Thousands enjoy 49th annual Lewiston Kiwanis Peach Festival

See also: Travis named Peach Queen • Peach Festival Slide Show

by Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, September 16, 2006

The 2006 edition of the Niagara County – a.k.a. Lewiston Kiwanis -- Peach Festival is now history. And, oh, what a good one it was.

Presented each year by the Kiwanis Club of Lewiston, this 49th edition of the festival saw thousands on hand over three days at Academy Park in the Village of Lewiston, enjoying the literal smorgasbord of sights and sounds, and partaking in the celebration harvest of one of Niagara County’s premier offerings – freshly grown peaches.

It saw Corey Travis of Wheatfield taking the crown as the 2006 Peach Queen (see related story by Larry Austin). And for virtually all who attended, it offered one more opportunity before the weather turns for some pure family-oriented enjoyment. Throughout the weekend, Academy Park was literally overflowing with residents and visitors from near and far, enjoying the midway, partaking in the games, checking out the cheerleading competition, experiencing the wide-ranging entertainment, sampling the foods, the wonderful peach shortcakes, and much more.

“I thought the festival was near perfect,” remarked Peach Festival Advisory Chair Jerry Wolfgang. He said this year’s fest went off without a hitch, literally from its start on Friday to the final ceremonies on Sunday evening.

Enjoyable Experience

Wolfgang reported that as they do each year in their planning, Kiwanis organizers restructured various elements of the annual affair to provide visitors a more enjoyable experience. One example of this was the two-part cheerleading competition – with community groups on stage Friday and high school varsity and JV squads performing on Sunday. “It resulted in four new varsity teams and one additional JV squad. We like the move to Sunday,” Wolfgang said, pointing out how it resulted in bigger crowds at Academy on both days. “We hope to broaden it next year,” he added.

Another crowd pleaser was the annual Kiwanis Peach Festival Parade, which featured well over 150 units and 2,000 participants – police and fire companies, marching bands, dance troupes, youth and community groups, eye-catching floats, entertainment and more -- Saturday morning on Center Street. “We had some very positive comments overall,” said Wolfgang, pointing out that visitors that morning were particularly impressed with the special tribute paid by Kiwanis during the parade to slain New York State Trooper Joseph A. Longobardo of Saratoga Springs, who lost his life during the recent State Police manhunt for fugitive Ralph “Bucky” Phillips.

But the overwhelming favorite among the thousands who attended proved to be the wonderful variety of peachy delights found at the festival itself – served on shortcakes and in cups of famous Johnnie Ryan pop in the tents, sold by the peck at the nearby farmer’s market, and on the band shell stage with the various Peach Fuzz, Blossom and Peach Queen events.

While final attendance numbers and monies raised from the event were still being counted, overall Kiwanis organizers came away very impressed with this year’s event. “We have some suggestions to make it better and there’s always room for improvement, but on the whole we’re quite pleased,” Wolfgang said.

Planning Already Under Way

He added that planning is already under way for the next event, set for Sept. 7, 8 and 9, 2007, at Academy Park in Lewiston.

And expect some truly big happenings, Wolfgang adds. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of this popular affair. Stay tuned.