\nAvailability: Space is limited; advance registration is recommended. \nTo register your team\, click the Event Registration 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/puzzle-palooza-turns-a-500-piece-jigsaw-into-a-race-at-grotons-thrive55/
LOCATION:Thrive 55+\, 102 Newtown Rd\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Thrive 55+
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Puzzle-Palooza-Turns-a-500-Piece-Jigsaw-Into-a-Race-at-Grotons-Thrive55-plus.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260918T200000
DTSTAMP:20260921T030623Z
CREATED:20260914T005844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260921T030623Z
UID:10007598-1789750800-1789761600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Studio Love Grand Opening Introduces a New Club
DESCRIPTION:Studio Love Grand Opening welcomes the community into a new women-owned Pilates\, yoga and social wellness club in Groton on Friday\, September 18\, with drinks\, bites\, live music and dancing from 5 to 8 p.m. and an official ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. \nBut founders Annie Chapman and Maggie Skinner are opening something they hope will be more than another place to squeeze in a workout. \nThe mother-daughter team has designed Studio Love around Pilates\, yoga\, meditation and mindful movement\, but also around something that can be surprisingly difficult to find in fitness spaces: a place where people actually want to stay. \nTheir philosophy is summed up in five words: \nLove is the root\, not the reward. \nA Mother and Daughter Build Their Own Studio\nChapman and Skinner aren’t newcomers to the local wellness community. \nBoth have spent years teaching yoga and Pilates\, and Studio Love brings their experience together at 70 Bridge Street in Groton. \nChapman is an E-RYT 500 yoga teacher whose training includes 300 hours through the Baptiste Institute and an additional 300 hours of Recovery Yoga training. \nSkinner combines yoga and Pilates training\, including 300 hours of Baptiste teacher training and comprehensive 800-hour Pilates teacher training. Her background also includes ballet and a particular interest in anatomy. \nNow mother and daughter are putting those experiences under one roof. \nStudio Love describes the new business as a “love letter to the community that raised us.” \nThe September 18 grand opening is the community’s first big invitation inside. \nThe Idea Starts With Changing How People Think About Exercise\nPlenty of fitness businesses promise results. \nStudio Love is asking people to reconsider what a result actually means. \nIts philosophy explicitly rejects exercise as punishment for what someone ate or as a transaction undertaken to earn a different-looking body. \nInstead\, Chapman and Skinner describe movement as a form of self-care and a way of making your body a more comfortable place to live. \nStrength still matters. \nSo do mobility\, balance\, endurance and proper technique. \nBut the goal isn’t to make people feel that the person walking through the door needs to be fixed before beginning. \nThat distinction influences how Studio Love describes nearly everything it offers. \nThe studio says its classes are intended for different ages\, body shapes\, backgrounds and experience levels\, including complete beginners and people returning to exercise after time away. \nPilates Goes Beyond the Mat\nPilates will be one of the major pieces of Studio Love. \nThat includes Reformer Pilates\, using the familiar sliding carriage\, springs\, straps and resistance system that allow exercises to be scaled in dramatically different ways. \nA reformer can add resistance to make a movement more challenging. \nIt can also provide assistance. \nThat’s one reason Pilates equipment can be useful across such a wide range of experience levels. \nStudio Love also incorporates Tower Pilates\, expanding the exercise possibilities through spring-loaded equipment and attachment points. \nFor people who prefer the simplest version\, mat Pilates remains part of the program as well. \nThe emphasis throughout is on controlled movement\, alignment\, mobility and functional strength rather than simply moving as quickly as possible. \nThere’s Plenty of Yoga\, Too\nYoga at Studio Love ranges from energetic to deliberately slow. \nAt the more athletic end are heated power and vinyasa-style practices. \nOther classes slow things considerably through approaches including slow flow\, restorative and yin yoga. \nThat gives members the ability to choose a practice according to what their body needs that day rather than treating every visit as another maximum-intensity workout. \nSome people may come to sweat. \nOthers may come because they’ve spent eight hours sitting at a desk and would simply like their back to forgive them. \nBoth belong. \nMeditation and Breathwork Are Part of the Club\nStudio Love’s definition of wellness extends beyond exercise. \nMeditation\, breathwork and other mindful practices are incorporated alongside Pilates and yoga. \nWorkshops and specialty programming can take that further\, with the studio planning experiences such as Yoga Nidra\, sound-focused practices\, guest instruction and educational workshops. \nStudio Love has also connected with Heartfulness\, an international nonprofit meditation organization\, to help interested members access complimentary Heartfulness Meditation experiences with trainers. \nIt’s another indication that the word “wellness” isn’t being used simply as a fashionable substitute for “fitness.” \nThe studio is trying to create a broader practice. \nWhy Call It a Social Wellness Club?\nThis may be the most interesting part of Studio Love. \nChapman and Skinner don’t want everyone grabbing their keys and disappearing the moment class ends. \nThe space is intentionally designed to let people linger. \nHave some tea. \nRefill a water bottle. \nAnswer an email. \nTalk to the person you’ve been practicing next to for the past month. \nSit for a few minutes before returning to the rest of the day. \nComplimentary tea and filtered water are part of the experience\, along with small touches such as infused water and cool lavender cloths following hot classes. \nThe idea is to create some of the social connection that can disappear when exercise becomes another appointment to complete as efficiently as possible. \nThat’s where the “social wellness club” description comes from. \nThe class is only part of the reason to walk through the door. \nBeginners Get Their Own Starting Point\nBoutique fitness can be intimidating. \nEveryone else appears to know where to stand. \nThey understand the equipment. \nThey know the terminology. \nAnd you’re quietly trying to figure out which way the mat goes. \nStudio Love has created a Start Here Series specifically to address that. \nThese classes emphasize foundations\, technique and slower instruction\, with room to ask questions and learn how things work. \nFrom there\, classes are organized partly by the experience someone wants. \nThe Power Series is faster and more athletic. \nThe Flow Series uses continuous\, intelligently sequenced movement at a more moderate pace. \nThe Restore Series slows things down with an emphasis on recovery\, mobility and relaxation. \nThe Feature Series is reserved for workshops\, pop-ups and specialty programming. \nThat structure gives someone a more useful question than simply\, “Do I want yoga or Pilates?” \nThe question becomes\, “What do I need today?” \nThere’s Even a Blind Date\nNew members can try Studio Love through something called the Blind Date Membership. \nIt’s a 14-day introductory program providing 55 credits and two guest passes. \nThe idea is to give someone enough freedom to experiment before deciding what they actually like. \nTry the reformer. \nTake a mat class. \nBring a friend. \nTry something else. \nStudio Love’s regular memberships operate on the same credit philosophy. \nRather than buying a membership that locks someone into one particular kind of class\, members receive monthly credits that can be spent across different Studio Love experiences. \nA Reformer class currently uses 15 credits. \nA mat class uses 10 credits. \nA workshop uses 15 credits. \nDrop-in classes are also available for people who don’t want a membership. \nThe Studio Is Designed to Grow With Its Members\nStudio Love says its schedule will include morning\, midday and evening options. \nMore importantly\, Chapman and Skinner aren’t treating the opening schedule as permanent. \nThey plan to add and adjust class times and formats according to what members actually use and request. \nThat’s a small but meaningful difference between opening a business with a