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ADVANCE TICKET SALES BEGIN

FOR 30TH NORWALK SEAPORT ASSOCIATION OYSTER FESTIVAL

 

(NORWALK, CT – AUGUST 1, 2007) Discounted $10.00 general admission tickets for the 30th annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival now are on sale at some branches of the following area banks -- Bank of America, Commerce Bank, Darien-Rowayton Bank, Fairfield County Bank, First County Bank, Mutual Security Credit, Norwalk Bank and Trust, Norwalk Credit Union, Norwalk Hospital Credit Union, Patriot Bank, Peoples Bank, Wachovia Bank, Webster Bank and Wilton Bank.  The following local businesses also have advance tickets for sale -- Pellegrini Jewelers, Shop Rite, Dr. Eric Slovan, Stylin’ hair salon and Triple S Carpet and Drapery Cleaners.

 

Admission prices at the festival entrance gates 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 $10.00 general admission and $3.00 children’s tickets on-line (www.seaport.org), where a $25.00 weekend pass also is available. A service charge is added to all on-line sales. This year 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 entrance fees include off-site parking, shuttle busses to and from the festival and all performances at the Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival. 

 

Main Stage headline entertainment will open on Friday night, September 7, with the Rock and Roll sounds of Jay and the Americans.  The following evening Village People, the international disco icons, will be the main attraction, and the festival will close on Sunday with a special Seaport Celebration Finale.  In addition to the Main Stage headliners, festival entertainment for audiences of all ages will include talented musicians, dancers and storytellers from throughout the region performing on four stages.

 

There’s something for all ages among the diverse attractions at the 2007 Oyster Festival -- 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 and much more.

 

This year’s Oyster Festival takes place on Friday, September 7, from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., on Saturday, September 8, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and on Sunday, September 9, 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 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 at Sheffield Island and in the NSA’s fourth floor loft at 132 Water Street in Norwalk.

 

The three-day festival, which attracts 70,000-80,000 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 supports 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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