At 2:00pm on Saturday June 10th, as part of the Norwich Heritage & Regional Visitors Center’s celebration of Connecticut Open House Day, Tom Callinan, designated Connecticut’s first Official State Troubadour, will be performing selected songs from his Norwich repertoire that will be included in his “Troubadour Trail” walking tour. The concert and festivities will be held be at 69 East Town Street, on the Norwichtown Green.

In 1991, legislation passed by the Connecticut General Assembly, and signed into law by then-Governor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., created the position of the Official State Troubadour, and Tom Callinan was selected as the first to receive this unprecedented honor. Mr. Callinan has reputedly composed more songs about Connecticut than anyone in history, including over 20 (to date) related to his hometown of Norwich.

Last fall (2016), with the support of the Norwich Historical Society and the Norwich Community Development Corporation, Mr. Callinan received a Regional Initiative Grant to create a “Troubadour Trail”, which will eventually be added to the online “Walk Norwich” project. The goal of the “Troubadour Trail” is to musically acquaint visitors to Norwich and its citizenry (of all ages) about people, places, and events in The Rose City’s history. The funding for the “Troubadour Trail” grant came from the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, in collaboration with the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

Mr. Callinan’s “Troubadour Trail” will consist of three components: Norwichtown; Mohegan Heritage; and Downtown. Among the songs that will be included on June 10th will be: [from Norwichtown], “Lowthorpe Meadow”; “Meetinghouse Rocks”; and “Poco-Loco For Cocoa”; [from Mohegan Heritage], “The First Of The Mohegans” and “Uncas Leap”; and [from Downtown], “The Struggles Of Ruggles”; “Mending Soles And Saving Souls”; and “Norwich’s Lifesaving Tree”. Admission to this event is free.

For further information, contact Regan Miner:
Email – minerregan@gmail.com

For further information about Tom Callinan:
www.crackerbarrel-ents.com/Callinan/bio.htm