predetermined formula and opening one intended to become part of a community. \nIf the 10 a.m. class fills and another time doesn’t\, they can respond. \nIf members want more restorative work\, the schedule can evolve. \nIf workshops prove popular\, there can be more of them. \nThe grand opening is the beginning rather than the finished product. \nThis Is Also Becoming a Yoga School\nStudio Love already has its next major project scheduled. \nBeginning in January 2027\, the studio will become home to Sangha Yoga School\, offering a Yoga Alliance-registered 200-hour yoga teacher training program. \nThe six-month program runs through June and combines monthly in-person training weekends at Studio Love with Wednesday evening online sessions. \nAnd it’s considerably broader than learning how to lead people through poses. \nThe curriculum includes yoga philosophy and origins\, anatomy\, alignment\, Ayurveda\, meditation\, Sanskrit\, chanting\, restorative yoga\, yin\, teaching methodology and assisting. \nDaily spiritual practice and community are built into the program as well. \nChapman is the school’s founder and lead instructor. \nSkinner serves as a lead instructor with an emphasis on anatomy. \nThe program is open not only to aspiring yoga teachers but also to people who want to deepen their own practice without necessarily planning to teach. \nSangha Explains a Lot About Studio Love\nThe word sangha traditionally refers to a community devoted to spiritual practice. \nThat makes it an appropriate name for the school\, but it also helps explain the larger Studio Love concept. \nChapman describes returning to yoga following the death of her mother and needing both a safe place to land and a community. \nThat experience informs what she is trying to create now. \nExercise can be individual. \nCommunity can’t. \nA reformer\, yoga mat or meditation cushion may be the tool that gets someone into the building\, but Studio Love’s larger ambition is to make people feel that they belong once they arrive. \nThe Grand Opening Is the Easy Way to See It\nNobody needs to understand Pilates before walking into the September 18 celebration. \nYou don’t need to own a yoga mat. \nYou don’t need to know the difference between vinyasa and yin. \nAnd you’re not being asked to demonstrate anything involving flexibility in front of strangers. \nThe grand opening is a party. \nFrom 5 to 8 p.m.\, Studio Love will welcome visitors with drinks\, bites\, live music and dancing. \nAt 6 p.m.\, the official ribbon cutting will mark the opening with the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce and City of Groton. \nIt’s an opportunity to see the space\, meet the people behind it and find out what they’re offering without committing to a class. \nAnd for Chapman and Skinner\, it’s a chance to introduce the community to something they’ve clearly thought about beyond the equipment and class schedule. \nA New Kind of Fitness Space for Groton\nThere are plenty of places where you can exercise. \nStudio Love is betting that people are looking for something more specific. \nGood instruction without intimidation. \nChallenging movement without punishment. \nPilates without requiring someone to already understand a reformer. \nYoga without requiring someone to already be flexible. \nA quiet practice when that’s what you need. \nA sweaty one when that’s what you want. \nAnd perhaps a cup of tea and another human being to talk to when class is over. \nThat’s a considerably larger ambition than opening another workout studio. \nOn September 18\, Groton gets its first look. \nDetails\nEvent: Studio Love Grand Opening\nDate: Friday\, September 18\, 2026\nTime: 5–8 p.m.\nRibbon Cutting: 6 p.m.\nLocation: Studio Love\nAddress: 70 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT 06340\nFounders: Annie Chapman and Maggie Skinner\nBusiness: Women-owned Pilates\, yoga and social wellness club\nGrand Opening Activities: Drinks\, bites\, live music and dancing\nRegular Offerings: Reformer and apparatus Pilates\, mat Pilates\, yoga\, meditation\, breathwork\, workshops and specialty programming\nBeginner Options: Start Here Series provides slower\, foundational instruction for newcomers and those returning to movement\nIntroductory Offer: Blind Date Membership provides new clients with 55 credits for 14 days and two guest passes\nClass Credits: Reformer classes use 15 credits; mat classes use 10; workshops use 15\nVeterans: Studio Love offers a 10% veteran discount with valid identification\nMat Rentals: $2 for mat-based classes; no equipment is required for apparatus Pilates classes\nContact: 860-530-4800\nEmail: namaste@studiolovecollective.com\nComing in 2027: Sangha Yoga School’s Yoga Alliance-registered 200-hour teacher training begins in January \nMore information is available at the Event Website 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/studio-love-grand-opening-introduces-a-new-pilates-yoga-and-social-wellness-club-to-groton/
LOCATION:Studio Love Groton\, 70 Bridge Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Studio Love Groton
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260916T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260916T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003801-1789583400-1789587000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-09-16/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260915T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260915T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005262-1789484400-1789495200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-09-15/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260913T170000
DTSTAMP:20260910T173727Z
CREATED:20260910T173727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260910T173727Z
UID:10007542-1789293600-1789318800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Three Special Thames River Cruises
DESCRIPTION:Three Special Thames River Cruises give Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival visitors three very different ways to experience New London and Groton from the water September 12 and 13\, from free transportation between festival sites to narrated history cruises and a Saturday night trip beneath a 300-drone light show. \nThames River Heritage Park is expanding its normal role during festival weekend with free Hop On\, Hop Off Harbor Cruises Saturday and Sunday\, four free 45-minute historic boat tours Sunday\, and a special Saturday night Drone Show Cruise that heads downriver toward New London Ledge Light before returning to the harbor for the festival’s nighttime spectacle. \nTogether\, the trips also demonstrate what makes Thames River Heritage Park a little unusual. \nIt isn’t one park. \nIt’s a network of historic and cultural sites spread along both shores of the Thames River\, with the river itself serving as the connection between them. \nAnd for one weekend\, much of that connection is free. \n1. Ride the Thames for Free All Weekend\nThe most useful cruise of the weekend may also be the simplest. \nThames River Heritage Park’s Hop On\, Hop Off Harbor Cruise will be completely free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday\, with the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival sponsoring the service. \nNormally\, an adult Harbor Cruise ticket costs $15. \nDuring the festival\, visitors can simply use the boats to move among three major locations: \nFort Trumbull State Park in New London \nCity Pier in downtown New London \nThames River Landing in Groton \nThere is an important change from the Heritage Park’s regular summer schedule. \nDuring festival weekend\, there will be no fixed departure or arrival times. The boats will travel continuously among the three landings\, and boarding will be first-come\, first-served. \nThat makes the service part transportation and part attraction. \nSomeone attending the festival at Fort Trumbull can board a boat\, cross the harbor to Groton\, get off to explore and later catch another boat back to downtown New London. \nOr visitors can simply stay aboard and see the harbor from the water. \nThe Boats Have a Navy History of Their Own\nEven the vessels carrying festival visitors are pieces of maritime history. \nThames River Heritage Park operates refurbished former U.S. Navy liberty boats. \nUtility boats like these weren’t designed as sightseeing vessels. They transported sailors between larger Navy ships and shore\, including taking crews ashore for “liberty\,” the Navy term for authorized time away from a ship. \nOne of the Heritage Park boats was assigned to the USS La Salle\, which served as flagship for Commander Middle East Force beginning in 1988. \nAnother was