It’s a loaded weekend out there — the summer solstice and Father’s Day both landing on Sunday, and the longest daylight of the year to spend on it. From a hilltop dog party in St. Johnsbury to a global music collective in Randolph, here’s what’s worth leaving the house for, with Burlington firmly in the rearview.
Friday, June 19
The big swing of the weekend opens in Barre, where Acorn Youth Arts brings Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill: The Musical to the Barre Opera House. This is ambitious material for a youth company — a Tony-winning rock musical that doesn’t shy away from family, identity, and mental health — and it runs all weekend with a 7 p.m. curtain Friday. Worth the drive to see what young Vermont talent can do with a heavy script. Details here.
Up in the Northeast Kingdom, Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury leans into the solstice with a 7:30 p.m. screening of The Wicker Man — the 1973 British folk-horror cult classic, not the remake we don’t talk about. A pagan midsummer movie on the actual eve of midsummer is exactly the kind of programming that makes Catamount worth keeping on your radar. More info.
In the Mad River Valley, the Mad Arts Garden Party kicks off the annual House & Garden Tour weekend in Waitsfield from 5:30 to 7 p.m. — a relaxed evening among the gardens and the people who tend them before Saturday’s self-guided tour. Details. For something louder, the Kiley Latham Band plays the Valley at 8 p.m., a good local bet for live music to start the weekend right. Info here.
Down in Bennington, the Bennington Museum opens its newly renovated courtyard for its Friday-night summer concert season — local artists, an easy evening, BYO chair. A fine excuse to pair art and music in the Shires. Museum events.
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Saturday, June 20
If you do one thing Saturday, make it Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury. The annual Founders Celebration Dog Party runs noon to 4 p.m., free, on Stephen and Gwen Huneck’s 150-acre leash-optional hilltop — live music, food trucks, lawn games, a doggie scavenger hunt, and roughly a thousand dogs having the best day of their lives. There is nothing else quite like it in Vermont, and the price is right. Plan your visit.
Out in Enosburg, the Cold Hollow Sculpture Park marks the longest day with Summer Birding led by the Green Mountain Bird Alliance, a guided morning walk among resident and migratory species set against the park’s large-scale outdoor sculpture. A genuinely Vermont way to greet the solstice in Franklin County. More info.
In Middlebury, Town Hall Theater presents the Miles Donahue Quartet at 7:30 p.m., with the celebrated jazz trumpeter and his band working through standards, film and TV themes, and originals. A polished night out in Addison County. Tickets and info.
Ski country flips to summer mode as Okemo in Ludlow holds its Summer Season Opening Day, with the Jackson Gore Adventure Zone firing up its lift-served activities for the season. Good for families looking to burn off energy in Windsor County. Details.
Back in the Mad River Valley, Mad River Glen offers a Naturalist-Led Solstice Hike up Stark Mountain from 5 to 7:30 p.m. with the Stark Mountain Foundation — place-based ecology and big evening views on the year’s longest day. Sign up.
And out on the lake, the Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market sets up at St. Joseph’s Church in Grand Isle from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — produce, meats, baked goods, spirits, and crafts, with island views thrown in for free. Market info.
Sunday, June 21
Sunday is a triple-header — Father’s Day, the solstice, and Make Music Day — and Randolph has the standout. Chandler Center for the Arts presents All the Rivers, a global ensemble of immigrant and refugee musicians from ten countries who now call Vermont home, founded by Avi Salloway. The free 6:30 p.m. concert blends traditions from Haiti, Colombia, Guinea, Mexico, West Africa, and Japan into something you won’t hear anywhere else. Reservations encouraged. Reserve here.
History buffs should head to the Bennington Museum at 2 p.m. for Hessians, Grasshoppers, and 6-Pounders — Saratoga park historian Eric Schnitzer on the artillery of the 1777 Battle of Bennington and the Hessen-Hanau soldiers who fired the guns. Substantive local history, well told. Museum events.
For dads who’d rather have a beer, Lawson’s Finest in Waitsfield hosts a Father’s Day Kölsch Service with the Inseldudler Band from noon to 2 p.m. — oompah, lederhosen optional, and a crisp pour for the occasion. Details. Later, Sunday Sessions brings Bloodroot Gap to the Valley from 3 to 5 p.m. for an afternoon of homegrown roots music. Info.
And if your Sunday morning calls for a slower start, the Stowe Farmers’ Market is open in Lamoille County with local vegetables, cheeses, prepared food, and live music in a festive outdoor setting — a reliable solstice-Sunday tradition. Market details.
Long days, short nights, and a whole state worth of small-town good times — get out there before the light gives up. We’ll see you back here next Thursday.
Dave Soulia | FYIVT
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