How we doing Hartford County!?
Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend and got to squeeze in a little extra relaxing before September really gets rolling.
Today is September 8th, aka National Ampersand Day... so naturally, I’m leaning into it.
Coffee & breakfast. Work & play. Food & drinks. Hartford & everything happening around it. Honestly, the little & might be doing more work than any of us today.
So grab your coffee & let’s get into what’s happening this week.
Let’s dive in!
-Todd DiGiovanni
FALL FESTIVAL SEASON IS HERE
Fall is basically here, which means Hartford County is about to go all-in on apple festivals, town fairs, harvest celebrations, live music, ridiculous amounts of fair food, and everything in between.
Rather than make you hunt them all down one by one, I put together a Hartford County Fall Festival Guide so you can see what’s coming and start filling up the calendar.
HAVE YOU PLAYED BUZZ GAMES YET?
Consider this your weekly reminder to put your Connecticut knowledge to the test. Players from 50 Connecticut towns have already joined the fun, with Buzzle waiting every weekday and Buzzword and Buzzeye dropping Tuesday mornings. Play a round, rack up some points, and help get your town onto the leaderboard.
Leaderboard shoutout: LEOGRRL of Meriden grabbed the top spot last week, followed by KOR2026 of Farmington and LMDIWW of Hartford.
HARTCO TRIVIA🤔
Mid-September is peak migration season in Connecticut for which hawk, sometimes seen traveling in groups of hundreds or even thousands?
EXPERT CORNER: ASK KIM
Reader-submitted question: “I’m thinking about buying this fall. What should I be doing now?”
Kim says: Start before you find the house. Get pre-approved, check your credit for errors and avoid taking on new debt while you’re shopping. Getting your finances and documents organized early can help uncover potential issues before you’re ready to make an offer.
Thinking about buying this fall? Contact Kimberly Joy to talk through your options.
DINNER CLUB: HARTFORD
About nine months ago, we started Dinner Club with a pretty simple idea: get a group of strangers around a table and see what happens.
Since then, more than 440 people have shown up.
Some came once. Some keep coming back. Some now recognize each other from previous dinners. And along the way, we’ve seen friendships start, birthdays get celebrated, and people connect who probably never would have crossed paths otherwise.
That’s still my favorite part of Dinner Club. You really don’t know what can come from one night out.
So if you’ve been thinking about trying Dinner Club, come take a chance on five strangers.
You never know who you might meet.
🇵🇷BUZZWORTHY ACTIVITY: PUERTO RICAN DAY PARADE🇵🇷
Hartford is going to be buzzing on Sunday, September 13 for the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade. Nearly 3,000 people take part in Hartford’s largest parade, with bands, cultural groups, entertainers, Paso Fino horses and plenty of Puerto Rican pride. The parade makes its way through downtown before finishing at Bushnell Park, where the Festival del Coquí keeps things going with live music, food and a full afternoon of celebration.
BUZZ & TELL
🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Waffles, a 2-year-old, 60-pound Pit Bull/Bulldog mix with a huge smile, soft brindle coat, and a full-body wiggle who loves people, dogs, walks and cuddles.
🏡House of the week: Case Mountain at your doorstep and a private deck for the post-hike coffee. This 4-bedroom contemporary offers 2,440 square feet plus 1,076 finished square feet downstairs, with cathedral ceilings, a spacious kitchen island, and a fireplace for those cooler fall nights. Take a peek.
🔭Sky report: If you’ve been waiting for a good excuse to do a little stargazing, Thursday, Sept. 10 brings a New Moon, giving us some of the darkest skies of the month around Hartford County. Then keep an eye on the western sky after sunset Sunday and Monday, when a thin crescent Moon slides right alongside brilliant Venus, which is also nearing its brightest for the year.
BRIEF BITES
NEW OPENINGS:
🍝 Carbone’s Ristorante is back after six years, bringing Italian classics, tableside favorites, and a fresh reason for date night to 39 Front Street, Hartford.
📚 The Next Chapters Bookhouse & Cafe pairs your next page-turner with coffee, pastries, and riverfront charm at 218 River Road, second floor, Unionville.
🍛 Al Maidah Mandi House brings halal Indian flavors and plenty of vegetarian options to the former Utsav space at 1115 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield.
FLIGHT BUZZ:
✈️ From Hartford to Honolulu for 576 bucks* 1-stop roundtrip, end of Oct. for a week stay. Pack your bags
*Prices at the time of writing subject to change
BEE LINE EVENTS
TUESDAY (9/8)
Hartford | Putnam Greenhouse Open House | 10AM - Peek inside the historic greenhouse at Elizabeth Park. Explore!
Hartford | Hartford Athletic vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks | 7PM | ($) - Tuesday night soccer under the lights at Trinity Health Stadium. Watch!
Suffield | The World Tree Sound Journey - A Sound Meditation Experience | 7 PM - Live event at 1349 Spruce St. Breathe In
WEDNESDAY (9/9)
Canton | Herb Talks and Tea | 6PM | ($) - Cozy herbal circle with herbalists Alexa and Jocelyn at Kismet Collinsville. Sip!
Glastonbury | From Liberty to Legacy: 1776 & Hamilton | 6:30PM - Lecture on American ideals through two musicals at Welles-Turner Memorial Library. Learn!
Manchester | Stoneware Workshop: Mushroom | 6PM | ($) - Hand-build a clay mushroom at The Firestone Art Studio Cafe. Create!
New Britain | Main Street Market | 11AM - Midweek farmers market downtown. Shop!
THURSDAY (9/10)
Berlin | Deluxe Happy Hour with String of Pearls Big Band | 5PM - Big band swing and prime rib specials at Casa Mia at the Hawthorne. Listen!
