Archive: Around Town

Last year a freak storm forced the organizers of Lansing Harbor Festival to postpone the festival for a week.  The new date fell on Labor Day weekend, and no one knew how it would work out.  When the day came the weather was perfect, most of the vendors and entertainers were available, and an estimated 3,000 people showed up.  This August 23, just two weeks from now, the Lansing Community Council plans to build on that success, and the new plan is: no freak storms!

"We hope we'll be able to add something new every year," says Festival Chair Karen Veaner.  "Right now Lansing Community Council is a fairly small group.  We'd like to expand that group to include more people, bring in more ideas.  And we absolutely welcome the community to bring in more ideas for what they would like to see at the festival.  This is their festival and we would certainly like to deliver what they want to see."


This year that will mean more bands, a new contest, vendors and activities.  The festival opens at 10am with a short opening ceremony.  Village of Lansing Mayor Don Hartill and Town Supervisor Scott Pinney will be there to ring in Harbor Festival 2008 along with  with Lansing Community Council President Ed LaVigne.  Gary Travis will perform a dove release to celebrate the opening.


One of the big draws is the music, and Veaner says there will be one more band than last year.  The lineup starts at 10:15 with Ithaca Dixieland Jazz Band, followed by Pete Panek and the Blue Cats, Alice Detrick and Triple Play, The Stoutmen (an Irish and Scottish band), Backtalk Band, and the Burns Sisters.

"It's terrific -- we had scheduled the Backtalk Band for last year, but when we had to postpone the festival they had a previous engagement," she says.  "So we're very happy to have them back as well as Pete Panek and the Blue Cats who filled in for them last year.  We have three new bands this year, and of course we are very happy to have the Burns Sisters back for our grand finale at 6 o'clock."


The second annual Baker Cup Chicken Barbecue Sauce competition will kick off around lunch time.  The contest is open to amateur chefs and professionals who can get an entry form on the festival Web site.  Chicken will be provided, so all you need to bring are your barbecuing skills and your sauce ingredients, and fight for the honor of having the best barbecue sauce in Lansing.

The Baker Cup honors Lansing's own Bob Baker, who spent his career developing ways to cook chicken, and who developed the popular Cornell Sauce recipe.  A trophy cup will be on display at Lansing Town hall with the names of the winners.  Judges will include WHCU's Dave Vieser and Geoff Dunn.  Last year's winner was Tyler Engels.

New this year is a sand castle contest at 2 o'clock on a sand beach made from a truckload of sand donated by Alex Cole Paving.  Kids can sign up for $2 at the Youth Pavilion, and prizes will be awarded for different age groups.  The entry fee includes a special Lansing Community Council beach bucket and shovel.  The contest will last 45 minutes, and prizes will be awarded at 3 o'clock.  "We're really looking forward to that," Veaner says.  "We think it will be fun for the kids.  The prizes are to be announced... they'll be something fabulous, I promise!"


Former Lansing English teacher Judy Hinderliter is in change of the Youth Pavilion.  She has been scheduling groups and activities.  Crossroads the Clown will make an appearance, and there will be craft projects.  All of the original art from this year's logo contest entries will be on display.

So far about 40 vendors have signed on, and Veaner estimates there will be over 50 by the time the festival is held.  "We have a lot of food vendors," she says.  "I believe we'll have chicken this year and the Lion's Club will be selling hamburgers and hot dogs.  I think we have a sausage maker.  And Wok Village -- we'll have Chinese food and Northeast Pizza will be there, and an ice cream truck.  Sincredible Pastries will be there with cupcakes and coffee.  The Lansing Women's Auxiliary will be there with delicious baked goods."

Veaner says it's not too late to become a sponsor, take out ads in the program, or reserve vendor booths.  Forms and contact information are on the festival Web site, as well as entry forms for the Baker Cup contest.  She adds that it is not too late to become a sponsor, and vendors can sign up right up to the last minute.  Sponsorship levels range from $500 to $2500 and above.  "The sponsorships really allow us to keep this a free event and open to all," she notes.  "They help pay for the talent and the cost of putting the festival on."


Because of Sponsor support and private donations the Lansing Community Council was not only able to pay for last year's Harbor Festival, but they had money left over to give back to the community.  In addition to creating a nest egg for this year's Harbor Festival they gave donations to the Lansing Community Library, to each of the three Lansing schools, to the Lansing Cemetery Association, and the Lansing Food Pantry. The Food Pantry was also eligible for a matching grant so they ended up with $1,000.

So far this year the Town of Lansing, the Lansing Star Online, Cayuga Radio Group, Tompkins Trust Company, and Calf Audio have signed on as sponsors.  The Lansing Community Council funnels money from the United Way to selected Lansing programs, but also raises money for new deserving programs and projects in the town.  The volunteer group hosts the festival as a celebration of the town, and to provide a place for the best of Lansing to have a place to come out and meet the community.

Lansing High and Elementary Schools will provide overflow parking, and shuttles will take people to and from the park continuously throughout the day.  The Lansing PTSO is conducting a drive for children at Lansing schools, so anyone coming to the Harbor Festival can drop off school supplies at the Park and Ride stops at the schools.

Even while the group prepares for this year's Harbor Festival they are looking to the future.  "We would love to have more boating activities," Veaner says.  "One of the things that stands in our way is the fact that we don't have public temporary docks available.  I think that's a project the Community Council would like to take on to see if we can raise money to provide that."


"We are also looking at a lighting project in the park," she adds.  "Several people have asked about the possibility of fireworks, which we would love to do.  Right now if we were to extend the festival long enough for it to get dark enough for fireworks, there wouldn't be a safe way of getting everybody out of the park, because there is not sufficient lighting down there.  We're raising money to improve the lighting in the park, which would allow us to extend the festival to a later hour and possibly add fireworks.  Additional lighting  will also be of benefit to the evening concerts in the park."

Last year the town Parks and Recreation Department did an amazing job of cleaning up the park -- twice.  After the storm limbs and broken trees had to be removed, as well as preparing the lawns and other park areas.  Myers park is one of the best features of the town, and the department's pride in it was evident, and contributed to the success of the event.

This year Park Superintendent Steve Colt anticipates building on that success.  "After what they pulled off last year, if it turns out the few days preceding this year's festival have good weather with a good forecast for the day, I can't even comprehend the number of people that may show up there," he says.  "I think it's going to be a huge, huge number."

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