Archive: Around Town

Last week the Lansing Town Board was given an update on the Lansing Harbor Festival, the first of what organizers hope will become an annual event celebrating Lansing.  The festival will take over Myers Park on August 25, offering entertainment, food, booths featuring local businesses and not-for-profits, games and more.  

The Town of Lansing contributed $2,500 toward the event, so festival chairperson Karen Veaner spoke at the June meeting to present a copy of the budget and report on progress so far.  "I think it's going to be a real benefit to the Town to regenerate what it used to be and it is a lot more than it was," said Town Supervisor Steve Farkas.  "It's a great effort."

The festival is being staged by the Lansing Community Council, a recently revitalized version of the organization that used to host Lansing Day from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s.  The purpose of the group is to help fund local programs, including the Lansing Recreation Department, Lansing Older Adult Program, Lansing Drop-in Center, Lansing Youth Services, and emergency funding for Lansing residents in short-term need.  Founded by Bob Baker more than 50 years ago, in recent years the council had been reduced to being a funnel for United Way monies granted to these groups.  But early last year town officials put out a call for new members, and the council was infused with new members.


This new group decided to raise their profile in the community by hosting an event that would not only celebrate their community, but also provide a platform for themselves and other local groups to raise more funding.  They are soliciting ideas for expanding the list of programs they fund.  With enthusiastic cooperation from the Town, they have been putting together a festival that far surpasses the scope of Lansing Day.

The event will include entertainment all day from ten in the morning until eight at night.  In a salute to the chicken barbecue that was the main fundraising event at Lansing Day, the festival will feature the first annual 'Baker Cup Chicken Barbecue Contest,' judged by local luminaries including WHCU's Dave Vieser, who will be the Master of Ceremonies for the day.  150 booths are available for local businesses and not-for profits to feature the best in local commerce and causes, not to mention food from local restaurants.

The entertainment lineup starts with the Lansing High School Cabaret directed by Cindy Howell, followed by the Ithaca Concert Band, Tom Knight and the Blue Moon, The Backtalk Band, and the Burns Sisters.  Veaner says that with the lineup filled she has had to turn away bands, at least until next year.  Organizers plan for these bands to play on the new band stand that the Lansing Lion's Club has been building at Myers Park.

"Things are going along well," Veaner told the Board.  "As far as promoting the festival, we are listed in the Tompkins County Visitors Guide and on the Visit Ithaca Web site.  There is a group of local merchants that puts out 5000 brochures every year and distributes them to western New York, and the Syracuse and Binghamton areas.  We are on the back of that brochure as well."


Veaner says that Vieser has been generous with his on-air time, and helping to promote the festival.  "We continue to do that," she said.  "In fact, once Relay For Life has passed we'll be doing Public Service Announcements that will run on all four local radio stations.  So I think we're doing a good job of getting the word out."

Veaner thanked Town Attorney Guy Krogh for helping the Community Council with legal documents needed to make the group an official not-for-profit organization.  She also presented a copy of the budget.  "We anticipate the total expenses for the festival to be $10,753.70," she told the Board.  "We are hoping to solicit around $8,000 in donations and sponsorships ahead of time.  We're in discussions with a couple of local banks for sponsorships.  Also we are asking for donations.  The event will be free, but we will be asking for donations at the park.  But even if none of that comes true, we're still going to be able to pay our bills.  We've sold half of our first batch of T-shirts, and I am pretty sure we're going to order another batch.  They seem to be selling well."

The T-shirts feature the festival logo, the winning design by Lansing 7th grader Parker Callister in a log contest the council held at the end of last year.  Shirts are being sold for $12 at the Town Hall and at the pharmacy counter at the Triphammer Road Tops Market.  "We'll all wear our Harbor Festival T-shirts at our August meeting," said board member Marty Christopher.  

"I'm hoping you'll buy one to wear and one to wash!" Veaner replied, but on a serious note she added, "I think that with the fundraising items that we have we should have no trouble paying the bills.  We've had a lot of positive response.  Everybody really seems excited about it.  We're just hoping for good weather!"

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