How much awesomeness can Hartford handle?

In a previous post, I waxed on about the overwhelming bicycle packed weekend approaching in September.  In this post I'll break it down a little and focus on Saturday, September 21st.  The weekend has become so saturated that I can only process it one day at a time.  We start with the Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour, the best way to pedal around Hartford and take in the history, beautiful parks, and diverse neighborhoods.  10  mile and 25 mile routes stay within Hartford proper, and the 40 mile includes a loop over into Windsor, South Windsor, Manchester, and East Hartford.  South Windsor was particularly keen on getting into the tour, as they are now a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community.  All three routes include updates, improvements, and route changes from previous years.  Bike Walk Connecticut is looking to far exceed 1,000 riders this year. The success of the tour is key to BWCT's 2014 state-wide advocacy and education efforts, as this is their biggest annual fundraiser.

Lot's of Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour links and info below:

• The tour is Saturday, September 21st and starts at 9AM.  I recommend arriving by 8:30 AM if you've registered online and by 8:00 AM if you are registering that morning.
• To save $15 and avoid the chaos of day of registration I recommend registering beforehand online.
• The tour is also registering event volunteers.  Those that want to make that extra effort to make the tour amazing can pitch in.
• Are you a local or regional business that would be interested in presenting at the event Expo in Bushnell Park?  Expo Registration is now open.

Following the bike tour, cultural institutions and creative leaders of Hartford take the ball and run with Envisionfest.  What is Envisionfest?  Straight from the website - 

• "Envisionfest Hartford is a free one-day festival on September 21st and a unique opportunity for people of all ages to discover and celebrate the capital city’s transformation.  Every aspect of the free city-wide event will showcase Hartford’s abundance of innovative history, arts and extraordinary cultural assets. Hundreds of live entertainment and hands-on activities will stimulate the senses, from free live musical entertainment and dramatic performances on six stages, to free admission to more than eight museums, landmark building tours, and lawn games in Bushnell Park."

And what's better, all of the Envisionfest activities are within easy biking and walking distance of Bushnell Park.   Check out this exhaustive list of ways you could spend your afternoon after the bike tour.  Last year post tour I just wandered around clueless and was amazed by how many different events and activities were available.  Perhaps this year I'll be more prepared.

And the cherry on the sundae.  Wait for it.  Are you ready?  THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS.  Free concert at 6:30PM in Bushnell Park.  What the Hell?  TMBG has fans from teens to folks in their 40's and 50's and they keep pumping out music.  I saw them seven or eight years ago at a free show in Boston, and it was great.  Looking forward to sitting on the lawn and unwinding (and maybe bouncing around a bit) while listening to the diverse grab bag of tunes that TMBG might pull out.  FYI - There is liberal BYO activity in Bushnell for concerts.  Great opportunity for a picnic.

On Saturday, September 21st my head is going to explode.  Apologize ahead of time for the mess.