Many things go on in planning Harborfest that occur either outside of the “Thursday to Sunday” window or completely behind the scenes altogether. Two of those main things are made possible by title sponsorship from two local banks.

Alliance Bank, N.A., continued in 2012 to be the title sponsor of the “Kick-Off Gala” on Wednesday night July 25th. This is the event where almost all sponsors gather in a relaxing lakeside setting at Breitbeck Park to socialize and take a breath before the start of the four day festival. The catered event has a long tradition of being a place to meet the “who’s who” in the regional business and political world. This first class event would not be possible without the support of Jack Webb and all of the great people at Alliance Bank, N.A.

PathFinder Bank provides what may be one of the most needed sponsorships year in and year out at Harborfest. The annual summertime event plays host to hundreds of volunteers and PathFinder Bank supports this program as its title sponsor. You see all of those Volunteer T-Shirts almost everywhere you look during the four days of the festival and it is with the help of PathFinder Bank for this program to be as well rounded as it is. From Volunteer Coordinator Michael Petrilli to the hundreds of long time and brand new volunteers each year, The Volunteer Program would not be what it is without the support of PathFinder Bank.

Oswego Harbor Festivals, a federally registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, could not put on Harborfest each summer without the support of the sponsors that make it possible. The 26th annual Harborfest in 2013 runs from Thursday July 25th to Sunday July 28th.

Many great sponsors are what make Harborfest continue to be an admission free festival entering its 25th event this July. While a complete line-up of entertainers and performances will be handled in future press releases, several sponsors need to be recognized for their support of the many venues at Harborfest.

The Labatt Blue Light Jazz & Blues Park will again be in Washington Square with a Trolley stop at East Fourth and East Bridge Streets. The support of Labatt Blue Light is made possible locally by the Eagle Beverage Company. The Oswego County Federal Credit Union Jazz & Blues Stage, located within the park, will have some of the best entertainment ever offered at Harborfest for jazz and blues fans.

The Novelis Family Park returns to Franklin Square with a Trolley stop at West Third and West Seneca Street. This popular venue will again be centered on family fun and children’s activities. Oswego Health and The Palladium-Times will sponsor stages in the park and the Children’s Parade which will originate from the Novelis Family Park. In addition to sorted entertainment in the park, Entergy will be sponsoring the children’s musical Traitors on the Border and Entergy along with the Oswego County Youth Bureau will be sponsoring The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Both shows will be performed by area students.

NRG Oswego Harbor Power will again be the title sponsor for the Lakeview Stage in Breitbeck Park. The stage will again play host to great national entertainment acts from Thursday night right through Sunday afternoon. The Thursday night opening ceremonies and concerts on the NRG Lakeview Stage will again be sponsored by Budweiser through their local distributor Eagle Beverage Company.

C’s Beverage Center Veterans Stage at River Walk West will showcase a variety of local and regional entertainers.

Finally, the Historic Maritime District will host two distinct venues for Harborfest in 2012. The pier will be the docking point for the Tall Ships that will be in Oswego to celebrate the bicentennial of the War of 1812 with battle re-enactments on Saturday and Sunday with historic Fort Ontario. The other attraction will see the Maritime District Park transform into “Gasoline Alley” with a racing themed display headed up by the presence of Watkins Glen, the Oswego Speedway and others. More details will be part of a finalized Maritime District press release.

Oswego Harbor Festivals, a federally registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, could not put on Harborfest each summer without the support of the sponsors that make it possible. The 25th annual Harborfest in 2012 runs from Thursday July 26th to Sunday July 29th.

The 25th annual Harborfest is just three months away and the time has come to announce entertainers and new events planned for the summertime event. The announcement of the main entertainer and a big new event will be made on Thursday April 26th on the “Bridge Street” television program.

The popular WSYR NewsChannel 9 TV show co-hosts Kaylea Nixon and Chris Brandolino will be joined that morning by Tammy Holden from Entergy Nuclear, Jill Lyon from Constellation Energy Nuclear Group and Steve Pryor from Harborfest. The three guests will be announcing two main attractions for Friday, one in the morning and one during the night.

A great list of entertainment acts has again been put together by the Programming Committee at Harborfest. Complete press releases for all acts and venues are in the process of being finalized for release.

To get your first sneak peak at Harborfest 2012, tune in to NewsChannel 9 on Thursday morning April 26th at 10:00 AM to watch Bridge Street. The show airs live on digital channel 889 and is re-broadcast at 8:00 PM on channel 890.

Former Executive Director of Harborfest, Steve Fulton, has agreed to step in as the Interim Executive Director to lead the event through the 25th year of the festival on the last full weekend in July of 2012.

Fulton, is no stranger at all to the popular Oswego, New York event, as he served his term as Executive Director for four years in the mid 1990’s and has been a consultant and volunteer over the past dozen years.

Fulton had a distinguished career with the US Military before coming on board with the Harborfest staff the first time nearly two decades ago. He retired after twenty six years as a Commander from the US Navy. He followed that up as a US Military consultant for twelve years. For the past six years he has been a private consultant, still connected to the military, with activities in the Panama Canal.

Fulton looks forward to being involved again with annual waterfront Harborfest because of his background, knowledge and appreciation of the water. He looks to bring back some of the same details to the Harborfest staff that he did the first time he was at the helm. Fulton stated that he “likes the synergy of staff members doing what it is they have been hired to do.” He continued “when you take that approach, the sum of staff members’ individual effects or capabilities is greater when combined.”

The addition of Fulton comes on the heels of recently hired Dorothy Strahley (Vendor, Merchandise, Logistics) and Steve Pryor (Sponsorship, Membership, Media PR) who all join long time staff members Barb Manwaring (Business Manager) and Mike Petrilli (Volunteer Coordinator).

“Harborfest 25” during the summer of 2012 will run from July 26th through July 29th.