OBSERVER Staff Report
Music, music, and more music. If you enjoy live music, the Dunkirk Lighthouse is the place to be this weekend.
The Dunkirk Cultural District will hold its second annual festival at the city landmark beginning Friday and running through Sunday. This year the festival has expanded to give the Dunkirk Cultural District, the Adams Art Gallery, the Dunkirk Historical Museum and the Dunkirk Lighthouse an opportunity to share information with the public about these great cultural gems in Northern Chautauqua County as well as an opportunity to generate revenue to keep the "Culturals" of Dunkirk viable and alive to serve the public.
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The music begins Friday at 6 p.m. with Westfield band Cloud Called 9, followed at 8 p.m. by Big Leg Emma, an energetic band based in the Jamestown area. Back together after a two-year hiatus, Big Leg Emma's music is based in traditional music with folk, bluegrass, country, psychedelic and contemporary rock providing the foundation for the band's dance-provoking sounds.
Saturday will find four bands providing musical entertainment beginning at 2 p.m. with Tommy Link. East Clintwood comes on at 4 p.m. followed by Well Worn Boot at 6 p.m. and The Town Pants at 8 p.m., another band that provides the energy to close out the evening with some dancing.
Sunday's music begins at 2 p.m. with Three Dollar Bill, a family folk group from Forestville, followed at 4 p.m. by Raggedy. At 6 p.m., Buffalo band La Krema will close out the festival with its Latin-based energetic music.
The Cultural District is able to produce this festival at no door cost to the public with generous donations from both the public and the private sector. It is an important mission of these groups to make this festival available to everyone. The Cultural District is hoping to generate donations at the door from anyone who is able, as well as selling food, beverages and beer to generate revenue.
Sponsors are always welcome to donate and join in with those who have already provided generous donations: Dom Polski Club, First Ward Falcon Club, Walmart, Robert Basil Chevrolet Buick Cadillac, Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, Nestle Purina, NRG, and The Great Blue Heron Music Festival.
This year the festival is also offering sites for artists or vendors to set up spaces on the light house lawn, if interested please contact us adams.art@live.com.
The Dunkirk Cultural District was formed as a result of a decrease in available government funding. In response to this, creative and innovative solutions needed to be found to keep the doors open, the heat on and the programs available to the public. The city of Dunkirk may be small in comparison to other cities but the cultural viability is very much alive.
The Adams Art Gallery hosts art shows year round, small intimate concerts and has a dance studio conduct dance classes to name a few projects ongoing.
The Dunkirk Historical Museum is actually a very vibrant museum not only looking at past history but current history in the making with a lively folk arts program featuring dancing, music and puppet shows.
The Dunkirk Lighthouse is always updating and maintaining the beautiful grounds on the shores of Lake Erie as well as hosting a great archeological site and light house tours.
Cultural activities draw people from other parts of the country and the world. In 2010, this concert, a one-day event, drew tourism from Buffalo, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Increased tourism helps support local businesses.
Anyone wishing to sponsor the festival can email adams.art@live.com or mail 600 Central Ave. Dunkirk, NY 14048, or check out the website www.adamsart.org.
