By Jillian Hammell
Contributing Writer
It is that time of year again: the Bonaventure and Allegany communities come together to celebrate good food, friends and music. This year, however, expect a change in the layout of the six-hour event held on Main Street in Allegany, as well as new places to hit while strolling through the festival Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Bonagany, created to strengthen relations between the university and Allegany townspeople, offers many free activities for families and friends. Some include horse and buggy rides, henna tattoos, caricature drawings, balloon inflatables and more. And this year, participants can expect to see some new activities.
Lori Bennett, chairperson of Bonagany and an Allegany community member, has been involved with planning the event for seven years. Since then, she said the festival has grown bigger and better.
“This year, we teamed up with the National Guard to bring in a rock wall,” Bennett said.
Entertainment is also provided for visitors. Local bands will be rocking under a single tent this year, as opposed to previous years.
“When the bands were not near one another it seemed to bring competition between them,” Bennett said. “Now we will have all of the bands perform within the same tent.”
Approximately 33 Bonaventure clubs and organizations will also flood Main Street. Rather than having organizations in one spot like past years, tables will be placed sporadically throughout the festival, according to Bennett.
“I like the layout better,” Daquashia Walker, a senior journalism and mass communication major, said. “I have been going since sophomore year, and it was fun.”
Walker, Black Students Union (BSU) treasurer, will represent her club at Bonagany. Like many other clubs represented at the festival, BSU will fundraise and distribute prizes.
Steve Kuchera, assistant director of activities, recreation and leadership, said several Bonaventure organizations will attend the event, such as Residence Life, March of Dimes and To Write Love on Her Arms.
Kuchera added every year they hope to grow and receive support for the festival. By changing up the layout, he believes this will be a vast improvement. Kuchera said location is everything, and it’s important to consider where things are positioned.
“We want to draw people in by placing the inflatables and the mechanical bull in more visible spots,” Kuchera said. “Also, this will be the first time all of the music and food will be together. With the addition of new vendors and the live entertainment, people can sit back and relax while enjoying good music and delicious food.”
Rachael Herrmann, a sophomore business major, said she will be attending the event for the second time. Herrmann said she loves the communal atmosphere at Bonagany each year.
“It is a really nice event where you can get that community and school feel,” she said.
