Good morning from the shoreline.
Labor Day weekend is here, and the routines turn over with it: school is back and the weeknight tables open up again. After all the polls, feedback, and emails, booking is open for the Shoreline Dinner Club and the Shoreline Almanac is on sale to all as of this morning! Both are below.
Here’s what I’ve surfaced this week.
In today’s issue: the Shoreline Dinner Club opens for booking · the Shoreline Almanac is on sale · Los Lobos at Jonathan Edwards Saturday · Reggaefest at Hygienic Art Park Sunday · the Labor Day fairs, near and a drive away
Heads up: Gmail sometimes cuts this email short. Read the full issue online →
BOOKING IS OPEN
The Shoreline Dinner Club
In July, about two-thirds of you were in favor of a Shoreline Crew dinner, and I said I’d hold it until I could do it right. I’m ready now.
Six locals at one table. Make new friends and try something exciting. That’s the whole idea, and the first night is set for Mystic.
How it works:
Buy a ticket and take a short quiz about your interests, food preferences, and what types of folks you are looking to meet
Get matched with five other Shoreline Crew members for dinner based on quiz results
Receive your invite the morning of the dinner and discover which restaurant
Everyone pays for their own food and drink
After dinner, all tables will be invited to a designated spot to keep the good times rolling. This after party is optional, so if you’re in a food coma, you can go home and sleep it off.
P.S. This is our inaugural dinner club. If it goes well, we’ll keep these going through the fall and winter and try out different locations to keep it interesting.
📍 Downtown Mystic
🗓️ Tuesday, September 22, 6:30pm
Signups close Sunday, September 20 at 6:30pm.
START HERE
The weekend in 30 seconds
THE MARQUEE
The Woodstock Fair
Thursday–Monday · opens Thu 4pm, closes Labor Day Monday 8pm · South Woodstock (about 45 minutes)
One of Connecticut’s big agricultural fairs, running since 1860: livestock barns, a midway, a demolition derby, and five days of it over the long weekend.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Saturday · seating 5:30pm, show 7pm · North Stonington
The band closes out the winery’s summer concert series, with Boston blues band GA-20 opening. From $80, 21+, rain or shine.
FOR FAMILIES
Saturday · daytime, included with admission · Mystic Seaport
Sack races, bucket brigades, and barrel rolling on the Green, the Seaport’s Labor Day weekend tradition.
SLOW SUNDAY
Sunday · gates 6:30pm · Westerly · $25 per carload
A Sunday-night movie makes sense when Monday is a holiday.
EDITOR’S PICKS
The Digest
THURSDAY–MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3–7
The Fairs Are Running, Near and a Drive Away
Woodstock Fairgrounds, Route 169, South Woodstock · Lebanon Fairgrounds, 122 Mack Rd, Lebanon
Labor Day weekend is fair season. The Woodstock Fair opens Thursday at 4pm and runs through Monday at 8pm, about 45 minutes north: livestock, a midway, and a demolition derby, the way it’s been run since 1860. Closer by, the Connecticut Renaissance Faire runs Saturday through Labor Day Monday at the Lebanon Fairgrounds, about 35 minutes: jousting, twelve stages, and an artisan market, $18 at the gate. Saturday is Free Kids Day, ages 7 to 15 free with a paid adult.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 · 6PM
Candlelight at Fort Griswold, 245 Years to the Day
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, Monument St · Groton
The Battle of Groton Heights was fought September 6, 1781, and the Friends of Fort Griswold hold the commemoration on the anniversary itself this year. The names of the fallen are read inside the fort as candles are extinguished, one by one. If you caught Jerad Hurwitz’s lecture there two Saturdays ago, this is the other half of the observance. Free.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 · 4PM
Reggaefest Comes to Hygienic Art Park Sunday
Hygienic Art Park, 79 Bank St · New London
The Shoreline Reggaefest puts four reggae and dub acts on the Bank Street stage Sunday afternoon: Red Lion, Glaucoma Suspect, Jam Shed, and Lazy River. Tickets are $15 in presale and $20 at the door, and with Monday off, a Sunday show finally makes sense.
ON SALE TODAY
The Shoreline Almanac Is On Sale
The Shoreline Almanac is here.
