SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
Saturday, August 6 | 10am – 4pm
Riverfest Village
Corner of Depot and Bridge Streets, Brattleboro, VT
*Pre-registration required for these events. Find registration links in the descriptions below.
1. Riverfest Village Exhibits
10:00am-4:00pm | Riverfest Village
Connecticut River Conservancy
Come visit the Connecticut River Conservancy team and learn about our work! We will have an Enviroscape model on hand to teach about how our waterways get polluted and what everyone can do to protect them!
Connecticut River Paddlers Trail Table
Come learn about the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail – where campsites are along the river and how you can plan a multi-day paddle from the Source at the Connecticut Lakes up in Northern NH to where the Connecticut meets the sea – in Essex, CT.
The Southern Vermont Natural History Museum
Come visit the “mini-museum” exhibit featuring live animals that we can find along the riverbanks and in the river. Up close encounters with the live animals, touchable artifacts and plenty of time for questions, answers and conversation!
Brattleboro Historical Society
Media presentation of historical images of the river, plus written handouts that describe historical aspects of the river and how people have interacted with the waterway over time.
Vernon Historical Society
Historical documentation of the building of the Vernon Dam in the early 1900’s, which had a huge impact on the use of the river. There will be displays of the construction work involved, as well as before and after photos of the area…before and after the dam, and before and after Vermont Yankee changed the landscape above the dam in the late 1960’s. A slide show will be available (as long as power is available), as well as handouts describing the building process. Photos of transportation and logging on the river before the dam was built will also be displayed.
Windham Natural Resources Conservation District/ VT Department of Environmental Conservation
Join Cory Ross (WNRCD) and Marie Caduto (VT DEC) for this hands-on experience. Participants will use a StreamTable to understand the effects that a changing river can have on an ecosystem. Witness the effects that changing river flows have on erosion and learn how sediment is transported by streams. By building and adjusting a river system, we can look closely at how human influences such as dredging, and roads and buildings, can negatively affect the river and corresponding ecosystem.
Bass Fishing Table
Somethin‘ Fishy: Experienced bass fisherman Paul Young and boat captain Arlene Young will share firsthand experience and expertise for fishing both small mouth and largemouth bass in the Vermont-New Hampshire Section of the Connecticut River between the Vernon and Bellows Falls Dam. Learn how to read the river, the equipment to use (and lures), and how to land the big ones! (Or just more of the smaller ones.)
Great Eastern Radio
Peter Case, Master of Ceremonies will be offering prizes every hour drawn from the “Fish Bowl.” Music.
Trout Unlimited – Clown Fly Tying
Join the Connecticut River Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited to learn about fly tying – a fun event for kids.
2. Riff Raft Regatta
12:30-1:30 | Riverfest Village
Cheer on the “hope it will float” raft to compete in a 50-yard sprint. Rafts will enter the river from the Brattleboro-to-Hinsdale Island and race to the Anna Hunt Marsh Bridge—or sink!
Viewing from Anna Marsh Bridge, Riverfest Village, The Whetstone deck, & on the water.
Prizes. Co-presented by Great Eastern Radio and the Connecticut River Conservancy.
3. NECCA Juggling Station
11:00am – 3:00pm | Riverfest Village
The New England Center for Circus Arts offers an interactive Learn to Juggle activity station. Come try your hands at throwing and catching! The Brattleboro based national circus school offers recreational and professional classes for all ages and all levels including juggling, acrobatics, and aerials. www.necenterforcircusarts.org.
4. Art Activity: RiverGrams: Send a Message to the River
11:00am-12:30pm | Riverfest Village
Write a message to the river, hang it outdoors, and see how the weather responds to you!
Children and families of all ages. Activity involves writing (10 words or less) and adults are welcome to scribe for children.
5. Art Activity: Cyanotypes with In-Sight Photography Project: Printing with the Sun
11:00am – 12:30pm | Riverfest Village
Using a simple and historic photochemical reaction, use the power of the sun to expose pieces of cyanotype-coated paper to reveal deep blue imprints from arranged plant material. Children and adults welcome!
