The Mayville Winter Festival will return this year from February 14th through the 16th, thanks to a grassroots effort after the Chautauqua Chamber of Commerce announced it could no longer organize the event due to insurance challenges.  
 
Determined to keep the tradition alive, local residents, businesses, and a local nonprofit organization called Inspire Good of WNY, Inc. stepped up to take over planning.
 
While the festival will be smaller than in previous years, organizers are focused on making it a special event for the community.  
 
“This festival has been happening for 38 years, and it means a lot to the village of Mayville to keep it going,” explained Sorena Gilkinson, Co-Founder and President of Inspire Good of WNY Inc. “When we heard that the Chamber was unable to host it this year, Inspire Good of WNY, Inc. held a meeting, and with a full board approval, decided to pick the event up and not just for this year, but every year."
 
The festival will feature live music, special deals at local businesses, and plenty of opportunities to celebrate the spirit of the season.  
 
“We had a few different challenges come up this year around planning the event that were unique, but the primary one was insurance issues,” said Daniel Heitzenrater, President and CEO of Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce. “At our planning meeting last month, after a very long and difficult discussion it was decided that we would not be able to pull off the festival. However, the silver lining was this grass roots effort that grew thanks to Inspire Good of WNY Inc., it's been wonderful to see the community come together to support this festival."
 
Festival organizers encourage anyone interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event to visit their social media page, here, for more information.