The Mayville Winter Festival is February 16-18 at Lakeside Park on Route 394 with something on tap for everyone to enjoy!

Festival Chair Brian Pender noted, “This festival has a very long history in Mayville, going back to its inception in the 1980s when my grandfather, Don Hogan, brought the concept of an ice castle to Lakeside Park. For most of the years since then the festival has been running with or without a castle in place. While we always hope for some winter weather for atmosphere, we are prepared to run the annual Mayville Winter Festival in any conditions, with concessions, vendors, activities, and fun for the whole family!”

The festival will open with the lighting of a beautiful handcrafted wooden castle at 6pm, Friday, February 16. This showpiece was built by Tim Hull of Mayville and will be a stand-in at the festival since there has not been ice on the lake to construct an ice castle this year. It will be lit up on Friday and Saturday nights and will create a nice photo backdrop for the entire event. The castle lighting will be followed immediately by the crowning of the Festival King and Queen. Text voting is open for the King and Queen through February 12 with information about each of the nominated couples posted on the Mayville Winter Festival Facebook page. In addition, one of our food trucks will be available from 5-8pm, as The Best of Buffalo by Byron will be open and serving from 5-8pm. DJ Carmello will also be on hand Friday night to help set the atmosphere for a terrific launch of this event.

Saturday, February 17, the Winter Festival opens at 10am. There will be 25 vendors under large, heated tents, five food trucks, a beer and wine tent by Andriaccio’s, and lots of activities, games, and things to see and do for all ages. DJ Carmello will be back all day and into the evening. The Kids Zone inside the Carlson Community Building will run from 11am-4pm featuring an edible craft for kids, run by volunteers from the JCC Occupational Therapy program, M&T Bank, and sponsored by Wegmans. Chainsaw carving demonstrations will run from 10am-5pm Saturday and noon-4pm Sunday by Vince the Tree Guy. There will be Cornhole and other active games. The 9th Annual Polar Plunge by Family Health Medical Services is set for noon Saturday. The Pet Parade by CHQ Dogs and Northshore Specialties at 3pm is sponsored by The Best of Buffalo by Byron. The Chili Cookoff at the Carlson Community Building will be managed by She Sings Cafe and will go from 3-5pm. Horse drawn carriage rides by Magic Moments will be available from noon to 4pm both days. A live band, Midnight Growlers, will play in the beer and wine tent from 5-8pm Saturday. There will be a fun photo booth in the Carlson Community Building throughout the festival. There will be a bonfire Saturday evening at the park. A huge fireworks display will light the sky over Lakeside Park at 8pm by Skylighters of New York, sponsored by the Town of Chautauqua.

Two events that are tentative for Saturday are a snow sculpting contest to open at 10am and the snowball throwing contest from 1-2pm. Both of those events are weather dependent, and while we are hoping for some snow there is no guarantee.

On Sunday the day will begin with the Winter Festival 5K race by Trackqua at 10am. Also, at 10am the Spikefest Volleyball Tournament by Glass Half Full will get underway. Sunday will also include DJ Carmello, all the food trucks, vendors in the tents, the Kids Zone, carriage rides and more.

Food trucks participating are: The Best of Buffalo by Byron; Cluck Truck; Fowler’s Taffy; Franklin’s Honey, Apples and Kettle Corn; and Yakisobas. Vendors will include: Ally’s Freeze-Dried Sweets, Alpacaville, Belov’d Creations, Blue Alpaca Outfitters, Buona Cucina Oils and More, Burning Asphalt Sauces, Catholic Charities, Centaur Stride, Inc, Crafty Jean, Cutco Cutlery, Doggone Designs, Evolve Salon & Spa, Joe’s Candy Bowl, Killa Kookies & Kream, Kinetic by Windstream, LeafGuard, Light Up Inc., Loud Performance Products, The Pillow Lady, Roo’s Originals, Rylees Corner, Shawn Games, Sublimation by Becky, Sweeterson Farms, Vanetia’s Creations, Vet Center, and Wax Hands.

The Mayville Winter Festival sincerely thanks its sponsors: the Town of Chautauqua, 3 Seas Recreation, R & R Property Services & Landscaping, She Sings Cafe and Restaurant, AHN Westfield Memorial Hospital, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua Lake Dental, Chautauqua Marina, Jamestown Container Companies, Shults Auto Group, The Best of Buffalo by Byron, Brooks-TLC Hospital System/Kaleida Health, The Chautauqua Belle, The Cornerstone Restaurant & Bakery, DFT Communications, Freay Funeral Home, G. L. Olson Inc., The Green Door Tavern, Hogan’s Hut, Kinetic by Windstream, LECOM Parkside at Corry, Music For Your Mouth, My Blue Heaven B & B, Olde Corner Deli, PROforma A Trusted Name, Ellicottville Distillery, Franklins Honey and Apples, Loud Performance Products, and Neil’s Auto Parts.

To stay up to date on all the Mayville Winter Festival information for this year, follow us on Facebook or visit us online at www.chautauquachamber.org/winter-festival.

Business Builder Workshop:

Last Call for Eclipse Opportunities

Back by popular demand, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is doing a second Business Builder Workshop on the upcoming total solar eclipse. This session will focus on information your business needs to know to be prepared for this once-in-a-lifetime event coming up April 8. The Workshop will be held Friday, March 8 at the Marvin Community House, 2 West 5th Street, Jamestown from 9-10:30am. Our guests will be Tom Traub, Chair of the Martz-Kohl Observatory Solar Eclipse Committee and NASA Eclipse Ambassador member; Noel Guttman, Chautauqua County Director of Emergency Services; and Andrew Nixon, President and CEO of the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau. With an estimated 100,000 extra people expected to visit Chautauqua County for the eclipse we want to be sure local businesses know what to expect and how to plan for the day and the weekend prior. This workshop is free for all local businesspeople. Registration is open through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org.