VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – People of all ages stopped by Huntington Beard Memorial Park on Sept. 16 for this year’s Fayetteville Festival, an event meant to boost interest and involvement in various village organizations.
Among the organizations that passed out pamphlets and came away with sign-ups that day were Clear Path for Veterans, Fayetteville’s historic preservation commission, the local fire department, the Town of Manlius Police Department, Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways, the Fayetteville Free Library and the Fayetteville Senior Center.
The Fayetteville-Manlius High School rowing team was set up near the park’s pond with ergometers for young attendees to try out, giving them a sense of what would be in store if they end up joining the team as high schoolers.
“There are 30 different groups that somebody can see all in one afternoon,” Fayetteville Mayor Mark Olson said. “We’re in this day and age of going online and texting, but we want more of this back-and-forth, face-to-face conversation.”
Lasting from 1 p.m. until around dusk, the event highlighting local services also included a bubble-blowing playground, axe throwing with an inflated target, a bounce castle, live musical accompaniment from Party Nuts and the Maria DeSantis Orchestra, and fireworks to close out the night.
The food trucks present throughout represented The Birdsong Cafe, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Carvel, Cue-Dogs, Papa Gallo and newcomers to the festival Toss & Fire.
Though the Onondaga County Agriculture Council’s ON Farm Fest and a Syracuse Orange football game were taking place the same day, Olson said he was glad that the Fayetteville Festival and Minoa’s Festival in the Park were at least scheduled for separate weekends this year. He also thanked Deputy Clerk Karen Shepardson for her part in organizing the Sept. 16 festival, the school district for allowing use of the Wellwood Middle School parking lots, and the local Boy Scouts for spending the night and morning before keeping an eye on the tented park.
“This is all about Fayetteville,” Olson said the Saturday afternoon of the event. “Today is a day to celebrate how incredible our community is and showcasing what makes us special. It’s just a great coming together and this park is perfect for it.”
The yearly tradition of hosting the end-of-summer festival began 20 years ago, its format a take on booth-to-booth job fairs but with a neighborly feel and a lineup of local organizations looking for volunteers.
Olson said the event has been “ever-evolving” and that vendors are not charged to set up under the tents for the free-to-enter event, adding that he’s already looking forward to next year.