A new family-friendly feature is being added this Saturday to the Wellsville Main Street Festival, with a Family Pavilion for children and adults on adjoining Jefferson Street.
Mission Genesee Valley, a coalition of churches and other Christian organizations and individuals, will be expanding its presence from a previous Main Street placement in front of the David A. Howe Public Library to the new location across the street, with music and other entertainment, a bounce house, a Salvation Army emergency response vehicle, and more.
The idea for the expansion comes from a Halloween Festival which has been held in the past in front of the Wellsville Salvation Army – Wellsville, NY on nearby East Pearl Street, at which local churches and Christian organizations have joined in providing child amusements.
Music and entertainment will be provided during this year’s 9AM to 4PM Main Street Festival event, a component of the Official Great Wellsville Balloon Rally weekend.
Performers at the activity, next to the former Wellsville Town and Village Hall, will include praise teams from the Wellsville Bible Church and Yorks Corners Mennonite Church, a student band led by David Peralta, a Knights Creek Church missionary who was a member of the Venezuelan Simon Bolivar National Symphony Orchestra, Marcy Studer, and puppeteers from Wellsville Bible.
Among other features will be:
— The Hope Center of Wellsville, a Mission Genesee Valley initiative, with a book giveaway and information on free reading assistance, and its GriefShare and DivorceCare recovery ministries.
— The bounce house, provided by York Corners Mennonite, along with details on Celebrate Recovery which is hosted by it and other churches in the county.
— Houghton College, which changed from college to university status this week, will provide information on its many degree and other educational programs, with the most recent survey by the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities determining Houghton to be the best-priced Christian college in the nation.
— Allegany Hope will be discussing several new initiatives, including an online calendar of events in the county; free online availability of over 20,000 videos for all ages, from children to elders, along with organizations and businesses; a Faith Community Health Ministry Network to help deliver holistic health information within the Greater Allegany County area; and free online studies available for individuals and businesses on subjects such as marriage and families, parenting, mental health and wellness, professional development, leadership and more.
— Hallsport Christian Church will be manning a prayer station for those seeking prayer for individual concerns.
— Photos for Souls of Alfred, an online service providing free use of photographs from within and outside of Allegany County.
— The Traveling Chapel subsidiary venture of Photos for Souls which provides an opportunity for individuals to donate used and new Christian materials, including Bibles, Sunday school materials, books and other items which then are sent to other countries for distribution.
– Gil’s Hills Ministries of Wellsville will provide details about its free year-around youth programs.
Other currently scheduled activities include free balloon sculptures by Wellsville Full Gospel Church, face painting and caricature drawings.