Peggy Chirico ~ Hartford & Tolland County Real Estate Blog: Connecticut: Hartford

The Connecticut Flower and Garden Show

With temperatures reaching 55 degrees today, it will seem like spring is just around the corner. What better way to get a jump on spring and some inspiration for your garden than with the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford CT! The show begins Thursday, February 23, 2012 and runs through Sunday, February 26, 2012.

With over 250 booths, 80 hours of seminars, and spectacular gardens on display, you are sure to get some inspiration for your own garden.

The hours of the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show are:

• Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Ticket prices are:

• Adults: $16
• Seniors: $14 (Thursday and Friday)
• Children 6-14: $4
• Children 5 and under: Free

The Home Show Is This Weekend at the XL Center, Hartford CT ~ FREE Admission

This weekend, January 13, 14, and 15, is the Home Show at the XL Center, One Civic Center Plaza, Hartford CT.

What a perfect weekend to break up the dreariness of winter and start planning some great home improvement projects for the spring!  Admission is FREE!

The Home Show has exhibitors in every home improvement category including:

• Doors and Windows
• Kitchens and Baths
• Lighting
• Gardens and Landscaping
• Roofing and Siding
• Flooring
• Hot Tubs and Pools
• Decks and Fences
• Sunrooms
• And much more!

Here is a chance to see demonstrations, ask questions about your home improvement projects, and collect the information for making decisions about your projects.  There are also food and drink vendors so you can stay all day if you want to.

The hours of the Home Show are:

• Friday - 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

New Year's Eve ~ First Night Hartford 2012

First Night Hartford 2012 is Hartford CT's affordable, family-oriented, alcohol-free, multicultural, and artistically-inspired celebration of the new year. Now in its 23rd year, each year gets better and better.

This year's festivities include activities at Bushnell Park, the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford Public Library, State House Square, City Hall, the Old State House, Center Church and many other locations.

First Night activities begin at 2:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve and culminates in the last fireworks display at midnight; however, the free ice skating in Bushnell Park will begin at 11:00 a.m. and continue until 1:00 a.m. The types of performances  include:

• Fireworks
• Carousel rides
• Horse-drawn wagon rides
• Magic shows
• Live music and dancing
• Art installations
• Ice carving
• Dance performances
• Fortune telling
• Tours and so much more

December's Season of Celebrations and Sharing ~ Free Admission to the Connecticut Science Center

The Connecticut Science Center will be offering FREE general admission this Saturday, December 3, 2011 in exchange for the donation of one new unwrapped toy per person for Toys for Tots.  The event is being sponsored by United Technologies and Toys for Tots.

If you have never been to the Connecticut Science Center, you are in for an amazing time.  And if you are a frequent visitor, you know this is a deal that you just can't pass up.  Tickets are normally $17.00 for adults, $15.50 for seniors, $14.00 for ages 3-17 (younger children are free).

Located at 250 Columbus Boulevard in Hartford CT, the Connecticut Science Center is an exciting hands-on gallery of experiences, including KidSpace, Animation, Sight and Sound Experience, Invention Dimension, and so much more.  Visit the exhibits section of the website to see all that you won't want to miss.

Bring your unwrapped toy this Saturday, December 3, 2011 and gain FREE admission to the Connecticut Science Center.  You will help others who are less fortunate by donating to Toys for Tots and you will enjoy a great learning experience for yourself.

Please forward this to anyone you know who might want to attend the Connecticut Science Center this Saturday for FREE!

Ice Skating at Bushnell Park

Back by popular demand is the FREE ice-skating at Bushnell Park in Hartford CT.  The opening ceremony was held on Friday, November 25 and officially began the season of ice-skating at Bushnell Park.  The 80 by 90 foot skating rink will be open everyday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. until February 20, 2012.

If you don't have your own skates, there are also FREE ice skate rentals.  The ice skating is part of Winterfest which includes many other holiday events.  The lighting ceremony has already taken place, but there are plenty of other activities to do all season long.

• FREE ice shows will be held on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
• Food vendors will be offering tasty treats for sale Wednesdays through Sundays.
• The Bushnell Park Carousel will be open on Saturday and Sunday until December 31, 2011.
• Until Christmas, there will be photos with Santa from 12:00 to 3:00 every Saturday and Sunday until December 18.  Each child will receive a FREE 5x7 photograph.

The holiday spirit is waiting for you at Bushnell Park!  Enjoy free ice skating, free ice skate rentals, carousel rides, holiday lights, and photos with Santa!  Happy Holidays!

The other day I was writing a post about the Hartford Marathon.  I was focusing on the event itself, race day, and all the wonderful spirit that is evident on race day.

What I wasn't really thinking about was all the energy and thought that goes into running and organizing a massive event that draws thousands of runners and spectators.  And one thing I really wasn't thinking about was:  Who cleans up the mess afterwards?

If you have ever been to a major running event, one of the things that can't be ignored is the number of water bottles that are distributed during a big race.  I have long been against buying water in individual bottles as being one of the biggest wastes and contributors to land fill overload.

But the Hartford Marathon has long had a commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and vowed several years ago to become the greenest marathon in the country.  In 2009, the Hartford Marathon was named the Greenest Marathon by the Council for Responsible Sport. 

