Discovery Center
A valued educational area of the Fair that serves up topical seminars on foods, farming, home & garden care, and more. There are also interactive displays and demonstrations by experienced, knowledgeable experts in their respective fields.
Located in the south end of the T Barn.
2023 Exhibitors
- The American Chestnut Foundation, CT Chapter: Blight Resistant Chestnut trees Exhibit. TACF volunteers will be at the fair all weekend to answer your questions and tell you about our work in to bring back blight resistant Chestnut trees to our Connecticut forests"
- Rockhounds: Fossil History of the Earth, Meteorites & Geology and Fossil Specimens
- Xavier & Mercy Robotics Teams: Xavier, Mercy, and other local high schools demonstrate a variety of student-designed & built robots
- Southeastern Marine Educators Interactive Marine Sciences with coach Lorrie Martin, Assisted by the Coginchaug National Ocean Sciences Bowl Team: Interactive marine sciences booth with Ocean Quiz Bowl students (Saturday only)
- Hammonasset Chapter, Trout Unlimited, Inc.: Coldwater Fisheries Conservation, Fly Tying, and Trout in the Classroom
- STEM Experiments & Demonstrations: Everyday science, technology, engineering, art & math (STEAM) for all ages
- Master Gardeners Haddam: Master Gardeners will inform the public about the program and what they have to offer.
- JC Farm Stand
- Wesleyan Potters Pottery Demos: Wesleyan Potters, Inc. is a non-profit cooperative guild founded in 1948 to promote the learning and development of skills in crafts. Not just a pottery, Wesleyan Potters offers classes in three different media: weaving, metalsmithing and ceramics. The weaving studio is equipped with thirty looms. The fully-equipped metalsmithing studio has recently acquired new enameling kilns. The pottery studio is equipped with eighteen pottery wheels, two slab rollers, two extruders, two glazing booths, and generous working space and tools for hand building. Additionally, the studio has two gas kilns, seven electric kilns for bisqueware, a raku kiln and a soda kiln. Student work is high-fired to cone 10; Students have the opportunity to participate in raku firings occasionally."
2023 Events
| THURSDAY, September 21, 2023 Fair Hours: 4 PM – 10 PM |
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| 5:00 | PM | Documentary Screening of Clear Day Thunder, Rescuing the American Chestnut: presented by Florian Carle, The American Chestnut Foundation |
| FRIDAY, September 22, 2023 Fair Hours: 9 AM – 10 PM |
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| 10:00 | AM | Bob Reynolds: Timeline of Life, Fossil History of the Earth |
| 11:00 | James Webb Space Telescope: presented by Carol B. Ivers, Planetarium Director, Department of Geological Sciences, CCSU | |
| 12:00 | PM | Black Bears of Connecticut: presented by Paul Benjunas, CT DEEP |
| 1:00 | Maple Syrup Production in CT: presented by Buster Scranton/Matt Wilkinson, Maple Syrup Producers Association of CT | |
| 2:00 | Metal Detecting: presented by John Benton | |
| 3:00 | Invasive Plants: presented by Gail Reynolds, Master Gardener | |
| SATURDAY, September 23, 2023 Fair Hours: 9 AM – 10 PM |
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| 11:00 | AM | Plastic pollution in the Ocean Turned into Artwork: presented by Kat Owens, University of Hartford |
| 12:00 | PM | Invasive Lionfish: presented by Parker Dumont |
| 1:00 | Dam Removals and Fishways, Reconnecting Diadromous Fish To Their Habitats: presented by Steve Gephard | |
| 2:00 | Kahoots Question Competition: presented by Becky Gladych, Bridgeport Aquaculture | |
| 3:00 | New England Dive: presented by Gregg Kobrin, Wallingford Scuba Co. | |
| 4:00 | Hunting for Polluters and Ghost Pots in Long Island Sound: presented by Bill Lucey, Soundkeeper at Save the Sound Legal | |
| SUNDAY, September 24, 2023 Fair Hours: 9 AM – 6 PM |
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| 10:00 | AM | Types of Fossils: presented by Bob Reynolds, Rockhounds |
| 11:00 | Managing Your Property for Wildlife: presented by Peter Picone, CT DEEP | |
| 12:00 | PM | Beekeeping: presented by Allan Poole |
| 1:00 | Nutmeg Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation: presented by Sherry Harmon | |
| 2:00 | What are Hops?: Hops in Connecticut and elsewhere, and A History of Breweries in Connecticut: presented by Author & Podcaster Will Siss | |
| 3:00 | What are Hops?: Hops in Connecticut and elsewhere, and A History of Breweries in Connecticut: presented by Author & Podcaster Will Siss | |