ARLINGTON – There was one thing Bill Bullock wanted to see at the Battenkill Fly Fishing Festival to satisfy him that the gathering had truly met its potential in its first year.
“Our whole measure of success was will we see fishermen in waders at the beer tent,” Bullock said Friday. “And we did.”
The first-ever festival, held from April 29-May 1, drew more than 300 people from as far away as Toronto and Asheville, North Carolina, and raised more than $12,000 for the Arlington Common, organizers said. Plans are already in motion to bring the event back next spring.
“It was a really, really fun event. We pulled a rabbit out of a hat and tapped into something we knew was there,” said Bullock, the treasurer of Arlington Common. “It didn’t hurt that it was 60 degrees and gorgeous out.”
The presentations, seminars and guided instruction sessions were well-attended, Bullock said. Orvis fly fishing mentor and author Tom Rosenbauer’s presentation on Saturday drew more than 175 attendees, and Orvis fly fishing instructor Peter Kutzer’s casting instruction sessions at the Arlington Recreation Park were also a big draw.
The festival, which featured workshops, talks, a film festival, an art show, food, craft beer and live music, also raised funds via auction for the Murray Hollow culvert replacement, a habitat project being supported by Trout Unlimited. A silent auction raised more than $8,000.
Bullock and town administrator Nick Zaiac said local support was a key to the event’s success.
“Lots of Arlingtonians came out and were volunteering,” Bullock said. ‘It was a combination of Arlington and local support, and you know Vermont — all the people from away were so thrilled with how genuine and sincere and nice the vibe was.”
“I was happy to see many volunteers who stepped up from many of our community institutions,” Zaiac said. “I was super pleased to see groups come out and do fundraisers of their own that they never would have done otherwise.”
He was also glad to see the Rec Park busy on both days. “To see an event that’s not a sports game draw that many people to the park is awesome,” he said.
With the event’s partners at the Arlington Inn and the three bands that performed, the festival sold more than 600 pints of beer and cider and more than 200 meals. Nonprofit partners, including the Lions Club, the East Arlington Federated Church and St. James Episcopal Church, also had food sales, as did event partners Bonnie & Clyde’s and The Wayside Store.
The art exhibit, “Back to the River, Scenes from an Angler’s Paradise,” will be on display through June 12. The artists are donating 25 percent of their sales to the Common and earned $2,000 from sales over the event weekend.
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