By Wendy Post —
On Thursday, June 13, Owego’s Strawberry Festival will kick off with a Rock n Run event at Hickories Park in Owego and then move to downtown Owego for the Block Party on Friday evening, June 14, and the main event on Saturday, with a parade stepping off at 9:30 a.m. on June 15. This 3-day event will welcome guests from all over the county, region, state and country for live music, food, vendors, children’s entertainment, a grand parade, and much more.
On Wednesday, June 12, the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce gathered with the organizers of the festival on the courthouse steps for a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon. After that, members headed out and transform the downtown area for Friday and Saturday events; no small task for the 14 members on the Strawberry Festival Committee who executes the event for the Historic Owego Marketplace, or HOM.
With vendors, stages, tents, and a host of activities taking place throughout the festival, members will be hard at work to beat the clock, having the first band on Friday, Making The Band, kick things off, musically.
Craig Charles, frontman for Junkyard Heights, is looking forward to the band’s June 15 performance at Owego’s Strawberry Festival. Photo credit: Margo Hibbard.
As a co-chair for the festival with Pat Hansen, founder and former owner of The Hand of Man in downtown Owego, the largest task in the planning is bringing the community together to celebrate and participate each year.
This year welcomed back the scouts for cleanup at the event, and another scout troop and a separate 4-H group will be helping out with parking at Grand Union and Marvin Park, where shuttles are available on Saturday, only. There is also parking and a shuttle at Hickories Park.
In community fashion, a grand parade marshal was also selected, this year honoring Dick Franz and Jim Raftis Sr., two longstanding volunteers within the community. John Loftus, parade chairman, and Patrick Gavin, committee member, have plans for this honor within the parade. According to Gavin, Dick Franz and Jim Raftis will lead the parade in Tom Aagaard’s antique Cadillac convertible followed by Croton Hose Co. #3’s fire engine #803, a trailer with Owego Little League players, and the Owego Hose Team’s Purple People Eater Motor Hose Truck. It will be a grand celebration!
James Beau Edwards of Stone Senate, a guitar virtuoso, arrives on stage with the influence of all the greats he has known or shared the stage with. Diverse, musically, Edwards’ combines those influences, while remaining true to his own style. (Stone Senate Photo)
The parade will also welcome marching bands, organizations, fraternal groups, youth groups, floats, and so much more!
Special to the parade are horses that will be showing up as well, to pay a tribute to those lost in last year’s arson fire at Tioga Downs. Led by a #TiogaStrong banner, horses will arrive for this year’s parade for an emotion provoking display of how the community pulls together when needed to support each other.
The Hitmen from Rochester will participate again this year and will be hanging around for an on-site performance after the parade. The Hitmen will be located on the M&T lawn at 11:15 a.m. and will be joining Blair Kenny, author of the Mob Wars Series. Kenny and this writer, who serves as his editor, will have a new book released that highlights gangsters and mafia, as well as a connection to Sammy Hagar, of the music world, connecting things musically. This special presentation is sponsored by Blair Kenny and this writer.
“We are excited to bring our books to the festival,” said Kenny from his Daytona Beach, Fla. home, adding, “There is a lot of mafia history in this area [Owego],” said Kenny, “And you can find some of this in our books to include the new release.”
Les Wagner and the Wagner Foundation came in as this year’s Top Sponsor for the 42nd Annual Strawberry Festival.
Other activities throughout the festival include a Kidz ZONe, Cornhole Course, and Paw Patrol characters, all presented by the Nazarene Church. You can find these activities by Park Street and the Courthouse, and with Paw Patrol roaming the venue. There will also be jugglers, magicians, and more!
At the Early Owego Antique Center you will find the cars built by Owego students for the Winners Circle Project. The cobra replicas will be brought to Jim Mead’s antique plaza for display, and to allow the students to showcase their work.
Of the project and display, Mead stated, “We are thrilled to be hosting the OFA automobile builds. Many know that I am a committed car enthusiast. We often display vintage autos in front of our Store. But nothing compares to these gasoline and electric cars built by our talented Students.”
Mead feels these cars qualify as “Built in Owego”, alongside the six other models built here in antiquity.
Finally, none of this would be possible without the sponsors.
Nate Gross, of the Nate Gross band, will offer a powerhouse performance on the Courthouse Stage during Friday’s Block Party. Provided photo.
This year Les Wagner and The Wagner Foundation arrived as the festival’s top sponsor, followed by John and Stephanie Whitmore from the Pumpelly Estate, who arrived as the Fireworks Sponsor this year.
The festival also welcomed Greenlight Networks, Inc., Tioga Downs, Tri-Town Insurance, Scott Smith & Son, and others as sponsors for the event. Tioga State Bank came in again as a presenter for the Rock n Run, and also allows for usage of their property on Lake Street for music entertainment.
Without these sponsors there would not be a festival. The committee, its members and the community as a whole are grateful for this continued support that helps keep the event alive.
The festival committee is also grateful for support from the Owego Police, Fire Police, and the Owego Fire Department for their continued support.
Pictured is Randy McStine, who is set to tour nationally with Porcupine Tree and has some new material in the works. You can catch Randy McStine at The Pumpelly Estate from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. This special performance is hosted by John and Stephanie Whitmore, owners of the Pumpelly Estate and this year’s Fireworks Sponsor for the festival. Photo credit: Hajo Müller.
Will you join us this year? We would love to have you!
Visit www.owego.org to learn about all things festival, or grab a copy of the festival guide, which is available at The Owego Pennysaver and will also be available at the Courthouse Stage throughout the festival, or you can find and follow the 42nd Annual Strawberry Festival on Facebook.
We’ll see you at the festival!
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