By Darlene Brace
The hamlet of Findley Lake is known by some as “The Coolest Little Town Around.” If you go to Findley Lake during Labor Day Weekend, you will see one reason why it is referred to as that. Findley Lake will be having its 26th Harvest Festival, next weekend Friday Aug 30 – September 1. The festival is a community event, and it will start by Alexander’s on the Lake Restaurant on Main Street, and it will continue throughout the town to near Our Own Candle Company. There will be a wide variety of fun activities for young and old alike.
One of the main highlights of this festival is the live music that there will be throughout the weekend. Some of the live music will be next to the beer tent near the Candle Company, and some will be held near the Water Wheel Building. Friday night kicks off the festival with an Erie band called Shady Side. They will play their acoustic rock cover music from 5:30pm-8:30pm. If you are still looking for some live music that night, head over to Alexander’s as the Midnight Growlers will be rocking the shores of the lake from 8pm-11pm.
The live music continues Saturday with Jack Stephenson from 11am-1pm. At 2pm, get ready for the 5-piece band Juvenile Characteristics to perform some Americana and roots rock covers and originals. Then, Theory of Evolution will be rocking the hamlet of Findley Lake as the sunsets, and they will be playing a variety of music from 6pm-9pm. Alexander’s will also be hosting Shani Bills Saturday night, singing a variety of cover tunes from 8:30pm-10:30pm.
On Sunday afternoon, Uncle Claud and Lance Kinal will perform from 12pm-3pm. Gabe Stillman will close out the festival’s live music. Gabe is a talented singer/songwriter that plays the guitar, and he will entertain the crowd with his energetic bluesy originals from 4pm-7pm.
Larry Gross, one of the coordinators of this festival said, “This is a free community event and it’s much more than a harvest festival. With all the live music and everything we have included, it’s more like a big party. We also want people to know that this year, there is free parking out in the perimeter of the town, and then we are providing shuttle bus service for your convenience.”
Besides live music entertainment, there will be plenty of fun activities for people of all ages. For adults, there will be a beer tent with a tasty assortment of brews. Wine tasting vendors will be available throughout the area. There will be food vendors serving a delicious variety of your typical festival foods and sweet treats. Other artisan and local vendors will be set up selling a variety of products, which may include things like candles, home décor, jewelry, accessories, T-shirts, and many more.
For children, there will be a selection of games, a petting zoo, arts and crafts, and face painting. All of the children’s activities will be located inside the Findley Lake Fire Hall. Also make sure you take time to stroll down to the Waterwheel Building on Main Street, where there will be a big book sale. For a $5 donation you can fill a bag full of books.
This festival is a town wide event, that is organized by the Findley Lake Forward Organization. The festival runs Friday August 30 from 5pm-9pm, Saturday from 10am-8pm, and Sunday September 1 from 10am-7pm. Come check out some of the live music and stroll along Main Street among all the vendors. Or bring your lawn chair and enjoy the scenic view of Findley Lake that is nestled down within a beautiful landscape of trees. No matter what you decide to do, you will surely have a great time at the Annual Findley Lake Harvest Festival. If you want more information about this festival or other information about Findley Lake, you can go to visitfindleylake.com or look up the Findley Lake Harvest Festival on Facebook.