How we doing Hartford County!?
Today is September 22, and fall officially arrives tonight with the Autumnal Equinox. At 8:05 PM, day and night are about as close to equal as they get, and then those evenings start getting shorter.
The good news is that we’re heading into one of the best stretches of the year in Connecticut: changing leaves, cool nights, apple cider, and plenty of excuses to wear a sweatshirt. What’s your favorite part of fall? 🍂
Big week in the HartCo so let’s dive in!
-Todd DiGiovanni
FROM ITALY TO CT
When owners Anna and Davide moved here from Italy, they brought their family traditions with them. Anna learned to make cavatelli from her grandmother on the Amalfi Coast, and today they use those generations-old techniques and top-quality Italian ingredients at More Italian Pasta Lab. On October 13 at 6:30 PM, just 14 guests will mix, knead and shape fresh cavatelli before enjoying Pasta alla Bolognese and homemade chocolate cake. You’ll also head home with your handmade pasta. Tickets are $110, and once those 14 spots are gone, they’re gone.
Almost half the seats are already gone for our hands-on cocktail class at Hartford Flavor Company Distillery on Wednesday, September 30 at 6:30 PM.
Your $75 ticket includes a welcome drink, a second cocktail, a hands-on lesson where you’ll make your own drink, recipes and batching instructions to take home, a behind-the-scenes distillery tour, charcuterie, and three chicken tacos.
Come with friends, bring a date, or show up on your own. This is a 21+ event at 30 Arbor St. #107 in Hartford, and a valid photo ID is required.
We only have ~20 spots left, and once they’re gone, registration closes.
GAB’S FAMOUS APPLE SQUARES 🍎
Last week I shared our local apple guide, and it got me thinking about my favorite way to put those apples to work.
My late grandmother, who we lovingly called Gab, made the best apple squares this world has ever seen. Fight me. They disappeared almost as quickly as she could make them.
Gab never measured too carefully. She used thick-cut apples, plenty of cinnamon and vanilla, pats of butter over the filling, and glaze poured on while the crust was still warm. I know she’d get a kick out of me sharing her recipe with all of you.
Ingredients
Crust: 6 cups + 6 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 cups cold shortening and ¾–1⅛ cups cold water.
Filling: 24 cups peeled apples sliced ⅓-inch thick, 1–1½ cups sugar, ¾ cup flour, 3 tablespoons cinnamon, 1½ teaspoons nutmeg, ⅜ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 6 tablespoons butter. Mix tart varieties like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith and McIntosh.
Glaze: 3–4 cups confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons softened butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and a little milk as needed.
Directions: Make and chill the pastry, then roll half into a rimmed cookie sheet. Add the apple mixture, place thin slices of butter on top and cover with the remaining pastry. Cut vents and bake at 425°F until golden and bubbling, checking after about 35 minutes. Let it cool until warm, then pour the glaze over the top.
Fair warning: Gab eyeballed everything. Good luck!
DATE THE RATE, MARRY THE HOME? READ THIS FIRST
You’ve probably heard this phrase, but there’s an important catch: only buy a home if the payment works for you today. As of September 17, the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.95%, according to Freddie Mac. Your actual Connecticut rate will depend on factors including credit, income, loan type, and down payment.
Rates may fall, but refinancing later is never guaranteed. You’ll need to qualify again, and a new loan can come with closing costs.
Before refinancing, calculate your break-even point:
Total refinancing costs ÷ monthly savings = months needed to break even
If refinancing costs $6,000 and saves $200 per month, it takes 30 months to recover the expense. Also compare the new loan’s total interest and term, not just the monthly payment.
Want to see what buying now could look like for you? Book an appointment to review your numbers and possible refinancing scenarios.
BUZZ GAMES🤔
Buzz Games' September crown is up for grabs - and it's tight. LMDIWW (Hartford) leads with 772 points, but KOR2026 (Farmington) and YIKES (Columbia) are within 60, and a perfect week is worth 300. New Buzzword and BuzzEye drop now!
Play at hive.connecticutbuzz.com and put your town on the board.
BUZZWORTHY ACTIVITY: BRISTOL MUM FESTIVAL
Bristol knows how to welcome fall. The city’s signature chrysanthemum celebration kicks off Friday from 5–9 PM at Rockwell Park and Memorial Boulevard, launching a weekend packed with a parade, carnival rides, local crafts and plenty of food trucks. Celebrate!
BUZZ & TELL
🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Fonzie, a 13-pound Shih Tzu mix who loves making friends and is ready to find a family for plenty of Happy Days ahead.
