United Way Brings 2013 NFL Weekend Back to Wallingford For the past 126 years since their humble beginnings in Denver, the United Way has been at the forefront in the effort to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good. This noble goal is once again being brought to Wallingford in the form of the 20th Annual United Way NFL Players Weekend. Taking place over two days and at three different venues, this fantastic event gives everyone the chance to not only help a good cause, but also buy NFL gear, enjoy delicious food and drink and even rub elbows with over 20 stars from several NFL teams, including the Patriots, Jets, Packers and the newly crowned Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens! The festivities kick off on Friday, March ... 02/04/2013

For Here or To Go? Super Bowl Food Any Way You Want It! Are you ready for the Big Game? Super Bowl XLVII is getting ready to rumble this Sunday night, February 3rd, with the festivities kicking off at 6:30PM EST. Many people will be at home in front of their big screen TV watching The Ravens and the 49ers vie for pigskin supremacy, but many others will choose to venture down to their favorite pub or sports bar and let someone else clean up the mess. No matter how or where you choose to watch the game, you’re gonna need some food, and we have a few choices here on where to get it, whether you’re eating at home or on the road! Wallingford Gaetano's Tavern on main wants you to order your party platter today for the Big Game! They have a Buffalo Wing Platter Special available that serves 2... 02/01/2013

Wallingford CT Film Shows Rare Glimpse of the Past The 1930’s was a decade of amazing ups and downs: the Empire State Building and Golden Gate Bridge opened, Prohibition ended, FDR’s “New Deal” was born, and the FHA, SEC and the FBI were all established. On the other hand, the Great Depression was winding down, the Hindenberg crashed and burned, the Dust Bowl began and the Lindbergh baby is kidnapped and later found dead a few miles from his home. These were all major news stories and well covered in the media of the day, and there are few people living who can remember that era with some clarity. An adult 20 year old living in the 1930’s would now be between 94 and 103 years old, an age group that is less than 1% of the total population!. But there has been little known about local Wal... 01/28/2013

Paradise Pizza Serves Up a Slice of Heaven Where: 624 So. Colony Road, Wallingford CT Hours: M – Th 11am – 10pm, F – Sa 11am – 11pm, Sun 12pm – 10pm What: Pizza, calzones, chicken wings, stuffed breads, salads and more Wallingford’s “Heavenly” Pizza Spot! If the rumors we’ve been hearing about Paradise Pizza are true – and we have it on good authority that they are – then their place in the pantheon of practically perfect pizza places is all but assured. Several members of my Wallingford community group on Facebook have been singing the praises of this relatively recent addition to Wallingford’s restaurant scene, using glowing words like, “…on my Must Do Again list”, “…killer pizza”, and …highly recommended”. Their menu boats a huge selection of gourmet pizzas, calzones, stuffed breads,... 01/25/2013

Wallingford/Meriden Wing Fest Flies High The Wing Fest of Wallingford/Meriden 2013 was a smashing success on the 23rd, despite a couple of last minute pull-outs by participating restaurants. An estimated 200 hungry folks filled Villa Capri’s main ballroom waiting for some tasty chicken wings, and they were not disappointed. From bacon-wrapped wings to coconut wings to mild wings to bourbon and whiskey wings to wings with the ominous name of Lethal Injection, there was something there for everyone’s palate. Knucklehead’s came loaded for bear with Buffalo wings, bourbon buffalo wings, whiskey-ancho wings, PB&J wings, and their Lethal Injection wings, which required a signed waiver before you could eat them. Ryder’s on Main offered up Malibu wings, Tennessee Twist wings, and original wings... 01/25/2013

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observances in Meriden and Wallingford CT Monday, January 21st, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Here is a list of local events on tap to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday and accomplishments: MERIDEN The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – Albert Owens Scholarship Breakfast will be held at Maloney High School, 121 Gravel Street, with the doors opening at 8AM. Now in its 27th year, this year’s event features keynote speaker Yvette Highsmith-Francis of the Community Health Center Inc., gospel music, essay winners and a country breakfast. Organizer Rhudean Raye says the event’s goal is to raise $4,000 to help four Meriden high school graduates further their education. WALLINGFORD The town will hold a celebration of dr. King’s life in the council chambers at Town Hall, 45 M... 01/18/2013

Wing Fest of Meriden and Wallingford 2013 Buffalo wings are about as good as it gets it the appetizer world, as the millions of patrons of sports bars everywhere will attest. What’s better than watching the Super Bowl with a big plate of wings, a cold beer, and some blue cheese and celery to take the edge off? Give up? (No, that was NOT a rhetorical question!) How about the first ever Wing Fest of Meriden & Wallingford? Vital Statistics When: Wednesday, January 23rd Time: 5:30PM – 7:45PM Where: Villa Capri, Wallingford CT Cost: $10 per person A Combined Event Unlike past wing eating contests that featured either Wallingford or Meriden restaurants, this year’s event combines popular wing establishments form both towns into one big wing fest. Another change this year is that the Meriden R... 01/17/2013

