Big weekend ahead packs in summertime fun
June 21, 2025 | By Lisa ScagliottiUpdate June 28: Craft fair has been moved to Sunday.
Update June 27, 5 p.m.: NQID fireworks are still ON for Saturday as originally planned.
UPDATE June 26: Read about road closures and traffic impacts in a separate post about the weekend here.
UPDATE June 23: This post was updated with details about Thursday’s Concert in the Park, Friday’s Strawberry Supper, and Train Day on Saturday.
School’s out, the calendar now officially says “summer,” a blast of heat is on the way, and the June 26-29 weekend schedule in Waterbury packs in a maximum number of events, officially kicking off the season.
Fireworks over downtown Waterbury are the finale of Waterbury’s annual Not Quite Independence Day celebration, this year on Saturday, June 28. File photo by Gordon Miller
Hopefully, your plans don’t have you out of town for much of it.
Thursday’s Rotary Concert in the Park featuring local band favorite Still Kickin’ for its farewell gig starts things off. On Friday, it’s the first of three summer Music in the Alley concerts and the Strawberry Supper at the Waterbury Congregational Church. Saturday’s list is long with Not Quite Independence Day festivities anchoring the calendar. Along the way, there’s the grand opening of Waterbury’s new ambulance station, a craft fair, and multiple local history commemorations.
Here’s a rundown of the goings-on around town from Thursday, June 26, through Sunday, June 29.
More about road closures and traffic impacts on Saturday in particular can be found in a separate Roundabout News post here.
Thursday, June 26
Concert in the Park with Still Kickin’
This week’s Thursday night Rotary Concert in the Park will have a special local vibe as a longtime Waterbury favorite band, Still Kickin’, takes to the park stage for what they say is their final gig right where they began 18 years ago.
Still Kickin’ plans a finale performance at Rusty Parker Park on Thursday. File photo by Gordon Miller
From their announcement on Facebook: “After 18 years of music making, the Still Kickin' family will close out our career where we played our first public performance all those years ago. Some of our players have changed through the years, over 30 different musicians have shared the stage with SK, however our mission and mantra has never changed: ‘Great music never goes out of style’... So please join us for one final fling together in order to reunite with old friends and make new memories with your locally sourced, free-range, seed to dance floor band, Still Kickin'!”
The free Thursday concerts at Rusty Parker Memorial Park are 6 to 8:30 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, and a picnic supper (some food trucks are expected). Udder Guys Ice Cream will be on site. All dogs must be leashed. Bike riding and running/playing on the lawn and gardens are prohibited during the event. Kids may use the playground.
Friday, June 27
Strawberry Supper
Local strawberries are ready and the Waterbury Congregational Church holds its 49th annual Strawberry Supper this Friday, at the church at 8 North Main St., from 5 to 7 p.m.
Come for dinner provided by church member volunteers, with the main event being the strawberry shortcake dessert. Take-out will be available. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Waterbury Area Senior Center.
Prices: $15 for adults; $10 for children ages 6 to 12; kids age 5 and under are free; $40 for families of four; dessert only is just $5.
Music in the Alley
The first of three Music in the Alley free concerts happens Friday, 6-9 p.m. This year, the music moves to the newly refurbished Jack’s Alley next door to Stowe Street Emporium.
Along with TURNmusic, Blackback Pub is still on board as a sponsor, serving up food and beverages. This first performance features The Devonian Hot Club with a jazzy swing sound that will be hard not to dance to.
Find more details here on this and the July and August Music in the Alley dates, along with schedules for the Thursday Rotary Concerts in the Park, Waterbury Community Band performances and Camp Meade summer concerts.
Saturday, June 28
Train Day
Photo by Revitalizing Waterbury
Saturday is Train Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Waterbury Train Station as station owner Revitalizing Waterbury, the Waterbury Historical Society, and the Champlain Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society present a special program to commemorate the station’s 150th anniversary.
Built in 1875, the Italianate Victorian station is a symbol of Waterbury’s railroad heritage and a key historic landmark in the downtown. In addition to serving as an Amtrak station, the building is home to Black Cap Coffee and Bakery and a Visitor Center hub for both tourism and local history.
Saturday’s event will include working model train displays, railroad artifacts and exhibits, live presentations and storytelling highlighting Waterbury’s railroading past and the station’s 2006 restoration, as well as hands‐on activities for kids and train lovers of all ages.
