The 22nd annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival brought thousands of attendants to Downtown Storrs on Saturday, Sept. 27, for a day full of community bonding, music, interactive performances and more.
The festival ran from 2 to 8 p.m. and offered nonstop entertainment as far as the eye could see.
Dog Lane was transformed into the “Craft Corner,” where local vendors displayed and sold hand-made items. Those interested could find anything from knitted stuffed animals to clay pottery to pretty jewelry and more. It also featured a juried craft show and tables covered in paper for attendants to draw on throughout the day.
Parts of Royce Circle became home for local food vendors with refreshments and meals. Further down the road came various community booths from local businesses, the town of Mansfield, the University of Connecticut, E.O. Smith High School and more.
The featured community groups ranged in their function, with different political, religious, environmental and cultural focuses. Others were more closely tied to sports or performance, like Villari’s Martial Arts and the Mansfield Academy of Dance, who both gave demonstrations during the event.
The festival did not just give attendants things to see; there was a lot to do as well. Tables had handouts to grab, prize wheels to spin and trivia to answer, which kept audiences engaged. Eastern Insurance Associates stayed busy by offering balloon animals and the E.O. Smith VEX Robotics team let people control one of their robots within a small space. The town of Mansfield Fire & Emergency Services and Resident State Trooper’s office were set up at the end of Wilbur Cross Way with emergency vehicles for people to go inside.
Betsy Paterson Square served as the main stage for the live musical performances. Featured acts included the E.O. Smith and UConn drumlines, UConn Jazz Students and local alternative rock band Ruby Leftstep. Onlookers could watch from the comfort of tables and chairs as they ate while children played nonstop on the grass.
The square was also home to a community puppetry pageant called “Prehistoric Mansfield,” which was produced by the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry in collaboration with UConn’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After the show concluded, you could still see people sporting prehistoric-themed costumes throughout the crowd, adding to the spectacle as the day progressed.
It cannot be underestimated how much there was to watch and do throughout the day. As Ruby Leftstep jammed out songs from their latest extended play at 5 p.m., you could walk a minute up Dog Lane to see singing performances from Waldron’s Studio 88, a local music school. Walking another couple minutes up Royce Circle would situate you by an interactive magic show from Bob Hale, which drew a large crowd of children.
The All Night Boogie Band came down from Burlington, Vt. to close out the night. Their bluesy approach to rock ‘n’ roll was a fitting way to end the festival, with a perfect blend of songs that were relaxing and energetic with cathartic release.
Steven Ferrigno, the executive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, played a large part in organizing the festival. This was his first year with the role, and while he described the work as a “learning experience,” he said having an abundance of experienced staff and committed volunteers made it manageable.
Ferrigno said he was happy with the turnout for the festival. He said there were 10 craft booths, 10 food vendors and 82 booths from other organizations. While he did not have an exact attendance number, he estimated there were upwards of 5000 people throughout the day. His favorite part of the festival was getting to see so many people enjoy it all.
“We love our downtown, we love the vibrancy that it adds to our community,” he said. “It’s such a nice way for the residents and students to interact in a common way. We can bring the community together, it’s very positive.”
Joei D’aloia, a third-semester English and theater studies double major with a minor in puppetry, appreciated the local crafts and puppetry designs she saw at the festival.
“I thought it was a really good experience for my family and I,” D’aloia said. “My favorite part I would say was definitely the band Ruby Leftstep … They are definitely going to be my new favorite underground artist.”
Ryan Krishna, a fifth-semester individualized major on the neuroscience of language, enjoyed getting to hear the All Night Boogie Band as the festival came to a close.
“Celebrating Mansfield was a wonderful chance to learn more about my local community and also support our small businesses,” Krishna said.