Mansfield's 9th Annual Festival on the Green was declared a success Monday by Mansfield officials who said high attendance, local entertainment and the new presence of Storrs Center made for a great day.
"I really think [the festival's] become a signature event for our community," Town Manager Matthew Hart said. "Everybody seemed to be in very good spirits and celebrating Storrs Center," he said. "I think it's especially neat that we now have some complete phases of the project to celebrate."
Hart went on to thank everyone involved with the festival, namely Cynthia van Zelm, executive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Kathleen Paterson, the Partnership's communications and special projects manager and Mayor Elizabeth Paterson.
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Mayor Paterson said she had a "wonderful time" and thanked all participating Mansfield businesses, organizations, sponsors and volunteers who made the day a success.
"It really was a good day," Paterson said. "We had good music. The community was well represented in all areas. It was a wonderful day," she said.
Paterson said from her perspective, one of the highlights was the realization and celebration of Storrs Center.
"I looked across the street and finally after nine years, we had something to look at," Paterson said. There is something being built there. It isn't just a vision anymore. It's happening," she said.
Paterson said as she looked over the crowd filled with young children she thought "yup that's why we're doing it...to make it a place where kids will grow up and want to stay instead of as soon as they get to college looking for any place to live but Storrs because there was nothing here," she said.
"So I'm very pleased with [Sunday]. I think the community was," she said.
The Mansfield Downtown Partnership released a statement on its Facebook page saying in part: "We had a wonderful time at the 9th Annual Festival on the Green on Sunday and hope you did, too!"
Residents appeared to have a "wonderful time" as evidenced by the over 70 photos uploaded by Mansfield-Storrs Patch users. Be sure to check them out above!