assigned to the USS Hunley\, a submarine tender that supported the Navy’s Polaris ballistic-missile submarine fleet. \nNow\, instead of carrying sailors ashore\, the old Navy boats carry visitors through the same harbor that remains home to one of America’s most important naval communities. \nIt’s particularly fitting in 2026. \nThe United States is celebrating the Navy’s 250th anniversary\, while the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London is celebrating its 150th. \nA River Where American Naval History Is Still Happening\nThe scenery from the boat isn’t simply historic. \nThe Thames remains a working military and commercial river. \nThe U.S. Coast Guard Academy occupies the New London shoreline farther upriver. \nAcross the Thames in Groton is Naval Submarine Base New London\, the Navy’s primary East Coast submarine base and a place so closely associated with undersea warfare that Groton calls itself the Submarine Capital of the World. \nNearby is the historic USS Nautilus\, the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine. \nDownriver\, Fort Trumbull stands near the entrance to New London Harbor\, while ferries\, fishing boats\, recreational craft\, commercial traffic and military vessels continue using the water around it. \nBut the history stretches much farther back. \nNew London became one of America’s major whaling ports during the 19th century. \nThe river witnessed colonial trade\, privateering and the American Revolution. \nIndigenous people had lived along and traveled these waters for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. \nThe Heritage Park’s weekend cruises approach those overlapping histories in very different ways. \n2. Sunday Brings Four Free 45-Minute History Cruises\nSunday offers the best deal for visitors who want more than transportation. \nThames River Heritage Park will operate four free narrated historic boat tours from City Pier in New London. \nThese aren’t the regular Hop On\, Hop Off rides. \nEach is a 45-minute mini-tour led by a Heritage Park docent\, concentrating on a particular part of the region’s history. \nNormally\, Thames River Heritage Park’s full historic boat tours cost $35 for adults. \nThe four festival mini-tours are free\, sponsored by the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival\, and available first-come\, first-served. \nTwo different subjects alternate throughout the afternoon. \n11 a.m. — Black Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told\nThe first departure introduces stories that were often missing from traditional accounts of New London’s history. \nBlack Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told draws from Thames River Heritage Park’s larger tour of the same name\, which explores approximately 400 years of local history through the experiences and contributions of the region’s Black community. \nThat history begins long before the Civil War. \nSlavery existed in colonial Connecticut. \nEnslaved people lived and worked in New London and Groton\, including within households whose surviving homes and documents are now used to interpret colonial life. \nBlack sailors worked from New London’s waterfront. \nThe city’s history intersects with abolition\, education\, military service and the long struggle for civil rights. \nAnd one of the most consequential events in American history arrived in New London Harbor aboard a ship in 1839. \nThe schooner La Amistad was seized off Long Island after captive Africans aboard the vessel revolted against the men illegally transporting them into slavery. \nThe ship was brought to New London. \nThe legal battle that followed eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court\, where former President John Quincy Adams helped argue the Africans’ case. \nThe Court ruled in their favor in 1841. \nIt is one of the most internationally significant stories connected to the New London waterfront\, but it is only one part of the Black history preserved along the Thames. \nDeparture: Sunday at 11 a.m. from City Pier \nNoon — The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story\nAt noon\, the perspective shifts much farther back. \nThe Mashantucket Pequot’s Story focuses on the Indigenous history of the region and the people who lived here long before New London or Groton existed. \nThe Pequot homeland historically encompassed portions of southeastern Connecticut. \nThe waterways of the region weren’t barriers separating communities. They were transportation corridors and sources of food\, trade and communication. \nThen European colonization transformed the landscape. \nTensions over land\, trade and political power culminated in the Pequot War of 1636–1637\, one of the defining conflicts of early colonial New England. \nThe war devastated the Pequot population\, but it did not eliminate the Pequot people. \nThat distinction matters. \nFor generations\, popular histories often treated Native nations as if they disappeared when a particular colonial-era chapter ended. \nThe Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is very much a living community today\, headquartered just a few miles from the Thames River. \nThe tour offers a chance to look at familiar southeastern Connecticut shoreline through a story that began thousands of years before the forts\, submarines and whaling ships. \nDeparture: Sunday at noon from City Pier \n1 p.m. — Black Heritage Along the Thames\nThe Black heritage mini-tour receives a second departure at 1 p.m. \nThat gives visitors who spend the morning elsewhere at the festival another opportunity to take the 45-minute narrated cruise. \nDeparture: Sunday at 1 p.m. from City Pier \n2 p.m. — The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story\nThe final free history cruise of the weekend repeats the Mashantucket Pequot program at 2 p.m. \nAll four tours depart from City Pier in downtown New London\, not from the other Hop On\, Hop Off landings. \nAnd because they’re free and first-come\, first-served\, arriving early makes sense. \nDeparture: Sunday at 2 p.m. from City Pier \n3. Saturday Night Goes From History to 300 Drones\nSaturday’s third special cruise is completely different. \nAfter the daytime festival winds down and the sun disappears\, Thames River Heritage Park heads back onto the water for its Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival Drone Show Cruise. \nThe evening begins with a trip down the Thames River. \nWeather and marine traffic permitting\, the boat will continue beyond New London Harbor toward New London Ledge Light\, the distinctive lighthouse sitting near the mouth of the Thames. \nThen it turns around. \nThe boat returns to position itself for a front-row view of the festival’s 300-drone light show over the New London waterfront. \nInstead of watching from the shore\, passengers watch from the water beneath the display. \nNew London Ledge Light Is Worth the Trip by Itself\nEven before the drones appear\, the cruise has an unusual destination. \nNew London Ledge Light stands at the entrance to the Thames River\, where New London Harbor opens toward Long Island Sound. \nCompleted in 1909\, it doesn’t resemble the stereotypical round New England lighthouse. \nInstead\, the three-story brick building looks almost like a substantial waterfront home that somebody inexplicably placed in the middle of the water and then put a lantern on top. \nLocal tradition has also supplied the lighthouse with its own ghost. \nFor decades\, stories have circulated about “Ernie\,” the supposed spirit of an early keeper said to haunt the lighthouse. \nThe legend has become part of Ledge Light’s identity\, although the more elaborate details attached to Ernie are folklore rather than established history. \nFrom the Drone Show Cruise\, passengers get a nighttime maritime trip toward one of the region’s most recognizable navigational landmarks before returning to the festival. \nThen 300 Drones Take Over the Sky\nThe show waiting back in New London Harbor is part of the America’s Navy 250 Celebration. \nThree hundred illuminated drones will fly coordinated patterns over the waterfront\, synchronized with music. \nThe planned display celebrates 250 years of the United States Navy\, using the drones to form patriotic imagery and naval symbols above the harbor. \nIt’s a striking place to do it. \nNew London’s relationship with the Navy stretches back to the Revolutionary era\, while the Groton side of the Thames became one of the most important submarine-building and submarine-operating centers in the world. \nFrom the cruise boat\, passengers will be watching a 21st-century aerial light show about American naval history while floating in the middle of a river