Union Village Fest
New event debuts June 14-15
By Darren Johnson
Journal & Press
Just a quick update — the Alzheimer’s Walk is still on today. Just show up at Mowry Park in Greenwich at 10 a.m. to register. Bring an umbrella!
I thought I’d devote today’s newsletter to the upcoming, inaugural Union Village Fest.
I’ve been watching “Greenwich, The Musical!” for a separate story, and that 20-year-old play does cover the history of the region pretty well. When it became apparent that Whipple City Festival wasn’t happening this year, it’s a great idea to change the weekend to the next iteration of Greenwich — it was called Union Village after Whipple City.
Union Village Fest is coming up in five days. Let’s support it.
In our late April issue, we announced that Liv Thygesen had teamed up with fellow Greenwich resident Karen Prime to create a new event called Union Village Fest. The event permit was approved by the Greenwich Village board in April.
The event takes place Friday 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., June 14-15 in the Village along Church Street and utilizing Mowry Park.
Planners are looking for volunteers to help organize and staff this new event. As well, sponsors and vendors are invited to join the fun.
Contact info@unionvillagefest.org or call 518-531-8089 to get involved.
I caught up with Thygesen recently. Here is our Q&A:
It’s been a while since our original announcement of Union Village Fest. What has changed since then?
Exciting news! We got the approval to close Church St. down for Friday! Initially, we were only looking to close Church St for Saturday, but the request came through to close the street for an additional day. This means, more food trucks, more activities and more fun! We also expect some surprise performances by some local vocalists.
What are some of the key events that will take place during this weekend? (Plus times, days, locations.)
We are excited to welcome some local bands to the stage as well as local businesses doing demonstrations between bands.
Friday evening will open with Eric Kuffs at 4pm and wrap up with the Murder Hornets at 7pm. Casa Reyes and Jay’s Pizza (just to name a couple) will be serving up their culinary concoctions all afternoon and evening Friday.
Saturday will welcome additional bands: Stirred up Band (1pm) Space Trash (3:30pm), Ragged Rascal (5pm) and Roadhouse Rhythm and Blues (7pm). We encourage everyone to come dressed in historical costumes. We will also have a costume contest for folks who wish to dress in historical attire. The focus in on fun, family, and the history of our great village. I myself am excited to eat come ice cream from our many food trucks and have a burger from Mike Snell’s Food Truck.
Additionally, we will have two bouncy houses and a multitude of kid friendly activities to include but not limited to: bubbles, sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, coloring and trivia games.
Are some local organizations also participating?
The library will be hosting a variety of activities as well, making the event truly a community celebration. Pride Tae Kwan Do will also being doing demonstrations highlighting their studio starting at 12:30. We are also looking forward to Lili Loveday’s dance and movement demonstrations in the afternoon. After the last band plays on Saturday, we are looking forward to catching up at Elsassers at 111 Main St for a post festival after party/celebration. Everyone still with energy is encouraged to swing by for a nightcap and fun company.
Any unique events planned that haven’t been announced yet?
Shhh.. if we tell you it won’t be a surprise.
What have you learned putting this event together?
It takes a village to make a village festival happen. With the two of us doing the bulk of the logistics and planning, we have had to literally utilize our phone a friend lifelines. We have also learned that there are many folks like us still out there who love and cherish our beautiful village and want to hold on to our traditions.
Will Union Village Fest bring back some of the charm Whipple City Festival had in the past?
Honestly, we want to continue with the original sentiments of the founding festival whilst carving out our own identity. Families and history are the heart of our village, and it is critical that we keep this in mind when planning celebrations such as Union Village Fest. We want the festival to focus on what makes our community the home where we all want to continue to come back to.
Will there be a parade?
Unfortunately, no. With only the two of us organizing this year, a parade was out of our scope of feasibility. We look forward to growing the festival and continuing to move history forward with the addition of a parade next year.
What are you hoping visitors take from this event?
Good old fashioned family fun and appreciation for the history of our village. Our history is amazing and really a unique part of the development of the area. From agriculture to the various factories, Greenwich has an amazing story which should be shared, preserved, and celebrated.
How are you getting the word out? Are you looking to market this event outside of Greenwich?
So far we have been utilizing platforms like Facebook for digital media. We also have had the amazing support of the Greenwich Journal Press for press releases, ads and marketing support. Additionally we have an interview scheduled with Froggie to promote sponsors and the event to a larger area.
Who are some of the vendors who have signed up thus far?
As of right now we have mostly local not-for-profits and a couple of artisanal vendors lined up. We’re excited to support our local charity and non-for-profits organizations. Events like this are a great way to highlight the service present in our community.
Do you think this might become an annual event?
We would love to make this an annual event. We have a new generation of residents and as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Greenwich the Musical,” it is important that we continue with the spirit of moving history forward. We only see this event gaining momentum and growing as our community grows. Next year we would love to see the addition of a parade and growing our planning committee membership.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Events like this would not be possible without the unwavering support of our DPW, first responders and the Greenwich Police Department. Our planning team wish to take all of our behind the scenes folks who have helped to make this all possible. You can look for their tent at the corner of Main and Church streets both days of the festival. They will have first aid and water available as well as recruiting opportunities to become a part of their amazing organizations.