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10/03/2023 12:46 PMSaturday, Oct. 14 at Guilford Fairgrounds
Gather your family and friends: from donkey rides, a petting zoo, and touch-a-truck to live music and festive food and drink to free kids’ activities and an exceptional artisans and business expo, there will be something for everyone at the 2023 Shoreline Chamber Fall Festival and Expo, and Dee Jacob hopes to see you there.
As president of Shoreline Chamber of Commerce (SCC), Dee and her trusty team have been hard at work to gear up for an exciting event that will connect community members with some of the area’s very best in local food and drink, artisans and crafters, businesses and non-profits, and activities and entertainment—all in one place.
The 2023 Shoreline Chamber Fall Festival and Expo will take place Saturday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Guilford Fairgrounds at 111 Lovers Lane in Guilford.
SCC represents local businesses and organizations with connections to the towns of Branford, North Branford, and Guilford.
The festival’s great selection of food and drink will include offerings from Thimble Island Brewery, Cancion Tequila, D&S Hot Dogs and Catering, Mexitaly, The Greenery, Star Fish Market (raw bar), Bake Bake Hooray, Colossal Kielbasa, and more. The tasty selection is a nod to one of SCC’s pre-COVID events, says Dee.
“The history of it goes back to before COVID when we held the Taste of the Shoreline, which was an artisans and business expo with great food and drink,” Dee says. “We wanted to bring that feeling back, particularly in the fall.”
The fairgrounds provide the perfect fall festival setting, she adds.
“When the Guilford Fair ends and the Durham Fair ends, the great fall weather is still here,” says Dee. “We wanted to provide another one of those gatherings and festivals where there’s music and artisans and businesses and wonderful free kids’ activities.”
Children under 10 receive free admission to the 2023 Shoreline Chamber Fall Festival and Expo. Event general admission (18 and up) is just $10, and it’s only $8 for children (ages 10 to 17), seniors (age 60 and up), and veterans. Tickets are available now at www.eventbrite.com and www.shorelinechamberct.com.
The festival will also feature an Artisan Barn with a great selection of items from artists and crafters, such as Grey Goat Farmtique, Earth Art, Kissed by a Mermaid, Maple Craft Foods, and Breakfast at Timothy’s, as well as a great representation of businesses and non-profits.
The Shoreline Chamber Fall Festival and Expo premiered last year and has grown a great deal in just a short time, says Dee.
“We’ve got a lot of buzz. We’ve got three times the artisans than we had last year and two bands, which is double the bands,” she says. “And there’s so just much to see and do, whether you come for part of the day or stay the whole day.”
This year, two of Connecticut’s favorite good-time bands will take the stage: Take Two and Call Me in the Morning and Trainwreck.
Dee thanks the event’s many important sponsoring organizations, including Presenting Sponsor Chase Bank and Gold Sponsor Guilford Savings Bank, as well as the many businesses, organizations, artisans, exhibitors, and others who are coming together to fill this special day.
Organizing the 2023 Shoreline Chamber Fall Festival and Expo aligns with SCC’s efforts to successfully support the businesses, organizations, and other entities in the communities it serves, and more, says Dee.
“We have a two-fold mission: to serve our members and to serve our community economically. This is to support both member businesses and some non-members in the food and entertainment arena, as well as to bring people to the shoreline,” she says. “We wanted to create this as another way to come out and support our community.”
Dee, a Guilford resident, joined SCC as its president in 2021, bringing her extensive career experience in both corporate and local business leadership to the role.
“I came out of retirement to do this job,” says Dee. “I felt that, both from a chamber standpoint but more from our community business standpoint, the post-COVID endemic period really needed someone that had a passion for small and large businesses, and a passion for community and strengthening our downtowns. I thought I could bring that passion to help re-start the post-COVID period with the chamber and help our businesses along the way.”
Dee and her husband Bob have five children and eight grandchildren. She moved to Guilford about 32 years ago, arriving from Ohio. Dee says the small businesses anchoring downtown Guilford’s center are one reason she was attracted to the town.
“You can still find those types of small businesses in Guilford, and you can find them in Branford and in North Branford,” says Dee. “What I love about the Shoreline Chamber is that it encompasses the wonderful things that tie the three towns together and the diversity—from the farms and agricultural history to the shoreline. And we are really blessed in having a lot of residents in all three towns that own businesses that serve their community. That really speaks volumes about the area that we live in.”
The 2023 Shoreline Chamber Fall Festival and Expo will take place Saturday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Guilford Fairground at 111 Lovers Lane in Guilford. In the event of severe weather, the event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 15. For more info, visit www.shorelinechamberct.com.