While inquiring about the Fredonia Farm Festival parade, I was informed that the Farm Festival committee had decided not to spend any donated money on this year’s parade. You would think the committee would support local groups.

After all, the festival would like local people to support them. I guess not!

The sponsors, along with village residents, are the ones being cheated, not to mention the vendors who pay for their spots.

When the bands are performing, they take people away from the vendors, where as the parade draws people to the vendors. If there’s no donated money set aside for the parade, where’s the donated money from sponsors, residents and vendors going? Oh yeah! To the out-of-town bands who charge extremely large amounts of money for their services.

Hey! I’ve got an idea! Why not get local bands? That’s right, support local bands. What an idea. They cost a lot less money, they’re just as good, and you’d have more than enough cash for a better parade. Chances are you’d even have money left over for next year. If you’d like, I’ll give you some names of local bands to contact.

My group, the Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps of Western New York, has 18 members from Fredonia that march. Don’t you think their families, friends, relatives and many in the community would love to see them perform! I have talked to other outfits who would like to participate but they can’t afford to do it without being compensated a little bit.

Every year, the parade gets smaller. This year’s committee seems to care less if there’s a Farm Festival parade or not!

Sponsors, residents and vendors, I ask you, please talk to the Festival committee and ask them to support this year’s Fredonia Farm Festival parade.

Jack P. Kujawa is the Alumni Corps business manager and a Dunkirk resident.