By Darlene Brace
It’s time once again for the annual Mayville Winterfest, which will take place at Lakeside Park located at 50 W. Lake Rd in Mayville next weekend, February 13-15. This three-day community event is filled with fun activities for the whole family. The festival is a longstanding tradition that features winter activities, music, vendors and great food, all along scenic Chautauqua Lake.
Over the years, the festival has been known by several different names and has had various groups responsible for its organization. Last year, Sorena Gilkinson of Inspire Good WNY Inc. took over the planning of the festival, rebranding it as the Mayville Winterfest.
So far, it looks like the weather is cooperating, and there will be snow and ice for this festive occasion. This festival is centered around the handcrafted ice castle created by local volunteers from the community. Large pieces of ice are taken from Chautauqua Lake and assembled into the form of an ice castle. The ice castle is an amazing sight to see, and it’s the highlight of the festival that offers plenty of opportunities for exploring and taking photos amidst the glistening ice structure.
As part of the Mayville Winter Festival, a Medallion Hunt is a pre-festival event that begins 10 days before the event. A handmade medallion is hidden somewhere in Chautauqua County, with clues posted daily on mayvillewinterfest.com and the festival’s Facebook page. The first to find the medallion wins a large basket of local gift cards. Registration on the website is required to participate, and the winner will be announced at the festival on Friday night.
On Friday, the Mayville Winterfest runs from 5pm-10pm, starting with opening ceremonies, the dedication, and the lighting of the ice castle at 6pm, along with a small fireworks display. Some activities start Friday night and continue throughout the entire festival. These ongoing activities include music by DJ Mike, the Kid Zone with children’s activities in the Carlson Building, sledding, ice bowling, cornhole, and more. Guests can enjoy the warming tent, bonfire, and a beer and wine tent throughout the festival.
All the food trucks will arrive Friday night and will be available onsite throughout the festival. The Best of Buffalo by Byron, Mystic Smoke BBQ and Arly & Izzy’s Spanish Food will have some delicious food options for you and your family. When you are looking for some sweet treats, you will find Franklin’s Honey and Apples, U Take the Cake, and Fowler’s Taffy that will satisfy that sweet tooth.
Continuing at Lakeside Park on Saturday, the festival will take place from 10am-10pm, with more fun activities. Snowmobile and horse-drawn wagon rides will be available from 11am-5pm, and at 11am you can observe a cold-water rescue demonstration. Throughout the day, you can participate in a scavenger hunt, and face painting will be offered from 12-4pm. Then the Porcelain Bus Drivers will perform from 5-9pm. They are a very popular local band that plays a variety of music that will surely entertain the crowd. A beautiful fireworks display will take place at dusk. You can enjoy the colorful lights of the fireworks bursting in the wintery night sky near the shores of the lake.
If you want some indoor activity on Saturday, just down the street there will be The Craft and Vendor Show at Chautauqua Suites Hotel from 9am-5pm. Later, there will be live music performed by the Midnight Growlers that will take place inside the hotel’s Bellini Lounge from 6-9pm.
On Sunday, the Winterfest will run from 11am- 5pm and will start off with the annual 5K event at 10am with preregistration required. The festival’s other ongoing activities continue as well as the continuation of the horse draw wagon rides from 11am-5pm and the Craft and Vendor Show at Chautauqua Suites from 9am-3pm. At 11:30am, there will be a 21yrs and older Corn Hole Tournament with large cash prizes that will take place near the beer and wine tent. Sign up for this friendly competition will be at 11am. There will also be a Pet Parade with cash prizes and other activities that may not be listed here, so you can go to the festival’s Facebook page or visit mayvillewinterfest.com for a complete list of events.
Admittance to the festival is free, and for a small fee you will find parking available at several parking lots nearby as well as at the county offices (formerly Mayville School.) There will be a free shuttle running from all the lots and Chautauqua Suites from 11am-10pm on Saturday and from 11am-5pm on Sunday.