MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Summer Festival on-the-Green celebrates its 38th season this year, and organizers say they’re excited to be returning to the village green. Look for the festival under a big white tent next to St. Stephen’s Church during the week of July 10-16.
During nearly four decades as a top attraction on the arts calendar in Vermont, the festival has showcased an impressive list of talent: artists with long résumés and up-and-coming performers, quiet solo acts and lively bands. The festival is accessible to all and never charges an admission fee.
For the fifth year, students from Lisa Rader’s Design & Illustration Program at the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury submitted design suggestions for the festival T-shirt. The Festival Committee reviewed an impressive portfolio of designs and narrowed the selection to four: “Festival for Folks,” “Morning, Noon & Night,” “Chello, It’s Me,” and “Violin Silhouette.”
The committee invites the community to cast a vote for this year’s design. Voting will remain open untilmidnight on May 25. To cast a vote, visit http://svy.mk/25aHhWy.
This year’s festival has been named a 2016 Vermont Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Summer Event. Featured performers include the New Nile Orchestra, Pat Donohue, The Lonely Heartstring Band, Tall Heights, Les Poules à Colin, They Might Be Gypsies, Daby Touré, Brett Hughes, Dwight & Nicole, The DuPont Brothers, Madaila, and the Vermont Jazz Ensemble holding their annual Big Band Street Dance, complete with swing dance instruction by Jim Condon.
The popular “Brown Bag” noontime series returns with Jon Gailmor, Padulabaum, the No Strings Marionette Company, Rik Palieri, and magician Tom Verner. For further information about this year’s festival and to learn about both donating and volunteering, visit the festival’s Facebook page or website, www.festivalonthegreen.org.