SACC Allegany River Fest

The Salamanca Area Chamber of Commerce invites you to join us for our First Allegany River Fest, July 10-12, 2009. Our new festival showcases two of Salamanca’s greatest assets, the Allegheny River and Veteran’s Memorial Park. Saturday afternoon events will showcase the performance of several great country music groups, including superstars Heartland, Sean Patrick McGraw and The Bobby Hartle Band. This is sure to be the summer’s ultimate place for country-western fun and entertainment the whole family will enjoy!

The Bobby Hartle Band performs Country to Bluegrass and Country Rock. This band presents a fast-paced country show offering solos, three part harmonies and instrumentals that are tailored to meet the interests of a variety of audiences. They have performed with acts such as Travis Tritt, Willie Nelson, Mark Chestnut, Jack Green, Alen Jackson, Blake Shelton and most recently The Marshall Tucker Band and Black Foot! Bob Hartle started playing guitar at the age of eight but did not take it seriously until he was about 14 years old. Bob played in his first band with his stepfather and brother at the age of 16 with his first performance happening at the Antler Hotel in Hazlehurst, Pennsylvania. A few years and a few bands later, he auditioned and starting playing with Keystone at 25. He toured all over the East Coast with Keystone for several years. In 1990, he had the honor to play at the Knoxville Theater in Tennessee for the Independent Music Label awards. The following year he played lead guitar for David Frazell. Bob settled back home at the end of 1991 and reformed a local band with his brother Steve, known as the Hartle Brothers Band. Now having his own band “The Bob Hartle Band”, with a CD titled “Unemployed Cowboy”, he pursues his own career in songwriting and performing in Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New York.

The weekend will be filled with entertainment for everyone in the family to enjoy! Friday night is the kick-off to major Softball and Lacrosse Tournaments, which will be played at local area ball fields, and runs through Saturday afternoon. The children are sure to love the adorable animals at the petting zoo or taking a pony ride while the adults can attempt to defeat the mechanical bull or conquer the western obstacle course. And do not forget to grab all your relatives for a fantastic western style photo. There will plenty of hayrides, line dancing, wonderful country western-style food and music provided by Sam Turek Sound. Entrance to Veteran’s Memorial Park on Sunday and all these fantastic activities are FREE.

Sunday will be filled with awe and laughter as participants in The Great Cardboard Boat Regatta®, a copyrighted program of TIPS Foundation, Inc., try to get their creative cardboard boats to run a 200-yard course in the Allegheny River. The entrance fee for the race is $20 per boat with registration starting at 10:00am. Races will be held at the Front Avenue boat ramp, which is located across from the Salamanca Middle/High School, at 12:00pm with the starting gun being shot by Senator Cathy Young. Numerous trophies will be awarded including the Vogue Award, Pride of the Regatta, Best-Dressed Team, Team Spirit Award, and Titanic Award, along with the fastest boats in Class I and Class II categories. Immediately following the regatta, the Salamanca Youth Bureau will sponsor a Rubber Duck Race.

PRE-SALE TICKETS ARE AVAILABE NOW! Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for children under 12 during pre-sale; $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12 on the day of the event. For more information and a complete schedule of events for the weekend, please contact the Salamanca Area Chamber of Commerce at 716-945-2034 or visit us on-line at www.salamancachamber.org. Come one and all to enjoy all the wonderful festivities!