Farmington | Pilobolus – From the Porch | 6PM | ($) - Outdoor dance performance on the West Lawn at Hill-Stead Museum. Move It
Hartford | Sunset Sounds: SOAR | 6PM - Bring a picnic for a garden concert with free house tours at Butler-McCook House & Garden. Listen!
Hartford | Big Blitz with Hartford Hot Several Brass Band | 8PM | ($) - Pittsburgh dance-jazz-rock trio plus Hartford's own brass band at Arch Street Tavern. Listen Up
Manchester | DateNight Downtown: Junk Journaling | 6:15PM | ($) - Creative craft night for couples and friends at WORK_SPACE. Create!
South Windsor | Wapping Fair | 5PM-10PM | ($) - Four-day ag fair with midway rides, pig racing, tractor pulls, and live bands at John J. Mitchell Fairgrounds. Celebrate! (daily 9/10-9/13)
Windsor | CT River & Roots Series: The Dad Bods | 6:30PM - 90s grunge and alt-rock covers on the Windsor Town Green. Rock!
FRIDAY (9/11)
Bristol | The E Street Shuffle | 7PM | ($) - Springsteen tribute in the Downtown Live series at the Rockwell Theater. Listen Up
Broad Brook | Once an Outlaw Band | 8PM | ($) - Southern rock featuring Marshall Tucker and Outlaws alumni at Broad Brook Opera House. Tune In
Granby | Lee Totten Music Adventures | 7PM - Live music at Cambridge House Brew Pub. Rock Out
Hartford | 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero | 2PM & 7PM | FREE - Documentary screening at the Wadsworth revisiting the rebuilding of Ground Zero. Powerful
Hartford | Reprise: Recreating Iconic Phish Shows | 8PM | ($) - Note-for-note recreation of a classic Phish set at Infinity Music Hall. Jam!
Newington | Not Your Grandma's Craft Fair | 5PM - First-ever night market with vendors, raffles, and music at Karma's Closet. Shop!
Windsor | Fight For Your Dreams 9 | 5PM | ($) - Test of Strength independent pro wrestling at Dudleytown Brewing Company. Check It Out
SATURDAY (9/12)
East Hartford | East Hartford Latin Festival | 12PM-5PM - Music, dancing, and food on the river at Great River Park. Celebrate!
Glastonbury | On the Green Fine Art & Craft Show | 10AM-5PM - 60-plus years of art, food, music, and family fun on Hubbard Green. Explore! (daily 9/12-9/13)
Granby | Granby Open Farm Day | 10AM-4PM - Farm demos, animals, games, and farm-fresh food at 20-plus farms townwide, hub at Lost Acres Vineyard (80 Lost Acres Rd, North Granby). Explore!
Hartford | Black-Eyed & Blues Festival | 3PM-9PM | ($) - 26th annual riverside blues fest headlined by GA-20 at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza. Listen!
Hartford | Jason Aldean: Songs About Us Tour | 7:30PM | ($) - With Chase Matthew and Mackenzie Carpenter at Xfinity Theatre. Rock Out
Manchester | Manchester Book Fest | 10AM - 70-plus Connecticut authors set up outside downtown businesses along Main Street. Read!
West Hartford | Real Ale Beer Festival & Cask Challenge | 1PM-4PM | ($) - 20-plus brewers compete with casks using 18th-century garden ingredients at Noah Webster House. Sip!
Wethersfield | 42nd Wethersfield CornFest | 10AM-4PM - Anderson Farms corn, vendors, crafters, kids' activities, and live music at Cove Park. Celebrate!
SUNDAY (9/13)
Bristol | Plantella: A Bristol Expo | 11AM-5:30PM | ($) - Houseplant expo returns to the Boys & Girls Club of Bristol. Join the Fun
Hartford | Sea Tea Improv Family Show | 2PM | ($) - All-ages improv at Sea Tea Comedy Theater. Laugh!
Manchester | Nightshift: Music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s | 4PM | ($) - Danceable hits from three decades at Cheney Hall. Hear It Live
Southington | CT Volkswagen Association 22nd Annual Volks-Meet | 9AM-2PM - VWs and German cars, rain or shine, at Southington Drive-In. Check It Out
Wethersfield | Maker's Exchange Market | 11AM-4PM - Curated market of artists, makers, vintage curators, and food trucks at Mill Street Marketplace. Browse Around
MONDAY (9/14)
East Granby | Homestead Remedies & Preventatives | 6PM - Build a pantry of immune builders and homemade remedies at East Granby Public Library. Check It Out
Glastonbury | Wild South Africa: A Photographic Journey | 6:30PM - Safari photography talk at Welles-Turner Memorial Library. Learn!
Manchester | New Manchester Public Library Grand Opening | 10AM - Doors open on Connecticut's first net-zero public library. Celebrate!
Windsor | Fungi Frenzy: Growing Backyard Mushrooms | 6PM - Talk with Mark Gostkiewicz at Wilson Branch Library. Learn!
KID FRIENDLY
9/9
Hartford | Sensory-Friendly Day | 10AM-4PM | ($) - Lower-stimulation day for visitors with sensory needs at the Connecticut Science Center. Explore!
9/12
Hartford | Bark Twain Bash | 6–10 PM | $40 – Dog-friendly celebration benefiting Kenway’s Cause and the Mark Twain House. Playful
New Britain | Fandom Fest | 2PM-6PM | ($) - Heroes-vs-villains celebration of illustration inspired by the Robert Lesser Collection at New Britain Museum of American Art. Geek Out
Suffield | 55th Suffield on the Green & Craft Fair | 10AM-5PM - Craft fair, bounce houses, alpacas, K9 contests, train rides, and live music on the Suffield Town Green. Celebrate! (daily 9/12-9/13)
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