🏡House of the week: The arched front door is only the beginning of this 1931 English Tudor packed with original hardwood floors, a wood-burning fireplace and plenty of old-school character. The sunroom may steal the show, but this 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath home also brings 1,898 square feet, a walk-up attic and an oversized backyard deck. Check it out!
🥾Trail of the week: Penwood State Park’s Metacomet Trail for a 4.4-mile trek past Lake Louise, a historic cabin site and sweeping views across the Farmington River Valley.
🔭Sky report: Fall officially arrives Tuesday night at 8:05 PM, bringing shorter days and longer nights with it. Then on Saturday, look east after sunset for the full Harvest Moon rising alongside Saturn. If you have a telescope, Neptune also reaches its brightest point of the year on Friday.
HARTFORD’S HISTORY-MAKING MAYOR
Last week’s trivia question asked who became Hartford’s first female mayor, and 64% of you correctly picked Ann Uccello. Elected in 1967, she became Connecticut’s first woman mayor and the first woman elected mayor of any U.S. state capital. She won as a Republican in heavily Democratic Hartford, earned reelection two years later and later served under Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter.
BEE LINE EVENTS
TUESDAY (9/22)
Granby | What You Walk Past: Wildlife Photography with Todd DeWald | 6:30PM - Wildlife photographer Todd DeWald on the animals living in plain sight around Granby at Granby Public Library. Learn!
Manchester | Michael Palin's Other Orchestra | 8PM - A funky big band tearing through Tower of Power, Zappa and Steely Dan at the Hungry Tiger. Listen!
Simsbury | Bats: Winged Wonders | 6PM - A bat expert on Connecticut's nine species and why they matter — for adults and teens at Simsbury Public Library. Learn!
South Windsor | First Flight: Coffee Flight Tasting | ($) - A guided tasting flight from Birdhouse Coffee at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company. Sip!
West Hartford | Film Screening: KOKUHO | ($) - A screening of the 2025 Japanese drama KOKUHO at Hoffman Auditorium, Bruyette Athenaeum, University of Saint Joseph. Explore!
WEDNESDAY (9/23)
Enfield | Wire Wrapping 101 | 6:30PM | ($) - Turn your beach finds into pendants at Powder Hollow Brewery. Create!
Hartford | Bryson Tiller Presents: The Neo Trapsoul Tour | 7:30PM | ($) - The R&B singer brings the Neo Trapsoul tour to the Meadows at The Meadows Music Theatre. Listen!
Hartford | Stowe Prize for Literary Activism | Evening - The Stowe Prize honors writing that moves the needle on social justice at Immanuel Congregational Church. Learn!
Manchester | Manchester Carnival | 5PM - Rides, midway games and fair food at the Shoppes at Buckland Hills. Celebrate!
Southington | Steal My Style Market at Kinsmen Brewing | 6PM - A pop-up thrift market to sell, swap and shop pre-loved fashion, in the Kinsmen taproom at Kinsmen Brewing Company. Shop!
THURSDAY (9/24)
Bloomfield | Author Talk: Barbara Newhart | 6:30PM - Barbara Newhart, who writes as Kimberly Peterson, on her novel Love & The Divorce Lawyer at Prosser Library. Learn!
Hartford | Drawn Here: Stories from Hartford's North End | 5:30PM - The stories behind the art take center stage at the Connecticut Museum as the artists of Drawn Here: Stories from Hartford's North End sit down for an in-depth conversation at Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Explore!
Hartford | Hartford College Fest | 2PM - Class is back in session, but Pratt Street has the better syllabus at Pratt Street Historic District. Celebrate!
Simsbury | Taste of Max: Fall Edition | 6PM - The Max restaurants cook a field dinner in the vineyard at Rosedale Farms & Vineyards. Sip!
West Hartford | 4th Annual Blue Back Burger Bash | 5PM | ($) - West Hartford restaurants go head to head for the best burger in Blue Back Square. Sip!
Windsor | Flashlight Maze Nights | 6PM | ($) - Brown's corn maze after dark — bring a flashlight and find your way out at Brown's Harvest. Play!
FRIDAY (9/25)
Bristol | Gryme: Grunge Tribute Night | 9PM | ($) - Nineties grunge played loud at Bleachers in Bristol. Listen!
Hartford | Chastity Washington Live | 7PM | ($) - Comedian and actress Chastity Washington brings Evening of Expression to Parkville Sounds, blending stand-up with live theater in a one-woman show written and directed by Washington herself. Laugh!
