It is officially fair and festival season in Connecticut. That means it's time for carnival rides, cotton candy, livestock and more. Here is a schedule of just some of the great fairs and festivals around Connecticut.

CONNECTICUT FAIRS IN AUGUST

• Ekonk Grange Fair - Aug. 10
• Ekonk Community Grange Hall
• 723 Ekonk Hill Road, Sterling

• Winchester Grange Fair - Aug. 10
• Winchester Grange Hall
• 100 Newfield Road, Winchester Center

• Lebanon Country Fair - Aug. 9-11
• 122 Mack Road, Lebanon

• Bridgewater Country Fair - Aug. 16-18
• 100 Main St. South, Bridgewater

• Hartford County 4-H Fair - Aug. 16-18
• 56 Egypt Rd., Somers

• Hamburg Fair - Aug. 16-18
• 1 Sterling City Rd., Old Lyme

• Wolcott County Fair: Aug. 16-18
• 245 Wolcott Rd., Wolcott

• Milford Oyster Festival - Aug. 17
• 1 Shipyard Ln., Milford

• Brooklyn Fair - Aug. 22-25
• 15 Fairgrounds Road, Brooklyn

• Chester Fair - Aug. 23-25
• Kirtland Terrace, Chester

• Plainville Hot Air Balloon Festival - Aug. 23-25
• Norton Park, Route 177, Plainville

• Terryville Lions County Fair - Aug. 23-25
• Town Hill Road, Terryville

• Haddam Neck Fair - Aug. 30 – Sept. 2
• 26 Quarry Hill Rd, Haddam

• Woodstock Fair - Aug. 30 - Sept. 2
• 281 Route 169, Woodstock

• New England Food Truck Festival - Aug 31-Sept 1
• Mohegan Sun, Uncasville

• Goshen Fair - Aug. 31 - Sept. 1
• 116 Old Middle Street, Goshen

CONNECTICUT FAIRS IN SEPTEMBER

• Hebron Harvest Fair - Sept. 5-8
• Hebron Lions Fairground, 347 Gilead Street, Hebron

• North Haven Fair - Sept. 5-8
• 290 Washington Ave., North Haven

• Wapping Fair - Sept. 5-8
• 75 Brookfield Street, South Windsor

• Bethlehem Fair - Sept 6-8
• 384 Main St. North, Bethlehem

• Ledyard Fair - Sept. 6-8
• 740 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard

• Norwalk Seaport Oyster Festival - Sept. 6-8
• Veteran’s Memorial Park, 38 Canal Street E, Norwalk

• Four Town Fair - Sept. 12-15
• 56 Egypt Road, Somers

• The Big E - Sept. 13-29
• 875 Memorial Avenue, West Springfield, MA

• Berlin Fair - Sept. 13-15
• 430 Beckley Rd., East Berlin

• Cheshire Fall Festival - Sept. 14
• Bartlem Park, Rt. 10, Cheshire

• Orange Country Fair - Sept. 21-22
• 525 Orange Center Rd., Orange

• Seymour Pumpkin Festival - Sept. 22
• French Memorial Park, Seymour

• Durham Fair - Sept. 26-29
• 24 Town House Road, Durham

• Willimantic Downtown Country Fair - Sept. 28
• Jillson Square, Willimantic

CONNECTICUT FAIRS IN OCTOBER

• Southington Apple Harvest Festival - Oct. 4-6
• Southington Town Green

• Portland Agricultural Fair - Oct. 4-6
• Exchange Club Grounds Rt. 17A, Portland

• New England Chowdafest - Oct. 6
• Sherwood Island State Park, Westport

• Garlic and Harvest Festival - Oct. 12-13
• 304 Main St. North, Bethlehem

• Glastonbury Apple Harvest & Music Festival - Oct. 18-20
• Welles Street Riverfront Park, 300 Welles St., Glastonbury

A former girlfriend of the 24-year-old gunman who fire outside a popular bar in Dayton, Ohio, said she saw warning signs that included him showing her video of a mass shooting on their first date, NBC News reported.

Adelia Johnson, 24, said she met Connor Betts in a psychology class at Sinclair Community College in Dayton and the two bonded over their shared struggle with mental illness.

