Wheatfield to present market concert series

A new attraction has been added to the Wednesday farmers market in Wheatfield - a series of concerts and special events, leading off next week with Craig McDonell of  "A" List fame.

According to Wheatfield Town Board recreation liaisons Larry Helwig and Gil Doucet, the lineup so far is:

•June 22 - Craig McDonell, singer and acoustic guitar, with classic hits from the '70s and '80s.

•June 29 - Stu Buisch, singer and keyboardist, providing an eclectic mix of Broadway show tunes, contemporary Christian and Scottish folk music.

•July 13 - Then and Now, with Bernie Rotella, providing classic rock from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

•July 20 -  Supervisor Bob Cliffe's Musical Battle of Wheatfield Churches. All of the churches in Wheatfield have been invited to compete in a concert to determine the best church music in Wheatfield. Prizes will be awarded in a number of categories, including greatest number of participants, loudest, and most contemporary.

•July 27 - Christmas in July. Christmas music and crafts will be available, and there will be Christmas cookie baking contest.

•Aug. 31 - Hot Country Liners, line dancing.

The concerts will begin at 5 p.m. each Wednesday and will be held on the patio behind the Wheatfield Community Center, weather permitting, or in the center in the event of inclement weather. 

"This concert series replaces the concerts that the town previously sponsored at Fairmount Park," said Helwig. "We were forced to scale back that series due to budgetary considerations, but we are now able to give Wheatfield and area residents a high quality series at no cost to the town. We are grateful to the talented performers who have stepped forward to share their talents." 

Doucet invites all residents to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the music. Additional programs will be announced at a later date.

The market is open 3 to 7 p.m. It started with 11 vendors and is now up to 16. Vendors now include Prudom Farms, Tina's Cheese, Chateau of Buffalo, Koop's Kitchen, New Day Coffee Roasters, Specialty Pies By Shirlene, The Hot Dog King (Home Of The Devil Dog), Go Veggie Burgers and The Wheatfield Senior's-Crafts, Bonards/Applewood Hollow, Hanzlian's Homemade Sausage, Librock Farms, The Kernel, Hens Honey Bee Farms, K9 Kruchies, Gino's Italian Bakery, Keeping, Dan's Produce and Shirley's Country Garden Crafts.

Seasonal vendors are Linda Gamache of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Retzlaff Family Farm and Graham Family Farms.

The town's goal is to promote the local farming community. Interested vendors should contact Town Clerk Kathy Harrington, market location manager, at 694 6441.