COTH Festival Ready To Rock Starting Friday Night

By KRISTIAN CONNOLLY
ONEONTA

There’s a new twist to Oneonta’s City of the Hills Festival this year, as the annual event will kick off with an evening block party from 5-10 p.m. on Friday, September 13 before the typical Main Street event on Saturday afternoon.

The City of the Hills Festival is put on each year by the Community Arts Network of Oneonta, and CANO Executive Director Hope Von Stengel connected with Iron String Press in the lead-up to this year’s event.

“This year, the [COTH Festival] committee decided to kick off the festival with a block party at CANO Friday night,” said Von Stengel, “and limit the festival to Main Street only Saturday afternoon instead of hosting vendors, performances, and activities on Main Street and CANO simultaneously Saturday and Sunday. This way, our organizers and volunteers are not spread thin and we can focus our energies [on] bringing more attendees to Main Street on Saturday for businesses.”

At the Friday block party, “vendors, performances, Karin Bremer’s mural unveiling, a craft beer garden, Ty’s Taco-Ria, and art activities will take place at 11 Ford Avenue on CANO’s grounds, the Art Studio, and Wilber Mansion,” according to the festival website. 

The festival continues Saturday, September 14 from noon to 5 p.m. on Main Street, with food trucks, downtown shopping and restaurants, even more vendors and art activities, performances, music, a downtown art walk featuring ARCAG by Joseph Von Stengel, photo-op cutouts by local artists—Von Stengel noted that “this initiative was organized by Shakedown Street owner Vicki Hurlburt, and it is efforts like this that make our area so special”—and a portable mural by artist James McIlroy. 

For a full festival schedule, map and more, visit cityofthehillsfest.org. 

Also unique this year, the festival ends with a 7 p.m. ticketed film screening of “Anomaly,” created by Laurens Central School graduates Ryan Jenkins and Spencer Sherry, at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center. For tickets to “Anomaly,” which cost $20.00 in advance and $25.00 the day of the show, visit foothillspac.org. For more on Jenkins’ and Sherry’s film, see our story on AllOtsego.com [https://www.allotsego.com/laurens-grads-generating-buzz-on-festival-circuit/].

Overall, Von Stengel was grateful for the help that the entire community provides in order to make the festival happen, but there was particular gratitude expressed for the festival committee.

“This is a festival that brings the entire community together,” said Von Stengel. “Many organizations and groups provide free activities for the public to enjoy at the festival. However, the festival wouldn’t happen without the hard work and dedication of City of the Hills Festival committee members. In late 2019, a new all-volunteer committee decided to breathe new life into the festival through rebranding, dedicated marketing, re-organizing the festival and so much more. While committee members come and go, it is the hard work and dedication of this committee that makes the event happen.”

As with many such undertakings, Von Stengel cited funding as the biggest challenge to bringing the festival to the community. With that in mind, CANO’s executive director made sure to highlight the impact of the festival’s sponsors.

“There are only so many sources of funding locally, so the event relies heavily on volunteer hours and inexpensive ways to promote the event,” Von Stengel said. “We were fortunate to receive a grant from Earlville Opera House that covers some administrative costs. … Obviously, without the support of festival sponsors there would be very little funding for marketing and paying artists and performers, so we have them to thank for providing things like the murals and music.”

When asked what kinds of feelings and emotions come up once the festival is underway, Von Stengel described a full spectrum. 

“There is a sense of joyousness mixed with anxiety,” said Von Stengel. “Are vendors happy? Are things behind the scenes running smoothly? Yet, seeing the community show up in a big way for the artists and performers gives me the biggest high imaginable.”

What does Von Stengel look forward to the most each year? 

“My favorite part of the festival is walking around and watching all of the working parts come together after nearly a year of planning,” said Von Stengel. “From the artists and performers to businesses and organizations, this is a community-supported event that shows magic can happen when people work together.”

Von Stengel also addressed why events like the City of the Hills Festival are so important for the community.

“The arts have the opportunity to impact an area in such a meaningful way, especially at an event this big, because artists and creatives present everything to a broad audience at this one event—years of experience, passion, self-expression and hard work—and people feel that,” said Von Stengel. “Showcasing a diversity of performers and artists is important because CANO’s City of the Hills Festival aims to be a welcoming event where everyone is represented and engaged.

“I am so proud of how much this event has grown. The arts community is one of the area’s greatest resources, so we need more opportunities that showcase their talents,” Von Stengel added.