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Manchester, Vermont, is seeking street performers. Contact seems to be the Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
I've been to Manchester only once and it's primarily the home of upscale factory outlet stores. Here's the article in the Bennington, Vermont, Banner:
Playin' in the streets
By CHRIS PARKER,
Staff Writer
MANCHESTER -- All the town's a stage.
The Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce has recruited street performers to lively up the town by painting faces, miming, juggling and presenting other acts on town green spaces and sidewalks, according to Jennifer Head, the chamber's visitor and membership services coordinator.
Starting this weekend street performers will entertain residents of the town and people just passing through. At least eight "buskers" - a term for street performer - will perform.
For five weekends from July 17 to Aug. 15, the musicians, face-painters, jugglers, mimes, psychics and possibly caricaturists, will perform from 1 to 5 p.m. at locations that include Manchester Square, Two Sisters Home Furnishings and a grassy area by Nan-Z's hot dog stand on Main Street.
Performers won't be allowed to sell products but can put a hat or collection bin where they are stationed and accept tips from onlookers. Since the chamber isn't charging any fees, all money collected will remain the property of each performer.
For the last few weeks, the chamber has been seeking people with "entertaining and attention-getting talent" to perform as part of a first-time series.
Head said the performances will be free.
"It's really just to add vivacity to the town, if you will, to give it a little kick. It's to make it a lively atmosphere on the weekends," she said. "Everyone's very excited about it."
Head said the performers will be located in areas such that they won't have an adverse effect on traffic or pedestrians. The performers won't be allowed to use amplification equipment except on the town green and have the permission of a few private businesses to use areas around their properties.
Dan Favreau, the town's director of parks and recreation, said the chamber filed the necessary paperwork to use the town green, and is responsible for keeping the site clean after use.
"I think any use of the town green that attracts more people (is good)," he said. "As long as they're following all the guidelines, we're happy to have the green be used."
From a zoning standpoint, Planning Director Lee Krohn said there are few examples in the past to draw from but that he had no issues with the series. He said if the performers were hawking, or selling products, they'd need vending licenses.
Town Manager Peter Webster said the street performers might enhance the image of the town and encourage visitors to stay. He said similar programming in Burlington has received rave reviews.
Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle couldn't be reached for comment Monday night.
The street performer idea is the brainchild of Ellen Sussman, a Manchester Journal correspondent working as a representative of the Journal, which is a member of the chamber.
Sussman, who is coordinating the weekend series with Head, said that during a recent trip to Sydney, Australia, she and husband Dick were hanging around the harbor by the Sydney Opera House and saw street performers.
"All around Sydney harbor, every day, they'd have street performers. It just added vitality," she said. "When I came back (to Manchester), I heard the quiet and thought, 'Hey, wouldn't it be great to have drummers, guitarists, face-painters and jugglers around?'"
Sussman said her plan with Head was to have the performance period end the weekend before the town's sidewalk sales running Aug. 19 to 22. The duo was set to iron out the schedule this week and said performers don't have to perform each weekend.
If the idea bodes well with the public over the next five weeks, Sussman and Head hope to have another series during the foliage season and next summer as well. The two said they were encouraged by the positive response they have had about the series and that they have had no opposition thus far.
The chamber has declined to name the full slate of street performers as a schedule has not been finalized.
One guitar player, Bob Ray, said he is relishing the opportunity to perform on the streets, an idea that has intrigued him since the first time he saw a street performer in Boston.
Ray said any opportunity he can get to play his guitar is a good one. He said he may play an acoustic, bluegrass version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" or other songs that tell a story.
He said he wasn't sure if he'd leave a hat out for passersby, calling the practice "tacky," but said seeing people smile when another person performs is magic.
"It's sort of symbolism in a sense. You're playing something you love and maybe that comes across to people," he said. "(Onlookers are) totally hooked in."
I've been to Manchester only once and it's primarily the home of upscale factory outlet stores. Here's the article in the Bennington, Vermont, Banner:
Playin' in the streets
By CHRIS PARKER,
Staff Writer
MANCHESTER -- All the town's a stage.
The Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce has recruited street performers to lively up the town by painting faces, miming, juggling and presenting other acts on town green spaces and sidewalks, according to Jennifer Head, the chamber's visitor and membership services coordinator.
Starting this weekend street performers will entertain residents of the town and people just passing through. At least eight "buskers" - a term for street performer - will perform.
For five weekends from July 17 to Aug. 15, the musicians, face-painters, jugglers, mimes, psychics and possibly caricaturists, will perform from 1 to 5 p.m. at locations that include Manchester Square, Two Sisters Home Furnishings and a grassy area by Nan-Z's hot dog stand on Main Street.
Performers won't be allowed to sell products but can put a hat or collection bin where they are stationed and accept tips from onlookers. Since the chamber isn't charging any fees, all money collected will remain the property of each performer.
For the last few weeks, the chamber has been seeking people with "entertaining and attention-getting talent" to perform as part of a first-time series.
Head said the performances will be free.
"It's really just to add vivacity to the town, if you will, to give it a little kick. It's to make it a lively atmosphere on the weekends," she said. "Everyone's very excited about it."
Head said the performers will be located in areas such that they won't have an adverse effect on traffic or pedestrians. The performers won't be allowed to use amplification equipment except on the town green and have the permission of a few private businesses to use areas around their properties.
Dan Favreau, the town's director of parks and recreation, said the chamber filed the necessary paperwork to use the town green, and is responsible for keeping the site clean after use.
"I think any use of the town green that attracts more people (is good)," he said. "As long as they're following all the guidelines, we're happy to have the green be used."
From a zoning standpoint, Planning Director Lee Krohn said there are few examples in the past to draw from but that he had no issues with the series. He said if the performers were hawking, or selling products, they'd need vending licenses.
Town Manager Peter Webster said the street performers might enhance the image of the town and encourage visitors to stay. He said similar programming in Burlington has received rave reviews.
Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle couldn't be reached for comment Monday night.
The street performer idea is the brainchild of Ellen Sussman, a Manchester Journal correspondent working as a representative of the Journal, which is a member of the chamber.
Sussman, who is coordinating the weekend series with Head, said that during a recent trip to Sydney, Australia, she and husband Dick were hanging around the harbor by the Sydney Opera House and saw street performers.
"All around Sydney harbor, every day, they'd have street performers. It just added vitality," she said. "When I came back (to Manchester), I heard the quiet and thought, 'Hey, wouldn't it be great to have drummers, guitarists, face-painters and jugglers around?'"
Sussman said her plan with Head was to have the performance period end the weekend before the town's sidewalk sales running Aug. 19 to 22. The duo was set to iron out the schedule this week and said performers don't have to perform each weekend.
If the idea bodes well with the public over the next five weeks, Sussman and Head hope to have another series during the foliage season and next summer as well. The two said they were encouraged by the positive response they have had about the series and that they have had no opposition thus far.
The chamber has declined to name the full slate of street performers as a schedule has not been finalized.
One guitar player, Bob Ray, said he is relishing the opportunity to perform on the streets, an idea that has intrigued him since the first time he saw a street performer in Boston.
Ray said any opportunity he can get to play his guitar is a good one. He said he may play an acoustic, bluegrass version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" or other songs that tell a story.
He said he wasn't sure if he'd leave a hat out for passersby, calling the practice "tacky," but said seeing people smile when another person performs is magic.
"It's sort of symbolism in a sense. You're playing something you love and maybe that comes across to people," he said. "(Onlookers are) totally hooked in."