Celebrating a real 'Our Town'

Event organizers and town officials said they are pleased with how this weekend’s Festival on the Green and “Celebrate Mansfield Weekend” went.

“It went beautifully,” said Mansfield Mayor Elizabeth “Betsy” Paterson. “The event was really good.”

The weather gods looked favorably on festival attendees Sunday as between 2,000 and 3,000 local residents descended upon the sixth annual Mansfield Downtown Partnership community-centered festival event.

Although weather forecasts called for rain up to late Saturday evening, Sunday was clear and sunny for the five-hour-long event.

The weather made some officials, including Paterson, nervous. “We were holding our breath,” she said, adding she was glad Sunday’s outdoor event was held under clear skies.

“Celebrate Mansfield Weekend” – the name of the entire weekend – took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a wine-tasting kickoff happening Friday night at the Altnaveigh Inn and Restaurant.

Some event organizers said the three-day celebratory weekend was designed to bring together residents from Mansfield and the surrounding area for a day of community.

Paterson said all three days of events were well attended, especially Sunday’s festival, because there were activities for everyone.

She said there were children’s activities – such as Kidsville Kuckoo Revue – that attracted families and music for the general crowd.

Additionally, there was a juried art show that attracted 90 entries, said Paterson. “It was a wonderful outpouring of artists in the area,” she said.

The event was not just a Mansfield event, said Paterson.

According to Paterson, students and officials from the University of Connecticut took part in the event as well.

She said students performed traditional Indian dances that had been modernized to bring the crowd to their feet.

Paterson said this performance – by Husky Bhangra – brought an “international flavor” to the event.

Cynthia van Zelm, the partnership’s executive director, said the event not only highlighted the importance of community in Mansfield, but it also showcased the benefit of having a pedestrian-friendly center in town.

She said the festival brings together residents in a “traditional downtown” similar to what the proposed $220 million Storrs Center project will create.

“This is a kickoff to the project,” she said. “To show what we have in the community.”

Paterson said that sod was laid down this weekend to represent the future town green that would be built with the construction of Storrs Center.

The weekend-long event included the 23rd annual Know Your Towns Fair, the Storrs Farmers Market, Picnicpalooza! and a morning at the Willimantic River Park.