ONEONTA _ The third annual OH Fest will kick off with a carnival Saturday and end with a concert in Neahwa Park.
Two of the student organizers involved in the first OH Fest in 2006 said the event is running strong.
One of the purposes of "OH Fest 3: 3 Bands ... 2 Colleges ... One Awesome Town" is to help encourage better relations between the two colleges and the greater Oneonta community, said Nick Forst, a junior at Hartwick College.
Relations are pretty good now, Forst said.
"I think it's always something to work on," he added.
The carnival, which is expected to be larger this year, will run from 1 to 5 p.m. and will involve closing Main Street to vehicle traffic from Ford Avenue to Chestnut Street.
"The carnival downtown is geared more toward the family," said Jim Van Eron, a junior at the State University College at Oneonta.
It will include craft vendors, student bands, carnival fare, sumo wrestling, children's activities and carnival games with $1,000 in prizes.
"It's definitely a family environment for community members," Forst said.
When making the selections for the concert bands, the organizers tried to determine what would be good for the community, as well as the students, Forst said.
Black Violin and Almost Queen will open for the pop-rock band Head Automatica.
"It has to be community appropriate," Van Eron said.
For each of the first two years of OH Fest, the event has brought about 6,000 people to downtown Oneonta and 15,000 to Neahwa Park.
Organizers are expecting a similar turnout.
"Local businesses (downtown) really do benefit," Van Eron said.
The vendors at the event don't offer items that Main Street retailers or restaurants sell, Forst said.
Hartwick and SUCO students split the $80,000 cost of OH Fest. The funding comes from student activity fees at both colleges.
Proceeds from vendors' table fees and donations will go to The Arc Otsego, Opportunities For Otsego, VIP, Head Start Oneonta and Go Far Animal Fund.
Forst said the student-organizers appreciated meeting with the Oneonta Fire Chief Robert Barnes, Mayor John Nader and the city Parks and Recreation Commission as the details of the festival were hashed out.
Kevin Herrick, co-chairman of the city's Centennial Committee, said OH Fest organizers permitted time for a commemorative event. At 12:45 p.m., during opening activities at Muller Plaza, murals created by students at the district's schools will be unveiled, he said. The 4-by-8 foot murals depicting Oneonta will be displayed during festivities Saturday, weather permitting, and later installed in the walkway between Main Street and the city's parking garage, Herrick said.
A team of about 12 student organizers from both colleges worked with SUCO Director of Campus Activities Bill Harcleroad and Allison Green and Chris Saj of Hartwick.
Oneonta Public Transit will be running more than the usual number of buses between the college campuses and festival sites.
These buses will be stopping in the community along the way, Forst said.
No alcohol is allowed at OH Fest, and there will be random bag checks at the entrances to the park.
There will be concession sales in Neahwa Park during the concert, which will start at 6 p.m. and end at about 9:30 p.m.
The students are recommending that people wear warm clothes for the concert.
"It still gets cold at night," Forst said
OH Fest will be held rain or shine, but in the event of severe weather such as lightning, the concert will be moved to the Alumni Fieldhouse at SUCO, Van Eron said.
Students are already discussing plans for next year's event, Forst said.
If You Go
What: OH Fest 3: 3 Bands ... 2 Colleges ... One Awesome Town
Where: Main Street and Neahwa Park in Oneonta
When: Saturday; Main Street carnival, 1 to 5 p.m.; Neahwa Park concert, 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Who's playing: Student bands, Almost Queen, Black Violin and Head Automatica
Why: To foster college-community relations and raise money for charitable causes
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