How we doing Hartford County!?

Today is September 15, aka National Linguine Day. Whenever I think about linguine, I think about my late father’s linguine with clam sauce. It’s one of those meals I wish I could sit down and enjoy with him one more time.

Food has a funny way of bringing memories right back. Do you have a favorite linguine dish, or one that reminds you of someone you love?

Let’s dive into this week’s HartCo happenings!

-Todd DiGiovanni

SUBSCRIBE | FOLLOW | PARTNER

We asked if you’d be interested in a hands-on cocktail class, and a lot of you said yes. So on Wednesday, September 30 at 6:30 PM, we’re getting together at Hartford Flavor Company Distillery, and we only have room for 40 people.

Your $75 ticket includes a welcome drink, a second cocktail, a hands-on class where you’ll make your own drink, the recipe 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.

If you were one of the people who voted yes in our polls, now’s the time to act. Once those 40 spots are gone, registration closes.

Fall is starting to settle into Hartford County, which means apple season is officially here. Whether you’re looking to pick your own, grab a bag from a farm stand, or track down some cider and warm doughnuts, I put together a guide to Hartford County’s best apple spots to help you make the most of it.

Think you’ve got what it takes to top the Buzz Games leaderboard? Play Buzzle, Buzzword and Buzzeye, then see how your score stacks up against players across Connecticut.

Most weeks are pretty predictable. The same places, the same people, the same conversations.

But on September 24 at 6:30 PM, you could do something completely different.

Dinner Club puts you at a table in Hartford with five people you’ve never met. You won’t know the restaurant or who you’re meeting until that morning. It might feel a little outside your comfort zone. That’s the point.

Give yourself one night that doesn’t feel like every other night.

The Berlin Fair returns September 17–20, and this one packs just about everything you want from a Connecticut fair into four days. There’ll be midway rides, livestock, live music, food, Berlin’s Got Talent, pulling contests, and the wild Double Figure 8 Racing and demolition derby. New this year, Sea Lion Splash brings a traveling sea lion show to the fairgrounds. General admission is $21 for ages 12 and up, with four-day passes available for $52.

🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Fonzie, a friendly, 13-pound Shih Tzu mix ready to make every day a Happy Day.

🏡House of the week: This waterfront Colonial has been turning heads since 1747. With 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and 3,661 square feet, it offers sweeping water views, three fireplaces, a stone terrace, and a beautifully updated interior. Take a look

🔭Sky report: There’s a teapot overhead, and no, I haven’t lost it: look low south/southwest about an hour after sunset this week for Sagittarius’s Teapot, complete with a handle and spout. Saturday, September 19 is International Observe the Moon Night, so grab your binoculars and give those lunar craters a closer look. Pretty good entertainment for the price of stepping outside.

Last week’s trivia had you looking to the skies, and 51% of you nailed it: the Broad-winged Hawk! 🦅 Right now is actually prime time to spot them, since mid-September is peak migration season in Connecticut. On a good day, hawk-watch sites can see hundreds or even thousands passing overhead. And these little travelers put in some serious miles: tracked Broad-winged Hawks averaged about 4,350 miles on their fall journey south, covering roughly 69 miles a day. Not bad without a frequent-flyer account.

FEATURE EVENT

Avon | Nicole DeSanti Painting Demonstration | 6:30PM - Avon Arts Association hosts a live painting demo at Avon Town Hall (60 W Main St, Avon). Watch!

Hartford | Bread & Puppet: The Upside Down World Circus | 7PM | ($) - The legendary Vermont political puppet troupe performs outdoors at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. Watch!

Manchester | Stoneware Workshop: Pie Baking Dish | 6PM | ($) - Glaze your own high-fire pie dish at The Firestone Art Studio + Cafe. Create!

South Windsor | Trivia Night: Dance Moms | 6:30PM - Themed trivia in the taproom at Connecticut Valley Brewing. Play!

Farmington | Antique Auto & Classic Car Show | 4:30PM - Chrome and fins fill the lot at Farmington Station Senior Living. Cruise!

Hartford | An Evening with Liaquat Ahamed | 7- 8:30PM | ($) - The Pulitzer-winning author of Lords of Finance at the Mark Twain House & Museum. Read!

Hartford | The Wooten Brothers | 8PM | ($) - Victor Wooten and his brothers bring virtuoso funk to Infinity Music Hall. Listen Up

Simsbury | McLean Concert Series: Lamar Peters as Elvis | 6PM - A veteran Elvis tribute closes McLean's outdoor season. Rock!

West Hartford | CT Herb Society Annual Symposium | 9:30AM | ($) - A day of herb talks and demonstrations at the Pond House Cafe. Intreesting

Bristol | Wine, Women & Watches | 6PM-9PM | ($) - Tenth-anniversary edition of the museum's signature party at the American Clock & Watch Museum. Sip!

Burlington | True Crime: Murder and Mayhem in the Museum | 6PM - The CT Museum of Culture and History digs into the state's strangest thefts and murders at Burlington Public Library. Explore!

Hartford | Behind The Scenes Tour: Hoopskirts and Flappers | 6PM | ($) - Costume collection tour at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Explore!

Manchester | Dan Soder | 7PM | ($) - The Billions actor and stand-up opens a four-show run at Funny Bone Comedy Club. Laugh

New Britain | Light Up Moon Craft @ ALVARIUM | 6PM-8PM | ($) - Build a glowing moon lamp with a beer in hand at Alvarium Beer Co. Create!

