August 22, 2022
Second Annual Celebrate Cascade - Sunday, September 18, 2022
Octoberfest Volksmarch – Sunday, October 23, 2022
Penn Yan, New York – As demolition crews continue their important work of removing the old, derelict manufacturing and milling facilities that have hugged Cascade Falls for nearly two centuries, Friends of the Outlet, Inc. (FOTO) are busy finalizing plans for the second annual Celebrate Cascade on September 18, 2022, and also introducing a new Octoberfest Volksmarch, a German-themed community walk on October 23, 2022. Both events are FREE, family-friendly and will give trail users the chance to appreciate the fall foliage while enjoying live music, an assortment of refreshments and other activities.
Similar to last year, Celebrate Cascade on Sunday, September 18 from 12 noon – 4:00pm will offer free live music by The Soul Section of Geneva, and a second band, St. Vith will also perform. Various lawn games, such as corn hole, ring toss, bocce and Frisbee will be available, as well as children’s activities. Food truck vendors Hangry Bickering, LaMonarka and Seneca Farms Creamery will be the featured food providers. Climbing Bines, Lake Drum, and The Laurentide Brewery will have taps flowing while Anthony Road Winery and Scout Vineyards will be pouring their featured wines. The following local artists and vendors will have their booths set up to show and share their wares and creativity: Lavender Crest Farm, Primitive Garden Shop, Black Oak Wool Company, Keuka by Crissy – The Art Studio.
The second annual Celebrate Cascade is being made possible with sponsorship support from Bernunzio Uptown Music, Lyons National Bank and Stork Insurance Agency.
“This year’s Celebrate Cascade is going to be particularly special as the demolition work will be completed and people will have views and access to the water’s edge like never before in our lives!” Steve Stork, FOTO president said. “Together will we honor the unique history of the waterway that connects two of the Finger Lakes, while marveling at the breathtaking natural beauty of the Cascade waterfall on an early autumn day. Participants of all ages are encouraged to bring their cameras, folding chairs, and maybe their fishing gear or dancing shoes.” In addition, bringing a little cash will be handy to enjoy and support the local fare.
A month later on Sunday, October 23, 2022, Keuka Outlet Trail and the new pavilion at Cascade Falls will host the first-ever in Yates County volksmarch in a collaborative walking event with the American Volkssport Association (AVA). Also known as America’s Walking Club, the AVA is a non-competitive sports organization committed to fun, fitness and friendship drawing on the German term “volkssport” which means “the sport of the people.” There are over 200 active AVA clubs nationwide and more than 2,500 volkssports activities each year. Participates set their own pace be it walking, biking, swimming, canoeing, or snow sports such as cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
Participants of Yates County inaugural Octoberfest Volksmarch will begin gathering for a 5K or 10K walk at 10:00am with the goal of finishing by 1:00pm. Walkers, hikers, bikers, supporters and friends seeking a fun afternoon on the KOT will begin gathering at the Cascade Pavilion for the German-themed Octoberfest that runs from 12 noon – 3:00pm. The Apple Strudel Gang will take the stage providing live music with an ‘omm pah pah’ beat, and there will be plenty of beer, wine, bratwursts plus an assortment of other refreshments.
“This new Octoberfest brings together the people and purpose of two terrific organizations that will equally benefit from knowing about each other,” Robert Schwarting, an AVA member and also a FOTO board member. “AVA is a great group of folks who love being active outdoors and I’m excited about introducing some existing members to our amazing Keuka Outlet Trail, as well as all the incredible amenities we know and love in Yates County. Local people who appreciate outdoor fun with fitness while making new friends should consider joining our Volksmarch on October 23.”
For more than a hundred years Keuka Outlet waterway hosted mill races, sluices, gears, shafts and multiple buildings all housing the water wheels of hydropower and an assortment of different industries. Through the many decades, these facilities employed hundreds of people and fed thousands more. Gradually, as commerce changed the hydropower uses of yesteryear gave way to the recreational uses of today.
The Keuka Outlet Trail is open year-round as the waters of Keuka Lake flow approximately eight miles east to Seneca Lake. As the waterway drop 270 feet in altitude from Penn Yan on the west end to Dresden, New York on the east it can be a raging river or a babbling brook depending on the time of year. In 1984, a group of local citizens formed Friends of the Outlet, Inc. as a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserve, protect and develop properties along Keuka Outlet Creek as an area for outdoor recreation and education, and to serve as responsible stewards for the region’s natural resources.
For further information or to assist with Celebrate Cascade or the Octoberfest Volksmarch go to
go to www.keukaoutlettrail.org/.
Comments