Cream Cheese Festival takes the (giant cheese) cake in Lowville

LOWVILLE — Complete with the giant cheesecake, the annual Cream Cheese Festival returned to historic downtown Lowville Saturday.According to festival chairman Jeremiah S. Papineau, the attendance was a lot better than at last year’s event which was modified due to the pandemic.“We are very excited to see attendance increase this year as we continue to work our way out of the pandemic,” he said. “We have had a lot of great vendors and a lot of great entertainment as usual. All of this is thanks to our amazing committee of volunteers. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to host an event like this for the community.”The 1,100 pound cheesecake provided by Heinz Kraft was dedicated in memory of Brian Western. After the unveiling of the stars and stripes decorated creation, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik along with state Senate candidate Mark Walczyk and U.S. Senate candidate Joe Pinion had the honor of cutting the first slices.Having a slice of the giant cheesecake, Mikayla T. Riley of Evans Mills and Hannah C. Stokes of Fort Drum, said they enjoyed the creamy sweet treat.Ms. Riley said she learned of the festival from a coworker and was excited to attend for the first time.“I was absolutely drawn by the giant cheesecake to come,” said Ms. Stokes. “It was delicious.”“I’m glad the weather worked out,” Ms. Riley said, noting as the sun began to warm things up, the day started out very chilly.The ladies and their soldier companions agreed they would definitely come back to the event next year.Vendors including nonprofits, crafters, banks, artisans and food trucks lined The Parkway and the section of North State Street from Bostwick to Dayan streets which were blocked off for the event.Ava J. Connell, 6, of Fort Drum took a spin on the wheel at the Lewis County Dairy Ambassador booth and said she was excited to win a prize.Brynnleigh J. Hoffert, 2, of Lowville, with her father, Alex, selects a duck from the pond at the Carthage Savings booth at the Cream Cheese Festival on Saturday. Elaine M. Avallone/Johnson Newspapers Brynnleigh J. Hoffert, 2, of Lowville, received a stuffed animal from Carthage Savings for picking the right duck in the pond.Her parents, Alex and MiKala Hoffert, said they come to the Cream Cheese Festival every year.“To buy stuff — to support the local businesses.” said Mrs. Hoffert.Live entertainment at the Main Stage on North State Street included Ransom, Tough Luck, Undefeated, Josh Cox Band and Double Barrel Blues Band. In addition, musical entertainment was offered at the Veterans Stage next to American Legion Post 162 with Ken Powis, Gabe Shepherd, Jim “Jimmy G” Gratch, Bill & Kass and A.J. Fleming & Jasyn Griffin.For $5, children had unlimited access to the bounce houses, inflated soccer field, climbing challenge and mechanical bull in the Children’s Discovery Park, featuring attractions by Adventures in Climbing in Veterans Memorial Park along Parkway Drive.Benjamin Vaerewyck, 3, of Lowville, plays in the corn pit at Children’s Discovery Park during the Cream Cheese Festival in Lowville on Saturday. Elaine M. Avallone/Johnson Newspapers Mary J. Vaerewyck of Lowville watched as her grandson, Benjamin Vaerewyck, 3, transferred dried corn kernels from the large box to a plastic pan in the Children’s Discovery Park.“We came last year,” Ms. Vaerewyck said, noting they visited more of the vendors but this year it was all about Benjamin. “It’s good for him to experience something like this – to be around other kids.”During the festival, families also had the opportunity to obtain a Child Safe ID Badge from the Lowville Police Department.Hailee C. Webb, 10, of Carthage received her badge, saying she had gotten one a few years back and thought it would be fun to get another.Accompanied by her grandmother and a friend, Hailee said it was their first time at the event and she enjoyed getting ice cream from one of the vendors.Renee A. Roggie and Officer Brandon Arthur created the children identification cards which include the child’s date of birth, description, photo and fingerprints. Officer Arthur explained the information was shared to a database in Albany and parents can show the card to authorities if a child went missing. They recommended that a new card be obtained each year. The department holds the badge creation events upon request and will present one at the Zombie Run hosted by UP! United Prevention Coalition Oct. 1 at the Lewis County Fairgrounds.As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.