Honoring Festival Patron Linda Adams

By Liz Armstrong

Distant cousin of Festival Founder Fred Adams, Linda Jones Adams was a longtime supporter and fan of the Festival. Her memory lives on, and a bench dedicated this year in her name can be found outside the Engelstad Theatre near the Green. 

Born on January 9, 1964, Adams immediately had a connection with the Festival, raised only a few blocks away from the grounds. In high school, Adams volunteered for three summers, as she and her friends sold tarts during the Greenshow.

Adams attended shows every year with her family, and later began taking her own children and grandchildren. Adams favorite shows included Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Much Ado About Nothing. 

Heather Bess, Adam’s daughter, noted that she watched shows starting as a teenager all the way up until 2021, which means her mother attended the Festival for over 40 years. 

“My siblings and I grew up going with my mom to see the Greenshow, then later to the plays when we were old enough,” Bess said. 

When Adams passed away, her family decided to raise and donate money to the Festival to honor her. A bench was purchased with the phrase; “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest,” from Act 4 Scene 1 in Much Ado About Nothing.

“It’s a place we can go and remember the memories we shared with her at the Festival,” Bess said. 

This is the perfect tribute to Adams because of how much she loved the Festival, and now her friends and family can enjoy the Greenshow from that very bench, forming a love of their own for the Festival like she had.

It is with much love that we will remember and honor Adams. It is patrons like her that keep the Festival producing plays year after year. Adams longtime support of the Festival is inspiring and humbling, and it is with much gratitude that we too, will sit at the bench and honor her.