Nine bands to perform at South Buffalo Irish Festival -
The 16th annual Irish Festival will be held on Saturday, September 3, in Cazenovia Park. The event is free, begins at 11 am and continues into the evening with a cavalcade of fireworks.
Nine bands will perform Irish and American music throughout the day.
Among the bands scheduled are Barley Juice, from Philadelphia, PA. who the festival has named the headline act for the event.
The Gobshites from Boston and The Muckers from Atlanta are also scheduled to arrive for the show.
Desire, a U2 tribute band will comes from Hamilton, Ontario.
In addition to these groups there are local acts set to perform, including Jack Mahone, Crikwater, Southside Sod Busters, Blarney Bunch and Geno McManus, who is an inductee of the Buffalo Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Irish dance groups Rince na Tiarna and Clann na Cara will present traditional and modern steps of authentic Irish dance.
There will also be activities for children from 2 to 6 pm and include a rock-climbing wall, laser tag, Fun Putt mini golf, face painting, caricatures, temporary tattoos, scrap booking and the Erie County Sheriff’s Children’s ID Program.
The Irish Festival will also offer on sale food from The Brick Oven Bistro, Imperial Pizza, Potter’s Field, The Blackthorn Restaurant, Irish N Heat, Mark Marth’s Sausage and Antone’s Hoagy truck.
South Buffalo Football and Burkey’s Sportswear will sell sports gear.
This annual free event is made possible through a host of volunteers and the sponsorship of a contingent of South Buffalo friends: These include: South District Councilmember Chris Scanlon, Al Steele and Hannah Demolition; Congressman Brian Higgins, State Senator Tim Kennedy, Assemblyman Mickey Kearns, City Comptroller Mark Schroeder, Councilmember Rich Fontana, the American Irish Legislative Society, Larkin Development, CityView Construction Management (Larkin), Basil Resale South, Imperial Pizza, Brick Oven Bistro, Potter’s Field, Burkey’s Sportswear, Maxwell Murphy, Ellicott Development, Friends of Tony Masiello, Rigidized Metals, Try It Distributing, Legacy Financial Group and Wright Beverage Distributing., Goin’ South Underground, Commissioner Steve Stepniak, Jim Neenan and his Vandelay Industries backstage crew, and Sean Sullivan who installed the “gateway to the festival” Irish flags in Caz Park.
Because of the large size of the crowds expected to attend this free community festival, organizers say they still welcome sponsors and volunteers.
Contact Ray McGurn at 716- 983-8094. To see the schedule and for more information, visit the website: www.southbuffaloirishfestival.