Johnson told "Today" he often brought up mass murders and performed in a heavy metal band known for sexually violent lyrics. She said the "final red flag" came when Betts asked her to accompany him as he tried to drop off an anonymous letter to an ex-girlfriend. The letter's message— "You can't escape your past" — unnerved her, she said.

Betts was shot dead by police after killing nine people, including his sister, in a weekend shooting rampage. 

Waterbury police said they have arrested a woman in connection with a fatal hit and run.

Police said 26-year-old Dominique Caraway, of Naugatuck, turned herself in to police.

She was arrested after an investigation into the hit-and-run after 69-year-old Henry Pearson, of Waterbury, was struck around 2:20 a.m. on Saturday in the area of 937 North Main St.

Police said they developed information Monday and found the vehicle that struck Pearson with no plates under a tarp behind a residence on Willow Street in Waterbury.

Soon after, Caraway turned herself in, police said.

They said she had reported her vehicle stolen to the Waterbury Police just before 2 p.m. on Saturday.

When a gunman entered a busy El Paso Walmart Saturday and began firing on crowds of back-to-school shoppers, Ana Gabriela Vitela became paralyzed by fear.

“My mom froze. I yelled at her to go but she remained still," Vitela's 9-year-old son Eduardo Gabriel Mier told Telemundo 48 in El Paso.

That's when, according to Eduardo, he grabbed his mother by the hand and led her, running, to the emergency exit. Both of them walked out the store unscathed.

The young boy is being hailed a hero for not cowering in the wake of danger and getting his mother to safety.

Vitela recounted in an interview with Telemundo 48 that, in the moment, she was thinkinging about her son's safety and “didn’t know what she should do" as the shooter fired indiscriminately inside the store.

"I was scared, but then I reacted," Vitela said. "I thank God and my son because we're alive and nothing happened to us." 

She said her feet trembled as she tried to drive away in her car after seeing "a lot of people wounded, dead and covered with blood outside." 

“When I look at the store I get goosebumps and think about what we lived through inside there. I’m very scared,” Vitela added.

The massacre left 22 people dead and scores more injured. El Paso's police chief, Greg Allen, said investigators believe the suspected gunman, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, posted an anti-immigrant screed that appeared online shortly before the attack. Crusius is being held on capital murder charges, though federal prosecutors are also considering charging Crusius with hate crimes.

Hartford police have released a photo of a vehicle involved in a deadly hit-and-run crash on Hillside Avenue Monday.

Police say they received a call just before noon reporting a hit and run, occurring just after the intersection of Hillside and New Britain Avenue.

When officers arrived they found 55-year-old Sharlene Mansfield in the street, and unresponsive. She was transported to Hartford Hospital where she was pronounced dead just before 2 p.m.

Police have collected and reviewed surveillance video, which NBC Connecticut viewed as well but has chosen not to air due to its graphic nature. In the video, the suspect’s vehicle can be seen coming into the frame just after Mansfield was struck, driving on the wrong side of the road.

The suspect vehicle is described as a gray 2018 Hyundai Sonata with Connecticut plates AU88355 and heavy front-end damage, including a shattered front windshield. It was reported stolen out of Ellington on August 2.

Police are urging anyone with information to call 860-722-TIPS.

The rise of opioid-related deaths is leading to a new partnership in Vernon.

Medical officials and emergency agencies are working to increase access to care for those struggling with drug addiction.

Eastern Connecticut’s Health Network’s Rockville General Hospital and the Vernon Police Department have come together, with additional community groups, to find a way to offer treatment, instead of arrests, when appropriate.

The initiative looks to provide hope to people suffering from addiction by creating environments where they can establish a medical treatment plan and benefit from support resources.

Vernon Police will continue to partner with the Vernon ROCKS coalition and North Central District Health Department to combat opiate addiction across the area.

Vernon Police Lt. William Meier says it’s a community effort.

“We’re doing everything we can through partnering in the community,” Meier said. “This is a way that we can contribute and push people towards treatment as opposed to prison.”

Rockville General Hospital is partnering with Connecticut Community of Addiction Recovery (CCAR) Recovery Coaches to the Emergency Department, effective August 1, 2019.

Recovery coaches are currently available to patients seen in Manchester Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED).

This expansion of services to include patients seen in Rockville General Hospital’s Emergency Department is made possible by grant funding to CCAR by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).

Dr. Robert Carroll works for the ECHN’s emergency medicine department.

