The 36^th Annual Greater Jamestown Labor Day Festival will be held Sunday, Sept. 6 from noon until 9:00 p.m. at Bergman Park. According to organizers the event is a community celebration designed to honor the labor force of the city and surrounding area.

There is no cost to attend the festival, unless parking in Bergman Park, which will cost $5 per vehicle. However, everyone who pays will be entered to win a prize and all money raised is used to directly fund festival activities.

The Arts & Crafts fair begins at 11 a.m. and will feature over 20 vendors from all over Western New York and some vendors from Pennsylvania. All vendors are required to sell hand-made items

Live music begins at noon and will be featured on two stages with performances by The Bogarts, Teachers, Preachers and & Trent, We Speak Canadian, Two for Flinching, Jamestown Harmony Express, Razz & the JCC Band, Davis and Eng, and No Limit.

The Food Court opens at noon with all profits from the concessions benefitting not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Jamestown Area. In addition, there will be a wine and beer dining tent sponsored by Game Time Sports Bar & Grill for attendees 21 and older.

Chautauqua Striders will also hold the annual Dan Feather Memorial 5k Run/Walk at 9:30 a.m. with registration starting at 8 a.m.

Free Pepsi Bingo games will take place in the main pavilion starting at noon. Free kids carnival games including a bounce house by Eventz by Scott will start at 2 p.m.

The day will be capped off by a fireworks display by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale. Committee organizers are recommending that participants get to the park early enough to reserve a prime location on the lawn in front of the main stage for the best view of the fireworks, which begins when the final band, Two For Flinching, finishes its performance around 8:30 p.m.

For more details on Festival events, visit the City’s website at jamestownny.net or call the Parks Department at 483-7523

Listen

The Greater Jamestown Labor Day Festival is a community celebration designed to honor the labor force of the city and surrounding area. All money raised is used to directly fund festival activities and support the host of non-profit community service agencies who participate.

Committee organizers are recommending that festival participants get to the park early enough to reserve a prime location on the lawn in front of the main stage in order to be in the middle of the fireworks extravaganza by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale, which begins when the final band, Two For Flinching, finishes its performance around 8:30 p.m.

“Get to Bergman Park early Sunday, September 6th. Pick your spot on the lawn in front of the main stage. Get some food. Visit the vendors and crafters. Take the kids to play some games. Then enjoy the biggest fireworks display the region has to offer. The only way is to be right in the middle of all the action,” said Mayor Teresi.

People parking their cars at Bergman Park will receive a ticket to enter into a drawing at the Information Booth for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift card that is being sponsored by Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric Corporation. Ahlstrom Schaeffer provides electrical services for industrial, commercial, institutional and construction businesses. There will also be two chances to win a season ticket for the Southern Tier Xpress Hockey League games. Parking is $5.00. The prize drawing will take place at on the Main Stage just prior to the fireworks show.

Live music begins at noon and will be featured on two stages. The lineup includes:

Main Stage

• 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. The Bogarts
• 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Teachers, Preachers & Trent
• 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. We Speak Canadian
• 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Two For Flinching

Second Stage

• 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Jamestown Harmony Express
• 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Razz & the JCC Band, featuring Victoria McIlvain on vocals
• 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Davis & Eng
• 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. No Limit

The Food Court opens at noon with all profits from the concessions benefitting not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Jamestown Area. All organizations will be selling Pepsi products. In addition, there will be a wine and beer dining tent sponsored by Game Time Sports Bar & Grill for attendees 21 and older.

Chautauqua Striders will hold the annual Dan Feather Memorial 5k Run/Walk at 9:30 a.m. with registration starting at 8 a.m.

The Arts & Crafts fair begins at 11 a.m. and will feature over 20 vendors from all over Western New York and some vendors from Pennsylvania. All vendors are required to sell hand-made items.

Free Pepsi Bingo games will take place in the main pavilion starting at noon. Free kids carnival games including a bounce house by Eventz by Scott will start at 2 p.m.

The Jamestown Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIO will present a deserving member of the area workforce the George Ritzer Labor Award at 4 p.m. on the main stage.

Sponsors of the Labor Day Festival include the City of Jamestown, Media One Group, Ahlstrom-Schaeffer, Pepsi of Jamestown, IBEW Local 106, and Jamestown Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIO.

For more details on Festival events, visit the City’s website at jamestownny.net or call the Parks Department at 483-7523.

The festival is scheduled to run from noon until 9:00 p.m. at Bergman Park and will feature plenty of food, arts and craft vendors, events for the kids and live music throughout the day. A fireworks display is also slated to take place, beginning at 8:30 Sunday night.

