BEMUS POINT – With the changing of the leaves comes the return of a community event in Bemus Point celebrating the coming fall season, this time with the involvement Chautauqua Lake’s historic steamboat.

The eighth annual Bemus Point Fall Fest will be held in downtown Bemus Point from Friday through Sunday, featuring special sales and discounts at many of its 12 specialty shops that are also serving as hosts for the event and a special appearance by the Chautauqua Belle during Saturday’s festivities.

“We just heard from the owners of the Chautauqua Belle and they said they would be joining us for this year’s festival,” said Kim Walter, festival coordinator and owner of the Bemus Bay Children’s Shoppe and Petals & Twigs. “They said they will be docked in Bemus Point at some point on Saturday; I was shocked when they reached out to us.”

The festival is also a means of showcasing the wares of Bemus Point’s unique specialty shops which are scattered throughout the village. During the event, locally-owned, independent stores offer a “Draw-a-leaf” discount that allows customers the opportunity to earn anywhere from a 5-50 percent discount on their purchase by picking a fall leaf from a cluster at checkout. Each leaf has a discount amount marked on the back, which will then be applied to the order’s total.

The stores will offer these discounts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each of the three days. The participating businesses in this year’s festival include: Bemus Bay Children’s Shoppe, Bemus Point Pottery, GG My Love, Imagine!, Lakeside Cottage Shoppe, Petals & Twigs, Skillmans, The Art Loft Too and Wired on Main.

Bemus Point restaurants will also offer fall menus and seasonal specials, and those interested in learning more are encouraged to call for restaurant hours. The participating restaurants are: Bemus Point Inn Restaurant, Bemus Point Market, Coppola’s Pizzaria, Ellicottville Brewing Company, Guppy’s Tavern, the Hotel Lenhart’s Lamplighter Room, the Italian Fisherman, See-Zurh House, The Village Casino, Wired on Main and Ye Hare ‘n Hounds Inn.

Walter said this year’s festival will also feature a number of new vendors and participating organizations including: the Bemus Point Historical Society; the Chautauqua County Humane Society; the Bemus Point United Methodist Church; Camp Onyahsa; CHQ Local Food; Alpacaville; and the All American Karate School.

Additionally, various activities and demonstrations will be held throughout the weekend, as well as the return of a petting zoo and pony rides. Live music will be provided by Dan Vogan from 2-4 p.m. Sunday outside Coppola’s Pizzaria, and Loren Mayshark will hold a book signing Friday from 5:30-8 p.m. at Imagine!

For more information, including a list of activities and participants, visit shopbemus.com, bemuspointny.org or find “Shop Bemus” on Facebook.