“Sending people to prison for these things doesn’t make them any better in fact it probably hardens them,” said Carroll. “We are looking to provide another avenue for people coming in for treatment.”

One way to help combat against ongoing addiction is with recovery coaches.

“Those recovery coaches are people that are in long-time recovery themselves,” said Carroll.

Phil Valentine is the executive director for the CCAR and recovering addict.

“It’s the grace of God that I haven’t had a drink or drug since December 28, 1987,” said Valentine.

Valentine says having a support system and someone that’s been through the recovery process can make all the difference.

“Their primary purpose is not to necessarily to connect people to care, or make sure they get in recovery,” said Valentine. “The recovery coaches have one primary focus that is to plant the seed of hope.”

The ED Recovery Coach program provides needed support and guidance to people experiencing many forms of addiction.

Recovery coaches work with the individual, providing support during and after the ED visit and connecting them to community resources including substance use treatment.

ECHN is grateful to the DMHAS for funding this vital and needed program and to the dedicated employees of CCAR that provide this service.

NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut are gearing up for the annual Clear the Shelters pet adoption event on Saturday, August 17.

More than 1,000 animals are waiting to be adopted across the state.

It’s a big day for Flash. He’s a rescue dog at the Connecticut Humane Society.

A Connecticut State police photographer snapped his picture inside a cruiser. His face is the center of attention. It’s all part of a new effort to get more pets like Flash adopted.

“We’re pairing up a dog with a state trooper,” Trooper Josue Dorelus explained. “Getting a few photos and posting it on our social media platform. Giving our followers and opportunity to see some of these dogs.”

Do you do you was inspired by a dog named Boomer, rescue now a State Police K9.

“Given a second chance and is now one of the most motivated canines. That we have out on the roads,” said Trooper Dorelus.

State Police will be featuring a new dog every Friday in hopes of finding them a forever home.

“We are trying to showcase dogs might need more of a boost to find that right family,” said Susan Wollschlager, marketing and communications manager for Connecticut Humane Society. “So dogs that are a little bit older, might have a medical condition”

“It feels great,” Dorelus said. “As an owner I’ve two dogs myself that were rescued from a local shelter, it feels great to provide another pet with a second chance.”

Police made a second arrest Tuesday in a disturbing case involving dead dog was found burned at the Sandy Point Beach Parking lot after the 4th of July.

West Haven Police say 41-year-old Maurice Jackson was arrested Tuesday. He faces charges of open burning, breach of peace, and illegal dumping charges alongside his girlfriend, 34-year-old Latrice Moody. Moody was arrested Monday and is out of jail on $30,000 bond. She also faces an animal cruelty charge.

The couple claims they were cremating Moody’s dog.

In court documents, they say after their lengthy investigation "this type of behavior is not indicative of someone who wanted to cremate a beloved pet, but rather someone who wanted to simply dispose of an animal."

NBC Connecticut obtained exclusive surveillance video from the Elm Street Citgo just after midnight on July 5.

According to arrest warrant documents, this is what led West Haven Police to Moody and Jackson.

Court documents describe what’s caught on camera. Police say Jackson is seen buying a gas can and then filling it up before driving away in Moody’s car.

While Moody first said her dog Brooklyn ran away, police said she eventually admitted to wrapping the approximately 8-year-old Yorkshire Terrier in a towel and lighting it on fire with gasoline leaving folks to find the disturbing burn scene when the sun rose.

Police say a post on Moody’s Facebook memorialized her dead dog on July 5.

"Yesterday after having the best 4th of July ever, I came home to find my Brooklyn called home to doggie heaven."

"It makes me sick I have a dog, I would never. The people should burn like the dog burns," said Christine Turcio of North Haven.

Those we spoke to at the West Haven gas station are glad cameras helped catch the suspected couple.

"A dog can’t talk back. I think when a person misuses someone like a dog or baby, I think it should be prosecuted very highly," said Kelly Moye of New Haven.

As locals continue to memorialize the pooch alongside the shore, police say extensive lab testing showed the dog had extensive kidney, cardio vascular issues and a dislocated leg, leading police to believe Brooklyn was neglected in its life even before it died and was burned.

In court documents, Jackson’s parole officer even recalls visiting their home a month before the burn investigation and seeing animal that looked in pain as it was walking on the "knuckle" of it’s leg. Police say Jackson has an extensive criminal history.

