(WNY News Now) – DUNKIRK, NY – Summer is rolling in and Dunkirk is excited to welcome visitors and their families to its beautiful waterfront community along Lake Erie. In addition to Dunkirk’s well-known attractions such as the Dunkirk Lighthouse, Point Gratiot Park, Dunkirk City Pier, Dunkirk Boardwalk Marketplace, Wright Park, Chautauqua County Fair and others, a bunch of exciting family-friendly events are lined up for the upcoming months.
Mayor Kate Wdowiasz, Dunkirk Festivals Department, city council and staff offers a special thanks and recognition to the 2024 returning platinum level sponsor, DFT Communications, and the other valued sponsors who support Dunkirk Festivals and the Dunkirk Local Development Corporation. National Grid is the overall stage sponsor while Advanced Production Group (APG) is the production/stage provider.
The Dunkirk Flea Market, organized by Brian Meyer, will be held Saturdays through August 31 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Route 5 and Washington Avenue parking lot. To become a vendor, please call Meyer at 716-680-0958.
The popular Music on the Pier Summer Concert Series presented by DFT Communications continues Thursday evenings through August 22. New musical acts and concession vendors will be on the Dunkirk Pier and/or Memorial Park.
The following is a lineup of opening bands (5:25 p.m.) and headliner bands (6:45 p.m.) with August 29 and September 5 marked as rain dates:
June 13 – Midnight Recovery/Gypsy Queen – Honoring the Music of Heart and Fleetwood Mac (Women Who Rock Night at park sponsored by KeyBank & Owl Homes of Fredonia)
June 20 – Sequins/Tequila Sunrise Eagles Tribute Band (70’s Night at pier sponsored by Lake Shore Savings Bank)
June 27 – Ion Sky/XOXO Pop Band (Pop Night at pier sponsored by Chautauqua Opportunities) July 5 (Friday date) – The Freeze/Sean Patrick McGraw (Hometown Night at park sponsored by Cattaraugus County Bank)
July 11 – Two Towns/E5C4P3 – The Journey Tribute (Classic Rock Night at pier sponsored by Wells Enterprises & AG Team)
July 18 – Midlife Crisis/Appetite For Voltage – GN’R & AC/DC Tribute (Hard Rock Night at park sponsored by Chautauqua Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and Universal Stainless)
July 25 – Hintz of Thunder/Uncle Ben’s Remedy (Country Rock Night at pier sponsored by Farrell Roofing)
August 1 – Porcelain Busdrivers/Black Widow (Party Music Night at pier sponsored by Brooks – TLC Hospital System, Inc. – Lake Erie Medical Services)
August 8 – Mayflower Hill/Hello City Barenaked Ladies Tribute (Alternative Pop Rock Night at pier sponsored by Nestle Purina)
August 15 – OsbornNash/Tim Britt Band (Country Night at park sponsored by Community Bank and The Resource Center)
August 22 – Reset To Vinyl/For the Love of Money – Eddie Money Tribute/Midnight Blue – Foreigner Tribute (Arena Rock Night at park sponsored by DFT Communications)
The pier will be closed to traffic at 2 p.m. on Thursday concert dates. Guests are reminded to bring a folding chair.
The Dunkirk Farmer’s Market, sponsored by Refresco, starts June 12 and will continue every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through October 9 at the Dunkirk Senior Center. For more information, contact E.J. Hayes at (716) 366-9876.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Chautauqua County Great Strides will host a 2-mile community walk on Saturday, June 15, at Point Gratiot Park with a 10 a.m. check-in and 11 a.m. walk start.
The 28th Annual Juneteenth Celebration is scheduled for June 15 (12 noon – 8 p.m.) and June 16 (12 noon – 6 p.m.) at Memorial Park featuring music, food, African dancing, poetry slam, cornhole tournament, kid’s tent and gospel.
The four-day Fourth of July Celebration (July 3-6) with food/refreshment vendors kicks off Wednesday, July 3 at 5 p.m. with music provided by Ten Cent Howl followed by Two For Flinching at 7:15 p.m. in Memorial Park. The Fourth of July “Back to the Eighties” day starts at 11 a.m. with music by Party McFly (2 p.m.), Furious George (4:30 p.m.) and headliner Nerds Gone Wild (7 p.m.) concluding with Starfire Corporations fireworks – the largest fireworks display in Chautauqua County. A special thanks to the community and business donors who helped defray the cost of the annual fireworks show.
On Friday, July 5 the holiday festival begins at 5 p.m. with Music on the Pier Summer Concert Series for “Hometown Night” with The Freeze (5:25 p.m.) and Sean Patrick McGraw (7 p.m.) at Memorial Park.
The 10th Annual Marauder Trotter 5k Run/Walk take place on Saturday, July 6 at 9 a.m. at Wright Park with a birthday party theme with DJ Joe Gould. A family carnival will be presented in the grassy lawn across from Wright Park Beach from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Race registration is now available at www.runsignup.com. Event questions can be directed to Scott Mekus at 716-720-0564.
