Watkins Glen Waterfront Festival coming up

The 22nd Edition of the Watkins Glen Waterfront Festival & Cardboard Boat Regatta is set for June 19th & 20th. Held in Watkins Glen at Seneca Harbor Park…this unique waterfront event captures the spirit of the Finger Lakes. Escape to paradise amid the enchanting peacefulness and beauty of Seneca Harbor as dusk becomes night amid the glow of the Lighting of the Harbor. Harbor Lights is an event unique among all of the Finger Lakes and showcases the beautiful waterfront. Events include a variety of musical entertainment along the entire Seneca Harbor Waterfront. The Food Court that will fill your appetite with a variety of everybody’s favorite fair foods and as the sun sets, the harbor begins to beckon as Harbor Light show begins. Harbor Lights is orchestrated by Pro Audio Consulting of Painted Post and supported Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel, Captain Bill’s, Schooner Excursions, Hazlitt’s 1852 Vineyards, Lakewood Vineyards, Seneca Lake Wine Trail, Seneca Sailing Adventures, Village Marina Bar and Grill, and the Seneca Harbor Fleet.Food Court Opens – 5 pmUnusual Suspects- Seneca Harbor Patio – 6- 9 pmTru Blue at the Pier House – 6-9 pm43 Main Street Band- on The Lawn – 5-9 pmRegistration Tent – Cardboard Boat INFO- 6-8 pmTBA – Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Waterside Stage- 6-9 pmPuka Inti- 9- 11 pm at the Pier HouseLighting of the Harbor – Dusk until 11 pmLonnie and Johnny Band – Village Marina Bar and Grill Marina Bar & Grill – 9 pm Events on Saturday take on a much livelier mood. Food Court opens at 10 am. Cardboard boats arrive and get setup for the Regatta. From 11-2 pm visitors can stroll through the “Concourse de Cardboard”, check out the cardboard boats, and meet the crews. The public are encouraged, and maybe even bribed, to vote for their favorite cardboard boat. Watkins Glen Cardboard Boat Regatta Committee of Arrangements has chosen Spirit of Schuyler as the benefactor of the People’s Choice Voting. Spirit of Schuyler… through the passion of their volunteers and the support of local area neighbors, Spirit of Schuyler has grown to support local residents across all of Schuyler County who find themselves stuck with unexpected financial crises. Ranging from emergency car repair for those who rely on a single vehicle to transport their family to work and school, to security deposits for those forced to leave their homes due to unexpected circumstances, to everything in between, Spirit of Schuyler seeks to assist residents who fight for their financial independence, support themselves and their families and are self-sustaining until unforeseen situations occur.Voting for your favorite cardboard boat or boats is easy…visit the Spirit of Schuyler Tent adjacent to the Village Marina Bar and Grill between Noon and 2 pm on June 14th to purchase your “voting stones”. Then wander through the Concourse de Cardboard paddock where all the cardboard boats are displayed before the Regatta. To vote, place the voting stones in your favorite boat’s ballot bag. The boat which collects the most stones receives a Collectors Wooden Waterfront Oar. At 2 pm it’s the “Nearly Famous” Cardboard Boat Regatta. The Cardboard Regatta Tee Shirts designed by Fred Wickham are always a collector’s item. And this year is no exception, Ajax and Comet having trouble with their boat construction…using band aids when they ran out of duct tape.All activities and entertainment at the Waterfront Festival are free.