where much of that history actually happened. \nOne Timing Detail Is Worth Watching\nThames River Heritage Park currently has two slightly different departure times published for the Drone Show Cruise. \nThe dedicated festival-weekend schedule lists departure at 7:55 p.m. \nA more recent Heritage Park event announcement lists 7:45 p.m. \nBecause this is a ticketed trip and the difference could result in someone literally missing the boat\, passengers should use the departure time shown on their ticket confirmation and verify it with Thames River Heritage Park before Saturday. \nThe Heritage Park also notes that only a small number of seats remained when it published its latest festival information. \nPassengers may bring snacks and drinks aboard\, but glass is prohibited\, and there is no restroom on the boat. \nThe trip to Ledge Light is also conditional on weather and boat traffic. \nThese Aren’t ADA-Accessible Tour Boats\nThere’s another important practical consideration for all three experiences. \nThe Heritage Park’s refurbished Navy boats are not ADA compliant. \nPassengers must be capable of walking up and down four stairs and boarding the vessel independently with only minimal courtesy assistance from the crew. \nThey must also be capable of disembarking without assistance if an emergency requires it. \nThe boats do not have restrooms. \nThe Heritage Park encourages passengers who require assistance to travel with a companion\, but the captain ultimately determines whether a passenger can safely board. \nThat’s particularly important information for anyone considering the cruises as an easy alternative to walking around the festival. \nFor some visitors\, they may not be. \nThe Free Harbor Cruise Can Change How You Do the Festival\nFor visitors who can board safely\, the free Hop On\, Hop Off service creates an interesting possibility. \nDon’t think of the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival as one event site. \nThink of the Thames as its main street. \nStart at Fort Trumbull. \nBoard an old Navy liberty boat. \nCross to Groton. \nCome back to City Pier. \nExplore downtown New London. \nOn Sunday\, trade the transportation ride for a narrated mini-tour and learn the stories of Black residents or the Mashantucket Pequot people who shaped the region. \nAnd Saturday night\, those with Drone Show Cruise tickets can return to the river after dark\, head toward Ledge Light and finish beneath 300 points of light moving across the sky. \nFor most of the year\, the Thames separates New London from Groton. \nFor Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival weekend\, Thames River Heritage Park turns it into the thing connecting everything together. \nDetails\nEvent: Three Special Thames River Cruises at the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival\nPresented By: Thames River Heritage Park\nFestival: Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival\nDates: Saturday\, September 12 and Sunday\, September 13\, 2026\nLocation: Thames River\, New London and Groton \nHop On\, Hop Off Harbor Cruise\nDates: Saturday and Sunday\nTime: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.\nAdmission: Free during festival weekend\nBoarding: First-come\, first-served\nSchedule: Continuous loop with no fixed departure or arrival times during the festival\nStops: Fort Trumbull State Park\, City Pier and Thames River Landing in Groton \nFree Historic Boat Tours\nDate: Sunday\, September 13\nLength: Approximately 45 minutes each\nAdmission: Free\nBoarding: First-come\, first-served\nDeparture Location: City Pier\, New London\n11 a.m.: Black Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told\nNoon: The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story\n1 p.m.: Black Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told\n2 p.m.: The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story \nDrone Show Cruise\nDate: Saturday\, September 12\nDeparture: Heritage Park currently publishes both 7:45 and 7:55 p.m.; passengers should follow their ticket confirmation and verify the departure time before arriving\nRoute: Down the Thames River and\, weather and boat traffic permitting\, out to New London Ledge Light before returning for the drone show\nDrone Show: 300-drone display synchronized to music as part of America’s Navy 250 Celebration\nTickets: Advance ticket purchase required; Heritage Park reports limited availability\nFood and Drink: Snacks and drinks may be brought aboard; no glass\nRestrooms: None aboard \nAccessibility: Heritage Park’s former Navy utility boats are not ADA compliant. Passengers must be able to negotiate four stairs and independently board and disembark with minimal courtesy assistance.\nBoat Operations: 860-407-5655\nWeather: Boat operations and the Ledge Light portion of the evening cruise are weather-dependent; check with Thames River Heritage Park for current operating information. \nMore information is available at the Event Website 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.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/three-special-thames-river-cruises/2026-09-13/
LOCATION:CT
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Three-Special-Thames-River-Cruises.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T213000
DTSTAMP:20260910T173727Z
CREATED:20260910T173727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260910T173727Z
UID:10007541-1789207200-1789248600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Three Special Thames River Cruises
DESCRIPTION:Three Special Thames River Cruises give Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival visitors three very different ways to experience New London and Groton from the water September 12 and 13\, from free transportation between festival sites to narrated history cruises and a Saturday night trip beneath a 300-drone light show. \nThames River Heritage Park is expanding its normal role during festival weekend with free Hop On\, Hop Off Harbor Cruises Saturday and Sunday\, four free 45-minute historic boat tours Sunday\, and a special Saturday night Drone Show Cruise that heads downriver toward New London Ledge Light before returning to the harbor for the festival’s nighttime spectacle. \nTogether\, the trips also demonstrate what makes Thames River Heritage Park a little unusual. \nIt isn’t one park. \nIt’s a network of historic and cultural sites spread along both shores of the Thames River\, with the river itself serving as the connection between them. \nAnd for one weekend\, much of that connection is free. \n1. Ride the Thames for Free All Weekend\nThe most useful cruise of the weekend may also be the simplest. \nThames River Heritage Park’s Hop On\, Hop Off Harbor Cruise will be completely free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday\, with the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival sponsoring the service. \nNormally\, an adult Harbor Cruise ticket costs $15. \nDuring the festival\, visitors can simply use the boats to move among three major locations: \nFort Trumbull State Park in New London \nCity Pier in downtown New London \nThames River Landing in Groton \nThere is an important change from the Heritage Park’s regular summer schedule. \nDuring festival weekend\, there will be no fixed departure or arrival times. The boats will travel continuously among the three landings\, and boarding will be first-come\, first-served. \nThat makes the service part transportation and part attraction. \nSomeone attending the festival at Fort Trumbull can board a boat\, cross the harbor to Groton\, get off to explore and later catch another boat back to downtown New London. \nOr visitors can simply stay aboard and see the harbor from the water. \nThe Boats Have a Navy History of Their Own\nEven the vessels carrying festival visitors are pieces of maritime history. \nThames River Heritage Park operates refurbished former U.S. Navy liberty boats. \nUtility boats like these weren’t designed as sightseeing vessels. They transported sailors between larger Navy ships and shore\, including taking crews ashore for “liberty\,” the Navy term for authorized time away from a ship. \nOne of the Heritage Park boats was assigned to the USS La Salle\, which served as flagship for Commander Middle East Force beginning in 1988. \nAnother was assigned to the USS Hunley\, a submarine tender that supported the Navy’s Polaris ballistic-missile submarine fleet. \nNow\, instead of carrying sailors ashore\, the old Navy boats carry visitors through the same harbor that remains home to one of America’s most important naval communities. \nIt’s particularly fitting in 2026. \nThe United States is celebrating the Navy’s 250th