Grand and Glorious Fall Fair Returns to Neahwa Park on Sept. 13

By JAYLEN LAMPRON
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA

The Grand and Glorious Fall Fair will return to Oneonta’s Neahwa Park on Sunday, September 13, bringing vendors, live music, family entertainment and a major fundraising opportunity for the Catskill Choral Society. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and marks the fifth year the fair has been held at the city park.

While visitors may come for the shopping, food and fun, organizers emphasize that the event plays an important role in sustaining one of the region’s longest-standing community arts organizations.

“This event is a fundraising event,” said fair coordinator Ken Schaaf. “The Catskill Choral Society is a community choral group in Oneonta that provides cultural enrichment in the Oneonta area in the way of classical and popular choral music.”

Schaaf said proceeds help the organization cover expenses ranging from musician fees and rehearsal space to accompanist and director salaries. He noted that membership dues and ticket sales cover only part of the society’s operating costs, making fundraising events like the annual fair especially important.

The Catskill Choral Society has been performing for more than 55 years and draws singers from across the region. Publicity coordinator Emma Kirsch described the breadth of the organization, saying it includes “anywhere from 60 to 70 voices.”

She added, “We come from all over, from at least 22 counties. We do a variety of classic and occasionally popular pieces.”

Kirsch said the fair itself has deep roots in Oneonta.

“For maybe 30 years we were the Grand and Glorious Garage Sale, and there were vendors up and down Main Street,” she explained.

The event moved to Neahwa Park five years ago and evolved into the Grand and Glorious Fall Fair, expanding its focus beyond a traditional garage sale format. In an interview with AllOtsego, Kirsch emphasized that the event is now firmly established as a community fall celebration while continuing its fundraising mission.

This year’s fair is expected to feature at least 11 arts and crafts vendors, five food vendors, farmers’ market participants and roughly 25 miscellaneous vendors. Visitors will find homemade baked goods, fresh produce, jewelry, clothing, books, furniture, fishing gear and a variety of other items, along with informational displays from local organizations.

Entertainment is also a major component of the event. Musical performers scheduled to appear include Jason Starr, Sara Albright, King Konye and the Sweet Adelines, all of whom will perform from the Neawha Park bandshell. Families can also enjoy appearances by BJ the Clown and Mike the Juggler.

A new attraction this year will be a golf chipping contest, where participants attempt to chip shots toward a target hole. Schaaf referred to the addition when discussing plans for the fair, saying, “I even implemented a golf event where you can do trick shots!”

Beyond raising money, organizers say the event is intended to strengthen local connections.

“We do it for fun, but also to provide art [and] a cultural type of experience for the community,” Schaaf said.

He expanded on that idea by saying that the fair “will offer the community an opportunity to get out and enjoy the September weather, as well as an opportunity to socialize. I hope it will promote community bonding. It should be a fun event.”

Kirsch expressed a similar view of the fair’s role in Oneonta, saying, “It’s a fundraiser, but also hopefully an asset to the community.”

The event is supported by NBT Bank, Reinhardt Home Heating, Casella Waste Systems, Cooperstown All Star Village, and Country Club Chevrolet. Schaaf also credited city government for helping make the event possible, sharing that “the City of Oneonta, in particular the Department of Parks and Recreation, has also been instrumental in making the fair possible.”

For local residents, the fair offers a chance to enjoy live entertainment, shop from regional vendors and support an organization that has been bringing choral music to the Oneonta area for more than five decades.

Said Schaaf, “Hope to see you there!”

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.