🌱Heads Up For Harvest Festival + RiverLane Opens Doors In Essex

Hello all. I'm back with your new edition of the Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily. Here's what you need to know about what's happening in the community today, including:

• Fall fantastic events coming up!
• New store has lots to offer!
• Help feed our community!

But first, today's weather:

A shower and thunderstorm. High: 71 Low: 47.

Here are the top stories in Essex-Chester-Deep River today:

1. Runners take your mark! The Pumpkin Chase is coming. Are you ready? The Ivoryton Library will once again sponsor a 5K (at 9 a.m.) and children’s (at 8:30 a.m.) run on Saturday, Oct. 22, starting at the town green. The event will kick off the 22nd annual Pumpkin Fest, with free activities including hayrides, face-painting, a costume parade and our very own Haunted Library. (Bring your cameras. There may be dinosaurs.) The library will also have a donation table for food donations for the Region 4 Backpack Program. Hope to see you there for a day filled with community excitement and fun. For more information (or to register), go here: https://ivorytonlibrary.org/ivoryton-pumpkin-chase/" (Ivoryton Library Association via Facebook)
   
2. A mainstay of the Tri-Town educational community, Essex resident and mother of four, Cassandra Sweet is once again the chair of the Essex Elementary School Autumn Harvest Festival. It will take place on Sunday, October 2 from noon to 3 p.m. According to Zip06, "it is the Essex Elementary PTO’s largest fundraiser of the year and supports a variety of PTO programs. Cassandra starts in August sending letters for contributions to local businesses. The contributions cover the costs of the fair, including things like bounce houses, so the money earned can go to the PTO rather than to expenses. This is a special year for the Harvest Fair because it is resuming after a two-year COVID hiatus. “People are excited to have it back,” Cassandra says. “It kicks off the school year in a fun way.” Making the event a success takes volunteers, some 75 in all. Cassandra started as a volunteer at the Autumn Harvest Fair when her daughter was in kindergarten. She began chairing the event when her daughter was in second grade. Now her daughter is a high school freshman. Cassandra is also the chair of the John Winthrop Middle School Parent’s Council. The vice president of the Essex Elementary School PTO and a member of the Essex Board of Education." Thank you Cassandra for all you do for our community and our students! (Zip06.com)
3. Help those going hungry! The Essex Library's September Food Drive is ongoing! The Library will be accepting non-perishable food items all month long. Single serve and individual items are especially needed. The Ivoryton Library Association will be continuing the drive into October to benefits the Region 4 Food Backpack Program and The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries, Inc. Please donate if you can. Every little bit helps. (Essex Library via Facebook)
4. Providing another destination for retail therapy in downtown Essex, The RiverLane Boutique has opened its doors in the former Liberty Bank space, located at 7 Main Street. According to its website, "the RiverLane was founded with a desire for a welcoming shop that makes every day feel like cause for celebration. With more than 50 brands and an emphasis on quality and versatility, it’s our mission to be your easy-to-shop oasis in an atmosphere designed for connection. It is not just a boutique, but a destination." Hope to see you there! (The RiverLane)

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Today in Essex-Chester-Deep River:

• Essex Garden Club Meeting - Essex Library Association (10 a.m.)
• Shell & Bee Studio: Stop Motion Claymation (5:15 p.m.)
• Foreign Film Festival: Family & Memory (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Deep River Public Library: "Evil genius isn't always appreciated. #bookaddict #books #book #booknerd #bookstagram" (Deep River Public Library via Facebook)
• Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau: "We are so pumped to be offering this series again! Get ready for Women's Wellness! The cost is $25 for ALL 4 weeks together! Even more exciting is that this will be held at SoMA in Deep River!" (Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau via Facebook)
• Town of Essex – Government: "Source to Sea Clean Up! September 24" (Town of Essex – Government via Facebook)
• Essex Library: "It's almost fall! Stop by the library to grab some picture books celebrating this colorful change of season." (Essex Library via Facebook)
• Essex Library: "Saturday October 8 at 10 a.m. at the Essex Library, join Essex Fire Engine Company No. 1 for an amazing event about fire safety. Presentation in the library program room, followed by a Touch-A-Truck Event in the Town Hall parking lot!" (Essex Library via Facebook)
• Essex Board of Trade is "counting down the days to the Scarecrow FestiFALL! We have so much planned Here is a sneak peak at one kid’s event: the HIDDEN SCARECROW CONTEST! Mark your calendars for October 8. Do you think you have the detective?" (Essex Board of Trade via Facebook)

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• Mammoth Security Inc. Old Saybrook — (Visit website)
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Events:

• Whale Tail Driftwood - Niantic Grand Opening! (September 24)
• Clinton Rotary Cornhole Tournament (September 25)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday off right. I'll see you soon!

— Karena Garrity

About me: I am a native of Connecticut, who currently resides in the Tri-Town community of Chester, Deep River and Essex. I have been a community reporter for the better part of the past 20 years. I love my small town community and I am honored to be a part of Patch.com. You can reach me at; karena.garrity@patch.com.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily? Contact me at karena.garrity@patch.com