There's Still Time for the Big E!

It's been 100 years and the Big E is still going strong.  You still have time to catch it.  But, it ends on October 2nd.  Should you bother?  Yes.  Here's what my day at the Big E with the 100th anniversary was like.  First thing that I did was to stop in the International Building and do some shopping like I always do, but this year they had an anniversary display.  It was informative and I loved some of the exhibits.  Being the only state fair in the country that encompasses six states in one fair; there's a lot going on in this place.  And there has been for the last 100 years.  What is it like today vs 100 years ago?  There's still lot's of live entertainment.  There's still great exhibits.  There's still rides and food.  There's still agricultural judgings.  What's the difference?  It's just bigger and better.

For one thing, you need to stop by Storrowton Village.  This is the historic district at the Big E.  These buildings have for the most part, been around since the beginning.  Here is where the shoppers in the crowd will find all the hand made arts and crafts and some of the best quality of other shopping goods.  They have it all from food to fine clothing, to great jewelry, and beyond.  The items that you find here will tend to be more expensive than some others at the fair, but they are probably better quality.  I do some of my Christmas shopping here.  It gets it done early and they are great gifts.

This year they have some special visitors at the Big E.  The Budweiser Clydesdales are there.  You can visit the horses in their stables at any time during fair hours.  The do have a schedule for showings where you can see the horses and even the Dalmatian in all their glory.  However, if you like shows, the coliseum has shows all day, all night.  They have everything from horse pulls to cars in there and it's always a good time.  It's also part of you $15 admission to the fair.

Then there are the state buildings.  Since the fair covers 6 states, each state has a building where they show off their unique features.  I stopped into all of them this year.  Connecticut, my home had lots of Pez, one of our biggest fan favorites of industry.  The selection was great.  Each building has a visitor's center.  This is a great place to pick up brochures about things to do in each individual state.  I got some great ideas that I'm sure I'll be writing about later on.  Other things that you find are food.  I love the Vermont building with all the cheese and maple stuff, and cider.  I could get really fat in Vermont's building.  Maine's building also has great food.  They have lobster and clam dishes as far as the eye can see.  They also have great decorator items from the shore and the north woods.  Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire also showed off great state icon items and fabulous food.  It is the north.  If you like things with a nautical theme, things with moose and bears on them, or really warm clothes from the likes of LL Bean and such; you need to visit all of these buildings.  Just so you know; Vermont has cider slushies and Horseradish cheddar cheese.  Just saying.

But, what can you see at the Big E?  As I said, any of a number of shows and competitions in the Coliseum.  Great exhibits, great food, great animals, and die hard New Englanders that don't care about a little rain.  I was right there with them.  The best part is that the weather in New England changes every 10 minutes, so after a little rain, it cleared up for the rest of the day.  The people who decided not to come out because of the weather made it less crowded for the rest of us.  You also find many stands here, with all kinds of things for sale.  There is an outdoor stage where the bands perform as well as an indoor arena. There is an arena with outdoor shows in the back.  That's where the stunt car show is every year.  That one is well worth the time.  Of course there is a giant midway where you can ride by the tickets or you can get a day pass for a reasonable price.  They also have a kiddie land for all of you with little ones who don't want to search through the rides to find the ones that the little kids can ride.  Overall, the Big E is one of the best organized fairs I've ever seen, and there are tons of things to do.

Every afternoon at 5 pm they have a parade, but right before that at 4 pm as well as other times throughout the day; they have a circus.  I was surprised to see elephants there.  They also had acrobats, jugglers, pigs, clowns, and a fabulous motorcycle cage act.  I love a good circus, and even though they call this a mini circus; it's well worth it to stop by.  It's also included in the price of admission.

Then there's the food.  Whether you're selling it, looking at it or eating it; it is all over at the Big E.  You can buy just about anything.  Being New England, the place is covered with stands, booths, and restaurants that sell pizza, sausage grinders, and clam chowder.  But, if you look around, you'll find pretty much anything in the world.  I had a Kangaroo burger, and I'm not ashamed to say so.  Be real, if you eat meat, it's all up for grabs.  The place I ate at also had Ostrich, Rattlesnake, Bison, and Camel.  It tasted like a burger, and it was pretty good.  The Big E is a great place to break your diet and try something different.  Just make sure you don't leave without your ice cream.  I saw over 75 different flavors throughout the many ice cream joints there.

