The 57th Fredonia Farm Festival opens today. File photo

The Fredonia Farm Festival returns to its traditional Friday opening today.

Greg Krauza, co-chairman of the festival along with Lauren Boyle, said a cornhole tournament will be featured tonight. It’s run by Jen DePasquale, owner of the Buffalo Brawlers cornhole team. Last-minute signups can be attempted at www.scorholio.com; search for Fredonia Farm Festival.

“It’s $20 to enter and over $1,000 in prizes will be given out to the top four teams. There’s also a 50/50 during the tournament with proceeds and entry fees going to the winners choice of charity,” Boyle said.

The movie “Minecraft” will also be screened tonight, at 8 p.m. “We’re going to have some fun things for the kids there. Bring your own chair,” Boyle suggested. “The movie was really popular last summer, so that will probably go over really well.”

When asked to highlight something new at the festival this year, Boyle mentioned the Young Entrepreneurs’ Tent.

“That is a tent with local children up to age 17 selling goods and products they make,” she explained. “We did it as kind of an opportunity to give them a small taste of what our vendors go through.” There will be a rotation of kids who signed up for various times throughout the three-day festival. A few time slots are still available; interested parties should go to the Farm Festival Fredonia Facebook page and message with their phone number.

Also new this year are a children’s story time at the Junior Farmers’ Tent and a photo booth on Saturday and Sunday. The booth is “free to everybody. You can come and take funny pictures,” Boyle said.

“There will be a variety of presentations in the gazebo throughout the days,” Krauza said, continuing a feature started at last year’s festival. The presenters will talk about things such as honey, local wine, and how to make a tiki drink. With presenters getting added last-minute, Boyle said a full list will be printed on programs available at the festival, and also included on the festival Facebook page.

Krauza said, “In our attempt to highlight local, on Saturday night instead of a band, we are going to have a showcase by Main Street Studios, and Danza! and Collage are doing performances. We’re trying to give our locals an opportunity to strut their stuff.”

The organizers are pleased with this year’s mix of vendors. “You have the wonderful old standards but we also have some new vendors,” Krauza said.

“We have the staples, everybody likes their staple craft vendors,” Boyle said. “But we have more new vendors than ever before. Last year we had a lot of new ones, but this year we have even more.”

The traditional Sunday parade down Temple Street ends the festival. It will start at 2 p.m. this year, an hour later than in recent years.

The parade’s grand marshal is Tom Webb. He is the last remaining member of the very first Farm Festival committee, which started 57 years ago.

Boyle said the Farm Festival is sponsored this year by DFT Communications, Kravitz Tree Service, Chautauqua County, Fredonia Beaver Club, Twinstar Business Solutions, Fredonia Place, G&E Tents, Darwin R. Barker Library, and Sir Prints A Lot.