LUDLOW, Vt. – Presented by the sober-active community The Phoenix, Saturday’s Music on the Mountain festival at Jackson Gore welcomed a capacity crowd to the mountain for a joyful celebration of music, community, and recovery. After scattered morning rain showers, the sun shone through dramatic afternoon clouds, which added to the radiant energy of the spring day.
The family-friendly concert ran from 2-7 p.m., and entrance was free, with suggested donations benefitting the Divided Sky Foundation in Ludlow, a rehabilitation and addiction recovery program founded by Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. Featured performers Vermont’s own Saints & Liars, the Asbury Park quintet Dogs in a Pile, and New Orleans-inspired singer-songwriter Anders Osborne entertained the exuberant crowd of over 1,000 attendees with an eclectic mix of psychedelia, jazz, fusion, funk, folk, and roots rock ‘n’ roll.
During the Dogs in a Pile set, a group gathered at the front of the stage to dance to the group’s popular songs and extended jam sessions. While on stage, Osborne mentioned his own struggle with drugs and alcohol, and expressed his gratitude for 15 years of sobriety. “I’m almost 50,” Osborne told the crowd. “And I’m still here.”
For most of the afternoon, folks lined up for barbecue from the Hangry Hogg, pizza from Goodman’s American Pie, and natural baked goods, smoothies, and espresso drinks from Sustainable Eats food truck. Tonique, an alcohol-free mobile bar out of Burlington, was set up, serving some tasty mocktails such as the Tropical Okemo, a refreshing, fizzy drink mixed with house-made organic coconut syrup, nonalcoholic bitters, lime and pineapple juice, and soda water.
Visitors were welcome to attend mixers and group hikes on Friday, May 17, and Sunday, May 19, and approximately 300 runners joined the 5K Fun(d) Run that kicked off at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Jackson Gore Inn. Saturday afternoon’s festivities included yard games on the green slopes of Bright Star Basin at the foot of the Coleman Brook Express Quad. People were scattered across the grass on picnic blankets and lawn chairs enjoying the sights and sounds.
Divided Sky is a nonmedical recovery program that seeks to provide people “access to an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive community where they can begin to build a solid foundation for their new sober lives,” Anastasio states on the website. Anastasio has been sober since 2007, and opened the residential rehabilitation facility in Ludlow in October 2023.
The Phoenix is a national, recovery-based movement that organizes hundreds of weekly sober social events and activities, with the purpose of “creating safe spaces for all individuals to connect, build friendships, find support, and have fun.” The organization also offers free, online classes, meditations, and podcasts that support recovery and human connection.
More information can be found at www.thephoenix.org or www.dividedskyfoundation.com.