Live Music Everywhere

What’s good, Hartford County!? Today is August 26th - aka National Dog Day, which means we get to spam timelines with pics of four-legged legends. And if anyone deserves the spotlight, it’s my girl Bailey.

I rescued her at just 4 weeks old and bottle-fed her for a month, and that early bond shaped everything. She was a beautiful brindle Pitbull with a calm soul and a secret talent: she’d sing along to opera. Like, full-on howling duets with Pavarotti. She wouldn’t touch a sandwich left at her eye level, even if no one was home, and had every trick down cold. But more than that, she had presence. People just loved her. Bailey lived 14 incredible years, and I cherish every minute I had with her. So today’s for the good dogs, but especially the great ones.

In Today’s Hart Co Buzz:

Real Art Ways - Culture & New Expansion
Ice Cream
45 Events & Live Music

Let’s dive in!

-Todd DiGiovanni

BRIEF BITES

📈 U.S. News dropped its 2025 high school rankings: East Hartford’s CIBA is #1 in CT, and West Hartford’s Hall High lands at #10.

✈️ Bradley and Tweed just snagged $7M+ in federal grants: Taxiway T extension and terminal-area pavement at Bradley, Runway 2 design updates at Tweed - safer, smoother travel ahead.

HIVE PICK

Real Art Ways (56 Arbor St) is Hartford’s scrappy art engine leveling up. Picture the beloved indie hub at 56 Arbor Street bolting on three new cinemas (going from one to four), a flexible live-arts box, redesigned galleries, learning studios, a café, and outdoor hang space. It’s all wrapped into a roughly $24M expansion and transformation of the 1917 Underwood Typewriter building they purchased in 2021. The math is grown-up: a $9.1M Community Investment Fund award in 2023, plus a proposed $4.5M CRDA bridge loan to close the gap, and steady rent from a building that hums at ~97% occupancy, so the mission isn’t living show-to-show anymore. Translation: more screens, more programming, more reasons to linger after the credits (and argue over espresso).

RAW’s origin story is pure DIY Hartford. Back in 1975, a crew of artists and musicians took over a rambling upstairs space on Asylum Street, then after a decade of near-misses and moves, RAW landed at 56 Arbor and kept building - cinema in 1996, galleries refreshed in 1999, new entrance/lounge in 2002, while quietly racking up an eye-popping 48 MacArthur “genius” artists presented along the way. The expansion isn’t a glow-up for glow-up’s sake; it’s a day-to-night campus where film, performance, exhibitions, and classes cross-pollinate. A smarter balance sheet powered by owning the real estate (RAW’s own materials peg the building purchase at $4.25M) so the community engine can run hotter, longer. Hartford gets a louder cultural heartbeat; you get an all-day creative clubhouse with better seating, better snacks, and way more reasons to show up.

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HART CO TRIVIA🤔

According to Connecticut lore, what document was hidden in the Charter Oak on Oct. 31, 1687 to thwart Sir Edmund Andros?

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LAST LICKS: LOCAL CONES BEFORE SUMMER’S DONE

Summer’s on fumes, so I did the only logical thing: mapped the county’s best homemade ice cream. Grab the kids before the school bell warms up, your better half for a cone walk, or that friend who “doesn’t do dairy” (they’ll fold).

Let’s end summer with sticky fingers and zero regrets. 🍦

Tulmeadow Farm Store | 255 Farms Village Rd, West Simsbury | Cow-to-cone goodness with legendary Raspberry Chocolate Chip - farm vibes, zero regrets.

Grassroots Ice Cream | 4 Park Pl, Granby | Small-batch wizardry - think goat cheese + blackberry and other “wait, that slaps” flavors.

J. Foster Ice Cream | 4 Bailey Rd, Avon | Ultra-creamy New England classics done right - grab a pint for “later” and crush it in the car.

Mortensen’s Ice Cream | 3145 Berlin Tpke, Newington | Nearly a century of house-made scoops - old-school parlor, new-school cravings.

Robb’s Farm | 91 Wassuc Rd, South Glastonbury | Pasture views, heaping scoops - this is summer in a waffle cone.

Collins Creamery | 9 Powder Hill Rd, Enfield | Country-road detour rewarded with super-fresh, super-thick homemade scoops.

Bloom Hill Farm | 696 Cottage Grove Rd, Bloomfield | Low-key neighborhood gem - house-made ice cream and easy porch-sitting energy.

Frisbie’s Dairy Barn | 951 Farmington Ave, New Britain | Handmade ice cream + monster sundaes - bring an appetite (and a buddy).

Shady Glen Dairy Stores | 840 E Middle Tpke, Manchester | Icon status since 1948 - order a sundae and feel like you time-traveled.

Dom’s Creamery | 16 W Main St, Avon | In-house crafted scoops with playful flavors (fig + parm? yep) - cute spot, big flavors.

If I missed your go-to scoop shop, hit reply - I'll add it and spin up a permanent blog post.

