FREE Pony Rides AND The Balloon Man - 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street, Route 5.  Bring your children and grandchildren to this very special family event.  Youngsters will be thrilled to ride one of the very gentle and friendly ponies from Rocky Acres Farm and everyone will be amazed and amused watching the "Balloon Man" Jim Piekos make his wonderful balloon creations.  Hilarious headwear, colorful creatures, and other balloon surprises will make this a very special afternoon.  Visit the Old Town Hall Museum while you are here - it's free too!  Rain date August 29.  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE event, so don't be shy!

Free Petting Zoo - 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street, Route 5.  Always wanted to live on a farm, but couldn't?  Miss the days when you did live on a farm?  Spend an afternoon at the "farm" without all of the hard work!  Come to the Old Town Hall and pet and feed a herd of friendly farm animals.  Kids of all ages (including you) will love this event.  Visit the Old Town Hall Museum while you are here - it's free too!  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE event, so don't be shy!

Wallop School Open House - 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Wallop School Museum, 250 Abbe Road on the corner of Wallop School Road.  This is the last open houses this year.  Don't miss it!  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE museum, so don't be shy!

Wild Animals from the Lupa Zoo - 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street, Route 5.  Wild animals are coming to the Old Town Hall Museum!  The Lupa Zoo Game Farm, located in Ludlow, Massachusetts, is dedicated to conservation and education.  They will have several small wild and exotic animals at the Old Town Hall for this special family event.  Possible "visitors" include lizards, bats, snakes, monkeys, and many other creatures  Are you brave enough to see what crawls, flys, or slithers in?  Visit the Old Town Hall Museum while you are here - it's free too!  Rain date September 26.  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE event, so don't be shy!

Connecticut's Trolleys and the Connecticut Trolley Museum - 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road.  Xian Clere first visited the Connecticut Trolley Museum when he was in kindergarten.  By the age of 15 Xian was a volunteer at the museum and on his 18^th birthday he became a qualified motorman.  Today, Xian is responsible for much of the track maintenance at the museum.  Xian's interest in trolleys and his involvement with the museum uniquely qualify him to talk about trolleys.  Xian will tell us about life before, during, and after trolleys in Connecticut, with a particular focus on the Rockville Branch of the Hartford and Springfield Street Railway and its Rockville Branch successor, the Connecticut Trolley Museum.  Trolleys evolved during the years they were in use in Connecticut and Xian will talk about the changes that occured between 1887 and 1951.  Are you unsure about what a trolley is or what the difference is between a trolley and a streetcar?  Xian will be happy to answer your trolley questions following the presentation.  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE program, so don't be shy!

Antique and Classic Cars - CANCELLED - New event details coming soon!

Antique and Model Engines - 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street, Route 5.  This year we are combining our spring model engine show with our fall antique engine show.  A variety of operating model gas, steam, and hot air engines will be on display, ranging from fanciful toys to precision scale models of real engines.  There will even be an engine that is powered entirely by ice!  You are welcome to bring your own toy or model engines to show off and play with.  This year you will be able to compare the model engines with the full-size antique engines that inspired them, as several antique engines, including "hit and miss" engines, will be operating alongside the model engine displays.  These early engines replaced the steam engines, animals and humans that formerly powered many machines, including pumps, farm equipment, and even washing machines.  The variety of these engines is amazing.  Come and watch and listen to these survivors of a time gone by.  Visit the Old Town Hall Museum while you are here - it's free too!  Rain date October 24.  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE event, so don't be shy!

Shaker Architecture - 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road.  Details of this program will be posted here soon...  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE program, so don't be shy!

Last Open Day - 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street, Route 5., and the Martha A. Parsons House Museum, 1387 Enfield Street, Route 5.  Now that you have spent the summer honing your procrastination skills, you can take this final opportunity in 2010 to visit our outstanding museums!  Remember - the public is very welcome to these FREE museums, so don't be shy!

It Happened in Connecticut - 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road.  Fans of American folk music and of Connecticut history will both enjoy this musical program.  Bringing people of all ages together in the tradition of the folk troubadour, Mike Kachuba offers "It happened in Connecticut," a program of Connecticut history in song that entertains and informs in a relaxed style.  Using instruments such as the ancient hammered dulcimer, lap dulcimer, guitar, and concertina, Mike sings songs and tells stories that will engage you and make everyone feel at home.  Please come on in and listen to Mike play and sing his original songs, including War Between New London and Lyme, Tin Pie Plates Were Flying, and The Leatherman.  Mike Kachuba was named the Connecticut State Troubadour for 1996 by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, is on the Master Teaching Art Roster for the CCA, and has been a roster member of Young Audiences of Connecticut since 1998.  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE program, so don't be shy!

Show and Tell - 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road.  Show & Tell is the meeting where you provide the program. Bring your favorite antique, collectible, or heirloom and the story behind it.  Bring something that is a mystery to you and perhaps someone at the meeting will be able to answer your questions about it.  Or, simply share a story about Enfield’s past.  As an added treat, expect a special presentation by a guest presenter.  Details will be posted here soon!  Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE program, so don't be shy!

1950s Hartford and the G. Fox & Company - 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road.  Did you shop at G. Fox in Hartford?  Do you remember when it was the place to go?  Thanks to generous donations from G. Fox & Co., its former employees and customers, and the Fox and Auerbach families and their descendants, the Connecticut Historical Society has amassed extensive holdings documenting that famous department store.  Elizabeth Abbe from the Connecticut Historical Society will draw on that collection as she talks about G. Fox. & Co. and its Hartford surroundings during the 1950s.  Elizabeth is the Director of Public Outreach at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford.  Elizabeth began her career as the Library Director at the Connecticut Historical Society and in 1984 she wrote "Connecticut Genealogical Research: Sources and Suggestions" for the New England Historic and Genealogical Society's compilation on Genealogocal Research in New England.  Elizabeth then branched out into continuing education at Albertus Magnus College, marketing at Travelers, and development at the Bushnell Center of Performing Arts and the University of Hartford.  Two years ago Elizabeth returned to the Connecticut Historical Society to take on her new position.  Closer to home, Elizabeth's family settled in Enfield in 1804 when Levi Abbe built a house on what is now Old Abbe Road.  Over the course of time his descendants (Elizabeth's ancestors) worked on the River, for the Railroad, and like so many others, farmed the land.  She has a deep affinity for the town. Remember - the public is very welcome to this FREE program, so don't be shy!

To find out more about the Connecticut Historical Society's G. Fox. & Co. collection visit their online exhibits page on the Web at www.chs.org/online or call 860.236.5621.