-By Jessica Schultz-
So many great events are coming back! It’s been a long last couple years and things are steadily returning to a semblance of normal. That means that some long-lost events are making a comeback. One of those events is “The Festival of Grapes”. Come out to the Village of Silver Creek NY, next weekend September 16-18 and enjoy a variety of grape themed fun for the whole family. The Villager had the opportunity to speak with event coordinator Lisa Romano about the return of the festival and what it will be offering this year.
The Villager (V): Welcome back to the Festival of Grapes; it’s been a while. What’s new for 2022?
Lisa (L): “Yes, it has and it feels great to be back, once again, to celebrate the festival with our community! This is our 55th year! There will be a kids’ activities tent on Saturday, September 17th from 12-7pm, this will be located in the lower ball park in the center field. Some of the activities scheduled will be face painting, bubble gum blowing contest at 3pm, coloring contest and we are trying to finalize details to have Sparky the Fire Dog meet and greet the children there as well. Chautauqua County 4-H will be present under the tent with some of their members to help with these activities! Some of the activities are still being finalized but the public can access our Facebook page and the final, confirmed events will be listed under the events tab on our page. There is also a new feature this year. It is a Classic Car Show being held on Sunday, September 18th at 10am-noon. Refreshments will be provided by the Silver Creek Historical Center! “Coffee with Cars” is being sponsored by KRD Plumbing and Heating and Kuppell Tires at their new home which is located at the former Damon Motors property at 120 Central Ave.”
V: Will the old favorites still be there?
L: “Yes, many of the old favorites are definitely returning. Our long-standing tradition and opening night featured event will be our Grape Stomping. This is once again being co-sponsored by the Silver Creek AMVETS. Senator George Borrello will be stomping grapes amongst others who will become part of the purple feet club that evening. The Silver Creek Historian, Lou Pelletter will be hosting an ice cream social as part of our opening night featured event. The ice cream social will be held at 6:30pm in the Village Square during the Grape Stomping. The ice cream will be served from an antique dairy wagon that has been acquired by Lou himself. The Amateur Wine Making contest and the Grape Dessert contest will also be held. Applications for each of these events can be picked up at the Anderson Lee library in Silver Creek, New York. All entries can be dropped off at the dining car located next to the Silver Creek Fire Department on Saturday, September 17th from 10-11am.”
“There will be three parades this year: The Kid’s Parade will be held in the lower ball park around the blacktop area from 2-3pm on Saturday, September 17. More details are being worked on for this event. Also, the Silver Creek Hose Races event held on N. Main St. also on Saturday, September 17 is at 4pm. This event is being sponsored by the Silver Creek Volunteer Fire Department. On Sunday, September 18 at 1pm, the featured Festival Parade will be held as well. This seems to be everybody’s favorite, as it makes its way down Main Street toward downtown and into the hub of where the Festival Celebration happens all weekend long.”
V: Will there be live music and if yes, who will be performing and when?
L: “There will be 4 free concerts provided by the Festival of Grapes this year, all musical performances will take place in the lower ball park in front of the youth recreation building. Midnight Recovery is performing Friday, September 16 from 7:30-10:30pm; Joe and the Schmoes is performing on Saturday, September 17 from 1-4pm; Reset to Vinyl is performing on Saturday, September 17 from 6-9pm and Ion Sky is performing on Sunday, September 18 from 1-4pm.”
V: What types of vendors will at the event and what will they be offering?
L: “There will be many craft and food vendors at this year’s festival. Just about anything people would have an appetite for will be on hand! Everything from pizza to popcorn and hotdogs and sausage to french fries and Spanish and Mexican food along with fan favorite carnival foods and so much more. Craft vendors include many types of handcrafted items. These may include handmade soaps, home and garden decor items, Patriotic merchandise, candles, wood crafts, Tupperware and other items too numerous to mention here. It will be a great opportunity for people to start their early Christmas shopping.”
V: What is the cost of admission and where can tickets be purchased?
L: “There is no admission cost to come to our event. All children’s events held under the tent are free of charge as well. Come and enjoy the early fall weather where you can listen to some great music on any of our three days of celebration. Bring your favorite lawn chair and purchase some food while enjoying our entertainment, but don’t forget to save some money to pick up those special craft items and gifts from any one of our vendors, also available all three days.”
V: Anything else you would like to add?
L: “As a final comment, please call 716-785-8033 for further information or for any Festival of Grapes questions. It’s going to be a “GRAPE” weekend. Make sure you don’t miss out on this wonderful long-standing tradition held in the Village of Silver Creek.”
Thank you, Lisa, for taking the time to share your enthusiasm and all this great info on the event. More information on “The Festival of Grapes” can be found by visiting their Facebook page