Harvest Fest, Country Fair, and more next weekend

by Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, September 16, 2006

Don’t look now, but autumn is around the corner and it’s another time of more celebration in the Village of Lewiston.

Janice McCaw, president of the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce reports that the Lewiston Harvest Festival and Craft Show will be held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24 along Center Street. Free and open to the public, times are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Just around the corner, the Village of Lewiston Recreation Department, with assistance from the Lewiston Garden Club, will present the ninth annual Lewiston Country Fair, Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Lewiston Red Brick School, 145 North Fourth St.

Both annual fall favorites, residents as well as visitors will find the two events nicely compliment each other. The Harvest Fest and Craft Show, with lead sponsorship by the Cardiac Care Center at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital and Health Center, will feature beautiful fall gardens and a decorated streetscape as the backdrop for more than 70 of Western New York’s finest crafters who will showcase their artwork, jewelry, woodwork, candles and handmade crafts on Center Street.

•Food vendors will offer culinary delights along the route, McCaw adds. A Farmer’s Market will be found on South Fifth and Center and this year include the finest from Niagara County wineries.

•Entertainment will feature the Colt 45 Country Band Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Frontier House. Endymion, a five-woman group playing ancient Celtic music, will perform at the Hennepin Park gazebo, Fourth and Center, from 2 to 4 p.m., and on Sunday, the Carl Filbert Band will take the stage. As an added attraction on Sunday, the Hot Country Line Dancers will perform on Fourth and Center.

•Also on tap will be an exhibit of the Niagara British Car Club, Sunday, from 12:45 to 3 p.m., in the Key Bank parking lot on Fifth and Center streets. Twenty-five cars will be on display, featuring such makes as Austin Healys and minis, Triumphs and Jags.

•And Jeanine Piper of Piper’s Village Inn, 125 South Fifth St., will host a children’s workshop, both days from 1 to 3 p.m., For reservations and details, call 946-5547.

At the Country Fair, there’s activities and opportunity galore for amateur gardeners, farmers, bakers, children and adults to join in. Events range from a photography exhibition to craft competitions, and will include displays featuring the “best of the best” of home made baked goods and crafts. A Scarecrow display and judging contest will occur from Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a Flea Market will be offered both days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Red Brick.

Entertainment on Saturday provided by the Village Recreation Department will feature the sounds of A Step in Time from noon to 2 p.m.

Still more Country Fair events include:

•A “Make your own floral arrangement” workshop, starting at 11:30 a.m., presented by the Lewiston Junior Garden Club and the Lewiston Garden Club. The Garden Club will also be hosting a Community Tulip Sale.

•A craft show demonstrator’s tent will feature such activities as tatting, doll making, Danish needle painting, Native American beading, quilting, knitting, wood carving, decorative wreaths and much more. “Patriotic Crafts” will be found in the Recreation department booths.

•For the little ones, there will be ponies and a petting zoo, a “bounce-n-around” and a climbing wall. Free beverages, balloons and popcorn will be provided.

Other sponsors of the Harvest and Craft show include: Hardison Funeral Homes, state Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, state Sen. George Maziarz, Fred Blue and Mary Ann Zahradnik of Hunt Real Estate, Robert MacVie Inc., HSBC Lewiston, Key Bank of Lewiston, Niagara Frontier Publications, Whiteman and Manente Orthodontics, CWM Chemical Services, First Niagara Bank and Dental Care Associates.

And the Country Fair is brought to you by the Village of Lewiston Recreation Department with support by the Lewiston Garden Club.

For more information on the Harvest Festival and Craft Show, call the Chamber of Commerce. at 754-9500 or visit its Web site at www.Northofthefalls.com.

For more about the Country Fair, contact the Village Recreation Department at 754-8271.