Over a span of 10 days, there has been plenty to celebrate when it comes to Chautauqua County’s most significant crop. Just this past weekend, Silver Creek held its annual Festival of Grapes that included numerous events downtown — and the always popular parade.

Not to be outdone, the village of Westfield will celebrate the fruit in the coming days.

As noted in an article on Monday, grapes and the grape industry, from winemaking, to table grapes, to juices and jellies, have been instrumental in Chautauqua County in general and Westfield in particular for a very long time.

Slater, author of Legends of the Chautauqua-Erie Grape Belt, told of the lucky confluence of geology and climate, which made growing fruit and grapes great economic drivers in the area.

“Twenty or thirty years ago, people didn’t usually go away on Spring Break,” said Don McCord, executive director of the Westfield Development Corp. “Instead, families would help in the vineyards, tying up vines (and generally helping farmers). This gave the community of Westfield a real bond.”

That bond remains across the north county — through festivals and the work taking place in the fields. Westfield’s event this weekend includes wineries and the Grape Discovery Center on both Friday and Saturday.