The 95th Annual Durham Fair - Durham - September 25 – 28 In 1916 the Durham Fair began a tradition. That tradition continues today during the last full weekend in September when the fairgrounds come alive and magically transform into Connecticut’s largest agricultural fair. Come visit the Durham Fair and you’ll see what a real fair is all about. There will be live entertainment, rides and games on the Midway, first-class animal competitions and discovery events on the Corn Stalk Stage along with a trove of crafts, exhibits, shopping and fun food. Yum! The Durham Fair is easy to reach yet hard to leave. We know you will have a great time! The Durham Fair is the largest fair in North America managed entirely by unpaid volunteers. Learn more about the fair. www.durhamfair.com

Pipes In the Valley Happy Hour – Mortensen Riverfront Plaza –Downtown Hartford – September 26 – 4:00pm – 8:00pm   Start the weekend off right with some friends, a pint, and some great music on the River because every hour spent by the river is a happy hour.  This event features Celtic food, live music, and Ten Penny Ale! http://www.riverfront.org/events/pipes-in-valley-happy-hour. 

 Haunted Corn Maze – Nathan Hale Homestead – Coventry – September 26 – 7:00pm to 9:30pm Nothing sets the mood for autumn better than the approach of Halloween. Get into the spirit of the season with the Haunted Corn Maze! Every year, with the help of the Young Friends of Hale, a new maze is put together full of spooks and surprises in the dark! All new scenes may prove somewhat scarier than in past years. If you think your school days are haunting, wait until you visit the maze school house!

Bring your flashlights and leave your scaredy-pants at home as the maze is taken over by things that go bump in the night. Not recommended for very young children. In case of rain, the maze will also be open on Sunday, October 5^th from 7 to 8:30 pm. Admission is $8 per person; $25 per family. The corn maze, minus the ghosts and goblins, is open during regular museum hours through the beginning of October. Admission is $5 per person, or $15 for families. The CTL maze-masters carefully plotted the course directly on the ground with spray paint. As the corn grew, seedlings in the pathways were pulled and kept clear, to create the elaborate maze. www.ctlandmarks.org

 

Pipes in the Valley Celtic Festival – Mortensen Riverfront Plaza – Downtown Hartford – September 27 - 11:00am – 10:30pm The pipes summon the Highlands to Hartford for the main event!  Guests will experience the spirit of the Highlands, along with top traditional and Celtic rock bands on two stages, Highland athletic games, step dancing, bag pipers, birds of prey, Highland cows, kids’ activities, puppetry and storytelling, sword demonstrations, Celtic food, and plenty of Ten Penny Ale!  http://www.riverfront.org/events/pipes-in-valley-celtic-festival

16^th Annual Connecticut Renaissance Faire – Dodd Stadium -  Norwich – September 27 – October 26 – 10:30am – 6:00pm  The Renaissance Faire returns to southeastern Connecticut for five consecutive weekends and Columbus Day. Don’t miss one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations complete with knights in shining armor, fair maids, jousting, comedy, games, archery, rat circus, fire eaters, rope walkers, birds of prey demonstrations, interactive characters from history, contests, and continuous themed entertainment on nine stages – and all shows are included with your admission!  Shop in New England’s largest medieval marketplace featuring handcrafted and unique items you can’t find anywhere else. Feast like a king on turkey legs, bread bowl stews, cheesecake, and many other delectable food options and then wash it all down with an ice-cold craft beer from Thimble Island Brewery.   http://ctfaire.com.

The Streets of Hartford 2 – Cedar Hill Cemetery – Hartford -September 27 - 10:00 am   Patrick Haggerty is back to lead this tour about Cedar Hill Cemetery residents for whom Hartford streets were named. Capitol city streets including Hoadley Place and Seymour and Taylor Streets will be part of this fascinating new tour of Cedar Hill which expands upon Patrick’s previous Hartford Streets tour. Admissions fee is $5.

http://cedarhillfoundation.org/

 

 

Smithsonian Free Museum Day – September - 27   In the spirit of Smithsonian Museums, who offer free admission every day, Museum Day Live! is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live! Tickets are free. Home Museums Tickets FAQs Contact Log In Register

Tickets: To receive your free Museum Day Live! Ticket for two people only, please register for an account below. Once registered, you can request a ticket to one participating venue. The ticket will be available to download immediately up to the date of the event. You must print your ticket and present it to receive your free admission or have it accessible on your mobile device (pending museum participation). As a gift for participating in Museum Day Live, you will receive the digital edition of Smithsonian magazine free for one year with no obligation, beginning with the October edition.  You may opt out of receiving this edition at any time. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

