After a two-year COVID-19 absence that felt a LOT longer, the Rose Arts Festival, a combination of “grassy park by day and city streets by night” offering music, art, road races, and more fun per square foot than we’ve had in these parts in many a day, the Rose Arts Festival, returns this Saturday morning.
Chelsea Parade will be the epicenter for daytime Rose Arts Festival activities and, probably, just about the most populous (if not popular) place in this part of the state Saturday starting at half-past eight with both a 5 and 10K fun run (registration details here) beginning at the Norwich Free Academy along with a pancake breakfast (I like to think of the three events as a Sneakers and Syrup Triathlon, but I might be the only one doing that).
In the spirit of the festival’s return (and because I don’t have my running shoes laced up), let me reprise some previous rhapsodizing about the attractions, activities, importance, and just plain wonderful time waiting for us all, hopefully under cooperative and sunny summer skies.
As you probably remember from previous festivals, the biggest challenge (after finding a place to park) is deciding among dozens (and more) arts and crafts vendors; participating in and/or cheering on those taking part in the Budding Artist, Culinary, and Floral competitions (you can get more information and sign up here ); admiring the various art exhibitions; enjoying practically non-stop (from two stages) music of every genre; and chowing down on the offerings from a still-expanding roster of food vendors.
When it comes to listening to all the live music on tap (and here’s a current listing of those scheduled), in addition to the performances starting at eleven in the morning at Chelsea Parade, as the sun slowly sinks in the West, the Rose Arts Festival moves to Downtown After Dark, with more music in more places than your ears can ever imagine with nearly a dozen more venues throughout Down City starting at seven o’clock in the evening and going until sometime Sunday (I suspect), which is bad news for those who persist in insisting that there's nothing ever going on in downtown (You can keep saying it of course, but by sunrise Sunday everyone will know it’s not true).
Lost in all the music, food, arts and crafts, and fun for the whole family, reacquainting with neighbors from whom we’ve spent years social-distancing, and reconnecting with friends and family (‘so that’s what you look like without a mask’ my circle will say; ‘can you put it back on now and quickly?’), is this one-day celebration is powered by a coalition of volunteers and city departments and officials who took it upon themselves to throw all of us a party. Somehow, saying ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough, does it?
So,
if you've been waiting to celebrate the start of summer and the city of
Norwich, the Rose Arts Festival Saturday is your chance to do both. Enjoy!
-bill kenny
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