Hype for the Future 79D: Kittson County, Minnesota

Introduction

Located at the northwest corner of the State of Minnesota, bordering on both the State of North Dakota to the west and the Canadian Province of Manitoba to the north, is Kittson County, Minnesota, a county of under five thousand residents that uses Hallock as the county seat.

Amenities

Though the City of Hallock, a community of around nine hundred residents, serves as the county seat of Kittson County, the historical society associated with the county is located further east, in the Lake Bronson area along Route 59. Hallock is located at the junction of Routes 75 and 175, with minimal community amenities as is typical in many of the smaller communities throughout the northwestern portion of the State. Further southeast is the City of Karlstad, home to the Kick’n Up Kountry Music Festival and Moosefest. Every June, this country music festival represents one of the fastest-growing country music festivals in the Midwest, in recent years having attracted over sixty thousand attendees.

Hype for the Future 69C: Searching for Music Festivals

Introduction

Searching for music festivals in many mainstream societies can be a particularly daunting task—each music festival has its own rules, regulations, policies, and atmospheric vibes, depending on the genre, venue, size (by area), attendance (daily and total), and numerous other factors.

Recommendations

For major music festivals across the United States, Canada, and numerous other countries, a website known as “Music Festival Wizard” may provide insights and information on the different characteristics of each festival, including age restrictions, dates (and times, if and when available), genres, geographies, and additional information through website links.

For smaller music festivals, many such events may be posted only locally, integrated into separate events, or otherwise obscured, even when access is clear and obvious throughout the nation based on common mapping services.

Hype for the Future 64J: Town of Windsor, Maine

Introduction

The Town of Windsor is located directly to the east of and adjacent to the City of Augusta in Kennebec County, Maine, home to the site of the Windsor Fair and the associated museum area. The Maine Highland Games represent Scottish heritage, particularly within the State of Maine, though the Scottish festival has previously been hosted at the site of Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, Maine.

Windsor Fairgrounds

The Windsor Fairgrounds are known primarily for hosting the Windsor Fair in the State of Maine in the days leading up to Labor Day. However, just a few weeks prior to each session, the Windsor Fairgrounds also host the Maine Highland Games and Scottish Festival thanks to the sale of Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, thus resulting in an enlarged venue for the Scottish heritage festival.

Hype for the Future 62M: County Bluegrass, A Local Festival in Maine

Fort Fairfield

Country Bluegrass is a festival located on the north side of Fort Fairfield, Maine, within the area largely associated with the Webster-Ashburton Treaty. While Fort Fairfield is primarily south of the Aroostook River, Country Bluegrass is located further to the north, out of the primary village area.

Artists

Usually, the bluegrass artists at Country Bluegrass are associated with the local area, elsewhere in New England, and in much of the Appalachian region further south and southwest. There are also the occasional artists entirely or partially associated with Canada 🇨🇦, usually with the nearby Province of New Brunswick.

Hype for the Future 58K: The Maine Lobster 🦞 Festival

Overview

The Maine Lobster Festival is typically attached to the very end of July and the very beginning of August each year in Rockland, the county seat of Knox County, Maine. Located along United States Route 1, the lobster festival is a quintessential part of the New England Yankee experience and especially the maritime experience specific to Maine. North of Portland, southeast of Skowhegan, and south of Bangor and Millinocket, the lobster festival is notable for attracting significant cultural value from the most populated corners of the state and beyond.

Hype for the Future 58I: Notable Fairs in the State of Maine

State Fairs

Within the State of Maine, the three most notable state-related regional fairs include the Fryeburg Fair, located in the Oxford County Town of Fryeburg; the Skowhegan State Fair; and the Bangor State Fair; from west to east. Each of the listed state fairs provides a snapshot into the specific regions of the respective fairgrounds; however, the Fryeburg Fair has often traditionally attracted fairgoers from the nearby areas over the state line in north-central New Hampshire, also a fairly rural region.

Regional Fairs

Also located within the State of Maine are the regional fairs located in communities such as Dover-Foxcroft in Piscataquis County, home to the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in the middle of June and the Piscataquis Valley Festival at the end of August each year. Interestingly, similar fairs also occur along the extensive coastline of the State, including the Blue Hill Fair which occurs around Labor Day weekend every year.

