Fred Penner is giving two free concerts as part of the Harvest Hay Day in Dryden on Saturday.
The Canadian children’s entertainer, well known for tunes like 'The Cat Came Back' and his children's show Fred Penner's Place, will be playing two outdoor shows, one at 11:30 a.m. and another at 1:30 p.m.
Laina Smith, a committee member with the volunteer-run Dryden Fall Festival which is putting on the event, said bringing Fred to perform started as a pipe dream when they began planning for the event back in January.
“We were discussing how nice it would be to have live music at our event and one of my committee members mentioned Fred, and we kind of laughed because we thought it was totally not something we would ever be able to accomplish. But we were like, let’s just reach out to his agency and see how much he is,” Smith said.
After finding out the fee, she said, the committee thought the idea likely wouldn’t happen.
“But then it turns out our newly formed Dryden Tourism Trailblazer Association [funds] projects and events that help bring tourism to our area, and we applied for the funding and they approved us,” she said.
Putting on a show involving such a high-profile performer is a bit intimidating, said Smith, in part because it's also the first time live music will be featured at the event.
“But we’re really excited,” she said - adding Penner had also expressed his excitement to come perform as he has relatives in the area.
The concerts will take place under a big tent set up in the Laura Howe Marsh parking lot. Smith recommended people bring a chair or blanket for comfort during the performances, which are each expected to run between 30 and 40 minutes.
The Dryden Fall Festival has grown exponentially over the three years it's been held, Smith said, with organizers estimating upwards of 3,000 people could attend this year.
The mission and vision for the festival is to “create free outdoor events as accessible as possible for all ages and abilities," according to Smith.
Harvest Hay Day runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will include over 40 vendors, feature music and have two other main activities: a gourd and pumpkin carving contest and the Treats and Trees walk for kids to go through the short marsh loop and visit stations for candies and other non-edible treats.
