Live music, food, vendors, kid's activities, and a car cruise have drawn people to Oakfield for Labor Daze this weekend.
On Monday, Oakfield will host its annual Labor Day Parade at 10 a.m.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
Three days of fun, food, music, and activities to celebrate Labor Day start tomorrow in Oakfield.
It's the 38th Annual Oakfield Labor Daze, which includes Oakfield's annual parade at 10 a.m. on Monday.
The family-friendly event is alcohol-free and centers around Triangle Park in the Village of Oakfield.
Along with live music, food, children's events, and the parade, there is a car cruise, 5K race, fireworks, craft vendors, and a community worship service on Sunday.
For more information, visit the Oakfield Betterment Committee's website.
Photo: Members of the Oakfield Betterment Committee and helpers at Triangle Park during event preperations today, Joel D'Alba, Maria Thompson, Maxxum Waterson, Chris Marcott, Lincoln Waterson, Christopher Dickens, Jamie Lindsley, Scott D'Alba, Darla Allen, and Jeff Allen. Photo by Howard Owens.
Aerial photos of yesterday's Labor Day Parade in Oakfield by Timothy Wojkowski.
Photos by Timothy Wojkowski
The fun continues -- and continues today -- at Labor Daze in Oakfield, including a classic car show at Crazy Cheap Cars.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
Sunshine, fun, and food marked Day 1 of Labor Daze in Oakfield on Saturday. The festivities continue today.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
Several new elements have been added to the return of Oakfield’s Labor Daze three-day event this weekend. A new location for an old favorite promises to be spectacular, Oakfield Betterment Committee President Jamie Lindsley says.
“It will be a high velocity, rapid-fire, dazzling fireworks display,” she said while setting up the venue Thursday evening. “Because of the ongoing capital improvement project at the school, the fireworks will be in the Town Park on Drake Street. It’s a more intimate setting.” (Rain date is Monday.)
Although fireworks usually cap off an event, this one on Sunday is tucked in between a jam-packed schedule that begins with the Oakfield 5K at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and ends with basket and cash raffle drawings at 8:30 p.m. Monday.
New elements include the 5K course, which will begin and end at Triangle Park to keep it “central to this location,” Lindsley said. Participants — walkers and runners alike — can still register at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Proceeds from the event will go to Genesee Cancer Assistance in honor of longtime Oakfield resident Ralph Esten Jr., who lost his battle with cancer at 40 in June of this year. Fee is $30, and medals will be awarded to top winners.
There will be plenty of parking Lindsley said, in municipal lots on Main and Drake streets and on side streets.
Kids shouldn’t be bored with a bustling line-up of activities for children and teenagers from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The Kiddie Fun Daze will feature Just Clowning Around Magic Show at 12:15 p.m. and “lots of prizes for kids’ games,” Lindsley said.
Other new components are some tasty additions to the regular festival fare of hamburgers, hotdogs and kielbasa. Sweet corn on the cob and walking tacos will also be on the menu. Never had a walking taco? Open a bag of crunchy Doritos tortilla chips and top it with ground beef, various taco seasonings, sauce, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. Then add a fork and go. Anywhere. Hence, the walking part of the taco has become a hit at parties and other special events. A few food trucks will round out the smorgasbord of appetite quenchers.
A parade boasting marching bands and newcomer Buffalo Ghostbusters will line up at the fire hall and begin at Seneca and Main streets. Spectators should plan to be there about 30 minutes early before road closures prevent them from getting a good spot on the parade route between Seneca and Drake streets/Route 262.
Buffalo Ghostbusters, with their signature logo of a red circle and slash mark over a ghost holding a chicken wing, features what the name implies: a fun group of aptly dressed ghostbusters with related gear and vehicles. The parade is at 10 a.m. Monday as a craft show of 35 vendors begins an eight-hour selling fest from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Musical entertainment will fill the air all three days, with everything from country and classic rock to honky-tonk and a tribute to the Beatles. That kicks off with the Hastings Duo at 1 p.m. Saturday and Hit N’ Run to close the event from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday.
All of this has been pulled off by a strong core of eight board members, a dozen regular committee members, and “hundreds of volunteers,” Lindsley said. A late decision to move forward with the event meant little lead time (they began about three months ago), and more chores outside of their regular day jobs.
“It typically takes 12 months to plan an event,” Lindsley said. “It’s only possible with a really incredible and talented team. Every one of our members is busy during their workday, and they put in many hours here.”
Committee Vice President Ritchie Kirkum added that a slate of generous donors also made Labor Daze feasible. The event was missed during its pandemic-related hiatus in 2020.
“We’re excited to bring it back after a year. We want to see everyone back and together at Triangle Park,” Kirkum said while helping to build food stands. “We’re really grateful for the sponsors.”