Also, know that the Train Station Visitor Center is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Waterbury Ambulance Service grand opening
Waterbury Ambulance Service hosts a grand opening on Saturday. Photo by Gordon Miller
A little over a year ago, Waterbury Ambulance Service broke ground on its Station Creation project to construct a new, modern ambulance station on Demeritt Place off South Main Street in downtown Waterbury.
On Saturday, the agency invites the community to a grand opening celebration at 11 a.m. to hear about it and see the new station.
Infinity Crafts Craft Fair
UPDATE: This has been moved to Sunday, same time and place—> From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., approximately 50 local crafters and food vendors will be set up at Dac Rowe Park on North Main Street. Organizers say Sunday, 11-5, will be the rain date (same location) should Saturday get washed out. More information: Infinitycraft01@gmail.com.
Not Quite Independence Day & the Green Mountain Mile
Not Quite Independence Day, Waterbury’s annual Independence Day event, celebrated ahead of the national holiday, is Saturday, June 28, rain or shine. Organized by the Waterbury Rotary Club, the NQID festivities include a parade down Main Street, a block party with food, beverages, kids activities and music at Rusty Parker Memorial Park, and fireworks at dusk set off behind the State Office Complex and visible throughout the downtown.
Key NQID details are below, with much more information on the Waterbury Rotary Club website here.
Runners in the Green Mountain Mile footrace make their way down Main Street just ahead of the NQID parade, rain or shine. File photo by Gordon Miller
Before NQID gets in full swing, though, there will be the 16th running of the Green Mountain Mile footrace.
The one-mile race starts at 3:45 p.m. from River Road near the Ice Center in Waterbury. The course merges onto Vermont Route 100/Main Street with the finish line at the intersection with Stowe Street at the top of Bank Hill.
Organizer Tom Thurston encourages runners to pre-register on Friday, June 27, between 5 and 7 p.m. in person at Brookside Primary School. There will also be race-day registration, 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the Ice Center. Download the registration form here to print, fill out, and turn in.
Entry fees are $5 for kids ages 14 and under, $10 for adults. There will be lollipops for finishers. Proceeds benefit the cross-country ski equipment fund at Brookside Primary School.
NQID file photo by Gordon Miller
Waterbury Rotary Club NQID poster image
After two years of rain on the parade, Waterbury Rotarians have decided to lean in, choosing Vermont Weather as the theme for this year’s Not Quite Independence Day. They say they aim to celebrate the variety of conditions Vermont experiences throughout the year: sunshine, rain, snow, wind, and of course, mud (as a result of weather, if not a form of weather itself). Parade entries therefore are encouraged to incorporate weather into their aesthetic.
Rotary organizers also have announced that the parade’s Grand Marshals this year are Skip and Cathy Flanders, who are being recognized “for their outstanding service to our community over many years.”
Free parade-prep workshop at MakerSphere
For anyone looking to be in the parade and in the spirit of the theme, MakerSphere will hold a free workshop Tuesday, June 24, from 5 to 8 p.m. at their Waterbury Seminary Arts location, 201 Hollow Road in Waterbury Center. Kids and adults can attend to work on costumes, props, to wear or carry, etc. in the NQID parade. Supplies are provided (or bring something to start with and build on it). Registration at makerspherevt.com is required though for the workshop leaders to plan. One more perk: Participants receive a special t-shirt to wear on parade day featuring the winning design of the recent MakerSphere t-shirt contest.
What you need to know for NQID:
The NQID block party begins at 3 p.m. with food, beverages, and other vendors set up in Rusty Parker Memorial Park on South Main Street.
At 3:30 p.m., Main Street will be closed to traffic for the running of the Green Mountain Mile.
At 4 p.m. the parade will begin, starting from the State Office Complex and ending at the railroad trestle bridge near the roundabout on the north end of downtown.
Due to the parade and Stowe Street bridge being closed for construction, traffic congestion is expected. Motorists are encouraged to avoid driving through Waterbury Village between 3:30 and 5 p.m. Parade-goers are encouraged to get to downtown by 3 p.m. Parking is available at the State Office Complex, Brookside Primary School, Anderson Park, in lots near the Waterbury Train Station, and near the Ice Center. (Not Dac Rowe, which will be set up with a craft fair.)
After the parade, prize-winners will be announced at Rusty Parker Park.
