Montpelier Mayfest

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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

Celebrate Spring during Montpelier Mayfest!

All Species Day, Green Up Day, and opening day of the Capital City Farmers Market launch the start of the season, celebrating outdoors in Montpelier. In addition, outdoor seating and parklets start to pop up downtown, for outdoor dining too.

Mayfest Events

All Species Day: Sunday, May 5th, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Opening ceremonies begin in Hubbard Park at noon, then at 1:15 pm, a parade of people dressed as animals leads to the Statehouse lawn and from 2:30 - 4:00 pm a celebration and the Birth Of Spring Pageant. Come dressed as your favorite species and join in celebrating our interdependence with all of life.
Opening day of the outdoor location of the Capital City Farmers Market - Saturday, May 4th, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. The market returns to 133 State Street (after a season on the VCFA Green)! Keep up on the latest updates and vendor locations by signing up for the Friday newsletter.
Green Up Day: Saturday, May 4th, 9:00 - 12:00 pm (Stop by the farmers market or Montpelier City Hall to pick up supplies.)
Green Up Day Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser, Saturday May 4th, 7 - 11 am at Cafe NOA, 8 Putnam Street (park on Stonecutters Way), a fundraiser for the Kiwanas Club and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.
- No Mow May - for the entire month of May: Consider "No-Mow-May" this month for a real-life pollinator paradise! By simply eliminating or sharply reducing the mowing of your lawn and allowing more flowers to bloom offers bees and other pollinators a wonderful playground of floral resources at a critical time in their lifecycle. Studies have shown this simple act can increase abundance and diversity of wildlife in your yard, especially pollinators.
  
  Note: this year's Onion River Outdoors Bike Swap is a week later: Saturday, May 12th , 9:00 - 12:00 pm
  
  Photo credit - John Lazenby