Canal Fest originated in 1983, was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas and coordinated by Joe Armenia, then Publisher of the News and shortly thereafter joined by George Maziarz, now serving as a NYS Senator. The event was held exclusively within the City of North Tonawanda the first year, but grew substantially the second year and expanded to include the City of Tonawanda. Each
successive year saw significant growth in number of participating non profit/civic organizations, in the entertainment offered and in attendance. The expansion of the event led the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to decide that 1994 would be the last year of Chamber sponsorship. The amount of work was becoming too great for its staff to handle and a request was made for others to step forward to continue this community event. At this point three major organizations stepped forward to be the lead agencies in establishing Canal Fest of the Tonawandas Inc., as a separate legal, not-for-profit entity. This new corporation would insure the efforts of all the participating organizations and ensure the continuation of the event. There is a membership of 70 organizations and support individuals who chair special events such as the parade, Sika Challenge and the Miss Canal Fest Event, only to mention a few. Approximately 50 non-profit/civic organizations raise a significant portion of their annual operating budget during this 8-day event. Many organizations use this added revenue to offer sponsorships, scholarships and awards to local youth organizations. Over $225,000 was invested back into the community through the efforts of the members of Canal Fest of the Tonawandas Inc. Between the organizations, over 500 people contribute approximately 20,000 volunteer hours to make this event successful year after year. They do not only volunteer for the week, many start their planning right after the event and continue right through to the following year.
