Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter

Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 12:00pm
Harbor Park, Harbor Drive, Middletown

FREE!

Click here to view information about the 2016 festival.

Click here to view the full album of photos from the 2015 festival on flickr.

From Noon until 5pm. Rain or shine.

Click here to download a pdf of the festival map, which includes the full schedule of performances and events, a complete list of activities, and participating environmental organizations and craft fair vendors.

Spend an afternoon at Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter, featuring live music, visual art installations, plein air painters, a kids' activity zone, environmental education exhibits, as well as a craft fair and farmer's market--all designed to bring you closer to the rich culture, history, and science of the Connecticut River.

This event celebrates the river as a source of cultural inspiration and creativity.

Live Music on the Main Stage:
Noon-12:45pm: Peter Siegel
1pm-1:45pm: Mattabesett String Collective
2pm-2:45pm: Honey and the Sting
3pm-3:45pm: Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
4pm-4:45pm: The Royal Boys

Live Music on the Kid's Stage:
12:15pm-1:15pm: Circophany's Circus by Artfarm and Oddfellows Playhouse
1:30pm-2pm: Members of Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
2:15pm-3pm: Anastasia and Christopher Jankowski
3:15-4pm: Margie Warner
4:15-5pm: Middletown High School Band

Kids' Activities:
Activities organized by Kidcity
"Fish Sticks" - create and color your own Connecticut River fish with Wesleyan's Rho Epsilon Pi members
Learn to row with the Middletown High School Crew Team
Letterboxing stamp-making station
Learn to fish on Connecticut's "Free Fishing Day"

Other Events:
Anne Cubberly's giant "Water" puppet
Drawing and Painting Boat Tours with Sandbox Arts Collective
Drumming Circle with the Buttonwood Tree
Environmental Tours with Wesleyan Students
Farmers Market organized by the North End Action Team
Plein Air Painters with the Middletown Art Guild
Pedestrian tunnel sound installation

Food Vendors & Trucks:
Firedog
Jammed 4 Thyme
Mamoun's Falafel Cart
Mattabesett Canoe Club
NoRA's Cupcake Company
Pizza to the People
Spuds Your Way

Craft Fair Vendors:
All In One Boutique
Andie’s Cookies
Birdhouse Beauties
Coaster Mania!
Dame Champagne
It Works!
Mary Kay
Next Step Living
Omusono
Pink Zebra
Skippin’ Stones
Tupperware

Environmental Action Zone Organizations:
City of Middletown Clean Energy Task Force
City of Middletown Recycling Commission
Connecticut Clean Energy Fund
Connecticut Fund for the Environment (Save the Sound)
Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District
Connecticut River Watershed Council
CT Rides
Jonah Center for Earth and Art
Middlesex Community College
Middlesex Land Trust
The Rockfall Foundation
Russell Library
TechniArt
Wesleyan University Archaeology and Anthropology Collections
Wesleyan Composting Committee
Wesleyan Connecticut Forest and Park Association
Wesleyan University’s Long Lane Farm

This event was inspired by The Nile Project performance at Wesleyan on Friday, April 10, 2015.

The festival is part of Feet to the Fire, a program of Wesleyan's Creative Campus Initiative.

Visit the Riverfront Encounter Facebook page.

Directions

Parking: Free from Noon to 5pm in the Melilli Plaza Municipal Parking Lot, located on Melilli Plaza between Washington Street and Court Street; and at Arcade Parking Lot, located off of Court Street, in Middletown.

From Hartford and points north: Take I-91 South to Exit 22 for Route 9 southbound. At Exit 15, turn right onto Route 66 West (Washington Street), then turn left onto Melilli Plaza. Park in the Melilli Plaza parking lot located on the left side of the street. If the Melilli Plaza parking lot is full, continue on Melilli Plaza to Court Street to the Arcade parking lot located next to the Middlesex Court House.

From New Haven, New York and points south: Take I-95 North to I-91 North. At Exit 18, take Route 691/66 East. Route 66 becomes Washington Street in Middletown. Continue on Washington Street and turn right onto Melilli Plaza (past Main Street). Park in the Melilli Plaza parking lot located on the left side of the street. If the Melilli Plaza parking lot is full, continue on Melilli Plaza to Court Street to the Arcade parking lot located next to the Middlesex Court House.

Or, take I-95 North to the Merritt/Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15 North) to Route 66 eastbound. Continue on Washington Street and turn right onto Melilli Plaza (past Main Street).

From Waterbury and points west: Take I-84 East. Take Exit 27 to Route 691/66 East. Route 66 becomes Washington Street in Middletown. Continue on Washington Street and turn right onto Melilli Plaza (past Main Street). Park in the Melilli Plaza parking lot located on the left side of the street. If the Melilli Plaza parking lot is full, continue on Melilli Plaza to Court Street to the Arcade parking lot located next to the Middlesex Court House.

From Boston and points northeast: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West to Exit 9 for I-84 West to Hartford. Take Exit 57 over the Charter Oak Bridge and follow the signs to I-91 South. Take I-91 South to Exit 22 for Route 9 Southbound. At Exit 15, turn right onto Route 66 West (Washington Street), then turn left onto Melilli Plaza. Park in the Melilli Plaza parking lot located on the left side of the street. If the Melilli Plaza parking lot is full, continue on Melilli Plaza to Court Street to the Arcade parking lot located next to the Middlesex Court House.

Or, take I-95 South through Providence, then take Exit 69 to Route 9 North (approximately 26 miles to Middletown). At exit 15, turn left onto Route 66 West (Washington Street), then turn left onto Melilli Plaza.

Walking and Biking:

Pedestrians are encouraged to use the pedestrian tunnel to enter Harbor Park. The tunnel entrance is located on deKoven Drive within the Melilli Plaza parking lot, 53 Washington Street. An alternative pedestrian entrance is to walk east bound on Union Street, pass under the Route 9 bridge, and continue to walk along Harbor Drive.

Bicyclists should enter the festival using Harbor Drive. From Washington and Main Streets, head south bound on Main Street four blocks, then turn left onto Union Street. Continue on Union Street and pass under the Route 9 bridge. Union Street becomes Harbor Drive. Bike racks will be available along the south end of Harbor Park.

Acknowledgements

Partners include The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts & Cultural Center, City of Middletown, Jonah Center for Earth and Art, Kidcity Children's Museum, Middlesex Community College, Mattabesett Canoe Club, Middletown Garden Club, Middlesex County Historical Society, Middletown Public Schools, Oddfellows Playhouse, and Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts, Center for Community Partnerships, College of the Environment, and Green Street Teaching and Learning Center.

Made possible by the State of Connecticut's Department of Economic and Community Development's Arts Catalyze Placemaking program, the Middletown Commission of the Arts, the City of Middletown and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.