Take the Norwalk Seaport Association's Ferry to Sheffield Island! Founded in 1978, the Norwalk Seaport Association is now lower Fairfield County's most active nonprofit organization devoted to maritime preservation, education and the area's seafaring heritage. For the past 29 years, Norwalk Seaport has staged its ultra-fun Norwalk Oyster Festival (see our Calendar of Events for details) at Veteran's Park and maintained the 53 acre Sheffield Island and the Sheffield Island Lighthouse as a museum and nature preserve. The island's 1827 lighthouse was built to mark dangerous ledges at the entrance to Norwalk Harbor. Though the first tower is now under water, the original stone keeper's cottage is still in place. The Association conducts tours of scenic Norwalk Harbor and the Norwalk Islands on its 49 passenger Coast Guard Certified ferry. The Sheffield Island trip, which runs throughout the summer, includes public tours of the lighthouse. You can board the ferry from the Seaport Dock next to the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium. For more information, visit www.seaport.org.

Bring your friends and blankets to Bartlett Arboretum! On August 13th, hear Orrin Star, an award-winning guitar, banjo and mandolin player who is also very funny. With music ranging from fiddle tunes to topical ballads to Western swing, and storytelling both sharp and droll, he has been described as Arlo Guthrie-meets-Doc Watson. The 1976 National Flatpicking Champion, Star has also appeared on "A Prairie Home Companion." His repertoire ranges from bluegrass standards to little-known folk gems, Celtic fiddle tunes and finger style blues. The Boston Herald dubbed him the "consummate showman." Before the concert, be sure to take in Bartlett Arboretum's natural beauty: its grounds encompass a total of 91 acres, approximately 15 of which are lawns and formal gardens. The remaining acres include 10 hiking trails, a 7 acre Red Maple wetland with a boardwalk, a pond and a 3-acre wildflower meadow. For more information, visit www.bartlettarboretum.org.

Watch World Class Tennis - and Take Advantage of the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament's Special Access Events! On Wednesday, August 23rd, from 5:00pm-7:00pm, Pilot Pen Tennis serves up an evening of live jazz by the Neighborhood Music School Jazz Ensemble, wine tasting with professionals from The Wine Thief and world-class tennis. This sweet deal includes jazz, wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, a box seat for Session 7, a Riedel wine glass and bottle stopper, all for $105, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation. Or, have lunch with Celebrity Chef Dave Lieberman on Thursday, August 24th, from 11:30am-1:00pm. Come see what this Food Network star and personal chef and Pilot Pen Tennis have cooked up! He will demonstrate how to prepare a delicious three-course meal for you to enjoy. Other ingredients in this tasty package include a cooking demonstration, full luncheon, box seats for Session 8 and an autographed copy of Dave's cookbook. Individual tickets are $150. On Friday, August 25th, there is also a special Mohegan Sun fashion show. For more information, visit www.pilotpentennis.com.

Catch A Wave at Lake Compounce's Splash Harbor! Hang out at Lake Compounce's water park, Splash Harbor, to ward off the dog days of summer. And, after you've dried off, you'll also want to check out the park's ongoing entertainment options. There's Rockin' Radio Replay with DJ Guy Mann from WLKC Lake Compounce Radio, and his studio singers, who will take you on a non-stop musical journey through time. Listen and watch as the music industry changes from bobby soxers all the way to the pop idols of today. Covering every era, this musical retrospective is top-notch entertainment. For country music lovers, there's the show at the Starlight Theatre, now transformed into a good old Honky Tonk. A talented cast will belt out the hits of Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Lonestar, Martina McBride and many others. Other shows include: Western Vaudeville, filled with crazy antics, situation comedy, singing and dancing, and mind boggling magic; Cirque En Vol, performed outdoors because it's too big for an indoor stage. With urban acrobats flying and twisting through the air, you'll be awed. Another family favorite is Garfield's Rockin' Summer Countdown and much, much more. For more information, visit www. lakecompounce.com.

What's Happening

Aug 3rd - Aug 20th	Westport Playhouse Presents a Marriage Minuet Westport Playhouse presents David Wiltse's play, A Marriage Minuet, the story of two couples who struggle with misunderstandings and misbehavior. More >
Aug 11th	Blues Man John Hammond at FTC Fairfield Theatre Company presents a performance by John Hammond, one of a handful of white blues musicians who was on the scene at the beginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-'60s. Hammond does justice to classic blues by combining powerful guitar and harmonica playing with expressive vocals and a powerful stage presence. The performance begins at 7:30 and tickets are $37. More >
Aug 24th - Sep 10th	Arthur Miller's The Archbishop's Ceiling at WCP The Westport Country Playhouse presents Arthur Miller's play The Archbishop's Ceiling, a play The Sunday Times of London described as "Gripping, thrilling ..." in a production directed by Gregory Mosher. Performance times vary. Tickets are $40 and $50. More >
See more area happenings