Guide to the 2022 Chester Festival on the Green

© 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The 47th Chester Festival on the Green remains a weekend filled with music, great arts and crafts, good food and friends set in the charming Vermont town of Chester.

This year’s event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18 on the Chester Green on Main Street in downtown Chester.

Children delight in the farm games during last year’s Festival on the Green. Photo courtesy Chester Community Events.

This free outdoor event celebrates not only the state’s spectacular fall foliage but also Vermont’s many craftspeople. It is  seasoned with local musicians, agricultural exhibits including tractor rides, animal exhibits, an apple cider pressing, hay maze and field games and our local food vendors. It’s an unforgettable Vermont experience geared toward the entire family.

The organization behind the Festival is Chester Community Events, a consortium of small business owners and individuals who have been working hard to showcase the best of Vermont, highlighting 60 artists and craftspeople including photographers, fine jewelers, wood turners and more. Food and beverage vendors can be found at the Food Court on the Academy Building lawn, where a music stage will also be set up.

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 “Volunteer” shirts will be available to answer all questions and direct visitors.

This year’s Food Court, introduced last year to much praise, is offering a wider variety of options. And this year there is more parking and more shuttle stops for your convenience.

Click the following links to take you down to:

FOOD COURT
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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FOOD COURT

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MUSICAL PERFORMANCES

Live entertainment will be filling the air at the Festival on the lawn of the Academy Building, across the street from the Green. This year, the festival features some of Vermont’s finest singer-songwriters. Learn more about them by clicking on their links.

Saturday, Sept. 17

• 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Dustin Marshall.
  
• 1:30 to 4 p.m.: Tony Lee Thomas.

Sunday, Sept. 18

• 11 a.m. to 12:30: Brooks Hubbard.
• 12:30 to 2 p.m.: Jenny Porter.
• 2 to 4 p.m.: Chris Pallutto.

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FAMILY-FRIENDLY FARM EVENTS

Saturday, Sept. 17

• Live animal exhibit sponsored by the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum.
• Face painting and photo booth.
• Mechanical Cow interactive demonstration sponsored by Cabot Cheese Co.
• Sheep dog herding demonstrations hosted by Morse Brook Farm.
• Worm farm exhibit hosted by Little Diggers Vermont.
• Dancin’ with the Honeybees beekeeping exhibit and educational show for kids.
• Apple cider pressing.
• Family Farm games: Needle in the haystack, pumpkin bowling, cow pie bingo, hay bale maze, and potato sack racing.

Sunday, Sept. 18

• Birds of Prey demonstration sponsored by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.
• Face painting and photo booth.
• Mechanical Cow interactive demonstration sponsored by Cabot Cheese Co.
• Sheep dog herding demonstrations hosted by Morse Brook Farm.
• Worm farm exhibit hosted by Little Diggers Vermont.
• Dancin’ with the Honeybees beekeeping exhibit and educational show for kids.
• Apple cider pressing.
• Family Farm games: Needle in the haystack, pumpkin bowling, cow pie bingo, hay bale maze, and potato sack racing.

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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

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Parking will be available at:

• Chester-Andover Elementary School, 72 Main St. (No shuttle stop);
• NewsBank parking lot at 397 Main St. with an entrance on Cobleigh Street;
• Cobleigh Field on Cobleigh Street;
• Green Mountain Union High School, 716 VT-103 east;
• The Chester Dental Center, aka Ellsworth Clinic, 55 VT-11 west;
• St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 96 Main St. (Sunday only);
• Handicapped accessible parking and handicapped Portapotties will be stationed at the First Baptist Church at 162 Main St.

The Moovers Shuttle Bus will running on both days, stopping to pick up and drop off at the designated parking lots.