It is a printed companion to autumn on the coast from the Thames to the Pawcatuck. Part seasonal guide and part keepsake for people who care about this place, it helps you know where you are in the year. Inside are the conditions shaping the season, local rituals, a moon calendar, what the shoreline is making, and the dates worth marking. Use it as autumn unfolds, then keep it as a record of what life here looked like in 2026.
Thank you to everyone who ordered during the first week. The books arrived Wednesday, and the first batch will be mailed this week. I’m especially grateful to the Plank Owners. Your first name, last initial, and town will appear in the Winter Almanac as part of the group that helped this series get started.
Details and ordering are at theshorelinecrew.com/almanac.
THE FULL RUNDOWN
This week’s events
Thursday, September 3
The Woodstock Fair opens
4pm, runs through Monday · Woodstock Fairgrounds · see the Digest · SOUTH WOODSTOCK
Wolf Conservation: Saving a Species
5pm · Public Library of New London · Free · how Mexican gray and red wolves came back after going extinct in the wild · NEW LONDON
Thirsty Thursdays at Deans Mill Farm
5:30–8:30pm · Deans Mill Farm · see Food & Drink · STONINGTON
An Evening with General Israel Putnam
6pm · Groton Public Library · Free · UConn professor emeritus Kenneth Noll plays the Revolutionary general in character · GROTON
MISFIT Karaoke
7:30pm · The MISFIT Club · MYSTIC
Friday, September 4
God’s Diamond: A September 11th Survivor’s Book Signing
4–7pm · Favorites Bistro Bar, 90 Bank St · Free · a 13-minute documentary screens, then the author signs; books $25 · NEW LONDON
Summer Music Series: James Harris
4:30–7:30pm · Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern lawn, Mystic Seaport · the series’ second-to-last Friday · MYSTIC
Illusionist Josh Farley
seatings 6pm & 8pm · Custom House Maritime Museum, 150 Bank St · the magician from Penn & Teller, an intimate cabaret of wine, mystery, and illusion; small room, book ahead · NEW LONDON
Saturday, September 5
Free First Saturday: Golden Ratio Artmaking with Howard McCalebb
11am–1pm · Lyman Allyn Art Museum · Free · drop in; the Shepard Fairey survey closes Sunday, so it’s the last weekend to see it in the same visit · NEW LONDON
In Our Nation’s Defense: Military Stories on the Thames
11:30am · Thames River Heritage Park boat tour · docent-led history cruise, from the Revolution to submarine warfare; runs again Sunday at 1:30pm · NEW LONDON
Family Field Day on the Village Green
daytime, included with admission · Mystic Seaport · see Start Here · MYSTIC
Bugs and Beyond!
1:30–3pm · Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center · Free · guided nature program · MYSTIC
Plies & Hellhounds Trunk Show
2pm · Balls of Yarn · hand-dyed yarns, one day only · STONINGTON
Connecticut Renaissance Faire
10:30am–6pm · Lebanon Fairgrounds, 122 Mack Rd · $18 · Free Kids Day Saturday, ages 7–15 with a paid adult; see the Digest · LEBANON
Los Lobos with GA-20
seating 5:30pm, show 7pm · Jonathan Edwards Winery, 74 Chester Maine Rd · from $80, 21+ · see Start Here · NORTH STONINGTON
Dance Saturday
7:30pm · The MISFIT Club · MYSTIC
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
8pm · UNITED Theatre, 5 Canal St · see Music · WESTERLY
The Goonies at the Misquamicut Drive-In
gates 6:30pm, previews 7pm · Wuskenau Beach, 316 Atlantic Ave · $25 per carload · WESTERLY
Sunday, September 6
Denison Farmers Market
12–3pm · Denison Homestead · see Food & Drink · MYSTIC
Military Stories on the Thames, Day Two
1:30pm · Thames River Heritage Park boat tour · NEW LONDON
Shoreline Reggaefest
4pm · Hygienic Art Park · $15 presale / $20 door · see Music · NEW LONDON
Gabriel Iglesias
5pm & 8:30pm · Premier Theater, Foxwoods · two stand-up shows, a short drive up Route 2 · MASHANTUCKET
Commemoration of the Battle of Groton Heights
6pm · Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park · Free · see the Digest · GROTON
The FIXX with Colin Blunstone and Peter Asher
