BUFFALO, N.Y. — As air quality alerts fade away, the Allentown Art Festival and the Allen West Festival will go on as planned this weekend.
The Allentown Association, Inc. said the Allen West Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
"The Allentown Association is grateful to the City of Buffalo Department of Public Works for ensuring that the street is fully accessible to festival goers and to the Allentown Art Festival for their cooperation in re-locating the Allen West Festival this year," association president Patty Macdonald said.
However, there will be some changes this year. The Allen West Festival will be moving a block east, due to Allen Street Improvement Project construction, so a large portion of the festival will be on Allen Street, between Elmwood and Delaware avenues.
The festival food court will be open on Allen at Mariner Street.
The construction area on the west side of Allen Street will be open so that pedestrians walking to the event can access it easily.
"This festival is a place where we can celebrate our local artists," festival chair Josh Wilson said during the 2 On Your Side Town Hall. "It's 100 percent dedicated to local artists. We're going to have musicians in the corners."
Wilson said it was vital to support local artists year-round.
"You can come through our art festival and see folks who are your neighbors and from the larger community," he said. "And it's a great way to support them. Without supporting artists, without buying their art, we don't have artists."