Plans to change the format of how the Fourth of July is celebrated in Warren Village got a chilly reception at the Warren Select Board this week.
At the board’s January 13 meeting, Ben Olds, who is managing the Fourth of July celebration for the Mad River Valley Rotary Club, presented the board with an analysis of proposed changes to the event, designed to make it suitable for more people and more family-friendly.
Those changes included moving food vendors, most of the port-lets and the band from The Warren Store to the municipal parking lot, utilizing the town’s new gazebo, parking and infrastructure to accommodate that change.
Moving all post-parade events to Sugarbush rather than Brooks Field was his next suggestion.
Olds explained that the parade is growing in popularity and said last year’s parade was significantly larger than past parades. He said that given the political climate in the country this year, he’d expect an even larger crowd this year.
He pointed to the fact that food and drink ran out quickly at Brooks Field last year and also noted that Pitcher Inn/Warren Store owner George Dorsey would prefer that town Fourth festivities not take place on his properties because they limit his ability to use his properties for his own vendors on that day.
Furthermore, Olds said, The Warren Store deck, where the band performing for the annual street dance is placed, is not structurally sound enough for the group it is currently hosting.
The push back from those present at the meeting and board members themselves was quick and emotional and fervent.
Warren resident Jim Sanford said he was no fan of moving events to the municipal land above Main Street, noting that one of the most unique things about the Warren Fourth of July celebration is that it completely transforms the tiny downtown for one day a year, creating one large, village-wide celebration. He said something would be lost if the event is split into two sites.
Select board chair Devin Klein Corrigan expressed reservations as well, noting that the year is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country and also the year when Warren plans to open a time capsule buried in the village in 1976 during the Fourth of July celebration. She asked whether any plans to significantly change the event could be postponed until after this year and also noted that moving the post-parade events away from Brooks Field, up to Sugarbush would create its own logistical problems.
Several members of the public present spoke up, concurring with Sanford’s comments and pointing out that the family-focused events at Brooks Field had changed a lot over the years with fewer offerings, less food and less fun.
Board vice-chair Camilla Behn pushed back on the idea of moving post-parade activities to Sugarbush, noting that that would cause traffic issues, require Sugarbush (or the town) to provide busing but also mean that the town/Rotary had no input into what food, events or music was offered at the mountain.
Board member Kaylee Whitehouse objected to any change in the accessibility options – which the new changes would impact.
Olds took the objections in stride. His proposal to the board included pros and cons for these changes which he acknowledged. Moving vendors and the band to town-owned property would allow more space for vendors but runs the risk of having a competing band (a smaller one) performing at The Warren Store. It also impacts accessible parking and pre-post parade parking and emergency access.
He told the board that Rotary was not wedded to the proposed changes but had wanted to find a way to better accommodate the crowds. He said that to keep the parade as it has been requires more input from the town and the public in terms of funding, volunteers, and logistics.
Board members acknowledged that there may be limitations to what can happen in the village where Dorsey owns two critical pieces of property and that he has the ability to veto a larger band at The Warren Store. Sentiments ran high though, with people reporting how many years they’d been celebrating the Fourth of July in Warren Village and how important it is for community members to see “their kids” performing from the deck of The Warren Store.
Olds asked the board to provide concrete direction by January 21.
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