Here’s what you need to know about the 30th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, the town’s signature festival, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5, 2016.

By Ronni Newton

Celebrate West Hartford has been a not-to-be-missed event in the region since 1987, and has grown from a small town fair to what is now a two-day festival that includes something for everyone.

Now in its 30th year, Celebrate West Hartford will be held on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 5 from noon to 6 p.m.

Last year’s event attracted more than 35,000 people during the course of its two-day run – town residents, people from throughout Connecticut, and tourists who come to West Hartford to enjoy the great food, fun, music, crafts, and exhibits of community resources that the festival has to offer.

“Celebrate is a truly signature event that encourages visitors of all ages to come together to celebrate the quality of life offered in West Hartford,” said Chairperson Mary Alexander.

Event Director Linda Geisler said that even if you have been to Celebrate West Hartford in past years, you are guaranteed to find something new and different at this year’s festival. “There are new artisans, new food vendors, a great variety of musical offerings, and new sponsors with some fascinating exhibits like scooters and robotic lawnmowers. There is really something for everyone,” said Geisler.

Here’s a guide to what you can expect to find at this year’s Celebrate West Hartford.

Juried Arts & Crafts Show

After 30 years, Celebrate West Hartford has developed a national reputation as one of the top 200 arts and crafts shows, and master artists and crafters come to Celebrate West Hartford from all over the country. Arts and crafts show supervisor Barbara Belmont works hard to ensure a wide variety of offerings and said that all major craft categories are represented among the 160 artisans who are part of this year’s show.

“We’re delighted that so many award-winning artists and crafters from Connecticut choose to exhibit with us, as do guest exhibitors from a dozen different states. The diversity of style they bring helps to keep the show current,” Belmont said.

Ellie Fox of Old Lyme told event organizers that she’s planning to come to the arts and crafts show with a list of upcoming occasions – birthdays, weddings, graduations, and more – for which she needs gifts. “That way, when the occasion comes up, I’ll have a beautifully hand-made item ready to give. No more rushing out to the mall for me,” Fox said.

The arts and crafts show features leatherwork; hand woven textiles and fabric arts; fine art including mixed media, oil paintings, acrylics and watercolors; color and black and white photography; and a wide range of works in wood, metal, glass and stone.

There is also an exceptional selection of hand-crafted jewelry, in all different styles and at a variety of price points.

A listing and map of all of the artisans is available in PDF form below.

Food

Can’t you smell the Grandpa’s Kettle Korn already?

If you’re hungry, there are 26 different food vendors offering a selection of yummy dishes ranging from festival favorites to healthy options, to a wide range of desserts.

Rotary Club will be back grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, as will some other standby’s like Thai Taste with their Garlic Chicken Pad Thai, Delicacy Market, La Petite France Bakery Café, and “The Chicken Smells Good.”

Some additional West Hartford vendors have joined the food court this year, including Hartford Baking Company (hot Cuban sandwiches, pastries, breads, etc.), Harvest Country Store (hoagies with pickle, candy, etc.). West Hartford’s cool new food truck – Iron & Grain Co. – will offer Mexican street corn, black & bleu sliders, and bacon and fig flatbread out of their refurbished 1959 Chevy Viking flatbed truck.

You won’t leave hungry, and if you stay long enough you can have lunch as well as dinner!

Carnival Rides and Games

Maybe this part should have come before the section about food, but for many young and young-at-heart, the carnival rides are the best part of Celebrate West Hartford.

The Celebrate Amusement Park includes rides that range from the tame (the ever-popular kiddie cars and swirling tubs) to rides that spin and tilt and whirl for the thrill-seekers and daredevils. The traditional ferris wheel provides riders of all ages with a great vista of the Greater Hartford area, and the horse-drawn trolley, sponsored by RE/MAX Premier REALTORS of West Hartford, will provide a ride around the site.

Young children will enjoy pony rides and a petting zoo, and folks of all ages can enjoy the chance to try for a hole-in-one at West Hartford’s own 9-hole mini golf course. Each hole of the course replicates a well-known landmark such as the West Hartford Town Hall, the First Church Congregational, Noah Webster House, the Westmoor Park Barn, and a West Hartford fire truck.

A Challenge

West Hartford’s Department of Leisure Services is once again offering the “Step Up to Health” Challenge – with a variety of sponsors at designated booths participating with free, fun, physical activities and a prize to those who complete the challenge.

A map, which will be available all weekend at the Leisure Services tent on the steps of Town Hall, provides a listing of the participating booths.

“This challenge is part of the department’s overall ‘Step Up to Health’ initiative designed to encourage people of all ages to participate in healthy physical activities,” said Leisure Services Manager Marc Blanchard.

Non-Profit and Business Exhibitors

Approximately 65 non-profits and 50 other businesses have also reserved tent space at Celebrate West Hartford this year. Visitors to the event can stop by the sponsor tents to learn more about the organizations, participate in activities, and in many cases receive free goodies.

The booths are a great vehicle for clubs and other local organizations to engage the community. “People enjoy learning about the wide range of services available to them through non-profit or business exhibitors,” said Geisler. “At the same time, they reconnect with friends from all over town,” she said.

Music

Music is an important part of Celebrate West Hartford, and the main stage will feature a variety of entertainment throughout the two-day festival.

