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Marathon, Celtics, Martin Short: A Weekend To Remember In Hartford

Events Galore: A few more weekends like that and Hartford will be on its way

Hartford Courant Editorial

October 15, 2012

Every once in a while, often in the fall, Hartford shows its potential as the core of a region of 1.2 million people. This past weekend was such a time. The increasingly popular ING Hartford Marathon drew a record 17,000 runners to its array of races, along with thousands of volunteers and spectators. Few events show off the city to visitors as well as the marathon, long may it run.

But it was hardly the only game in town: There was the sold-out Connecticut Forum on Friday with feminist icon Gloria Steinem, the weekend music, plays, comedian Martin Short at the Bushnell, UConn football at Rentschler Field, a Celtics-Knicks NBA exhibition game at the XL (nee Civic) Center as well as the Connecticut Whale filling some 8,000 XL Center seats. About 1,000 people gathered in Elizabeth Park to see "Night Fall," a giant-puppet-music-dance-lantern creation of artist Anne Cubberly and friends. It was Connecticut Restaurant Week, with $20.12 specials everywhere.

The weeked of Sept. 29, with EnvisionFest Hartford and the Discover Hartford bike tours, so well run by Bike Walk Connecticut, was another lively weekend.

The marathon and bike tours were not begun as institutional events; they were started by groups of interested and committed residents who garnered corporate and public support. A few more such events, a few more venues like Infinity Hall coming to town, a few more employers like state agencies returning to the capital, and Hartford will be mistaken for a lively city so often that it will become one.