Come Home to Chester Celebrates Autumn
The weekend of art gallery, shop, and restaurant opening receptions in Chester Center will be on Friday, September 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Every September, we keep our doors open late on the Friday night closest to the Autumn Equinox to celebrate the beginning of fall. We have receptions in our galleries, shops, studios, and restaurants,” Leif Nilsson, artist and owner of the Lief Nilsson Spring Street Studio and Gallery said.
Townspeople and visitors are invited to stroll the streets of this antique New England village to see the latest paintings, photographs, sculptures, fashion and jewelry.
Leif Nilsson’s oil paintings of his garden and the Connecticut River will open on Friday with a reception 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Leif Nilsson Spring Street Studio and Gallery.
The deja Gallery will be celebrating its 2nd year anniversary with the opening of “Murmuring Water”, the newest water works art work from Jacqueline V. Barry.
The Art Gallery at the Mill House will be presenting Viewpoints by Judith Selleck Chapman with oils, watercolors, and acrylics along with the works of other artists.
New works in mosaics and jewelry will be presented by artist member Tracye Chin Muller. An opening reception will be held on Friday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Kathryne Wright invites people to join her at the Hammered Edge Studio and Gallery for custom jewelry design, beads, buttons, shells, world artifacts, and music.
Visitors can see tailored silk fashions hand-made in the New Vietnam and accessories by Jan Cummings, Chester hats and t-shirts, Cummings and Good art prints and notecards at the Rarities Fashion at the Cummings and Good Design Gallery.
Artists Paula Gabriel will be showing unique drawings done with powdered pigment on Myler while Connie will display suspended forms made of cast glass, paper, and metal at the CL Pfeiffer Studio.
No visit to Chester would be complete without sitting down for a good meal at one of the fine restaurants featuring food for even the most discriminating taste.
Chez Manon will be selling handcrafted items made mostly in Germany and Sweden including house decorations and toys.
The festival will continue with a Tour of Chester Homes on Saturday, September 16 featuring seven homes which have historical significance intertwined with modern lifestyles.
Examples of such houses include an original Watrous home on the Pattaconk brook built in 1773 and a home overlooking the Connecticut River built by Italian stonemasons in the late 1800s.
The self-guided tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting at the United Church of Chester on West Main Street.
Tickets will be made available in advance for $15 at Ceramica in Chester, Celebrations in Deep River, Yankee Palm in Essex, Emerson Books in Old Saybrook, Bowerbird in Old Lyme.
On the day of the tour, tickets will be $18 at the United Church of Chester.
Two-hour on-street parking will be available in addition to the Maple Street and Water Street parking lots.
