Kiwanis Club of Lewiston President Reverend Tom Mason has announced that Alan Hastings has been named Chairman of the 2016 Niagara County Peach Festival. This will be the 59^th annual Peach Festival held this year September 9^th, 10^th and 11^th at Academy Park on Center Street in Lewiston.     

Alan Hastings, President of Hastings Hospitality and owner of the Silo restaurant has been a member of the Lewiston Kiwanis Club for fifteen years. Hastings has been involved with the annual Peach Festival in one capacity or another over that time, but this is his first year as Chairman. “It is my sincere pleasure to serve as General Chairman for the 59th annual Niagara County Peach Festival,” said Hastings. “ It’s been an honor to work with a fine group of dedicated members, volunteers and sponsors with the shared goal to drive the festival forward while keeping true to its original values and long standing traditions. Once again 100% of the proceeds of this festival will go to local community organizations and nonprofits to enrich and support other Western New Yorkers.”

“New this year will be a focus on Niagara County Vendors, identifiable by special signage so that visitors to the Peach Festival will have the opportunity to choose to experience vendors from our own backyard for an authentic Niagara County experience! In addition, we will be hosting a competition, challenging vendors to come up with a new and exciting way to use peaches in dishes, drinks and desserts that are sure to impress those with creative pallets! We hope you will enjoy spending some time exploring a taste of what Niagara County has to offer,” added Hastings.

The Niagara County Peach Festival is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Lewiston and again this year will feature their famous peach shortcake made with locally grown peaches from Bittner Singer Orchards. The Niagara County Peach Festival will also feature forty carnival rides, peach recipe competition, twenty-two food vendors, Peach Queen Pageant, Peach Blossom and Peach Fuzz contests, Saturday Parade, cheerleading contest, 5K run and live entertainment.

The Peach Festival has raised close to one million dollars since 1958 for local charities and is sponsored in part by WGRZ-TV and the Buffalo News. For more information go to lewistonpeachfestival.org.