WESTPORT — No matter how you “Slice” it, the legacy of the town’s Saugatuck neighborhood is worth celebrating.

And a celebration there will be Saturday, Sept. 25, as the ninth “Slice of Saugatuck Festival” is served in-person after going virtual last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is organized by the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce.

The festival, from 2 to 5 p.m., will showcase Saugatuck’s restaurants, shops and galleries, where doors will be open for festival goers to sample diverse offerings. Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 26.

The Saugatuck neighborhood, hugging the river from which its name is derived, also flanks railroad tracks running through town and hosts the largest local rail depot. 

Historically, Saugatuck once was a center of manufacturing and for many years was home to a tight-knit community whose heritage was primarily Italian.

“Walk the streets of Saugatuck Center,” say festival organizers, “and taste your way from restaurant to restaurant, to liquor store, to retail merchant and back.” 

The festival area is bounded roughly by Railroad Place, Riverside Avenue and Saugatuck Avenue.

Parking will be available at the nearby railroad station lots.

“We’re back and Saugatuck is stronger than ever,” Matthew Mandell, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “Everyone embraces this event, from the merchants and restaurateurs right down to the residents who come out to see what’s up. 

“Where else can you just walk the streets with friends and neighbors and enjoy what a community has to offer?” 

In addition to sampling foods at local restaurants and checking out the fare at retail outlets, the Slice of Saugatuck Festival plans other attractions: 

• Beer gardens (and wine, too) at Bridge Square and Railroad Place.

• Seven bands playing at different venues throughout the neighborhood.

• Boat rides from Bridge Square every 30 minutes at quarter-past and three-quarters past the hour.

• Tae Kwan Do demonstration at 3:15 p.m. in Luciano Park.

• “Maker Faire,” from 2 to 5 p.m. in Luciano Park.

• Saugatuck Fire Station tours and fire-safety demonstrations from 2 to 5 p.m.

• Tickets for the Slice of Saugatuck Festival, available only Sept. 25 at the event, will be on sale — cash only — for $15 (two for $25), children five to 12 years old, $5. Tickets will be sold starting at 1:45 p.m. the day of the event.

• For more information, call the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce at 203-227-9234.

Traffic Advisory

To accommodate the Slice of Saugatuck Festival, Railroad Place —from Riverside Avenue to Franklin Street — will be closed to vehicular traffic from approximately noon to 6 p.m. Saturday to allow for set up and break down of vendor booths and exhibitions, according to a police notice.

All other roads will remain open to traffic, but motorists should expect heavy pedestrian traffic in the areas surrounding the Saugatuck Railroad Station, including lower Riverside Avenue and Saugatuck Avenue.

Police remind pedestrians to use crosswalks.

The Saugatuck depot’s lots will provide parking for the event.