The town of Essex is located in Middlesex County in Conneticut. Essex sponsors both a Groundhog Day parade in which a paper maiche ground hog is carried around to make noise in attempt to wake the groundhog out of sleep in order to bring winter to an end. They also sponsor a Loser's Day parade, which is in celebration of the burning of 29 ships in the Essex Harbor in 1814 during a raid by the British Marines. One of Essex's main and most popular attractions is the Essex Steam Train. Essex also has the Conneticut River Museum located right on the Conneticut River and is home to the yearly Conneticut River Festival. Less