Downtown Wilton is the place to be this Saturday thanks to the 6th annual Wilton Main Street Association Summerfest.
Main Street will be closed to traffic from the intersection with Route 31 (Forest Road) all the way down to the post office allowing for a true street fair type atmosphere. The street will be lined on both sides with close to 80 vendors selling food, handmade crafts and artwork, along with a collection of local authors.
“From the first year we did it, it’s grown tremendously,” said Alison Meltzer, president of the Wilton Main Street Association. “At this point, we’d have to get creative if we wanted to add more vendors.”
While it will be fun to walk around and look at all the pop-up tents filled with stuff and sample the donuts, pizza and traditional fair food, the true reason to make your way to downtown Wilton is the two stages of entertainment that will surely get everyone in a festive mood.
The second stage was added a few years ago and has really been a big boost to the event, said Meltzer. The performances begin with the McGonagle School of Irish Dance at 10 a.m., followed by Justin Cohn at 11 a.m. The Dirty Double Crossers with Paul Driscoll take the stage at noon and then things change up a bit after the lunch hour with the Bashira Belly Dancers taking over the entertainment at 1 p.m.
“Throughout the day we have music and performers on both stages,” Meltzer said.
BabaRay, on stage at 2 p.m., plays a mix of dusty blues, smoky jazz, and high-energy groove funky stuff. The entertainment will come to an end with an open mic session with Gary Blaisdell and Friends at 3.
As you make your way from stage to stage or browse the vendors, keep an eye out for Krickey the Clown from 1 to 4 p.m., as she wanders the festival performing tricks and making balloon creations, and a group of jugglers from Flying Gravity Circus.
But it’s not all just about the entertainment. For those early risers, head down to the pre-festival pancake breakfast in the park from 8 to 10:30 a.m.
Don’t forget to buy your ducks and support the Lion’s Club for the annual duck drop. The Wilton Fire Department will extend its ladder truck and drop the ducks to the street below aimed at a large target.
The library will host an escape capsule from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., but you must sign up for a time slot.
At 11 a.m., 12:30, 2 and 3 p.m., meet at Nelson’s Candies for the Riverview Mill Artists’ Studio Tours with Kate Schimke, one of Riverview Mill’s artists from Prayers of Nature studio.
“It’s a chance for people to go inside the mill and get some of the history and see the studios,” Meltzer said.
Summerfest runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the fun doesn’t end there. From 6 to 10 p.m., head up to Carnival Hill for kids games, a pie eating contest and a fireworks nightcap. Parking at Carnival Hill is $10, but people can park elsewhere and walk at no cost.
“We upgraded the fireworks this year,” Meltzer said.
For more, go to visitwilton.com or search Wilton Summerfest 2019 on Facebook.
“You can spend the whole day down there and the night at Carnival Hill and not spend any money,” Meltzer said.