Op-ed: Does relocating Chester Festival fulfill board’s stated objectives?
The Chester Telegraph | Dec 30, 2025 | Comments 14
By Nicholas Boke
©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC
I’ve re-read the article several times, and I just can’t find anything that resembles any sort of outreach to the public, anything that indicates that the five-member CCE board asked anybody but themselves where the festival should be held.
Surely somebody from the group had at least discussed things with the town manager and police chief. Other than a reference to the fact that the town could not create a temporary sidewalk but could set out cones to slow the traffic, nobody on the board told us anything about what almost anybody but board members thought about the move.
It all sounded pretty new to the two select board members who attended the meeting and one, Arne Jonynas, said he “wished the group had included public involvement earlier and cautioned about adverse effects of making the change.”
The board did explain how the festival had begun and evolved, why the Rotary Club had decided not to continue running it, how new trees had cut back the number of vendor spaces, and that some of the board members had had unpleasant experiences with traffic and were worried about parking.
But I still don’t get it. When Chester resident and Telegraph editor Cynthia Prairie, who has been a longtime vendor at the festival, asked what the CCE’s mission was, no board member could respond, although she was sent
the list later that day. It mentioned:
- community spirit and pride,
- the preservation and positive image of the town,
- getting others to engage in community activities and
- highlighting the agricultural and artistic roots of Chester.
This leaves me with a few questions.
First, how does moving the festival support any of those things better than holding it on the Green, the part of Chester that makes Chester Chester?
Second, I don’t see how this move would improve road-related safety, which seemed to be a big issue for the board. To be specific, how does moving the festival out of a fairly well-maintained 25 mph speed-limit zone into a 30 mph one that comes right after a brief 40 mph, which comes right after a long 50 mph zone make things safer for attendees who park in the high school parking lot?
And in what way will this move help the many downtown businesses, even if a “Merchants’ Row” is organized, as one board member suggested? And how will it help the library that holds its annual sale on its own front lawn? And which of the mission statements will be supported by the possibility that a Foliage Train might be launched
from the new site: I don’t see the Holiday Express bringing more customers to the any of our art galleries or cafés. Or will people stopping to buy hand-made jewelry, maple products and cotton candy be attracted by Civil War reenactments?
As far as I could tell, the main reason to move the festival has something to do with bringing in more vendors, which, I suppose, is intended to bring more customers to the festival and, I guess, into town.
It may, in fact, bring more vendors, but I’m not so sure about more customers. I’m pretty sure that one of the festival’s main attractions is that it’s held on the Green and alongside of the Academy Building, cemetery, and all the rest. And I’m pretty sure that the idea that the relocation “would still be the same Chester Festival” just won’t hold up.
Why not? Simply because it won’t take place in that lovely little village where people live, shop and work amid beautiful greenery and a variety of businesses and historic buildings.
You know. Chester.
Nick Boke is a Chester resident.
Filed Under: Commentary • Op-ed
I attended the meeting, and as a long-time vendor, I too loved having the festival on the green. I went to the meeting with an open mind and listened to the presentation. I wholeheartedly support the move. I have witnessed too many close calls; people tripping over curbs, not enough room between the street and vendors booths, impatient drivers acting out. I witnessed a lot of negativities in attendee’s comments, these board members are volunteers and do an incredible amount of work to put this festival on and don’t in any way deserve what has been thrown their way. Instead of criticizing, do something yourselves, organize, do you own thing, have your own festival, call it whatever you want.
I have been a Vendor at the Peru Fair for many years, it has outgrown its space with 171 vendors this year, even with no cars on the road, they have the luxury of shutting down the road for the event. They only allow a certain number of like Vendors and it is juried. They run a shuttle from Bromley where the parking is, they charge 10 dollars per person, and this year was more crowded than ever.
I appreciate the committee’s commitment to make the event even better; and I look forward to being a part of it again this year and will do whatever I can to help make it a success.
I wonder if a compromise of some sort can be reached where some vendors are located on the green, with perhaps some fun fall activities at the Pinnacle? Shuttles could run people to and from the field to these other special areas in Chester.
Perhaps a food fair down on the green? If that happened, I might want to sell some panettone and Shokupan down there.
I was involved for a bit getting the Festival going after COVID I’m friends with many of the people on the board. I was also the one who started the field as a festival grounds I have been incredibly disappointed we have not taken advantage of it. My perspective is quite simple the folks running the festival are running it like a growth oriented entity. What ever reasons stated the reality is it’s out grown the green using the space behind the Academy building doesn’t work well and unfortunately working with the Fullerton was a failure too. In my opinion Chester could have and should have a number of events. Festivals of any size are fun for the community, bring people together and create commerce. The Green is now open for another group to do a craft fair and they should. If the goal is to keep something on the Green it needs to be treated more like a Bonsai tree than a business. A Bonsai is trimmed to continually fit its space that’s a different type of art form than the folks currently running do. The festival committee is its own non profit it’s not a Town group the town just let them use Town land anyone can ask for that. The Legion owns the Field so the only connection with the town now is its being held in Chester. I have run a ton of events it’s not easy but not that hard put out a request for membership, meet and get something going it could be a great addition to the community.
