Bennington residents will be in the rhubarb once again at the town’s 13th annual Bennington Rhubarb Festival on Saturday, June 7, at Sawyer Field in Bennington. The festival will from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. 

“We’re really excited for this year’s festival. This is a highlight of the year in Bennington,” said organizer Melissa Clark. “We had an awesome turnout last year, and we’ll have all the same events people love this year.” 

The Rhubarb Festival  includes a farmers’ market, craft vendors, food trucks, a children’s activity tent, a Rhubarb Story Walk and a children’s petting zoo featuring local farms and 4-H clubs. The Rhubarb Trivia Contest will happen at noon, followed by the “Call-Your Spouse-Home-for-Rhubarb-Hollerin’ Contest” at 1 p.m. 

The Rhubarb General Store will be open all day. Crafters, farmers and artists who would like to sell items at the Rhubarb General Store should contact the library at 603-588-6585 or message the staff on Facebook. Ten percent of profits from the store will go into the Library Building Fund. Items can be dropped off on Saturday morning.

“People really love the hollering contest; it is always very popular, and it’s hilarious,” Clark said.

The public is invited to compete in multiple rhubarb-themed contests: rhubarb pie-baking, rhubarb wine-making, rhubarb preserves, rhubarb flower arrangements and rhubarb artwork and photography.  Pies requiring refrigeration will not be accepted. 

Rhubarb artwork  includes a division for children and teens. Artwork can include knitting, sewing, crochet, sculpture, painting and drawing. For exact requirements for each event, go to townofbennington.com.

The rhubarb beverage-tasting, including rhubarb lemonade and rhubarb wine for people over 21, will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

This year’s event features a raffle for  a hand-carved marble bench donated by local stone mason Zeth Kenney of Graceline Stoneworks.

“We’ll start selling raffle tickets at the Rhubarb Festival and continue throughout the year, and it will wrap up at Bennington’s holiday celebration in December,” Clark said. “The bench is absolutely beautiful, and we are so grateful for this generous donation this year.” 

The Rhubarb Festival is a fundraiser for Bennington’s GEP Dodge Library. All proceeds go into the library’s building fund.  The Friends of Dodge Library will be hosting a book sale and bake sale at the event.

The Bennington Fire and Rescue Department, the Bennington Police Department, the Bennington DPW, the Bennington Select Board and the Trustees of Dodge Library are all helping with the festival. 

Members of the fire and rescue department will organize the parking.

“We took down a bunch of trees at the park so we have more parking this year, and we’re grateful to the Fire Department for helping out,” Clark said.

The Bennington Fire Department’s brand new Engine 1 will be on display. 

“We’re very excited that the new fire truck will be there – it’s beautiful,” said Melissa Searles, assistant director of Dodge Library. 

Sponsors of this year’s festival are Ashley Wadleigh Photography, the Bennington Historical Society, the Common Place Eatery, Cory’s Septic, DH Hardwick and Sons, Donald A. Trow Logging, Edmunds Ace Hardware, Graceline Stoneworks, Jon and Robyn Manley, Lyon’s Mane Salon and Spa, Meg Hardwick Realtor/Masiello Group, Monadnock Paper Mills,  NorthEast Tree & Stump Removal, Shaw’s Peterborough, T-Bird, US 202 Express Mini-Mart, Wade’s Precision Automotive, Y & Z Web Services and Zach Lavoie. 

For a complete schedule of events, go to townofbennington.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Rhubarb-Festival-Exhibit-Book-2025-2.pdf?. For information and announcements, go to facebook.com/NHRhubarbFestival.