Saturday, Aug. 24—BARNARD— Block off your calendar for 7 hours of fun on Saturday as the Barnard Street Dance owns the day! This beloved, family-friendly event is in its third year of revival by BarnArts, and takes place primarily around Barnard Town Hall from 2-9 p.m. Local food vendors and a lineup of local bands set the stage for an afternoon of fun music, tasty food, contra dancing, and activities for all ages.
The event is free for all, but donations and purchases of raffle tickets are appreciated to cover costs and support future years of the event. In case of inclement weather, the event will move inside the town hall.
Boat race
Boat Races are returning to the Street Dance this year for the first time since 2015! Races start at 2 p.m. at Silver Lake State Park and are organized by the Silver Lake Association.
With a short course from the state park’s dock out to a raft on the lake and back, fans of canoes, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and paddle boats will all get a chance at the prize of free ice cream. All competitors and viewers get into the park for free and racers can use their own boat or borrow one from the park.
Town Hall party
The party at the Barnard Town Hall begins at 3 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m. with games from Barnard Rec out back and food and music around the side, front, and inside of the town hall. Food venders include: Moon & Stars (arepas and empanadas), Panou (Haitian chicken & bean plates), and Kiss the Cow organic ice cream.
Music and dancing
Bow Thayer will kick off the musical lineup at 3 p.m. with his improvisational rock quartet Choirs of Aether.
Choirs of Aether is a relatively new project from Thayer, a beloved local musician based in Stockbridge. What began as a tribute to Sun Ra is now an improvisational rock group that explores the boundaries of traditional music. Thayer, Krishna Guthrie, and Steve Ferraris share musical duties that give the impression of one big instrument playing a long, eternal jam.
At 5 p.m., all ages and abilities will get a chance to twirl and stomp along with Blind Squirrel. Caller Kevin Donohue teaches the contra dance steps so that all may enjoy this old Vermont tradition and smile ear-to-ear .
Blind Squirrel’s repertoire draws on Celtic, Appalachian, and French Canadian grooves. The band features Upper Valley musicians and ardent dancers 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 the music and the joy of creating music for dancing keeps them going. They will be joined by caller and BarnArts theater regular, Kevin Donohue, who will guide everyone effortlessly through each dance, ensuring beginners and experienced dancers alike have a great time!
The 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 life-long musicians who have been touring the northeast for many years under this named guise! The artists weave American folk and rock sensibilities with synths, violins, and drum machines and Leonard Cohen-inspired lyrical imagery. Band members hail from Vermont to Cuba to Chicago to Peru with Avi Salloway (vocals, guitar), Rob Flax (violin, synth, vocals), Jennifer Giammanco (bass, vocals), Ricardo Guerra (drums, vocals).
Basket raffles, Street Dance Cup
BarnArts will be raising money for the street dance by raffling off four themed baskets full of local goodies and gift cards. A kids-themed basket will be raffled off after the contra dance at 6:30 p.m. and the other three baskets (food, drink, and art themed) will be raffled off at 8 p.m.
New this year is a reusable signature Barnard Street Dance Cup, which can be purchased for $5 and comes with free refills of ice tea, herbal tea, and water. Or, for an extra $5, you 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 the Barnard Town Hall as well as along North Rd.
The Barnard Street Dance is a free, family-friendly event celebrating summer and the beautiful community.
For more info, visit: barnarts.org/mainstage/archives/barnard-street-dance.
