🌱Volleyball Car Wash Cancelled + Composting At The Chester Fair

Hey, everybody! I'm back in your inbox this warm morning to walk you through everything you need to know about what's happening in Essex-Chester-Deep River today.Keep scrolling for the scoop...

📣 Our readers love to celebrate good news! You can now shout out your big announcement at the top of the Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily newsletter. Whether it's a grand opening, new product for sale, birthday, anniversary, engagement, wedding or new baby, let everyone celebrate alongside you! Submit your announcement here.

First, today's weather:

Partial sunshine. High: 85 Low: 67.

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

1. According to WTNH.com, "multiple fire crews responded to a house fire in Essex on Harborview Drive, on Friday evening. Smoke was seen billowing out of a home as the Killingworth and Westbrook fire departments worked to put out the blaze. No other information is available at this time." (WTNH.com)
2. Setting a precedent that is hopefully followed by other fairs in the area in the future, the Chester Fair is trying something new this weekend and instead of throwing everything away, it will be working on composting. The leftover food, plates, spoons, French fry containers and drink containers can be dumped together into compost bins, which according to the Hartford Courant, "will be stationed all around the fairgrounds, which will also be staffed with volunteers offering direction on how best to dispose of everything. It’s the first year of the fair’s Zero-Waste Project, which this year will mean aiming to reduce trash by about 85%, by replacing many landfill-bound items with compostable alternatives. Next year, organizers will aim for a further reduction, and in 2024, they hope to be down even further." It's going to be a beautiful weekend for the fair! Hope to see you all there! (Hartford Courant)
3. Valley Volleyball will not be able to hold the car wash that was scheduled for today due to the drought. When this fundraiser is rescheduled the date will be posted. Stay tuned! (Parents of VRHS)

Today in Essex-Chester-Deep River:

• Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament - Essex Library Association (10 a.m.)
• Essex Library's First Annual Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament (10 a.m.)

From my notebook:

• Essex Library: "Family and Memory: A Film Festival Thursdays, September 1, 8, 22 and 29, 7 p.m. in the Essex Library Program Room. http://ow.ly/jbFQ50Koibo." (Essex Library via Facebook)
• Essex Library: "The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) wants to hear from you: http://ow.ly/7otQ50KnlrC Your feedback on this survey will help OEC learn more about how parents are doing in Connecticut. How has your family been dealing with child care needs?" (Essex Library via Facebook)
• Town of Essex – Government: "DYK that with the rise of online shopping we generate more than 6.1 million tons of cardboard a year at home but we only recycle about 36% of this? Next time you buy something online, help save trees by recycling the box!" (Town of Essex – Government via Facebook)

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That's it for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with another update.

— 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