MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
Despite being a small school in a rural area, Fredonia has hosted some very notable guests.
In years past, the school has been visited by Hall of Fame athletes, iconic bands, entertainment personalities and more.
While this is far from a list of all those worth mentioning, here are 10 recognizable people or groups who have been here before.
Photo by MATT VOLZ | Editor in Chief
Charles Barkley
We’ll start with the one who pretty much broke social media around Fredonia at the end of last fall.
On Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7, the Blue Devils hockey team hosted its annual Alumni Weekend.
Many of the program’s all-time greats were in attendance, including several members of the 1994 and 1995 Blue Devils teams who reached the national semifinal and national championship, respectively.
One such alum was Craig Conley, a two-time All-American forward who holds numerous school records.
Through his firm, Niner Sports and Entertainment, Conley met Barkley, an NBA Hall of Famer and iconic personality from his work as a basketball analyst on TV.
Barkley spent the weekend in Fredonia, witnessing back-to-back 2-0 victories over rivals Plattsburgh and Potsdam.
“Sir Charles” also made his way downtown, where he played tunes and bought drinks for everyone at Old Main Inn.
After his visit, Barkley gave Fredonia a national shoutout on Inside the NBA, thanking the campus and community for their hospitality.
Photo by MITCHELL HORUCY | Sports Editor
Billy Joel
The first musical artist on our list is one of the most recognizable singers of all time, and likely the most prominent to ever perform at Fredonia.
In 1974, one year after the release of “Piano Man,” Joel brought his talents to Steele Hall.
According to a 2022 article published in Statement, Fredonia’s alumni magazine, Joel entertained the audience for over three hours.
Tickets were only $2, and the price was reported to be even lower for students in attendance.
In August 2021, during a concert at Highmark Stadium, Joel gave a shoutout to Fredonia, referencing the 1974 concert.
Bill Nye
Science rules.
The man many students watched in middle and high school science classes graced Fredonia with his presence just over a decade ago.
Nye hosted “Bill Nye the Science Guy” from 1993 to 1999, a program with an upbeat theme song and a message geared towards educating adolescents about the world of science.
In September 2014, Nye visited Fredonia as part of the school’s semester-long ceremonial opening of the Science Center.
Originally, Nye was supposed to speak at King Concert Hall, but due to high demand, his speech was moved to the fieldhouse at Steele Hall.
Buffalo Bills
From 1981 to 1999, the Bills hosted their annual training camp at Fredonia over the summer.
Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed, as well as other star players, stayed in the dorms while students were away on summer break.
The summers at Fredonia coincided with some of the most successful seasons in Bills history, including four straight trips to the Super Bowl from 1990 to 1993.
Please don’t ask your parents what happened in those Super Bowls.
A 2015 ESPN documentary titled “Four Falls of Buffalo” actually showed Fredonia in the background of a few training camp clips.
Training camp at Fredonia was a bit of a hassle, though. Because the school didn’t have a football program, the Bills needed to bring their own equipment.
In 2000, the franchise began hosting training camp at St. John Fisher University near Rochester, where it has remained since.
Photo via etsy.com.
Pat LaFontaine
Continuing with Buffalo sports legends, one of the greatest American-born hockey players to ever play the game has a unique connection to Fredonia.
LaFontaine played for the Sabres from 1991 to 1997, serving as the team’s captain for much of his tenure.
His cousin, Marty Diamond, was a forward on Fredonia’s aforementioned 1994 team.
In the opening round of that season’s NCAA Tournament, Fredonia faced RIT in a series at Steele Hall.
LaFontaine was injured and unable to participate, so he took an hour-long drive down Interstate 90 to watch his cousin play.
Steele Hall was completely sold out, so to be in attendance and away from fans, the Hockey Hall of Famer parked his car in the Zamboni entrance and watched the game standing behind the glass.
The Blue Devils won, 7-0, to advance to the national semifinal.
Kenny Rogers
The Piano Man wasn’t the only notable singer to perform at the Steele Hall Fieldhouse.
Rogers produced chart-topping hits such as “The Gambler” and “Islands in the Stream,” the latter of which he recorded as a duet with Dolly Parton.
Details of his performance at Fredonia are scarce, but he was brought in to perform in January sometime around 1990.
The sports information office was primarily in charge of putting the event together. They enlisted the help of some students as roadies, including my dad and his friend who worked in the sports information office.
Run-D.M.C.
We’ve now arrived at the “FredFest performers” part of this list.
Special thanks to The Leader’s sports editor, Mitch Horucy, for finding a list of all FredFest performers from 1980 to 2008.
Brian Giermek, a student in that semester’s Reporting and Newswriting II class, put this list together when the school still sponsored the annual event.
The 2001 festival was headlined by Run-D.M.C., the hip hop group and artists behind hit songs “It’s Tricky” and “Walk This Way,” the second of which was in collaboration with Aerosmith.
According to an article by Angela Spara, another piece in the 2008 reporting class’s series on FredFest, Run-D.M.C.’s performance was rather lackluster, and the event led to disorderly conduct throughout the village.
After 2001, Fredonia shortened the length of FredFest from three days to one, and the school ended the official festival in 2015.
Pauly Shore
Fredonia is full of squirrels, but in 1991, The Weasel came to town.
Shore is known for his roles in various 90s comedy movies like “Encino Man” and “Son in Law.” He got his start as an MTV VJ, or “video jockey,” in 1989 at the age of 21.
Before either movie, Shore headlined FredFest in 1991. According to my mom, who was in attendance, Shore went up on stage and asked the crowd, “Anybody got a beer?”
Shore also dropped one of his classic lines, “What’s up buddies,” when he got off his tour bus and saw my dad and a few other students.
Sixpence None The Richer
A prominent late-90s and early-2000s group has close ties with Fredonia.
Armand Petri, a senior lecturer in Fredonia’s music industry department, is the producer of the band.
He was the producer for their most iconic song, “Kiss Me,” which has over 1.1 billion plays on Spotify.
The song was actually demoed in Mason Hall’s sound recording technology studio before its 1997 release.
Lead singer Leigh Nash has been to Fredonia multiple times. In February 2024, she was joined by alumna Mary Ramsey, the lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs.
Photo via amazon.com.
Steve Burns
At first glance, the name Steve Burns may not jump off the page. Readers under a certain age may not recognize him at all.
But anyone who grew up watching “Blue’s Clues” would know and love him simply as Steve.
Burns hosted the hit Nickelodeon show alongside his cartoon dog counterpart from 1996 to 2002.
After leaving “Blue’s Clues,” Burns pursued a career in music. He connected with musician Steven Drozd, who was living in Fredonia at the time.
At Tarbox Road Studios in Cassadaga, Burns recorded his debut album, “Songs for Dust Mites.”
The first song on the album, “Mighty Little Man,” became the theme song for the CBS sitcom “Young Sheldon.”
Did we miss any famous guests who have visited Fredonia? Let us know at leader@fredonia.edu.