Spruce Peak Arts floats rolling concert idea to Rotary NQID organizers

May 20, 2020  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

Waterbury’s Independence Day celebration may get a bit more festive thanks to a suggestion this week from Spruce Peak Performing Arts to bring a mobile concert to the June 27 fireworks show. 

Speaking to the Waterbury Rotary Club at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, Spruce Peak Executive Director Hope Sullivan told the group how her organization is looking for “ways to evolve” with performing arts this summer. 

With large gatherings prohibited as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, the popular performance venue at Stowe Mountain Resort has gone dark. Instead of in-person events in recent weeks, the venue has gotten creative with livestreaming events on the internet and dozens of online birthday celebrations, Sullivan said. 

Summertime is typically busy for the nonprofit venue with many events on its calendar. Looking ahead, she said she and her team see possibilities to bring the arts to local communities – in an appropriately socially distant way. 

Sullivan said Bourne Energy has agreed to provide the center with a 36-foot-long flatbed truck and generator – a setup typically seen used for a float in a parade, for example. Spruce Peak will book bands to play on the flatbed while it drives through a community offering a rolling concert. 

The area behind the State Office Complex in Waterbury will be the site for spectators to gather for the Not Quite Independence Day fireworks show on June 27. Organizers are looking to add live music to the event for people to enjoy from their vehicles. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

Sullivan said the first one is planned for June 20 in Morrisville from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with Vermont artist Chad Hollister. The band will traverse neighborhoods and stop to play for a while at the town’s band shell near People’s Academy. 

“We’d like our second one to be in Waterbury,” Sullivan said. 

The Waterbury Rotary organizes the Not Quite Independence Day festivities that usually involve a parade, all-day festival with food, games and entertainment and an evening fireworks show on the Saturday before July 4.

Given the public health concerns and prohibition on large public gatherings still in place, organizers recently decided to pare this year’s celebration scheduled for June 27 down to just the fireworks show at dusk behind the Vermont State Office Complex. 

Rotary members asked Sullivan questions but otherwise gave the idea an enthusiastic response. 

“What a fantastic idea,” said Tom Badowski. 

“We normally have music,” Theresa Wood added. 

Rotary President Tami Bass asked how the mobile-concert organizers would prevent people from gathering once the band was stopped. “We will encourage people to tailgate,” Sulllivan said. And local police would be asked to help with traffic flow and parking. 

Rotary members noted that they had a band scheduled to play on the 27th before the event was canceled. Sullivan said she has more musicians interested in the flatbed concerts as well. 

Dan McKibben, who takes over the role of Rotary president in July, said the committee working on details for NQID event could sort out the details with Spruce Peak Arts with the goal of adding music ahead of the fireworks show.