Boro Brightens to Bottle Hill Day Festivities on Saturday

If you’re looking for tasty foods, fun rides for kids, intriguing crafts and live entertainment for the whole family, Madison is the place to be Saturday as the annual Bottle Hill Day festival returns to the Rose City.

The borough-wide festival and fundraiser runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is organized by the Downtown Development Commission to help promote borough business and Madison’s many other attractions.

“We are expecting anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 people, depending on the weather,” said Laura Cole, administrator of the DDC, which is marking its 30th anniversary. “This will be the biggest Bottle Hill Day ever!

About 200 exhibitors —more than a year ago — have signed up for the event, said Lisa Ellis, who does much of the work in putting the event together.

The festival is sponsored by , Pfizer, , , Madison Arts and Cultural Alliance, The Original Music School and Ridge Rentals.

“Bottle Hill” dates to the borough’s earliest modern settlement in the Eighteenth Century, and refers either to a bottle-shaped land grant or the location of a tavern atop a hill at the intersection of Park and Ridgedale avenues, according to information on the DDC’s website.

Adult visitors can brute that historic footnote about over a cold one at the DDC Beer Garden, a new addition to the festival’s lineup, which will be open on Lincoln Place from 1-5 p.m.

Patch will be at Bottle Hill Day, too, with a booth at Waverly Place and Main Street. Kids can pick up balloons and tattoos, all for the low, low price of a smile!
 
There’s much else to excite the senses for fair-goers of all ages:
 
•    The Moonwalk Family Fun Park returns with inflatable rides and family activities, at ;
•    Classic wheels roll into town at the annual Chamber of Commerce Car Show at the on Prospect Street;
•    History buffs will thrill to a demonstration of black powder in a reenactment by the Frontier Guard at the ;
•    The stout of will can test their mettle on the free Rock Climbing Wall on Green Village Road, also by the Museum.

But wait, there’s more! What would a street festival be without lots and lots to eat? The hungry can head over to the Food Court on — where else? —Cook Avenue. Be sure to look for the elephant truck serving Thai food.

While visitors are carried along by the festival’s sights and smells, it’s the sounds of music which provide a stirring backdrop to the day’s activities. There will be near-continuous live performances from many local performers at four venues, here’s the lineup:

Investors Saving Bank Main Stage, Waverly Pl. and Lincoln Pl.:
10 - 10:30 a.m.: Marching Band
10:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Rosewood
 12:45-2:30 p.m.: Big Bad Irish
3-5 p.m.: Bob Rocco


Central Avenue Main Stage, Central Ave. and Brittin St.
10 a.m.-12 p.m.: Kings Road
12:30-2:30 p.m.: No Shame
3-5 p.m.: Moss Points North


The MACA Unplugged Stage at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Green Village Rd. and Main St.
10 a.m.-11 a.m.: The People
11-11:30 a.m.: Patty Doyle
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Mosaic
1:30-2:30 p.m.: Dan Crisci Jazz Group
3-5 p.m.: Spaz Attack and BVD

The Original Music School sponsors the Youth Band Stage, located at Central Ave. and Elmer St.