anniversary\, while the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London is celebrating its 150th. \nA River Where American Naval History Is Still Happening\nThe scenery from the boat isn’t simply historic. \nThe Thames remains a working military and commercial river. \nThe U.S. Coast Guard Academy occupies the New London shoreline farther upriver. \nAcross the Thames in Groton is Naval Submarine Base New London\, the Navy’s primary East Coast submarine base and a place so closely associated with undersea warfare that Groton calls itself the Submarine Capital of the World. \nNearby is the historic USS Nautilus\, the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine. \nDownriver\, Fort Trumbull stands near the entrance to New London Harbor\, while ferries\, fishing boats\, recreational craft\, commercial traffic and military vessels continue using the water around it. \nBut the history stretches much farther back. \nNew London became one of America’s major whaling ports during the 19th century. \nThe river witnessed colonial trade\, privateering and the American Revolution. \nIndigenous people had lived along and traveled these waters for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. \nThe Heritage Park’s weekend cruises approach those overlapping histories in very different ways. \n2. Sunday Brings Four Free 45-Minute History Cruises\nSunday offers the best deal for visitors who want more than transportation. \nThames River Heritage Park will operate four free narrated historic boat tours from City Pier in New London. \nThese aren’t the regular Hop On\, Hop Off rides. \nEach is a 45-minute mini-tour led by a Heritage Park docent\, concentrating on a particular part of the region’s history. \nNormally\, Thames River Heritage Park’s full historic boat tours cost $35 for adults. \nThe four festival mini-tours are free\, sponsored by the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival\, and available first-come\, first-served. \nTwo different subjects alternate throughout the afternoon. \n11 a.m. — Black Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told\nThe first departure introduces stories that were often missing from traditional accounts of New London’s history. \nBlack Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told draws from Thames River Heritage Park’s larger tour of the same name\, which explores approximately 400 years of local history through the experiences and contributions of the region’s Black community. \nThat history begins long before the Civil War. \nSlavery existed in colonial Connecticut. \nEnslaved people lived and worked in New London and Groton\, including within households whose surviving homes and documents are now used to interpret colonial life. \nBlack sailors worked from New London’s waterfront. \nThe city’s history intersects with abolition\, education\, military service and the long struggle for civil rights. \nAnd one of the most consequential events in American history arrived in New London Harbor aboard a ship in 1839. \nThe schooner La Amistad was seized off Long Island after captive Africans aboard the vessel revolted against the men illegally transporting them into slavery. \nThe ship was brought to New London. \nThe legal battle that followed eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court\, where former President John Quincy Adams helped argue the Africans’ case. \nThe Court ruled in their favor in 1841. \nIt is one of the most internationally significant stories connected to the New London waterfront\, but it is only one part of the Black history preserved along the Thames. \nDeparture: Sunday at 11 a.m. from City Pier \nNoon — The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story\nAt noon\, the perspective shifts much farther back. \nThe Mashantucket Pequot’s Story focuses on the Indigenous history of the region and the people who lived here long before New London or Groton existed. \nThe Pequot homeland historically encompassed portions of southeastern Connecticut. \nThe waterways of the region weren’t barriers separating communities. They were transportation corridors and sources of food\, trade and communication. \nThen European colonization transformed the landscape. \nTensions over land\, trade and political power culminated in the Pequot War of 1636–1637\, one of the defining conflicts of early colonial New England. \nThe war devastated the Pequot population\, but it did not eliminate the Pequot people. \nThat distinction matters. \nFor generations\, popular histories often treated Native nations as if they disappeared when a particular colonial-era chapter ended. \nThe Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is very much a living community today\, headquartered just a few miles from the Thames River. \nThe tour offers a chance to look at familiar southeastern Connecticut shoreline through a story that began thousands of years before the forts\, submarines and whaling ships. \nDeparture: Sunday at noon from City Pier \n1 p.m. — Black Heritage Along the Thames\nThe Black heritage mini-tour receives a second departure at 1 p.m. \nThat gives visitors who spend the morning elsewhere at the festival another opportunity to take the 45-minute narrated cruise. \nDeparture: Sunday at 1 p.m. from City Pier \n2 p.m. — The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story\nThe final free history cruise of the weekend repeats the Mashantucket Pequot program at 2 p.m. \nAll four tours depart from City Pier in downtown New London\, not from the other Hop On\, Hop Off landings. \nAnd because they’re free and first-come\, first-served\, arriving early makes sense. \nDeparture: Sunday at 2 p.m. from City Pier \n3. Saturday Night Goes From History to 300 Drones\nSaturday’s third special cruise is completely different. \nAfter the daytime festival winds down and the sun disappears\, Thames River Heritage Park heads back onto the water for its Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival Drone Show Cruise. \nThe evening begins with a trip down the Thames River. \nWeather and marine traffic permitting\, the boat will continue beyond New London Harbor toward New London Ledge Light\, the distinctive lighthouse sitting near the mouth of the Thames. \nThen it turns around. \nThe boat returns to position itself for a front-row view of the festival’s 300-drone light show over the New London waterfront. \nInstead of watching from the shore\, passengers watch from the water beneath the display. \nNew London Ledge Light Is Worth the Trip by Itself\nEven before the drones appear\, the cruise has an unusual destination. \nNew London Ledge Light stands at the entrance to the Thames River\, where New London Harbor opens toward Long Island Sound. \nCompleted in 1909\, it doesn’t resemble the stereotypical round New England lighthouse. \nInstead\, the three-story brick building looks almost like a substantial waterfront home that somebody inexplicably placed in the middle of the water and then put a lantern on top. \nLocal tradition has also supplied the lighthouse with its own ghost. \nFor decades\, stories have circulated about “Ernie\,” the supposed spirit of an early keeper said to haunt the lighthouse. \nThe legend has become part of Ledge Light’s identity\, although the more elaborate details attached to Ernie are folklore rather than established history. \nFrom the Drone Show Cruise\, passengers get a nighttime maritime trip toward one of the region’s most recognizable navigational landmarks before returning to the festival. \nThen 300 Drones Take Over the Sky\nThe show waiting back in New London Harbor is part of the America’s Navy 250 Celebration. \nThree hundred illuminated drones will fly coordinated patterns over the waterfront\, synchronized with music. \nThe planned display celebrates 250 years of the United States Navy\, using the drones to form patriotic imagery and naval symbols above the harbor. \nIt’s a striking place to do it. \nNew London’s relationship with the Navy stretches back to the Revolutionary era\, while the Groton side of the Thames became one of the most important submarine-building and submarine-operating centers in the world. \nFrom the cruise boat\, passengers will be watching a 21st-century aerial light show about American naval history while floating in the middle of a river where much of that history actually happened. \nOne Timing Detail Is Worth Watching\nThames River Heritage Park currently has two slightly different departure times published for the Drone Show Cruise. \nThe dedicated festival-weekend schedule lists departure at 7:55 p.m. \nA more recent Heritage Park event announcement lists 7:45 p.m. \nBecause this is a ticketed trip and the difference