GREATER DOVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
550 CENTRAL AVENUE
DOVER, NH 03820
(603) 742-2218

For Immediate Release — June 27, 2011

2011 Cochecho Arts Festival Lineup Announcement

DOVER, NH— The 25th Anniversary season of the Cochecho Arts Festival opens on Monday, July 4th, 2011 at the Rotary Arts Pavilion in Henry Law Park with an Independence Day celebration, sponsored in part by Liberty Mutual.

This year, the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce is pleased to kick of the Festival’s Headliners Series with Fourth of July performace by one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Top 6 Breakout Bands to Watch,” Wisconsin “Garage Pop” band, Locksley. The concert will begin at 7:00pm at the Rotary Arts Pavilion, concluding with the July 4th Fireworks display at 9:15.

The Festival’s Friday Night Headliners Series presents local and regional music performed by artists like Gazpacho, Wooden Eye and The Spectras. Following the July 4th season opener, the Friday Night Headliners Series continues with:

• Rock My Soul, July 8th – presented by Wentworth-Douglass Hospital
• The Don Campbell Band, July 15th - presented by Federal Savings Bank
• Gazpacho, July 22nd
• Wooden Eye, July 29th – presented in part by Measured Progress
• Tuckermans at 9, August 5th – presented by D. F. Richard Energy
• The Spectras, August 12th - presented by the Rotary Club of Dover

This year’s Friday Night concerts will also feature local artisans displaying their work on the Festival grounds, as well as select food vendors providing picnic-friendly wares, and the ever-present Dover Fire Department Popcorn Stand.

The Tuesday Children’s Series, which is underwritten by Liberty Mutual, has grown dramatically in recent years, and these popular family events now average about 500-700 attendees per week. The Rotary Arts Pavilion’s Henry Law Park location is just footsteps away from the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, the City’s Indoor Swimming Pool, the public playground and grassy riverside expanse of the Park itself. There are also several family-friendly restaurants and retail shops in the immediate vicinity, including the Noggin Factory Toy Store, Ralph’s House of Tone, LaFesta Brick and Brew, Lucy’s Art Emporium and Harvey’s Bakery. Collectively, this creates a template for an extremely enjoyable and fun-filled day that takes place in a very cozy, yet highly visible area of the downtown.

Each week, the Tuesday Children’s Series features a different performance, including music, dancing, puppeteers, jugglers, magicians, unicyclists and theatrical performances listed below:

• The Little Red Wagon, July 5th – presented by CHaD - Dover
• Jody Gourlay, July 13th - presented by St. Thomas Aquinas
• Wayne from Maine, July 19th - presented by Musical Arts Academy
• Todd Wellington, July 26th – presented by Holy Rosary Credit Union
• BJ Hickman, August 2nd
• Marcus Gale, August 9th

The Rotary Arts Pavilion is also home to the popular “Shark in the Park” summer lunchtime concert series featuring many of the area’s most popular rock bands. The “Shark in the Park” Series is designed to give downtown residents and employees a chance to get outside during the summer months to enjoy the concerts and the beautiful surroundings of the Henry Law Park. The Thursday noon “Shark in the Park” Luncheon Series includes performances by:

• Big John & the Twins, July 7th
• Rosie, July 14th
• The Jen Thayer Band, July 21st
• Truffle, July 28th
• Rockfish, August 8th
• TBA, August 12th

After being successfully introduced to the Festival in 2010, the Wednesday Market Series is being offered again this year between 4:00pm and 6:00pm every Wednesday from July 8th through August 10th, and is the only segment of the Cochecho Arts Festival that is not held at the Rotary Arts Pavilion. The Wednesday Market Series consists primarily of “unplugged” acoustic music, and the setting is the Dover Farmers Market, situated directly in front of the Chamber Visitor Center at 550 Central Avenue. The Farmers Market is presented by the Seacoast Growers Association, with all of the produce, herbs, meats & poultry, cheeses, baked goods and other items being locally grown, produced and harvested. Other nearby points of interest are: Simply Green Biofuels; the Re-Store, where salvaged construction materials are sold to benefit Habitat for Humanity; Dover Cyclery; Garrison Hill Florists; Khaophums Thai Restaurant and the Dover Natural Marketplace.

In celebration of the Festival’s 25th Anniversary, the Festival Committee is also introducing a new component this year. On Saturday, July 16th, the Cochecho Arts Festival will proudly present the first ever Festival Movie Night. This highly anticipated event is being co-sponsored by Marion Cheney ReMax legacy, Federal Savings Bank and Bernson Legal, and will feature a showing of the beloved American classic film Casablanca. The event will begin art dusk in lower Henry Law Park, offering attendees the opportunity to picnic on the lawn with unobstructed views of the 20’ inflatable outdoor movie screen.

Visit www.cochechoartsfestival.org for more information on the season’s schedule with photos of the performers and links to their websites, a history of the Festival, directions to Henry Law Park, news articles, information on how to get involved, and much more.

Festival goers are encouraged to show their support for the Festival by purchasing a Festival button for $10. This commemorative Button features a unique 25th Anniversary Festival logo for 2011, and includes discounts and free benefits from supporting businesses. In addition to the customary “Button Benefits” that patrons can receive by wearing their Buttons to participating businesses, Button purchasers will also be given “Instant Benefits” packets, which contain coupons and Gift Certificates worth in excess of $250.

Buttons and official Cochecho Arts Festival programs will be available the end of June at the Chamber Visitor’s Center, as well as at all Festival events. The program also will be available through state and local Visitor Centers and various Dover downtown merchants.

The Cochecho Arts Festival is a summer-long series of music and entertainment that is 100% admission free for the entire community, and operated using sponsorship funds from local businesses. The Festival draws tens of thousands of attendees annually to a diverse array of over 25 outdoor events and performances. The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce’s Festival Committee has been producing the event for the past 25 years.

In additiuon to the Performance sponsors listed above, major sponsors of the 25th Annual Cochecho Arts Festival Inlcude:

Burns, Bryant, Cox, Rockefeller & Durkin: Festival Stage Sponsor

FairPoint Communications: Box Office Sponsor

Bernson Legal: Festival Water Sponsor

Liberty Mutual: Children’s Series Presenter

Rotary Club of Dover: Fireworks Sponsor

The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit association of businesses, professionals, individuals, and organizations working together to advance the economic well-being of its members and the community. For details on Chamber membership, a schedule of activities, and information on other programs, please call the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce at 603-742-2218; write to 550 Central Avenue, Dover, NH, 03820; or visit www.dovernh.org.

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