Norwalk Seaport Association invites the public to a special ceremony and family fun event

The Norwalk Seaport Association (NSA), which owns and operates Sheffield Island Lighthouse, will officially open its summer season with a Commissioning Day Celebration on Saturday, May 21st from 3:00 – 7:00pm. During the Commissioning, the Association will announce the entertainment at this year’s Oyster Festival, which will be held September 10-11, 2016. The event will take place at the NSA’s ferry dock by the Maritime Aquarium’s IMAX Theater at 10 North Water Street.The event is free and open to the public.

In addition to the Oyster Festival announcement, the Commissioning festivities will include a blessing of the NSA’s ferry, “The CJ Toth,” by Reverend Artie Kassimis, Pastor of World Alive Bible Church in Norwalk. Family fun will continue with walk-on tours of the ferry and giveaways. There will also be a once-in-a-lifetime art contest of the SoNo Walk Railroad Bridge. Artists will be asked to submit their interpretation of the existing Walk Bridge or what the new bridge should look like. Entries must be submitted by the end of the Commissioning celebration. Replacement of the 119-year-old bridge that carries Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line over the Norwalk River is scheduled in 2018. Food and beverages will be available by Ripka’s Beach Cafe and B. J. Ryans, and Tim Currie’s Motown Band will provide music.

Ferry service to Sheffield Island will begin on May 28 and runs through September 25. In addition to regular excursions to Sheffield Island and tours of the lighthouse, the NSA hosts boat tours and sunset cruises around the Norwalk Islands, clambakes, barbecues, a Pirates weekend, and Haunted Lighthouse weekend each summer.

About The Norwalk Seaport Association

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 functions, contact the NSA at 203-838-9444 or visit www.seaport.org.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com