We tried speaking with who we believe was Moody earlier in the day, but she drove away. According to court documents, police say she told them she didn’t know "if Brooklyn was really sick because she never brought the dog to the vet."

Moody is expected in court August 20.

Fairfield police are on scene after a suspect may have barricaded himself inside a container on the 200-block of Bronson Road.

Police said the incident began when they received a report that a suspect’s GPS monitoring device was not responding, and that he was not responding to calls from court. The man has been identified as James Taylor.

Officers responded to Taylor's home and believe he may have barricaded himself inside a storage container on the property.

Police are asking the public to avoid the area of Bronson Road near the Interstate 95 exit ramp.

More information was not immediately available.

Communities around the state took part in National Night Out Tuesday, which brought together first responders and residents.

It’s an effort to build safer neighborhoods by having a little fun.

For about 15 years Meriden has hosted an event and thousands were expected to show up at Hubbard Park.

“It’s a great opportunity to get together and get to know each other,” said Sgt. Chris Fry of the Meriden Police Department.

In Manchester, Hartford and Waterbury, residents also got a chance to build trust with police officers, firefighters and ambulance crews.

“It was pretty cool seeing them. You know, having them protect everyone. Keeping everyone safe,” said Devon Diaz of Meriden.

Outside the Pitkin Community Center in Wethersfield, Sgt. Mike Fisher didn’t mind getting a little wet by taking part in a dunk tank if it helps others see police in a different light.

“It’s important to have a police relationship that fosters the ability to work together because we really rely on the public as an information source and to make it a safer community,” Fisher said.

Amid all the family fun, entertainment and demonstrations, there were moments of gratitude and hope relations were strengthened for the future.

“It’s really building bonds with them and keeping that bond going. It’s very, very important for our neighborhoods,” said Holly Wills, president of the Council of Neighborhoods in Meriden.

National Night Out was established 35 years ago. It’s now celebrated by millions of people in thousands of communities across the country.

People walking in Times Square were sent into a widespread panic Tuesday night after what sounded like multiple gunshots rang out in the crowded tourist destination — only later to be ruled as motorcycle backfire, police said.

The loud sounds were heard at the Crossroads of the World sometime around 9:30 p.m., with multiple backfires on the road near Eighth Avenue and West 42nd Street, according to the NYPD.

Crowds of people unaware of what was going on took off away from the sound, with some people running toward West 47th Street and Seventh Avenue, police said. Video from above showed groups running in the street — many assumingly not knowing what they were running from, others running from the sound similar to gunfire.

One pedestrian was injured from a fall sustained while running during the frenzy, police said.

Witnesses said they saw people screaming and climbing over each other, stampeding up Broadway.

Police were investigating to make sure that it really was just a motorcycle backfire and no real shots were fired.

The NYPD’s Midtown North precinct tweeted out that there is “no #ActiveShooter in #TimesSquare. Motorcycles backfiring while passing through sounded like gunshots … Please don’t panic. The Times Square area is very safe!”

Emergency crews responded to Silver Lake in Berlin early Wednesday morning after a canoe capsized. 

Police said two people were in the canoe when it capsized, and both were wearing life vests. 

One person was able to get to shore and the other needed help, but was able to swim to a police officer, police said. 

The fire department towed the canoe to the boat launch.

Mass shootings are not an uncommon event in the American news cycle. When they happen, it can be hard to cope with the feelings of stress and anxiety they cause.

The American Psychological Association offers advice on how to manage your distress in these times of tragedy. Here are five ways to deal with the aftermath of mass shootings you can do in your daily life: 

1. The first thing you should do is talk about it. Find a family member or friend you are comfortable speaking about this to, or someone who is experiencing similar emotions. Doing so, you will realize you are not alone and the way you feel is okay.
2. Remind yourself of good times in your life. Balance any extra pessimism the news is causing you with positivity that comes from the loved ones and events you have in your life.
3. You do not have to focus on the tragedies non-stop. Take a break from the news by watching something else in the media that is not giving updates on the situation.
4. Taking care of your physical health will help you stay positive. Exercise, eat well-balanced meals, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
5. Locate resources in your community to volunteer and help people who have been affected by the incident, or have other needs. This will create a positive environment for you, easing some of the feelings the news of mass shootings causes.

