Trumbull Day, typically held in June, is scheduled for Sept. 12 this year, and moving to a new location.
First Selectman Tim Herbst announced Wednesday that Trumbull Day will now become part of Trumbull’s Fall Festival, with activities Sept. 12 and Sept.13. He also addressed what he called a “lack of engagement” on behalf of the Trumbull Day Commission, leading to his office moving forward with a plan for a community event.
The traditional day of rides, food, vendors and fireworks will take place on Saturday (Sept. 12) at Indian Ledge Park, and the annual Trumbull Arts Festival will take place on Sunday, according to Herbst’s office.
“The elements of Trumbull Day will become part of Trumbull’s Fall Festival, held over an entire weekend, where we celebrate our Town in conjunction with the annual Trumbull Arts Festival,” Herbst said. “The Arts Festival represents the best of Trumbull and reflects rich traditions within our community. I can think of no better way to bring our Town together and celebrate our community than by creating a weekend of events that honors long standing traditions that maximize participation among our residents."
Herbst said moving the event form Hillcrest to Indian Ledge would lead to major cost savings.
“In conversations I have had with senior staff, it has been determined that moving the venue to Indian Ledge Park will result in substantial savings concerning operational costs that have been associated with the traditional Trumbull Day located at the Hillcrest fields,” he said. “At the same time, the Indian Ledge Park venue can accommodate more people with better traffic flow, making the event more enjoyable and better to manage.”
Herbst said, that in recent years, participation has declined with the event being held at the end of June. The two reasons he cites for this decline are families on summer vacation and the Town of Trumbull competing with many other area events. Herbst said the event moving will mean better turn out and less competition with other events.
Trumbull Day was on hiatus for a few years before returning in 2013. The event was typically held in late June, holding fireworks before the July 4 holiday.
Herbst also addressed the Trumbull Day Commission and what he called a "lack of engagement."
“There have been a tremendous number of resignations from the commission within the last several months,” he said. “There are not enough members to constitute a quorum and hold regular meetings. Further, both political parties have not sent nominations to my office for this commission in more than year.
“Based upon this lack of engagement, lack of quorum and lack of interest, my administration has determined that we must move forward with providing our residents with an annual festival that integrates all of the elements of Trumbull Day with a weekend that celebrates our community as a whole,” Herbst said. “I have every confidence that this festival will become an annual tradition that allows us to have pride in our past so we may have faith in our future.”