Nice Weather, Italian Festival and the Smurfs

1. There is a slight chance of showers today during the early afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. But don’t worry if you have evening plans, it will be sunny for the most part during the day with a high near 81ºF. The chance of showers will return overnight at around 3 a.m. with the temperature bottoming out at 66 ºF overnight.

2. If tiramisu is your favorite dessert and you like to wash it down with a rich red wine after indulging in a dinner of chicken saltimbocca then you might just be close to foodie heaven this weekend in Enfield.

The 86^th Enfield Italian Festival, sponsored by the Mt. Carmel Society, begins tonight at 6 at the society’s grounds on Park Avenue and lasts throughout the weekend. for more details.

3. If you’re looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend, consider stopping by the Connecticut Historical Society for a free, drop-in program called Toys Over Time. Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., join the CHS for some fun and games, playing and learning about toys from Connecticut’s history. Kids will even make their own version of a classic toy, which was invented in Connecticut, to take home. For more information, call 860-236-5621 ext. 222 or e-mail erin_kania@chs.org.

4. Speaking of classic toys, the Smurfs are making a comeback. The Mansfield Drive-In Theater is a great place to spend a summer night with the kids, and it just so happens that the new Smurfs movie is playing on the big screen (screen 2) tonight. Check out Mansfield Drive-In online for the weekend schedule.

For your trivia pleasure, here’s a little info about classic Smurf figurine toys:

The first Smurf figurines appeared in 1965 (Normal Smurf, Gold Smurf and Convict Smurf). Five more were made in 1969, and Smurfs have been produced every year since then except for 1988 and 1991. The first female Smurf – Smurfette - appeared in 1971.

It wasn’t until 1981 that the Smurfs secured their place in North American pop culture, when the Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, The Smurfs, aired from 1981 to 1989.

If you’re interested in more Smurf history, check out this Smurfy YouTube video.

5. More classic toy-related trivia includes My Little Pony facts:

It was 28 years ago this month that three inventors had their “ornamental design for a toy animal” patented, according to About.com. My Little Pony was one of the most popular collectible toys of the 1980s, and as many of you may remember, featured brightly-colored or rainbow tails and came equipped with a brush to maintain the mane. The ponies also has their time on the silver screen and television, with a hit show and movie under their belt.

More information about My Little Pony and other toy inventions can be found online by clicking here.