ST. ALBANS — It was announced Friday afternoon that the St. Albans Raid 150th Anniversary Commemoration had been chosen a Vermont Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Event for Fall 2014.
In all of 2013, the only Franklin County event chosen for a Chamber Top 10 list was the Vermont Maple Festival this past spring. It is rare, if at all, that any Franklin County event has held such an honor during the fall season.
The announcement, say event planners, positions the Sept. 18-21, 2014 raid event for valuable publicity and added attention, both within Vermont and out of state.
The event is billed as an opportunity to time travel to the St. Albans of Oct. 19, 1864 when a band of about 20 Confederate soldiers snuck into town and terrorized the citizenry. It was a lightning action that involved the robbing of three banks, hostage takings, gunfire, arson, and shootings.
The St. Albans Raid Commemoration Committee (SARCC) has met for nearly three years to plan the four-day event, which will feature eagerly awaited re-enactments in Taylor Park. Audiences of up to 5,000 people will view that action simultaneously on a Jumbotron measuring 17 by 11 feet during the Saturday and Sunday re-enactments.
Organizers have stressed all along that the event is not only about the armed raiders and posse that chased them into Canada, but also about the civilians of the day.
In order to earn the Top 10 selection, the raid committee had to convince six judges that its event would appeal to a diverse audience of Vermonters and visitors from out-of-state, including children and families, and would attract an audience of up to twice the normal count for similar events held locally.
St. Albans Civil War Heritage Weekends held each of the past three years in Taylor Park with the assistance of Champlain Valley Historical Reenactors attracted hundreds of visitors. It has been suggested that the much larger 2014 commemoration could attract tens of thousands. Plans already are in the works to provide off-site parking and shuttle service.
When contacting the raid planners on Friday, Karen Foote, of the Vermont Chamber, said, “We are proud to add you to our gallery of winners and hope this distinction and publicity will greatly benefit your event.”
Foote said a certificate confirming the selection would soon be received by the St. Albans Historical Museum, the driving force behind the event. In addition, the Vermont Chamber has pledged to provide additional marketing opportunities, prominent placements and descriptions of the event in promotional materials such as the “Vermont Winter Vacation Guide (circulation 100,000),” “Vermont Vacation Guide for Summer/Fall (circulation 200,000)” and www.VermontVacation.com.
The St. Albans event also will appear on www.VisitVT.com and in the Vermont Chamber’s “Country Inns and B&Bs” brochure.
The event already had been selected as “The Significant Civil War Event in Vermont for 2014” by the Vermont Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, which is providing funds to advertise it.
In its application to the Chamber, SARCC, which is co-chaired by Warren Hamm and Bill Cioffi, stressed the event’s historical nature, the availability of a wide range of activities: lectures, costume ball, ladies’ tea, children’s games, Civil War re-enactors, and a half-marathon race, etc.. It also leaned heavily on the recent refurbishment of downtown St. Albans’ streetscape and the business district’s growing vitality.
Event planners say they recognize that St. Albans’ rich history is, and going forward can be, a growing draw for tourism and greater interest in the area.
A professionally designed packet of promotional materials, created with the assistance of Messenger Print & Design, was submitted as part of the Top 10 application and has been deemed by the SARCC’s Sponsorship & Marketing subcommittee as a valuable contribution to winning the Top 10 listing.
Also made clear in the application was the financial backing of Legacy sponsors, the Peoples Trust Company and Rotary Club of St. Albans, and the confirmed support of leaders in St. Albans City and St. Albans Town governments, who already have been working with the committee.
The Chamber also was told that the expected expenditure for the free-admission event was $80,000. Much of those funds are yet to be raised.
SARCC plans to hold an early morning breakfast next month to which area business representatives and professionals will be invited. The agenda includes an overview of the event and an explanation of how attendees can get involved and benefit from participation.
In addition to the St. Albans Raid event, the Chamber’s Top 10 fall events list for next year includes four other events not held over from this year. They are: Vermont Golden Honey Festival in Proctorsville; Peru Fair; Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival in Tunbridge; and the Dog Mountain Fall Dog Party in St. Johnsbury.
Events appearing on both this and next year’s Top 10 Fall lists are: Killington Hay Festival, Tunbridge World’s Fair, Stowe Rotary’s Oktoberfest, Pumpkin & Apple Celebration at Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, and the annual Mount Snow Oktoberfest.
Those wishing to donate, volunteer, or who have questions, may contact SARCC via e-mail (stalbansraid@gmail.com), or by calling the St. Albans Historical Museum at 802-527-7933.
This article is used with the permission of the St. Albans Messenger.
