7th Annual Lily Festival Bigger Than Ever

By Joshua Walther

SCHOHARIE - Lily Park came alive once again this spring, and not only with its daylily namesake. Instead, tents bloomed like flowers under the hot afternoon sun as the Promotional Association held its annual Lily Festival.

What originally started out as a simple gathering seven years ago has now turned into the pride of Schoharie, requiring months of planning and even coordinated parking in order to draw people in from all over the northeast.

However, the Promotional Association couldn’t be happier to tackle the challenge. President Darlene Patterson presided over the grounds last Saturday, making sure to attend to all seventy five vendors that were present.

The atmosphere was nothing short of a mini Sunshine Fair. Each of the tents offered food, jewelry, trinkets, wall hangings, wood carvings, and so much more, and there were further events still for dog contests, therapy pigs, birds of prey exhibits and live music.

And yet, even with all of the festivities, the amount of things to do was still outclassed by the people in attendance. Lily Park was swarmed by hundreds of wandering patrons, drawn in from surrounding counties and even other states from previous news coverage.

Mrs. Patterson said that she stopped counting the revelers early, but she was floored by the event’s success, stating “We appreciate everyone coming and the volunteers who donated their time.”

She wasn’t alone in her sentiment, as many of the vendors themselves were all too happy to serve their customers. Jim Ackerman, the man behind Ooh Fudge It’s homemade fudge, couldn’t be seen with anything but a smile on his face.

Mr. Ackerman explained that although he’s used to other local events like the Sunshine Fair or Middleburgh’s Fourth Fridays, he appreciated the energy of the festival, only hoping for “more fudge conducive weather” for next year.

His attitude was shared even among those coming from further away, as well. Erica Means and her Schenectady-based business OldWolfs Run braved the trip out as a “labor of love,” going further to say “It’s nice to have a town event where people really come out like this.”

With the phenomenal growth of the festival, vendors, attendees, and the Promotional Association themselves are already looking forward to next year’s gathering, which may prove to reach even greater heights.