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Celebrate Montpelier’s Bridges Nov 16th at the Bridge Opening Lighting Ceremony!

Today in Montpelier

Member Highlight - Anita Hoy of Fluidly Moving Bodyworks

Nov 12 2024

Tell us your story, how & why you got started to become a personal coachand bodyworker.   I've been providing personal coaching for a long time.  It started as "just a job" in the early 80s and it soon became a passion to become healthier and educated and pass this on to others including my family.I want to blend my passion for movement, wellness, and healing with the opportunity to make a tangible impact on other people's lives.  It is fulfilling and meaningful to guide others on their journeys to feel stronger, move better, and find peace within themselves.     What's unique about your

Celebrate Montpelier's Bridges!

Oct 31 2024

On November 16th, Montpelier will light up the town! For the first time in history, seven of Montpelier’s downtown bridges will be illuminated. To mark this historic event, Montpelier Alive will host a community bridge lighting ceremony and lantern parade, with music, refreshments, and a special performance by Cirque de Fuego.  For those wishing to participate in the parade, free, drop-in lantern making workshops will be held at the TW Wood Art gallery on November 2nd and 9thfrom 10 am-3:00

Moonlight Magic returns to Montpelier!

Oct 07 2024

Get an early start to your holiday shopping at Montpelier’s annual Moonlight Magic evening on Friday, October 18th from 5 - 9 pm, sponsored by EastRise Credit Union. Enjoy some of the best sales of the year, grab a meal and enjoy street performances along your route. Starting at 5:15 pm at City Hall, catch Her Majesty’s Secret Circus, a funny, spectacular, must-see show that features amazing circus skills, audience sleeper agents, hilarious improvisation, and all the spy movie references you can think of!   Check out all the store specials throughout downtown. They range from storewide discounts, a dry bar tasting

Bridge Illumination Project

Aug 28 2024

This winter, Montpelier Alive will artfully light up seven of Montpelier’s downtown bridges. Bridges are among the most important visual elements of any city. Lighting the bridges in the historic downtown will create a visual spectacle designed to add warmth and beauty to our cityscape, draw visitors from near and far, improve pedestrian safety, and celebrate the community and resilience of Vermont’s capital city.


Seeking Vendors for the Taste of Montpelier Food and Arts Festival

Jul 23 2024

The Taste of Montpelier Food and Arts Festival Returns to the Capital City September 14th and invites both Food and Art Vendors to join! The Taste of Montpelier Food and Arts Festival, presented by Hunger Mountain Co-op, returns for its fourth year. Taste features local restaurants, favorite regional artisanal foods, local artists, chef demos, beer and cocktail gardens and amazing street performers - this year’s Taste of Montpelier has it all!   We are currently looking for more great local artists, crafters and artisan food vendors. You can apply to join us at: https://forms.gle/1cLBDtmVBpbHXo656   The main festivities run from 1-5 pm on Saturday, September

Special Thanks to Botanica Florals

Jun 10 2024

Botanica Florals is a highly-regarded local retail florist that sources flowers from local growers along with hand-picked selections from around the world. With the goal of enhancing connection in the community for special occasions, Botanica Florals allows its customers to express sentiments through the sharing of beauty and nature. 

Last winter, Botanica Florals greatly supported Montpelier Alive by contributing to the downtown’s lighting, holiday lights and decor... 

A Bright Winter for Montpelier

May 20 2024

A Bright Winter for Montpelier

By: Sheena Khan (Marketing & Communications Manager for Montpelier Alive)

Montpelier Alive has big plans this winter! Thanks to some successful grant writing and crowdfunding, we will be able to complete Phase 1 of our ambitious Bridge Illumination Project. The Bridge Illumination Project will artfully light up to seven of Montpelier’s downtown bridges, connecting neighborhoods to each other and the commercial center. Montpelier Alive is currently installing the necessary electric infrastructure on seven historic bridges and this winter will light the School Street, Langdon Street, Bailey Avenue and Rialto Bridges!



Montpelier Alive Announces its 2024 Downtown Event Grant Awards

May 14 2024

Montpelier Alive awards announces its 2024 grant funding to 10 downtown Montpelier Community Events   Montpelier Alive works to create a vibrant and livable Montpelier by celebrating its heart and soul: its downtown. One way it brings the community together is through events. Montpelier Alive’s annual Downtown Events Grant Program supports many of these events and is announcing its ten 2024 grant awardees.   The 2024 recipients are: All Together Now, All Species Day; Good Beginnings of Central Vermont, It Takes a Village; the Monteverdi Music School, Make Music Day; Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools Race, Against Racism; Pride Center of Vermont, Montpelier Pride Fest;

Lighting Up Montpelier!

Apr 10 2024

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

The Taste of Montpelier Food Festival Returns to the Capital City October 7th

Sep 27 2023

  The Taste of Montpelier Food Festival, presented by Hunger Mountain Co-op, returns for its third year. This year it’s the main event of Montpelier’s Reopening Celebration! Taste features food trucks, vendors and artisans, chef demos, beer and cocktail gardens and street performers - this year’s Taste of Montpelier has it all!    The main attraction, The Great Taste runs from 1-5pm on Saturday, October 7th on Langdon Street and State Street from Main to Elm. It features over 20 food trucks and artisan foods. The demo tent features four different presentations ranging from a high school student teaching how to make tamales,

Free and Local Outdoor Summer Music in Montpelier

Jun 22 2023

Summer officially kicked off last week and we’re incredibly lucky to have a vibrant music scene throughout Central Vermont... and so much of it is free! This article focuses on music in Montpelier, but to learn what’s happening throughout Central Vermont, check out the free music series in surrounding towns over the summer in the text box.

