The Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. invites residents and visitors to join in a month-long celebration of the people, organizations, and businesses that make Mansfield a special place.

The 17th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival will take place all throughout September and all throughout town, starting with the “Where in Mansfield?” scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt will begin on Friday, September 4 at noon. Find the first clue on the Festival website (here) and follow each successive clue to find over a dozen destinations in Mansfield.

The Partnership is bringing back its popular “Spend & Win!” gift card giveaway, the first round of which was held in the spring. Residents and visitors who spend $10 or more at a Mansfield business can send a picture or screenshot of their receipt to mdp@mansfieldct.org to be entered into a drawing for one of twenty $25 gift cards to local businesses.

In partnership with the Town’s Youth Services, Senior Center, Library, and Parks and Recreation departments, the Partnership invites residents to share their earliest memories, fondest moments, or favorite people as part of “My Mansfield.” Residents are invited to share 4-5 sentences, with their first name and age; optional photos or drawings are welcomed, too. The Partnership will create an album of everyone’s submission and publish it on both the Festival website and the Town’s website. Submissions can be submitted via the Festival website, by email to mdp@mansfieldct.org, or by mail (please address to Mansfield Downtown Partnership, P. O. Box 513, Storrs, CT 06268).

“Our volunteer Festival committee has been working since the spring to reimagine our event this year in a way that celebrates the community while also being mindful of protecting everyone’s health and safety,” explained Partnership Executive Director Cynthia van Zelm. “They really took on the challenge of responding to changing guidelines but still finding ways to connect the community.”

Find more information about the “Where in Mansfield?” scavenger hunt, “Spend & Win!” gift card giveaway, “My Mansfield,” and other fun activities at downtownstorrsfestival.org.

Be sure to follow @DowntownStorrs on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and announcements.

Questions about the Celebrate Mansfield Festival may be sent to mdp@mansfieldct.org.