The Roxbury Arts Group Announces Headwaters Music Arts Festival Tune In to Main Street

The Roxbury Arts Group Announces 

Headwaters Music + Arts Festival

Tune In to Main Street

July 28 from 8p – 12a

at Cowbella Farm

Saturday, July 29, 3 – 6p

at Main Street Stamford, NY

Headwaters Music + Arts Festival, Celebrates Music, Art, and Community in Stamford, New York

Stamford, NY - July 14, 2023 - The Roxbury Arts Group is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated Headwaters Music + Arts Festival. Expanded from the Porchfest of previous years, the Headwaters Music + Arts Festival is a delightful experience that invites festival-goers to revel in live musical performances on front stoops, immerse themselves in engaging art activities, and enjoy the company of like-minded individuals in a festive atmosphere. This unique celebration is open to all, with no admission fee required. This year’s event kicks off with a free Night Photography Workshop on Friday, July 28 and the main festival takes place on Saturday, July 29 from 3:00 to 6:00p along Stamford New York's enchanting Main Street. For complete details, visit roxburyartsgroup.org or call 607.326.7908.

Festivities will kick off with a special Night Photography Workshop for Beginners led by the acclaimed photographer Matt Hill on Friday, July 28 from 8p – 12a. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of night photography through a hands-on workshop that covers essential topics including stability, focusing, composing, exposure, and capturing star point photos. Weather permitting, participants will also discover the art of capturing stunning star trails. The workshop will commence with a twilight lecture held in the scenic surroundings of a Cowbella Farm field, providing an ideal setting for budding photographers to enhance their skills. This workshop is free, but space is limited and interested community members are required to pre-register. Complete details and registration information can be found at roxburyartsgroup.org/event/night-photography-for-beginners/.

On Saturday, July 29, Stamford’s Main Street will become a beacon of the arts when porches of homes and businesses are transformed into stages and Veterans Memorial Park becomes a canvas for free arts activities. This year’s event features 21 musical performances ranging from folk to rock, and classical to jazz. Acting on feedback from previous Porchfest events, the event has been extended for an additional hours and music performance start times are staggered between 3:00 - 6p, allowing festival-goers to see more bands! A list of bands and their performance locations can be found on the Roxbury Arts Group website, roxburyartsgroup.org. But be aware that changes can be made up to the day of the event. You’ll be able to find a map of band locations with descriptions at the Headwaters Arts Center, 66 Main Street in Stamford.  

A new addition to this year’s event is hands-on arts engagement opportunities. In addition to the Night Photography workshop, Matt Hill will also lead two Photowalks, one along the Stamford Rail Trail with a focus on Nature and one through the festival with a focus on Portraits. Photowalks are walking tours for photographers for varying abilities looking to find inspiration, hone their skills, learn new ideas, and experience different places through your camera's viewfinder. The Nature Photo Walk is from 1:30 – 3p and will start is Veterans Memorial Park. The Portrait Photo Walk, focusing on capturing unpredictable portraits that blend blurred motion and crisp features using flash and long shutter speeds, is from 4 – 5:30p and will also start in Veterans Memorial Park. Participation in the Photowalks are free – just bring a camera!

Community members are also invited to visit the Catskill Mountain Speak-Out House a modular sound booth that provides a private space amidst the festivities for folks to record their reflections about life in the Northern Catskills. Prompts will be provided to inspire and guide your storytelling journey. The collected recordings will be added to the Living Archive, a project of Roxbury Arts Group in collaboration with Delhi-based multimedia artist Christina Hunt Wood. 

Located outside the booth attendees will be able to find an activity table where kids and adults alike can color illustrations of and learn more about our neighbors in the local communities. In addition, guests are invited to create fascinating white-on-blue photographic prints, called cyanotypes, using flat objects on the sun-sensitive paper, expose the materials to the sun. All of these activities are free and located in Stamford’s Veterans Memorial Park, located at the intersection of Main Street and Railroad Avenue.

The Headwaters Music + Arts Festival promises to be an unforgettable experience for all attendees, with a diverse range of 21 musical performances, captivating art activities, and a strong sense of community. This event is free, open to all, and will take place rain or shine. For complete details, a schedule of performers and their locations, and more information about arts activities, visit roxburyartsgroup.org or call 607.326.7908.

The Headwaters Music + Arts Festival is sponsored by the Margaretville Telephone Company. The Roxbury Arts Group 2023 Season is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the NYS Legislature, the A. Lindsay & Olive B. O'Connor Foundation, Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, the Tianaderrah Foundation, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Humanities NY, Loving Live, Inc, the Delaware National Bank of Delhi, numerous business sponsors and individual donors like you.