Save the Date: The Sixth Annual Festival on the Green is Sunday, September 13!

July 9, 2009:  The Mansfield Downtown Partnership announces that this year’s Festival will be Sunday, September 13 from noon to 5:00 pm behind the Storrs Center commercial plazas.  In the event of rain, activities will move inside E.O. Smith High School. 

The Festival on the Green is an annual community event to celebrate Mansfield and all of the individuals, organizations, and businesses that make the town unique.  Among the planned activities at this year’s Festival are musical performances by the Kidsville Kuckoo Revue, the UConn Marching Band, and the James Montgomery Band.  Additional performances by local entertainment are in the works.  The Partnership looks forward to a variety of children’s activities, including pottery demos, games, face-painting, side-walk drawing, and a pumpkin decorating/carving contest.  There will also be a Juried Art Show, cooking demonstrations, a pie-eating contest, and much more.  Planning continues throughout the summer; visit www.mansfieldct.org for details as they are available.

All of the fun begins with the Celebrate Mansfield Parade at noon.  Plan to arrive early to find a seat because portions of Storrs Road and Dog Lane will be closed to accommodate the Parade.  The UConn Marching Band will lead the way for children on their decorated bicycles, tricycles, and strollers as they roll down Storrs Road and into the Festival grounds.  Over the years, the Parade has grown to include a variety of groups representing all of Mansfield.  If you, your business or your organization would like to participate in the Parade, please contact the Mansfield Downtown Partnership.

Each year, the Festival on the Green strives to be a low-waste event.  The goal for this year is to reduce the amount of garbage generated at the Festival by ninety percent.  Several efforts help “Keep it Green,” beginning with the waste stations located around the Festival grounds.  Attendees will notice there are separate receptacles for cans and bottles, compost, and other trash.  The food vendors at Festival on the Green also assist in the low-waste efforts by serving their food on compostable paper plates and with forks, spoons, and knives that look like plastic but are actually made from corn.  The Partnership encourages all of the Festival participants to keep the low-waste goal in mind while planning activities.  With everyone’s cooperation, our goal of a low-waste event can be easily met.

The Festival on the Green is made possible by generous donations from local businesses and residents.  To date, our sponsors include The Burns Real Estate Group; Drs. Raynor and Cano; E.O. Smith High School; ERA Covenant Realty, Inc.; Kahan, Kerensky, & Capossela; LeylandAlliance; the Merchants at Storrs Commons; Nathan Hale Inn and Conference Center; NewAlliance Bank; People’s United Bank; ReminderNews; Tedeschi Food Shops (Store 24); UConn Co-op; UConn Foundation; Willimantic Waste Paper; Zlotnick Construction, Inc.; and a number of individual residents.  Please contact the Partnership office at 429.2740 to learn more about the great benefits of sponsoring the Festival.  The Festival on the Green is a wonderful opportunity for businesses to reach a large audience – over 2,000 people braved morning rain to attend in 2008!  For residents, sponsorship is a way to contribute to an event that has become a true community celebration.

The Mansfield Downtown Partnership’s Festival on the Green sub-committee is always looking for new ideas to make this day a special one for residents.  If you or your organization would like to be a sponsor, to volunteer, or to have a booth at the Festival, please contact the Partnership office (429.2740 or mdp@mansfieldct.org).  We hope to see you in September!