By Darlene Brace
The Village of Fredonia invites you to join them in celebration of their Red, White, and Blues Festival next weekend, September 6th and 7th. It’s a great community music festival which has been taking place since 1995. They will be celebrating and featuring some of the best local winery’s red and white wines as well as some fantastic blues style music.
Many local restaurants and bars will host a lot of the live music. You can go to one or two venues of your choice, or you can hop from venue to venue catching many of the bands performing. Besides the live music at local venues, there will also be live music and other activities happening in Barker Common.
To kick off the festival Friday night, WNY’s popular band, The Untouchables, will be performing at the American Legion Post 59 at 156 E. Main Street. Their music spans the 50’s through the 80’s, and it starts at 6pm. Then make your way over to the Fredonia Beaver Club on Prospect Street, where Dr. Z and the Blues Remedy will perform their bluesy music starting at 8pm.
On Saturday afternoon, there will two live music performances held at the Barker Common Gazebo. At 12pm, the talented MCJ Band will perform its unique style of tunes. Next at 3pm, live music continues in Barker Common with headliner, Miller and The Other Sinners. They have been touring throughout the country and Canada for years, and they will be playing their soulful rhythm and blues music.
On Saturday, other live music takes place at various local restaurants and bars as follows:
1pm – Heenan’s Irish Pub – Beer Crate Blues Band • 2 pm – Coughlan’s Pub – Jammin’ Gypsies • 5pm – Fred’s – Smith Brothers • 5:30pm – 64 On the Rocks – Mo Porter Band • 6pm – Old Main Inn – Two Towns • 7pm – Domus Fare – Shaky Ray Blues Band • 7pm – Downtown Brew – Mark Winsick Band • 9pm – EBC West – Jony James Band
100pm – Valentines – White Bronco.
When you are ready for some refreshments, there will be several food trucks, restaurant, and winery vendors available at Barker Common starting at 11am on Saturday. Here is a list of the vendors they are expecting: Angry Bird BBQ, Franklin’s Honey and Apples, Blasdell Pizza Dunkirk, Charlie’s Curly Fries, Serving Up Smiles, Not Your Mother’s Kitchen, Three Chord Bourbon, Clarksburg Cider, Tree Hugger Hard Cider, Brad’s Blends of Rum and Cola, Woodbury Winery, Sunset Sky Farm, and Mazza Vineyards/Five & 20 Brewing.
Along with food and drink vendors, there will be a variety of other vendors filling the Barker Common area with artisan crafts and specialty items. A basket raffle and 50/50 raffle will also be taking place. The proceeds from these two raffles goes to Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County. There will also be a commemorative 9/11 memorial steel artwork raffle, and the proceeds from this will go to Pawsitive for Heros Fund, which is a program that trains dogs to assist veterans.
Festival merchandise will be available for purchase at the Fredonia Beaver Club on Friday night and all day long on Saturday in Barker Common, while supplies last. This will include commemorative festival t-shirts, as well as Koozies, commemorative plastic cups, and RWB wine glasses.
Festivals Fredonia has coordinated this great community event celebrating the local wine industry and blues music entertainment. They coordinate several recreational and cultural events throughout the year that contribute to a high quality of life in Fredonia and surrounding communities. Festivals Fredonia is always looking for volunteers to participate in helping with each festival. For more information about all the festivals or volunteering, you can contact them at festivalsfredoniany@gmail.com.
Wow! What an amazing community festival. Come to Fredonia to the Red, White, and Blues Festival for some great live music and celebration of the local wine industry. See you in Fredonia on September 6th and 7th for “the BEST street party around!”