June in the Northeast Kingdom is short and sweet, and this year there are two good excuses to spend it downtown. One involves strawberries. The other involves a band, a cider bar, and a good cause. Honestly, you could do both and call it a great month.
Here’s what’s coming up.
Roll Up Your Sleeves: Live Music at The Tasting Center
If a daytime strawberry situation isn’t quite your speed, here’s the evening version. On Saturday, June 13, The Tasting Center on Main Street is throwing a proper kickoff-to-summer night — live music, dancing, and a room full of people glad to be out.
The music comes from Sleeveless Tease, featuring Narah Sparks, and the plan is simple: show up, grab a drink, and dance for a few hours. Eden Ciders is running the cash bar, so you’re in good hands on the beverage front.
There’s also a reason to dig for cash beyond the bar. A 50/50 raffle runs all night, and the proceeds go to the Joshua House Warming Shelter — so the fun does some real good while you’re at it.
It’s three hours, ten bucks at the door, and the best kind of night out: the one where you bring a friend and end up staying later than you planned.
Where: The Tasting Center, 150 Main Street, Newport When: Saturday, June 13, 6 p.m. — 3 hours Tickets: $10 at the door Presented by: Newport Downtown Development
Strawberry Festival at Gardner Park
There’s a reason Gardner Memorial Park gets used for just about everything around here — concerts, the farmers market, the kind of summer afternoons you remember later. On Saturday, June 20, it’s getting a sweeter purpose. The Strawberry Festival is back, set up right alongside the Newport Farmers Market, and it’s exactly the sort of low-key, all-are-welcome day this town does well.
The headliner, obviously, is the shortcake. We’re talking fresh strawberry shortcake with local berries and real whipped cream — the actual stuff, not the kind from a can. Pull up a spot, grab a plate, and watch the market crowd go by.
A few things worth showing up for:
- The pie baking contest. If you’ve got a recipe you’re quietly proud of, this is your moment.
- The pie auction. And if you’d rather buy a pie than bake one, we’ve got you covered there too.
- The Strawberry Costume Contest — new for 2026. Yes, you can come dressed as a giant strawberry. We’re genuinely hoping someone does.
You don’t have to enter anything to belong here. Donate an auction item, bring the kids, or just swing by for dessert and run into half your neighbors. That’s kind of the whole point.
Where: Gardner Memorial Park, 246 Causeway, Newport When: Saturday, June 20, 9 a.m. Hosted by: Vermont’s North Country Chamber of Commerce & Newport Downtown Development
Two events, two very different vibes, one small downtown that knows how to throw them. Come for the strawberries, stay for the music — or just pick the one that sounds like your kind of evening. Either way, we’ll see you out there.