2022 Festival Arts & Crafts Vendors

VENDOR & WEBSITE	CATEGORY & EXAMPLES
Birchcraft	Wood: Baskets, creels, handbags, vessels crafted from birch bark, spruce roots, willow, leather and found objects.
Cards by Stargazer	Crafts: Handmade greeting cards, suncatchers and doily wall art.
Stone Village Farmers Market	Agriculture
Will C and Debra Clingenpeel	Art: Paintings and fabric bags and cozies.
Kevin Hart Photography	Art: Vermont photography
Thompson Goat Farm. Connie Thompson owner.	Artisan Food & Personal Care: Soaps & canned goods.
Grandpa Jim's. Jim Smith, owner.	Artisan Food: hot sauce, BBQ sauce, seasonings; gift boxes, chili mix, salsa.
Winter View Farm	Artisan Food: Honey, beef sticks, jerky, as well as crafts and beeswax products.
Papa John's Sugar Shack. Mark & Amy Turco, owners.	Artisan Food: Vermont maple syrup, maple products, cotton candy.
Lee's Bees	Artisan Food: Vermont pure local honey.
Salsa Sisters	Artisan Food: Salsas, from the mildest to the extreme!
Sue's Stones	Crafts: Stones wrapped with leather cord or cane with integrated knot patterns, beads, and baubles making interesting center pieces, meditation stones or paper weights.
Chester Townscape	Community organization
Andover Mountaineer Snowriders Club	Community organization
Chester Ambulance Service	Community organization
Chester-Andover Family Center	Community organization.
Chester Conservation Committee	Community organization.
Wander on Words, Colleen Wilcox, owner.	Crafts: Hand lettered art, art cards, clothing and more.
Vermont Fire Rocks	Crafts: Oil lamps, sea-glass jewelry, wall hangings, greeting cards
Hiz & Herz Crafts	Crafts: Quilts, bibs, food wraps, hand-printed mandalas and wood burnings.
Gabby's Small Town Designs. Gabby Currier, owner.	Crafts: Tumblers, snowglobes, key chains, bows, signs and sweatshirts.
Meyeroff Gems	Stones: Semi-precious stones, crystals, agates, geodes, abalone shell, fossils and a variety of minerals.
Ann K. Herrick	Fiber: Fabric items including aprons, pot holders, tote bags and mug rugs.
Betty Rounds Knits	Fiber: Traditional knitted items including hats, scarves, mittens and more.
Vermont Cozy	Fiber: Handmade yard-woven hats, scarves, shawls, bags and more.
Shauna Bags and More. Shauna Nickerson, owner.	Fiber: Clothing, handbags, finger puppets and microwave bowls.
Regency & Thyme. Suzanne Nelson, owner.	Fiber: One-of-a-kind pillows. Each pillow is unique and made using sustainable practices through the use of vintage and remnant pieces of fabric.
The Quilted Jardin	Fiber: Animal, vegetable and landscape fabric art.
2 Crafty Characters	Fiber: Functional fabric items including hot pads, microwave bowls, table runners, saddlebags and quilts.
Victoria's Artisan Gifts. Victoria Dennis, owner.	Fiber: Soft, portable chalkboard mats, 1980s style hair barrettes and fun accessories.
Stella & Sol Sustainables. Meagen Berquist, owner.	Fiber: Paperless towels, beeswax wraps, reusable sponges, washable coffee filters, cotton rounds and tissue, with the mission of zero-waste.
Stone Creek Workshops. Kathy Stone, owner.	Furnishings: Custom cabinets, furniture & pottery.
ALG Doodles and Designs. Ashley Griggs, owner.	Hand-painted ornaments, glassware and gifts.
Peabody Mountain Apiaries. Carol & Steve MacLaury, owners.	Honey and honey products including soaps, candles and luminaries and handcrafted jewelry.
Lyon Pond Studio. Karen Utiger, owner.	Jewelry
Dan & Lynn Brooks	Jewelry and Fiber: Copper art and jewelry, wool scarves, toddler hats, miniature sap buckets, holiday ornaments.
Croft Gem by Ignazio	Jewelry and metal smithing
BXB by Jenny Buxton	Jewelry: repurposed leather goods, kimonos, wraps
Bracken Glen Cottage. Melody Reed, owner.	Jewelry: Beaded jewelry and lavender sachets.
Wisdom River Designs. Shannon Parker, owner.	Jewelry: Handcrafted jewelry of fine metals and gemstones.
Gardenhouse Studio. Peggy Lydem, owner.	Home Decor: Handmade pillows and home décor, up-cycled wooden items with decoupage, painted picture frames, and small painted sap buckets.
Bratach Sith Study	Mixed media, fiber and painting
WOOL-FM	Music
Busy B Goat Farm. Liza & Kevin Welch, owners.	Personal Care: Goat milk soap, bath products, lotions, raw honey, crafted items, wreaths.
Grace & Miss Mouse Soaps. Judy Lidie, owner.	Personal Care: Handcrafted soaps.
Celt Crafts	Home Decor: Popular items include unique ornaments, wind chimes, engraved slate, wood soap dishes, bee houses & birdhouses.
Rising Forest Pottery	Pottery: Functional handmade ware.
Mason House Pottery. Christopher Wuttke, owner.	Pottery: Functional stoneware pottery.
Same Sun of Vermont	Solar installation company
Trinkets from Trees	Wood
Cutting Boards by Dave. Dave Petravage, owner.	Wood
Tulip Tree Turnings. Ross Meyer, owner.	Wood
Reimagined Birdhouses & More. Jo Ann Clifford, owner.	Wood: barnwood, small, handmade items.
Treasured Turnings. Craig Shippee, owner.	Wood: Hand-turned bowls, vases, ornaments, bangles etc.
Hawks Meadow Farm	Artisan Food: Garlic and spice blends, hummus, pesto and salsas all made from organically grown ingredients.
Rebecca Perry Jewelry. Becka Perry, owner.	Jewelry: Southwest-inspired beaded earrings, bracelets and necklaces and repurposed home goods.
Antiques and Beautiful Things	Jewelry: Pewter and sterling silver works.
Vermont Poster	Faux vintage travel posters inspired by Vermont's unique tourist past.