America 250 is coming in hot, so I put together a simple list of local parades and fireworks around Windham and Tolland Counties so you don’t have to play the “wait, was that tonight?” game. Consider this your cheat sheet for celebrating close to home, with fewer tabs open and more excuses to eat fried dough.

Since today is National Porridge Day, we’re taking the most Connecticut possible angle: Indian Pudding, a warm, molasses-y cornmeal dish that’s basically porridge with colonial swagger. Amelia Simmons included a version in her 1796 Hartford-published cookbook, you can follow the recipe here.

HOW IT WORKS:

✦︎ You take a quick quiz so we can figure out your vibe, food preferences, and the kind of people you actually want to sit across from for dinner.

✦︎ We match you with five other Connecticut Buzz readers who hopefully make you say, “Okay, this was worth leaving the house for.”

✦︎ The day before dinner, we send you the restaurant reveal so you know exactly where your group is meeting.

✦︎ During dinner, we’ll text everyone the secret after-dinner spot if you want to keep the night going. Totally optional. If dinner wins and you need to go home and become furniture, we respect that.

Sign ups close today, so this is the last call to grab your seat.

June 27 | 10 AM - 3 PM

Little Dipper Farm (499 Wolf Den Rd, Brooklyn) is going full summer mode on June 27 from 10 AM to 3 PM with its 4th annual Summer Vibes Festival. Bring the family for farm-fresh food and drinks, live music, hobby horse racing, kids’ arts and crafts at The Nest, garden tours, a farmers market, local artisan vendors, yard games, and the annual treasure hunt with Joel. Entry is $5 per person, and kids under 3 are free.

🐶Adopt-a-pal: Meet Yeti, a 1-year-old Great Pyrenees with giant fluff, gentle vibes, and enough outdoor-loving energy to make your couch feel personally judged.

🏡House of the week: The Albert C. Luke House is a 1902 Queen Anne Victorian with the kind of details old-house people lose their minds over: carved mantels, built-ins, wood floors, four fireplaces, and a kitchen that somehow plays nice with all that history. Add in 7 bedrooms, a walk-up attic, fruit trees, garden space, and views of the Quinebaug River, and this one feels less like a listing and more like a local landmark you can actually live in. Check it out!

👀Sighting of the week: Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

🔭Sky report: This week’s sky is basically a slow build to Strawberry Moon on 6/29, which peaks around dinner time and rises shortly after sunset, so consider this your excuse to wander outside and look mildly poetic for five minutes. Before that, look for the nearly full Moon hanging near reddish Antares, the “heart” of Scorpius, while the June Bootids meteor shower tries its best against some seriously bossy moonlight.

Windham | Self-Guided Historic Tour Maps | Anytime - Explore Windham Center’s old homes, cemeteries, landmarks, and Revolutionary War routes with free self-guided tour maps. Grab them here

Andover | Ferncroft Opossums | 6 PM - Learn about Connecticut's only marsupial at the Andover Public Library (355 Jonathan Trumbull Hwy). Discover

Putnam | Trivia Night with the Sound Guys | 7 PM - Weekly trivia at The Stomping Ground—bring your A-game.

Willimantic | Nightshift | 6-8 PM - The band returns to the legendary Shaboo Stage (58 Valley St).

Willimantic | Tavern Night with Wives of Henry VIII | 5 PM | ($) - Historical theater and drinks at Jillson House Museum (627 Main St). Step Back

Willington | 1776 Movie Matinee | 1 PM - Celebrate America’s 250th with a big-screen showing of 1776, free popcorn, and a little Revolutionary War drama at Willington Public Library.

Coventry | Brian Thomas Malone | 6:30 PM - Live acoustic music at The Bidwell Tavern (1260 Main St).

Dayville | Destination Trivia | 7 PM - Weekly trivia night at Black Pond Brews (1001 Hartford Pike).

Moosup | Flower Arrangement Class | 6 PM - Create a beautiful arrangement at Love & Light Healing Studio (5 Legacy Dr). Get Crafty

Putnam | Courthouse Clambake 2026 | 4 PM - New England clambake downtown (121 Main St). Dig In

Storrs | Summer Concerts on the Square: Princess June | 6:30-8 PM - Free outdoor concert at Betsy Paterson Square (2 Dog Lane).

Vernon | Summer Artisan Show: All Under $250 | 1-5 PM - Affordable art from local makers at Arts Center East (709 Hartford Tpke).

Andover | Stained Glass Fairy Workshop | 6 PM | ($) - Create a fairy garden stake at the Community Center (25 School Rd). Make It

Coventry | Soular Eclipse | 5:30 PM - Live music with wine at Cassidy Hill Vineyards (454 Cassidy Hill Rd).

