Paul Szmal: Welcome back to FLX Morning, it is 8.15 and we're already up to 79, going to be another scorcher today. Joining me on the line is Carolina Taylor from visitfingerlakes.com, Carolina good morning, how are you?
Carolina Taylor: Good morning, very happy to see the sunlight, so how are you?
Paul Szmal: Very good, very good and ready for a little bit of a cool off from this hot weather. Things are starting to heat up across the Finger Lakes though as we get into one of my favorite holidays of the year, the 4th of July because the 4th of July means fireworks.
Carolina Taylor: Definitely we're going to have different celebrations across the county and Canandaigua is going to have the annual parade that's going to run from 10 to 11 a.m. and that's going to feature floats, local groups, live music and other special guests and if people want to stay over for the weekend on July 5th there's going to be fireworks in Kershaw Park from 9.45 to around 11 p.m. and then if they hit Farmington they're going to find on July 3rd that in Farmington Town Park there's going to be an evening of food, live music and fireworks when the night arrives and then in Honeywood Lake they're going to have the annual Ring of Fire fireworks show and that's going to be visible from around Sandy Bottom Park.
Paul Szmal: Ah yeah that's a little bit different and a little more unique way of viewing the fireworks is on the water.
Carolina Taylor: Definitely it's beautiful you know and you can bring a chair, get some food, sit around the parks and just enjoy the view of the lake right next to the fireworks.
Paul Szmal: Absolutely. We are talking with Carolina Taylor from Visit Finger Lakes and in addition to the 4th of July, the month of July is busy with a lot of activities around the region that you can check out and I know a lot of folks look forward to things like car shows. There's one coming up in Manchester.
Carolina Taylor: Yes, in July 12th there's going to be the 5th annual car show and this is a must visit for people who love cars and this is going to bring together an impressive lineup of vintage cars, trucks and specialty vehicles and they're also going to have local vendors, food and family friendly activities.
Paul Szmal: And then coming up July 14th through the 21st something called Community Days, Lincoln Hill Farms, what's that all about?
Carolina Taylor: Yeah, so Lincoln Hill Farms has a few days where they have family activities. So they offer craft beer, they offer food, live music, local vendors and people can come and just spend the days and experience all these different things and something fun is that they can also bring their friendly pets. So that's going to be very exciting.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, it's always nice to find out pet friendly activities throughout the region and Lincoln Hill Farms is a pretty neat place. I've been there a couple of times myself. July 18th through the 20th is the Canandaigua Art and Music Festival.
Carolina Taylor: Yes, that's going to be great. It's going to be in the historic Main Street and that's going to bring together around 150 juried artists and local students exhibitions, live art demonstrations so people could come enjoy the business in Main Street and then explore the art scene.
Paul Szmal: And that'll be followed by Chamber Fest Canandaigua. That is actually going to be running in conjunction with the Art and Music Festival. That'll run July 17th through the 25th.
Carolina Taylor: Yeah, so that's going to bring world-class chamber music to the Finger Lakes and there are going to be different concerts and events all throughout Canandaigua and the Lake House and some other venues.
Paul Szmal: And moving on as we look at some of the other activities later on in July, July 24th is the start of the Ontario County Fair.
Carolina Taylor: Yeah, so if people like and enjoy local agriculture, they're going to love Ontario County Fair. This brings together, as I said, local agriculture, just development and the community spirit of the Finger Lakes and Ontario County. And that's going to feature activities, animal shows, live music, food vendors, so they can come and enjoy all this stuff.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, the Ontario County Fair is one of many great small-town fairs that we have throughout the course of the Finger Lakes region. If you want to get a taste of local flavor and see what local agriculture is all about, I recommend checking out one of the fairs in the region when they are happening. And then there are events that are happening concurrently on July 26th and 27th. We'll start with the Lakefront Art Show in Canandaigua.
Carolina Taylor: Yes, so the Lakefront Art Show is going to be at Kershaw Park, and they're going to feature artwork from local and regional artists, so people can come and explore all these booths right next to the lake.
Paul Szmal: Sounds like that's going to be a good time. And then there's the Indigenous Music and Arts Festival, July 26th and 27th. I'm intrigued by this one.
Carolina Taylor: Yes, this one's going to be at Canandaigua State Historic Site. This is going to be between, as you said, July 26th and 27th. And this is just an invitation for people to come and celebrate the Indigenous community and, you know, creativity. They're going to have special guests, they're going to have storytelling, social dancing, music, and Native American arts market, family activities, Indigenous cuisine, and a lot of different things for people who want to come and explore this part of the culture of the Finger Lakes.
Paul Szmal: And then, as if that wasn't enough, the month of July is packed and stacked with activities. We have stuff to look forward to right at the beginning of August.
Carolina Taylor: Yes, so August is going to be a busy month too, but at the beginning of August, people can start planning for first the Garlic Festival, which is going to be the first weekend. And that's going to be held at the Geneva Lakefront, and they can come and join more than 50 farms and vendors that's going to offer just a lot of garlic goodies and food, and it's going to be a garlic paradise. And then also that same weekend in August 2nd and 3rd, they can check out the Sauerkraut Weekend in Phelps, and that's going to feature Marketplace vendors, events, and the Phelps Sauerkraut Weekend 5K and 20K, which is the oldest race in the Finger Lakes.
Paul Szmal: I love that, a garlic paradise. It sounds like that should be one of those Food Network TV shows. Oh my God, I can't wait to go and eat everything.
Carolina Taylor: Oh yeah, absolutely. Now, if you want to find out more about these or any other events that are happening in the Finger Lakes, there's a great resource. Carolina, what's the website?
Carolina Taylor: Definitely, they can come and visit visitfingerlakes.com, and we have different blog posts with the events, or they can come and go to visitfingerlakes.com slash events. And they can see a listing of all the events happening around Ontario County.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, and believe me, there is a lot to choose from and a lot going on as we head into the summer months here in the Finger Lakes. Carolina, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
Carolina Taylor: Thank you so much. It is 823 on FLX Morning.
