In May of 2020, in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic, a group of Fairlee residents met "virtually" with Vermont musician Jon Gailmor and together created a song about the town of Fairlee, Vermont. The result, titled "Join Us In Fairlee", invites people to come together and enjoy the community. Listen to the song (MP3 format)
The calendar below will show any Fairlee Community Arts events or activities.
The FCA Summer Music Series brings people together on the town common in beautiful Fairlee, Vermont, for family-friendly entertainment on Tuesday evenings in July and August from 6:30-8:00pm. All concerts are free of charge.
Each person who attends the concert gets a ticket for a chance to win prizes donated by local businesses. Those who choose to do so can purchase 50/50 raffle tickets for a chance to win cash while helping to support the series (which costs more than $10,000 annually to produce).
Concerts are presented rain or shine. You may wish to bring a folding chair or blanket to enjoy the outdoor concert in comfort. In the event of rain, the concert will be held inside the air-conditioned Fairlee Town Hall auditorium.
The series is funded by local businesses and individuals. Technical sound support is provided by Jim Beaulieu. We hope you will join us on the town common for some great music!
The Clements Brothers are George and Charles Clements, identical twins from New England. They’ve been playing and writing music together for as long as they can remember and ‘The Clements Brothers’ marks their first project together since playing in the internationally touring grass-roots band, ‘The Lonely Heartstring Band’ with whom they put out two albums on Rounder Records. With roots, rock, bluegrass, jazz, and classical influences, George (on guitar) and Charles (on bass) aim to capture their singer-songwriter sensibilities in a unique blended voice, at once enthralling and intimate, groovy and serene. The duo is a fusion of each brother's unique musical journey, and the result is a music all its own, filled with vocal harmonies, instrumental virtuosity, and a genuine love of song.
The band was formed in 2023 when working musician friends came together to express their love for super funky music. The Funky Flats’ style is original funky music inspired by the scratchy guitars, bright brassy horns and tight rhythm sections of the funk masters of the 1970s.
Since forming in 2023, the band has amassed a set of 15 original and 20 funky cover songs, which are designed to make it impossible for audiences to stay in their seats. In the spring of 2024, the band completed recording a four song, EP entitled “The Home Cookin EP”, which was completely written, performed, recorded, engineered and mastered by the band.
Here I Am, Nashvillian songstress Alice Wallace declares on her new album, released in 2024 via Mule Kick Records. It’s a title that hints at her deeply personal, confessional songwriting style, one that invites the listener to gaze at her beating heart as each intimate secret pours out, propelled by a powerful, expressive delivery that marks her as one of the true vocal talents of her generation. Wallace was named 2017 Female Vocalist of the Year by the California Country Awards and her voice has been called “a powerful natural occurrence… an awe-striking wonder" by Saving Country Music.
For her engagement in Fairlee, Alice will be joined by Colin McCaffrey on guitar and fiddle.
Performer Website Link
(note: the performance in Fairlee will be a trio of keyboard/guitar/vocals)
Blues & Beyond is a Vermont-based jazzy, bluesy, rockin’ jam band led by singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Timothy James, whose soulful guitar work and original songwriting drive the band’s sound. Timothy has a long history as a multi-instrumentalist and recording artist, blending blues, jazz, and rock influences into a powerful live experience.
Bassist/vocalist Danny Roda brings expressive grooves and rich harmonies, balancing his role in Blues & Beyond with solo projects and work in the folk rock group Bull & Prairie. His dynamic playing and vocal style add depth and energy to the band’s live shows. Drummer Taylor Starbird completes the lineup with tight rhythms and dynamic feel, rounding out the band’s improvisational, high-energy sound.
Together, Blues & Beyond delivers a mix of heartfelt originals and reimagined blues classics, captivating audiences across Vermont, including multiple appearances at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.
The Decato-Sanborn Project combines the best of worlds ... Martin Decato and Scott Sanborn come from very different musical backgrounds, and the best of both shine in this collaboration! Martin is one of the region’s finest flatpickers, with roots in bluegrass, country and blues. Scott is a keyboard player steeped in blues, funk, jazz and rock, but picks up a guitar and an alter-ego emerges with a wide range of old and new acoustic folk, rock and blues.
