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CT Weekend Events: Jazz, Art, Clowns & Tractor Pulls

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CT Weekend Events: Jazz, Art, Clowns & Tractor Pulls


CONNECTICUT — From hi-brow art exhibitions to hi-test tractor pulls, Connecticut offers something for just about every taste this weekend.

The Litchfield Jazz Festival kicks off Friday and runs through the weekend at the Tisch Auditorium in the state-of-the-art Thomas Perakos Performing Arts Center in Washington. Ever since the fest launched a quarter-century ago with Diana Krall in the lineup, reviewers have heaped praise on the organizers’ gets. This year, appearances by Amina Figarova Sextet and the Bill Charlap Trio should only burnish that legacy brighter. Tickets are available online here.

The fun will be about as good and old-fashioned as it gets at the 64th Annual Lebanon Country Fair this weekend. Goats, sheep, rabbits, poultry and cattle will all get their moment in the summer sun, alongside an interspecies battle for barnyard bragging rights, the Oxen vs. Horse Pull. Warranties will be voided left and right as otherwise study machinery will be strained to the breaking point in truck pulls, antique tractor pulls, and lawnmower races. A magic show, balloon animals, fair food and Bella the Clown will pretty much make this event a guaranteed hit with even your youngest country cousins. The fairgrounds will be open Friday, 3-11 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

A little ways southward, Old Lyme will be holding its Midsummer Festival on Friday and Saturday, and it’s huge. Party band Locomotion gets the ball rolling with a concert on the Florence Griswold Museum lawn, 7-9 p.m. on Friday. There’s a 5K run, if that’s your thing, starting Saturday morning at 8, followed by an art sale, a classic car show, a dog show, a linen sale, a food truck court, and kids’ activities and art gallery tours throughout the day. The massive undertaking is produced each year by the Old Lyme Arts District, and needs its own map.

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In Ridgefield, where the whole damn town is an arts district, Summerfest will take over Main Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Over 60 craft vendors will join a full complement of carnival games and sidewalk sales, brought to you by the local Chamber of Commerce.

Midsummer is also the end of the season for many exhibits and installations. Notably, this weekend is your last chance to see “PRAXIS: An Exhibition of Clay Sculpture, Collage and Paintings” at City Gallery in New Haven, featuring the work of Roberta Friedman, Joyce Greenfield, Sheila Kaczmarek, and Kathy Kane. Gallery hours are Friday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., and admission is free. On Sunday, The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens will be pulling down “Aalto 2.0,” the Hugh Kepets show “inspired by architectural structures and his environment.” They’re free spirits over at the Gardens, so check their social media for their hours this weekend.

You have until dusk Saturday to catch “Flag Field for Heroes” at the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry before that grassroots, inspiring and unabashedly patriotic initiative shutters for the year. Folks have been filling the grassy areas surrounding the home of Connecticut’s most famous Revolutionary with American flags in honor of a military service member, veteran, or hero since the middle of May, and now red, white and blue cover the green everywhere.





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Connecticut

5 Connecticut towns to receive $2M each for infrastructure upgrades

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5 Connecticut towns to receive M each for infrastructure upgrades


HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Five Connecticut towns will collectively receive $10 million in grants for infrastructure upgrades, according to a Monday announcement by Gov. Ned Lamont.

The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) is awarding $10.7 million to Coventry, Guilford, Ledyard, Mansfield and Thomaston to modernize and rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income residents, the announcement said.

The funds are being released through the DOH’s Community Development Block Grant’s small cities program, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To be eligible, a municipality must have fewer than 50,000 residents.

Cost Breakdown

Coventry: $2 million

Town of Coventry plans to use funds to upgrade, with a focus on making Orchard Hill Estates compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

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Guilford: $2 million

The Town of Guilford plans to use funds to design and build future affordable housing projects, consisting of up to 16 rental units and 8 homes.

Ledyard: $2 million

The Town of Canton requested funding for the first phase of affordable housing for people in Ledyard and the surrounding area. Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is in the pre-development phase of the Colby Drive and plans to create 38 units.

Mansfield: $2.2 million

Funding will be used for upgrades to Wright’s Village, including roof replacements and sidewalk repairs.

Thomaston: $2.5 million

Funds will be used to make Green Manor ADA-compliant, including the installation of a new emergency call aid system.


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Watch News 8 on WTNH.com or the free WTNH News 8 streaming app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and select Samsung Smart TVs.



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Do you work or volunteer for CT’s emergency medical services? We want to hear from you.

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Do you work or volunteer for CT’s emergency medical services? We want to hear from you.


ProPublica and The Connecticut Mirror, two nonprofit newsrooms, are examining the state’s emergency medical services and what it takes to provide lifesaving care across the state. If you work or volunteer for emergency medical services in Connecticut, we need your help. 

We know that the state’s emergency medical services have been strained for years, but that doesn’t stop paramedics, emergency medical technicians and emergency medical responders from working around the clock to serve community members in crisis. We have data on ambulance response times, but we know it doesn’t tell a full story about what is happening behind the scenes.  

If you work or volunteer for a Connecticut ambulance corps, a fire department, a law enforcement agency or an emergency room, we want to hear your experience and understand what resources you need to do this lifesaving work. 

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What has changed about emergency medical services since you started? If your ambulance corps needs more staff, what are the challenges to hiring or retaining new people? What do you wish Connecticut residents or lawmakers knew about the state of EMS?

Your input is crucial and will help guide our reporting. We want to understand the issue in all its complexity — from training limitations to worker housing needs to budget cuts, and what that means for your vital work every day. 

You can fill out our brief form to share your experience. Our reporters read through every response and may follow up with you. You can also email CT Mirror reporter Jenna Carlesso and ProPublica reporter Cassandra Garibay at ctemergency@propublica.org if you have any questions or concerns. 

Don’t work for emergency medical services in Connecticut but know someone who does? You can also help by sending this form to them. 

If you have called 911 for a medical emergency, we also want to hear from you. Please fill out our patient experience form.

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This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://ctmirror.org/2026/06/22/connecticut-emergency-medical-services-callout/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://ctmirror.org”>CT Mirror</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://ctmirror.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-CTMirror_bug_rgb-180×180.jpg” style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>

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Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027

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Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027


Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.  

Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:

I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!

A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.

German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.

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German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.

German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).

Top SCY Times:

  • 50 Freestyle: 23.54
  • 100 Freestyle: 51.35
  • 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
  • 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19

A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.

German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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