SUMMERFEST RETURNS TO BETHLEHEM

BETHLEHEM — The Second Annual Summerfest is scheduled for Saturday, August 10. Hosted by Bethlehem Events, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to increasing community spirit, tourism, and a boosted town economy.

This festival is the fusion of Old Home Days and the Bethlehem Artwalk which have been turned into one cohesive, community-wide celebration.

Activities kick off at 10 a.m. with vendors setting up ad hoc art galleries and booths at Gazebo Park on Main Street. The Bethlehem Parade returns to Route 302 at 2 p.m., followed by a community dinner and dance at 3 p.m. at Bethlehem Gazebo.

“We are thrilled to concentrate the hub of activities at the Gazebo Park this year,” said Heidi Vaughn, a board member at Bethlehem Events. “The park is a beautiful and underutilized asset in our town.”

Summerfest is one of several annual festivals organized by Bethlehem Events. Its origins date back to the first Bethlehem Artwalk, held in 2012 and it is always held on the second Saturday in August.

To expand the roster of activities, Summerfest organizers decided to expand the programming, return parades to Bethlehem’s Main Street and open vendor opportunities to more than just artists. The 2019 roster of vendors include farms, crafters and food trucks.

Kid activities will be ongoing throughout the day. MaeFly, a local performance artist, will offer free hula hooping and ribbon dancing classes at 11 a.m. and two large canvases will be set up for community mural painting.

Through a partnership between Staples and Tarleton Castle Arts, children will have the opportunity to create a larger than life castle made entirely out of cardboard at the Gazebo Park. Castle construction is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., and will run throughout the day.

A full day of live music is scheduled at the Gazebo and includes performances by Mark McMann, SoulFriend and Screen, among others. An Open Stage Jam starts at 1:30 p.m., and the headlining act is Cheap City from Holyoke, Mass.

Bethlehem Events is a volunteer non-profit organization that works year-round planning and scheduling events that are fun for the whole family. The organization aims to strengthen the vibrancy and activity of the Bethlehem community by recommending, overseeing and organizing an annual portfolio of cultural and recreational special events, programs, and activities. Yearly events include Summerfest, Christmas in Bethlehem, Make Music Day, the BOOthlehem Halloween Bash, the Haunted Hustle 5K Fun Run, Light it Up Blue, First Fridays, the Big Head Project, and various town beautification projects. To learn more or get involved, please visit www.bethlehemevents.org.