Hype for the Future 56C: Lodging Options for Wilmington, Vermont

Introduction

The Town of Wilmington is located in Windham County, Vermont, southwest of the shire town, Newfane. Wilmington is at the northern and western end of the concurrency involving Routes 9 and 100, with Route 9 serving the directions east to Brattleboro and west to Bennington while Route 100 serves the directions north and south along the central spine of the State of Vermont.

The Options

Within the Town of Wilmington, the lodging areas include the Vermont House and the Crafts Inn within the central village area, as well as the Wilmington Inn and the Nutmeg to the west and the White House Inn and Gateway Lodge VT to the east. The resort options are predominantly located along Route 9, though some of the options are also associated with Route 100.

Located along Route 9, the Nutmeg is the furthest west, while the Wilmington Inn is immediately past the end of the village sidewalks. Centrally located within the village, the Vermont House is on the north side while the Crafts Inn is on the south side. These two (2) hotels provide sidewalks to the main building associated with the Vermont Blueberry 🫐 Festival, and the Blueberry Fest may result in full occupancy for each of the resorts in question—even the outer resorts. On the east side, the White House Inn is on the north side of Routes 9 and 100, while the Gateway Lodge VT is near the corner created by these two state highways.

Hype for the Future 52M: More on Portugal

Portuguese Heritage Festivals Abroad

The New England region, and more specifically New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, is home to the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament on the first weekend of August every year. Traditionally associated with the culture of Madeira specifically, volunteers for the board were initially restricted to the 1915 convention of only males born in Madeira and male descendants. In 1998, organizational policy had been updated to allow sons of females born in Madeira to volunteer, and in April 2023, the board had started to permit female volunteers.

Perhaps the most difficult feature of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament to understand externally is that the event is the largest ethnic festival in all of New England, but more importantly, that the festival in New Bedford is apparently the largest celebration of Portuguese heritage at not just the national level, but also at the global level. Traditional Portuguese cuisine is typically served at the event, of course, though overlap with cuisine styles associated with Spain, France, and to a lesser extent, Italy also exist, the Portuguese heritage of the cuisine provides a clear and reasonable distinction from the surrounding nationalities.

Hype for the Future 52H: The Prom Experience

Preamble

After researching the Berkshire venue of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, novaTopFlex has asked the venue about how best to support an art exhibit specifically dedicated to the prom experience of novaTopFlex. The exhibit shall include all the personal feelings as well as all the fears of judgment at the promenade, including, though not limited to, the obvious fears that result from violating tradition in a traditionally-coded event such as the promenade.

Location

The Prom Experience of novaTopFlex shall be an exhibit located at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art under ideal circumstances. The Porches Inn at Mass MoCA is an important place to stay while effectively remaining on campus overnight. Of all the contemporary arts venues in the United States, the location in North Adams is the largest such location by count of population. Though North Adams serves the role of the smallest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, novaTopFlex is specifically targeting a designated area essentially centered around North Adams while also expanding throughout all of New England, as well as throughout the eastern side of the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly regions such as the Hudson Valley, the Susquehanna Valley, and the northern half of the State of New Jersey.

Attendance Zone (Catchment Area)

Technically, as a contemporary art museum, there is no geographically designated district nor attendance zone. However, the catchment area that novaTopFlex is attempting to focus energy on generally correlates with the eastern side of New York, the northern half of New Jersey, and the eastern side of Pennsylvania.

Catchment Area for the novaTop Prom Exhibit; the black plus is at the approximate location of the Mass MoCA.

Hype for the Future 51I: Why novaTopFlex must Prioritize Festivals and Events

Preamble

novaTopFlex has a professional goal of being an entrepreneur, ideally toppling the entire capitalist system by way of manifesto life. Each manifesto shall provide details as to an insecurity, not just personally, but structurally, that has been enforced by societal norms and by social roles. novaTopFlex is attempting to close the social gap to the greatest extent possible by way of an extensive social network spanning the entirety of the United States of America from coast to coast and from north to south. Though the priority is often the East Coast, and particularly the Northeast Megalopolis, novaTopFlex shall not limit social networking to the Northeast Megalopolis of the United States. Though Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington are certainly social powerhouses, the smaller communities scattered throughout the region are often nearly as important, even in the rural state of Vermont relatively nearby yet firmly inland.