Activities at the park will include many kids’ games and a bouncy house. New this year will be a dunk tank where participants can try to soak local leaders and luminaries.
A highlight of the festival at the park will be a concert by the band 4Play, performing classic rock from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Organizers encourage all to bring chairs, blankets, and dancing shoes (or bare feet), but please no dogs, bicycles, or alcohol.
There will be a variety of food for sale, plus beer and hard cider, and other items from several non-profit organizations. The full list of vendors and schedule of events is on the Rotary website here.
Entry: The Rotary Club requests a donation of $5 per person or $20 for a family, to help cover the costs for the day, as well as the Rotary’s many community service projects.
As dusk approaches, the fireworks show will be launched from the field behind the State Office Complex. Parking at the complex is free. Organizers ask attendees there to stay behind the signs. Following the fireworks, volunteers will direct vehicles to two exits from the complex: Park Row, which has a traffic light onto Main Street for vehicles to turn left or right; and State Drive on the south end of the complex where exiting traffic will only be allowed to turn right/south onto Main Street.
For those who cannot make it to NQID, ORCA Media will be there, livestreaming the parade and posting the recording online afterward at this link.
From the organizers: “Waterbury Rotary would like to thank everyone who helps make NQID one of the best days all year in Waterbury. In particular, we would like to thank the Town of Waterbury, Waterbury Fire Department, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Cold Hollow Cider, Ben and Jerry’s, Ivy Computer, Green Mountain Harvest, and Casella Waste Systems.”
Fireworks launch from near the State Office Complex. File photo by Gordon Miller
Sunday, June 29
General Lafayette Returns to Waterbury
Sunday’s special event in Waterbury is 200 years in the making as the Waterbury Historical Society plans a special commemoration of the bicentennial of Revolutionary War Gen. Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824-25 U.S. tour, which brought him to Vermont, including Waterbury.
Painting of the Marquis De Lafayette by Jean-Baptiste Weyler. From Wikipedia
This special presentation is part of a larger celebration in Vermont this weekend marking the 200th anniversary of the tour Lafayette made in the early days of Vermont’s statehood. A national celebrity of the day, Lafayette was beloved by Americans at the turn of the 19th century for the role he played volunteering as a commander in George Washington’s army, fighting to win independence for the colonies. His visit drew huge crowds across the new nation as he toured all 24 states.
Along the way, Lafayette’s tour briefly stopped in Waterbury. As a result, the Waterbury Historical Society has partnered with the Vermont chapter of the American Friends of Lafayette to present what will be an interpretive reenactment of Gen. Lafayette’s visit to Waterbury as he made his way from Montpelier to Burlington, the final stop on his Farewell Tour.
Today, Vermont is the final stop for this modern-day commemorative tour. The reenactments will take place on Saturday from Cornish, New Hampshire/Windsor, Vermont, north to towns including Woodstock, Randolph, Barre and Montpelier. Sunday, the contingent continues on to Waterbury and points west and north to Burlington.
Accompanied by then-Vermont Gov. Cornelius Van Ness on June 29, 1825, Lafayette was introduced to prominent Waterbury politician, lawyer, preacher, and Revolutionary War veteran Ezra Butler, whose home on North Main Street was among the first wood-frame structures in town. Butler was elected the 11th governor of Vermont the following year. Butler’s daughter Fannie was also in attendance to greet the Marquis.
Butler’s home still stands today at 73 North Main Street. On Sunday, the Waterbury event will begin there at 9:15 a.m., on the front lawn. The Waterbury Historical Society is grateful to the home’s current owner, Chris Noyes, for permission to hold this event there.
The celebration will include period-appropriate refreshments and lawn games, educational materials about the Butler family, and historical society members in period costume as Ezra and Fannie Butler.
Gen. Lafayette and Gov. Van Ness (both to be played by reenactors from the Friends of Lafayette) are expected to arrive at approximately 9:45 a.m. following their stay in Montpelier. The short program will include an exchange of greetings, a reading of a resolution adopted by the Town of Waterbury in Lafayette’s honor, and a toast to celebrate Lafayette’s triumphant two-year tour as a “Guest of the Nation.”
The public is invited to attend this special presentation. Parking will be available at Anderson Field, located at 27 Butler Street, a short walk to the Butler house on North Main Street.
More information about the Friends of Lafayette and the Bicentennial Tour can be found at lafayette200.org and on the Vermont Historical Society’s blog which includes a video.