To the Editor:

The Potsdam Chamber of Commerce and the Summer Festival Committee would like to extend our thanks to everyone who participated and who attended the 43rd Annual Potsdam Summer Festival this year. Summer Festival would not happen without the support of the businesses of Potsdam, the community organizations, the village and town of Potsdam, and the general public.

We also acknowledge that “this event is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, administered in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.”

We wish to thank all the businesses and organizations that donated services that helped to make the Festival happen. We thank Dan’s Plumbing and Heating for the restroom facilities, Snell Equipment for our main stage band transportation, Potsdam Agway for the trailer for band equipment, and Martin’s for transporting the stage to and from Market Street. Additional thanks goes to Mahoney’s Auto Mall for use of their tent in Ives Park, Tru-Cut Landscaping for sweeping sidewalks, Village Public Works for street sweeping, watering plants, and barricades, a and Bob Brothers and the Potsdam Central School for the loan of audience chairs. Our appreciation also goes to Emmanuel Baptist Church for assisting with trash pick-up in Ives Park, Casella Waste Services for providing extra trash receptacles and dumpster, the Potsdam Police and Rescue Squad for helping with parade safety, and finally Northern Music and Video for overseeing all aspects of the main stage.

We also wish to thank our corporate sponsors who help with additional financial support. We offer our deepest appreciation to SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association, Clarkson University, SeaComm Federal Credit Union, North Country Savings Bank, Community Bank, National Grid, McDuff’s Tavern, The Clarkson Inn, Stewart’s Shops, Larry Reece, CPA, St. Lawrence Gas, St. Lawrence Chocolates, St. Lawrence Radiology, North Country Neighbors, Tim’s Comic & Game, CRT Pet Crematory, Rose & Kiernan, The Body Shop Fitness & Salon, Foxy Roxy’s, Slic Network Solutions, Village Wine & Liquors, Jreck Subs, Dr. Stacey Howlett DDS, Walmart, and Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

We thank those other community organizations in Potsdam that take on the task of sponsoring and/or organizing activities during the festival that always take the festival to the highest level. We wish to thank the Potsdam Elks for offering great activities for the youngsters and yummy chicken as well, St. Lawrence Health Initiative for the Tour De Potsdam, and the Potsdam Volunteer Rescue Squad for the Ice Cream Social. We also thank the Potsdam Rotary for the Duck Race, and the Kiwanis Club of Potsdam for offering fried dough. We appreciate Creative Spirit Arts Center for offering workshops for all ages, and The St. Lawrence County Arts Council for offering classes and exhibits. We thank Trinity Church for holding their Fall Island Fair, Friends of the Potsdam Library for the book sale, Potsdam Museum for the stained glass window tours, Potsdam Lions Club for vision screenings, North Country Neighbors for the flea market, The College Center for the Wii tournaments, the Potsdam Farmer’s Market for extending their hours on Saturday, and the Potsdam Fire Department for helping with safety issues, leading the parade, and the Run to the River.

Despite severe heat and humidity on Thursday July 8, and downpours on Friday July 9, it was encouraging to see the brave souls that still ventured out to listen to a musical performance on main stage or shop with vendors and local businesses. It was wonderful to see the huge numbers that turned out on Saturday to support all the events of the Summer Festival from the craft show to the flea market, to the main stage performances to the Community Band performance in Ives Park. Personally, I was humbled by the vast community support that overflowed the streets of Potsdam during the entire festival and culminating with the parade and Firemen’s Run to the River.

Congratulations to the entire Potsdam community for once again coming together and supporting this forty-three year tradition known as Summer Festival. If you wish to see photos from this year’s festival they can be viewed on the Potsdam Chamber’s Facebook page. We also have a survey available through our website, www.potsdamchamber.com, if you wish to send us your feedback on this year’s event.

Sincerely,

Potsdam Chamber of Commerce

Executive Director Marylee Ballou

Potsdam Chamber Board of Directors

Summer Festival Planning Committee