Yet another new offering this year is the big cash raffle. The grand prize is $10,000. Tickets are $25 and only 1,000 are being sold, he said. Proceeds from the cash raffle will help to offset the expenses of the event and go toward future community improvement projects and other committee goals. Kirkum and Lindsley noted the in-kind services donated by the village and town, such as assisting with necessary permits, road closures, and signage for the event.
Given the event’s epicenter is Triangle Park, it is only fitting that a small celebration is to honor the longtime staple of this community. Triangle Park was gifted to the community in 1921. Oakfield Historical Society members will pay tribute to the park’s 100th birthday with a centennial dedication and a little local history at 11 a.m. Sunday.
The only other item on their list now is good weather. A recent forecast shows moderate temperatures in the 70s and cloudy sunshine.
“We’re really happy it’s not going to be in the 90s, and it will be cooler weather,” Lindsley said, acknowledging perhaps the only activity that’s truly climate dependent. “There’s also a car cruise. We’ve had up to 80 cars in the past. We’re hoping for great weather ... I wouldn’t be surprised if we have quite a few.”
The 2021 schedule for Labor Daze at Triangle Park is below:
Saturday, September 4:
Sunday, September 5:
FIREWORKS!
Monday, September 6:
Photo: File photo by Howard Owens
Oakfield Labor Daze will be held September 4-6 at Triangle Park, in the village of Oakfield. This year marks its 37th year. There will be three full days of live music, plus food vendors, craft show, basket raffle, HUGE $15k CASH RAFFLE, Kiddie Fun Daze, Car Show, Parade, balloon artists, fireworks show and much more. The entire list of entertainment, food & events can be found at OakfieldBetterment.com or on Facebook @OakfieldBetterment
It looks like there will be a Labor Daze celebration in Oakfield in 2021 after all.
Jamie Lindsley said the Oakfield Betterment Committee "jumped at the chance to reevaluate" hosting the event with COVID-19 restrictions lifted.
"Everything is planned and ready to go," Lindsley said. "Now we just need our local officials to help us get this done in a very compressed time frame."
Lindsley confirmed today that both the town and village are on board with supporting putting together a Labor Daze celebration even on short notice.
"What both are able to do complement each other and we're able to move forward," she said.
The late start on planning means a lot of work for a lot of people over the next three months.
"There are many challenges we will face in the planning of this event this year," Lindsley said. "From sponsorships to volunteers, we will need a lot of help getting Labor Daze going on short notice."
Photo: File photo from 2018 Labor Day Parade in Oakfield.
Press release:
It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that the Oakfield Betterment Committee Board must announce the cancellation of this year’s Oakfield Labor Daze in Triangle Park.
We know that this will come as an enormous disappointment, not only to the vendors, volunteers but to our amazing community who were looking forward to another exciting Oakfield Labor Daze this year.
This is not a decision we have taken lightly and there are a few overriding concerns due to COVID-19 that have caused us to make this decision at this time.
Labor Daze is a tradition that is and has always been funded by our wonderful sponsors. In uncertain economic times like these, our wonderful sponsors have the difficult struggle and decision to not only keep, or to not keep, employees, but to keep their door open. Oakfield Labor Daze should not be a decision they are confronted with, nor one we should present to them.
Second, our primary concern is the health and safety of EVERYONE who attends Labor Daze, which includes our committee, volunteers, food, craft and game vendors to YOU, our community, who has welcomed back Labor Daze to Triangle park with open arms.
In closing, with all these factors and uncertainty, we had to make this difficult decision.
As the weeks and months pass, we will be re-evaluating the situation and will be looking for a safe and responsible way to have a celebration during Labor Day weekend. We also look forward to getting a head start on other events that the Oakfield Betterment Committee has done in the past, new event ideas, and Oakfield Labor Daze 2021.
Please stay safe, healthy and continue to show warmth to others in these trying times.
This year’s 35th annual Labor Days in the park celebration will last for three days from Sept. 1 to 3 and will be held in its original location at Triangle Park in Oakfield.
In prior years, the event has been held in Elroy D. Parkins Town Park in Oakfield, for one day of celebration.
The original Labor Daze was a one-time celebration of the town’s anniversary. The community wanted to turn it into an annual event and a committee was later formed to keep it going.
At a certain point, there was a lack of volunteers, said Jamie Lindsley, the chairperson of the Oakfield Betterment Committee.
“That happens to a lot of volunteer organizations,” Lindsley said. “They appealed to the community to get more volunteers, but that didn’t happen.”
The Town of Oakfield took over, they moved the location, and then the tradition continued.
“It was still a very nice event,” Lindsley said. “We just never really saw the success and public participation at the new location.”
