Norwalk Seaport Association Commissioning Day May 16

The Norwalk Seaport Association (NSA), which owns and stewards the Sheffield Island Lighthouse and Park, will officially open its season with a Commissioning Day event, a centuries old seafaring tradition on Saturday, May 16th. The festivities will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a blessing of the NSA’s ferry “The CJ Toth” at 4:30 pm by Reverend Artie Kassimis, Pastor of World Alive Bible Church in Norwalk.

The event promises to be fun for the whole family with food, music by local artists, the Old School Band and the Extras Band. Walk-on tours of the ferry, and giveaways. This event signals the time when the Association puts the ferry in the water and starts to gear up for all the late spring and summer programs the organization hosts from sunset cruises and clambakes to pirate and haunted lighthouse weekends.

Sheffield Island Park hosts more than 5,000 visitors each year from Connecticut and beyond, including many school and scouting group tours. The island includes the historic Sheffield Lighthouse and the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge, with its self-guided walking tour including interpretive signs. The NSA offers frequent excursions to the island and lighthouse tours via its ferry docked behind the Maritime Aquarium. The island may also be used for special catered events such as corporate outings, weddings, and other celebrations.

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, education and public awareness of Norwalk’s maritime environment and heritage. The NSA has owned, restored and maintained Sheffield Island Lighthouse since 1986 and is the official U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Friends group for the Norwalk Islands.

For more information on the Commissioning and other Norwalk Seaport Association programs and events, or to reserve the ferry and island for private events, contact 203-838-9444 or visit www.seaport.org.

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