This is no small achievement, which was the result of intention and combined efforts of many people.  For instance, there is a 40-person water fountain (a pipe with spigots all along its length) at the finish line, thereby reducing the number of water bottles needed.  The Hartford Marathon also distributed to each participant a reuseable water bottle that could be filled over and over again, rather than distribute one-use water bottles.  Water is distributed in cups made of corn to runners along the route; these cups are recyclable. 

Each year the Hartford Marathon continues its commitment to greening of the event.  Here are some of the other ways that it has reduced its carbon footprint:

• Serving locally sourced post-race food
• Donating any unused food to local food banks
• Distributing reusable non-woven drawstring goodie bags, instead of 12,000 plastic bags 
• Providing recyclable warming sheets for runners
• Providing hybrid vehicles for transportation
• Aggressively recycling waste from the event
• Using compostable serving products
• Collecting old running shoes for recycling into running tracks
• Creating incentives for participants to bike to the race
• Planning public transportation for spectators to get to the race
• Raising awareness of CT Farmland Preservation Trust

So kudos to the Hartford Marathon and its dedication to becoming the greenest marathon and sporting event in the country!

2011 Hartford Marathon ~ October 15, 2011

The Hartford Marathon is not just a marathon; it's a marathon, half-marathon, 5-K race, team relay, and kids' race!  It's also a charity event with plenty of opportunity for sponsoring and donating.

The route is scenic and awesome, spectators are frenzied, the before and after celebrations are legendary, and it's just a great festive event!  If you have never participated, you are missing out on a good time.  Last year, the weather was just perfect and the crowds were huge; this year promises to be even better.

There is still plenty of time (and ways) to register for the 2011 Hartford Marathon!

• Register online until midnight October 12, 2011
• Register in person at the XL Center on Thursday and Friday (October 13 and 14) from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Mail-in registrations must be postmarked by October 1, 2011.
• There will be NO registration on Saturday (race day).
• Packet pick-up is Thursday and Friday during registration hours, and on Saturday from 6:00 to 7:30 a.m.
• The only race day registration will be the Kids' K at the Kids' K registration table in Bushnell Park.

The marathon, half-marathon, team relay, and 5-K begin at 8:00 a.m.  The Kids' K begins at 9:30.

Please visit the Hartford Marathon website for eligibility requirements, course maps, starting locations, and other important information.

If you don't plan to run this year, please consider volunteering.  The volunteers help make this event the success it is--and you'll have a blast! 

Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz Starts Tonight! Free Admission!

From July 15 through July 17, Bushnell Park in downtown Hartford will be the place to be for the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz.  Opening ceremonies are tonight at 6:30 followed by live music.  The gates open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  The admission is FREE!  There will also be numerous food and craft vendors, and activities such as Carousel rides and tours of the Memorial Arch will take place throughout the festival.

The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is the largest free jazz festival in New England, with over 45,000 visitors last year.  The weekend weather looks like it is going bring out lots of spectators to enjoy all the festivities, so get there early to claim your space on the lawn.  Bring your chairs, blankets, frisbees, dogs, cameras, and whatever else you need to enjoy a great weekend outdoors!  However, no grills are allowed!

For more information, visit HartfordJazz.org and have a great weekend! 

Last Chance to See Monet's Water Lilies at the Wadsworth Atheneum!

Through June 12, 2011, you will be able to see some of Claude Monet's beautiful paintings of water lillies at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT.  From 1899 to 1926, when he was 74 to 86 years old, he created more than 300 paintings of water lillies.  The paintings are on loan from American private and public collections.

I had seen some of his paintings at L'Orangerie in Paris and the detail was mesmerizing.  The museum was created to showcase the large panels of his work in a circular room with plenty of natural light to see the detail.  What a wonderful place to contemplate and reflect!

But you can see some of Claude Monet's Water Lilies right here in Hartford at the Wadsworth Atheneum.  Ticket prices range from free to $10; you can see specific prices and programs on the Wadsworth Atheneum website.

The Wadsworth Atheneum offers free admission through Library ARTPass, Last Saturdays for Families, and Bank of America's Museums on Us programs, as well as free community days throughout the year.  Check it out and make plans to see this exhibit before it ends on June 12, 2011.

Can It Be? ~ Hartford Makes Kiplinger's Top Ten Cities for Commuters List!

Hartford CT was just named one of Kiplinger's Top Ten Cities for Commuters List.   Only cities with over 1,000,000 people were considered, and the criteria included:

• Average time of commute
• Average length of commute
• One year statistics for delays
• Public transportation
• Gasoline prices
• Parking

We complain about traffic, but compared to other cities, Hartford has it relatively easy.  If you would like to relocate to the tenth best city for commuters, you can start your home search here!

Here, in order, are the Top Ten Cities for Commuters:

1. Rochester NY
2. Columbus, OH
3. Providence, Ri
4. Richmond, VA
5. Buffalo, NY
6. Cleveland, OH
7. Cincinnati, OH
8. Kansas City, MO
9. Louisville, KY
10. Hartford, CT

To read the results and statistics by city, check out Kiplinger's report.