Covers include music from the likes of Johnny Cash to Muddy Waters to Bob Dylan to Merle Haggard to John Hiatt to Guy Clark to the Grateful Dead, and they mix in some original material for good measure.
Well crafted and well presented upbeat music with a heap of great guitar pickin’, spontaneity and interaction between experienced musicians who share a unique chemistry and love of the craft, and take pride in their professionalism. You are sure to be entertained by this collaboration as Martin & Scott trade tunes back and forth, just daring the other to follow. And they dare you to keep your toes from tapping!
The Conniption Fits is a road tested, hard working band based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, that performs original takes on music from the 80’s, 90’s and today. Performing 80’s favs like “Come On Eileen”, “Don’t You Forget About Me”, “Let’s Go Crazy”, “Living On A Prayer” and “Don’t Stop Believing” to 90’s alternative bands like Green Day, Lit, Nine Inch Nails, Rob Zombie and Goo Goo Dolls to modern hits like “Stacy’s Mom”, “Truth Hurts”, “Royals”, “Shut Up & Dance” and “Uptown Funk”, the band is a crowd favorite among all ages.
The Conniption Fits have been tapped as an opening act for Kings Of Leon, Train, Weezer, Panic at the Disco, The Wallflowers, Young The Giant, Kongos. They even opened gigs for 80’s greats like Cinderella, Warrant, Boston and Blue Oyster Cult, to name a few.
The Conniption Fits were voted "Best Rock Trio" by New Hampshire Magazine.
In March of 2021, Fairlee Community Arts applied for an Animating Infrastructures Grant through the Vermont Arts Council to support public art in the I-91 underpass at Exit 15.
Animating Infrastructure grants support community projects that integrate art with infrastructure. Through this program, the Council strives to demonstrate the positive impact of art in helping communities meet goals of livability, walkability, safety, economic vitality, and community vibrancy, and to support the creation of unique infrastructure projects where function and art are one and the same.
Fairlee’s proposal was one of five projects awarded grant funding. The Vermont Arts Council gave FCA $15,000 to support the design and installation of public art that will transform an interstate underpass into a welcoming setting that connects commerce and outdoor recreation assets.
FCA solicited contributions and received proposals from thirteen artists. From these thirteen the proposal from artist Matt Heywood (titled "The Green Man and the Snow Sister") was selected.
We negotiated with the Vermont Agency of Transportation over the next year or so. Installation was complicated by the ongoing work on the I-91 bridge decking.
FCA held several events designed to bring the community into the process.
Finally, in September 2024 we installed the first mural, The Snow Sister.
The second mural (The Green Man) will hopefully be installed in the autumn of 2025 when VTrans has finished the bridge repair on the southbound side of the Interstate.
Many thanks to the Fairlee Fire Department, Samuel Morey and Westshire students, Rivendell students, Aloha campers, Cami Buster, Elizabeth Wilson, Kristen Post, Chris Clemson, Vicki Kirchner, Peter Lange, Aletta Traendly, Palma Jorgensen, Calista Diane, Jack (who happened to be staying at Lake Morey Resort and came over to help), former town administrator Tad Nunez who saw us through every step of the of the permitting process and everyone in the town offices. Thanks also to the Vermont Council for the Arts and all the donors, including Fogg’s Hardware (Bethel Mills) for the donations of materials and the individuals who donated through our crowd funding program. And finally we have to thank VTrans, because though as an agency they can be frustrating at times we know everyone there ultimately has public safety at heart.
A selection of events previously presented by Fairlee Community Arts appears below.
Adventure Kids Choir
Mardi Gras party
Puppet-Making Workshop with Sara Peattie
Painting instruction with Arthur Zorn
Live-streamed concerts during Covid-19 pandemic
Concerts: Heliand Consort, Counterpoint, Windborne, Keene State College Concert Choir, Dan Weiser & Classicopia
Silent film series
Lecture series
Vermont Humanities speaker programs
Fall festival
Summer concerts
Meet the filmmaker series