Open Air Market At Long Hill Estate

More than 70 artisans and vendors will display their wares at seventh annual Open Air Market and Festival at Long Hill Estate, 421 Wadsworth St., Middletown, Sunday Aug. 23, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. rain or shine.

Walk the grounds of the estate and find inspiration and works of art created by artisans, carvers, potters, painters, and jewelers, knitters, spinners and weavers. Fresh produce, fine cheeses, delicious foods, iced coffee and more offer up the bounty of Connecticut. (Live music, plenty of shade, family fun and tours of the mansion, too.)

Vendors will be participating this year including: Rose’s Berry Farm, Wayne’s Organic Garden, Stonewall Apiary, The Farmer’s Cow, Ballek’s Garden Center, Malabar Glass, Silks by Lucia, Zhe Feng Pottery, fine artist Adele Johnson as well as hand spun yarns from Tidal Yarns.

Horse-drawn carriage rides by Allegra Farms, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Face painting, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Middletown Commission on the Arts sponsors the musical entertainment:
9:30 to 11:30, Middletown Symphonic Band
11:45 to 1:45, Tune Chick
2 to 4:00, The Bluelights

Convenient shuttle parking will be available from Snow Elementary School. Additional parking is available at Mercy High School. For a complete listing of performers and vendors visit www.wadsworthmansion.com.

Network With The "Greens"

The Rockfall Foundation extends an invitation to network at Nikita's Bar & Bistro in Middletown on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 5 to 7 p.m.

The "GreenDrinks" gathering will offer time to make connections, exchange news, brainstorm and relax.

"Meet Your Greens" was established in June 2008 by the Rockfall Foundation, and is based on Green Drinks International.
(On Facebook, see "Meet Your Greens" to become a fan.)

Drink and appetizer specials will be available.

Informal introductions at 5:30 p.m., so bring along news, events or other information to share. All are welcome. For more information call Claire Rusowicz at the Rockfall Foundation, (860) 347-0340; or crusowicz@rockfallfoundation.org.


Nikita's is located at 484 Main St., Middletown; call (860) 344-9378.

Italian Ice, A Taste of Summer

Celebrate summer with a cool Italian ice at Vecchitto’s in Middletown. The storefront overlooks the busy Route 9 and the Connecticut River, but inside business was brisk as Guy Vecchitto, one of six owners (all brothers and cousins) served up scoops of cold delights in squeezable paper cups. Story and photographs at www.moodogpress.com.

Step Back In Time, Wethersfield

The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, 211 Main St., Wethersfield is where history happened. The site will host a free two-day Revolutionary War encampment open to the public on Saturday, May 23, starting right after the Memorial Day parade until 4 p.m.; Sunday, May 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members of the Fifth Connecticut Regiment encamped on the grounds and demonstrations include hearth cooking and musket drills.

The Wethersfield Memorial Day parade is 9 a.m. Saturday, May 23, starting at the state Department of Motor Vehicles, 60 State St. and winding through town to end up at the Village Cemetery.

Participants will include marching bands, civic groups, veterans, and fife and drum corps.

Find Your Green, Vo-Ag Plant Sale

The annual Mother’s Day PTA/Vo-Ag Plant and Flower sale will be held on Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Middletown Vo-Ag Center of Middletown High School, 200 LaRosa Lane off of Route 3 (Newfield Street).

Quality annuals, perennials, and hanging baskets will be available and make perfect Mother’s Day gifts.

The sale is sponsored by the Middletown High School PTA and the teachers of the vocational agricultural program.

The Middletown Regional Vocational Agriculture Center at Middletown High School offers a range of education opportunites, and vo-ag schools can be found around the state. Studies include flower arranging, pet CPR, sheep shearing, animal care and the production of applesauce, butter, and other items produced at the center.

The center is home to livestock, exotic birds, snakes, reptiles and other animals and provides instruction leading to a career in agriculture upon graduation or entry into a two- or four-year college.

Sure Sign of Spring - Coleman Bros. Show Dates

The annual event that is the Coleman Brothers Show's first set up after a long winter has bloomed into action. Every year at Palmer Field in Middletown, the rides and lights are taken out of storage and readied for fun and life on the road traveling from town to town.

The fun starts Friday, March 27, and continues through April 5. Palmer Field is parallel to Washington Street (Route 66).

Winter headquarters for the carnival company is on Newfield Street in Middletown, Connecticut.

National Association of Milk Bottle Collectors

Milk in glass bottles used to appear like clockwork every morning. The paper lids capped bottles full of milk. Some bottles were specially shaped to showcase the rich cream rising to the top.

Pouring a glass without spilling any was an art, especially when mastered by a young child. Nowadays the tin milk boxes with hinged lids are collectible, and so are the milk bottles.

The National Association of Milk Bottle Collectors (NAMBC) provides information about milk bottles, milk bottle collecting
and dairy memorabilia to its members, museums and the public.

The 29th Convention of the NAMBC is coming up June 4 through June 7, at Grantville, Penn. (just outside Hershey exit 80, I-81). For information about how to clean bottles and a wealth of interesting facts, visit http://milkbottlecollectors.com/index.html.

Note: The collection displayed here is located inside the UConn Dairy Bar store in Storrs, Connecticut. Farms represented include Daniels Farm, Tollgate Farm, UConn, Rockhouse, Guida's, and many others.

Legacy of Col. Wadsworth Is Beauty

He was a man ahead of his time. Clarence C. Wadsworth was a colonel in the New York National Guard who loved languages. He settled in Middletown, Connecticut, and the land and its natural features became his love for life - he is the reason for Wadsworth Falls State Falls.

Wadsworth made sure his will would be followed - he established what is known today as The Rockfall Foundation (named for the waterfalls located in today's parklands - one massive waterfalls, another smaller set.) For more about history and the vintage photo abov, visit www.wadsworthmansion.com/htmlsite/history.html - and imagine the heyday of this beauty.