April Levine from Cornell Cooperative Extension 4H helps kids with a small craft project during the 2013 Strawberry Festival.
Juggler Nate the Great performs an impromptu show for Anna Fox, Gabriel Fox, and Zachary Fox during the 2012 Strawberry Festival.
These clowns from Joygems ride an elaborately decorated Volkswagen in the Strawberry Festival Parade, June 21, 2014.
Well, Mother Nature threw us a curve ball this week, with frigid temperatures and some snow on the eve of the spring equinox. Rest assured, Owego is tired of winter, and the warm summer months are right around the corner. And that means one thing, the annual Strawberry Festival!
Strawberry Festival Co-Chairs Fran and Sandy Dunbar are working hard to bring another triumphant celebration of Owego this June 19 and 20. Sandy Knapp-Dunbar said she’s been working on entertainment, including the street performers and puppeteers who have to be engaged early to make sure the region’s best are coming to Owego.
“If you don’t get them in time, you don’t get them,” Dunbar said.
Almost all music entertainment is new to the festival this year, Dunbar said, adding that nine out of the ten acts performing are new to the festival. The only return act is Owego Free Academy’s own Making The Band (MTB), a crowd favorite featuring our hometown students showing their talents.
Kicking off the music at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 20 – right after the parade – will be the Brackney String Band at Ahwaga Park. One of the musicians playing for patrons going for a stroll along the Riverwalk is banjo player Rob Siegers from Apalachin.
“I always look forward to the Strawberry Festival, it’s a lot of fun,” Siegers said. Reels and jigs, olde tyme music and a touch of bluegrass, people can get a feel for what the Brackney String Band is all about by picking up their self-titled CD at Dunbar’s 35 Lake St. store, Dunbar Antiques and The ‘Erb Lady.
“Track eight is probably my favorite,” Siegers said of the CD. Ships Are Sailing features both a pipe organ and piano, an unusual combination and ethereal sound for a traditional string band.
There are other new acts that will be revealed as the event nears.
“We like to give local talent a chance,” Dunbar said of the festival’s entertainment choices. With 30,000 people coming to Owego, the exposure these local acts get is huge, but the thing Dunbar really wants people to get exposed to is Owego itself.
“We want people to come to Owego and see what we have to offer,” Dunbar said.
There’s entertainment this year for all ages at the Strawberry Festival. From puppet shows and charming strolling jugglers for the youngest to arts and crafts and fine foods for older folks, there’s something for everyone.
This year Dunbar is bringing in an exciting act for older kids and young adults, a demographic she said has been a little overlooked in the past. The Chris Clark Bicycle Stunt Show will be performing on North Avenue on Saturday.
For more than a decade pro stunt cyclist Chris Clark has competed around the world, entertaining thousands of people at events like the Gravity Games and the Vans Warped Tour. Chris will be bringing his show to Owego for a display of breathtaking balance and agility.
There’s still time to get involved with the 2015 Strawberry Festival. Dozens of volunteers are needed, as well as sponsors and vendors.
Information can be found online at www.owegostrawberryfestival.com, or by stopping by Dunbar Antiques on Lake Street Wednesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
