Annual Newfield Old Home Days is July 26-27

Old Home Days has been a tradition in the town of Newfield since 1921.

That tradition continues this weekend, when the annual two-day event takes place on Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27. With a “Roaring ’20s” theme this year, Old Home Days offers fireworks, activities, a parade and more.

“Old Home Days is Newfield’s only really big celebration,” said Sue Chaffee, the coordinator of the parade as part of the Newfield Lions Club. “Even though it begins Friday night, the parade is kind of a kickoff for all of Saturday’s festivities. It’s the main event.”

The Newfield Lions Club is running a food tent starting at 5 p.m. Friday. Other events on Friday include a pie bake-off, a photo contest display from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and a puppet show and workshop from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m.

“We got some donations, so [the fireworks] should be bigger and better this year,” said Vicki Cody, the Old Home Days committee chairperson.

Saturday’s schedule kicks off with the parade at 11 a.m. It will start near the covered bridge in town and end at Newfield High School on Main Street.

“[The parade] is one of the main attractions of Old Home Days every year,” said Chaffee, who’s been coordinating the parade for 10 years.

Chaffee noted that about 100 invitations were sent out to various individuals, groups and organizations to join Saturday’s parade. So far, Chaffee said, there are close to 50 entries for the parade.

The parade will include floats, antique cars, fire companies, animal units, horses and more. The grand marshal in this year’s parade is MaryLou Payne, Cody said.

Chaffee expects more entries as the first day of Old Home Days approaches, adding there is no deadline to submit an entry. However, Chaffee said, the total number of participants depends on the weather.

People interested in participating in the parade can email Chaffee at newfieldoldhomedays@gmail.com or call her at 607-564-0078.

“It’s never too late to enter the parade,” Chaffee said.

The rest of Saturday’s slate includes a chicken barbecue that begins at noon, a free bounce house and games and barrel train rides for children from noon to 5 p.m., food vendors from noon to 6 p.m. and the kids’ pedal tractor pull and free ice cream, which both start at 12:30 p.m. 

A slew of vendors and information booths, including a cake wheel and an indoor craft fair in the high school gymnasium, will go from noon to 5 p.m. The Kelloggs Corners School will be open from 12:30 to 5 p.m. A giant slip-and-slide event will begin at 4 p.m., while basket raffle drawings commence at 5 p.m.

There will also be free freeze pops and popcorn. Hot dogs, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and sweet corn will be available for purchase, Cody said.

Cody mentioned that local resident Randy Tubbs, who owns Cayuga Performance in town, will fly his plane above the ballfields at the high school and drop ping pong balls for children to grab and exchange them for prizes.

“Randy’s been doing it for years,” Cody said. “It’s pretty unique.”

Live music will play both days. On Friday, the Ageless Jazz Band will play from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the high school auditorium.

Saturday’s lineup is as follows, with each taking place at the school grounds:

• 90 Proof: Noon to 2 p.m.
• MoonRocker: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• Uncle Uku and The Guise: 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Along with the annual photo contest, there will also be a coloring contest for children. Several of the illustrations were created by Rusti Miller. Entries for the coloring contest are due by 4 p.m. Saturday at Old Home Days.

Parking for Old Home Days is available at the Newfield CSD lot. Further information on the two-day event can be found on the Newfield Old Home Days Facebook page.

“It is a cost-effective way for families to come out, celebrate and be with other community members,” Chaffee said.

Newfield Notes appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Newfield Music Series canceled for 3rd straight week

The weather continues to be against music shows getting underway this summer in Newfield.

For the third straight week, the Newfield Music Series at Mill Park was canceled due to storms. The Yardvarks, who were originally slated to perform on June 26, also saw their rescheduled July 17 show receive a postponement.

The Cast Iron Cowboys’ July 10 performance at Mill Park was postponed, as well. Rescheduled dates for The Yardvarks and the Cast Iron Cowboys are yet to be determined.

The rest of the series lineup is as follows, with each show beginning at 6 p.m.:

• Today (July 24): Tim Ball and Mark Bickford
• Aug. 14: Square dancing with Caller Marc Faris
• Aug. 28: Rev Ezra

Further information on the Newfield Music Series at Mill Park can be found on its Facebook and Instagram pages.