West Hartford’s award-winning middle school and high school bands will play throughout Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, the performances will include Braiden Sunshine – known for his appearances on The Voice; the popular country band Branded; and famed Latin jazz musician Ray Gonzalez and His Orchestra.

The schedule for Saturday, June 4 is:

• 10:30-11:15 a.m.: Sedgwick MS Jazz Band
• 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: King Philip MS Jazz Band
• 12:20-12:50 p.m.: West Hartford Women’s Chorale
• 1-1:25 p.m.: Hartford Stage Musical Theatre Cabaret Troupe
• 1:30-1:55 p.m.: Conard High School Be S#arp
• 2-3:15 p.m.: Conard High School Concert Jazz Band
• 3:25-4:40 p.m.: Hall High Concert Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble
• 4:45-6 p.m.: Northwest Catholic High School Big Band and Jazz Singers

Sunday, June 5, belongs to the professionals. The following groups (descriptions provided by event organizers) are slated to perform:

• Noon-1:30 p.m. Braiden Sunshine: A semi-finalist on Season 9 of The Voice, Braiden Sunshine represented Team Gwen [Stefani] and was the youngest contestant to date on this hit show. Making music professionally since he was 9 years old, Braiden is a singer/songwriter and has fronted several bands including Silver Hammer, Madison Red, and Stone Creek. Recently, Braiden has begun a new solo career. He will be backed by members of Silver Hammer for his performance at Celebrate West Hartford.
• 2-3:30 p.m. Branded: Branded is a high energy, rock oriented country band based in Southeastern Connecticut and has been gaining recognition as a leading contender in country entertainment. They cover current country tunes right off the charts, popular songs from the last 10 years, as well as classic country rockers.
• 4-6 p.m. Ray Gonzalez & Orchestra: Renowned musician Ray González will lead his enormously popular Latin jazz and salsa orchestra to finish out the Celebrate West Hartford musical lineup. A native of Puerto Rico, Gonzalez has made music his profession for over 40 years touring throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. This now-Hartford-based trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and mentor has been a champion of Latin jazz in Connecticut and is well recognized for his pioneering music work in New England and for his dedication to Latino youth as a music educator and inspiration.

Road Races

Rain or shine, approximately 1,000 runners are expected to participate in the Celebrate West Hartford 5K Road Race, scheduled for Sunday, June 5, at 9:30 a.m.

“There are eight different organized groups of young and ‘old’ runners who have been training for the race – including the New England 65-plus Running Group which has made this their flag race,” said Geisler.

The annual race is directed by the Hartford Track Club, sanctioned by the RRCA and certified by the SATF. The 5K course begins at Whole Foods Market (50 Raymond Rd.) and ends on Burr Street.

Now in its eighth year, the Kids Fun Run will take place on Sunday, June 5, at 8:30 a.m., with kids ages 10 and under dashing through Blue Back Square. According to the race coordinator Marisa Mascolo Halm, “The course measures about a half mile, and every finisher receives a medal for completing the course.”

Parents may accompany their young children in the Kids Fun Run if necessary, but most participants run the course on their own. Whole Foods Market has a special reception for the children in their parking lot after the Fun Run. Registration for the Kids Fun Run is available the morning of the Fun Run at Whole Foods Market beginning at 8 a.m.  The fee is $5 per child.

Online registration for both races is also available at www.celebratewesthartford.com.

Registrations (cash or check only) will also be accepted at pre-race packet pick-up at Fleet Feet Sports, 1003 Farmington Ave., from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, June 3, and on Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to noon at Fleet Feet.

Registrations for all divisions will be accepted on Sunday morning from 8 to 9 a.m. at the registration tent (cash or check only) in the Whole Foods Market parking lot. Free parking for runners is available in the Isham Street Garage, and prizes will be awarded immediately after the race in the Whole Foods Market parking lot.

According to Road Race Committee Chair Mike Alquist, “We encourage runners to take advantage of this option, as it will make race day morning run more efficiently for everyone involved.” The first 800 5K runners will be given a free t-shirt (available at pre-race packet pick-up or on race day.)

Proceeds from the race will benefit West Hartford’s Leisure Services Scholarship Fund, which subsidizes summer camp tuition, swimming lessons and other year-round recreational programs for children in need.

General Information

Celebrate West Hartford joined Facebook in 2014, and key information as well as fun photos will be posted both in advance and throughout the Celebrate weekend. To find Celebrate on Facebook, click here. Celebrate West Hartford is also on Twitter with the handle @CelebrateWH. Use the hashtag #CelebrateWH with your tweets and photos to keep up with the latest news and information from the 30th annual Celebrate West Hartford event.

The Town of West Hartford and Celebrate West Hartford continue to promote recycling event-wide. Refuse and recycling barrels are available in pairs throughout the event to make recycling an easy choice. Blue barrels clearly identified as recycling receptacles can be used for all single stream recycling items in addition to the typically-recycled bottles and cans. West Hartford continues to be a leader in recycling in Connecticut, collecting approximately 8,000 tons of recycling material annually.

Celebrate West Hartford is open to the public and is held rain or shine. There is no admission charge and ample free parking is available on neighborhood streets, in the Isham Garage (17 Isham Rd.), and in the Town Center Garage (29 South Main St.). For more information about parking, click here.

Programs listing all of the arts and crafts participants, food vendors, sponsors, and a map of the site will be available at each of three information booths conveniently spread throughout the Town Hall site.

Visit www.celebratewesthartford.com for more information on the event.

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