Daffodil Festival taking place Saturday; Zamoiski display opens on Friday

Celebrate Daffodils and spring at the fourth annual Daffodil Festival planned for Saturday, April 29, in downtown Candor. The event, sponsored by the Candor Chamber of Commerce, will take place at the Candor Ball Field, 40 Spencer Rd. (Route 96) in Candor, N.Y. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The festival will feature live music all day, food, approximately 100 vendors, and plenty of activities for kids and adults alike. Vendors will be offering everything from handcrafted wood items, jewelry, soaps and lotions, clothing and pet treats to oils, antiques, interesting displays, and unique items that will be featured. It is a great opportunity to find a special Mother’s Day gift. There will also be several wineries featured.

Some of the bands and musicians playing during the day include Gary Jennings, the Fish Fry Band, Josh Schecter, Trick Shot, Ricky Resciniti, Ghost Train, After Market, the Foundry Street Band, Purple Lightning, Rob Ervin, and Technicolor Trailer Park.

The kids’ area will include Juggler Will Stafford from noon to 2 p.m., a balloon artist from 1 to 5 p.m., live animals, crafts with Home Central, bounce houses, birdhouse making with Home Depot, crafts, play, and more.

Sponsors include Visions Federal Credit Union; Erin Thomas and Marissa Makie; Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Heritage Realty; Estey Munroe & Fahey Funeral Home; Ward and Van Scoy Inc.; Williams & Edsall Land Surveyors P.C.; Oscar Gile, The Right Team, Real Estate Broker; Scott, Smith and Son; Taylor Garbage, and Mirabito. Robinson Contracting, Ghost Train, and the Foundry Street Band provided additional support.

The Daffodil Festival is an expansion on the Daffodil Daze event the Zamoiski family holds each spring in Candor. Each spring the Zamoiski family opens their fields for two weekends as a living tribute to Joy Zamoiski, who passed away in 2014. 

Daffodil Daze started when the Zamoiski children honored their mother with a daffodil surprise in celebration of her 85th birthday. The first year, a host of 1,000 Dutch Master bulbs in classic yellow spelled out her first name, Joy, on the rocky hillside. Over the years they have added words spelled out in daffodils such as PEACE, LOVE, and WELCOME. 

Spring 2016 marked the unveiling of the latest creation in daffodils, a breast cancer ribbon made with 1,600 Pink Ribbon daffodils. Spring 2018 was the addition of the word FAITH. There are over 54,000 daffodils planted. This includes 174 different varieties and 20 different mixes of bulbs. 

This year the daffodil fields are open from April 28 to May 7, at 292 Candor Hill Rd., Candor. Hours are weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Extend the Joy picking will begin on April 25, deliveries will be made daily to hospice, nursing homes, hospitals, senior living communities, breast cancer doctors’ offices, retirement communities, and more.

The daffodils spread the joy of Joy Zamoiski’s legacy. In 2022, the legacy of Nancy Zamoiski, Joy’s sixth daughter, is added. Nancy passed away in March 2022. Nancy has been the family’s fearless leader in this Daffodil endeavor from day one; from buying 12,000 bulbs one year to choosing the words to plant, and, of course, the planting itself every fall. More help than ever this year will be needed since they do not have Nancy to help. 

For further information on Daffodil Daze check out their Facebook page.

For further information on the Daffodil Festival, check out the Candor Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.candornychamber.org/daffodil-festival.html. Information is also on Facebook.