Mayfest - Montpelier moves outside!

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Lighting Up Montpelier!

Thanks to extraordinary community effort, Downtown Montpelier has largely recovered from

the devastating flood this summer. Its commercial center remains fragile, however, and needs

your help.

To attract residents and tourists downtown, make walking in the city safer during the winter

months, and to celebrate the resilience and recovery of the capital city, Montpelier Alive is

working to illuminate up to seven historic bridges along the Winooski River and its North

Branch.

In the winter of 2023, as part of a pilot project, Montpelier Alive, Montpelier’s downtown

revitalization non-profit organization, lit up the Langdon Street bridge. Twinkling lights wrapped

around the steel trusses illuminated the center of town and reflected off the river. What was

once a dark side street became a magnet for holiday shoppers, evening dining and a vibrant

music scene. The sparkling bridge declared that Montpelier was open for business and

welcomed all to the party!

Montpelier Alive is collaborating with local historians and naturalists to use Montpelier’s unique

history to inform each bridge’s illumination design. For instance, the Rialto bridge will be

underlit to highlight the North Branch River that runs beneath two lanes of traffic, two

sidewalks and an entire building on State Street! The trusses of the Granite Street bridge will be

lined with large white bulbs, to highlight the engineering of the structure and mimic the rivets

holding the steel beams together. The impact of seven bridges, each uniquely lit, will transfer

Montpelier’s cityscape this winter.

Katie Trautz, Executive Director of Montpelier Alive, believes "Illuminating Montpelier's Bridges

will not only be impactful for our downtown economy as visitors from near and far come to

witness the lights, but the project will act as a metaphor for community resiliency, bringing our

town together for a better future."

This initiative will not require Montpelier tax dollars. Donations and grants will provide the

funds necessary for building the electric infrastructure, the services of the New England Holiday

Lighting Company, the professionals responsible for the magnificent Shelburne Museum Winter

Lights display, and the modest amount of electricity required for the energy efficient LED lights.

Lighting will be limited to times when downtown restaurants and theaters are open to allow

dark skies for sleeping and enjoying the night stars.

Help Montpelier Alive light up the capital city this winter! If the campaign reaches its $13,350

goal by May 31, 2024 the Montpelier Bridge Illumination Project will receive a matching grant of

$26,650 from DHCD’s Better Places program. Click HERE for project details and to DONATE.

The focus of the Better Places grant is on the three bridges that illuminate downtown: the

Rialto, Langdon and School Street bridges. Any remaining funds will help build the

infrastructure to also light the Bailey Avenue, Taylor Street, and Main Street bridges that cross

the Winooski River. Montpelier Alive plans to continue raising funds for all seven bridges over

the next year. For more information on the Bridge project, visit Montpelier Alive’s webpage:

montpelieralive.com/bridges

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Discover Montpelier

The Taste of Montpelier Food Festival Returns to the Capital City October 7th

Sep 27 2023

The Taste of Montpelier Food Festival, presented by Hunger Mountain Co-op, returns for its third year. This year it’s the main event of Montpelier’s Reopening Celebration! Taste features food trucks, vendors and artisans, chef demos, beer and cocktail gardens and street performers - this year’s Taste of Montpelier has it all!

The main attraction, The Great Taste runs from 1-5pm on Saturday, October 7th on Langdon Street and State Street from Main to Elm. It features over 20 food trucks and artisan foods. The demo tent features four different presentations ranging from a high school student teaching how to make tamales, a heritage passed down from his great, great grandmother, a Vermont Fall Harvest tasting from Get Creative Culinary, bruschetta demo from Woodbelly Pizza, and demo about making Barr Hill’s house made tonic and what makes it taste so good. The festival also features world-renowned street performers, including Cate Great, The Red Trouser Show, The Real McCoy, and Mr. Crites and Woodhead. It’s an event not to be missed!

“Montpelier is filled with amazing restaurants, and surrounded by tremendous food artisans,” said Montpelier Alive Executive Director Katie Trautz. “We are so excited to support and celebrate our local culinary scene!”

This year’s event is also a fundraiser for Montpelier’s restaurants, many who are still recovering from flood damage. Part of the vendor fees and all of the busking money collected during the performer acts will go to support the impacted restaurants.

Find out which Montpelier restaurants and other businesses are open and support the downtown during your visit!

Thank you to our event sponsors: Presenting Sponsor: Hunger Mountain Co-op; Platinum Sponsors: VSECU, Vermont Creamery, and Barr Hill; Gold Sponsors: Community National Bank, Union Mutual and Vermont Mutual; Event Supporters: AARP, Red Hen Baking Company and Media Sponsor Seven Days

For more information, visit www.montpelieralive.com/taste

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Community Dining Montpelier Alive