HARWINTON CT

HARWINTON CT
Harwinton Fairgrounds Bandstand
Harwinton Fairgrounds
Built - 1951



The town of Harwinton is located in Litchfield County and was incorporated in 1737. Prior to the establishment of this new town, the land was controlled by the towns of Hartford and Windsor. Harwinton's name was taken from a combination of the names of these two towns and is the only town in the world with this name. The newly-formed community filled up rapidly since it was on the road from Hartford to Litchfield.
The very popular Harwinton Fair offers a combination of food, music and other entertainment on its fairgrounds which has just entered into its 148th season during September and October and as of this writing. The fair has many wonderful events including oxen and poultry judging, cattle showmanship, wood-chopping competitions and entertainment from its bandstand.
The Harwinton Fairgrounds Bandstand was built in 1951 after it was evident that such a structure was needed for all of the concerts during the fair and became the focal point and gathering place for attendees to listen to good old-fashioned music. Recently the headliner on the bandstand has been the Bristol Old Tyme Fiddlers who perform on both days of the fair and draws large crowds as well as other local bands.
Originally the floor of the bandstand was at a site nearby and was moved to the current site with new posts set for support by a local builder, Henry Kirchofer, who also built the roof. In 1999, the Harwinton Agricultural Society installed the skirt around the bottom of this typical new England Functional structure. The bandstand is located at the north end of the fairgrounds on the main midway overlooking the horse shoe ring at the high point. All work on the bandstand was finanaced by the Harwinton Agricultural Society.


INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY:
Bruce R. Mosher, Director
Harwinton Agricultural Society

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