Car show, tractor pull, kettle corn, and jack-o-lanterns!!
From Sonya Ellison,
Cohocton’s 60th Fall Foliage Festival drew a large crowd of attendees to enjoy the changing leaves and harvests of autumn at the Village Greens.
Fall Foliage weekend hosted a wide array of local vendors and fall activities like a parade on Saturday, horse-drawn wagon rides all weekend and a Cruise’N Time Vintage Car Show and Tractor Pull at the School on Sunday.
Thanks to the unseasonably warm and sunny fall weather all weekend long, the festival had an impressive turnout.
“We had a lot of years where it stormed so this weather is pretty good!” said local man Mr. Space from Woodhull.
“We’ve had snow over the years, pouring rain for most of them so this weather is exceptional!” says vendor Glen from Carol’s Original Kettle Korn.
The Rochester-area business has sold their popular, fresh-popped kettle corn for 15 years at the annual festival and wrapped up their fall festival season Sunday. Glen says the treat is a local fall staple partly because corn is part of the seasonal harvest.
“That and the best kettle corn you can get is it’s popped on site….The stuff in the store doesn’t come close!” says Glen.
Lemon Shakers from Hammondsport drew many attendees to their tent, serving cold caramel apple cider drinks and ice cream sundaes that kept the crowd festively cool.
Was the two days in a row of exceptional weather what made Lemon Shakers so successful this year?
“I think so!” said owner Garrett.
Glenda and the gang at GMH Produce in Arkport had an incredible turnout at their vendor stand this weekend too, selling most of their apples and pumpkins along with the rest of their local, organic produce.
“Especially Saturday, we had a lot of people come and we sold lots of apples!” says owner Glenda on Sunday, shortly before wrapping up. But, GMH still has produce for sale at their Arkport stand the rest of the season.
Beyond the food, drink and produce was plenty of craft and artisan vendors selling seasonal treasures.
Rusty Metal Lady from Woodhull is a newer vendor to the festival and sold lots of her special gas can jack-o-lanterns over the weekend.
“This is only our second year as vendors but we’ve been doing pretty well this weekend!” shared artist Annette Space.
Space cuts the vintage gas cans with plasma by hand then lit from the inside.
Though she sold many of her pieces at the festival, she was most happy to see so many people gathering in Cohocton enjoying the festivities.
“We come with the thought of ‘we don’t care how much we sell but we are here to enjoy the people here!’” Annette says.
Cohocton’s Fall Foliage Fest wrapped up Sunday with an excellent turnout, leaving many attendees with memories of warm and sunny temps, bright foliage and the anticipation of a Sunday night Bills Game.
What more could you ask for on a fall weekend in Western New York?
