The Better Bennington Corporation is launching a trio of First Fridays on Friday, July 7 on Main Street between Putnam Square and Silver Street from 4pm - 9pm. The street will be closed with games, outdoor restaurant service, sidewalk sales, and buskers. This event is FREE and open to the public.

While the footprint is just a small piece of Main Street, all our downtown merchants are, of course, welcome and encouraged to participate!

Each First Friday has its own identity/theme. For the July date, we will celebrate the "unveiling" of the new Street Banners at 7:30pm with art by the 48 students whose pieces were chosen out of 121 submissions.

All artists will receive phone calls with results on Friday, June 30. If you do not hear from the BBC by 4pm, please call Jeanne at 802-442-5758. Some of those entries were difficult to read...

The banner project, spearheaded by the Design Committee of the BBC, was funded by a Better Places Grant with $4500 raised via crowd-funding and a $9000 match by the state. The art was juried by a wonderful group of volunteers: Jackie Berry, Martin Mahoney, Edie Sawitsky, Jonah Spivak, and Ahmad Yassir. Each chosen artist will receive $100 Downtown Dollars at the First Fridays celebration. 

The location map of each banner and the artist will be unveiled that afternoon on the DISTRX app. We also plan to hold the drawing for a $200 gift certificate. All the artists who submitted art are eligible to win!

All of the kids who submitted art will receive a coupon for an ice cream cone or cup from Bringing You Vermont starting at 5pm. We will have the coupons and the list of kids at the info booth.

If you would like to be a busker for tips only, please contact Jenny: events@betterbennington.com.

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The mission of the Better Bennington Corporation is to lead and support public and private efforts that enhance downtown as the vital commercial and cultural heart of the community.

The Better Bennington Corporation (BBC) is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and believes these fundamental principles inform and strengthen the BBC's ability to respond to changing demographics and the needs of all who live in, work in, or visit Downtown Bennington.