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08/11/2023 05:48 PMGet ready, Clinton: The annual SummerFest is on for Saturday, Aug. 26. The day will feature fun for the whole family starting at 4 p.m. and cap off the summer with a fireworks display around 9 p.m.
SummerFest is an annual, town-wide event held the Saturday before Labor Day weekend to celebrate summer’s end and culminates with an impressive fireworks display. Festivities start at 4 p.m., and the fireworks are launched around 9 p.m. In the case of rain, the event will take place on Aug. 27.
Activities will be held at two separate locations: Clinton Town Hall and the town beach. Both will open at 4 p.m., according to Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paul Orsini. Both locations will feature food trucks. Behind town hall, the band Rock Bottom will be playing music until 7:30 p.m., and there will be kid-friendly games, vendors, different civic organizations, and a beer garden. Last call at the beer garden will be 7:30 p.m.
Orsini said that the town beach will feature food trucks and fireworks. The beach will be closed until 4 p.m., and Waterside Lane will be open only to authorized vehicles. A shuttle will provide rides from the Pierson School to Town Hall and the beach between 4 and 8 p.m. It will not provide rides back after the fireworks.
“We’ve expanded this year. We’ll have a dunk tank with local Clinton celebrities, we have expanded the kids’ area, and we’ll have new vendors this year,” Orsini said.
Organizers of the 2023 SummerFest are also recognizing the contributions of Clinton resident Harriet Juel who passed away earlier this year. “She was a longtime Clinton citizen who really helped with everything. Her family will be pushing the button to start the fireworks,” Orsini said.
While the event is officially a go, Orsini said the chamber is still seeking volunteers and donations. Those interested can call the chamber at 860-669-3889.
The SummerFest debuted in 2015 and has since become an important date on the town calendar, usually drawing around 1,500 to 2,000 people downtown. When the event was canceled in 2017 due to logistics issues and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a few people were upset at the news.
However, the event came back in 2021 and 2022 and, by all accounts, has been a rousing success. “Last year, we had 2,000 to 3,000 people, and we’re expecting the same this year,” Orsini said. “We’ve been doing it with the same team leading the charge for about four or five years now, and everyone knows what to expect, so it’s been easier getting things in place. And people still come up afterward and say, ‘We had a great time again this year.’”