A driver crashed into a CVS store in New London Tuesday evening and fled the scene, according to police. 

The crash happened at 5:50 p.m. at the CVS at 817 Bank St. and police said it caused considerable structural damage to the building, so the store was closed for further inspection. 

Police said they have information about the vehicle that hit the building and the investigation is active. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the New London Police Department at (860) 447-5269, extension 0.

There is a gas leak near the baseball hitting and pitching facility on Calhoun Way at UConn in Storrs and the school is warning people to stay away from the area. 

No additional information was immediately available.

Police are trying to identify two men who tried to steal a car from a mother who was grocery shopping with her 3-year-old daughter in Manchester.

Lt. Ryan Shea, the public information officer for Manchester Police, said police received a 911 call around 11 p.m. Monday from a woman who reported that two men approached her in the parking lot of the Stop & Shop on Broad Street as she was loading groceries into her car and demanded her car keys.

One of the men grabbed her and she screamed, scaring them off, police said.

The man who demanded the keys implied he had a gun, but the woman did not see one, according to police. 

"I think she did a lot of the right things. She screamed out loud and we're talking about 11 o'clock at night in a parking lot that was relatively empty, so screaming out loud definitely caused these two individuals to be alarmed and run away. She did what she had to do to protect her child,” Shea said.

The two men were wearing T-shirts, basketball style shorts and they were carrying backpacks, according to police. 

Police are searching for them and ask anyone with information to call the Manchester Police Department.

A colorful display outside of Connecticut Children’s in Hartford is brightening the day for patients inside the medical center. 

For the last four years, Aliana Fichera has decided to have a birthday bash, where she invites friends and patients to decorate the sidewalk in chalk. 

Fichera has been a long-time patient herself and has had to undergo monthly infusions to strengthen her immune system. 

As a child she was diagnosed with CVID, Common Variable Immune Deficiency, a rare diagnosis affecting roughly 66,000 people in the United States. 

For Fichera, a “common cold” can pose serious health complications. 

“When I was in the hospital, when I was younger, when I would kind of just look out the windows, I kind of felt not myself and I kind of thought bad thoughts. And I wanted to make other people happy and not have them feel the way I did. So I just wanted them to look out the window and make them fight even more,” Aliana Fichera said.

Patients who can’t leave the hospital can send down messages to be written on the sidewalk.

Donations are collected in memory of two patients who recently died. Their individual families can choose which department of the hospital receives that money.

A 13-year-old was seriously injured when a man at a Montana rodeo slammed him to the ground after the boy did not remove his hat during a playing of the national anthem, authorities said Tuesday.

Curt James Brockway, 39, was arrested on suspicion of felony assault on a minor following the alleged attack at the rodeo at the Mineral County Fair on Saturday, NBC News reported.

The boy was originally taken to a nearby hospital, but his injuries were so serious that he had to be airlifted to Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane, Washington, according to a statement by Mineral County Sheriff Mike Boone.

"He was definitely bleeding out of his ears; he was scared," witness Taylor Hennick told NBC News on Wednesday about the incident. “He seemed shocked and out of it and wondering why he was being hit." 

Brockway said he asked the boy to take off his hat, after which the teen cursed at him, Mineral County Attorney Ellen Donohue said in a written statement.

A motorcyclist who was injured in a crash in East Haven Friday night is still in the hospital.

Police said 31-year-old Ronald Rivera-Rodriguez, of West Haven, is in serious but stable condition after a crash at of Foxon Hill Road and Zolan Drive at around 10 p.m. Friday.

A car traveling westbound on Foxon Hill Road was trying to turn left into East Ridge Estates when Rivera-Rodriguez was traveling eastbound at the same time, according to police.

Rivera-Rodriguez was then ejected from the motorcycle as a result of the incident, police said, and transported to Yale New Haven Hospital.

The driver of the car was not injured.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the accident to contact Officer Ryan Gorman at rgorman@easthavenpolice.com. They are also asking the public to review any security footage they might have of the crash.

Nauset Public Beach in Orleans, Massachusetts, was temporarily closed to swimming after a shark sighting Wednesday. 

A white shark was spotted some 50 yards from the beach at 11:50 a.m. The water was closed to swimming for one hour. 

The beach was closed earlier after a shark was seen eating prey some 100 yards from the beach.