Guide to 2021 Chester Festival on the Green
The Chester Telegraph | Aug 28, 2021 | Comments 0
© 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC
The 46th Chester Festival on the Green, know by several names over the years including the “Sale on the Green” and “the Chester Fall Festival,” remains a weekend filled with music, great arts and crafts, good food and friends set in the charming Vermont town of Chester.
Like so many events last year, the Festival was suspended in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, the Chester Rotary passed the torch of the Fall Festival to new group of local business owners, known formally as Chester Community Events.
This year, visitors can shop under the tents on the Green and across the street at the Academy Building among fine jewelers, craftspeople, artists and food vendors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18 and 19.
See the full list of vendors below. The business names of those with websites or Facebook pages are clickable. It’s a great way to learn more about these artists and craftspeople.
On both Saturday and Sunday, ambassadors wearing bright green “Volunteer” shirts will be available to answer all questions and direct visitors.
As always, admission to the Festival and all its events are free.
Click the following links to take you down to:
COVID PROTOCOLS
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES
FAMILY FRIENDLY FARM-RELATED EVENTS
DIRECTIONS
PARKING and SHUTTLE BUS
COMPLETE VENDOR LIST
There is a lot to do and see so plan your Chester visit now. For more information about the Festival click here and check out the Festival’s Facebook page.
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COVID PROTOCOLS
A tent will be set up to offer masks and hand sanitizer to all visitors and vendors who wish to use these. You’ll find the tent on the west end of the Green. Also, wash stations will be set up in multiple locations through the venue. Please be aware that as the Covid-19 situation changes, protocols may change as well. Please return to this page often for updates.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, on the west end of the Green, the Vermont National Guard will have a walk-in vaccine clinic set up for any adult wishing to having the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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MUSICAL PERFORMANCES
Live entertainment will be filling the air at the Festival from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The stage will be set up on the tennis courts behind the Fullerton Inn. Bleachers will be set up along the site, and organizers suggest that attendees bring along a blanket or chairs for sitting in front of the stage.
Saturday, Sept. 18
- Noon to 2 p.m.: George Nostrand, guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist, performing folk, rock, newgrass and original music.
- 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Moon Hollow, a high energy acoustic trio featuring the songwriting talent of Tim Cardiello, Charlie Peckar and John Jamison.
- 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: M.O.D., singer and multi-instrumentalist Molly Es.
- 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Ali T & Band, Alison Turner and her band offer a unique style of alternative/indie pop.
Sunday, Sept. 19
- Noon to 2 p.m.: Jamie Lee Thurston, country rock
- 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Western Terrestrials, hard-driving Vermont honky tonk. See video above.
- 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: The Breakmaids, locally raised, original rock ‘n’ roll with a twist of folk punk.
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FAMILY FRIENDLY FARM-RELATED EVENTS
Event information continues to evolve. Please stop back as we publish updates with times. All these events will take place Behind the Food Court and the Academy Building, 330 Main St.
All events are child-friendly.
The Farm Olympic Games will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Kicking off with Potato Sack Racing, open sign-up games will run all afternoon including Pumpkin Bowling, Corncob Darts, Haystack Maze, Egg Tossing, Giant Pumpkin Rolling, Polish Horseshoes, Cornhole and more. Participation in the Farm Olympics automatically enters you into the raffle prize contest.
Also visit:
- Dancin’ with the Honeybees: Cliff Sunflower, owner of Honey Bear Farms, has 25 years of beekeeping experience. Sunflower translates his knowledge into a program of creative dramatics that makes this exhibit an exciting educational event. The Beekeeping Booth will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a 35-minute demonstration at 1 p.m. both days.
- Sheep Dog Demonstration: at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. both days, Morse Brook Farm will host a demo show of the sheep dog’s role in sheep farming.
- Slippery Slope Goats Display,
an Apple Cider-Making Demonstration: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marvin Campbell will be demonstrating, offering tastings, and selling fresh-pressed apple cider.- Little Diggers Worm Farm: An educational workshop created and run by 6-year-old Lyric and 9-year-old Luca to teaches kids how to make their own worm farms. Little Diggers offers small batches of worms for mini worm farm kits, small start vermicomposting buckets, bait fishing worms and a whole educational demonstration to go with it.
- Displays of Antique Tractors and Trucks,
- Cowboy Poet Mark Munzert: Come hear Munzert perform from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 18 “poetic parlance & rhymsical recitin’s of cowboy culture” to make you smile, laugh, tear-up and ponder. He is the 2021 International Western Music Association Nominee for Poet of the Year, 2018 National Cowboy Poetry Champion, and a 2017 inductee to the Adirondack Cowboy Hall of Fame.
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DIRECTIONS
The beautiful Victorian town of Chester, Vt., sits along Routes 103 and 11 in Southern Vermont. You’ll find beautiful homes, charming shops and friendly people at every turn.
From I-91, take Exit 6 and travel 12 miles west along Route 103. Keep going straight into downtown Chester. You can’t miss the Green. (Do not turn right onto Route 103 at Maple Street.)
From the west, take Route 11 in Manchester, traveling east. You’ll pass Bromley Ski Resort and the town of Londonderry, then head straight into Chester and the Green. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Manchester to Chester.
From the north, take Route 103 South into Chester. You’ll drive through the historic Stone Village and curve past Town Hall on your left and the historic Chester Depot Train Station on your right. Be sure to slow down. When you come to the fork in the road, bear right and head into downtown Chester.
