Hands On Hartford is one of those “quietly huge” Hartford orgs, founded in 1969 (back then as Center City Churches) and still showing up daily for neighbors who need food, housing, and health support. On any given week you’ll see the team running a shopping-model Community Pantry, hot Community Meals, a Day Program that connects folks to housing and services, plus supportive housing for residents with complex health needs. It’s pragmatic, human, and effective.

Receipts? Their 2024 impact tallies are eye-popping: 1,400+ volunteers donated 19,500 hours, 17,650 no-cost meals were served, 605,000 lbs of food moved through their programs, and staff logged 3,800 navigation services to help people stabilize. Bonus: their pay-what-you-can restaurant Gather55 (at 55 Bartholomew Ave) lets full-price diners effectively underwrite meals for neighbors; community building, but make it dinner. If you want a Hartford win you can actually measure, this is it.

Cheddar-Chive Biscuit Top

CT twists: add sweet corn in summer, swap turkey after Thanksgiving, or a splash more cider for extra orchard vibes.

Put your news where neighbors actually look. Reach 9,000+ locals across Hartford, Tolland & Windham Counties with a sponsored spotlight.

PandaFest (9/27 & 9/28) is 2 days of Hartford turning the riverfront into a street-food theme park. Picture bao in one hand, skewers in the other, and a soundtrack of K-pop and cultural performances bouncing off the water at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza (300 Columbus Blvd). It’s one of those eat-your-way-through-the-day situations where “I’ll just try a bite” becomes a full tour of noodles, dumplings, and bubble tea you swear you don’t even like until you’ve crushed two. Bring friends who share well, wear forgiving pants, and pace yourself. If you leave hungry, that’s on you.

🎉 Fun Max in Simsbury is now open with trampolines, ninja courses, arcades, and more taking over the old Bed Bath & Beyond spot!

🧌 Trinkets & Troll just opened at 136 Main in Wethersfield, a mystical-forest gift shop packed with local candles, soaps, flowers, and whimsical goodies.

🍝 Salute is back on at 100 Trumbull Street in Hartford: freshly renovated, re-opened, and slinging those giant meatballs.

🐴 Original Ranch House opened at 238 S Main, Windsor, serving all-day breakfast, dogs, burgers, and grinders for dine-in or takeout.

🍝 Noto Americano Italian Market is open at 172 Queen St in Southington, serving imported staples, deli/pizza/desserts, grab-and-go meals, and catering from chef-owner Nick LaRosa.

If last week’s word scramble had you scratching your head with “Collins Company,” here’s the backstory: from one little mill in 1826, Collins grew into a global blade-making juggernaut, so big the town renamed itself Collinsville. Powered by dams on the Farmington River and a railroad line they literally bribed into town, the factory cranked out 1,300+ styles of axes, picks, and blades that shaped everything from the Gold Rush to the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

At its peak, the company pumped out 100 plowshares a day, supplied Peary’s North Pole expedition, and sold a million machetes to the U.S. military in WWII. After 140 years of sharp steel and industrial muscle, the factory closed in 1966, leaving behind the stone dam, historic buildings, and a museum reminder that Collinsville was once the cutting edge of Connecticut industry.

Hartford | Farmers Market | 10AM-2PM - Midday haul in the heart of downtown at Connecticut’s Old State House (800 Main St). Produce, breads, flowers, easy lunch-break graze.

Manchester | Fall Vibes Handknit Blanket Workshop | 6-9PM $ - Make a chunky, couch-worthy throw at Urban Lodge Brewing (47 Purnell Pl). Zero needles, maximum cozy. More Info

Manchester | Music Bingo: One-Hit Wonders | 6:30PM - Sing along and snag prizes at Elicit Brewing Co. Manchester (165 Adams St). Nostalgia on tap.

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Hartford - Xfinity Theatre | $uicideboy$: Grey Day Tour | 6:30PM $
⬢ Hartford - State House Square | Bryan Alfred | 12PM

Berlin | Makerspace: What Will You Make? | 6-7PM - Tinker time at Berlin-Peck Memorial Library (234 Kensington Rd). Explore the new makerspace gear, get hands-on, and see what you can build.

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Hartford - State House Square | Dan Ringrose | 12PM
⬢ Hartford - The Bushnell | Elvis Costello | 7:30PM $

Windsor | Backyard Gardening Tips & Tricks in the Organic Garden | 5-6:30PM - Hands-on harvest, cover crops, and seed-saving at Northwest Park & Nature Center (145 Lang Rd). Free plants and seeds while they last.

Windsor Locks | Step Into the Rhythm - West Coast Swing Classes | 7:30-8:30PM $ - Learn the basics, then stick around for social dancing at Polish National Home (9 1st St). No partner needed. Secure a Spot

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Glastonbury - Hops on the Hill | Bryan Titus | 4:30PM
⬢ Hartford - Arch St Tavern | Jazz Night ft. Jimmy Gavagan | 9PM $
⬢ Hartford - The Webster Underground | Gramps Morgan | 8PM $
⬢ Manchester - Ryan’s Sports Bar | The Leftovers | 5:30PM
⬢ Southington - Kinsman Brewing Co | Spellbound: A Tribute to Stevie Nicks | 7PM
⬢ Weatogue - Talcott Mountain Collective | Farmington Valley Folk Jam | 6-9PM