NEW OPENINGS

💆🍸 Hush Spa + hidden speakeasy The Den just opened at Factory Square (168 Center St, Southington) - massages, skincare, a soon-to-open hot/cold hydrotherapy circuit, and cocktails to top it off.

🍗 Birdcode hot chicken is now open at 474 Hartford Rd, New Britain. Nashville heat + scratch-made sauces, seven days a week.

FROM CANAL TO CYCLEWAY

You probably nailed it in last week’s word scramble: the Farmington Canal Trail. A flat, scenic ribbon that now runs roughly 54 miles across Connecticut, linking New Haven up to the Massachusetts line. New Haven just opened its final 1.6-mile link to Canal Dock this year, tying city streets straight into the corridor.

The backstory slaps. Ground broke on July 4, 1825; the first canal boat launched in 1828; by 1835 the waterway stretched 84 miles from New Haven to Northampton with 28 locks dropping 220 feet. Boats were horse-towed along a 10-foot path on a canal about 36 feet wide and 4 feet deep; old-school logistics, New England style.

Then the railroad ate its lunch. Investors pivoted in 1846, tracks opened to Plainville in January 1848, and the canal closed. Classic tech shift: the canal took five years and ~$1.09M to build; the railroad needed about a year and ~$186k. Today, the towpath is your bike lane.

BEE LINE EVENTS

TUESDAY (8/26)

Hartford | Trivia Tuesday | 7-9PM - Flex those random fact muscles at Parkville Market (1400 Park St). Prizes, drink specials, bragging rights.

Manchester | After-School Video Games (Grades 6-9) | 3-4:30PM - Button-mashing, snack-fuelled break at Mary Cheney Library (586 Main St).

Manchester | Comic: Steve Hofstetter | 7PM $ - The red-haired roast-master hits TheFunny Bone (194 Buckland Hills Dr). 21+. Tix

Manchester | Music Bingo | 6:30-8PM - Music clips meets bingo - guess it and win it at Elicit Brewing (165 Adams St). Bring your crew and a pen.

WEDNESDAY (8/27)

Southington | Bike Night | 6-9PM - Chrome, live tunes, and vendors at Cadillac Ranch (45 Jude Lane). Park it, mingle, rev responsibly.

West Hartford | Speed Dating (Ages 30-55) | 7-9:15PM $ - Skip the swipes and meet IRL at WeHa Brewing & Roasting (141 Shield St). Check-in 6PM; grab a drink first. Tix

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Hartford - Arch St Tavern | BooYah - Stevie Wonder Tribute | 9PM $
⬢ Hartford - State House Square | Christina Meadows | 12-1PM

THURSDAY (8/28)

Vernon | Painting in Watercolor (Adults) | 6-8:30PM $ - Chill, hands-on class at Arts Center East (709 Hartford Tpke). Beginners welcome, brushes out, stress down. Sign up

FRIDAY (8/29)

Collinsville | Nat’l & Int’l Beat & Poetry Festival | 7-10:30PM - Laureates, “Do It Now,” and a mic that won’t cool off at Canton Town Hall Auditorium (4 Market St #100). Free parking; brain food guaranteed. More Info

Manchester | LTM’s Divas Take on the Divas of Broadway | 7:30PM $ - Powerhouse vocals and Broadway magic fuel this fundraiser at Cheney Hall (177 Hartford Rd). Sequins optional; applause mandatory. Passes

Manchester | Comic: Guy Torry | 7PM & 9:30PM $ - OG swagger at The Funny Bone (194 Buckland Hills Dr). Two shots to catch him. Tix

SATURDAY (8/30)

East Windsor | 11th Annual BBFD Bike & Car Show | 10AM-2PM - Chrome + coffee at East Windsor Park (27 Reservoir Ave, Broad Brook). Family vibes, shiny rides.

Hartford | Spooky Popcorn: 28 Days Later | 8-10PM - Outdoor horror on Constitution Plaza (1 Constitution Plaza). Bring chairs; jump at shadows.

SUNDAY (8/31)

East Windsor | MFEST Cars & Coffee | 9AM-12PM - BMWs, caffeine, and shop talk at Munich Motorsports (54 Newberry Rd). Shine it up and roll in early.

Hartford | A Fly Summer’s Night | 5-9PM - Fit checks and feel-good vibes at the block party on Pratt Street. End-of-summer swagger, downtown edition.

Manchester | Comic: JP Justice | 6PM $ - This Harlem born comedian with 3 decades of stand-up under his belt hits The Funny Bone (194 Buckland Hills Dr). 18+. Bring your laugh lungs. Secure Entry

LIVE MUSIC

⬢ Weatogue - Talcott Mountain Collective | Shakedown Citi | 4-7PM $

MONDAY (9/01)

South Windsor | Corvette Cruise Night | 3-9PM - Chrome, classics, and cold pints at Connecticut Valley Brewing (765 Sullivan Ave). Family-friendly hang; Corvette crew rolls deep.

LIVE MUSIC
⬢ Simsbury - Simsbury Grange | A Thing Called Dave | 7-8:30PM

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!

~Todd

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