SEYMOUR, CT — A Fairfield woman has been identified as the person who died last week after being pulled from the Housatonic River in Seymour, according to authorities.

Alyssa Mackinnon was 30 and her last known address was in Fairfield, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday.

Authorities were alerted around 6:15 p.m. Thursday about a person in the river. The paddleboarder was found by boaters, brought to shore and taken to a hospital, where Mackinnon was later pronounced dead.

A unique, pop-up theme park in East Hartford has kids and families jumping for joy.

The company, The Big Bounce America, tours around the country with their giant bounce houses, inflatable slides and obstacle courses.

This weekend was their first time back in Connecticut since the pandemic.

The event is being held in an open field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Despite the cloudy and humid weather Sunday morning, many parents came out to the park to explore the inflatables, and they say they were impressed.

“I think I’m more excited than he is,” said Sharon Hecht, who came in from New York.

“We decided to come because it’s really close. We’re always in the area, and I mean it looks pretty epic so why not,” said Jennifer Gadalinski of Bristol.

The largest bounce house on site is called The Castle. It’s 26,000 square feet, and it’s packed with activity. Inside are places to climb, shoot hoops, race one another, and dance to music.

“This is on another level. When I saw the tickets and that they were coming so close to Connecticut, I was like I got to get the tickets,” said Taryn Long of Bristol.  

Event supervisor Giorgio Lord says there are more than six interactive bounce houses on site along with food vendors and places to cool down.

“At the end of the day, it allows everyone to get in touch with their inner child. Everybody just kind of gets to let loose and enjoy the inflatables,” Lord said.

Participants can purchase tickets on The Big Bounce America website. The day is also broken up into kid, teen, and adult sessions. Socks are required inside the bounce houses.

The park will be back open for the second and final weekend next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 9 – 11.

TODAY: Mostly sunny with clouds & rain showers developing, chance of storms after 2PM. Highs near 84. Overnight lows near 70.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny and drier. Highs near 87. Overnight lows 73.

TUESDAY: Sun and clouds. Highs near 85. Overnight near 71.