4th Annual Riverton Festival

The 4th annual Riverton Festival is set for Saturday, June 15 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. throughout the historic village along the Farmington River. The events planned for this year include a car show, children's activities, and artist and crafter booths and displays by local community organizations.

The car show is to feature twelve People's Choice trophy classes plus a Best in Show trophy; they will be awarded at 2:30 p.m. Dash plaques will be given to the first 100 entrants, and Hemmings Motor News Father's Day plaques will be presented to the first 50 fathers entering show cars. The vehicles will include classics and antiques, hot rods, race cars, street rods and special interest cars. The cost to show a vehicle is $5. In the event of rain, the car show (but not the entire festival) will be rescheduled for July 20.

Children's activities with prizes are to include old-fashioned country games like musical chairs and potato sack races throughout the day. A frog-jumping contest is set for noon, though participants are required to bring their own frogs. Jinguls the Clown will perform throughout the day. Children's author Elaine Senack of Torrington, author of Memories of a Monarch, will also attend.

The Hearthside Quilters will be displaying quilts in the Riverton Congregational Church, the Hitchcock Chair Company is sponsoring rush seat demonstrations, and Roxann Lovell of Gardens of Antiquity and Charm will be lecturing on herbs and teas.

Julie Palmer of Moon Unlimited in North Canton is to demonstrate Raku pottery firing, and Laurie Holden of Canton will be providing a hands-on children's pottery program. A demonstration by Yu's Academy for Martial Arts is also set.

An appraisal clinic will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Antiques & Treasures. Specialists in fine art, rare books, china and glassware and other antiques will give verbal appraisals. The cost for the first item is $5, with a $3 fee for each additional item.

The day will be capped off with a performance by Irish folk singer Julee Glaub on the John Kenney Museum lawn from 2-4 p.m. The concert is sponsored by the Yellow Victorian Restaurant.

Proceeds from the Riverton Festival are used to enhance the village of Riverton. This year our goal is to place park benches and planters throughout the village. Last year we raised enough money to restore the town's historic sign near the Farmington River.