Your Support for BFS and Participatory Arts

Happy late summer!  Since the start of 2022, it’s been uplifting to witness how music & dance can sustain a community. So far this year, more than 1,800 participants have connected with each other at Flying Shoes programs. Yes! In these uncertain and sometimes divisive times, such collective engagement and shared purpose is vital to the health and well-being of our entire community–neighbors, visitors, families, friends, and individuals of all ages.

We’re definitely committed to keeping the healing power of music and dance flowing in Midcoast Maine! 

  • First Fridays – The All Comers Band is back in all its glory, playing for exuberant dancers at Steamboat Landing in July and the Armistice Footbridge in August (+ upcoming at the YMCA in Sept)
  • School ResidenciesUkuleles donated by BFS were played by the Tri-Town Music Program participants at the Searsmont Library and by RSU71 students at their year-end performance. (Plus, BFS teaching artists gave uke lessons at two of the schools in the ‘21-’22 school year.)
  • Programs for Older Adults – Assisted living and congregate care residents sing along, tap their toes, sway, clap, laugh, and smile during the outdoor concerts featuring local musicians.
  • Music at the Reentry Center – Residents at the local corrections facility are taking lessons, jamming together, and even playing for audiences—on guitar, vocals, percussion, and fiddle!
  • Other Programs – WBFY radio show highlighting contra dance music; Resources for libraries and educators; Ragtime, Irish, Armenian, & Scandinavian music programs via partnerships with other local groups.

It truly feels like we’re emerging from a chrysalis and unfolding our wings to soar on the summer breeze. Such joy!

Indeed, our small nonprofit is kept aloft by all of YOU, our dear community.

We’re fortunate to have a mix of support, including grants and sponsorships, but we rely on the generous contributions of people like you, as we bring participatory dance and music to a wide swath of our community: those who already cherish it and–just as importantly–the folks who might not otherwise encounter its joys.

If you are impassioned about supporting participatory music and dance, there are many ways you can help Flying Shoes achieve the 2022 Annual Appeal goals. This year, we hope to raise $17,000 from 170 contributors, with 17 of those donors choosing to make monthly gifts. Here are two ways you can participate: Make a gift to the Annual Appeal and Spread the word by encouraging others in your network to join you in supporting Flying Shoes!

Give online:
Use PayPal, credit card, or debit card. Click the green “Make a Donation” button (scroll down, or visit www.belfastflyingshoes.org )

Mail a check:   
Bypass the service fees! Belfast Flying Shoes, 93 Kaler Rd, Belfast, ME 04915

Be a “Frequent Flyer”:
When you give online, check the box for “Make this a monthly donation.”

Thank you for participating in Flying Shoes programs–as a musician, dancer, leader, teaching artist, student, attendee, volunteer, and contributor. Your involvement in music & dance helps our local and regional community thrive!

With deep appreciation,

Chrissy Fowler, Executive Director

Belfast Flying Shoes Board of Directors

  • Jennifer Armstrong
  • Margo Burnham
  • Cedar Callahan
  • Alex Mann
  • Alessandra Martinelli
  • Ethan Tischler
  • Kay Zegel