About Guilford's Down Town

Guilford Craft Expo - July 14-17 2011

Guilford CT's annual craft fair runs from Thursday July 14th to Sunday July 17th. The Guilford Craft Expo is located on the Guilford Green, and organized by the Guilford Art Center.

The Guilford Craft Expo is one of the top craft fairs in the country, with over 14000 people attending each year. Over 175 artists will showcase a wild variety of art. Paintings, sculptures, leather, clay, clothing, jewelry, rugs, pottery & more. Special events include a silent auction, a raffle for a motor scooter and music acts. Proceeds from the Guilford Craft Expo will benefit the Guilford Arts Center school and gallery.

Entertainment:

This year's craft fair will feature musicians, including:

• J-Walk - Guilford High School's talented group.
• Rizzo's Dilemma - New Haven based prog-rock band.
• Glenn Roth - A popular singer-songwriter who regularly plays in CT, NY and all around the North-East.
• Joan Levy Hepburn - A teacher and artist at the Guilford Art Center

Food & Dining:

In addition to all the wonderful restaurants on the Guilford Green, the following food truck vendors will be serving craft fair attendees:

• The Caseus Grilled Cheese Truck
• Taco Pacifico
• The Naples Pizza Truck
• Ashley's Ice Cream

Guilford Craft Expo Schedule:

• Thursday & Friday - 12pm - 9pm
• Saturday - 10am - 6pm
• Sunday - 1pm - 5pm

Directions:

Take i95 to exit 58. Head South off Exit 58 (which is Rt 77) and go about 1/2 a mile until you hit the Guilford Green. Parking can be found around the Guilford Green.

For more information about the Guilford Craft Expo, visit the Guilford Arts Center online.

Guilford CT Fireworks - 9:30pm July 9th, 2011

In addition the the Guilford CT Fireworks, the town has a bevy of activities planned for the day:

• The Annual Guilford CT Community Picnic is today from 4-7pm on the Guilford Green. Food and vendors will be all around the Guilford Green. Activities at the family friendly community picnic include games, music, and kids rides including an inflatable slide, a moon bounce and an obstacle course.
• The Guilford Community Band will have their annual performance during the Community Picnic from 4-7pm.
• From 7:30-9pm, the town will have three bands playing, including the Muffin Men, the Monumentos and Moose and the Stoops

Where to watch the Guilford CT Fireworks? The Guilford Fireworks are being launched from the Guilford Fairgrounds. The Guilford Green is close by and offers a number of good spots to sit back and watch the show. An alternative spot is Jacob's Beach, which is just down the street from the Fairgrounds, and has many unobstructed views of the sky.

Direction to the Guilford CT Fireworks:

Take i95 to exit 58. Head South off Exit 58 (which is Rt 77) and go about 1/2 a mile until you hit the Guilford Green. Parking can be found around the Guilford Green. If you want to go to Jacob's Beach, head down Whitfield Street (on the Guilford Green) and take a right about a mile down at Seaside Ave. Jacob's Beach is a quarter mile on the right.

Guilford CT Fireworks!

The 2011 Guilford Independence Day Fireworks will happen on Saturday July 9th, at 7:30pm (with a rain date of the following day, Sunday July 10th).

Thanks to the efforts of some local residents and community sponsors, the Town of Guilford CT's annual Fireworks Show will happen this year.

As we previously reported, the Town of Guilford cut the fireworks display from their budget earlier in the year. Due to a grassroots fund-raising effort, spearheaded by Guilford residents Adrian Price and Ed Bartlett, the $10,000 needed to fund this year's fireworks display were were raised.

Check out the article on Zip06 about Adrian and Ed's efforts to make this event happen.

I want to extend thanks to everyone who contributed funds to make the 2011 Fireworks Display happen. Credit goes to all the businesses who sponsored the event or provided collection boxes, and to everyone who contributed and helped make this event possible.

The Circus for a Fragile Planet is doing a performance in Guilford CT this weekend at the Nathanael Greene Community Center at 32 Church Street in GUilford, CT.

The Circus for a Fragile Planet is performed by the touring theater group ARTFORM. Formed a decade ago in Middletown CT, ARTFORM is known for performing at events throughout New Haven County and throughout the region. The Circus For A Fragile Planet is ARTFORM's well known act, performed over 100 times throughout New England. Like most of ARTFORM's events, the Circus for a Fragile Planet promotes environmental and educational issues.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for children.

For more reading about the event, check out Jeff Hush's article in the New Haven Register. Also don't forget to check out ARTFORM's Website.

I work with many clients who are relocating to Connecticut. Today, while driving with a buyer from out of state, I was asked if Halloween was celebrated in Guilford CT during the Spring. At first I was caught off guard by this question.... why would he ask today if we celebrated Halloween when it is May 1st?

And then I saw this:

Now his question made sense. The Connecticut Renaissance Faire is in town this week!

The CT Renaissance Faire is one of many cultural events that take place in Downtown Guilford on the Guilford Fairgrounds. Thousands attend each year from all parts of the country. The “Renn Fair” as many call it, is a celebration of life and culture from the era of Shakespeare, Michelangelo and da Vinci. The Faire brings us Meade (wine), stage performances, period art, demonstrations, costumes - this isn’t your ordinary outdoor festival.

The fun and festivities of the CT Renaissance Faire have taken over much of the Guilford Green and Downtown areas. Festival performers and attendees alike are clad in costumes of a different era. Knights stop into local coffee shops for a latte. Musketeers use an ATM to gain access to more modern forms of currency. Old world meets new in Downtown Guilford CT!

The event spans a few weeks - they were even open last week on Easter Sunday (with some Easter-themed events for the day). This year (2011 for those who are counting) runs from 11am to 7pm on April 23, 24, 30 & May 1, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22

Check out the Robin Hood Springtime Festival, the Limey Birds, and the Wine & Chocolate Romance Weekend on May 7th and 8th.

For more information about the CT Renaissance Faire, visit their website for a more detailed event description and to buy tickets to the Fair. Tickets are also available at the entrance to the Fairgrounds.

See you at the Faire! Don't forget your costume (encouraged but not required)