Bemelmans Festival Coordinator Says ‘Thank You’

by Contributor | June 2, 2017 11:21 am

To The Editor:

When an event that has been planned finally is over, and you have a chance to catch up on all that lost sleep, a time of reflection sets in and you ask yourself: Was it worth it? Was it a success? Is it something to do again?

For more than a year, a group of Oswego non-profits navigated through pitfalls, around walls and over hurdles to see the first-ever Bemelmans Festival to a reality.

The hard work and support of individuals within the Friends of Fort Ontario, Art Association of Oswego, Oswego Players, Children’s Museum of Oswego, Safe Haven Museum, the Oswego Y and Fort Ontario State Historic Site brought the Festival to fruition at Fort Ontario on Saturday, May 20.

With kites flying, children dressed as Madeline storybook characters, arts and crafts, games, a new play and more, the festival was a success for the city of Oswego, bringing people into the city and Fort Ontario from across Central New York to experience the history, art and culture of our city.

When we started, few people knew that Ludwig Bemelmans, author of the Madeline books, had been stationed at Fort Ontario in 1917, but now people continue to talk about the image of the World War I soldier carrying Madeline around on his shoulders.

It was worth the time and effort to bring to light a unique aspect of Oswego’s history and we have committed ourselves to bringing the Festival back to Fort Ontario again next year.

Special thanks and appreciation go to the city of Oswego and the Department of Works for their cooperation and efforts; local news media for its extensive coverage of all the programs that were part of the 10-day festival; Fort Ontario personnel who helped in every way possible to keep Fort Ontario open in the midst of construction work; Oswego County Promotion and Tourism staff; kite flyers, and everyone who came out to the festival.

Finally a note of sincere appreciation to the Richard S. Shineman Foundation, without whose financial support the festival would not have succeeded.

Rick Sivers, President, Oswego Players
Bemelmans Festival Coordinator

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/bemelmans-festival-coordinator-says-thank-you/

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