Social Priorities

novaTopFlex shall limit the social network to festivals and events, minimizing the importance of friends from educational institutions at all levels and instead focusing on a chosen support network for which novaTopFlex shall select common interests and personally quirks, especially in 2026. Even as early on as the new year, novaTopFlex shall open up socially to effectively every new person in the community, except for the people from educational connections.

The Importance of Research

The novaTop Identity depends on constant research in a continuous effort to find new people to socialize with at events of common interest and in neutral spaces. Such spaces may exist locally, regionally, or nationally, and the resulting priorities shall be focused on the individuals and communities novaTopFlex gets to network with over the summer. The summer is often, if not always, the most important time of the year for novaTopFlex to socialize with new people, especially because of alignment with people in cooler climates and the preference of disengagement with people in warmer climates under select circumstances.

Hype for the Future 51G: Festivals and Events of Interest, Butler County Edition

Introduction

Butler County, Ohio, is located along the Indiana border north of Cincinnati and uses the City of Hamilton as the county seat. Additional notable locations within the county include Middletown further northeast and Oxford further northwest; however, much of the north-central and southwestern portions of the county remain relatively rural with agricultural goals. The southeast of the county is a victim of the crisis of suburbanization, extending along the entire eastern section of the county through Monroe and toward Middletown. Though Carlisle is located to the west of the Great Miami River and was formerly identified as part of Butler County, the community is today identified as the northwestern edge of Warren County, Ohio. However, Trenton is not far from the Carlisle area and is identified with the west side of Middletown along Ohio State Route 73. Route 73 covers the area north of Hamilton, specifically between Oxford and Middletown within the Butler County portion.

Major Routes

Butler County is only connected to one Interstate Highway: Interstate 75, south to Cincinnati and north to Dayton. United States Routes 27, 42, and 127 each represent different portions of the area, with Route 27 serving the western side of the county, Route 42 passing through West Chester Township, and Route 127 serving the central communities of the county from north to south. State Routes located within Butler County include Route 4, primarily associated with Fairfield, Hamilton, and Middletown; Route 63, serving the direction between Monroe and Lebanon (in Warren County); the aforementioned Route 73; and a plethora of three-digit state routes. Route 122 exists to serve the Middletown area from the northwest to the southeast, connecting the area with the north side of Lebanon in Warren County and the area around Eaton in Preble County.

The supplemental state routes of the county also include State Route 126, serving between the Ross area and the Indiana state line; State Route 128, serving the area southwest of Hamilton; State Route 129, mostly two lanes west of Hamilton and freeway status further east; State Route 130, entirely known as Old Oxford Road; State Route 177, serving the general direction between Hamilton and east of Oxford; State Route 503, serving a number of smaller communities and villages north from Seven Mile; State Route 732, serving the Oxford area between Eaton (Preble County) to the north and Millville to the south; State Route 744, mainly serving the Somerville and Jacksonburg areas; State Route 747, serving as a bypass of State Route 4 east of the official bypass; and State Route 748, serving the southwestern part of the county between Millville and Shandon.

Associated Events

Numerous festivals and events are hosted by the City of Hamilton throughout the year, particularly given the size of the city independently from the influence of Cincinnati further south. Elsewhere in Butler County, the Voice of America MetroPark hosts the Voices of America Country Music Festival early in August, around the same time as the 127 Yard Sale services the entirety of Route 127, including within the county.

Hype for the Future 49WCO: Warren County, Ohio

Lebanon

The City of Lebanon is a city of slightly over 20,000 residents and serves as the county seat of perhaps one of the most affluent counties in the State of Ohio, often contested with Delaware County for the top rank statewide. The downtown area of the City of Lebanon is home to places of significant interest, including the historic Lebanon, Mason, and Monroe Railroad and the Golden Lamb, the latter of which hosts the Black Horse Tavern as well as a combination of hotel and restaurant amenities within the primary space of the area downtown. While the downtown area is often quiet throughout the year, the occasional festivals and events can disrupt the silence of the historic city, which is also renowned for comparatively lower costs, a stark contrast from the Mason and West Chester area prices. The local culture of Lebanon, Ohio, can also be influenced over the summer by the Lebanon Country Music Festival, typically in June, and the Lebanon Blues Festival, always attached primarily to early August, each year. Third Fridays on Mulberry are also of significance in June, July, and August of every year, and the culture festival hosted by the Harmon Museum may also close a portion of Broadway between Main Street and South Street early in the summer of every year. Early in the autumn of every year is typically the Lebanon Country AppleFest attached to the area of the Countryside YMCA, and early in December of every year is the Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade and the Christmas Festival of every year.