Wallingford CT Grand Opening Events Wallingford was the scene of three recent Grand Openings for local businesses: Go Go Froyo What: Frozen Yogurt Where: 6 No. Main Street (at Simpson Court) Hours: 11:00AM – 10:00PM, seven days a week Phone: 203-626-9160 Web site: https://www.facebook.com/GoGoFroYoFrozenYogurtLounge Go Go Froyo has a selection of frozen yogurt flavors that you serve yourself from taps in the wall. Choose your cup size, fill it with as many different flavors of frozen yogurt as you'd like, and then add toppings. There is a topping bar along the counter that you add before you weigh the cup for pricing at the cash register, but there are also free toppings hanging from the wall past the cash register, including sprinkles and dry cereals like Fruit Loops. Pricing is 40 cen... 01/15/2013

Wallingford CT Market Update for December 2012   As we predicted last month, Wallingford home sales posted a slight gain of6%over November, good news for the local market. Sales were down 8% fromDecember 2011, but up 6% from December of 2010. The average selling price forcondos lost the 6% gain it had in November, falling back to to just over$193,000, while the average sale price for single family homes was up by about2% to just over $353,000. Thirty year conventional mortgage rates have prettymuch stabilized at around recently risen to 3.375%, a change that was too muchof a surprise, while CHFA rates for first time home buyers again remainedunchanged at 2.75 percent. Inventory levels dropped another 6% from November and that, coupled with theincreased sales totals were enough to drop ... 01/08/2013

Wallingford CT Market Update for November 2012 Here's the way the housing market is shaping up in Wallingford as of November 30, 2012: There are currently 138 single family homes for sale in Wallingford: Low list price: $32,500 High list price: $1,500,000 Average list price: $364,582 Median list price: $331,950 Average Days on Market: 125 Homes sold on average for 95.2% of list price There are 68 homes currently under contract, priced between $95,000 and $650,000. Based on the number of homes sold in November (25), it would take approximately 6 months to sell the current inventory. As for condominiums, there are currently 60 condos for sale: Low list price: $55,000 High list price: $439,900 Average list price: $207,863 Median list price: $191,950 Average Days on Market: 41 Condos sold o... 12/29/2012

The Season of Giving: Local Toy Drives Wow, what a busy time of year this is! We’ve recently written about some of the many activities going on locally, such as the Holiday Stroll, the Quinnipiac Chamber Holiday House Tour, and myriad craft and vendor fairs hosted by various private and civic organizations. Since the Christmas season is well known as a time for giving back to those less fortunate, it’s only appropriate that we tell you about some of the toy and gift collection drives that are coming up in the area. There are plenty of them, so if you can’t make one (or want to patronize more than one) then you’ll have several to choose from! Wallingford Yankee Cloth is collecting new, unwrapped toys for kids ages 1 to 7, as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste. The toys will be donated t... 12/11/2012

2012 Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce Holiday House Tour Slideshows Back on Saturday, December 1st, the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce held their 2012 Holiday House Tour from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The event was well attended, with somewhere around 400 people touring the six houses. If you were one of those who braved the chilly weather that day, you got to see some truly beautifully decorated homes. However, if you wanted to go and couldn’t make it, here’s your chance to see some of what you missed! 1 Old Tavern Lane (The Rising Sun Tavern), North Haven Built in the mid-1700’s, the Rising Sun Tavern is a prime example of an 18th century Georgian home. It was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1979. The tavern served as the first rest stop for stagecoaches traveling form Ne... 12/10/2012

Stroll, Shop, Win During Wallingford's 4th Annual Holiday Stroll While the recent balmy temperatures may not show it, the calendar certainly does: It’s December, and Christmas is so close you can taste it. In fact, it’s 19 shopping days close, if that brings it into closer focus for ya! But it’s also time once again for Wallingford Center, Inc.’s 4th Annual Holiday Stroll through the streets of downtown Wallingford on December 7th starting at 4PM. As part of this festive occasion, Wallingford Center, Inc. will also sponsor the “Stroll, Shop, Win” event, a fantastic raffle with prizes of gift cards from many of the participating stores. First prize is $1,000, second place is $600, and third place is $400. How do you enter, you ask? Simple. Just stop into each of the participating merchan... 12/05/2012