National Alpaca Farm Day – Three Niece Farm - Hampton – September 27 – 28   Come and celebrate our biggest open house all year. Alpaca farms all across the country will open their doors to visitors this weekend. You'll have an opportunity to get up close and personal with the alpacas. Ask questions and get to know more about these beautiful livestock! Award winning fiber artist Sue Figueroa will be teaching a FREE crochet class on Saturday at 10:00 am. Sue Beauregard will teach a FREE knitting class on Sunday at noon. Free hooks, knitting needles and practice yarn. Call or email the farm to pre-register. We'll also have free food, balloons, and kid's activities. You'll also get the opportunity to take an alpaca through our obstacle course! Visit for more information: www.nationalalpacafarmdays.com or www.threeniecefarm.com

New England Acoustic Music Festival – Main St – Putnam -  September 27 – 11:30am – 9:00pm This a one-day, block party style music festival featuring 10 original acts from New England. This year’s lineup features headliner Ryan Montbleau and special guest Mieka Pauley. The rest of the lineup includes Chris Masson, Christie Leigh, Sarah Borrello, Nate Cozzolino, Christa Gniadek, Laney Jones and the Lively Spirits, Matt Fuller and Muddy Ruckus. Also: food will be available from The Courthouse Bar and Grille, 85 Main, Bella’s Bistro and The Stomping Ground. There will also be a handful of arts and crafts vendors. Time: Gates open at 11:30 a.m. and music starts at noon. Festival ends at 9 p.m. Admission: $15 in advance and $20 at the door (includes one serving of beer, soda or water. http://www.neamf.com

Harvest Party – Old Sturbridge Village – Sturbridge Massachusetts - September 27 – 6:30pm – 9:30pm Don't miss this special family-friendly night at the Village - a chance to enjoy a crisp, autumn evening in New England with special Village programs. On the Common, warm yourself by the bonfire or take a horse-drawn hayride. Stop by the barn and listen to a tale or two. Take a moment to sit and enjoy one of our live musical performances. The Mill Pond, illuminated with fiery displays, lights the way into the countryside. Sidle up by the fire in the Freeman Farm kitchen to see what they're cooking. Then, step into the barn for a little dancing. Visit the blacksmith, potter, and tinner at their work. Watch the cooper doing his Barrel Firing - the finishing process for barrel-making when the boards are bent into their final shape.      Kiln firing
On this night our potters carry out the spectacular annual firing of the kiln. The 1830s-style 24-foot-high brick kiln will be fired to 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit and fire a year's worth of vintage-style red ware pottery. Village potters will be stoking the kiln fire all day to reach the high temperatures needed. When fully loaded for firing, the kiln holds 800 freshly glazed pots stacked 10 feet high. It takes three cords of wood stoked over 24 hours to bring it to maximum firing temperature. www.osv.org

 “Maker’s Market & Farm to Shaker” - The Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market  -  Nathan Hale Homestead - Coventry – September 28 - 11:00am to 2:00pm   It is like a country fair every Sunday… the old-fashioned kind, with farmers, produce, freshly baked pies, sparkling jars of preserves and pickles, handmade goods, and fiddlers.  New England Travel Magazine calls ours “Connecticut’s preeminent farmers’ market.”  http://coventryfarmersmarket.com/events/

The 98^th Annual “BIG E” EASTERN STATES EXPOSITION – West Springfield, Massachusetts – September 12 – 28  The Big E is the fifth largest fair in North America. Daily (5:00pm) Mardi Gras Parades with eight custom-made floats specially designed and built by the Kern Companies of New Orleans: the Boeuf Gras (Fatted Calf); Island Party; Caribbean Carnival; Carnival in Rio; Carneval di Venice; Mardi Gras New Orleans; and our African-themed and Patriotic floats! Marching bands, Big E contingents, animals and more strut their stuff in The Big E Grande Parade.  Daily circus, entertainment, activities, food, amusement rides, home show, racing and much more will take place on 175 acres. The six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) have permanent replicas of their state capitols located on site. The food served is outstanding as there are many food vendors present.  http://www.thebige.com/fair/entertainment/

Lighthouse Harbor Tours – Robert Mills US Customs House – Bank Street – New London – September 20 - October 26 - 11:00am -3:00pm  Hourly lighthouse tours. All advance tickets should be booked on line: please to www.brownpapertickets.com and search “New London Lighthouse” to find all events. For day-of-tickets, only, call 860-447-8700 or stop by the Custom House.

15^th Annual Corn Maze – Lyman Orchards – Middlefield - August 30 – November 2  With more than two miles of twisting and winding pathways carved within four acres of towering cornstalks, a hundred decision points, and just one way out, getting lost in our 15th Annual Corn Maze will be a lot of fun, and it's all for a great cause! $1 of every admission is donated to the American Cancer Society. http://lymanorchards.com/events

 

 

 

Bob Chudy

Program Director

International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)

Office of Global Affairs

University of Connecticut

Rowe Center   Room 126

Storrs, CT 06269

phone: 860-486-6653

email: [log in to unmask]

web: www.isss.uconn.edu