All Around Adventure

Apr 19 2023

Montpelier is a hub for outdoor recreation, and is nestled in a valley where The North Branch and the Winooski rivers converge and public lands connect multiple networks of trails. Access to nature couldn’t be easier, from the Hubbard Park trails behind the Golden Dome to the mountain bike trails in North Branch Park. Montpelier is making its mark in the world of outdoor recreation and tourism, and we can’t wait to celebrate that!

Reuse, Recycle and Repair

Mar 13 2023

When I first moved to Montpelier 30 years ago, I repaired my shoes at the Cobbler's Leather Shoppe, at 67 Main Street, where Splash is currently located.  When the store closed a few years later, I remember the owner, Charlie Baril, telling me no one repairs shoes anymore. I was disheartened, but in researching this blog, I learned many downtown businesses still repair and refurbish. With only one landfill in Vermont, and all the benefits of keeping items in circulation as long as possible, Montpelier Alive wanted to feature these diverse shops in town, helping us to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

Halloween in Montpelier

Oct 27 2022

The fall season in Montpelier is full of things to do and see. The turning of the leaves paired with the brisk Autumn weather brings in many new people. The month of October in Montpelier is a combination of Foliage festivities, later being outnumbered by Halloween-themed events. Halloween is a favorite holiday locally, but some events tend to fall under the radar. You may ask yourself, what kinds of Halloween celebrations happen in Montpelier that are so special?


A Unique Flavor: Entertainment at The Taste of Montpelier

Sep 06 2022

Montpelier Alive’s Taste of Montpelier, presented by Hunger Mountain Co-op is so much more than a food festival. Unlike any other food festival of its kind, featured entertainment includes fantastical shows of juggling, acrobatics, yo-yo tricks and vaudeville skits. Foodies and arts enthusiasts alike will find something to savor at the festival’s main event, The Great Taste on Saturday, September 10th from 1-4pm on State Street.

Hunger Mountain Co-op Brown Bag Concert Series

Aug 04 2022

During lunch-hour on weekdays, Montpelier’s streets are bustling! Between lawmakers, lawyers, business owners, and tourists, everybody enjoys taking a break and frequenting the abundance of eateries downtown. As people wander and search for a place to sit and relax in the Vermont summer weather, they might hear melodies drifting from the Christ Church Courtyard, where live musicians take the stage every week in August and early September. The Hunger Mountain Co-op Brown Bag Concert Series, hosted by Montpelier Alive, features excellent music from across the region. These free and fun noon-time concerts brighten everyone's day, even if just passing by. Check out this year’s line-up, curated by Fred Wilber, past owner of Buch Spieler Records.

High Summer: Upcoming Events in Montpelier

Jul 22 2022

Summertime in Montpelier is always very eventful, and we are certainly in full swing! The next two weeks are especially packed with fun and unique events. Here is a summary of what lies ahead...


July 3rd Festival Spectacular! Food Truck Festival and Parade Performer Highlights

Jun 30 2022

Montpelier’s July 3rd Celebration is centered around community, food, and fun! Walking to the State House lawn alongside groups of other festival-goers is an experience unto itself. From a distance, you can see the food trucks lined up on State Street and you can hear musicians on the Main Stage. Excitement builds as spectators await the joyous parade at 6:15pm.

An Inter-Galactic Independence Day in Montpelier!

Jun 16 2022

Families and friends, kids of all ages - join us at the new FamilyFest at this year’s July 3rd Independence Day Celebration! Montpelier Alive hopes to reignite the flame for family fun by offering an eclectic variety of performances this year on the Main Stage on the State House Lawn from 2-5pm.

July 3rd Independence Day Celebration in Montpelier is Back!

Jun 09 2022

The streets of Montpelier have been pretty quiet on Independence Day over the past couple of years. We know the community has been eager to come together to celebrate, and the parade and fireworks have been greatly missed. We’re happy to say that the Montpelier Alive team has been hard at work to bring back the Capital City’s largest festival of the year!

Beautiful Montpelier: A Conversation with Linn Syz about Downtown Flowers

May 19 2022

We recently sat down with Linn Syz, former board member at Montpelier Alive, to discuss her efforts to keep Montpelier’s downtown streets beautiful and full of colorful flowers. Linn has volunteered for years to maintain and expand the plantings across Montpelier. Her efforts are key part of Montpelier Alive’s broader commitment to downtown beautification, including holiday decorations, the procurement of benches and trash cans, public art, and more. We asked Linn about the history and the behind-the-scenes efforts that go into the downtown flowers.

Summer Events in Central Vermont

May 11 2022

Some would say that summer is the best season in Vermont. Even though we can make the case for every season, it's hard to argue with gorgeous weather (escape the humidity and visit our magical land where the average high in July is just 83!), long summer evenings, front porch living, and dips in the swimming hole. But summer in Vermont also means fun, festive, and unique events throughout central Vermont!

Together Again: Supporting Community through Downtown Event Grants 

Mar 24 2022

Montpelier Alive recognizes the importance of festivals and events, and how embedded they are in community life here. One way that we support these events is through our Downtown Event Grant Program.

New Horizons for Bailey Road

Mar 03 2022

Montpelier Alive loves watching businesses build from the ground up. We remember when Bailey Road first opened, and it has been wonderful to see the business grow. We recently supported Bailey Road with a grant through our Welcome to Montpelier Program to support new and expanding Montpelier businesses. Here, Sarah DeFelice tells us a little more about Bailey Road’s journey, and the new vision she has for her expanding store.