Hartford | Olivia Rodrigo: The Unraveled Tour | 7PM | ($) - Two arena nights on the Unraveled Tour at PeoplesBank Arena. Listen!
Manchester | Bruce Katz Band | 5PM - Blues, soul-jazz and New Orleans roots from the long-running Bruce Katz Band at The Main Pub. Listen!
Simsbury | Sip, Shop and Tarot | 5PM - Tarot readings and late shopping at Gather on Hopmeadow. Join in!
Wethersfield | An Evening with Psychic Medium Angelina Diana | 6:30PM - A gallery-style reading evening with medium Angelina Diana at The Ballroom at the Keeney. Fun!
SATURDAY (9/26)
Bloomfield | The Joe Carter Brazilian Jazz Duo | 12:30PM - Bossa nova and Brazilian jazz from guitarist Joe Carter, free at the Prosser Library. Listen!
Bristol | The Rakes at Bleachers | 8PM | ($) - The Rakes play Bleachers in Bristol. Listen!
Burlington | Tunxis Trail Races | 10AM - Trail races through Nassahegon State Forest. Get outside!
Canton | Valley Fest | 9AM | ($) - A fall family festival at the Shops at Farmington Valley, raising money for pediatric cancer research. Celebrate!
East Granby | Jerk Fest on the Farm | 11AM - Caribbean cooking, music and dancing at Granbrook Park. Celebrate!
East Hartford | Candlelight: 90s Hip-Hop on Strings | 9PM - A string quartet plays nineties hip-hop by candlelight at South Congregational Church Nursery School. Listen!
Granby | Harvest Party | 10AM - A day-long harvest celebration with Tim McDonald at 11:30AM and the Jeff Blaney Trio at 2PM at Lost Acres Vineyard. Celebrate!
Granby | Historic New England Apples: An Infinite Variety of Fruit | 1PM - -James Thacher, The American Orchardist at Granby Public Library. Learn!
Hartford | Hartford HealthCare Community 5K | Morning | ($) - The 4th Hartford HealthCare Community 5K runs the riverfront at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza. Watch!
New Britain | One City Celebration | 1PM - New Britain's street celebration on West Main. Celebrate!
South Windsor | Avenue Groove | 6PM - Avenue Groove plays a free set in the CT Valley Brewing taproom at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company. Listen!
Wethersfield | Urban Sketching Workshop | 10AM - Sketch Old Wethersfield from the Little Red Schoolhouse, three hours, all levels. Create!
SUNDAY (9/27)
Bloomfield | Forest Bathing at Penwood | 2PM - A slow guided walk through Penwood State Park. Get outside!
Granby | Sunday Music: Last Fair Deal | 1PM - An acoustic duo closes out the Sunday series at Lost Acres Vineyard. Listen!
Hartford | Don Omar: The Last King World Tour | 8PM | ($) - The reggaeton star plays Hartford on his Last King tour at PeoplesBank Arena. Listen!
Hartford | Gallery Talk: Women Sculptors Who Shape(d) the Art World | 1PM | ($) - Meet the women who carved, cast, and shaped their way through an art world that didn’t always make room for them at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Explore!
Southington | Enchanted Autumn Market | 2PM - A fall-themed vendor market inside the brewery at Witchdoctor Brewing. Shop!
Windsor | Soup Soul Sundays | 1PM - Soul and R&B with a bowl of soup on Windsor Ave. Listen!
MONDAY (9/28)
Hartford | RiverBarre | 6PM - Take the stage at lower Mortensen Riverfront Plaza for RiverBarre, a free class taught by instructors from Hartford Sweat . Fun!
Simsbury | Author Talk: David LaBella | 6:30PM - Author and photographer David LaBella on Rhythm of a Perfect Grace at Simsbury Public Library. Learn!
Windsor | Kora Concert With Sean Gaskell | 6PM - Sean Gaskell plays the kora, the 21-string West African harp, with the stories behind the songs at Windsor Public Library. Listen!
KID FRIENDLY
9/24
Windsor | Flashlight Maze Nights | 6PM | ($) - Brown's corn maze after dark — bring a flashlight and find your way out at Brown's Harvest. Play!
9/25
Windsor | Spookley Movie Night | 6PM - Free outdoor screening of Spookley the Square Pumpkin on the farm; doors 6PM, movie at 7PM, bring a dog-treat donation for Fidelco at Brown's Harvest. Play!
That’s a wrap for this week’s Hart Co Buzz. If you enjoyed Hart Co Buzz then please share with friends and family who will also benefit from staying in the loop with local happenings. See you next week!
Talk soon,
Todd
