Putting on your dancing shoes might be a good idea before going to Niska-Day this year.
One of the biggest annual community celebrations in the Town of Niskayuna is set to entertain, fill bellies and even offer a glimpse into the town’s water and sewer operations.
“Niska-Day is a great celebration in Niskayuna,” Town Supervisor Joe Landry said. “It started out as a small event and has grown large and has grown to one of the largest events in Niskayuna.”
The 31st annual Niska-Day on Saturday, May 19, has a “Dancing Fun” theme that aims to have you on your feet while enjoying the event. People will be able to learn Salsa moves to the sultry music of Nuevo Mundo and later the Rock n’ Roll rhythm will beat strong with Mud Bug Uprising. Throughout the day there will be several dance demonstrations from local dance studios, too.
“Not much has changed in terms of format, except for location of main activities,” William Leader, co-chair of the Niska-Day Committee, said. “Why tinker with something that isn’t broken? The community seems to enjoy the format of the day.”
From parade to fireworks
Kicking off the event at 10 a.m. at the corner of Union Street and Cornelius Avenue is a parade with marching bands, many creative floats, fire trucks, Girls Scout and Boy Scout troops, schools groups and community organizations. See page 8 for the parade route.
Councilwoman Denise Murphy McGraw said she looks forward to walking in the parade and tossing candy into the crowd.
“My favorite part of the event is both the tossing of candy in the parade and watching the kids catch it,” McGraw said. “There is an art and strategy to the candy tossing in the parade route.”
During the parade there will also be people pushing grocery carts, though they aren’t going to the market.
Debora Gorgos has organized a food drive again in honor of her mother, Nancy, who was one of the original event committee members. After her mother passed away she wanted to do something to honor her in the parade. People are encouraged to bring canned and non-perishable goods to be put in the passing carts. All donations will go to the Sacred Heart/St. Columba Food Pantry.
After the parade ends, the day has only just begun.
Activities start at noon at the Niska-Day fairgrounds area near Craig Elementary School at the Niskayuna Soccer Park on Zenner Road. There is a Community Information Tent for clubs and not-for-profit organizations and a Business Tent allowing customers to connect with local businesses. Also, there is an Entertainment Tent where the dance studios and other acts perform.
“The tents fill up and they get a lot of good individuals, businesses and not-for-profit organizations,” Landry said.
During the day there will be Merdwin the Mediocre, Magic Dan and card magic with Jason Ladanye throughout the crowd. The fairgrounds also hold other activities including a rock-climbing wall, pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, balloon animals and the Niskayuna Police Department is holding a bike auction.
New this year, there will be an ATM if you forgot or need some more cash and wristbands will be sold for $18 to provide unlimited access to rides all day.
Girls Scouts Troop No. 2383 will also unveil a new mini-golf styled game that members have designed and built. Donations were used to purchase the materials. There are many other groups that regularly host games, too.
A grout truck will also be at the event, said McGraw, allowing people to see how the town is repairing water and sewer lines, with an opportunity planned for people to make some of their own grout.
“It is a very high tech and interesting piece of equipment in the town,” McGraw said.
Of course, the event will once again end with a bang, boom and explosive finale.
“I always look forward to the fireworks at the end of the day,” Landry said.
Longtime commitment — lasting memories
Once again, two familiar faces are co-chairing the event committee: William Leader and his wife, Denise. The couple has chaired the committee for 10 years in a row, but they also chaired Niska-Day 13 to 18. The 31-member committee is a part of the Niskayuna Community Action Program (N-CAP), who hosts and organizes the event.
“We thoroughly enjoy it,” William, or “Bill,” Leader said. “It is a great group of people to work with and lead. They all know what their responsibilities are.”
The most enjoyable part about the process, William Leader said, is just being able to “sit back” and watching the community enjoy the event.
“As Denise says, it is the best day of the year,” he said.
McGraw commended the couple for their long commitment to the event.
“This event is a true testament to Bill and Denise Leader,” McGraw said. “For them to have chaired this event for all these years … it is a labor of love. They just do it because they believe in it. It is civic leadership at its finest.”
William Leader said he is now starting to see people that came as kids coming to the event with their kids, with others becoming active on the event committee.
McGraw said she has heard of college students coming back to their hometown of Niskayuna and planning their weekend around the event. Also, she also enjoys seeing high school students eager to get to the fairgrounds.
“Those are memories you are going to have for the rest of your life,” she said.
