LUIS RIOS
Special to The Leader
Fredonia’s annual Red, White & Blues Festival, held on Sept. 10 to 11, brought excitement to Fredonia’s Beaver Club on Friday night and a parade of performances and vendors to Water Street on Saturday.
This gathering of the community ranged from volunteers to stall vendors to the festive locals and college part-takers celebrating the rock ‘n’ roll. The event commemorated 25 years of the festival, since last year’s festivities were pushed aside due to the pandemic.
Despite the ongoing construction at Barker Commons, the normal location of the event, Water Street accommodated the festival just as nicely for the main event at the end of the week.
There were stalls selling doll clothes and tie-dye shirts. Others offered quick eats, fudge that doesn’t melt and taste testing for whiskey and wines. The wonderful food, well spirits and rocking music on such a smooth September afternoon couldn’t be beaten.
Various vendors agreed that “the music was an added bonus.”
Owen Doran, a senior music industry student, said “It’s something very fun to do here on a Saturday at Fredonia while the weather’s still nice, and I could be listening to this music all day.”
Starting off and setting the mood for the Women in Blues theme was Buffalo’s own rock band, Grosh. The headlining act, Kara Grainger, performed soon after.
Kara Grainger’s lyrics and music was just as smooth sounding to the ears as whiskey is to the tongue.
Special events like this don’t just kick off on their own though. It comes from the help of the volunteering board of directors and various committee members of Festivals Fredonia who arrange this and the other festival events. Each event is planned at the beginning of the year.
Larry Fiorella, chairman of the Festivals Fredonia board, said the volunteers “all love doing this,” and have “a good time helping each other out making sure that the festivals run smoothly. I am very grateful to these guys.”
Fiorella has been helping since the 20th anniversary of the Red, White & Blues Festival in 2015.
When reminded of the recent COVID-19 cases spreading in Fredonia, Fiorella said, “I understand that some of the cases in the county are rising now, but if you don’t feel comfortable coming to an outdoor or indoor venue, you don’t have to go. If you feel comfortable wearing a mask, go ahead and go enjoy yourself.”
With pandemic problems aside, the event did happen on Sept. 11, an anniversary no one can forget. To commemorate the lives lost in that tragic event 20 years ago, there was a fundraising raffle booth offering both prizes to the people attending and comfort for those affected.
The whole festival wasn’t confined to Water Street. There were equally entertaining smaller venues spread around Fredonia’s downtown from Prospect Street to Canadaway Street Friday through Saturday.
To follow all of Fredonia’s festivals and check in for volunteering, sponsoring or donation options go to festivalsfredoniany.org.