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Upcoming Early Autumn 2026 EventsThe Summer brought many events celebrating our 250th birthday and more events continue into the autumn season. Cooler weather encourages outdoor activities and we have many opportunities. The surrounding towns of Bolton, Ellington and South Windsor will hold outdoor festivals. In addition the New England Civil War Museum holds its annual 'Living History Day.' There are also history talks and a poetry reading to add variety. Most of the organizations sponsoring these events are members of the Vernon Volunteers' Collaborative. You can learn more about them on their website. Check organizer's websites for any last minute changes. We'll send our next newsletter in early October covering the rest of the autumn season. Click on images for a larger view. Jon Roe Ellington's Fall Festival
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 9 A.M. - 1 P.M.: Bring the whole family to Ellington's Annual Fall Festival at the Nellie McKnight Museum for a fun-filled morning celebrating the arrival of autumn with activities that children and adults alike will enjoy. Kids can create their very own scarecrow to take home. Bring some clothing and we will provide the straw. Explore a real monster truck, and enjoy a variety of free children's activities throughout the day. Whether you're welcoming autumn with family, making new memories, or simply enjoying a beautiful September morning, the Fall Festival offers something for everyone. Join the Ellington Historical Society at the Nellie McKnight Museum for this festive community celebration. The Ellie McKnight Museum is located at 70 Main St. in Ellington. Bolton's Living History Weekend
SAT. & SUN., SEPTEMBER 19 & 20: Revolutionary Camp No. 5 is back in Bolton. Join us on Saturday from 10 A.M.-6:30 P.M. and Sunday from 10 A.M.-3 P.M. for history, training and more with Le Regiment Bourbonnais 13. June marked the anniversary of the march of Rochambeau and the French army through Bolton on their way to assist General Washington in the defeat of the British, who were rampaging through Virginia. Four French regiments camped at our Minister's Farm. This weekend's focus is on living history and training. There will be representatives of trades including a Cantene Keeper, Encampment Surgeon and Sutlers or Civilian Merchants. There will be demonstrations of cooking, drills and more all weekend. Events will be held at 266 Bolton Center Rd in Bolton.
VHS: G. Fox & Co. - Hartford's Flagship StoreSUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2 P.M.: The story of the G.Fox & Company department store is presented by the Vernon Historical Society. G. Fox was the Amazon of its day and many of us remember going to Hartford on Thursday nights or taking our children to see Santa at Christmas. The flagship store had eleven floors of anything and everything one needed. Its fleet of vehicles handled customer deliveries and returns. BEATRICE FOX AUERBACH ran the business with a keen focus on customer service, making shopping a pleasant experience. A historian from the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History will take us back to the golden age of department stores when G. Fox was the place to shop in the area. The program is free and open to the public. The Vernon Historical Society is located at 734 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon. South Windsor's Heritage Day: 1776 & Beyond
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 9 A.M. - 4 P.M.: The South Windsor Historical Society invites you to experience the history of Old Main Street in 1776, with its ship building, trading, and farming enterprises. There is also one of the oldest continuously operating post offices in the country. Experience how people in this area lived at the time. Events will include a re-creation of the historic Bissell Tavern built in 1760 and visited by John Adams, interactive displays on farming, ship building and trading; a visit to an old country store; Native American history, local re-enactors, antique tractors and cars and presentations by community groups. For the kids there will be old fashioned activities like hoop rolling contests, spoon and egg races, sack races and colonial crafts. In the 'Bissell Tavern' families can try tavern games, listen to a fiddler and play history trivia with prizes. Located at Birden Field (corner of Sullivan Avenue and Main Street). Rain date, Sunday, September 27. Bolton Land Trust: America 250 Walk
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 11 A.M.: Retrace the steps of the 1781 march of Rochambeau's troops on Old Bailey Road. The Bolton Land Trust is sponsoring this history walk led by former Bolton High School American history teacher PAUL SMITH. Bailey Road is a section of abandoned roadway that is a historic site in Bolton. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Described by a French officer: "You cross a few more brooklets. You go through a little wood where the road climbs sharply. This grade is very steep. At the top you turn sharp right and come to the first houses of Bolton. Bolton is a small town comprising many scattered houses, some of which are clustered around the meetinghouse on a spacious but low plateau." The roadway is one of the most intact sections in Connecticut of the march route taken by French troops under the command of the Count de Rochambeau in 1781. Meet at Bolton High School. Rain date Sept. 27. FOVF: Annual Meeting
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1-3 P.M.: Join the Friends of Valley Falls for their Annual Meeting. Their speaker is Executive Director DAN HAYDEN of the New England Civil War Museum with a journey through the eyes of four individuals who lived and experienced the American Civil War. Seth Plumb from Litchfield, Joseph Porter from Vernon, Lizzie Chester from Vernon, and George Abbe from East Windsor all lived different lives, but shared a common humanity. This presentation will get you excited to visit the museum to learn about the rest of the cast and see the whole story. The Heritage Center at Valley Falls Farm will be open following the program. The Heritage Center includes displays on the many colorful owners of the farm, including rifle designer Christian Sharps, a phony Hungarian Count, and the Beach Family, who all ran the farm and park as a gentleman's farm. Everyone is welcome. Meet in the basement of the Red Barn at Valley Falls Farm, 345 Valley Falls Road in Vernon. Parking is limited at the Red Barn, so please park at Valley Falls Park and walk up the scenic trail to the Barn.
ACE: Poetry Rocks!SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 3 P.M.: Arts Center East hosts Poetry Rocks!, a quarterly poetry reading series organized by ACE Staff and Vernon Poet Laureate, PEGI DEITZ SHEA. This quarter they feature three Poets Laureate: FAITH VICINANZA (Southbury), RICK MAGEE (Bethel), and ELAINE NADAL (Milford). Kicking off the reading will be RHS Student Writer MIA RESTO. The event is open to the public and free, though donations are greatly appreciated. Open mic, refreshments, and book sales will follow the featured readings. ELAINE NADAL will also run a writing workshop from 1:30-2:45 P.M., on Family Issues. She will help you tap positive memories for poems honoring loved ones; and will also help you express complicated emotions about family relationships. Registration is required, click here to register. Poetry Rocks is co-sponsored by Arts Center East, The Rockville Public Library, and The CT Council of Poets Laureate. Free and open to the public, although a $5 donation is suggested and much appreciated. Arts Center East is located at 709 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon. NECWM: Living History Day
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 9-3: Come celebrate the New England Civil War Museum's (NECWM) 'Living History Day' featuring Civil War re-enactors setting up camp in the park and re-creating camp life. They will demonstrate and describe for visitors the life of soldiers, sailors and civilians during the Civil War. The event is slated to begin at 9 a.m. with a ceremonial opening outside the museum. The Civil War Museum will also be open for visitors to view its collection of uniforms, equipment and firearms. Museum visitors can follow a time line of a solder's experience from enlistment as citizen soldiers to their meetings as Grand Army of the Republic veterans in the museum's historic Great Hall. Children can try on uniforms and have their photos taken, learn to march with the soldiers and join in other interactive events. Living historians representing different aspects of the Union military experience will be at the museum throughout the day. Four guided museum tours are scheduled for 9:15 and 10 a.m. and 12:30 and 1:15 p.m. Each tour will be limited to 12 to 15 guests. Advance registration is strongly encouraged because space is limited. At 11 a.m., award-winning poet and author LISA G. SAMIA will present "The Sister of an Assassin - The Remarkable Story of Asia Booth Clarke." Central Park is located in front of Town Hall at 14 Park Place in Rockville. Also Coming This FallTo receive the October newsletter Join our Mailing List.
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