The Manchester Antique Car Show takes place June 11-12.
Southern Vermont Idol
603-313-0052, http://www.southernvermontidol.com
(Audition dates, additional details at website.) The event competition begins Saturday, July 9 and continues on July 16, 23, 30 and Aug 5. Adult grand prize of $1,500. Four adults and four youth will receive prizes, awarded at the Aug 5 finale. Net proceeds benefit the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP), a nonprofit organization in Bellows Falls. RAMP celebrates 20 years of commitment to integrating the arts into the long-term sustainability of the community by creating effective partnerships that initiate and support accessibility, affordable housing, artist town meetings, public art initiatives, and policymaking.
Brattleboro Brewers Fest
Brattleboro
www.brattleborobrewfest.com
May 14, noon-4p, the fest features more than 25 microbrews, great food, and live music: Blues for Breakfast. VABEC fields just off Exit 1, I-91. Details and ticket information online.
Benefit Auction for River Gallery School
Scott Farm, Dummerston
www.rivergalleryschool.org
May 14: 5-8p (date pending): 26th Annual Benefit Auction supports school programs and scholarships. It is an evening of bidding on fabulous items donated by local artists, craftspeople, businesses, restaurants, students, and friends of the school. Tickets and more online.
Southern Vermont Mineral Show
Grace Christian School, Bennington
802-375-6782
May 21-22: Come by the Southern Vermont Mineral Show at the Grace Christian School. Collectors from around the area bring gems, minerals, fossils, and more.
Mayfest
Bennington
www.betterbennington.com
May 28, 10a-5p: Downtown Bennington transforms into a festival of arts, crafts, activities, food, and entertainment. In 2016 there will be more than 125 crafters and artisans from throughout New England featuring handmade crafts of wood, pottery, glass, metal, fabric, jewelry, and more. As always, School Street will be lined with ethnic treats including Indian, German, Thai, and American. You’ll also find favorites such as fried dough, gourmet seafood, wood-fired pizza, BBQ, blooming onions, and ice cream. Mayfest isn’t just for adults; there are lots of kids’ activities, contests, and games. A dunking booth, the 4-H shooting range, the Trustco bouncy house, and face painting add to the fun.
Newfane Memorial Day Weekend
Newfane
May 28: 9a Newfane Garden Club Plant and Bake Sale, Newfane Common. May 29: 5-6p Morris Dancers; 6-9p – Summer Cookout at Four Columns, Cadillac Envy, the Vermont Rockabilly Revolution; May 30: 8-10a Pancake Breakfast, Newfane Church; 9a Memorial Day Parade, Newfane Town Hall to Newfane Common.
Vermont Performance Lab
Guilford
www.vermontperformancelab.com
May 28: VPL Open Lab, with open rehearsals and conversation. In collaboration with Marlboro College, 1-4p, Marlboro College. June 25: Party Under the Stars, celebrating VPL’s 10th anniversary with dancing, stargazing, surprise guests, performance pop-ups and more, 8p. Park at Broad Brooks Grange, Guilford. July 29: VPL in the Works, Virago-Man Dem by Cynthia Oliver, 7:30p Hilltop Montessori, Brattleboro. Aug 13: The Seed Program in the Works, dance residency exchange between VPL and Studio 303. Time TBD. Hilltop Montessori, Brattleboro.
Strolling of the Heifers Weekend
Downtown Brattleboro area
www.strollingoftheheifers.com
June 3-5: The world-famous Strolling of the Heifers celebrates family farmers, local food, and rural life. June 3: The festivities kick off on Friday with a Gallery Walk and Street Festival from 5:30-8p on Main Street and at the River Garden. June 4: The parade starts at 10a and is followed by the Slow Living Expo. Cheese village, healthy living info, home energy, crafts, goat Olympics and more. June 5: Sunday starts off with the famous Farmers’ Breakfast from 9a-1p, the Tour de Heifer dirt road cycling ride, and a guided tour of five area farms.
