Harvest of fun
Festival of Grapes is Sept. 17-20 in Silver Creek
From left to right: Silver Creek School Principals Sydney Neubauer and Heather Krystofiak compete against Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston, right, in the annual grape stomping contest to kick off last year’s Festival of Grapes. Dr. Ralston was crowned the winner of the contest.
Pictured is one of the floats from last year’s parade to conclude the Festival of Grapes. This year’s parade will be held at noon on Sunday, Sept. 20.
From left to right: Silver Creek School Principals Sydney Neubauer and Heather Krystofiak compete against Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston, right, in the annual grape stomping contest to kick off last year’s Festival of Grapes. Dr. Ralston was crowned the winner of the contest.
Pictured is one of the floats from last year’s parade to conclude the Festival of Grapes. This year’s parade will be held at noon on Sunday, Sept. 20.
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SILVER CREEK -- The heart of the village of Silver Creek will be buzzing for four days in the middle of September for the 59th annual Festival of Grapes, set for Sept. 17-20. The Village Board finalized the dates at its latest meeting.
Sue Bigler, a Festival of Grapes Board Member, said this year's event will be "bigger and better" than in years past. On Thursday, Sept. 17, the Festival will officially open at 5 p.m., with opening ceremonies and the traditional grape stomping contest. There will be some added surprises, as well.
The Festival will celebrate the 250th birthday of our country this year, with entertainment provided for all ages. Also of note this year, on Sunday, Sept. 20, the annual parade will begin at noon, a new earlier starting time than in recent years.
Amusements of America will again provide rides and concessions, also set to begin at 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17. The hours for rides are Thursday from 5-9 p.m., Friday from 5-9:30 p.m., Saturday from noon-9:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon-5 p.m.
Many popular local vendors will be back again this year, and their booths will open at 3 p.m., Thursday, and 10 a.m., the rest of the weekend. They will close up at 7 p.m., except on Sunday, as the Festival comes to a close at 5 p.m.
Scheduled live musical entertainment includes Crush, Crush, Crush and Bear the Bronze on Friday evening, Paul Alguire on Saturday afternoon, and Nashville North on Saturday evening. The evening acts will perform next to the beer and wine tent in the lower park.
The “My Favorite Pet” contest is ongoing at Just Pets in Irving. Stop by and vote for the picture of the cutest pet on the board. The winner will be announced at the opening ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 17. Other contests listed online include the Lucy look-alike contest and a baby contest.
A point of discussion regarding the Festival in recent years has been the village's loosened restrictions on its open container laws. With food trucks, a beer tent and alcoholic slushes popular among guests, the village has made an effort to give guests the freedom to enjoy themselves in a safe environment with enhanced security.
A year ago, after several weeks of discussion, the Village Board expanded its open container boundaries during the Festival of Grapes to include the Village Square, as well as the Village Ballpark, for the hours that the Beer Tent was open. Merritt Winery provided security, along with the Village and the Festival of Grapes, while the Chautauqua County Sheriffs and the State Police were also made aware of the situation. As the event draws closer, the Village Board will decide how to proceed this year.
Silver Creek Mayor Kathy Tampio met with Diana Carpus of the Festival of Grapes Board earlier this year during the planning of the event. Tampio expressed her appreciation for the Festival Board's efforts coordinating the event each year. The Hanover Town Board also approved a contribution of $1,000 to the Grape Festival Committee earlier this year to assist with the expected costs of the event.
For more information about the festival, visit www.festivalofgrapes.org