You never know what you'll find at the Big E, but if you don't find it by Sunday, you will have to wait until next year.  Is it worth the $15?  That's a value, folks.  There's a lot of entertainment there for one small price.  So come and learn about six different states, ride some great rides, shop, eat, be entertained, see the circus, meet the Clydesdales, spend some time with your family and enjoy!

http://www.thebige.com/
http://www.ctpost.com/food/article/New-foods-at-the-Big-E-2016-9197890.php
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https://www.hotelplanner.com/Attractions/9324-Things-to-do-in-West-Springfield-MA#dir-bar
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It's Another Amazing City of Palaces...Potsdam!

I realize that I've been concentrating on Connecticut a lot lately, so I thought I would do something else for once.  There's a city that I've always been fond of just outside of Berlin that is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that I love to visit.  It's full of palaces and historic buildings and comes with some wild tales of royalty from times gone by.  It's a stop on Berlin's public transportation and is one of the most popular day trips from the German capital.  It's been home to Prussian Kings, was visited by Tsars and Napoleon.  Welcome to Potsdam, Germany.

Potsdam is a historic city.  There are many old neighborhoods to visit, and one of the most popular is the old Dutch Town.  Back in the day, the Dutch did a lot of business here, and their empire was vast, so it was one of those areas that the Dutch used to keep people in the area and cement their empire.  This era was followed by the Prussians and the Fredericks made sure that the city remained a military stronghold for many decades.  There were palaces built to honor Tsars like Alexander, and the Potsdam Agreement was negotiated and signed there after WWII.

This place reminds me of St. Petersburg, Russia in a lot of ways.  The palaces being the first way.  Palaces were the way that leaders used to show their power.  This area was ruled for a long time by the Prussians, and they built the bulk of the palaces in this town.  But, out of towners who wielded a lot of power used to come and stay here with their armies.  The one that always comes to mind, is the one that I've been studying lately...Napoleon.  He used to come and winter with his troops in Potsdam and stay in one of the homes/palaces there.  Since the city was set up for military use, it was an obvious choice.  It became particularly important after Napoleon got into a power struggle with his old buddy Tsar Alexander and they started to fight on Russian soil.  Potsdam was closer to the war than France, so Napoleon put it to use.  Eventually the Prussians got uncomfortable with the situation and joined the coalition to dethrone Napoleon, and instead of palaces in Potsdam, Napoleon ended up on St. Helena in a rainforest.

Potsdam has an oriental palace, just like St. Petersburg, Russia.  It isn't an exact replica, but the sentiment is the same.  It comes from a time period where the Asian styles and art were popular, and all the royals had to have one.

These days Potsdam is a historical city and a university town.  There are several colleges and universities there, so you will find your museums and palaces coupled with bistros full of hippie styled students.  It's an odd combination of youth and history.  But, Potsdam has always kind of gone with the times.

The palaces date back to the kings, but during WWII, Hitler used it for military training and parades.  He held huge rallies there for his Third Reich.  It was one of the few places that escaped heavy damage in WWII, which is amazing, because it is just a stone's throw from Berlin.  And Berlin got bombed...heavily.  The Potsdam Agreement was just one of many treaties and official peacekeeping documents that came from WWII.  If only it would have kept this city open to the west during the Soviet times.  That's right, Potsdam was in the east for a few decades before being set free when the wall came down.  So, that kind of makes this a fairly new attraction full of ancient relics for those of us in the west.  We've only been able to come here for 25 years.

So, what I'm trying to say is that if you are visiting Berlin, Germany; this is a side trip that you should not miss.  If you love palaces, this is a spot for you.  You can book a day tour and just go and have fun.  You can also spend the night and see even more.  To be honest, I love the modernity of Berlin, but the contrast that you get by visiting Potsdam is wonderful.  It brings the past to life to go along with the present of Berlin.  It's part of the story of the Germans, and it's an important chapter.  So, don't miss out on Potsdam.  Enjoy!

