Event runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10
The Canastota Italian Ancestry Organization will host the annual Italian American Festival on North Canal Street in Canastota from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. The festival will kick off next to the historic Erie Canal.
The celebration of Italian American culture will feature live local entertainment, Italian and American cuisine, historical displays and demonstrations, produce sales and local artisan booths offering custom merchandise.
This one-day event features three local bands: D&B Entertainment at 11 a.m., followed by Old Clay Stone at 1:30 p.m. and Rewind at 4 p.m. Enjoy lunch and dinner at any (or all) of the food truck vendors with local delicacies including the traditional sausage sandwich, pastries, fried bread dough and fresh-squeezed lemonade, to name a few.
Visit the Erie Canal Museum and learn about Canastota’s history on the Erie Canal; the museum will be open all day. There will be an Italian immigration lecture by Antone Eppolito at 1 p.m. in Canal Town Education Center.
Vendor sales will include crafts, clothing, candles, fragrances, wine, Tastefully Simple, jewelry, pastries, artwork, sunglasses, handbags, Italian t-shirts, games for the kids and more.
Basket raffles and a 50/50 raffle will be held. The committee will be distributing applications to gather family stories for inclusion in a new edition of the Canastota-Italian Heritage book. If your family has never been included in the books or if you would like to submit your own story, be sure to grab an application.
The festival, which runs rain or shine, is free and open to the public.
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