Manchester Antique and Classic Car Show
Dorr Farm Field, Route 30, Manchester
www.manchestercarshow.com
June 11-12: Welcome, car enthusiasts! The premier Antique and Classic Car Show in Manchester celebrates 29 years of the best antique and classic cars, food vendors and flea market in the Northeast. Awards will be given for to all the best cars in the categories of 1940s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
Vermont at Cedar Creek Weekend
Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
Middletown, Va.
June 24-26: Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park plan a special event, “Vermont at Cedar Creek Weekend,” consisting of a series of free special ranger programs, a “History at Sunset” program, living history encampments and demonstrations, along with the re-dedication of the 8th Vermont Monument, which was restored by the National Park Service last year. All of these programs and activities explore the role Vermont troops played in the Battle of Cedar Creek, fought on Oct. 19, 1864. Participation of noted Vermont historian Howard Coffin, who has written and lectured extensively on Vermont in the Civil War, and State Sen. Joseph Benning, who was instrumental in the creation of a Vermont state historical marker on the battlefield, dedicated during the battle’s 150th anniversary commemoration in 2014. Living history encampment and firing demonstrations by the 3rd Vermont “Hemlocks.”
Wardsboro’s 4th of July Street Parade
Wardsboro
www.sites.google.com/site/wardsboroparade/home
July 4: The 67th Annual Wardsboro Street Fair and Parade is the longest running July Fourth fair in Vermont. More than 50 crafters and vendors will line Main Street an eclectic, unique parade, and plenty of food, including strawberry shortcake, homemade pies, chicken barbecue, hamburgers, hot dogs and pulled-pork sandwiches. There is also a quilt show, book sale, children’s games, an art show, and other entertainment.
Vermont Summer Festival Horse Show
Beebe Farm, Route 7A, East Dorset
www.vt-summerfestival.com
July 5-Aug 14: Northern New England’s largest AA-rated hunter and jumper show. Top riders throughout the United States and Canada compete for prizes and points toward national recognition. See events page for more.
Southern Vermont Dance Festival
Brattleboro
www.southernvermontdancefestival.com
July 14-17: Southern Vermont Dance Festival returns with an exciting round of dance classes, lectures, and performances. Attendees will be invited to attend dance performances each evening as well as a choice of many different classes each day. There will be many amazing opportunities offered to the professional dancer, dance student, and dance enthusiast. This festival weekend will be filled with raffle events, downtown performances and workshops, and live music and performances hosted by various local businesses. This event is accessible to anyone interested in participating in a weekend of dance and movement. Tickets online.
Bookstock Literary Festival
Woodstock
www.bookstockvt.org
July 29-31: The 8th annual Bookstock Literary Festival in Woodstock hosts a weekend of outstanding poets, novelists, historians, journalists, memoirists and other writers. As poet Julia Shipley has said of Bookstock, “It’s the perfect combination of who, where, and when, offering readings by nationally acclaimed writers amid Woodstock’s charming and accessible village.” Besides three days of author presentation, the festival offers on Woodstock’s historic green a book sale of used and vintage volumes, a literary marketplace for publishers and writers, activities for children, and food and music. Story-telling, workshops, and a poetry slam at nearby cultural center, ArtisTree are also scheduled. All sessions of Bookstock at venues surrounding or near The Green are free and open to the public. See web for presenters and events.
Bennington Arts Weekend
Bennington
www.betterbennington.com
Aug 5-7: The Bennington Arts Weekend is all about the arts. With events all over the greater Bennington area, there’s sure to be something for everybody. The weekend starts off with the southern Vermont Arts and Crafts Festival at Camelot Village — which includes food, beer, wine and entertainment — and continues with the Front Porch Music Series, a plein air style competition on Main Street, and live entertainment. Throughout the weekend, visit the Bennington Museum and the Bennington Center for the Arts for more events. Finish off the weekend with Sunday Morning Jazz at South Street Café.
