Event is June 8 and 9
By Sarah Hall
Editor
The Cicero Community Festival returns to town this weekend, bringing live entertainment, food, crafts and more to the grounds of Sacred Heart Church on Route 11 on June 8 and 9.
The festival, now in its 26th year, is hosted by the Greater Cicero Chamber of Commerce as a way to not only bring together members of the Cicero community, but also to spotlight the many businesses in the area.
“Our goal is to be able to highlight the businesses in our community and show the rest of Central New York what a special place Cicero is to live in and visit,” said Dave Bellso, president of Twin Oaks Agency Group, which is promoting the festival. “We want everybody who visits to have a great time and enjoy the festival, our food and entertainment.”
The theme for this year’s event, which is presented by Driver’s Village, is Family, which is reflected in some of the changes to the festival, including an expanded Kids’ Zone and the elimination of the Friday night car show.
“Cicero is young, vibrant and has lots of new families living in the community,” Bellso said. “We turned Friday night into a band night [featuring Celtic rock band The Causeway Giants] with the hope of drawing different genres to our community.”
Friday night, the festivities begin at 5 p.m. The band takes the stage at 6 p.m. Coppertop Tavern will be serving up craft beers, wine and food until 10 p.m. Things start up again at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with the parade down Route 11. The festival opens at noon with a chicken barbecue put on by the Boy Scouts, and the stage will feature such acts as the CMC Dance Team and headliner Brass Inc. Meanwhile, vendors will be on site all day selling food, crafts and other wares. The day will conclude with fireworks at 10 p.m.
“This… is an opportunity for all of our businesses to come together and show us what they have,” Bellso said. “The proceeds from the event are used to put on educational seminars for our businesses and also support local charities that make a difference in our community.”