St. Joseph's. The current pastor of the Our Lady of Sorrows is Father Arul Rajan Peter, and has been with the parish since 2012. Education Essex, like the other two towns in the "tri-town area" (Deep River and Chester), is a member of Regional School District #4. Essex Elementary School is located in Centerbrook and serves students in grades Pre-K–6 (around 350 students). John Winthrop Junior High School, located on Warsaw St. in Deep River, serves grades 7 and 8, and Valley Regional High School, located on Kelsey Hill Rd. in Deep River, serving grades 9–12, are the secondary schools for Regional School District #4. Culture and attractions The town of Essex sponsors an annual Groundhog Day parade. A large papier mache groundhog named "Essex Ed" is carried through town with revelers making noise in order to rouse him from his slumber and bring an end to winter. The town also sponsors a "Loser's Day Parade," which celebrates the 1814 event of having 29 ships burned in Essex harbor during a raid by British marines. The first Saturday in June there is a Shad Bake sponsored by the Rotary Club of Essex. In 1851 was founded the Essex Savings Bank located on the Main Street (today on the Plains Road), one of the oldest still functioning banks in Connecticut. There are two major inns in Essex: the Copper Beech Inn in Ivoryton, which has twenty two rooms and two fine-dining restaurants, and The Griswold Inn in downtown Essex, which has thirty-three rooms, two restaurants, retail shops and a taproom recognized by Esquire as "one of the top 100 bars in America". The Essex Art Association Gallery at 10 North Main St. was founded in 1946 by a group of avant-garde artists. It is open 1–5 PM daily during the summer months. It is housed in a historic schoolhouse. Artists are invited to take part in the six shows held each season. The Essex Steam Train is one of the most famous and popular Essex attractions. The main station is located in Centerbrook, with other stations in Deep River, Chester, and Haddam. The regular train ride goes from Essex to Deep River and then the Becky Thatcher Riverboat takes the passengers up to the Haddam area. The Essex Clipper Dinner Train goes from Essex all the way up to Haddam. A few times a year Thomas the Tank Engine comes to