Saturday, August 24th – BARNARD – Mark your calendar for Saturday for 7 hours of fun as the Barnard Street Dance is the highlight of the day! Revived by BarnArts for the third year, this popular, family-friendly event will take place primarily around the Barnard Town Hall from 2-9pm. Local food vendors and a lineup of local bands will set the stage for an afternoon of fun music, delicious food, contra dancing and activities for all ages.

The event is free for all, but donations and the purchase of raffle tickets are welcome to help cover costs and support the event in future years. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the Town Hall.

regatta

For the first time since 2015, boat races will be held at Street Dance this year! The races begin at 2 p.m. in Silver Lake State Park and are organized by the Silver Lake Association.

Running a short course from the state park dock to a raft on the lake and back, fans of canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and paddle boats have a chance to win a free ice cream prize. All participants and spectators receive free admission to the park and racers can use their own boat or borrow one from the park.

Town Hall Party

The party at Barnard Town Hall starts at 3pm and goes until 9pm with games from Barnard Rec in the back and food and music on the side, front and inside of Town Hall. Food vendors include: Moon & Stars (arepas and empanadas), Panou (Haitian chicken and bean plates) and organic ice cream from Kiss the Cow.

Music and dance

Bow Thayer opens the musical program at 3 p.m. with his improvisational rock quartet Choirs of Aether.

Choirs of Aether is a relatively new project from Thayer, a popular local Stockbridge musician. What began as a tribute to Sun Ra is now an improvisational rock group that pushes the boundaries of traditional music. Thayer, Krishna Guthrie and Steve Ferraris share musical duties, giving the impression of one large instrument playing a long, endless jam session.

At 5 p.m., all ages and skill levels will have the opportunity to twirl and stomp along with Blind Squirrel. Caller Kevin Donohue will teach the contra dance steps so everyone can enjoy this old Vermont tradition and smile from ear to ear.

Blind Squirrel’s repertoire draws from Celtic, Appalachian and French Canadian grooves. The band is comprised of Upper Valley musicians and enthusiastic dancers including Erin Smith and Steve Hoffman on fiddle, Suzanne Long on cello and Eric Faro on guitar. Many members have been playing together for nearly a decade and their love of music and the joy of creating music to dance to drives them. They are accompanied by announcer and BarnArts theater regular Kevin Donohue, who guides everyone effortlessly through each dance and ensures that both beginners and experienced dancers have a lot of fun!

Folk-art rock band Billy Wylder will close out the evening with a dance party from 7-9 p.m. Billy Wylder is a group of musicians who have been touring the Northeast under that name for many years! The artists weave American folk and rock sensibilities with synthesizers, violins and drum machines and lyrical imagery inspired by Leonard Cohen. Band members hail from Vermont, Cuba, Chicago and Peru and consist of Avi Salloway (vocals, guitar), Rob Flax (violin, synthesizers, vocals), Jennifer Giammanco (bass, vocals) and Ricardo Guerra (drums, vocals).

Basket raffles, Street Dance Cup

BarnArts will raise money for the street dance by raffling off four themed baskets full of local treats and gift cards. One children’s basket will be raffled off after the contra dance at 6:30 p.m. and the other three baskets (food, drink and art) will be raffled off at 8 p.m.

New this year is a reusable Barnard Street Dance Cup, available for $5, that includes free refills of iced tea, herbal tea, and water. For an extra $5, you can also get a serving of fresh-squeezed maple lemonade or Carin’s Kombucha. All proceeds from the cups, drinks, and raffle baskets go to the Street Dance Fund. Parking is available around Barnard Town Hall and along North Road.

The Barnard Street Dance is a free, family-friendly event celebrating summer and this beautiful community.

For more information, visit: barnarts.org/mainstage/archives/barnard-street-dance.