Great free entertainment at the 9th Annual Festival on the Green

The Mansfield Downtown Partnership invites area residents to “Celebrate Mansfield” at the 9th Annual Festival on the Green on Sunday, Sept. 23 with music, food, and fun!

The event is open to everyone.

Visitors of all ages will enjoy a special activity this year, creating a piece of a 3D map of Mansfield.

Local residents and LEGO® Group employees Tim Kirchmann and Steve Gerling – who is also a LEGO® Master Model Builder – will bring thousands of LEGO® bricks that participants can use to make small-scale models representing their favorite spots in Mansfield, which will then be added to a large map of the town made entirely out of LEGO® bricks!

This year’s Festival on the Green brings a special headliner to the stage, Brown Bird, a talented Roots/Americana duo from Providence, RI.  In 2011, David Lamb and MorganEve Swain stole the show at the Newport Folk Festival – so much so that they were invited back in 2012 to perform on the main stage.

Opening for Brown Bird will be Poor Old Shine, an up-and-coming bluegrass/American folk band from Storrs.  Poor Old Shine will perform at 3 p.m. and Brown Bird follows at 3:30 pm.

However, the excitement begins with the Celebrate Mansfield Parade at noon and continues until 5 p.m.

Most events for the 2012 Festival on the Green will take place in front of  E. O. Smith High School on Route 195/Storrs Road (if it rains, the event will be held inside the school).

Be sure to arrive early to ensure your spot on the parade route because Storrs Road/Route 195 will close to motor vehicle traffic at 11:45 a.m.

For a slide show of the 2011 Festival on the Green, click here .

The UConn Marching Band will kick off an eclectic line-up of community groups, sports teams, local businesses, animals and larger-than-life puppets from the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry.

Children also are invited to ride their bicycle or tricycle in the traditional “Bikes, Tykes, and Trikes” parade.

To participate, children – accompanied by an adult – will meet at the corner of Storrs Road and South Eagleville Road/Route 275 at 11 a.m.  Volunteers will be on hand to help organize this parade. Cyclists of all ages are encouraged to wear helmets.

Follow the Celebrate Mansfield Parade from the Post Office, up Storrs Road, onto Bolton Road, and into the Festival on the Green.

The UConn Marching Band will open the festivities, followed by Kidsville Kuckoo Revue a popular local group that entertains the young and young-at-heart with familiar songs and dances. You’re welcome to bring folding chairs and picnic blankets to enjoy the music.

Throughout the afternoon, Mansfield businesses and organizations will host a variety of activity booths with hands-on fun for all ages.

Planned activities include face-painting, candy art, and pottery demos.

UConn’s Dining Services returns to host their popular cooking demonstrations.

Horsin’ Around will provide pony rides from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Festival on the Green would not be possible without the generous support of the many sponsors and volunteers who contribute their time and resources to this special community event.

The 2012 Festival on the Green sponsors are:

Storrs Center, The Oaks on The Square, Gulemo Printers, Mansfield OB/GYN and Windham Hospital.

“Landmark Sponsors” are:

E. O. Smith High School, the Town of Mansfield, the University of Connecticut, Kahan, Kerensky & Capossela, Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, UConn Co-op, WILI and Willimantic Waste Paper.

“Grassroots Sponsors” are:

Dr. Karen Calef, DMD, Cipparone & Zaccaro LLP, Ferrigno Realtors, First Niagara, Holiday Hill Recreation Center, Liberty Bank, Mansfield Pediatrics LLC, the Merchants of Storrs Commons, Nathan Hale Inn & Conference Center, People’s United Bank, Savings Institute Bank & Trust, SBM Charitable Foundation, Sun Harvest Renewable Resources, TD Bank, UConn Foundation, Weichert Realtors – Four Corners Real Estate LLC and Wilcox & Reynolds Insurance LLC.

For more information about the 9th Annual Festival on the Green, please visit the Mansfield Downtown Partnership’s website at www.mansfieldct.org/mdp

Road Closure and parking for the Festival

Route 195/Storrs Road in Mansfield will be closed from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23 from the intersection with Route 275/S. Eagleville Road and Bolton Road for the Celebrate Mansfield Parade.

Please plan to use alternate routes during this time.

Parking for the Festival on the Green will be available in the Storrs Center parking garage, Dog Lane parking lot, Town Hall parking lot (S. Eagleville Road entrance only) and the Center for Hellenic Studies Paideia on Dog Lane (Greek Center).

Parking will be free for the duration of the Festival in the Storrs Center parking garage.

Parking will also be available in the Town Hall parking lot (Storrs Road entrance), in the Mansfield-Storrs Post Office, and E.O. Smith High School athletic fields parking lot, after Storrs Road has been re-opened at the conclusion of the parade.

Posted September 22, 2012, based on a press release from the Mansfield Downtown Partnership – photos, links and videos added by HTNP New Editor Brenda Sullivan

Related links:

Building Secrets from the Masters blog http://modelbuildingsecrets.wordpress.com/tag/steve-gerling/

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