VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – The annual Fayetteville Festival will be returning to Beard Park this weekend, this time as a two-day event Sept. 20 and 21.
The festivities will kick off that first night with an energy-exuding performance by the Maria DeSantis Band beginning at 6:30 p.m. in that village park bordered by South Manlius Street, Lincoln Avenue and Franklin Street.
That band’s history under the DeSantis name dates back to 1947, and nowadays their serenading stylings incorporate everything from classic funk and rhythm ‘n’ blues to covers of contemporary songs.
The more full-fledged festival, with its familiar format consisting of booths run by various local groups, will ramp up the next day, Saturday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. There will also be a bubble-blowing playground, food trucks and a bouncy house set up then, and later in the afternoon at 3 p.m. magician Chris Wheeler will be stopping by.
Saturday will also feature live music throughout the day leading up to a firework display at dusk. At 1 p.m. on the 21st, it’ll be jazz pianist and organist Michael Passarelli hitting the stage, followed by long-running local rock ‘n’ roll band The Monterays at 4 p.m. and the enthusiastic, bluesy blue-eyed soul of the Joe Whiting Band at 6 p.m.
The free festival, which has been going on for close to 20 years now, is held as a “last hurrah” to cap off the village’s events season and serve as a transition point from summer to fall, said Fayetteville’s deputy clerk, Karen Shepardson, who handles a large chunk of the organizing for the event.
Welcoming people of all ages and showcasing what makes the village of Fayetteville special, the neighborly festival is meant to boost interest and community involvement in the local services highlighted at the various stands, most of them nonprofits looking for volunteers. With that, many of the booths will have interactive activities like raffles for attendees and more than enough informational pamphlets to share.
“The festival celebrates the community and shows what a great community we have,” Shepardson said. “It brings everyone together for a great time in the park and it’s an opportunity to hang out with other neighbors and residents. I like how everyone looks forward to meeting all the different groups every year and having something fun to do with their families.”
Area groups and organizations expected to appear at this year’s Fayetteville Festival include the Fayetteville Senior Center, the village’s department of public works, the village’s recreation committee, the Fayetteville Fire Department, the Town of Manlius Police Department, the village’s historic preservation and parks commissions, Clear Path for Veterans, Meals on Wheels, the local Talk the Talk Toastmasters chapter, the Fayetteville-Manlius rowing team with ergometers to try out, Scout troops with their monkey bridge to play on, and parishioners from local churches.
Fayetteville Mayor Mike Small said he hopes for a good crowd of people to come out and enjoy themselves, as the festival offers a chance for adults to meet up and chat and for kids to hang out with their friends outside of school. He said it’s the culmination of the summer’s jazz and symphony concerts in Beard Park as well as the monthly parties in Limestone Plaza since it combines the live music element with the promotion of local organizations situated side by side at different booths.
Small said it’s also a time to reconvene after people have been away on out-of-town vacations during the summer.
Though Shepardson said it will remain to be seen how things turn out logistically with the festival kicking off on a school night this time, especially with Beard Park being right next to Wellwood Middle School, she said the park is a great setting for such an event because of the size of the space, how beautiful it is, and its flexibility for allowing fireworks.