Wethersfield | Paint n Sip with Deirdre Sassano | 6:30PM | ($) - Chamber paint night rendering a night autumn scene at Euphoria Loft. Create!

Windsor | CT River & Roots Series: Zak Trojano | 6:30PM - Free singer-songwriter set on the Windsor Town Green, bring a blanket. Listen!

Bloomfield | Oktoberfest at Back East | 5PM - Steins, brats and Märzen at Back East Brewing. Sip!

Canton | Comedy Night: Ashley Gutermuth & Mark Riccadonna | 8PM | ($) - Three touring stand-ups in the art-deco room over the Farmington River at Bridge Street Live. Laugh!

Hartford | Josh Johnson's Comedy Band Camp | 7PM & 10PM | ($) - The Daily Show writer and stand-up plays two shows at The Bushnell. Laugh!

Hartford | Falguni Pathak: Dandiya Dhoom | 7:30PM | ($) - The "Queen of Garba" headlines the Navratri Raas-Garba festival at the Connecticut Convention Center. Celebrae!

Manchester | SkyLab at The Main Pub | 5PM - Rock covers on the patio at The Main Pub. Rock!

Marlborough | 48th Marlborough Muster Tattoo | 6:30PM - Fife-and-drum corps open muster weekend with an evening tattoo at Blish Park. Listen!

Newington | LAREE & X-PERIENCE | 5:30PM - Live band at The Flying Monkey Grill & Bar. Listen!

North Granby | Tim McDonald: Friday Date Night | 4PM-7PM - Acoustic sets with wine and wood-fired pizza among the vines at Lost Acres Vineyard. Sip!

Southington | Yves LeBel Flying Solo | 9:15PM - Late-night acoustic at Cadillac Ranch. Listen!

West Hartford | THUNDERSMACK | 8PM | ($) - Michael Wilbur of Moon Hooch and Leo P of Too Many Zooz bring their horn-driven dance project to the Green Room at New Park Brewing. Rock!

Bloomfield | Bloomfield Food Truck Festival | 3PM-8PM | FREE - Curated truck lineup, live entertainment and local artisans at Bloomfield Town Center. Celebrate!

Bristol | Bristol German Fest | 12PM-9PM - Steinholding and yodeling contests, craft vendors, German food and bier at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Celebrate!

Hartford | Oh, Mary! | Evening | ($) - The Broadway smash about Mary Todd Lincoln launches its national tour at The Bushnell. Watch! (through 9/23)

Simsbury | Junior Woman's Club Arts & Crafts Festival | 10AM-4PM - Two-day juried outdoor show of jewelry, painting and photography at Simsbury Meadows. Shop! (also 9/20)

South Windsor | Oktoberfest 2026 | 12PM-10PM | FREE - Ten hours of steins, food trucks and live music at Connecticut Valley Brewing. Sip!

Bristol | Fall Social Dance with ChaRumBo | 1PM-4PM | ($) - Ballroom and Latin social dancing, $10 at the door, at the New England Carousel Museum. Dance!

East Granby | New Leaf: Halfway to St. Patrick's Day | 3PM-5PM - Traditional Irish music on the Luppoleto Grande stage. Listen!

East Windsor | The Edwards Twins (Matinee) | 2PM | ($) - Sunday afternoon impersonation revue at Broad Brook Opera House. Watch!

Hartford | 2nd Annual Hartford Food Truck Festival | 12PM | FREE - Trucks, music and a beer garden at The Webster. Dig In

Hartford | Oh, Mary! | 1PM | ($) - Matinee of the Broadway hit at the Bushnell's Belding Theater. Watch!

Hartford | The Budos Band | 8PM | ($) - Afro-soul instrumentalists from Daptone Records at Infinity Music Hall. Listen Up

Manchester | Trae Crowder | 6:30PM | ($) - The Liberal Redneck at the Hartford Funny Bone. Laugh!

Suffield | Native American Artifacts with Jason Cromack | 1PM-4PM - Hands-on artifact presentation from the Suffield Historical Society at Academy Hall (1499 Mountain Rd, Suffield).

Bristol | Animal Encounter with Imagine Nation | 5:30PM-6:30PM - Meet the museum's animal ambassadors, ages 5+ with a caregiver, at Manross Memorial Library. Explore!

Hartford | Mark Twain's Black Muse | Afternoon | ($) - The life and legacy of Twain's household staff at the Mark Twain House & Museum. Learn!

Manchester | Glass Fusing: Mummy Nightlight | 5:30PM | ($) - Beginner fused-glass class at The Firestone Art Studio + Cafe. Create!

Simsbury | Domestic Policy & Affairs Discussion Group | 7PM - Monthly moderated conversation on national issues at Simsbury Public Library. Learn!

West Hartford | Beyond the Ballot: A Community Conversation | 6PM - Local leaders and neighbors talk civic participation at Noah Webster Library. Learn!

9/18

Avon | PTS La Festa Italiana (9/18 & 9/19) | Times Vary - Italian food, free live music and a car showcase at Prince Thomas of Savoy. Celebrate!

9/19

East Granby | 10th Annual Bat Appreciation Day | 10AM-3PM | FREE - Live bats, bat story time, crafts and the "bat cave" at Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine. Explore!

New Britain | Access for All Community Day: Hispanic Heritage Month | 10:00AM-2PM | FREE - Salsa dancing, live music and ofrenda frame-making at the New Britain Museum of American Art. Celebrate!

9/20

Windsor | Brown's Harvest Fall Festival | 10AM-4PM - Corn maze, hayrides and pick-your-own at Brown's Harvest. Celebrate!

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