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/potsdam-d-br-pt.htm
http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/towns-cities/potsdam.html
http://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/university-of-potsdam.html
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The Fairs Are Here! Fall in New England

It's fall in New England and that means one thing.  It's time to party!  This is when we have all our fairs.  We also have some great festivals, wingdings, and shows as well.  I've said it many times.  This is our time to not go quietly into the good night of winter. We will Oktoberfest and corn maze ourselves till the cows come home before the snowy days and long nights of winter set in.  So, This year we have some really great stuff. I started off my season with the Goshen Fair.  This is my local one and it comes every Labor Day Weekend.  It has all that you would expect; livestock, exhibits, rides, food, shopping, music, tractor pulls and so on.  It's a great activity for Labor Day.  We've also had our Bethlehem Fair already, which is a favorite of ours here in the northwest corner.  But, if you didn't get a chance to go, like me this year; they still have their annual Garlic Festival coming up.  It's a lot of fun and one of my favorite festivals in the area.

So, what do we have in store this year?  Durham Fair is welcoming Foreigner for the price of admission.  That's top shelf entertainment for a really good price.  Over at Guilford's fair they are welcoming the Flying Walendas who are bringing a human cannonball.  The Big E is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this year, so expect some special stuff up there as well.  Ellsworth Farm in Sharon is having all kinds of harvest activities and they have some of the best muffins around.  Simsbury is having their annual fly in and car show now in it's 31st year.  And the list goes on.

One of the local activities that I couldn't pass up was the Car-B-Que in Washington last weekend.  It's now in it's 10th year and here, all the money raised goes to charity.  Great cars, good food, and a good cause.

Both Lake Compounce and Six Flags will be pulling out all the stops this month starting their haunted graveyard and frightfest seasons.  Amusement parks in New England have turned into three season parks, celebrating both Halloween and Christmas before truly shutting down for the season.  They are a lot of fun for the whole family.  Just in case you were wondering, at least some of the rides are open during these off season events.

Down in Norwich you can get your geek on for the next month or so.  The Connecticut Renaissance Faire runs during the fall here and if you go on the right day, you can even dress like Doctor Who.  There's plenty out jousting, dress, ale, and shows all throughout the festival for the whole family to enjoy.

The mountain parks are still open through Columbus Day around here and they are always a lot of fun.  The Old Aerodrome at Rhinebeck is also open through Columbus Day as are most of the adventure parks in New England.  We really try to work in all our outdoor fun before winter hits and it's all left to the skiers and snow machine people.

Oktoberfest is another huge New England tradition.  We have them all over.  They start in September, which seems silly, but it gets cold early in some areas.  Some of our best are right in our towns with the local clubs, but many many people truck themselves up to Hunter Mountain in the Catskills for the Oktoberfest that lasts for four weekends during September and October.  The chairlifts are going for great views of the number one fall attraction in New England--the leaves.  So, wherever you go for Oktoberfest, whether it be Hunter Mountain or Main Street USA in New Britain or just to the beer garden in New Britain; enjoy a beer and some polka music in honor of the season.

But, try as we might, we in New England know that no matter what kind of show we put on or what kind of party we might throw; mother nature is the real center of attraction here.  Thousands of people come from all over the world to see our foliage during the fall months.  There are lots of web sites that monitor peak foliage so you know where to go when.  They discuss it daily on the weather reports and the news.  We have the most beautiful leaves in the fall. That's all there is to it.  I moved here so I could live where the spectacle is.  There's nothing like it anywhere else on Earth, and I invite you to come and join us.  This is our Northern Lights.  This is our starry night.  We are having a drought this year, so my advice is to come a little early, so as not to miss the show.  Mother nature spends autumn in New England putting on a show that thrills the masses.  So come and enjoy the fairs, the festivals, the parties, the food, and the spectacle of New England in the fall and Enjoy!

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Derby/Shelton...One Town Or Two? More of Connecticut

Derby is proud to tell you that they are the smallest "city" in Connecticut.  With just under 13,000 people, they may be right.  It's also been ranked as an All American City back in 2000.  It sits on the Naugatuck River which separates it from the town of Shelton.  To look at these two cities, you would think that they were all one big city.  But just as in the case of Budapest or Buda and Pest, they wish to keep their separate identities.  I respect that.  I love that Derby has it's Derby Day and Shelton has it's Shelton Day.  However, for the tourist, it's a single venue.  If you go to visit one, you will visit both.  Because of the streets and bridges, you might visit one of them entirely involuntarily.

I chose the obvious, which was to visit them both at the same time.  In my quest to visit the state parks, I realized that they each have one, along with the fact that they share a riverfront and it's filled with parks and greenways.  What I found was something spectacular.

