GENESEO – Geneseo Rotary and the Geneseo Merchants Association (GMA) are looking forward to opening Summerfest on Friday with more registered participants than in the past three years.
According to GMA, nearly all available sidewalk spaces on Main Street are to be occupied by either established businesses with sidewalk specials or vendors from afar during the July 8 and 9 festival. This is in addition to 35 more vendors in the village park.
“Main Street is going to be a lot fuller and busier than in the past few years,” said Renee Livingston, Secretary of GMA. “Participation is up, partially because we are getting new vendors and Main Street businesses to set up and partially because we are getting vendors back who left Summerfest in the past.”
To register for Summerfest, vendors must have proof of insurance. Established businesses which are currently insured do not need to purchase any additional insurance. Depending on the type of individual business or vendor, insurance packages for vendors range from $39 to $150 per year.
“Insurance covers the Village in case there is any accident,” said Geneseo Mayor Richard Hatheway. “A lot of vendors just have insurance anyway. I know if I were a vendor I would want that protection in place for myself.”
New this year is a teddy bear scavenger hunt, wherein participants can pick up a ‘passport’ to be stamped at 24 Main Street businesses which are home to teddy bears for Summerfest. Bring stamped cards to Center Street by 3 p.m. on July 9 to be entered in the teddy bear raffle at 4 p.m. You can also leave stamped cards at The Not Dot Shop, Touch of Grayce or Nothnagle Realtors to be entered.
Passports are available at: ArtSmart Studio, LLC; B&D Framing; Bar-Eat-O; Body & Face by Kristin; Buzzo’s Music; Cafe Shiloh; Cricket’s Coffee; GeneseeSun.com; Genesee Valley Florist; Honeygirl Gourmet; Image Empire; Wadsworth Library; Mama Mia’s; The Not Dot Shop; Notebook Tek; Nothnagle Realtors; Pizza Paul’s; Special Tees; Stagecoach Florist; Sundance Books; Sweet Arts Bakery; Touch of Grayce; University Hots; and Geneseo’s Welcome Center.
Patriot Riders cooperating with the National Warplane Museum will escort World War II veterans from the Valley Inn of Geneseo to Main Street starting at 10 a.m., just in time for the annual Teddy Bear Parade at 10:30 a.m.
Stop by the corner of Center Street and Main Street during Summerfest to get your picture taken in the Not Dot Shop’s Emmeline cut-out. Until Summerfest, you can visit the cut out at The Not Dot Shop.
According to the Geneseo Merchants Association’s newsletter, Geneseo Life, the following special deals will also run during all of Summerfest:
Touch of Grayce: 10% off store, 20% off books and up to 70% off sidewalk; Pizza Paul’s: $1 slices of pizza; Sweet Arts Bakery: Free cookie with any ice cream purchase; Village Cafe: Serving deep fried ravioli, mac and cheese and chocolate covered strawberry skewers; Bar-Eat-O: Special Summerfest taco and drink special; ArtSmart Studio: Hair wraps, feathers and painting classes.
There will also be sidewalk sales at Cricket’s Coffee, Special Tees, Royaltees, Honeygirl Gourmet, The Not Dot Shop, Notebook Tek, Sundance Books, and Buzzo’s Music.
The schedule for Satruday, July 9, Wadsworth Library will have their annual book sale from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; there will be a Spinning Demo by Cycle Craze from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; there will be a petting zoo in the Village Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Dime Carnival in the Village Park from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Hula Hooping from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; Cake Walk with Prizes from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; Free Kid’s Crafts from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.; and Teddy Bear Raffle Drawing at 4 p.m.