On certain Friday nights in Bennington, live music and even the stomp of dancing feet can be heard coming from the stage on the second floor of Town Hall, thanks to the Friday Night Stage concert series.   

Upcoming shows are this Friday, March 8, March 29, April 19 and May 10. All shows are from 7 to 9 p.m., and admission is $10 at the door. 

“These events have been a great Friday night addition to the Bennington Recreation activities,” said Haley Tramposch, who does publicity and social media for Friday Night Stage, as well as helping with concessions. “There are a lot of local musicians and local talent. I would encourage anyone who has not been able to attend one of these events to come.” 

Tramposch said so far this year, shows have seen a good turnout. This week, Friday Night Stage welcomes Wendy Keith and Her Alleged Band. The band, which plays original songs, blues, jazz and American folk classics has also played at Antrim in the Evening summer concerts. Along with Keith, the band includes Walden Whitham, Doug Farrell and Jack H. Carlton on guitar, bass, horns and harp. Band members also provide vocals, including harmonies.  

Tramposch credits Bennington Select Board member Tom James, who also helps organize Antrim in the Evening concerts, with the creation of the Friday Night Stage series. 

“This is all Tom; he is the organizer and he finds all the music. Tom makes a huge effort to find up-and-coming bands, bands with local ties, great regional bands. He finds these bands that are looking to break in, looking for a nice local venue,”  Tramposch said. “It’s a lot of folksy stuff,  familiar songs, a lot of cover tunes so everyone can sing along.” 

On Jan. 5, Friday Night Stage hosted Bennington native Tyler Allgood,  a “self-taught, multi-instrumentalist singer singer-songwriter” who opened for and then performed with the White Mountain Rounders.

Tramposch said Allgood always brings in a big group of local fans and supporters.

“Tyler grew up in town, so he always draws a crowd, people who know him, who remember him from high school,” she said. 

Another recent show was Dublin-based line dancing group the Monadnock Mavericks, who perform in many local events. 

“First they demonstrated the dances for us, and then they cleared all the tables and chairs out of the way and they got everyone up and dancing,” Tramposch said. 

Tramposch noted that the Town Hall stage venue is now accessible, as the town recently completed installation of an elevator in the building. The first concert of the season was rescheduled from December to January while construction was being completed. 

“It was tricky getting the elevator in there. We were very lucky we had several great vendors in town who helped out. We had contractors who helped move the stage. We had an electrician who donated his services,” Tramposch said. 

A local graphic designer donated her services to create the Friday Night Stage poster for the season, which Tramposch has distributed throughout the region. 

Tramposch, who grew up in Hollis, said being involved with Friday Night Stage has been a great way to meet people. She had husband just purchased their first home in Bennington across the street from Pierce School, where Tramposch, who is a also a real estate agent, fills in as a  substitute teacher. 

“As a new person in town, this has just been wonderful,” Tramposch said. “It is a wonderful thing for the community, and the bands are awesome.” 

Bennington Friday Night Stage is on Facebook.