Events for the Weekend Ahead

For this weekend, September 17th and 18th, you won't want to miss the following events:

1. The Moodus Sportsman Club will be holding a Summer Harvest Picnic on Saturday at 4 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and at the . The Moodus Sportsman's Club is located just east of the East Haddam Town Beach on the Moodus Reservior.
2. The at 499 Town Street will celebrate the 14th annual Venture Smith Day at 1pm on Saturday. The festivities will be held in the parish hall at the church and in the cemetery as part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail events. Venture Smith, the son of an African King, became the first black man to document his capture from Africa and life as an American slave and successful black freeman in Connecticut. A surprise guest speaker is planned to attend the event in addition to guest speaker Marta Daniels of Chester. Daniels will present “Hidden in Plain Sight,” the story of the discovery of Venture Smith’s 26-acre farm (1770-1774) located in Stonington, Connecticut.

 East Haddam Municipal Historian, Karl P. Stofko, will also be on hand to present new short stories about Venture’s life as a free man. Drawings based on the life of Venture Smith, created by sixth grade students at Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School, will be on display in the parish hall.
3. The 17th Annual Deep River Family Day will take place on Saturday. The day long event includes free popcorn, cupcake decorating, outdoor concerts, pumpkin painting, a pizza eating contest, fireworks and a host of other events. See attached flyer for details.
4. Free Hot Dogs and Hamburgers! Head to the in Higganum on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for an end of the summer BBQ celebration. In addition to everyone’s favorite grilled summer meats, there will also be samples of cheeses, prepared foods and deli meats. The kids will enjoy a moon bounce and there will also be a raffle.
5. On Sunday, the Cappella Cantorum Men's Chorus will perform a benefit concert at 3 p.m. at the . The performance features Chattanoonga Choo Choo, Little Innocent Lamb, Bashana Haba’ah, Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal, Soon and Very Soon and Solos. The Hill Top Four (Barbershop Quartet) will also perform. Tickets are $15 at the door and $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased or reserved by calling: 860-537-2052 or 860-526-1038. Tickets are also available at Goodspeed Station Country Store in Haddam, Wild Geese Gift Shop in Colchester, Celebrations in Deep River and Simon’s Market in Chester.