I wholeheartedly agree with Nick Boke. I have looked forward to every Sale on the Green and and every Chester Fall Festival and have never missed one. It has always been a great community event in the heart of our little town. That will not exist if the event is moved to a field nowhere near the green. Local shops and restaurants, our library, the Academy with its historical society, the church, and other fixtures of our town center are integral to the festival and cannot be transported to a barren, featureless field at the edge of town. And the commenters are correct that it will not be a safer place for the festival. It will certainly be necessary to have police presence to provide safe passage for pedestrians across busy 103 during foliage season. The same presence would also solve the safety issue at the green. Don’t know whether it is too late to restore the festival to the green, but I hope a way can be found to do that.
I agree with Nick on all points. The Festival on the Green is a beloved historic community event. It belongs to all of us, our kids and grandkids. The decision was made by five people without any input from the other 2,900+ townspeople. I spoke personally with several of the board members after the meeting where they rammed the decision through as a done deal. I expressed my dismay that they had made this unilateral decision before allowing the public to participate in the discussion and provide ideas and feedback. I was sternly told that the board was offended by the questions and negative feedback that happened on facebook. Apparently any dissenting opinions were not acceptable. Hmmm, how Washington D.C.of them. We all lost an East Wing of the People’s House to that kind of autocratic unilateral decision process. I would hate to see us lose the heart and soul of the Festival in the mad dash to be ever bigger and make more money. The topic of moving the festival needs to be revisited in an open forum at a public meeting in the Town Hall.
Beautifully said. I could not agree more. I have less than no interest in attending the event in the new location. Much like the Peru Fair, the charm of the Chester Festival was its location in and around the Chester green with its charming store fronts. I always stop in the local businesses as well and see so many people doing the same. This change of venue will turn out to be a serious mistake and I fear with so many festivals throughout VT and New England at that time of year, that the major attraction of the Chester festival will be lost and you’ll see far fewer customers and, therefore, in the future, far fewer vendors. Only the huge festivals succeed in big fields.
A also strongly agree with getting local feedback.
I hope it’s not to late to change back to the original venue
Thank you Nick for your very well written and factual statement. This will not be The Field of Dreams… no they will not come and many out of town people have already commented they will not attend. I live in Chester and I will not attend. I will spend my time on the green shopping and eating not walking in a muddy, tick infested field. This board needs to learn to work for all the people.
I agree with Nick 100%. When I first read of the move, my initial thought was, “They can’t be talking about the Festival on the Green – this must be some other thing.” Nope, that was it.
How can you plop tents in the middle of a sterile field, undifferentiated from any other event, and even pretend it’s a community event that celebrates Chester? Are they bringing in a ferris wheel or something?
I suspect the traffic impact will on the whole will be negative. At the Green, people park once and spend their time walking. Under the new scenario, if you want to see anything else (actual Chester shops, historical society, etc.) you have no choice but to park in one location, walk around, and then get in your car again and drive to a second location and park. If we assume the same number of cars – that means *more* “trips,” more turns, more stops, and overall more traffic congestion over a larger area.
Or, maybe not, because some people will go the field, and then leave without ever experiencing Chester.
Regarding the finance question noted by another commenter – As a non-profit, Chester Community Events must file an I-990 form (a financial statement) with the IRS annually, which is available to the public. The exceptions are those non-profits that have less than $50,000 in revenue annually (they only return a postcard response to the IRS.) I checked, and Chester Community Events has nothing on record in this regard, which suggests that revenues are under $50K. If this seems unreasonable, then there is a filing issue to be rectified; I have no basis to know which it is.
It seems to me that this change has not had the airing it needs before it moves forward.
Mr. Boke is spot on. The Fall Festival has been a wonderful community event that showcases the heart of Chester. Now apparently it is going to be an ever growing commercial venture that is less about Chester and more about vendors.
The citing of safety as a reason for moving the festival is disingenuous, given that it is moving to far less pedestrian friendly area where cars are traveling at much faster speed.
There has been discussion of large gatherings on the green including the reality that the only incidents so far have been the result of people driving carelessly near crowds of people. The answer to that issue is not to abandon the green or move large gathering, but to do the obvious – increase traffic control and enforcement, something that could be more challenging on the outskirts of town.
I am the person who asked for the financial statement.
I have still have yet to receive it.
I wholeheartedly agree with everything that was in this opinion piece. Also, someone I know, requested a financial statement and has never received it. I would be interested in seeing it also. Where can we obtain a copy and who should we ask?
Thanks Nick, well written and to the point. IMHO, this is unbelievably sad and ends a long run for what has been a great community event. Maybe the organizers can create a great gilded ballroom out there – all those Vermont tech billionaires would help, I am sure. Meanwhile, we will celebrate Chester and try to help it be the wonderful community it is in our own small ways. I see they have a new logo out there. Good luck to the organizers. I shall stay home maybe a good weekend to hold a garage sale? I won’t be near that field.
This is most unfortunate. The green is essential to the community vibe and nothing highlights the community of Chester better than events on the green.
If the goal is more space for vendors then I’d submit the mission is money, which is sad.