Enfield | Pottery Wheel Workshop | 7-8PM $ - Spin your first bowl at Kil’n It Pottery Studio (610 Enfield St). Step-by-step instruction; clay and firing handled for you. Secure a Spot

Hartford | HSO Masterworks: Gershwin, Marsalis & Bartók | 8PM $ - Opening night at the Belding Theater at The Bushnell (166 Capitol Ave). Kuan conducts Dukas, Marsalis (tuba), Bartók, and Gershwin. 3 Chances to catch a performance (9/26-9/28) More Info & Tix

Manchester | Comic: Lewis Belt | 7 & 9:30PM $ - Laugh it up at Hartford Funny Bone (194 Buckland Hills Dr). Early show at 7PM with a late show added. More Info & Tix

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Bristol - Bleachers | Octane | 9PM
⬢ Hartford - Arch St Tavern | DJ Brownie w/ Mike Incillo & So Good Looking | 9PM $
⬢ Hartford - Black Eyed Sally’s | Pety Hop & The Jackrabbits | 8-11PM
⬢ Hartford - Infinity Music Hall | Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country | 8PM $
⬢ Hartford - Lincoln Theater | Hartt Wind Ensemble & Symphony Band | 7:30PM
⬢ Manchester - Ryan’s Sports Bar | Cliffside Push - A Phish Experience | 9PM
⬢ Manchester - The Main Pub | She Sings Dylan | 9PM
⬢ Southington - Blackstone Irish Pub | Bit of Finger: Ozzy Osbourne Tribute | 9PM
⬢ Weatogue - Talcott Mountain Collective | The Loner | 6:30PM
⬢ West Hartford - Lincoln Theater | Hartt Wind Ensemble & Symphony | 7:30PM
⬢ West Hartford - New Park Brewing | Funk Friday Ft. Members of Jelly | 8PM $

Bristol | Orchid Society Show & Sale | 12-5PM $ - Orchid nerds unite at the Bristol Senior Center (240 Stafford Ave). Big displays, vendors, and that jungle-in-a-gym smell in the best way.

Bristol | Sip & Paint Ladies Night | 5-8PM $ - Girls’ night with brushes and bevs at The Bristol Bazaar (67 Race St). Easy vibes, pretty canvases, solid hangs. Passes

Hartford | Filmmaker Spotlight: Jordan Peele - Nope | 6PM $ - Big-screen chills and a post-film convo at Real Art Ways (56 Arbor St). Come for the UFO, stay for the brains. More Info

Hartford | PandaFest | Sat 10AM-9PM; Sun 10AM-8PM $ - 100+ Asian street food vendors, live K-pop and cultural performances at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza (300 Columbus Blvd). GA includes two freebies; dogs welcome. More Info & Tix

Manchester | Holistic Outdoor Fall Fair | 1-4PM - Tarot, crystals, and energy tune-ups behind Murphy’s Pub & Sports Bar (103 Tolland Tpke). Free to wander, good people watching.

Newington | Waterfall Festival & Artist Chalk Walk | 10AM-3PM - Market Square (171 Market Square) turns into one giant chalk canvas. Family day, live demos, local vendors.

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Broad Brook - Opera House | Joel Hoekstra & Brandon Gibbs | 8PM $
⬢ Glastonbury - Giovanni’s | The PPT’s | 6PM
⬢ Hartford - Arch St Tavern | Mystic Dead | 9PM $
⬢ Hartford - Infinity Music Hall | Kashmir ft. Jean Violet | 8PM $
⬢ Hartford - Parkville Market | Rhode Island Sound | 7-10PM
⬢ Hartford - The Webster | Almost Monday: The DiveTour | 8PM $
⬢ Manchester - Cheney Hall | Simply The Best: Tribute to 80’s Female Rock | 7PM $
⬢ Newington - The Flying Monkey | The KC Movement | 5:30PM
⬢ South Windsor - The Pub | The Score | 8PM
⬢ Vernon - Rocking Horse Bar & Grill | Change-Up | 8PM
⬢ Weatogue - Talcott Mountain Collective | John Spignesi | 6PM

Hartford | MFEST Cars & Coffee | 9AM-12PM - Coffee, cameras, and Bavarian horsepower at New Country BMW (1 Weston Park Rd). Donuts, raffles, and all the M-badges.

Hartford | Princess Ball | 11AM-1PM $ - Dress-up, character meet-and-greets, and dancing at Parkville Market (1390 Park St). Family-friendly magic, food hall perks after. More Info & Passes

West Hartford | Expressions Songwriters Series | 12-2PM - Intimate sets and stories in The Green Room at New Park Brewing (485 New Park Ave). Local artists, easy Sunday vibes.

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Hartford - Infinity Music Hall | The Floozies & Dirtwire w/K+lab | 8PM $
⬢ Hartford - The Webster Underground | Chuckyy | 8PM $
⬢ Newington - The Flying Monkey | Stoltz & Co | 5:30PM
⬢ South Windsor - CT Valley Brewing | All Over The Map | 2PM

Manchester | Art of Preserving Your Harvest | 6:30-8PM - Preserve the taste of the season at Manchester Public Library (586 Main St). Free workshop; canning, freezing, and drying basics.

South Windsor | 60’s Cruise Night | 3-9PM - Theme-night wheels and cold pours at Connecticut Valley Brewing Company (765 Sullivan Ave). Family-friendly car show; all makes welcome.