Festival on the Hill Shines in the Rain

Bolton Hill doesn’t let a little rain dampen its spirits.

In spite of a less than perfect Saturday, the 63rd Annual Festival on the Hill had a great turnout.

Bolton Hill Nursery organized a veritable army of volunteers from the nursery school and the neighborhood to build, stock, staff and patronize booths of all kinds. The amazing kids’ area included many new activities, including hair braiding and fortune telling.

Kristine Smets deserves special mention for taking over the book sale and pushing its revenues to new heights. She collected over 2,000 books and, when rain threatened, displayed them in her home, creating a booklover’s paradise for a day.

The festival’s finale was an hysterical pie-in-the-face contest, which will definitely become an annual event! Enjoy the slideshow below that includes some great photos of the contest.

BHN director Louie Wilder reported that “although the overall total gross for the festival was slightly down from last year, net revenue was up, thanks to our generous sponsors.” She noted particularly those at the Diamond level, William G. Kolodner, attorney at law, C & H Restoration & Renovation, On the Hill Cafe, and Dorie Fain of & Wealth.

The Festival Program includes an entire list of all the sponsors, who deserve a big thank you and ongoing support from the neighborhood.

As always, the profits from Festival on the Hill will be shared between Bolton Hill Nursery and other nonprofit organizations that serve the 21217 zip code. Last year, Festival grants were awarded to 11 neighborhood organizations. Look for details on next year’s grant cycle in December’s Bulletin.

Although financial success and revenue generation are important goals, they are not the best benefit of the Festival. This fall tradition gives all neighbors a chance to come together and celebrate our community. Louie noted, “It takes over a hundred volunteers and many, many hours to make the festival a success. We really do live in a special place.”