A new pop up DJ entertainment series will be held at Wright Park Beach with beach music and prizes on Saturdays, July 6 (DJ Joe Gould), July 20 (Star Search DJ Giulia Giuffre) and August 17 (DJ KT Stylez) from 12 to 2 p.m.
The Music at the Point Sunset Concert Series sponsored by Southern Tier Environments for Living, Inc. (STEL), Lawley Insurance and DFT Communications will perform on the following Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. at Point Gratiot Park: July 10 – Bill Ward, July 17 – Cosmic Cowboys, July 24 – The Trend (STEL VIP Night), July 31 – Classic Rock Allstars, August 7 – Ion Sky, August 14 – Living Room Jam Band (Lawley VIP Night), August 21 – DTO and August 28 – Furious George. The city plans to collaborate with local eateries for Wednesday evening pick up dinner specials.
Washington Park will be the venue for the 2nd Annual Fair in the Square Vendor Market taking place on Saturday, July 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Craft and gift vendors, food trucks, inflatables and kids’ activities will be offered. Footsteps (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.) and Screaming East (1:15 – 4 p.m.) will provide tunes for the day. The event is sponsored by DFT Communications.
On August 3 from 12 noon to 4 p.m. in Washington Park, Highmark BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York Governments Program will host the Community Day in Dunkirk for all community members.
The 31st Annual National Night Out free community event hosted by the Dunkirk Police Department is slated for Tuesday, August 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Washington Park. Bounce houses, Dunkirk Police and Fire Departments, music, food, refreshments, giveaways and an outdoor movie will be available.
The Beach Bash, sponsored by National Grid, DFT Communications and Beach House Bar & Grille, on August 17 (9 a.m. – 9 p.m.) at Wright Park features kickball, volleyball, pickleball and mush ball tournaments, food vendors, dunk tank provided by Awesome Bouncers, inflatables provided by Party With Us and other family activities. Band/DJ performances will be Wright Park Beach DJ KT Stylez (12 – 2 p.m.) and on the main stage with Party McFly (2 p.m.), The Untouchables (4 p.m.) and headliner Grand Illusion – The Music of Styx (6:30 p.m.). An outdoor movie by El Rigby Theater will be shown at dusk at the Wright Park Stadium.
On August 26 (with an August 27 rain date), the City of Dunkirk, DFT Communications, Dunkirk Public Schools and United Way of Northern Chautauqua County, Wells Enterprises, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union will put on a complimentary Back to School Bash at Point Gratiot Park from 4 to 7 p.m. for Dunkirk City School students and their families. DJ Giulia Giuffre of Star Sirch will provide children’s entertainment while a bounce house provided by Party With Us, school supplies, giveaways, food, refreshments and Wells Enterprises ice cream will be available at no cost.
The Dunkirk Heritage Festival, sponsored by Special Metals, LLC and DFT Communications, is scheduled for August 31 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the 64 Lake Shore Drive East lot. The diverse event will feature all types of music, ethnic food, vendors, culture and more.
Dunkirk’s winter holiday events include their Christmas on Central Small Business Saturday Holiday Market on November 30 and Dunkirk Holiday Parade on December 6 in downtown Dunkirk.
Christmas on Central (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.), presented by Hometown Insurance & Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, includes merchant/vendor holiday shopping throughout downtown Dunkirk, live music (11 am – Footsteps, 1 pm – Slim and Red and 3 pm – DJ Joe Gould), free horse drawn wagon rides, Santa Claus/Mrs. Claus/Rudolph visits, holiday ice sculpture demonstration, free hot cocoa, children’s activities, holiday dancers, gift card drawings, annual tree lighting, City of Dunkirk gingerbread exhibit and more.Hometown Insurance and Refresco are sponsoring the Dunkirk Holiday Parade this year on December 6 at 6:30 p.m. on Central Avenue from Third Street to Fifth Street. The theme is “Gingerbread Avenue & Candy Cane Lane” with 5 p.m. pre-parade entertainment provided by Model Citizen at City Hall and parade lineup with check-in at Robin Street and Third Street.
Other city supported events not managed by the City of Dunkirk include the Annual Harbor Cruise hosted by the Lake Shore Street Rod Association on July 7 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. at Point Gratiot. For more information, call Tom Kwiatkowski at (716) 870-2339.
The Chautauqua County Fair at 1089 Central Avenue in Dunkirk will run July 16 through July 21. For more information, contact the fair office at (716) 366-4752.
Here’s to another great summer in Dunkirk, New York! For more information about Dunkirk’s summer schedule of events, local attractions, sponsor or vendor opportunities, please visit www.cityofdunkirk.com, Facebook at Dunkirk Festivals & Special Events or contact Scott Mekus (716) 366-9848 or smekus@cityofdunkirk.com.
Leave a Reply