Derby/Shelton sits along Route 8, the major thoroughfare for the western part of Connecticut.  They are cities with a small town feel.  Kids wander the streets without their parents and ride their bikes to the parks.  Public transportation is area, not city provided in the bus system; however Metro North does stop there with one combined stop for Derby/Shelton.  One thing I can tell you is that the people of this area spend their time along the Naugatuck River; the entity that divides them.  They work, live and play on the river.  It is lined with parks, walks, houses, and even the rowing house for Yale University.

My visit started at Indian Well State Park in Shelton.  I'd heard about the waterfall.  What I hadn't heard about was this gorgeous park next to the railroad along the river with a boat launch, pavilions, beautiful beaches and a huge bath house to change your clothes in.  There is nothing that isn't scenic about this place.  I came down Route 34 to get there that day, so I came down the opposite side of the river and saw it from across the way.  I thought that there must be another state park in the vicinity, because I couldn't imagine that this park was the one that I read about where people only talked about a waterfall.  The park is outstanding for a waterfront park.  The beaches are gorgeous, even though there will be no lifeguards for the foreseeable future thanks to cutbacks here in the state.  Ironically, the one thing that I did not see was a waterfall.

So I took in the view for a while and consulted Google.  They told me that the trail to the waterfall was directly across from the parking area.  There were several parking areas, but I was parked in the biggest one and there was a trail across the street.  I grabbed my things and took off to where the trail was.  It was called the Pawgusset Trail and it ran right up the hill on the other side of the street.  It was marked, which Google said it was not, but I thought I would try it anyway.  It was the only trail I could find.

I found a lot of things along that trail.  I found three housing additions, a construction site, a sign telling me that I was on the trail to the well that feeds the waterfall.  I even found some random birdhouses in the woods.  I found some unusual trail markers.  I found other people looking for the waterfall.  I saw squirrels, and chipmunks, and a relatively unhappy ground hog.  What I and no one else could find, was a waterfall.  I followed every trail I could find to no avail.  Then, on my way down, I saw a man with watershoes on.  I asked him, and it turned out that he'd lived there his whole life.  He told me that the trail to the waterfall was across the street from a parking area down the road from the park.

I did what the nice man said, and there it was.  With a sign at the beginning of the trail warning you not to climb on or jump off of the rocks; I knew I'd found the right spot.  Sure enough, I followed a trail lined with beautiful wildflowers for a little over a quarter of a mile and I found the falls at Indian Well.  Of course, Connecticut is having a huge drought, so there was little to no water, but I found it and that's all that counts.  Now that I know where it is, I can see how beautiful it must be when there's water, so I will be back.

The next stop for me was the middle of the two towns and the river.  The Naugatuck River Greenway is the centerpiece of Derby/Shelton.  Most of the greenway is in Derby.  The great thing about this place is that it offers such a variety of scenery.  You never know what you'll find.  There are all kinds of bridges to see and walk on.  You even walk right under Route 8.  You also walk both over and under the railroad.  You can sit and watch trains go by, enjoy the wildlife, check out the scenic vistas, and get some exercise all at the same time.  The main walk is just around three miles, and it's worth taking the walk.  It's urban scenery at it's finest.

I'd walked many miles that day, but I had one last state park to check out.  Osbornedale State Park is in Derby.  It's a scenic park with meadows running up the hills and a great little lake.  There's a pavilion for picnicking, and there's a sign that says you can swim.  I didn't really see a beach, but I didn't take the time to look around a lot either it was getting late and I had to get home.  It was a beautiful little park and right up the road are the Osborne Museum and a wildlife sanctuary to go with it.  Delightful properties and some beautiful places to spend some time.

One thing that Osbornedale seemed to come with was a gaggle of Canadian Geese that were very tame and friendly.  They posed very well for me to play with my camera.  They work for corn, which is a pretty good deal.

So, the wonders of Derby/Shelton are all around, but I promise you that they all center around the river.  It's a quiet community with a ton of restaurants serving all kinds of food.  There are a lot of little stores instead of chains, although the Home Depot is visible from the greenway.  It's an area of hidden treasures and great parks.  Although it sits right on one of the busier roads in Connecticut, it seems as though you are a million miles away from the hustle and bustle.  It's small town life in a world that is no longer living small town life.  It's like a step back in time, but yet with a modern flair.  The wonders of Derby/ Shelton are fun and relaxing, all at the same time.  So come and see the smallest city in Connecticut and it's partner and check out life along the river and enjoy!

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