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.