Independent Films, Music and Food at First Festival in Brewster

Centered around the Historic Walter Brewster House that overlooks Main Street, the first annual Village of Brewster Food and Film Festival will take place during the day and into the night on Saturday, Sept. 1 and community members from throughout Putnam County are invited to participate.

The Festival was the dream of Bob and Stacy Dumont, who also founded Art Beat in 2011.

In order to go on, the Festival needed a sponsor, the Brewster Chamber of Commerce stepped up to provide their support.

“It was a natural fit for us to help with this,” said Rose Aglieco, executive Director of the chamber. “We had such a successful partnership with ArtBeat, it was hard to say no to this opportunity.”

The Brewster Chamber and its membership rallied around the Festival by canvasing members for donations, providing a band and entertainment, and participating in judging the films.

Bill Flash, a financial advisor in the Chamber, is also a member of the Second Saturday Band, which performed at ArtBeat and will also provide music for the Festival.

“When we were approached about this opportunity, all of our band members wanted to contribute to the first festival.  It was something we could all point to and say, ‘We were there at the start.’” Brewster’s Melissa Jones will also be performing in the band, Melissa Jones and State of Being.

The Food Festival runs from 4 p.m to 7 p.m.,  followed by the Film Festival from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Oak Street will be closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Musicians will perform from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and food vendors will be selling dinner items until 7p.m. Food selections will include barbeque from 151 Grill, an Italian grill from the Italian American Club, Coffee Roasters, Sweet Express, and Kobackers Market.

Then, at 8 p.m. the Film Festival will come to life with a dozen short films shown on a 26-foot on the sweeping lawn of the Walter Brewster House.

This inaugural event will feature independent short films (20 minutes or less), which were submitted by several local directors and from filmmakers across the nation.

Stacy Dumont, chairperson the Film Committee, explained her vision of the festival.

“We wanted to provide local filmmakers a place to show off their talent, while getting Brewster recognized for its growing potential as an arts community,” Dumont said.

A call for submissions to the festival were put out on the internet and in newspaper, targeting new, college-aged filmmakers and fledgling production companies.

“The talent we discovered was delightful. The films and directors we chose represent a variety of genres, ages, and levels of professionalism,” Dumont said.

Community members who attend are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs. All of the films shown will meet with PG-Rated standards.

“This is going to be an exciting day in the Village,” said Aglieco.

This event is free to attend.

The Walter Brewster House will be open for tours throughout the day.

In the event of rain, the festival will be held at the same times on Sunday, Sept. 2nd.

For more information, visit  www.VOBFilmFestival.com, email  info@VOBFilmFestival.com, or call 845-279-2477.