could result in someone literally missing the boat\, passengers should use the departure time shown on their ticket confirmation and verify it with Thames River Heritage Park before Saturday. \nThe Heritage Park also notes that only a small number of seats remained when it published its latest festival information. \nPassengers may bring snacks and drinks aboard\, but glass is prohibited\, and there is no restroom on the boat. \nThe trip to Ledge Light is also conditional on weather and boat traffic. \nThese Aren’t ADA-Accessible Tour Boats\nThere’s another important practical consideration for all three experiences. \nThe Heritage Park’s refurbished Navy boats are not ADA compliant. \nPassengers must be capable of walking up and down four stairs and boarding the vessel independently with only minimal courtesy assistance from the crew. \nThey must also be capable of disembarking without assistance if an emergency requires it. \nThe boats do not have restrooms. \nThe Heritage Park encourages passengers who require assistance to travel with a companion\, but the captain ultimately determines whether a passenger can safely board. \nThat’s particularly important information for anyone considering the cruises as an easy alternative to walking around the festival. \nFor some visitors\, they may not be. \nThe Free Harbor Cruise Can Change How You Do the Festival\nFor visitors who can board safely\, the free Hop On\, Hop Off service creates an interesting possibility. \nDon’t think of the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival as one event site. \nThink of the Thames as its main street. \nStart at Fort Trumbull. \nBoard an old Navy liberty boat. \nCross to Groton. \nCome back to City Pier. \nExplore downtown New London. \nOn Sunday\, trade the transportation ride for a narrated mini-tour and learn the stories of Black residents or the Mashantucket Pequot people who shaped the region. \nAnd Saturday night\, those with Drone Show Cruise tickets can return to the river after dark\, head toward Ledge Light and finish beneath 300 points of light moving across the sky. \nFor most of the year\, the Thames separates New London from Groton. \nFor Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival weekend\, Thames River Heritage Park turns it into the thing connecting everything together. \nDetails\nEvent: Three Special Thames River Cruises at the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival\nPresented By: Thames River Heritage Park\nFestival: Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival\nDates: Saturday\, September 12 and Sunday\, September 13\, 2026\nLocation: Thames River\, New London and Groton \nHop On\, Hop Off Harbor Cruise\nDates: Saturday and Sunday\nTime: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.\nAdmission: Free during festival weekend\nBoarding: First-come\, first-served\nSchedule: Continuous loop with no fixed departure or arrival times during the festival\nStops: Fort Trumbull State Park\, City Pier and Thames River Landing in Groton \nFree Historic Boat Tours\nDate: Sunday\, September 13\nLength: Approximately 45 minutes each\nAdmission: Free\nBoarding: First-come\, first-served\nDeparture Location: City Pier\, New London\n11 a.m.: Black Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told\nNoon: The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story\n1 p.m.: Black Heritage Along the Thames: The Half That’s Never Been Told\n2 p.m.: The Mashantucket Pequot’s Story \nDrone Show Cruise\nDate: Saturday\, September 12\nDeparture: Heritage Park currently publishes both 7:45 and 7:55 p.m.; passengers should follow their ticket confirmation and verify the departure time before arriving\nRoute: Down the Thames River and\, weather and boat traffic permitting\, out to New London Ledge Light before returning for the drone show\nDrone Show: 300-drone display synchronized to music as part of America’s Navy 250 Celebration\nTickets: Advance ticket purchase required; Heritage Park reports limited availability\nFood and Drink: Snacks and drinks may be brought aboard; no glass\nRestrooms: None aboard \nAccessibility: Heritage Park’s former Navy utility boats are not ADA compliant. Passengers must be able to negotiate four stairs and independently board and disembark with minimal courtesy assistance.\nBoat Operations: 860-407-5655\nWeather: Boat operations and the Ledge Light portion of the evening cruise are weather-dependent; check with Thames River Heritage Park for current operating information. \nMore information is available at the Event Website 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.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/three-special-thames-river-cruises/2026-09-12/
LOCATION:CT
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Three-Special-Thames-River-Cruises.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260909T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260909T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003800-1788978600-1788982200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-09-09/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260908T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260908T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005261-1788879600-1788890400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-09-08/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260907T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260907T190000
DTSTAMP:20260911T012344Z
CREATED:20260831T214505Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260911T012344Z
UID:10007425-1788800400-1788807600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Free U.S. Coast Guard Band Concert at Avery Point
DESCRIPTION:Free U.S. Coast Guard Band Concert at Avery Point brings the Coast Guard’s 55-member premier musical ensemble to the lawn of the historic Branford House on Labor Day\, Monday\, September 7\, for an outdoor waterfront performance overlooking Long Island Sound. \nThe concert begins at 5 p.m. and is scheduled to run until 7 p.m. No tickets are necessary. \nUnder the direction of Chief Warrant Officer Jeffrey A. Spenner\, the full Coast Guard Band will perform a program stretching from Puccini and Rossini to John Williams and Wicked\, along with marches and patriotic music. Three members of the band step forward as featured soloists during the evening: alto saxophonist Joe D’Aleo\, baritone Samuel West and soprano Allison Landstedt. \nAnd there may be no more appropriate setting for the Coast Guard Band than Avery Point. \nLong before the property became part of UConn\, the Coast Guard itself occupied this waterfront peninsula. \nWhat’s on the Program?\nThis isn’t simply two hours of patriotic standards. \nThe September 7 program is designed to show off the range of a full professional concert band\, with opera\, Broadway\, film music\, marches and solo showcases all sharing the program. \nSenior Chief Musician Joe D’Aleo will be featured on alto saxophone in a Tosca Fantasy based on music from Giacomo Puccini’s opera. \nPuccini premiered Tosca in Rome in 1900. Its sweeping melodies and dramatic orchestral writing have kept it among the world’s best-known operas for more than a century. Here\, some of that music moves from the opera house to solo saxophone and concert band. \nMusician First Class Samuel West takes a different trip to Italy with Gioachino Rossini’s “La Danza.” \nWritten in 1835\, the rapid-fire song is based on the tarantella\, the famously energetic southern Italian dance. It demands considerable agility from its singer\, making it as much a vocal showcase as a piece of lighthearted entertainment. \nThen the program jumps forward roughly 170 years. \n“Defying Gravity” Comes to Avery Point\nSoprano Musician First Class Allison Landstedt will perform “Defying Gravity\,” Stephen Schwartz’s showstopper from Wicked. \nThe song closes the first act of the musical as Elphaba makes the decision that changes the direction of her story. Since Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003\, “Defying Gravity” has become one of the most recognizable theater songs of the 21st century. \nThe Coast Guard Band arrangement gives Landstedt the vocal spotlight with the power of a full military concert band behind her. \nIt’s a long way from Puccini. \nThat’s the point. \nJohn Williams Goes to War\, Musically\nThe evening also includes John Williams’ “March from 1941.” \nSteven Spielberg’s 1979 comedy 1941 may not rank among his most celebrated movies\, but Williams’ music produced a concert march that long outlived the film’s initial reception. \nWilliams approached the score with the oversized musical language appropriate for Spielberg’s chaotic