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

Visiting Montpelier after the July 2023 Flood

Sep 14 2023

On July 10th, devastating rains resulted in the North Branch of the Winooski River cresting more than 20 feet, filling business basements and retail spaces with floodwaters. More than 4,000 volunteers came to town to help businesses clean up and recover, with the goal of enabling our restaurants and retail stores to reopen as quickly as they can. The community came together to organize benefit concerts, festivals and other fundraisers to support our downtown to bring back a more resilient Montpelier!

As our City recovers and businesses reopen, there are plenty of reasons to visit Montpelier this fall, and parking is FREE as the City rebuilds!! Visit our webpage Montpelier’s Coming Back! Visiting Montpelier after the Flood to see who's back in business, hear about events, explore the outdoors, and learn how you can contribute to Montpelier’s recovery efforts.

During the recovery, Central Vermont is jam-packed with events; many of them are benefits to support Montpelier's rebuilding. Find what’s happening on our Community Calendar during your visit, such as art openings, concerts, festivals, bike tours, or other outdoor adventures during the beautiful fall foliage season.

Here’s a small sample of Upcoming Events:

September 23rd - Point-to-Point bike ride powered by VSECU
September 30th - Bent Nails Bistro Block Party live music & fundraising event
October 1st - Montpelier Fall Festival and Fun Run
October 6th - 8th Montpelier Reopening Celebration all weekend: Montpelier Artwalk, Capital City Farmer's Market, Taste of Montpelier, and Sidewalk Sales, Grand Opening of the Kellogg Hubbard Library, 24 Hour Comics Challenge – all weekend long.

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