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Get excited - Harvest Fest 2011

Aug 18 1:04 pm
Harvest Fest - a fund AND fun raiser

Harvest Fest - a fund AND fun raiser

It’s that time of year again, and we are incredibly excited to annnounce the date and early bird ticket sales of Harvest Fest 2011!

If you haven’t experienced Harvest Fest in the past, here’s a short video recap of last year’s awesomeness. (A longer cut is coming soon!).

Last years event SOLD OUT, so buy your early bird tix for as low as $20 now, make sure you get in and save some money!

Pretty Things, our SLF member darlings, were a hit in 2010 and will be back this year

Pretty Things, our SLF member darlings, were a hit in 2010 and will be back this year

Harvest Fest is our annual festival and fundraiser, celebrating the best in local libations, restaurants and entertainers.  It will be held in two four-hour sessions (Session 1 - 1-5PM, Session 2 - 6-10 PM) on Saturday October 15th at Arts at the Armory.

Our guests receive unlimited 2 oz. pours of beer and wine from up to 12 different craft breweries and local wineries.  And we’ve already confirmed that craft brew darling, Pretty Things, will be in the house again at Harvest Fest.

We are pleased to welcome back downTown Wine & Spirits as our Beer & Wine Sponsor.  They’ll be helping us organize all the awesome local libations at the event.

Foundry on Elm's Chilled Gazpacho w/ Avacado creme fraiche - one of last year's favorite dishes

Foundry on Elm's Chilled Gazpacho w/ Avacado creme fraiche - one of last year's favorite dishes

 

We are also psyched  to welcome back Foundry on Elm as our Food Sponsor.  They’ll be helping us select and organize the participating restaurants.  Our guests receive one small plate/sample from 8 local restaurants during each session of Harvest Fest.

 

We also show love to local musicians and  performers at Harvest Fest, and this year we are psyched to have a Hugh McGowan, of Burren Open Mic fame, curating a local musician showcase for Session 1 and The Improper Bostonian’s Best of Boston DJ, DJ Die Young for Session 2.

We’re also so happy to have an amazing local independent media sponsor from right here in Somerville, The Somerville Scout!

So,  to recap.  Some of the best beer/wine you’ll taste from local New England companies, and more than a meal via the servings from Somerville’s best local restaurants.  At an early bird price of only $20 per session, with all profits going to support the work of Somerville Local First and our vision of an economy that is local, green and fair.  Hard to beat that for sure!

Last year’s event SOLD OUT, and this year, we expect it to happen again.  We are offering a limited amount of Early Bird tickets ($5 savings per session), so don’t wait, act now and support local economies and your palate!

Harvest Fest Recap

Oct 10 3:51 pm

Harvest Fest was a huge success! Based on the comments, tweets, and Facebook posts we heard and saw all day yesterday, folks had an amazing experience.

Share your Harvest Fest photos on our Facebook page, and check out the blog later this week for how things looked on our end, including the official photos from the SLF Photo Booth.

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A Look Into the Sounds of Harvest Fest 2010

Sep 16 12:21 pm

by Clay Adamczyk

It’s safe, but bittersweet, to say that this glorious summer is all but behind us. And though our days of enjoying our meals, music, and fine ballgame lagers & wheat ales outside are numbered, it only really opens our pallets to the flavors of fall: New England’s most beautiful season. So while the leaves are turning Oktoberfest orange, let’s bid a fond adieu to summer, welcome autumn with open arms, and see what this year’s harvest has to offer. Harvest Fest that is, with a sampling for all senses: the tastes and smells of great local wines, beers and food; a look into the season’s local fashion; and of corse, the best in a variety of sounds this great town has to offer.

With the nature of the festival, experiencing what may be new to us is what’s fun, and with the musical entertainment, we’ll get a full dose.

Buy your Harvest Fest 2010 Tickets, its a show not to be missed

Buy your Harvest Fest 2010 Tickets, its a show not to be missed

Session One presents two of the finest bands to rise out of our diverse music scene. One Fine Morning opens the night with their own blend of acoustic based rock. Though this quintet began as an all acoustic quartet, they’ve spent the last couple years discovering themselves, incorporating a touch of funk, the perfect backing warm electric guitar tones, and classic rock organ.

SEA MONSTERS: "More of a 'collective' than a Band"

Headlining the first session is Boston’s own super group of sorts, and a band most known for their weekly residency at the Precinct. SEA MONSTERS: a band whose sound is as diverse as their lineup. As the groups informal leader, Christian McNeill puts it, “[SEA MONSTERS] is more of a “collective” than a band.”  It’s a musical endeavor in which friends come in and out of bringing in their own styles and ideas so much so that he could not as of yet confirm who the group would be comprised of for this performance, and is seen as a side-project “that is (supposed to be) a vehicle where we can all get together and have fun doing what we love” McNeill said. “As Scott Aruda, our trumpet player, says “SEA MONSTERS - never the same band once.” With a rotating cast of about twenty musicians, ‘a healthy spirit of improvisation in everything that [they] do,’ and a range of musical style from jazz to blues to rock, each performance is unique so this one is not to be missed.

Session Two musically shifts corse in a way that will loosen up those ties and work those dance muscles. Fellow SLF blogger and Weekly Dig editor, David Day, opens the electronic portion of the evening spinning top tracks in big-room techno heavily fused with soul and a lot of vocals. Day is one of the city’s leading members in an electronic revolution as both a co-founder and resident DJ of Boston’s best Thursday night, Make it New at the Middlesex Lounge; a founding member of show promoting organization, Basstown Presents; and is a co-founder of the Together Music Festival which celebrates its second run this coming April.

