MIDDLEBURY — The Festival on-the-Green board is busy raising donations for the 36th annual edition of the week-long entertainment extravaganza, which this year will be held at a different venue due to anticipated construction in downtown Middlebury.
The festival will take place from July 6 to 12 at the Middlebury Recreation Park off Mary Hogan Drive. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on the green has historically provided space on its grounds and within its building for festival activities, but the scheduled replacement of the two nearby railroad overpasses on Merchants Row and Main Street is prompting organizers to shift the event to what will be a quieter locale.
As always, the nonprofit festival will be free and will therefore depend on contributions. Organizers have established a $32,000 budget to stage this year’s event, and have thus far raised approximately $18,000, festival board President David Andrews reported on Thursday.
“We are not unduly concerned (about reaching the goal), but July is coming soon,” Andrews said. “It will be a little more expensive to put on the festival off-site.”
Donors can send their checks to the Festival on-the-Green, P.O. Box 451, Middlebury, VT 05753. Folks can also donate online at festivalonthegreen.org.
Organizers have already assembled a great talent lineup for this year’s show, including Anaïs Mitchell, Josh Panda, Kat Wright, and Le Vent du Nord, as well as an impressive array of noontime “Brown Bag” performances aimed at the children.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].