Waynesville/Harveysburg

Waynesville is home to an extensive network of German heritage, culminating at the Sauerkraut Festival every second full weekend of October. Harveysburg is also notable in the autumn, but for the Ohio Renaissance Festival located conveniently in the Greater Cincinnati area with a fair proximity to Columbus.

Elsewhere

Warren County, Ohio, is also home to communities including Franklin, Carlisle, Springboro, Morrow, South Lebanon, Maineville, and Mason. Kings Island is located within the county, and additional associated attractions may include, but are often not limited to, the attractions of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fort Ancient.

Hype for the Future 39A: Northwest Missouri

Two of the largest communities along U.S. Highway 136 within northern Missouri, Maryville and Bethany, are located on the western side of the State, with similar cultural traits to the Iowa state line nearby. Unionville, Missouri, is located further east along Route 136 and Route 5 within Putnam County. Even though Unionville is located in Putnam County, county fair tickets for the county are also typically sold in Milan in Sullivan County and in Centerville in Appanoose County, Iowa. A very similar situation occurs when Iowans appear at the Northwest Missouri State Fair on occasions. However, while the fair and the university both have “Northwest Missouri” in the title, the fair is located in Bethany while the university is located in Maryville.

Hype for the Future 34A: Fairs in New England

The expected time of year for each of the three fairs in Maine is varied, with the largest fair at Fryeburg typically occurring within the month of October, while the fairs at Bangor and Skowhegan are typically held in different parts of August. New Hampshire maintains the Hopkinton State Fair near Contoocook, New Hampshire, throughout Labor Day weekend, and the Vermont State Fair at Rutland typically occurs in mid-late August. However, the most important of the fairs of the New England region is perhaps the Big E, typically occurring from late September into mid-October.

Hype for the Future 34/284: Festivals and Events by Size

Overall, the festival and event sizes of novaTop, geoTop, and futoTop interests can range from events perhaps under 10,000 attendees to upwards of 100,000, even if not necessarily all at once. Examples of notable events of novaTop interest include the Lebanon Country and Blues Festivals, with 16,000 and 20,000–28,000 expected attendees, respectively, as well as the annual Country Jam USA in Eau Claire, Wisconsin; the larger Voices of America Country Music Festival in West Cheater Township, Ohio serving over 100,000; the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival serving between 200,000 and 400,000; and numerous larger and smaller events located elsewhere.

Hype for the Future 28A: Different Events of Serious Interest

So far, novaTopFlex has researched three (3) distinct country music festivals, each with a clearly distinct primary catchment area. In order, these festivals are the Buckeye Country SuperFest, Country Jam USA, and the Voices of America Country Music Festival. Two of the festivals are located within different parts of the State of Ohio, while the out-of-state location at Country Jam is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, typically approximately one-and-a-half hours east of the Twin Cities International Airport serving Minneapolis—St. Paul.

Hype for the Future 18E: The novaTop Travel Itinerary, Unleashed

Three links exist to different sections of the novaTop Travel Itinerary, based on when each listed location is identified to begin with:

List 1: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QNNxGZ1erQ5yAdcD7

List 2: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z5HaK23v788fsQEMA

List 3: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5jXMAcm9Q252TZJv7

While the overall horizons are no longer expanding for novaTopFlex, the novaTop Travel Itinerary is continuing to grow out and now make the research official for the ultimate novaTop experience.

Hype for the Future 11A: Festival Populations

novaTopFlex is often interested in festivals and events in excess of 100,000 attendance. Such events of interest include the Ohio State Fair with nearly 1,000,000, the Quarter Horse Congress with around 650,000, the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival with around 400,000, the Voices of America Country Music Festival with potentially over 100,000, and possibly even Country Jam USA and the Hinterland Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Saint Charles, Iowa, respectively. Apart from the major events, novaTopFlex may be part of the Butler County Fair, the Lebanon Horse Drawn Carriage Rides with around 100,000, the Ohio Challenge with potentially over 25,000, the Lebanon Country Music Festival with around 12,000, and the Lebanon Blues Festival with between 20,000 and 30,000.