Norwalk Seaport Association Opens Season with Commissioning Event This Weekend

The Norwalk Seaport Association (NSA), which owns and stewards the Sheffield Island Lighthouse and Park, will officially open its season with a Commissioning Day event on Saturday, May 18. The festivities will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the NSA's ferry dock by the Maritime Aquarium at 10 North Water St. in Norwalk. The event will begin with a blessing of the NSA's ferry "The CJ Toth" at 11:30 a.m. by Reverend Artie Kassimis, Pastor of World Alive Bible Church in Norwalk. The rain date is May 19. The event is free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to reserve ahead of time. Regular ferry service to Sheffield Island will begin on May 25 on weekends and June 24 on weekdays.

The Commissioning promises to be fun for the whole family with food, pirates, music by local artists, Tim Currie's Motown Review, walk-on tours of the ferry, and giveaways. "A spring commissioning ceremony is a centuries old seafaring tradition," says NSA President Irene Dixon. "For the Norwalk Seaport Association it's when we put the ferry in the water and really gear up for all the great programs we have in the warm weather months on Sheffield Island and around the Norwalk Islands like clambakes, sunset cruises, pirates weekends, the Haunted Lighthouse weekend. Plus, it's just a whole lot of fun to be by the water and celebrate the long-awaited spring."

Sheffield Island Park hosts more than 3,000 visitors each year from Connecticut and beyond, including many school and scouting group tours. The island includes the historic Sheffield Lighthouse and the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge, with its self-guided walking tour including interpretive signs. The NSA offers frequent excursions to the island and lighthouse tours via its ferry docked behind the Maritime Aquarium. The island may also be used for special catered events such as corporate outings, weddings, and other celebrations.

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, education and public awareness of Norwalk's maritime environment and heritage. The NSA has owned, restored and maintained Sheffield Island Lighthouse since 1986 and is the official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friends group for the Norwalk Islands.

For more information on the Commissioning and other Norwalk Seaport Association programs and events, or to reserve the ferry and island for private events, contact 203-838-9444 or visit seaport.org.