6. Art Activity: Nancy Meagher Art Activities
11:00am – 12:30am & 1:30pm – 3:00pm | Riverfest Village
Decorate a Lamprey Eel. Draw the Anna Hunt Bridge. Help create a colorful Bridge Banner. Make A CT River Charm Necklace. Decorate several “super-sized” paper–mache creatures that live in the Connecticut River. Children and Adults welcome!
7. Art Activity: Abstract Arm Painting Workshop
1:30pm – 3:00pm | Riverfest Village
Create abstract paintings on our arm and photograph it in relationship to the river.
8. Art Activity: Fish Sticks & Water Droplet Painting
11:00am – 12:30pm & 1:30pm- 3:00pm | Riverfest Village
Join the River Gallery School of Art & Brattleboro Museum & Art Center to decorate a fish using a variety of art materials to make your own unique river creature! Learn how to paint with water droplets! Use watercolors and eye droppers to explore mixing paint drop by drop and create your own abstract watery artwork
9. Fly Casting at Norm’s Marina
11:00am – 1:30pm | Norms Marina, 1347 Brattleboro Rd, Hinsdale, NH 03451
Participants will be able to hold a fly rod and line and be given instructions on how fly–fishing works and the basics of casting. If you have your own rod, please bring.
10. Hike up Wantastiquet
11:00am – 1:00pm & 1:30pm – 3:30pm | 18 Georges Field Road, Hinsdale, NH 03451
This is a 4.6-mile round trip hike with significant elevation gain. Moderate difficulty. Terrain is rocky and uphill in partial shade. There will be multiple opportunities to take breaks during the hike. For most of its extent, the trail follows an old gravel road with many switchbacks. After ascending 1,100 feet over 2 miles, the trail passes a rock outcrop with excellent views across the Connecticut River Valley. At the top we will have a great view of the Brattleboro area and the Mountains in the background.
11. Fort Hill Bike Ride
11:00am – 1:00pm | Ebenezer Hinsdale House on Rte 119
Bikers should meet at the Ebenezer Hinsdale House. 609 Brattleboro Road, Hinsdale (this address does not work in Google!) 3.5 miles south of George’s Field on RTE 119 on the right. We could ride the entire Fort Hill Rail Trail end to end about 16 miles round trip – or turn back if you want a shorter trip. Bring water, bike, a helmet, and flat tire repair tools.
12. Adventure East Guided Paddle
11:00 – 1:00pm & 1:30pm – 3:30pm | Norm’s Marina, 1347 Brattleboro Rd, Hinsdale, NH 03451
Sign-up for a two-hour on-river exploration led by Adventure East Guides. Bring your own boat or sign up to borrow a touring kayak from Adventure East. Life Jackets are required and will be provided for those registering for an Adventure East boat. Online registration ends on Friday, August 5th at noon. In-person registration will be available at the Riverfest Registration Table on Saturday, August 6th, depending on availability.
13. Paddleboards with Vermont Canoe Touring Center
11:00am – 3:00pm | Norm’s Marina, 1347 Brattleboro Rd, Hinsdale, NH 03451
Try out paddleboards provided by the Vermont Canoe Touring Center. Check-in at Norm’s Marina.
14. River Talks: “Painting Water” by Benny Merris
11:00am – 12:00pm | Latchis 4 Theater, 550 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301
How artists approach seeing, thinking about and representing water in paintings, including their technical approach. Indoors. Masking encouraged and appreciated.
15. River Talks: Maddy Bodin, Reid Bryant, and Mike Fleming
12:30pm – 1:30pm | Latchis 4 Theater, 50 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301
“Writing About Rivers, Streams, and the ways water brings us joy.” – Maddy Bodin, Reid Bryant, and Mike Fleming, moderator. Indoors. Masking encouraged and appreciated.
16. River Talks: “Greater Brattleboro History:” by Joe Rivers
2:00pm – 3:00pm | Latchis 4 Theater, 50 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Roger Allbee, former Secretary of Agriculture. Indoors. Masking encouraged and appreciated.