Last year, the festival had to be cut short because of the poor weather conditions and the Fireworks display never took place. This year, city officials are hopeful the weather will be more cooperative, although the current forecast does say there is a likelihood of rain, at least for part of the day. Officials say they will wait until Saturday afternoon and make a decision on whether or not to hold the event, or wait until the rain date of Monday, Sept. 1.

FESTIVAL DETAILS

Admission to the festival is free, although there will be a $5 fee for parking in Bergman Park. Although anyone who pays for parking will receive a ticket to enter into a drawing at the Information Booth for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift card that is being sponsored by Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric Corporation. The prize drawing will take place at 8:15 p.m. on the Main Stage.

All money raised is used to directly fund festival activities and support the host of non-profit community service agencies who participate.

Live entertainment at the festival includes music from Two for Flinching, We Speak Canadian, the Bogarts, Cindy Love, the New Tenants, Razzers Jazzers, Teachers and Preachers and Jamestown Harmony Express.

The Arts & Crafts fair begins at 11 a.m. and will feature over 25 vendors from all over Western New York and some vendors from Pennsylvania. All vendors are required to sell hand-made items.

The Food Court opens at noon with all profits from the concessions benefiting not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Jamestown Area.

And, the day will once again begin with Chautauqua Striders holding the annual Dan Feature Memorial 5k Run/Walk at 9:30 a.m. with registration starting at 8 a.m.

The Jamestown Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIO will present a deserving member of the area workforce the George Ritzer Labor Award at 4 p.m. on the main stage.

For more details on Festival events, visit the City’s website at jamestownny.net or call the Parks Department at 483-7523.

The annual Downtown Jamestown Holiday Parade attracts thousands of people each year. (Photo courtesy of jrconline.org)

JAMESTOWN – One of the biggest events of the year is happening tonight in downtown Jamestown.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of downtown Jamestown to get a glimpse of the annual Downtown Jamestown Holiday Parade, presented by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation.

The year’s title is the “Jamestown’s Snowball Express” Christmas Parade and Holiday Celebration and will be sponsored by The Resource Center and Lutheran Jamestown.  This year’s grand marshall will be Ron Cotton of the Veteran’s Memorial Project.

The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. and travel from Monroe Street on the west side of Jamestown, East on Third Street to City Hall.

Besides more than 100 parade units, there will be additional entertainment as well. The Jamestown Harmony Express will be providing a free, live pre-parade concert at City Hall, starting at 6:00 p.m.

The tree-lighting ceremony will be held at the beginning of the parade prior to the singing of our National Anthem by Sergeant First Class Keith Stam.

The Jamestown Cycle Shop Snowball Drop and fireworks show will be held at about 8 p.m., following Santa’s arrival at the intersection of East Third Street and Spring Street.

Downtown restaurants will be open prior to the parade for dinner.

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, along with the Jamestown Police Department and Jamestown Fire Department, highly encourage those attending the parade consider the cold temperatures and to dress accordingly, especially younger children.

Any changes required due to weather conditions will be announced on the local radio stations.

Andy YNN will be broadcasting the parade on YNN from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. that will include Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties. Additional replay times and dates will be announced following the parade on local cable access channels.

For more information on tonight’s events, including details on parade lineup, go online to JamestownRenaissance.org or call the JRC at 664-2477.

Jamestown Harmony Express Barbershoppers

JAMESTOWN – “Jamestown’s Snowball Express” Christmas Parade and Holiday Celebration, sponsored by The Resource Center and Lutheran Jamestown, will kick-off Friday night with a performance by the Jamestown Harmony Express Barbershoppers ensemble. Taking the stage at 6:00 pm at Tracy Plaza, the group will present an embracing program featuring holiday favorites.

Jamestown Harmony Express is celebrating their 27^th year of Barbershopping in the Jamestown area featuring 34 members ranging in age from 16 to 90. Each year they perform two major concerts, their Annual Show and their Gospel Concert.  The chorus also gives many sing-outs in the area for festivals, churches, nursing homes, retirement centers, and other functions. The chorus has traveled and competed in the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, OH; performed at the Lawrence Welk Center in Branson, MO; and was invited to London, England  for the New Year’s Day Parade in 2002. Jamestown Harmony Express was invited to Washington, DC for the 2013 National Festival of the States and Gettysburg, PA this summer for the 150^th Commemoration of the Civil War.

Line-up for “Jamestown’s Snowball Express” Christmas Parade and Holiday Celebration, sponsored by The Resource Center and Lutheran Jamestown, will begin promptly at 5:00pm on Third Street between Monroe Avenue and Hallock Street, with the parade stepping off at 6:30pm and traveling east on Third Street to Tracy Plaza. The parade will conclude by 8:00pm.

More information on “Jamestown’s Snowball Express” Christmas Parade and Holiday Celebration will be available at www.jamestownrenaissance.org and the JRC’s Facebook page as it becomes available.