Since its much-welcome return in 2017 — and then again after a two-year COVID hiatus — the Rose Arts Festival in Norwich, taking place Saturday in the city’s Chelsea Parade Park, has, ah, blossomed.

And why not? While the original Rose Arts fell victim to hard times in the late 1990s, a committee of volunteers sensed a fondness for the event and resolved to bring it back with new twists and ideas for an across-the-board appeal.

“When something disappears for 20 years, there’s just no way the event returns in the same form … and this is something with decades of nostalgia attached to it for the older generations,” says Jason Wallace, Rose Arts music director and owner of the city’s popular Strange Brew Pub. But the organizers came up with a new format — one they continue to refine — and, Wallace says, “The popularity of Rose Arts continues to grow. Hopefully, enough people recognize that, with their support, it’s only going to improve every year.”

Fest-goers now enjoy a blend of traditional and new offerings including the 5K, 10K and fun run races, the pancake breakfast, pageants, carnival rides, a budding artists exhibition and competitions, a beer and wine garden, 15 different food vendors, and 80 arts and crafts booths.

And of course, a big part of the draw comes from live music. In the old days, that meant artists such as B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Now, established headline artists are far more prohibitively expensive But, Wallace has countered by consistently procuring a visionary, wide-reaching array of regional and national touring artists on their ways up.

This year’s headliners are the L.A.-by-way-of-Boston funk/pop act Ripe, a rapidly ascending act with a highly touted new album called “Bright Blues.” Five other bands will play during the course of the day. But that’s not nearly the extent of a weekend’s worth of tunes from — just to mention a few representative highlights — Portland Grammy-winner Dave Gutter (ex-Rustic Overtones), Americana star Ward Hayden, the soul/funk act Nikita and Brooklyn proggers Consider the Source, and hip hop/funkers Sophistafunk from Syracuse (see complete music and venue schedule below).

Welcome the Norwich Events Organization

One aspect of the musical strategy was to expand the Rose Arts entertainment to include a post-fest Downtown After Dark schedule in which an array of clubs, breweries, restaurants and art galleries host several acts — all for free. That innovation proved so popular that Downtown After Dark has this year been moved to Friday — and another batch of downtown live music and activities will continue Saturday night as a titular continuation of Rose Arts.

The concept of two nights of downtown activities sandwiching Rose Arts proper is part of an overall plan to continually expand the festival’s reach. In order to facilitate the changes, Downtown After Dark has is now under the cooperative umbrella of a separate community outfit, Norwich Events Organization, a not-for-profit group that formed in 2014 to establish a St. Patrick’s Day Parade and has a mission to promote economic prosperity in the area through community activities and events.

The NEO will also finish up the weekend Sunday night with activities at Howard Brown Park including live music at 5 p.m. and the Norwich Harbor Fireworks display scheduled for shortly after 9 p.m.

Wallace is quick to credit all the volunteers who’ve worked and continue to work to make it all happen, noting that Rose Arts is an all-volunteer effort with a year-round, 25-person committee. Rose Arts is headed by new director Mary Damm, and the festival is funded by the Edward and Mary Lord Foundation along with other donors.

New leadership

Damm, who has volunteered with Rose Arts since 2018, has precisely the sort of attitude and philosophy one would hope for in the context of a community festival.

“As a resident of Norwich, I want to feel confident that I’ve made the right choice in where I choose to live my life,” Damm says by email. “I hope my children grow up feeling proud that they’re from Norwich, and that Rose Arts is one of those memorable things that stays with our younger generations and continues to add value to the experience of growing up in the Rose City.”

Bigger and better

“Under Mary’s vision, we’re looking to expand the event,” Wallace says. “It’s a conversation point we have amongst the committee with the main goal being to continue the growth of Rose Arts.” He explains that part of that was passing Downtown After Dark to the NEO, saying, “They’re known for their great planning and execution of local community events like the fireworks show, the Winterfest and St. Patrick’s Day parades, pub crawls, and more.”

Wallace continues in his role as music curator for the festival, the Friday Downtown After Dark and the new Saturday night calendar. Fifteen acts will perform at 11 different host venues Friday with 14 performers at five different spots Saturday.

“We did move Downtown After Dark to Friday as an official pre-party for Rose Arts,” Wallace explains, “but we still have some of our bigger acts playing Saturday evening and during the day. We’re excited to see even more live music over the whole weekend.”

Let there be (more) music

It’s probably easier to list the music styles that WON’T be represented than otherwise. Wallace, who’s run Strange Brew Pub for a decade, has become one of the most respected booking agents in the northeast — a description validated by the array of talent he consistently brings to his club.

Knowing from 2017 that there was no way to compete with previous Rose Arts headliners like King and Vaughan, Wallace had developed a fresh and successful strategy.

“I’ll always prefer acts, especially for the main stage, that have (what I call) palatable lead vocals as I find that’s the easiest way to put original music in front of crowds that may not have seen or heard a particular band,” Wallace says. Plus, he has confidence in local audiences and their open-minded appreciation of music based on his club experiences.

“All the acts are either regional, national or local that I’ve sought out whether they were already on my radar, or I’d previously worked with them and been impressed,” Wallace says. “I try to piece together the best lineup possible while still obtaining goals like diversity.”

If it’ll be a long weekend for the organizers and volunteers of Rose Arts, Downtown After Dark and the various activities sponsored by Norwich Events Organization, it’s also going to be fun, Wallace says. “As we get closer, the energy grows and we’re looking forward to celebrating music, art, community and each other.”

“I am so proud of what our committee has accomplished, and can’t wait to see what’s possible with this amazingly talented and dedicated group,” Damm says. “”We’re incredibly grateful for all the volunteers, community donations, sponsors, and efforts put forth by all who contributed — and are really excited for this year’s event and carrying on the tradition.“