World War II comedy. The resulting march has become a concert-band favorite\, filled with the kind of brass\, percussion and instantly recognizable orchestral energy associated with the composer of Star Wars\, Jaws\, Indiana Jones and E.T. \nOn a waterfront that once served as an actual World War II Coast Guard training center\, there’s also an interesting historical connection between the music and the setting. \nYou Probably Know “Thunder and Blazes” Even If You Don’t Know Its Name\nAnother piece on the program may produce an immediate flash of recognition. \nJulius Fučík’s “Thunder and Blazes” is better known in the United States by another title: “Entrance of the Gladiators.” \nFučík\, a Czech composer and military bandmaster\, wrote the march in 1897. Although originally conceived with Roman gladiators in mind\, the piece eventually became inseparable in American popular culture from the circus. \nIts racing chromatic melody became musical shorthand for clowns\, big tops and circus entrances. \nHear the first few notes and there’s a good chance you’ll know it. \nThe Coast Guard Band’s performance brings the piece back to its natural habitat: a large\, technically accomplished wind band. \nThis Is a Military Band Made Up of Professional Musicians\nThe United States Coast Guard Band isn’t a student ensemble from the nearby Coast Guard Academy. \nIt’s the Coast Guard’s professional premier musical organization. \nBased at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London\, the 55-member ensemble performs concerts\, official ceremonies\, educational programs and national tours while serving as the musical representative of the service. \nIts musicians are active-duty members of the Coast Guard\, but they’re also professional performers selected for one of the most specialized jobs in the military. \nThat combination gives the band two roles. \nIt performs ceremonial music when the Coast Guard needs a musical presence for official functions. \nBut on the concert stage\, it operates as a professional wind ensemble capable of tackling orchestral transcriptions\, contemporary concert music\, jazz\, Broadway\, opera\, film scores and solo repertoire. \nThe Avery Point performance falls squarely on that concert side of its mission. \nJeffrey Spenner Takes the Podium\nChief Warrant Officer Jeffrey A. Spenner leads the September 7 concert. \nSpenner joined the Coast Guard Band in 2019 as assistant director and became the first conductor in the band’s history hired from outside the organization. \nHe brought military-band experience with him. \nBefore joining the Coast Guard\, Spenner served with the 399th Army Band at Fort Leonard Wood\, Missouri\, performing as both a conductor and trumpeter. \nHis work extends well beyond military music. Spenner has conducted orchestras and ensembles in the United States and abroad and currently serves as Orchestra Artistic Director with the Manchester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. \nAt the Coast Guard Band\, his responsibilities include concerts\, ceremonies\, recordings and touring\, along with oversight of education and outreach programs. \nFor the Avery Point concert\, he’ll have the full band rather than one of its smaller jazz or chamber ensembles. \nWhy Avery Point Is Such an Appropriate Place for This Concert\nThe waterfront backdrop is beautiful. \nThe history makes it better. \nToday’s UConn Avery Point campus began as the private estate of Morton Plant\, a railroad\, steamship and hotel magnate. \nPlant built the Branford House at the beginning of the 20th century. UConn records place its construction in 1903–04\, with the mansion reportedly valued at about $3 million when completed. \nThe sprawling estate included elaborate gardens and land that is now Shennecossett Golf Course. \nAfter the Plant era\, the property eventually passed to the State of Connecticut. \nThen World War II changed its purpose completely. \nBefore UConn\, This Was a Coast Guard Base\nIn 1942\, the property was leased to the United States Coast Guard. \nThe former millionaire’s estate became a wartime training center. \nThe Coast Guard constructed additional buildings and used Avery Point to train personnel during World War II. According to UConn’s history of the campus\, the operation included a school devoted to the use of dynamite on nearby Pine Island. \nThe Coast Guard also built the Avery Point Lighthouse during its time on the property. \nThe lighthouse was completed during the war and remained in operation until June 25\, 1967. \nThat same year marked another major transition for Avery Point. \nThe former Coast Guard property became the southeastern campus of the University of Connecticut. \nSo when the Coast Guard Band performs outside Branford House on September 7\, it’s doing so on ground that was once part of the service itself. \nA Concert at the Edge of Long Island Sound\nAvery Point is unusual even among Connecticut’s waterfront concert settings. \nThe campus occupies a peninsula at the mouth of the Thames River\, where the river opens into Long Island Sound. \nBranford House sits near the shoreline\, its stone exterior and broad lawn facing the water. \nThe Avery Point Lighthouse stands farther along the waterfront\, and the campus shoreline offers views across the Sound and toward the approaches to New London Harbor. \nInstead of walking into a concert hall\, the audience gets the Coast Guard Band outdoors with the water behind it. \nFor a band representing a maritime service\, the location does a fair amount of the staging on its own. \nA Labor Day Finale to the Coast Guard Band’s Summer\nThe September 7 performance is part of the Coast Guard Band’s summer concert series. \nThroughout the warmer months\, the ensemble travels to communities around New England for free outdoor performances\, bringing full concert-band programs outside its regular home at the Coast Guard Academy. \nThe Avery Point concert arrives on Labor Day and effectively gives southeastern Connecticut one more major outdoor concert before summer gives way to fall. \nThere are no tickets to buy. \nNo theater seats. \nAnd no need to enter the Coast Guard Academy for this particular performance. The concert takes place at UConn Avery Point in Groton\, not on the Academy’s secured New London campus. \nJust a professional 55-member military band\, a century-old mansion\, two hours of music and Long Island Sound behind the stage. \nEvent Details\nEvent: U.S. Coast Guard Band Summer Concert Series – Avery Point\nDate: Monday\, September 7\, 2026\nTime: 5–7 p.m.\nLocation: Branford House at UConn Avery Point\nAddress: 1084 Shennecossett Road\, Groton\, CT 06340\nAdmission: Free\nTickets: No tickets necessary\nEnsemble: Full U.S. Coast Guard Band\nConductor: CWO Jeffrey A. Spenner\nSetting: Outdoor waterfront concert \nFeatured Soloists and Music\nMUCS Joe D’Aleo\, alto saxophone: Puccini’s Tosca Fantasy\nMU1 Samuel West\, baritone: Rossini’s “La Danza”\nMU1 Allison Landstedt\, soprano: Stephen Schwartz’s “Defying Gravity” from Wicked \nThe program also includes John Williams’ “March from 1941\,” Julius Fučík’s “Thunder and Blazes\,” patriotic favorites and additional concert-band selections. \nGood to Know\nThe concert is outdoors on the grounds of Branford House at UConn Avery Point. \nNo tickets are required for admission. \nThis event is at UConn Avery Point in Groton\, not inside the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London. The Coast Guard’s event listing does not state that the Academy’s REAL ID entry requirement applies to this concert. \nMore information is available at the Event Website 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/free-u-s-coast-guard-band-concert-at-avery-point/
LOCATION:Branford House at UConn Avery Point\, 1084 Shennecossett Road\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Branford House at UConn Avery Point
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Free-U.S.-Coast-Guard-Band-Concert-at-Avery-Point.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260902T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260902T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003799-1788373800-1788377400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-09-02/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005260-1788274800-1788285600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-09-01/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260829T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260829T180000
DTSTAMP:20260901T002752Z
CREATED:20260827T182720Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260901T002752Z
