There’s still time to be part of the fun!
The Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. has extended the deadline to sign up for Activity and Food Booths at the 19th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival.
This annual celebration of the people, businesses, and organizations that make Mansfield a special place to live, learn, and grow will take place on Saturday, September 24 from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM on and around Betsy Paterson Square (2 Dog Lane) in Downtown Storrs. In the event of inclement weather, the Festival will be held inside E. O. Smith High School (1235 Storrs Road).
The Partnership invites Mansfield-located businesses and community organizations and UConn departments, programs, and student groups to host an Activity Booth or Food Booth at the Celebrate Mansfield Festival. The cost for a 10’x10’ booth space is $25.
“The Activity Booths are a unique feature of our Festival,” says Partnership Executive Director Cynthia van Zelm. “They are a great way for businesses and organizations to connect with our community and for folks to show their fun, creative side.”
Activity Booths are required to feature a free, hands-on activity for any age. The activity can be tailored to the mission of the business or organization, or it can be just for fun. Past Festivals have featured a wide range of activities including trivia games, bean bag tosses, making shadow puppets, digging through compost to find worms, jump rope challenges, spinning wool into yarn, hula hooping, and even notarizing wills!
Food Booths offer a way for local restaurants to show off their fan favorites or highlight a special menu item. For non-profit organizations, the Food Booths can be used as a fundraiser (Activity Booths cannot be used for raising funds).
The Activity Booths will be open from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, while the Food Booths will be open from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
All participants, volunteers, and visitors are asked to keep in mind the low-waste goals of the Celebrate Mansfield Festival. For participating businesses and organizations, this means planning their booths to minimize the amount of waste generated (e.g. info displays that can be reused rather than paper brochure handouts, using repurposed materials for crafts and games). Volunteers and visitors are asked to be mindful of how they sort any waste and to use the provided bins for recycling, compost, and trash.
For additional information and the application
The Celebrate Mansfield Festival is free and open to everyone.
Follow @DowntownStorrs on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for news and announcements as planning progresses.
Activity and Food Booths will line the streets of Downtown Storrs during the Celebrate Mansfield Festival - Photo by Ken Best