Old Lyme Midsummer Festival set July 29-30

OLD LYME >> The 30th anniversary of the Old Lyme Midsummer Festival, a signature event in the lower Connecticut River Valley, takes place with a kickoff concert Friday, July 29 and daytime festivities Saturday, July 30 on Lyme Street in the historic Old Lyme village center. The Festival promotes the arts, music, and culture, drawing on Old Lyme’s history as a home to a number of artists including those in the original Lyme Art Colony.

Art exhibitions, art demonstrations, and musical performances are just part of the celebration, with specialty shopping, children’s activities, and a wide variety of food vendors rounding out the offerings.

The Midsummer Festival was first held in 1986 as a way to celebrate the local arts during the height of the summer season. Jeff Andersen, Director of the Florence Griswold Museum, approached institutional neighbors including the Lyme Art Association, Bee & Thistle, the Old Lyme Inn, and the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, to provide a festival that included art shows, a “Stars and Stripes” concert, artist demonstrations and a “Turn of the Century Fair” complete with lawn games and a Victorian ice cream cart.

Now in it’s 30th year, the Midsummer Festival has 13 community partners, including the Town of Old Lyme