It's time to once again Celebrate! West Hartford

Ready for one of the most anticipated events of the year? Celebrate! West Hartford (CWH), a mainstay in town since 1987, once again promises to offer a weekend of big fun.

The KC Sisters will perform their signature style of pop music on Sunday, June 7.

Being held Saturday, June 6 from 10am-6pm and Sunday, June 7 from noon-6pm on the grounds of Town Hall, the 39^th annual event sees more than 40,000 people walk through the event that features an award-winning juried art show, live music, local food vendors, civic and community organizations, area businesses, carnival rides and a Midway, petting zoo, and more.

Additionally, there’s the FUNd Runs (5K & Kids’ K) on Sunday morning. The Kids’ K starts at 8am; the 5K kicks off at 9am.

Smokey’s Greater Shows from Maine returns for a second year with kiddie and adult rides and a Midway. “We are really happy to partner with them again,” said Event Director Linda Geissler. “They’re in line with our values as a family friendly operation.”

And who doesn’t love the food at the event? There are dozens of vendors serving up an international feast all weekend.

Once again, 150 artists will be set up on the front lawn for the annual juried Arts & Crafts show. “Event goers will find an eclectic array of items to choose from. We curate a wide selection of art and price points,” Geissler said. “We draw artists from many states, and we have a lot of West Hartford-based artists too

.”

Saturday has always been reserved for the school bands to play, and that is no different this year. Northwest Catholic, Conard and Hall High schools will perform, as will the three public middle schools—King Philip, Bristow and Sedgwick. On Sunday, the lineup includes RipChord, The 102nd Army Band, stationed in Rockville. The musical ambassador for the Connecticut Army National Guard, they perform a variety of music, including classical, jazz, rock and more.

Also performing on Sunday are the KC Sisters, four siblings from Avon who have made a national name for themselves since they were young. All four, now grown, still love to play what they call “a rootsy Americana sound that marries together country, R&B, pop, and jazz.” 

Finally, Locomotion, a regional favorite featuring a nine-piece R&B funk and dance band with a full horn section, will bring their catchy dance music to the stage. This is their CWH debut.

Musician Sergei Novikov will play all day by the arts & crafts area.

Celebrate! West Hartford wouldn’t have a hometown touch without all the local business and non-profit organizations represented—this year, there are more than 100 exhibitors, covering everything from health & wellness, sports clubs, fitness, youth sports programs and environmental awareness, as well as music, arts and theater organizations, outdoors and gardening exhibitors and more.

Celebrate is incorporating its own tribute to America 250, which honors the 250th birthday of the nation. West Hartford’s own America 250 committee will be on the town hall patio, offering I Love America activity coloring books for children, as well as several activities for them to engage in. In addition, they’ll have a collection box on hand for people to bring their worn-out American flags. The flags will be disposed of properly.

“They’re also going to display the 80 flags that represent the nations of those who live in town. “It’s a really cool way to show how far we’ve come in these 250 years,” Geissler said.

Each year, Hall and Conard High School students can compete to create the graphic for the FUNd run 5K T-shirt. In staying with the America 250 theme, this year’s contest asked for them to incorporate the birthday into the graphic. This year’s winner is Hall High School student Milo Cohen.

“As you know, our footprint for Celebrate has always been the use of every inch of the Town Hall area,” Geissler said. “But this year, we’re going to spread out the grassy area on Memorial Road and feature our NextGen innovators.”

At press time, the time for the NextGen group wasn’t set but Geissler said they will be there both afternoons of the event. The mission of the NextGen Innovators is to “provide young people with real-world entrepreneurial experiences in a safe and nurturing environment.”

All of this fun can’t happen without the help of volunteers. According to Geisler, there are hundreds of volunteers putting thousands of hours of work. What a lot of folks don’t know that that hard work goes a long way. A portion of the proceeds go to The Town That Cares fund, which is administered by the town’s social services department and assists residents experiencing a crisis, hindering their ability to pay for food, utility bills, shelter costs, medical expenses, and other critical

needs. Proceeds also go to and the Leisure Services Scholarship Program, which provides children and those with disabilities the chance to participate in camp programs. WHL

Food vendors

Banh Meee, Beef & Fowl, Ben & Jerry's, Chompers, Crave - J's Crabshack, Cuckoo's Hawaiian Shave Ice, Flavors, Urban Elote, Good Ole Boys Lemonade, Grandpa's Kettle Korn, Greater Hartford Host Lions Club, Happy Tail Coffee, Harry's Bishops Corner, Hoffman Bread, Prime Concessions, Rotary Club of West Hartford, Sultan Kebab, Sweet Chilli Thai Cuisine, TasteHouse Food Truck, The Bridge Family Center, The Green Teahouse, The Kitchen at Futures Inc, Tibetan Peace Seeding Center, Veegmyeats, Vinci's Concessions, World’s Best Sundae Inc., and Gluten Free Options.

List of sponsors

PeoplesBank, Collins Medical Associates 2, PC, West Hartford Solar, Law Offices of Ayesha Chaudry, P.C., Figure Eight Properties, Fleet Feet – Hartford, Power Home Remodeling Group, Siena Private Wealth, The Metropolitan District-MDC, The Pets Table / HelloFresh, The Town of West Hartford, Tilted Bottles, Udolf Properties LLC, Westfield Bank, All American Waste, Blue Back Square, Ferrin, JD Construction, Legrand, Mathnasium of West Hartford, The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce, Total Bath Systems, West Hartford LIFE-TurleyCT, We-Ha.com, West Hartford Police Officers' Association, YHB Investment Advisors, Inc., Advanced Window Systems, ANYTIME FITNESS WEST HARTFORD, Calivor Psychiatric Solutions, Casanova Remodeling LLC, Deck Doctors LLC, Ellie Mental Health of West Hartford, Energize CT, Happy Place 2 Travel LLC, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Lockton Companies, Lush Pharmacy at Blue Back Square, Master Hwang’s martial arts, OZL Pediatrics, Renewal by Andersen, Russian School of Mathematics Avon, School of Rock, Senior Helpers - West Hartford, Solar Pros, VCA Veterinary Specialists of CT, Window Nation, Dunkin, Franklin & Frankel LLS, Girls In Stride

Jerry's Artarama, Lexham Properties, South Main Realty, Veegmyeats, The Claypen, A.C. Petersen Farms, Harry's Pizza Bishop's Corner, and Trader Joe's.