I LOVE NEW YORK 2007 FALL FESTIVAL CELEBRATES AUTUMN IN GREATER NIAGARA REGION

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Albany, NY- Celebrate the splendor of autumn in the Greater Niagara Region with the 2007 I LOVE NEW YORK Fall Festival, "Greater Niagara's Harvests and Haunts." The Festival, which runs Sept. 1 through Nov. 24, pairs the region's magnificent autumn scenery with a varied roster of family-friendly seasonal events, from harvest festivals and spooky Halloween fun, to craft shows and a kite festival, and more. 

The first week's events include the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, Sept. 1-2. Prepare your taste buds, as hundreds of restaurants from Buffalo and around the nation go "wing-to-wing" in competition for bragging rights to the best recipes for this hometown food favorite. The festival also includes the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship. Letchworth State Park, in Castile, bids a fond farewell to the summer Sept. 2 with its Summer Farewell Festival, featuring music, magic, comedy, family activities, food and fireworks. 

Other September Festival highlights include the Niagara County Peach Festival, Sept. 7-9, Civil War Living History, in Batavia, Sept. 15-16; Niagara Power Project's Wildlife Festival, Sept. 22-23 in Lewiston; the Niagara International Kite Festival, Sept. 28-30 in Niagara Falls; and Wyoming's AppleUmpkin Festival, which features more than 300 craft vendors, non-stop musical entertainment, great harvest food and much more, Sept. 29-30. 

The Greater Niagara Region, which comprises Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties, was selected as host for this year's official I LOVE NEW YORK Fall Festival after careful review by the State Tourism Division's tourism and marketing staff. The festival plan presented by officials from Greater Niagara USA emphasized strong community and regional involvement, and varied and exciting events. 

The New York State Division of Tourism encourages New York's varied regions to develop and promote seasonal festivals as part of their tourism marketing strategy. To assist in the promotion of these festivals, the State Tourism Division established the LOVE NEW YORK Festival Program. 

The program is a cooperative effort between regional and statewide public and private tourism interests, and is designed to stimulate new regional activity and provide a promotional focus for the different regions. 

The state Tourism Division assists official festival designees by publicizing festival activities through specialized press releases, state events publications, special festival letterhead and other promotional efforts.