EAST BURKE, Vermont — On a day that began under sun-drenched skies and ended under the stars, the 1st Annual Burke Mountain Music Festival surpassed all expectations, according to festival organizers. The music festival featured Vermont??в„ўs own Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, national recording artist Sister Hazel, of Gainesville, FL, and Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe.

???We??в„ўre very pleased with how our event went, with the feedback we??в„ўre receiving from the community and with how our festival complimented Burke??в„ўs Fall Foliage Festival,??? said Burke Mountain spokesperson, David Gwatkin.

During the show, Ken Block, lead singer of Sister Hazel declared, ???This is a great place for a show, it reminds me of Red Rocks,??? in reference to the open air amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. The festival was held on Burke Mountain??в„ўs lower slopes, providing natural seating for the 2,200 concert-goers.

Representing Ginn Resorts, Burke Mountain??в„ўs parent company and primary sponsor of the event, Tim McGuire presented a check in the amount of $2,500 to Kingdom Kid??в„ўs, a not-for-profit organization helping students in the Northeast Kingdom participate in outdoor sports like skiing and mountain biking. ???This event was huge for our association,??? said Kingdom Kids president, Jody Flanagan. ???This one was bigger than any we??в„ўve done before. We were so pleased to have Grace here, and to have these other wonderful acts come to Burke. We are, of course, especially grateful to Ginn Resorts for their generosity.???

The music festival came right on the heels of East Burke Village??в„ўs 20th Annual Fall Foliage Festival, which according to festival officials broke attendance records. Tim Tierney, president of the Burke Area Chamber of Commerce, host of the Foliage Festival, said, ???We introduced more kids??в„ў activities this year, like the ???Kid??в„ўs Bike Parade??в„ў. The crowd was huge. There were cars parked along Rt. 114 a mile each way. The vendors were happy. And, it all coordinated well with the music festival up at the mountain. It was the perfect Americana festival.???

Burke Mountain representatives have already begun planning for its 2nd annual music festival.