Rockin' Rob's Brings That 50's Vibe to Wallingford I think it’s a safe bet that the vast majority of people who have visited Mohegan Sun Casino have probably made a stop at Johnny Rocket’s 50’s style burger joint. It’s a quaint little place, with red vinyl booths, wait staff that wear white uniforms and paper hats, vintage wall décor, and jukeboxes at every table. The staff will even regale you with a song, if you’re lucky enough to be there when Aretha Franklin’s “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” hits the jukebox. It’s an experience well worth the sometimes long line to get it, and we eat there almost every time we go. We love it. And that’s why, when we found out about a new restaurant that recently opened in Wallingford, we were quite excited to give it a try. Last week, Rockin’ Rob’s Seafood & More o... 11/29/2012

Wallingford CT Presents Season of Celebrations on December 1st If anyone had any doubts about whether or not the holidays have arrived, let me put them to rest. Of course, Thanksgiving is here in all it’s basted, browned, bubbly glory, and the holiday craft fairs have begun in earnest. But another upcoming event is sure to bring out the holiday spirit in everyone: The Wallingford Season of Celebrations. Scheduled for December 1st from 1PM to 6PM, this annual event started decades ago at the downtown train station as a meet-and-greet for Santa Claus, but in recent years has moved uptown and expanded to include a variety of fun activities. The town is sponsoring most of the activities, which are free, and most will take place in or around Town Hall. Here’s list of the happenings: Kids can... 11/22/2012

Support Wallingford Businesses on Small Business Saturday Thanksgiving is only two days away, and once the turkey and stuffing and pies are all gone everyone’s attention will turn to those two other days that signal the start of the frantic madness that is the Holiday Shopping Season, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But, sandwiched in between those two highly anticipated days is another, less well-known day that deserves just as much attention as its big brothers. Perhaps more. This November 24th is Small Business Saturday®, a day to celebrate and support the local small businesses that boost the economy and invigorate neighborhoods across the country. Last year, over 100 million people came together to show local businesses how important they are to their communities, and this year shou... 11/19/2012

Upcoming Holiday Craft Fairs in Wallingford CT Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and with it comes the season of holiday craft fairs! There’s a boatload of them coming up in the area, check out the ones here in Wallingford: Saturday, November 24th: The East Wallingford Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its annual craft fair at their station house located at 2 Kondracki Lane from 9AM to 3PM. Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase. For more info, call Tim Whalen at (203) 265-4734 or (203) 584-2589, or email him at t_whalen56@comcast.net; Bill Celeta at (203) 294-1081 or (203) 915-2921 or email ewvfd8@sbcglobal.net. Masonic Health Care on Masonic Avenue will host their holiday fair from 10AM to 3PM in the Auditorium and on the indoor “Main Street”. A registration fee i... 11/19/2012

Staffordshire Commons, Wallingford CT Why do people live here? There are 153 units in this complex that are spacious and very reasonably priced, as well as being located close to many amenities. It's very close to the Wallingford-Meriden line, giving those who work in Meriden an affordable living option in Wallingford where the taxes and utilities are lower and allowing for a short and easy commute.   Looking a home in Staffordshire Commons? Interested in finding homes for sale in Staffordshire Commons? Click that link to find all the currently available homes in that complex. What’s the neighborhood like? The 153 units of Staffordshire Commons were built between 1986 and 1988and range in size from 1100 to 1650 square feet. The majority of the units are 2 bedroom condos, but there are a... 11/18/2012

SCoW Sponsors Holiday Wine Tasting The Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCoW) is sponsoring their second annual holiday wine tasting this Thursday, November 15th, from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at Wallingford’s Villa Capri. “Holiday Vinos” will feature both affordable and high end wines from several boutique wine makers, including Corison, Arietta, and El Molina, and will cover several varietals such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec, and some exceptional white wines as well, and even some sparkling wines. Various vintage years will be showcased so the public can see just how the wine ages. There will also be limited quantities of a wine bottled especially for SCoW available. Additionally, during the event the pubic can purchase tickets for a 50/50 cash raffle and valuable silent auctio... 11/13/2012

Mercier Family of Wallingford Needs  Your Help Anyone who has ever traveled south on South Elm Street in Wallingford eventually comes to the intersection of that road with Pond Hill Road, which turns due east on its way to Lyman Hall High School, Dag Hammarskjold Middle School and other points in East Wallingford. If you’ve hit that intersection any time between, say, October 1st and December 31st you’ve also seen the fenced in yard on the corner full (and I mean FULL!) of either Halloween or Christmas decorations. And you’ve probably seen more than a few kids meandering between the gravestones and ghosts, or between the elves and reindeer, eyes dancing with delight, smiles on their face wider than Santa’s broad belly. And you’ve probably smiled as you watched, almost a kid yourself aga... 11/10/2012