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PARKING & SHUTTLE
Parking will be available at Chester-Andover Elementary School, 72 Main St., the NewsBank parking lot at 397 Main St. with an entrance on Cobleigh Street, Cobleigh Field on Cobleigh Street, and the Pinnacle on Lovers Lane. The Movers Shuttle Bus will return for both days, stopping to pick up and drop off at the designated parking lots. Times and exact route are still to be determined, so please return to this page for updates.
Handicapped accessible parking and handicapped Portapotties will be stationed at the First Baptist Church at 162 Main St.
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2021 Festival Vendors
| VENDOR & WEBSITE | OWNER | CATEGORY & EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|
| Chester-Andover Family Center | Nena Nanfeldt | Community organization. |
| Chester Conservation Committee | Community organization.  |
|
| Reimagined Birdhouses & More | Jo Ann Clifford | Wood: barnwood, small, handmade items.  |
| Stone Creek Workshops | Kathy Stone | Furnishings: Custom cabinets, furniture & pottery.  |
| Mimi's Mittens | Jean Olanyk | Fiber: Fleece-lined mittens.  |
| Mason House Pottery | Christopher Wuttke | Pottery: Functional stoneware pottery. |
| Beartown Woodworks | Randy Pratico | Wood: Cutting boards & bird houses. |
| Victoria's Artisan Gifts | Victoria Dennis | Fiber: Soft, portable chalkboard mats, 1980s style hair barrettes and fun accessories. |
| Ann K. Herrick | Ann Herrick | Fiber: Aprons, potholders and bags. |
| Thompson Goat Farm | Connie Thompson | Artisan Food & Personal Care: Soaps & canned goods.  |
| Hawks Meadow Farm and Winter View Farm | Penni Thomas | Artisan Food: Jams, jellies, pickles, salsa, relish, garlic, produce, dried herbs, pesto, hummus, honey, beeswax candles, beef sticks, jerky, maple syrup. |
| Wisdom River Designs | Shannon Parker | Jewelry: Handcrafted jewelry of fine metals and gemstones.  |
| Dan & Lynn Brooks | Dan & Lynn Brooks | Jewelry and Fiber: Copper art and jewelry, wool scarves, toddler hats, miniature sap buckets, holiday ornaments. |
| Fight Scurvy, Drink Lemonade | The Chester Telegraph | Food Vendor: Fresh-squeezed lemonade and limeade. |
| Papa John's Sugar Shack | Mark & Amy Turco | Artisan Food: Maple products, cotton candy. |
| Mo's Fudge Factor | Michelle Olanyk | Artisan Food: Fudge and fudge apples.  |
| Grandpa Jim's | Jim Smith | Artisan Food: hot sauce, BBQ sauce, seasonings; gift boxes, chili mix, salsa. |
| The Lazy Cow | Ashley Sigi | Food Vendor: Ice cream. |
| Grace & Miss Mouse Soaps | Judy Lidie | Personal Care: Handcrafted soaps. |
| Mt. Ascutney View Farm | Dolores Mellish | Fiber: 100% wool yarn and knitted items. |
| Bracken Glen Cottage | Melody Reed | Jewelry: Beaded jewelry and lavender sachets. |
| Treasured Turnings | Wood: Hand-turned bowls, vases, ornaments, bangles etc. | |
| Beadz, Bagz, & Baublez | Sandi Monteith | Fiber: Bags, totes, accessories. |
| Beautiful Things | Leather goods | |
| Betty Rounds Knits | Fiber: Clothing | |
| Bratach Sith Study | Mixed media, fiber and painting | |
| C.B. Blue Designs | Christine Browne | Jewelry |
| Cutting Boards by Dave | Dave Petravage | Wood |
| DBAB Meyerhoff | Pottery: Stoneware | |
| Diane Echlin | Diane Echlin | Pottery: Ceramics |
| Elizabeth's Mobile Boutique | Fiber: Clothing | |
| Ellie and Her Friends | Fiber | |
| Lyon Pond Studio | Karen Utiger | Jewelry |
| Peabody Mountain Apiaries | Carol and Steve MacLaury | Honey and honey products including soaps, candles and luminaries and handcrafted jewelry. |
| Rose Meyer/Tulip | Wood | |
| Sandra Bomhower Jewelry | Sandra Bomhower | Jewelry: Hand-crafted, fine gemstones |
| Shauna Bags and More | Shauna Nickerson | Fiber: Clothing, handbags and totes |
| Stella & Sol Sustainables | Meagen Berquist | Fiber: With the mission of zero-waste |
| Trinkets from Trees | Wood | |
| Vermont Cozy | Fiber: Clothing | |
| Vermont Poster | Art | |
| Chester Townscape | Community organization | |
| Rebecca Perry | Becka Perry | Jewelry: Southwest-inspired beaded earrings, bracelets and necklaces |
| Kevin Hart Photography | Kevin Hart | Art: Vermont photography |
| WOOL-FM | Evan Parks | Music |
| Kirby's Q | Food Vendor: Southern style barbeque | |
| M&M Carriage House | Michele and Michael | Wood: Maple and oak cutting boards |
| Busy B Goat Farm | Liza and Kevin Welch | Personal Care: Goat milk soap, bath products, lotions, raw honey, crafted items, wreaths. |
| Croft Gem | Ignazio | Jewelry and metal smithing |
| Hopes and Dreams | Handpainted art, jewelry, furniture, vinyls and vintage antique pieces | |
| Sue's Stones | Beach and riverbed stone decorated products | |
| The Nutty Bavarian | Food Vendor: Kettle roasted nuts |
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