CLAY — Before the days of housing developments and bustling traffic on Route 31, Clay was a farm town.
Each autumn, the Clay Historical Association reminisces about the town’s rural beginnings and celebrates the season with its fall festival. This year’s CHA Fall Festival takes place Saturday, Sept. 17, at Clay Historical Park (behind Immanuel Lutheran Church and before the railroad tracks).
CHA President Ruth Koch said the festival recalls a slower but more connected way of life.
“It’s not like it used to be when the farmers and everybody would get together. They used to meet at church and there was socials and stuff like that, and there isn’t that anymore,” Koch said.
Koch and her fellow CHA volunteers are hoping visitors will revive some of that community spirit by gathering to enjoy apple fritters, play games, meet local authors and see live demonstrations. Girl Scout Troop 10871 of Central Square will be doing face painting for kids.
Karate John’s martial arts students will be showcasing their skills, and Civil War re-enactors will be on the scene as well. Margaret Currier will present a chair caning demonstration. Lt. Jonathan Anderson will host a display of the history of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.
Festivalgoers are welcome to explore the former Cigarville Railroad Station, Sellen-Weller barn, replica log cabin and the Visitor Center to learn about Clay’s history as a thriving tobacco industry town in the 1800s. The log cabin, a replica of the first built in Clay, contains furnishings and household items used by residents in the 19th century.
Koch said there is a devoted group of festivalgoers who return each year.
“They seem excited about seeing all the artifacts and so forth and they come back each year,” she said.
The Clay Historical Association holds monthly open houses and frequent programs with area historians and local authors like Jim Farfaglia, who will be attending the CHA Fall Fest. A resident of Fulton, Farfaglia presented on his body of work at an Aug. 21 CHA program. He has written about the Blizzard of ’66, the former Nestlé factory in Fulton and the muck farms of Oswego County.
Joining Farfaglia for the authors’ meet-and-greet is humorist Ermine Cunningham, who recently moved from Central New York to Colorado. Her most recent book is “EVolution: Rose and Vera Save Mother Earth,” a mystical realism novel about two retirees who are tasked with saving the planet.
Nearly 30 vendors have signed up to sell food and crafts, Koch said. Clay Historical Park’s next-door neighbor, Immanuel Lutheran Church, will be selling their famous apple pies.
While the 2020 festival was canceled due to the pandemic, Koch said last year’s celebration was well-attended.
Most festival fans are lifetime residents of Clay, like Koch, but CHA welcomes those who are newer to the community to discover the history and heritage of the area, too.
“We’d like to get more people interested in history,” she said, adding that CHA encourages people to join and volunteer.
By offering a look into Clay’s past, the CHA crew is hoping they can help save Clay’s future.
“I’d like to see more conservation of the land. We’ve got only one farm left in the town,” Koch said.
The Clay Historical Association Fall Festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at Clay Historical Park, 4939 Route 31. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit sites.google.com/site/clayhistoricalassociation.