Dayville | Killingly RWB Celebration & Fireworks | 5 PM - Red, White & Blue celebration with fireworks at Owen Bell Park (580 Hartford Pike).

Putnam | Music on Main | 5-8 PM - Live music downtown on Main Street (88 Main St).

Stafford Springs | Stix-n-Lix | 8 PM - Live band at Four Seasons By The Lake (51 Old Springfield Rd).

Vernon | Angelz Fury | 8 PM - Rock band at Rocking Horse Bar & Grill (57 Hartford Tpke).

Woodstock | Twilight Lawn Concert - Little Big Band | 6:30-8 PM - Evening concert on the lawn at Roseland Cottage (556 Route 169).

Ashford | A Summer's Palette at Westford Hill Distillers | 10 AM - 4 PM - Art show and spirits at Westford Hill Distillers.

Bolton | 250th Birthday Party for America | 5-11 PM - Celebrate America's 250th at Triple J’s Cafe (124 Boston Tpke).

Columbia | Columbia Family Fun Day | 1 PM - Games, activities, and fun for the whole family at Rec Park (60 Hennequin Rd).

Coventry | Fair on Main | 10 AM - 3 PM - Street fair with vendors and entertainment (1047 Main St).

Eastford | Oh Brother | 1 PM - Live music at Frog Rock Summer Shack.

Ellington | Oakridge Farm Day 2026 | 10 AM - 2 PM - Farm fun at Oakridge Dairy (11 Jobs Hill Rd).

Ellington | Desert Rain | 8:30 PM - Live music at The Hidden Still (87 West Rd).

Hebron | Hebron Farmers' Market & Tag Sale | 9 AM - 2 PM - Fresh produce and tag sale finds (33B East St).

Hebron | Fireworks Concert at the Fairgrounds | 4 PM - Live music and fireworks at the Hebron Fairgrounds. Celebrate

Moosup | Union Street Bakehouse Pop Up | 9 AM - 5 PM - Fresh baked goods at 32 Union St.

Plainfield | Slugs & Bugs LIVE Children's Concert | 6 PM | ($) - Fun kids' music at Lighthouse Church (33 Plainfield Pike). Sing Along

Pomfret | Pathways to Nature: Black History Hike | 10 AM - Guided hike with Wyndham Land Trust. Hit the Trail

Putnam | Whiskey Boulevard at The Scoop Social | 5-8 PM - Live band at Riverview Landscape Supply (147 Kennedy Dr). Catch the Show

Stafford | Hatfield Debuts | 9 PM - New band debuts at Off The Rails Brewing (86 Main St).

Stafford Springs | Stained Glass 4th of July Workshop | 6 PM | ($) - Create patriotic stained glass at Crazy Cock Cidery (68 Main St). Get Crafty

Storrs | The Peet Trio | 6:30 PM - Live music celebrating summer at Hops 44 (625 Middle Tpke).

Storrs | Scientific Illustration: Birds | 2 PM | ($) - Art workshop at the Benton Museum (253 Glenbrook Rd). Create Away

Tolland | The Natural Disasters | 6 PM - Live band at The Spot Bar and Grill (200 Merrow Rd).

Willimantic | Barry Searle & The Wolf Hill Band | 7:30 PM | ($) - Live music at the River Room (50 Riverside Dr). Hear It Live

Willimantic | WAIM Flea Market | 8 AM - 12 PM - Bargains galore at 866 Main St.

Willington | Summer Reading Kick-Off Puppet Show | 1 PM - Lionheart Puppet Co. brings fairy tale mystery, storybook characters, and kid-friendly summer reading fun to Willington Public Library.

Woodstock | Makers Market at Taylor Brooke Winery | 12-5 PM - Local artisans and wine at the beautiful winery.

Danielson | Paint and Sip | 2 PM | ($) - Relax and paint at the Elks Lodge (13 Center St.)

Hampton | Chris Marolda | 2 PM - Live music at Quiet Corner Winery (217 N Bigelow Rd).

Plainfield | Socks With Sandals at Hank's Dairy Bar | 1-4 PM - Live music and ice cream at Hank's (1006 Norwich Rd).

Stafford Springs | Tarot Readings with Jen | 1 PM | ($) - Get your cards read at Let's Get Wired (64 Main St). Peer In

Woodstock | Nolan Leite | 2-5 PM - Live music at tTaylor Brooke (818 Route 171).

North Grosvenor Dale | Growing a Healing Herb Garden Workshop | 6 PM - Learn to grow medicinal herbs at Thompson Library (934 Riverside Dr). (Register in advance_