Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News
BURLINGTON — The sun beat down as people gathered in the grass. Some dispersed for a walk in the woods, others sprawled on the ground to sunbathe. A competitive game of cornhole commenced on decoratively handpainted boards. Jazz played in the background.
Those were the scenes on July 12 as the Intervale Center hosted Summervale — which featured live music, local vendors and a coloring project for kids. The free festival, previously held every Thursday during the summer, was adapted to a single-day event this year.
Based on the success of February’s one-day Wintervale event, Development Director Melanie Guild hoped the new format would pack a greater punch for attendees, with all programming squeezed into a single afternoon.
“We want people to really just celebrate their local food system and come together to really recognize the strength of our community,” Guild said.
The festival was hands-on. A station led by the Intervale Conservation Nursery taught the basics of tree planting. Participants moved saplings from pots to soil near the Winooski River.
Trees planted along the banks will eventually slow and absorb water rushing by, decreasing erosion and helping stem flood damage.
“When you plant trees, it makes sure our farm fields don’t flood,” said Ben Rodgers, the nursery’s manager. “A year ago and two years ago today, we were underwater down here, so it’s just a reminder of the importance of having really resilient ecosystems in order to have a really strong food system.”
Guests could sweat it out on a self-guided milelong walk through the Intervale. As they walked through the trail, attendees could amble along the river and learn about local species.
“It’s gorgeous down here — I love it,” said attendee Lucy Sokol.
Sokol visited the event with friends, Camille Howard and Rylee Masson. After completing the walk, the group waited eagerly in line for pizza. Later, they planned to peruse booths in the field before participating in an evening 5K at the festival.
Under one shaded booth, Grow Wild — a project of Burlington Wildways that promotes native plants and pollinators — educated passersby on the 350-plus species of bees in the state. Nearby, a merch-covered stand advertised a new app, conveniently called Bee, that lets Vermonters find avenues for volunteering, like building a picnic table or a seed-propagation workshop.
“The broader mission around sustainable food systems and sustainable agriculture is just so entwined with communities, and also so central to the way Vermont sort of operates anyways, that it was just a very kind of obvious overlap,” said Kora Skeele, the app company’s director.
The venue also hosted several local food vendors, including The Skinny Pancake, American Flatbread and Mighty Mudita — a startup vegan deli meat company.
Live music funneled into the clearing from a small stage in the corner of the green space. The lineup — which included bands Guagua, Mikahely, Mad and Wild Leek River — covered the almost-six-hour event, with tunes ranging from synth rock to country.