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Festivals – long a staple in Lewiston, but lost to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic – are returning this summer.
Lewiston GardenFest, presented by Lewiston Garden Club, will take place along Center Street on Saturday and Sunday, June 19-20. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and includes more than 70 vendors selling flowers, plants and handcrafted art and garden essentials. Additional highlights include a garden walk and a container garden contest.
Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch said, “I’m excited to see the return of our festivals this year starting with the GardenFest. It is one of my favorites and I’m sure it will be well attended. I think people are ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful flowers, people, businesses and just feeling a sense of normalcy again.”
GardenFest organizers said they will adhere to current Centers for Disease Control, state and local health COVID-19 guidelines. Signage will be posted at the event and at local businesses.
“Lewiston GardenFest is back and, with more of us spending time in our gardens over the past year, we have plenty of new ideas for you to enhance your own outdoor spaces,” said Judy Talarico, chairwoman of Lewiston GardenFest.
What to Expect
Talarico said, “This year’s theme, ‘Bee Power, Our Friends in the Garden,’ highlights the importance of bees, butterflies and other pollinators to our gardens and ecosystem. Without pollinators, we wouldn’t have our beautiful gardens!”
In addition to vendors, representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension will be available in Hennepin Park to answer gardening questions and provide free soil sample analysis. Festivalgoers can also stroll through several gardens throughout the weekend with a free garden walk.
Building on Lewiston GardenFest’s “Bee Power” theme, there will be some crafty fun for kids, too. Decorate bumblebee rocks or create tissue flowers, both while supplies last, for a one-of-kind souvenir to take home.
For those with green thumbs and not-so-green thumbs alike, adults and children are invited to participate in Lewiston GardenFest’s container garden contest. Prepare your arrangement in a traditional container or think outside the planter. Bring your container entry and a stand for display to the container garden tent in Hennepin Park by 9 a.m. June 19. Throughout the weekend, festivalgoers can vote for their favorite container garden. Prizes will be awarded to those containers that garner the most votes.
“Lewiston GardenFest is proudly supported by dozens of local businesses,” Talarico noted. “While visiting the festival, stop into some of the unique shops or dine at one of the village’s many delicious eateries. By attending the event, you are not only supporting Lewiston’s beautification efforts, but local small businesses, too.”
Northwest Bank is once again supporting Lewiston GardenFest by sponsoring the printing of the brochures that will be distributed at the event. Shown in the picture, from the left: GardenFest Chairwoman Judy Talarico, Northwest Bank Branch Manager Gloria Baker, and GardenFest grant writer Barbara Carter. GardenFest will include vendors on Center Street, open gardens, and a container garden contest. (Photo by Robert Albee)
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Lewiston GardenFest is sponsored by the Village of Lewiston, Town of Lewiston, DiMino’s Lewiston Tops, Lakeside Sod Supply Co. Inc., Modern Corporation, Northwest Bank and Wegmans. Proceeds from Lewiston GardenFest go back into the soil of the local community for civic beautification efforts and scholarships.
For more information, visit lewistongardenfest.com.
Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Pauly said, “We are looking forward to the first festival of 2021. The Lewiston Garden Club has put in a lot of time in planning a safe event, making sure they are adhering to all NYS guidelines. It has been a tough year for event planners, having to go back to the drawing board to update safety plans, signage, vendor layouts and capacity restrictions. The entire community is looking forward to this first street event of the summer, giving a little bit of a look into what the other street festivals in August and September will have to adapt to.”
The Lewiston Council on the Arts is expected to stage the Art Festival in August. The Kiwanis Club of Lewiston’s Niagara County Peach Festival and the Chamber of Commerce’s Harvest & Hops Festival are both set for September.
Lewiston Garden Club representatives thanked Anthony DiMino for his ongoing support of the Open Garden Walk that is part of GardenFest 2021. One of the gardens that will be available for viewing during GardenFest is the Alphonso I. DiMino Memorial Garden on 9th Street. DiMino, his wife, and his sister, Mary Rose Casero, selected and planted several hundred perennial plants chosen to attract butterflies, hummingbirds and finches for a side garden along the length of DiMino’s Lewiston Tops. Pictured, from left: GardenFest Chairwoman Judy Talarico, GardenFest grant writer Barbara Carter, DiMino, and open gardens committee member Tasia Fitzpatrick. (Photo by Robert Albee)