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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Montpelier Bridge Illumination Project

Lighting up Montpelier - one bridge at a time!

During the winter months, Vermont is dark. Lighting up the bridges that dot Montpelier will add vibrancy and color everywhere in the historic downtown!

The Bridge Illumination Project will artfully light up to seven of Montpelier’s downtown bridges, connecting neighborhoods to each other and the commercial center. Bridges connect us, help us overcome obstacles, and create access to resources and relationships needed for our communities to thrive!

Lighting Montpelier's bridges will not only increase pedestrian safety, it will serve as an attraction warmly welcoming our entire community and visitors to town whether arriving on foot, public transit, or by car.

In the winter of 2023, as part of a pilot project, Montpelier Alive lit up the Langdon Street bridge. What was once a dark and underutilized 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!

After the catastrophic flooding in July of 2023, at least 10 businesses closed and there are vacant storefronts that need to be filled. Now, more than ever, we need to bring patrons to town to support downtown businesses! Putting Montpelier on the map with artistic bridge lighting will play an important role in the city’s healing and recovery.

Montpelier is a city of mountains and rivers. Settled at the confluence of the Winooski River and North Branch, it has become, by necessity, a city of bridges. Montpelier Alive is collaborating with local historians and naturalists to use Montpelier’s unique history to inform each bridge’s illumination design. Lighting will be limited to times when downtown restaurants and theaters are open to allow dark skies for sleeping and enjoying the night stars.