Blackfly Festival

Why a Blackfly Festival? I mean, what’s the point??? After a long, cold winter here in Adamant, we need something to celebrate, and everyone knows we have plenty of blackflies. 

The Adamant Blackfly Festival is our annual free, family-friendly, bug-centric celebration at the Co-op.. Save the date: Saturday June 1, 2024!

This year’s festival was June 3, 2023!

Event schedule:
10:00 Nature walk. Meet local naturalist John José in front of the Co-op for a chance to get up close and personal with our local flora and fauna. Don’t forget the bug juice, to hold the blackflies at bay, and if you have a pair of binoculars, bring them along

10:00 Craft workshop: Build-a-Bug with Sandal Cate, using egg cartons and colorful bug body parts (ages 5-12)

10:15 Live Music:  Rick Winston (accordion) and Franklin Heyburn (fiddle) play New England and Quebecois dance tunes

11:00 General mayhem begins
• Grill opens - jumbo hot dogs, chicken sausage, salmon burgers, hamburgers, black bean burgers, delectable salads and delicious baked goods for sale

• Little Tree Tea pop-up offers a place to sample, sip, consider, and discuss fine tea. Specializing in custom imported green, oolong, black, and pu’er tea as well as small group tours of tea growing countries in Asia. There will also be loose leaf tea for purchase and ice tea with which to roam

• Michael Sabourin, president of the Vermont Entomological Society answers questions and shares an awesome bug collection

• Bug art! Oil pastels by Pat Hinkley and papier-mâché by Janet MacLeod upstairs in the Co-op Gallery. Plus kids’ books, puzzles, hand-tied fishing flies, a tiny bee tribute, and original artwork on loan from community members

• Items sold at the BFF Silent Auction are available for pickup in Janet’s studio above the Co-op until 3:00

11:00 Live Music: Tim Jennings and Grant Orenstein play traditional Irish and Americana tunes and songs on concertina and guitar

12:00 Live Music: The Lingonberries play waltzes, polskas, hambos and other staples of haunting and harmonious Swedish music

1:00 Live Music: Ridgeline. Teen musicians from Washington County playing fiddles, cello, guitar, and mandolin inspired by Irish, Scottish, and Cape Breton traditions

2:00  Blackfly Parade. Create your own costume, grab your bug zapper and walk with local tractors, and fabulous floats. Not to toot our own kazoo, but past parades have been described as “the Macy’s Day Parade of the Insect World!” 

3:00 Grill closes. Festival ends. Blackflies all die.