Prior to Labor Daze last year, they decided they would move the location back to Triangle Park and have been working to plan the event ever since.
“We finally have the town and village government officials on board,” Lindsley said. “We knew the first year moving it back, was going to be a lot of work so we were prepared for it.”
Lindsley said there have been lots of volunteers from all walks of life, with the entire community represented.
After deciding to move the location back to Triangle Park, many people expressed interest in the event.
“In the '80s, they used to have a flatbed truck to block off the street and have the bands perform on those,” Lindsley said. “The laws are a bit different now, so we have to go through a much more rigorous process of having the closure of the street approved. We have all of that in the works.”
Also, a professional company will be providing stages, sound and lighting. They’re nationally known, and Lindsley said they’ve really worked with them on the price.
The three-day event will have a magician, face-painting, a 5K race, car cruise, kids' games, dunk tank, a parade, arts and crafts vendors, a DJ, fireworks and more. A full schedule of events and entertainment will be posted on the website when the date gets closer, here.
All food vendors will be operated by nonprofit organizations, school and community groups. None of the volunteers stand to profit from the event.
“We don’t have any outside people coming in to make money off of this event,” Lindsley said. “It’s all about community organizations and raising money for their needs.”
Funds received from the Kiddie Fun Daze will be going toward a wheelchair ramp for the children’s library.
“The children’s library is on the basement level,” Lindsley said. “We would like it to be accessible for everyone.”
The gazebo in the middle of the park is also being revamped for the event.
“It’s 30 years old and needs some attention,” Lindsley said. “The electric in the park is going to be updated, and the stage, sound and lights will be updated.”
The costs to operate the free, family-friendly, alcohol-free event are significant, and the Oakfield Betterment committee is looking for donations and sponsors.
In the late '80s, the budget to run this event was $6,000, Lindsley said.
“We are keeping it less than that, but it still costs a lot of money to run the festival,” Lindsley said. “We welcome any and all support we can get.”
Donations can be made by check to: Oakfield Betterment Committee, PO Box 2, Oakfield, NY 14125 with “Labor Daze” in the memo line, or directly to the GoFundMe campaign located here.
“The event is free, there’s a great sense of community, you get to dance in the street, and support a number of great causes,” Lindsley said.
To purchase prints, click here.
P.S.: I'm not adopting any of the dogs Volunteers for Animals brought to the parade today. Promise.
Here's some drone footage shared by Timothy Wojkowski.
Layla and Elizabeth, both 4 years old, dance to the music of the Old Hippies as their float passes by on Main Street in Oakfield during the community's annual Labor Day parade.
Remember Rocky? He's the dog whom authorities say was scaled by hot water. His owner surrendered ownership in court. He's living at the Animal Shelter still. He's one of several dogs Volunteers for Animals walked through the parade, all in need of adoption. Rocky is a sweet, loving canine. Hopefully, he finds a new forever home soon.
Willie Brooks, center with sash, was the Grand Marshall. Brooks is a former county legislator and longtime volunteer and leader in the Oakfield community.
The start of the parade, which tradition preserved as Sheriff Gary Maha leads the way.
Vietnam Veterans of America Color Guard.
The longest line yet of classic cars in the parade.
Legislator Ray Cianfrini tosses candy from the GOP float.
Oakfield-Alabama Hornets football team.
To purchase prints of these photos or those in the slideshow, click here.
Here's a sampling of what there was to see and do and eat at Labor Days in Oakfield today. Festivities continue tomorrow, with the parade at 10 a.m.
Oakfield, as part of its Labor Days celebration, closed out the parade season in Genesee County once again in style, with its biggest parade yet (lasting an hour and 20 minutes).
This year's theme was a salute to agriculture, with Dean Norton, NYS Farm Bureau president, walking this parade as Grand Marshall. He was joined on the route by his family.
To purchase prints, and ensure you'll have copies of these photos years from now, click here.
Photographer Amanda Earl attended Oakfield Labor Days today and sent in these photos.
Tomorrow, 10 a.m., the parade. I hope to see you there.
Participants in the 5K race: Michael Harasimowicz, Justin Harasimowicz, Jennifer Kirkum and Ritchie Kirkum.
Elaine Forti was honored to be Grand Marshal of the Oakfield Labor Days Parade. She was surprised when current and former students started singing the Oakfield-Alabama spirit song, "Nothing Is Going to Stop Us Now." Forti wrote the lyrics for the song in 1988.
Each year, the Oakfield parade seems to grow a little bigger and it's always well attended.
Here are some shots -- including one you've probably never seen before: A City of Batavia Fire Department truck in a parade outside the city.
To purchase prints of photos, click here.
NOTE: It turns out, not all of the pictures have finished uploading yet ... in progress ...
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