Entertainment
31st Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival starting September
By Norwalk Seaport Association
Jul 2, 2008 - 3:45:43 PM

LOS LONLEY BOYS

There will be something for all ages among the diverse attractions when the Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival celebrates 31 years as one of the area’s most popular fall events. Main Stage headline entertainment at 9:00 p.m. will feature Los Lonely Boys on Friday, September 5, and The Oak Ridge Boys on Saturday, September 6. Sister Sledge Featuring Kathy Sledge will headline at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 7. In addition to international headline acts on the Main Stage, festival entertainment will spotlight talented musicians from throughout the region. The fun also will include hundreds of quality artists and crafters, a special children’s activity area and amusement rides, a tempting food court, recreation and leisure demonstrations, working boats, harbor tours, environmental, maritime and other displays.

The daily entrance fee includes off-site parking, shuttle busses to and from the festival and entertainment on three stages at the NSA Oyster Festival. Admission prices at the gate are $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for senior citizens (62 and older) and $3.00 for children ages 5-12. Children younger than five enter free. Festival-goers can purchase their tickets on-line (www.seaport.org), where discount passes will be available. Metro-North Railroad is offering a special Oyster Festival discount package. Details can be found at www.mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_norwalk_oysterfest.htm.

The NSA Oyster Festival takes place on Friday, September 5, from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., on Saturday, September 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and on Sunday, September 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event is held at Veteran’s Park, which is adjacent to Norwalk Harbor on Seaview Avenue in East Norwalk, Connecticut. There is no public parking on the festival grounds. Information about free off-site parking locations and shuttle service to the festival can be found at www.seaport.org.

THE OAK RIDGE BOYS

Los Lonely Boys, a dynamic trio of brothers from West Texas, won the 2005 Grammy Award as Best Pop Vocal Duo/Group for their song “Heaven.” Diamonds, their first album, sold two-million copies and Sacred, their second album, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 list. The Oak Ridge Boys are legendary country music stars whose hits include “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” “American Made,” “Fancy Free” and “Gonna Take A Lot of River.” Sister Sledge catapulted to international fame in 1979 with their No. 1 hit, “We Are Family,” and continued with favorites like “All American Girls,” “My Guy” and “B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby).” Kathy Sledge’s first solo album in 1992 included the No. 1 dance record, “Take Me Back to Love Again.”

The Norwalk Seaport Association organizes its annual Oyster Festival as a service to the community and as a way to raise funds for the preservation of the historic Sheffield Island Lighthouse. Proceeds also help underwrite interactive maritime education programs for children throughout the region at Sheffield Island and in the Seaport Association’s fourth floor loft at 132 Water Street in Norwalk.

KATHY SLEDGE

The three-day festival, which attracts 50,000-60,000 attendees each year, also benefits numerous other local organizations. Since it began in 1977, the Norwalk Seaport Association has provided an opportunity for local nonprofit organizations to earn money for their programs and services by operating food booths at the Oyster Festival. The Seaport Association also helps youth groups by hiring them to work at the festival. Last year, nonprofit organizations raised $240,000 at the Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival.

The Norwalk Seaport Association, Inc., a nonprofit environmental, preservation and educational organization founded in 1978, is dedicated to promoting an appreciation for the region’s maritime and seafaring heritage through a variety of enjoyable and entertaining programs. The organization also owns and operates the vessel G.W. Tyler, which conveys visitors to Sheffield Island for tours of the lighthouse, special events and enjoyment of a walking trail through the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge.

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