Closing the night is an unstoppable duo, the Zebbler Encanti Experience, with a performance unlike anything else we’ve seen–something truly legendary in which Zebbler, the visual mastermind behind the two, describes will be “a hybrid of bass-heavy electronic dance music and completely locked in three screen wide visuals, with a handful of artfulness thrown in to spice up the mix.” For the first time, Encanti’s original produced music and Zebbler’s multi-headed hydra of synched visuals will be joined with a choreographed performance by Somerville’s own AirCraft Aerial Arts team.

The Zebbler Encanti Experience - Breaking new ground @ Harvest Fest 2010

The Zebbler Encanti Experience - Breaking new ground @ Harvest Fest 2010

“SLF introduced us to the idea of collaborating with the Aircraft Aerial team for our performance and we loved it right away!” said Zebbler when asked about their collaboration with the aerial acrobats. “Co-incidentally, Encanti and I have been developing ideas for making our performances more interactive and large-scale, including ideas about involving a marching band (anyone?) and aerialists.”

AirCraft Aerial Arts will contribute to a visually stunning performance @ Harvest Fest 2010

AirCraft Aerial Arts will contribute to a visually stunning performance @ Harvest Fest 2010

Harvest Fest is about people enjoying new experiences, and is why Zebbler is excited to perform for folks from all walks of life. “After all, pretty much everyone loves good local beer and good local food!” he added. “But as the night takes hold - we think people will be ready to get a little wild and experience something that is at once an aerial dance, a circus show and a 21st century dance party.”

Harvest Fest: The Second Glass In The House & Local Designer/DJ to Manage Fashion Performance

Aug 01 2:02 pm

by Joe Grafton

We’re just over two months away from Harvest Fest 2010 and the participant list continues to add some of the best and brightest from Greater Boston.  One thing we’ve learned in our 2+ year history:  The more great people we can surround ourselves with, the more fun and success we have.  Along those lines, we are incredibly excited to announce two new partners for this years festivities.  Note:  We do expect the event to sell out,  and suggest you buy your tickets in advance.

The Second Glass to bring their love of local wine and penchant for partying to Harvest Fest 2010 and their own Wine Riot on October 22nd & 23rd.

The Second Glass is your unpretentious, badass source for baller wine information.”  Sounds like a match made in heaven, and we think it will be.  Tyler and Morgan, the founders of SG were recently featured in Inc Magazine’s 30 under 30, a list of some of the country’s best young entrepreneurs and have lots of local roots and connections.

It is also worth thanking the recent hot and sweltering weather for facilitating this bad-ass partnership.  For were it not for Tyler’s need to get out of his hot apartment and into an air conditioned office, and my response via the social interwebs that he was welcome to chill (pun intended) at the SLF office for the day, we might not be talking about this.  But a short conversation later, Tyler was emailing Morgan about the potential of running the local wine parade at Harvest Fest, and a day later it was official (entrepreneurs, social or otherwise, like to act quickly).

Finally, it’s not just about these guys rocking our wine world.  Remember, Harvest Fest is about local first and foremost.  And Tyler is excited to show our guests just what Massachusetts can do.  In discussing the format, Tyler said “Massachusetts wineries are making GREAT wine right now.  But not enough people know this“.  We have a feeling that at least 700 folks will know a lot more about it after 10/9/10.

Find the Second Glass on the web, on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.


Fashion Performance Manager Ari Paoletti is the Founder of Deconize Style...

...and a Basstown resident at one of Boston's best dance parites, Make It New


Last year, the fashion show at Harvest Fest featured a TON of stylized and fashion forward looks from some of our favorite local fashion shops and boutiques.  Looks from poor little rich girl, Artifaktori and Black & Blues Boutique filled the Armorywith style and beauty.

The looks were great last year...

And like most things from Harvest Fest 2009, gave the organizers some indegestion as we tried to create something spectacular,  without really knowing what we were doing.  We think the guests probably were more likely to notice the lovely looks parading up and down the runway, but this year we’re bringing in an expert to help us enjoy it too.

...and with Ari's help, they'll be even better at Harvest Fest 2010

As part of my work as Director of Operations for the 1st Annual, Together Music Festival, I got a chance to work with Ari Paoletti, a renowned local fashion designer and DJ (Volvox).  Ari managed the Get Together: a record fair, trade show and, you guessed it, fashion performance.  Watching what she coordinated that day at the Villa Victoria, I knew that we had to find a way for her to work on Harvest Fest.  A few emails and conversations later, we had ourselves a Fashion Show Manager.  With Ari in the fold, not only will the show be visually stunning, but I and the other organziers won’t have to worry about it, and might actually be able to enjoy it from the Super Supporter Box on the Mezzanine.

Note:  You can find Deconize products in our very own Grand in Union Square.

Harvest Fest: Our first brewery announced and a remarkable final act for Harvest Fest 2010

Jul 17 3:54 am

Rapscallion Brewery will be @ Harvest Fest 2010

We’re pleased to announce that Rapscallion Brewery will be at Harvest Fest.  The co-owners are great guys and big fans of and participants in the Local Movement.  And you’re likely to see them in a Somerville bar if you look hard enough.

Their slogan:  Think Local, Drink Local and we couldn’t agree more.  That’s a big part of what Harvest Fest is all about.

Aircraft Aerialists to Create Visually Stunning Finale

This idea has been kicking around for a while, but its now a reality.  At the conclusion of Harvest Fest Session II (titled Local is the Future), the Zebbler Encanti Experience will team up with Aircraft Aerial Arts (think Local Cirque du Soleil).

We’ll have aerial performances up to 20 feet in the air on the ring and silks choreographed with some of Boston’s best progressive electronic music from Encanti and 3 screens of award winning video from Zebbler…and we still have some surprises on top of that.

We really can’t wait to see this, and it may just be the only time this has ever happened in greater Boston?  So ya, this is how we do our fundraisers.

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