The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
EVENTFUL WEEKEND
4H Fair, car show, drum fest on tap
The state’s Northwest communities should be buzzing with activities this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, the annual Litchfield County 4H Fair returns to the Goshen Fairgrounds, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, with free parking and no admission fee.
Further, Torringford Volunteer Fire Department members plan to hold their annual car show on Main Street, Torrington, from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, and the Pageant of Drums is scheduled for Saturday at Fuessenich Park, also in Torrington.
Car show
Friday night, the Torringford Volunteer Fire Department’s annual car show starts at 5 p.m. on Main Street, Torrington. The show will have live music and food trucks available.
Admission is free for patrons. Those entering in the show pay $5 for motorcycles and $10 for vehicles. As did last weekend’s PAL car show, this event will have hundreds of cars, trucks and specialty vehicles, ranging from
vintage cars to hot rods from the early 1900s to the present on display.
The department encourages anyone planning to show a vehicle or motorcycle to get there early, since spaces fill quickly.
The car show benefits the Torringford Volunteer Fire Department, which depends on its annual fundraisers for equipment and training, organizer said. Volunteer members provide mutual aid to the Torrington Fire Department and other departments in Litchfield County.
Check the Facebook page for updates at https://www.facebook.com/ Torringford/
4H Fair
The Litchfield County 4-H Fair is a culmination of the hard work of young people involved in 4H, a youth development program offered through the UConn Extension system, according to organizers. “The purpose of UConn as Connecticut’s land grant university is to provide the citizens of Connecticut with educational opportunities through teaching, research and extension programming,” said Director Bill Davenport.
The two-day fair, which has been held since the 1930s, features members of the various 4H clubs showing their animals, which they have raised to show in competition for ribbons, according to organizers. Guests will see cows, pigs, horses, goats, chickens and other animals, shown by their caregivers during division shows.
Members will have food and refreshments available for sale and all proceeds benefit the various clubs. There will be children's activities, entertainment, food and merchandise vendors, livestock and agriculture competitions and rides, according to organizers.
4-H is a national program with six million youths participating in various project areas to learn life skills, and they supervised by more than 500,000 volunteer leaders, according to Davenport.
“Litchfield County has 26 active 4-H clubs with more than 400 active members in those clubs,” he said.
Davenport said project areas include — but are not limited to — beef cattle, dogs, crafts, dairy cattle, dairy goats, horses , community nutrition, food safety, food preparation skills, horticulture, mechanics, oxen, poultry, robotics, sewing, sheep, small animals, STEM, and swine.
The program is organized into four divisions, including agriculture, civic engagement, healthy living and STEM. The themes overlap throughout the 4-H experience, with emphasis on nurturing well-rounded individuals, according to Davenport.
For more information about 4-H and how to join, contact Davenport, Litchfield County Extension 4-H Educator, at william.davenport@uconn.edu or at 860-626-6854.
Pageant of Drums
The 2021 Pageant of Drums, presented by the Torrington Parks and Recreation Department, will be held at Fuessenich Park, where there’s plenty of seating. Performances will be given by Magnificent Brass, St. Peters Drum Corps, Connecticut Alumni Drum Corps, Skyliners Alumni Drum Corps and Connecticut Hurricanes Drum Corps. Casey McKenna will act a host for the event.
The pageant will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday.
“The Pageant of Drums took place annually at Fuessenich Park starting in the late 1950s for a span of thirty years,” said Recreation Director Brett Simmons. “The Vagabonds Drum Corps were a very popular and longstanding participant in the Pageant of Drums.
“The Parks and Recreation Department has been working with a committee on preparing for this event and hope the resurrection of the Pageant of Drums will become a popular annual event in Torrington as it was for so many years from the late 50s to 80s,” Simmons said.
The recreation department received a grant of $2,800 from the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation Khurshed Bhumgara Fund, and another for $1,825 from The Cara and Carl Muller Fund for Community Support, which also is a fund of Northwest Community Foundation. “These funds will be used to assist in supporting this year’s event and help fund the performing units, lighting, sound, and security,” Simmons said.
Admission is $5 per person, free for ages 12 and under. Food will be available for purchase.