About the Festival on the Green

In 2003, the Mansfield Downtown Partnership’s Advertising and Promotion Committee was looking for ways to promote the Partnership and its efforts in creating Storrs Center.  Committee members at the time saw an opportunity for a community-wide event that would do just that.  After many planning meetings and conversations with planners of other community events in the area, the Advertising and Promotion Committee developed the following mission statement:

Create a festival for Mansfield residents and University of Connecticut students that celebrates the best of Mansfield including art, music, entertainment, food, games, and activities while promoting Storrs Center businesses and the proposed new town center.

In 2004, the Committee’s hard work culminated in the first Festival on the Green, so named in recognition of the goal of a new town green as part of the proposed Storrs Center.

Local businesses and organizations were recruited to help “Celebrate Mansfield” in September, but the Festival faced a truly stormy start as Hurricane Ivan made its way up the East Coast in the days leading up to the inaugural event.  Festival sub-committee chair Betsy Paterson recalls “sitting with Cynthia van Zelm at WILI as Wayne Norman spoke to all of his weather contacts on the East Coast, trying to get an accurate picture of what the weather would be like that weekend.  We decided to delay the Festival by one day.  Wayne assured us by Sunday the weather would be fine – and he was right!  It was a bit cold and windy, but there was no rain.”

Since that first year, the Festival on the Green has continued to grow, in both the number of activities and the number of attendees.  Community members look forward to this fun gathering that features attractions for all ages.  Some events, like the Celebrate Mansfield Parade (formerly the “Bikes, Tykes, and Trikes” Parade) are annual happenings that draw loyal participants.  Other events evolve as the sub-committee reviews the success of each Festival and tweaks events to appeal to residents, students, and visitors.  Each year, thousands of people converge on the future site of Storrs Center and enjoy the best of Mansfield.

The Sixth Annual Festival on the Green, held September 13, 2009, had over 80 booths hosted by Mansfield businesses, organizations, and school groups which featured a wide variety of activities.  From a dunk tank to cooking demos, rowing machine races to the Juried Art Show, there was truly something for everyone at the Festival.   Beginning with the Celebrate Mansfield Parade, the Mansfield community enjoyed musical entertainment, ethnic foods, a pie-eating contest, and games all day long.

The Sixth Annual
Festival on the Green
Sunday, September 13