Telluride Bluegrass Festival Live-Streamed via The Park Theatre
48th annual festival will expand to seven days presenting the best of bluegrass music
JAFFREY, New Hampshire (June 1, 2021) For the last 46 years, thousands have made the annual pilgrimage to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Four days of transcendent music in a breathtaking natural landscape, basking in the warmth of the solstice sun. Unfortunately, in 2020 the grounds remained empty on this magical weekend. However, this year, the festival is returning with seven days of music, and The Park Theatre will be proudly sharing the magic with fans of bluegrass. This will be the first live video streaming of the festival, and it will be presented in gorgeous high-definition video and audio. The festival is being held at the breathtaking Town Park in Telluride, Colorado. The festival runs daily from around 5pm to 12:30am EDT.
The line-up of artists performing is staggering, a literal who's who of bluegrass (and country & folk).
Featured Artists June 11-13
Dierks Bentley, Sam Bush Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Punch Brothers, Infamous Stringdusters, Chris Thile, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Tim O’Brien Band, Sarah Jarosz, Hawktail, Shook Twins, and Bowregard.
Featured Artists June 17-20
Sam Bush Band, Emmylou Harris, Telluride House Band, Grace Potter, Leftover Salmon, The Decembrists, Mavis Staples, Del McCoury Band, Watchhouse, The Jerry Douglas Band, Peter Rowan, Yonder Mountain String Band, Edgar & George Meyer, Sierra Hull, Richie & Rosie, and Crooked Still.
You can buy a daily live-stream concert pass at $30 per day or pick one of the several multi-day packages that reduce your cost. Proceeds from the festival will benefit KOTO Telluride (local radio partners) and other non-profits all over the U.S. including, The Park Theatre.
Tickets can be purchased by going to virtualparktheatre.com or calling (603) 532-8888, or visiting the theatre box office at 19 Main Street, Jaffrey, NH. A percentage of each ticket goes to The Park Theatre. All concerts can be watched on smartphones, tablets, computers, and your big screen TV with Apple AirPlay, Chromecast, and FireStick.
Sustaining sponsors of the Virtual Park Theatre Spring Series include Grove Street Fiduciary of Peterborough and Porch.com.
Gobi Advocates for New Main Street Lot in Senate Budget Debate
BOSTON (June 2, 2021) - Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) advocated successfully last week for the inclusion of an amendment to the state’s FY22 budget that would dedicate $50,000 towards the construction of a new parking lot along Main Street in the town of Sturbridge. The project is the product of a comprehensive community and business evaluation of the Route 20 corridor aimed at guiding long term improvements of the area and enhancing both the business and pedestrian environment, which resulted in the recommendation to create a public parking lot to address the parking concerns of businesses along the corridor while providing the opportunity for people to park and walk along the corridor and visit multiple businesses without getting back in their vehicles.
Gobi had this to say about the amendment's addition to the budget, "The Route 20 corridor is a very busy area, and one that holds the opportunity to provide a great amount of economic stimulation to the region. I was glad to be able to assist the town of Sturbridge in funding this new parking area that will be used by people throughout the state."
The town has already purchased the land and designed a municipal lot at 501 Main Street which not only provides 25 parking spaces but will also provide pedestrians direct access to the community’s extensive trail network across the river from the proposed lot. The project has been designed and all approvals granted by regulatory boards, and the estimated cost of construction is $307,688.70. This funding would go towards defraying those costs to the town if included in the final version of the budget.
The varying versions of the bill passed by the House and Senate are currently being reconciled in conference committee. For more information, please contact Senator Gobi's office by email at Anne.Gobi@MASenate.gov.
Gobi Advocates for Preservation Initiatives in Budget Debate
BOSTON (June 1, 2021) - Senator Anne M. Gobi (D-Spencer) advocated successfully for a collection of amendments during the state's FY22 budget last week aimed at preserving both manmade and natural habitats in central Massachusetts. Among the twenty-two amendments submitted by the Senator were those addressing preservation of the prison camp structures and maintaining the historic Wood House in the town of Rutland, and addressing agricultural maintenance in the town of Spencer.
Gobi had this to say on the local projects being included in the Senate’s version of the budget, "It is important to preserve historic structures that are a benefit to the entire state, telling the tale of our past while remaining open for enjoyment to those in the future. I am thankful that these local projects have been approved, and I will continue to advocate for items that maintain our local landmarks for consecutive generations."
The first amendment submitted by the Senator would allocate $50,000 for the preservation, protection, signage and maintenance of the prison camp structures located in the town of Rutland. Built in 1903 on 914 acres of land the camp held prisoners serving sentences for drunkenness and other minor offenses, and included a working farm, until 1934 when it was abandoned due to its location atop a drainage area of water supply for the region. The area is a popular location for hiking, biking, hunting and other outdoor activities and the structures themselves remain popular features at the location.
A second amendment submitted by the Senator would allot $25,000 for repairs to the roof of the Wood House. The Wood House was built in 1915 and has been the home of the Rutland Historical Society for 28 years, which shared the space until 2002 with the Rutland Police Department.
In addition to these, Gobi testified favorably for the addition of two items geared towards cleaning up natural space in the town of Spencer. If included in the conference committee version of the budget $150,000 would be allocated for the purchase of a new highway department truck for the town, and $50,000 would go to the Spencer Agricultural Association for the construction of a new building on their grounds to house animals.
For more information on these amendments or the budget process, please contact Senator Gobi’s office by email at Anne.Gobi@MASenate.gov.
Gobi Amendment Would Reimburse Lost Funds to MassWildlife
BOSTON (May 27, 2021) - Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus and past Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, successfully advocated Wednesday for the inclusion of an amendment to the FY22 state budget aimed at addressing lost revenue that the state is failing to reimburse to the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife. The bipartisan amendment targets the nearly $1 million/year the agency forfeits each year by providing free hunting and fishing licenses to residents aged over 70 that is not currently being reimbursed by the state and would ensure that these funds are appropriated annually from the General Fund.
Gobi had this to say on the amendment's passage, "Our sportsmen and women play a critical role in conservation and the fees from licenses have made sure land is set aside, not just for hunting and fishing but for many types of recreation such as hiking and bird watching. Offering free license to those over a certain age is the right thing to do, especially now when we want people to enjoy the outdoors. Reimbursing that lost revenue is also the right thing to do."
Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife (MassWildlife) provides free fishing and hunting licenses to residents over 70 years of age, but is not reimbursed for this loss in revenue. As a result, the agency is losing approximately $1 million per year, and that loss is expected to increase as the 70+ population continues to grow. At the same time, MassWildlife is reimbursed each year by the state to offset losses associated with discounted fishing and hunting licenses offered to people ages 65-69. This amendment would fix this inconsistency while simultaneously raising desperately-needed dedicated funds for this important agency, tasked with overseeing sportsmen and women's activities while conserving and restoring critical habitat.
For more information on the amendment or budget process, please contact Senator Gobi's office by email at Anne.Gobi@MASenate.gov.