Community Invited to Celebratory Inauguration Concert, Fireworks
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury invites the community to join the presidential inauguration celebration with a free family-friendly concert on the quad, Saturday evening, October 10, at 7 p.m. followed by fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
“We think this weekend will be a great opportunity for the town and college to celebrate our community together, and for our friends and neighbors to meet Laurie Patton,” said David Donahue ’91, co-chair of the inauguration committee. “We especially encourage families to join us at the Saturday evening concert, which offers a lot for everyone to enjoy.”
The concert will kick off with the high-energy sounds of La Bottine Souriante, the iconic Canadian band that first appeared on the Quebec music scene in 1976. Now an 11-piece band with a horn section, La Bottine Souriante infuses its traditional music with jazz, salsa, and pure folk. Since their founding the band has released 12 recordings and have sold half a million albums.
Emerging singer songwriter Taylor Watson will take the stage next. Watson, a Boulder, Colorado native, has been working as a songwriter in Nashville, will bring her blend of pop, indie, and country sounds to the Middlebury audience.
Brad Corrigan, co-founder of the band Dispatch and a Middlebury alumnus from the class of 1996, will follow Watson with his distinctive indie rock style. Dispatch was the first independent band to sell out Madison Square Garden. A tireless social justice advocate, Corrigan is the founder and president of Love Light & Melody, a non-profit organization dedicated to battling physical, emotional and spiritual effects of extreme poverty. Corrigan will perform with a trio.
The concert is a free, no-alcohol event. Concertgoers should bring a blanket or lawn chairs to sit on and dress for cool weather. The concert will take place on the main quad of Middlebury College, located on Old Chapel Road, off College Street (Route 125). Food and beverages will be available for sale at the Grille in McCullough Student Center, adjacent to the concert site.
The community concert is one of many events celebrating the inauguration of Laurie L. Patton as Middlebury’s 17 president. Throughout the day on Saturday, there will be a series of academic panel discussions at Wilson Hall in McCullough Student Center. The formal inauguration ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 11, at 10:30 a.m. on the main quad.
For a full schedule of events, visit the Middlebury Presidential Inauguration web site.