7:30pm · UNITED Theatre, 5 Canal St · see Music · WESTERLY
Dirty Dancing at the Misquamicut Drive-In
gates 6:30pm, previews 7pm · Wuskenau Beach, 316 Atlantic Ave · $25 per carload · WESTERLY
Food, drink & music
Thirsty Thursdays at Deans Mill Farm
Thursday 5:30–8:30pm · Deans Mill Farm · weekly beer garden with live music and food trucks · STONINGTON
Music, Food Trucks, & Wine at Stonington Vineyards
Saturday thru Monday · Stonington Vineyards · Various musicians & food trucks · STONINGTON
Denison Farmers Market
Sunday 12–3pm · Denison Homestead, 120 Pequotsepos Rd · MYSTIC
SATURDAY
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Saturday at the UNITED
Saturday, September 5 · 8pm · UNITED Theatre, 5 Canal St · Westerly · ticketed
Denson has spent years as Lenny Kravitz’s sax player and toured with the Rolling Stones; his own band plays funk and soul built for a dance floor. 8pm, ticketed. Details →
SUNDAY
Shoreline Reggaefest, Sunday at Hygienic Art Park
Sunday, September 6 · 4pm · Hygienic Art Park, 79 Bank St · New London · $15 presale, $20 door
Four reggae and dub acts on Bank Street starting at 4pm: Red Lion, Glaucoma Suspect, Jam Shed, and Lazy River. $15 presale, $20 at the door. Details →
SUNDAY
The FIXX with Colin Blunstone and Peter Asher, Sunday at the UNITED
Sunday, September 6 · 7:30pm · UNITED Theatre, 5 Canal St · Westerly · ticketed
Three names from three eras on one Sunday bill: The FIXX of “One Thing Leads to Another,” Colin Blunstone, the voice of The Zombies, and Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon. 7:30pm, ticketed. Details →
Los Lobos with GA-20 is also in the Events list: Saturday at 7pm at Jonathan Edwards Winery.
CREW POLL
With Monday off, the weekend has an extra gear.
How are you spending Labor Day Monday?
SAVE THE DATE
On the horizon
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Stonington Vineyards pours its Mosaic Rosé release, 5:30–7:30pm, $12 with a glass and light bites. · Stonington
FRIDAY–SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11–13
The Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival returns to Fort Trumbull and Waterfront Park: vessel tours, living-history encampments, a Kids Nautical Zone, and free water taxis between the two sites. Saturday night the Burning of Benedict Arnold march steps off from Bank Street at 7:30, followed by a 300-drone light show over the Thames at 8. · New London
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Stonington’s first-ever Porchfest: local bands playing 45-minute sets on porches, lawns, and driveways across the Borough, mostly on Main Street, 12–4pm, free. La Grua Center hosts, and it shares the day with the 8th Annual Stonington Art Walk. Rain date Sunday. Schedule and map at the link. · Stonington
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19–20
The Harvest Food & Wine Festival runs at Stonington Vineyards, 11am–6pm both days: live bands (Ben Freiert Saturday morning, Nick Bosse in the afternoon), food trucks, and artisan vendors. · Stonington
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
The Pioneer, the City of Groton firefighters’ 4th annual fundraiser, runs 1–8pm at Outer Light Brewing on Bridge Street. A good reason to drink a beer in Groton. · Groton
COASTAL WEATHER
The weekend outlook
FRIDAY
84°
Sun and a chance of showers
SATURDAY
77°
Sunny, slight chance of a shower
SUNDAY
73°
Mostly sunny
That’s your week. The fairs run through Monday, Los Lobos plays the vineyard Saturday, and Sunday has candlelight at Fort Griswold.
The Shoreline Almanac is on sale at theshorelinecrew.com/almanac.
And if dinner with five neighbors sounds like your kind of night, book your seat.
Pick one thing off the list and get out the door.
As always, if you are enjoying the newsletter or have any critiques, please reply and let me know!
Talk Thursday.
Reach shoreline locals every Thursday
Presenting partnerships, featured events, Crew Corner campaigns, and local notices are available.
