1 Beach festival highlights local shops and restaurants

Thousands are expected to walk the artsy and history- rich Walnut Beach community Sunday for the 20th Walnut Beach Festival.

The festival, from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m., is held in the area of Naugatuck Avenue, Broadway and East Broadway

The area, known these days for its art, music and quaint businesses, has undergone a renaissance of sorts over the last eight years and, according to festival chairwoman Kim Thompson, attendance at

the festival highlighting local shops and restaurants is expected to be higher than ever. Last year’s festival drew about 3,500 people

ach year the festival grows in popularity and reach, she said.

“The community is becoming re- gentrified after the damage of the storms,” Thompson said.

She said there are “great shops, great food” and, of course, the beach. There is an emphasis in the community on arts and music, including a popular summer concert series on Sunday nights that runs through Aug. 26.

Thompson said she and her husband moved to the neighborhood two years ago and fell “madly in love” with it.

The festival is sponsored by the Walnut Beach Association, which covers costs and invests any money made back into the community, said Thompson, who is also on the board of the association.