The Northampton Ice Art Festival will go on this year!
The future of the festival was in doubt with the court-ordered dissolution of the Northampton BID, which co-produced the festival for four years.
This year the River is stepping up to make sure the festival happens, in collaboration with the Northampton Center for the Arts, the City of Northampton, and Arts Night Out.
“Building and sustaining a vibrant community is part of our mission at The Northampton Radio Group and the Northampton Ice Art Festival does just that.” says Northampton Radio Group General Manager David Musante. “We didn’t want to see it fade away. It brings people to town to stroll, shop, and dine. It creates great memories and keeps people coming back to downtown Northampton.”
The 5th Annual Northampton Ice Art Festival will take place on Friday, February 13, 2015.
“The enthusiastic assistance and institutional knowledge of Penny Burke from the Center for the Arts & Arts Night Out, and former Northampton BID Director Natasha Yakovlev were key in putting this together on short notice.” says Musante. “When commitments started pouring in from key downtown retailers like Thornes Marketplace and the artists themselves, we knew we could make this a go.”
An announcement of the Ice Art Festival’s theme and participating artists and supporting businesses is forthcoming.
In addition to broadcasting, The Northampton Radio Group (WHMP, WRSI The River, and Hits 94.3) produces, co-produces, or assists on events up and down the valley all year long. It produces Meltdown Family Music and Book Bash and Übeer Fest, hosts community forums on topics of importance to the local community, collaborates on The Taste of Amherst, Amherst Block Party, and The Green River Festival among others. The stations also raise over $120,000 a year for local charities with events like The Cancer Connection Campout, BookBus, and Monte’s March for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
