LUDLOW, Vt. – The Phoenix Presents proudly announces the second annual Music on the Mountain, a substance-free music and arts festival which benefits the Divided Sky Foundation, a Ludlow, Vt.-based recovery center cofounded by Phish’s Trey Anastasio. This year’s event will feature a weekend’s worth of activities celebrating recovery at the bucolic Jackson Gore Resort on Okemo Mountain. The festival will take place on May 17, from 1-7 p.m., after the Divided Sky Fun(d) Run, which gets underway at 9 a.m., with additional special events scheduled throughout the weekend. The festival and weekend are family-friendly, and will offer activities for kids and adults alike, with local arts vendors, food trucks, and the splendor of Vermont’s Green Mountains as the backdrop.
The day will culminate with a one-of-a-kind super jam, “Divided Sky All-Stars,” featuring Anders Osborne; Daniel Donato; Karina Rykman; Natalie Cressman, of Trey Anastasio Band; and Vermont’s own Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski, of Trey Anastasio Band, Soule Monde, and LAMP. The young Vermont guitarist Evan Jennison will kick off the festivities, followed by the powerhouse female bassist Karina Rykman with her full band, and a set from Vermont’s own Soule Monde. Then the inimitable 15-piece ensemble the Sun Ra Arkestra, pioneers of Afrofuturism since the 1950s, will take the stage and transport festivalgoers to the stratosphere before the Divided Sky All-Stars close out the day.
A variety of additional activities are planned, and festivalgoers and supporters of Divided Sky Foundation are encouraged to spend the full weekend at the Jackson Gore Resort. On Friday evening, Divided Sky Foundation will host Minstrels and Mocktails, an intimate dinner concert gathering of friends and supporters featuring special musical guests and the experiential cuisine of Ludlow’s premiere restaurant, The Downtown Grocery. Tickets are very limited. For more information, or to reserve a spot for this special dinner, visit www.tinyurl.com/dsfdinner.
Immediately following the dinner, from 8-10 p.m., The Phoenix will welcome guests with the Campfire Jam, an acoustic, in-the-round concert where Anders Osborne and Daniel Donato will be joined by songwriter Steve Poltz. The Campfire Jam is free of charge, but requires advanced registration, as there is limited capacity.
On Saturday morning, the fourth annual Divided Sky Fun(d) Run will kick off the day with a spirited 5K race, a live local band, vendors, and an awards celebration, all leading up to the fun-filled festival in the afternoon. Additional activities throughout the weekend will be announced. All events are family-friendly, and parents of children under 18 will be required to complete a waiver upon entry to events at Jackson Gore. Guests are encouraged to bring chairs, picnic blankets, and refillable water bottles, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Music on the Mountain.
“We’re so excited to partner with The Phoenix again for the Fun(d) Run and Music on the Mountain right here in beautiful Ludlow where our retreat is located,” says Divided Sky Foundation cofounder and program director Melanie Gulde. “We are becoming part of the local landscape as a community of people in recovery who gather each year to celebrate music, health, and sobriety. I am grateful to be in the company of so many likeminded, mission-based individuals.”
Through this event and others produced by Phoenix Presents, the organizers hope to create a movement to provide more sober-inclusive music events and festivals.
“As a person in recovery, I understand how valuable it is to individuals in early sobriety to have access to an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive community where they can begin to build a solid foundation for their new sober lives. At the Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program, our mission is to deliver supportive and compassionate programming with dignity and respect for individuals and their families affected by addiction. We do this by offering a safe environment for men and women to build the foundation necessary to live a productive, healthy, and sober life,” says Trey Anastasio, Divided Sky Foundation cofounder.
For more information and a full schedule of events, visit www.musiconthemtn.com.