Dozens of Farm Festival volunteers poured into the Trustees Room of Fredonia Village Hall Monday to give village board members a visual of just how beloved the annual affair is to the local region. The board subsequently gave its unanimous blessing to hold the event in Barker Common, with Trustee Marc Ruckman absent.

“I’m proud to live in a community where people will step up, and I’d just like to let the mayor and the council know that,” Farm Festival co-organizer Joseph Kwiatkowski told the board after asking his fellow volunteers to stand and be recognized. “I thank you, these people thank you and the thousands of people who will be here the last weekend in August thank you, especially since this council will vote that it will not rain then.”

Mayor Athanasia Landis thanked the volunteers for their commitment to the festival.

“I can’t even imagine that this is a lot of work we have to do from now to the end of August,” she added. “I can’t even imagine, but I applaud you, and if you need any help …”

OBSERVER Photo by Greg Fox Fredonia Farm Festival volunteers attended Monday’s village board meeting en masse to show officials that the community has responded to a plea for more helping hands in planning the beloved event.

On April 19, the OBSERVER reported the Farm Festival was in danger of being canceled this year due to a shortage of helping hands for the planning stages. Committee Chairwoman Evonne Hennebery reported a handful of volunteers could not take on the massive amount of work to be done.

“We need help,” Hennebery stated in that article, titled “Calling all volunteers.”

Five days later, 28 people showed up to a committee meeting.

“It was wonderful,” Hennebery told the OBSERVER on Monday. “So, we have a large list of volunteers that will certainly help us with the Farm Festival, which is a relief. So, it’s moving along very well.”

The number has continued to balloon from 28 volunteers to 38 as of now.

Hennebery pointed out the committee held a meeting at the Fredonia Grange No. 1 just prior to Monday’s village board meeting, thus gathering the volunteers together so they could show up to the board meeting en masse.

“I mentioned that whoever was able to come over to show support for the Farm Festival (could come), and so we had a very good turnout for that, which was wonderful,” Hennebery said.

Anyone else who is interested in helping put on the Farm Festival or donating to the cause may call Hennebery at 640-6943.

The 49th Farm Festival is slated for Aug. 25, 26 and 27 in downtown Fredonia.

Email: gfox@observertoday.com. Twitter: @gfoxnews