By Darlene Brace
Ashville, New York is located about five miles south/west of Bemus Point. For many years, this community hosted Ashville Days, a festival that included historical reenactments, fun activities, vendors, and live music. After a several-year hiatus, the community returned Ashville Days in 2024. It will take place again this summer on Saturday, July 19th from 9am-10pm, with most activities held near the Ashville General Store, the church, and the Llama Club. It will include a day-long craft fair, live entertainment, plenty of food, and numerous fun activities for everyone to enjoy.
At 9am, live music starts with Warren Sischo, followed by Mark Mincarelli who will play at 10am. There will be a short break in the music during the parade. After the parade, two local talented young women Kadyn and Rya will take the stage at noon. The day will be filled with music from 1-7pm by Acoustic Son, The New Smith Brothers, Strange Rites, Warren and the Erie Boys, and Paper Tigers.
At 10:30am, kids can enter a bike-decorating contest and ride in the parade. The parade will take place at 11am and will feature local school bands, youth groups, and other organizations.
Right after the parade, the Bed Races will take place. Two beds will be provided, and five-person teams will push the beds on wheels as fast as they can. It promises to be an exhilarating and humorous event that helps make this festival what it once was. (The team with the fastest time will win a prize of a $100 gift certificate to the Ashville General Store and five T-shirts.)
A Corn Hole Tournament will take place at the Llama Club starting at 2pm with cash prizes. Two-person teams must register by July 16th. Call Matt Chapman at 716-640-0562 to register. Let the bags fly and see who the ultimate corn hole champions are.
The rest of the afternoon, there will be some time to relax and enjoy the day long craft fair that will have over 20 vendors. These vendors will be selling a variety of items including candles, soaps, home décor, jewelry, tie dye t-shirts and other apparel, hats, and lotions. There will also be food vendors and trucks.
The parade will take place at 11am and will feature local school bands, youth
groups, and other organizations.
The Ashville General Store will also be open offering subs, sandwiches, chicken wings and fingers, salads, and pizza. For that sweet tooth, you will find there is also an assortment of old-fashioned candies and other treats to satisfy your palate.
If you are looking for some activities for your kids to do, head over to the church as there will be a variety of kids crafts and activities taking place throughout the day there.
Barrnone Carvings and Creations will be demonstrating chainsaw wood carvings, starting in the morning and continuing throughout the festival. They make beautiful pieces of art out of ordinary wood. They will have some of their artwork on display and available to purchase.
The event will conclude with a fireworks display at 10pm. People will come from all over the area to watch as Ashville celebrates with fireworks lighting up the night sky for all to see.
The Ashville Days Planning Committee organized this great community event. Derek Hosier, who is the president of the planning committee said, “This festival is a way for our entire community to come together, support local businesses, and celebrate everything that makes Ashville special. We’re excited to re-introduce a few activities that make Ashville Days what it was in the past. We would like to thank all of our sponsors that made this celebration possible, and we hope that you will have a great time celebrating Ashville Days 2025 with us!”