The 2009 Bug & Bud Festival is going to run late.
Although most of Downtown Milford, Inc.’s festival will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as usual, the main attraction will just be warming up by then. This year’s headlining musical act, the Deanna Bogart Band, will start playing on the main stage as everything else closes down.
Bogart, a Maryland “blues and boogie” saxophonist and pianist, is a big name in the Washington, D.C., area music scene – she’s won 20 “Whammies,” music awards for Washington-area performers, including five for her album “Timing is Everything.”
“This is a big deal for us,” said acting DMI executive director Lorraine Dion.
The Deanna Bogart Band includes Bogart herself, drummer Mike Aubin and bassist Eric Scott. The trio will perform free on the festival’s main stage courtesy of Landscape Architectural Services.
Other newcomers to the Bug & Bud stage include the gospel group Donald Ashley & Millennium, and performances by members of the Nanticoke tribe and the Guadalupe Dancers. Returning favorites include the Milford Community Band and performances by local dance troupes, including the Sankofa Dance Company.
Festivities will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, with the now-traditional Ladybug Parade at 10 a.m. After the parade, opening ceremonies will be held on the main stage, and the community band will start up their show at 11 a.m.
Thanks to construction at the Milford Public Library, the stage won’t be at its usual place, either. Instead of the library amphitheater, musical acts will perform on a 28-foot stage set up at the Cavalry United Methodist Church parking lot, on the southern edge of the festival grounds.
“It’s a nice spot,” Dion said. “It’s close to the food and games, so you can get something to eat, sit back and listen to the music.”
Festival-goers looking for fun on the river can take a ride on ladybug-themed paddle boats, provided by the Mispillion Maritime Association. Those looking to get in touch with nature can try a “ladybug release” shortly after the parade, or the Delaware Herb Festival, hosted by the Delaware Herb Growers and Marketers Association. Representatives of the Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, along with Delaware’s state parks, will give presentations on the region’s plants and wildlife, and City Arborist Bill Pike will be on hand to give away seedling trees.
Kids’ Korner, with games, rides, face-painting, animals and more, has moved from its usual spot and will now be in the main area of Bicentennial Park. The park will also host a collection of “sidewalk games” including marble shooting.
And, of course, anyone who wants a good meal will find a wealth of options, from burgers and pizza to fresh barbecue, fried fish and authentic Mexican food.
For more information on the festival, call DMI’s main office at 839-1180, or visit www.downtownmilford.org.
Milford, Del. —
