
History of the Falling Leaves Festival
1976 - The First year of Salamanca’s festival opened with a carnival on Thursday on the tannery lot near Loblaws Supermarket – site now of the Salamanca Public Library – and a concert by the Golden Age Kitchen Band on Friday. On Saturday, Ted’s Bakery hosted a doughnut cutting competition, where Ted Leaskey tried to set the world record for donut cutting. Fentier Village’s grounds were open for the first time in six years on Saturday. On Sunday there was an antique car show at Veteran’s Memorial Park, the Salamanca See-Saws hosted square dancing on Main Street in front of the Salamanca Mall, the U.S. Air Force jets conducted a flyover and the festival’s first parade took pace with more than 60 units for a 90-minute parade witnessed by upwards of 5,000 people.
1977 - Weather put a damper on the second annual Falling Leaves Festival, forcing the cancellation of a regatta, street dance and country western dance. However, the festival was still considered a success. Events included a performance by the Salvation Army Golden Agers Band in Jefferson Street Park, the Salamanca See Saws square dance at the Holy Cross Athletic Club and a dance attended by several hundred people at the Salamanca American Legion.
1978 - Early estimated from the Salamanca Positive Action Committee noted that attendance at the third annual Falling Leaves Festival parade was near 16,000, about double what turned out for the parade the year prior. New festival events included a Fun Run and AAU 5K race and a Festival Bed Race that pleased officials with the success.
1979 – SPAC Chairman Paul Formica estimated that nearly 25,000 people visited the city during the four days of the festival, with more than 10,000 on hand Sunday for the parade. One of the highlights of the festival was the adoption of Joe Giblin, Manager of Fisher’s Big Wheel and president of the Salamanca Area Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians.
1980 - Barbara and Alexander Rosen and Ann Larimore were guests during the fifth annual Falling Leaves Festival. The individuals were families of two American hostages, Barry Rosen ad Bill Daugherty, being held in Iran. The fifth annual parade saw approximately 22,000 to 25,000 people to witness 56 groups stroll by. Other events included the traditional march band competition, kids’ dog show, dance contest, an antique car show and pie eating contest. Maria Eddy, 13 was named Miss Falling Leaves Festival in the first such competition at the event.
1981 – At 90 minutes, the parade was slightly smaller than the previous year and witnessed by 6,000 to 7,000 people. Events during the festival included a Firemen’s Parade, ceramic show, and tennis and soccer tournaments, Ann Archers Dance Demonstration, a festival dance in the Moose Temple, church services in Jefferson Street Park, a tug-of-war between Salamanca Paid and Volunteer Firemen and the Kill Buck Volunteer Fireman and a smorgasbord at the Masonic Temple.
1982 – The sponsorship of the seventh annual Falling Leaves Festival were handed over to the Salamanca Area Chamber of Commerce, and Dorothy Dayton, executive secretary for the chamber, commented positively on the attendance by both out-of-town visitors and hometown folks. Weekend events ranged from soccer and tennis tournaments to dog, car and photography shows, a pie-earing contest and bed race and continuous videotape showing a new film about Allegany State Park. New at the festival this year was also special excursions on the New York and Lake Erie Railroad to and from Little Valley.
1983 – The eight annual Falling Leaves Festival was transformed into an international event with the Sunday dedication of Tri-angle Park as Simon Bolivar Triangle Park. The city hosted more than 65 Latin American guests for the day; renaming the park was the city’s way of joining in the bicentennial of Simon Bolivar’s birth.