UID:10007279-1788012000-1788026400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Pours with Purpose: Zara Manzur at Outer Light
DESCRIPTION:Pours with Purpose: Zara Manzur Foundation at Outer Light Brewing Company brings an afternoon of craft beer and community fundraising to Outer Light Brewing Company in Groton on Saturday\, August 29\, with proceeds supporting a local nonprofit helping students pursue careers in medicine and rehabilitation therapy. \nThe event runs from 2 to 6 p.m. as part of Outer Light’s recurring Pours with Purpose series\, which turns a visit to the brewery into an opportunity to support organizations working in the surrounding community. \nThis edition is dedicated to the Zara Manzur Foundation\, a nonprofit created in loving memory of Zara Jaclyn Manzur. \nRemembering Zara Through Opportunity\nThe Zara Manzur Foundation was established with a specific goal: helping local students afford the education necessary to enter medical and rehabilitation therapy fields. \nThe registered nonprofit provides financial assistance and educational resources to students pursuing those careers\, with the goal of awarding an annual scholarship that reduces some of the financial burden associated with higher education. \nIt’s a mission that transforms Zara’s memory into something tangible. \nA student gets help paying for school. That student moves closer to a career in medicine or rehabilitation. Eventually\, the person receiving that opportunity may spend a career helping other people. \nThe foundation describes its work simply as being done in loving memory of Zara Jaclyn Manzur. \nA Pint With a Larger Purpose\nOuter Light created Pours with Purpose as a recurring way to bring charitable organizations into the taproom and introduce their work to the brewery’s community. \nThat makes the format deliberately casual. \nInstead of attending a formal fundraising dinner or gala\, people can stop at the brewery\, order a beer\, spend time with friends and learn about the organization being supported. \nFor the August 29 edition\, that organization is the Zara Manzur Foundation. \nIt’s an easy Saturday afternoon out\, but the reason for gathering reaches well beyond the taproom. \nA Groton Brewery Built Around Community\nOuter Light Brewing Company opened in Groton in 2015 and has developed into a regular gathering place for community events\, fundraisers and casual weekend get-togethers. \nIts coastal Connecticut identity even carries into the beer. \nThe brewery’s flagship lineup includes Lonesome Boatman Amber Ale\, Subduction IPA\, Morning Light Lager and the hazy Juicy Bull$#!t New England IPA. \nThe taproom has an industrial brewery atmosphere\, with guests able to see portions of the production operation while enjoying their drinks. \nOuter Light also regularly uses its space for community cookouts\, special releases and charitable events like Pours with Purpose. \nSpend Saturday Supporting a Local Scholarship\nThere’s no complicated itinerary here. \nCome to Outer Light. \nHave a drink. \nSpend some time with people from the community. \nAnd help an organization working to make the cost of education a little less daunting for a local student preparing for a career devoted to helping others. \nFor the Zara Manzur Foundation\, that’s the purpose behind the pour. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Pours with Purpose: Zara Manzur Foundation\nDate: Saturday\, August 29\, 2026\nTime: 2–6 p.m.\nLocation: Outer Light Brewing Company\nAddress: 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT 06340\nBeneficiary: Zara Manzur Foundation\nFoundation Mission: Providing financial assistance and educational resources to local students entering medical or rehabilitation therapy fields\nOrganization: Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit\nSeries: Pours with Purpose \nPours with Purpose: Zara Manzur Foundation brings the community together at Outer Light Brewing Company while supporting scholarships and educational assistance for local students pursuing careers in medicine and rehabilitation therapy. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \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/pours-with-purpose-zara-manzur-foundation-at-outer-light-brewing-company/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Pours-with-Purpose-Zara-Manzur-Foundation-at-Outer-Light-Brewing-Company.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260826T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260826T193000
DTSTAMP:20260601T234947Z
CREATED:20260601T234844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T234947Z
UID:10003798-1787769000-1787772600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Trivia at Outer Light Brewing
DESCRIPTION:Weekly team trivia at Outer Light Brewing\, where you’ll find friendly competition and laughs at one of Groton’s favorite breweries every Wednesday. Compete for bragging rights and challenge your knowledge on a wide range of topics while enjoying locally brewed beer from the tap lines at Outer Light starting at 6:30 p.m. \nFrom the casual players who enjoy soaking up knowledge on a weeknight to the hardcore trivia nerds who know a little about every category\, there’s something for everyone at Trivia Night at Outer Light Brewing. Team-style trivia allows you to gather up your smartest friends or crew up with strangers and take home the coveted prize of trivia dominance. Questions range from easy to brain-melting on topics such as pop culture\, history\, sports\, music\, and more. \nTrivia at Outer Light Brewing is perfect for coworkers\, friend groups\, couples or anybody who enjoys a good challenge and a brew. Grab some friends\, order up your favorite drink\, and let’s get “vvtrivia’ing!” \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/trivia-at-outer-light-brewing/2026-08-26/
LOCATION:Outer Light Brewing Company\, 266 Bridge Street\, Groton\, CT\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Outer Light Brewing
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Trivia-at-Outer-Brewing-Wednesdays-at-630-pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260825T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260825T180000
DTSTAMP:20260606T203643Z
CREATED:20260604T204337Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T203643Z
UID:10005259-1787670000-1787680800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Groton City Farmers Market Summer 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Groton City Farmers Market returns for its 2026 summer and fall season\, bringing fresh Connecticut-grown food\, local products\, and community spirit to Washington Park every Tuesday from June 9 through October 27. Held at the corner of Mitchell and Meridian Streets from 3 to 6 p.m.\, the market serves as a gathering place where residents can shop directly from local farmers\, food producers\, and artisans while supporting small businesses throughout southeastern Connecticut. \nWhile agriculture remains the heart of the market\, visitors will find much more than fruits and vegetables. Vendors offer locally sourced meats\, poultry\, eggs\, seafood\, baked goods\, and specialty food products\, all with an emphasis on Connecticut-grown and Connecticut-made offerings. Organizers work to ensure products are clearly identified and locally sourced\, helping shoppers make informed choices while supporting the region’s agricultural economy. \nThe market’s mission is to make healthy\, affordable\, locally produced food accessible to the community while creating a welcoming neighborhood destination in the heart of Groton. In addition to its weekly summer and early fall schedule\, the market also hosts seasonal pop-up markets during the colder months\, extending its commitment to connecting local producers with residents year-round. \n2026 Musician Lineup\n\nJune 9 – Ron Bettez\nJune 17 – Ella Yaras\nJune 23 – Kevin Salley\nJune 30 – Kayle Devlin\nJuly 7 – Ella Yaras\nJuly 14 – Kevin Salley\nJuly 21 – Terri Lachance\nJuly 28 – Steven Harz\nAugust 4 – Inner Groove\nAugust 11 – Kevin Salley\nAugust 18 – Ella Yaras\nSeptember 1 – Ronald Bettez\nSeptember 15 – John Wood\nSeptember 22 – Steven Harz\nSeptember 29 – Terri Lachance\nOctober 7 – Denise Jones\nOctober 13 – John Wood\n\nCity of Groton Farmers Market • Tuesdays\, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. • Washington Park
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/groton-city-farmers-market-summer-2026/2026-08-25/
LOCATION:Washington Park\, 155 Meridian Street\, Groton\, 06340\, United States
CATEGORIES:Washington Park
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Groton-City-Farmers-Market-Summer-2026-Tuesdays-3pm-to-6pm.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR