Wallingford, CT

Villa Capri Restaurant Hosts 2nd Annual Pizza Madness

Pizza: from the Latin pinsere, meaning “to press”. No matter what the etymology of the delicacy is, to those who love it it means, “Good God, let’s eat!”, and on March 21st pizza lovers can unite under one roof to do just that.

On that date, Wallingford’s Villa Capri Restaurant is once again hosting the 2nd Annual Pizza Madness event from 5:30pm to 7:45pm. Eleven pizza shops from Wallingford and Meriden will gather together and bring their best creations to share with the public. Here is a list of this years entrants:

• Amore Apizza
• Christo’s Pizza
• Family Pizza of Meriden
• Fragomeni’s Pizza
• Illiano’s Restaurant
• Little Caesar’s
• Little Rendezvous
• Minervini’s Pizzeria
• Peeps Pizza Parlor
• Primo Pizza
• Rimini’s

(Deadline for participation is March 14th!)

Pizzas will be judged by a panel of three elite judges (not yet determined) who will deliberate over crust, sauce, cheese, spices and toppings to come up with a winner in three categories:

• Best Overall (Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice)
• Best Original Pizza (People’s Choice)
• Best Specialty Pizza (People’s Choice)

Entrance fee for this grand event is $10, and there will be a DJ, a cash bar, raffles and a trivia contest. We attended last year’s inaugural event and can honestly say we had some really good pizza, some really radical pizza, and a lot of fun! So give the Cook the night off and come on down to the Villa Capri and sink your teeth into some of the best pizza this side of Little Italy!

Some pizza facts:

• Pizza is a Greek creation (but the Italians perfected it!)
• In 1987, October was designated National Pizza Month
• Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or 350 slices per second.
• Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year.
• Most popular topping: pepperoni
• Least popular topping: anchovies
• Sixty-two percent of Americans prefer meat toppings on their pizza, while 38% prefer vegetarian
• 61% prefer thin crust, 28% prefer thick crust /deep dish, and 11% like extra thin crust.
• More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl Week than any other week of the year.
• The world's largest pizza was built on October 11, 1987 by Lorenzo Amato and Louis Piancone. The pizza covered 10,000 square feet and measured 140 feet across. It weighed in at 44,457 pounds, consisting of, among other items, 18,174 pounds of flour, 1,103 pounds of water, 6,445 pounds of sauce, 9,375 pounds of cheese and 2,387 pounds of pepperoni. The pie was cut into 94,248 slices and eaten by more than 30,000 spectators at the baking in Havana, Florida.

“Mark the calendar, save the date, see you there and don’t be late!”

Wallingford CT to Host 19th Annual United Way NFL Players Weekend

For the past 125 years since their humble beginnings in Denver, the United Way has been at the forefront in the effort to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good. This noble goal is once again being brought to Wallingford in the form of the 19th Annual United Way NFL Players Weekend.

Taking place over two days and at three different venues, this fantastic event gives everyone the chance to not only help a good cause, but also buy NFLS gear, enjoy delicious food and drink and even rub elbows with over 20 stars from several NFL teams, including the Patriots, Jets, Bills, Packers and more!

The festivities kick off on Friday, March 9th with a silent/live auction at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn from 6pm to 9:30pm. Cost of entry is $65 per person or $600 per table of 10 in advance, or $75 per person at the door and includes a buffet. If you’re unable to attend the auction, never fear, the United Way of Meriden and Wallingford is also offering an online auction as well. Some of the items up for grabs include a South African photo safari, a home water softening system, a football autographed by Mike Ditka and an Esteban guitar. This auction closes at 4:30pm on Thursday, March 8th, so get your bids in now! Click here to participate in the online auction. Click here for online registration for the auction.

The fun continues on Saturday, March 10th at the Johnson Athletic Center on the campus of Choate Rosemary Hall with a Youth Clinic from 12 noon to 3pm. Kids between 8 and 14 years of age can spend the afternoon learning football tips from the NFL stars, plus get some cool Reebok gear, too! Space for the clinic is limited so pre-registration is required. Cost to attend is $50 per youth. Click here to pre-registration soon, as this event is sure to fill up fast!

The final event is “Bowl with the Pros”, which will be held at Colony Lanes in Wallingford from 6pm to 9:30pm. What an opportunity it will be to bowl a few games with NFL players, who will also be signing autographs, so be sure to bring your football memorabilia for signing! Lanes must be sponsored at a cost of $750 per lane and this fee will include 4 wristbands for the autograph session. Click here to sponsor a lane.

The tentative list of the NFL players scheduled to attend include Brian Hoyer and Nick MacDonald from the New England Patriots; Vladimir Ducasse of the New York Jets; Chris Campbell anad Shaky Smithson of the Green Bay Packers, and many more. Click here to see the full list.

This promises to be a fantastic weekend filled with fun and sure to make some great memories for young and old alike. And, you get to help an amazing organization in the process. For more info, call the United Way of Meriden and Wallingford at (203) 235-4403 or go to their web site, www.unitedwaymw.org.

Wallingford CT Market Update for January 2012

Here's the way the housing market is shaping up in Wallingford as of January 31, 2012:

There are currently 188 single family homes for sale in Wallingford:

• Low list price: $25,900
• High list price: $850,000
• Average list price: $313,363
• Median list price: $279,945
• Average Days on Market: 112
• Homes sold on average for 94.6% of list price

There are 49 homes currently under contract, priced between $85,000 and $495,000. Based on the number of homes sold in January (20), it would take approximately 9 months to sell the current inventory.

As for condominiums, there are currently 74 condos for sale:

• Low list price: $46,900
• High list price: $559,900
• Average list price: $213,125
• Median list price: $189,900
• Average Days on Market: 118
• Condos sold on average for 95.7% of list price

There are currently 11 condos under contract, priced between $49,900 and $495,000. Based on the number of condos sold in January (6), it would take 12 months to sell the current inventory.

Here is a chart showing annual home and condo sales in Wallingford so far in 2011:

Wallingford home and condo inventories were fairly stable in the first month of 2011, as single family homes gained two units to 188 units (compared to 144 in January '11) and condos doing a little better, adding 7 units to end at 74 units for the month. The average selling price actually improved over December though, as condos gained 3% to $203,897, while single family homes rose 7% to $296,410. Total sales decreased by 26% from December, but was up by a hefty 44% over January 2011. This decrease in sales and inventory resulted in the Wallingford housing market losing its balanced market status, and is now in a normal buyer's market. Conventional mortgage rates were still below 4% and CHFA rates for first time home buyers continued its impressive run at 3.25 percent. We predicted last month that the market would fall back to between 25-30 sales for the month, and we were right on at 26 sales. However, just as in Meriden, we believe the holiday doldrums will have a harsh effect on February sales and sales will struggle to get to the 25-30 range. We do hope we're proven wrong!

~Wallingford Properties For Sale~

(zoom out to see more properties)

Related articles

• Wallingford CT Market Update for December 2011 (wallingfordwired.com)
• Wallingford CT Market Update for November 2011 (wallingfordwired.com)
• Wallingford CT Market Update for October 2011 (wallingfordwired.com)

2012 New Haven County Home Show Once Again in Wallingford CT

Whether you just bought an older home and need suggestions for ways to update it, or new construction is in your immediate future and you’d like to rub elbows with some local builders, the 12th Annual New Haven County Home Show will surely have something for everyone.

Taking place this weekend, February 18th and 19th, at Wallingford's Oakdale Theater, the show brings together a boatload of exhibitors offering everything from building and remodeling, home security, and water purification to solar power, pools and spas, and landscaping services, just to name a few. Just because it’s technically Winter (50 degree weather and little snowfall notwithstanding), it doesn’t mean you have to wait until Spring to get out and get some ideas for your next home project, or home purchase. Cost of admission for the two day event is $7.00 per adult, and children 12 and under get in free. Also, if you click the image below you can get a coupon for a $1.00 discount off an adult admission. The hours of operation will be 11am to 6pm on the 18th, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. There is plenty of free parking available.

For additional information about the 2012 New Haven County Home Show, please click here, or call 1-800-294-7469. Hope to see you there!

Wallingford CT Market Update for December 2011

Here's the way the housing market is shaping up in Wallingford as of December 31, 2011:

There are currently 186 single family homes for sale in Wallingford:

• Low list price: $29,900
• High list price: $850,000
• Average list price: $298,800
• Median list price: $269,450
• Average Days on Market: 106
• Homes sold on average for 92.9% of list price

There are 40 homes currently under contract, priced between $109,900 and $599,900. Based on the number of homes sold in December (27), it would take approximately 7 months to

sell the current inventory.

As for condominiums, there are currently 67 condosfor sale:

• Low list price: $46,900
• High list price: $559,900
• Average list price: $219,761
• Median list price: $192,000
• Average Days on Market: 165
• Condos sold on average for 90.2% of list price

There are currently 11 condos under contract, priced between $49,900 and $495,000. Based on the number of condos sold in December (8), it would take 8 months to sell the current inventory.

Here is a chart showing annual home and condo sales in Wallingford for 2011:

Wallingford home and condo inventories went in opposite directions in December, as single family homes fell by 5% to 186 units (down a third consecutive month) and condos rose by 12% to 67 units, roughly were it was in October. The average selling price in both categories plummeted, as condos dropped 7% to their lowest level of the year at $198,115, while single family homes fell 8% to $277,585. Total sales increased by 13% over November, and by 46% over October, a nice gain during what is usually a slow time of the year. This increase in sales, coupled with decreased inventory and faster selling times resulted in the Wallingford housing market staying firmly in a balanced market. Conventional mortgage rates were still hovering at or below 4% and CHFA rates for first time home buyers fell to another yearly low of 3.250 percent. At the end of November we projected December sales to be in the 30-35 unit range, and we were right on at 35 units sold. The Wallingford market remains very active in January, but we're skeptical that the market will maintain the current rate of sales, so we think there will be a fallback to between 25-30 sales for the month.

~Wallingford Properties For Sale~

(zoom out to see more properties)

Related articles

• Wallingford CT Market Update for November 2011 (wallingfordwired.com)
• Wallingford CT Market Update for October 2011 (wallingfordwired.com)
• Wallingford CT Market Update for September 2011 (wallingfordwired.com)