Boats, Barks, Brushstrokes & Mermaids On Tap This Weekend In CT

CONNECTICUT — There's a big boat show this weekend in Norwalk, but that's nothing compared to the show going on under the water.

The 2023 Discover Boating Norwalk Boat Show, in partnership with Progressive Insurance, has dropped anchor at Norwalk Cove Marina, 48 Calf Pasture Beach Road. The show runs through Sunday, open at 10 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m. each day except Sunday, when it shutters at 5 p.m.

The show is the perfect place to buy your next boat, or, if you're looking for a little lighter lifting, take a boat ride out to the historic Sheffield Island Lighthouse.

On view will be a fleet of antique boats dating back over 75 years. Visitors will also able to inspect a diverse range of marine creatures native to Long Island Sound, and improve their boating skills on the America’s Boating Club Boating Simulator.

You can take the kids on free power boat rides, or just chill at the Water Club Lounge. In fact, there is so much to do, the event's organizers had to publish a manual online to detail it all.

Parking and water taxi service is free through 5:30 p.m. each day. Admission for guests 13 and over is $20 at the door and $18 online. Children 12 and younger get in free when accompanied by a paying adult.

This same weekend, a little distance just under the waterline, frolic the Mermaids at Mystic Aquarium.

The aquarium is encouraging visitors to get in the seafaring spirit by dressing in costume (Pirates are the popular choice; mollusks a bit more of a challenge, but go for it). The brighter the colors the better, the mermaids' handlers say: "bright colors will draw the attention of the diving mermaids for a more interactive experience."

The aquarium's mermaids will be cavorting this weekend, and return Thursday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 1. Dive times are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except Friday, Sept. 29, when the show will start at 11:30 a.m. Museum admission varies by day of the week, and tickets may be purchased online.

The 103rd Annual Durham Fair is the state's largest agricultural fair — and one of the largest fairs in North America — and it's running through Sunday. Country stars Lauren Alaina and Lee Greenwood, along with pop's Rick Springfield, are just a few of the performers scheduled for the main stage. Rest assured there will be plenty of monster trucks and animals, as well as a huge midway fully stocked with rides and games. Tickets, fair map, and more info is all online here.

High overhead in Greenwich, raptors will enrapture audiences during Hawk Watch Weekend, two days of flying predator shenanigans presented by The Greenwich Audubon Society.

Special events throughout the weekend include live songbird banding, hawk identification workshops, live raptor presentations and Fun Ela providing bird face painting. There will also be "Owl Pellet Dissecting for Kids," and delicious food and beverages (at a different table…)

Gates open at 9 a.m., and admission is $20 for adults, and $10 for children 12 and under. Pre-registration is required, so do that here.

Expectations are high for the first-ever Connecticut BARKfest at Maples Farm Park in Bozrah this Saturday (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Over 60 small business crafters and vendors, along with more than 10 food trucks, will be on site. There'll be plenty of activities for both kids and dogs, including competitions with prizes for all the winners. The biggest winners will be the dogs who find their "furever homes:" many rescues and shelters will be on site with four-legged angels for adoption. Maples Farm Park is located at 65 Bozrah Street in Bozrah, and admission is free.

We're hoping the brand-new BARKfest gets a good crowd, but we already know that the turnout for Litchfield Art Festival 2023 will be huge, as it has been the last two years.

The autumn edition of this juried fine art show will bring collectors and residents from the tri-state area and all of New England to the grounds of the First Congregational Church of Litchfield, at 21 Torrington Road. More about the artists who will be exhibiting, along with samples of their work, can be seen online here. The show is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

If you thought we'd sign off without mentioning a few of the Oktoberfest events pouring out in Connecticut this weekend, you haven't been paying attention.

The Town of Fairfield will be throwing a big Bavarian blowout on Saturday in the Fairfield Theatre Company parking lot. Organizers promise commemorative steins and corn hole, alcohol and axe throwing, and live music by Benny Mikula (of Alpaca Gnomes) and Alligator. The Fairfield Oktoberfest will commence at 2 p.m., rain or shine.

Caius Farm Brewery in Branford is promising two days of drinking and dirndls at its first Oktoberfest, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m. "German inspired music," and competitions for the "best wiener dog" and "best wiener dog costume" are all on the schedule of events. There are even men's and women's steinholding competitions that could qualify you for the Connecticut State Steinholding Championship, which is an actual legit thing.