The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce raised funds for local businesses through its second annual Fall Fair and Pie Walk on Saturday, Oct. 4, drawing residents and students to a traffic-free Lebanon Street for the ticketed fundraiser. The funds raised at the event will go towards a small business grant program organized by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce that has distributed nearly $25,000 to local entrepreneurs over the past few years.
The event was organized by Britty O’Connor, the head of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of Flour and Salt. O’Connor’s work with the Chamber of Commerce contributes to helping her fellow small business owners.
“The money goes back to funding the Chamber’s small business grant program. We’ve distributed close to $25,000 over the past few years to our members,” O’Connor said. “We also host socials for members and pay for marketing through a local marketing team. It goes to fund all sorts of operations for the Chamber.”
Lebanon Street between Broad Street and Maple Avenue closed to vehicles for the afternoon event, which Colgate University Athletics cross-promoted. Syracuse singer-songwriter Clove performed as attendees browsed vendor tables from local businesses including Village Clay, Shol’s Boutique and Hamilton Theater. The Hamilton Public Library also had boxes of free books for attendees to look through. Set up on the road were festival games like cornhole, frisbee and ring toss.
The $20 pie walk tickets supported local businesses through Chamber of Commerce programming, with 44 donated pies from establishments including Hamilton Eatery, Flour and Salt and the Colgate Inn, along with 13 individual bakers. The pie walk operated as a musical chairs-style game where participants walked around a numbered ring until music stopped and a winning number was called, with each winner claiming a donated pie.
O’Connor got the idea for the Fall Fair and Pie Walk from a children’s book that she read to her daughter called Family Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza. O’Connor explained the inspiration behind her event.
“It’s a book by a Mexican folk artist. It’s common in Mexican village celebrations to do a cake walk. In the book, there was a beautiful depiction of a cake walk,” O’Connor said. “My husband made a passing comment about how cool it would be to do a cake walk in Hamilton, so I ran with the idea. And I make pies, so I made it a pie walk.”
The event was attended by a wide variety of people, including Colgate students, professors, athletes, local entrepreneurs and Hamilton residents alike, who gathered together as a community. The event coincided with the Colgate Day of Service, hosted by the Max Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education (COVE), which drew a crowd of student and athlete volunteers. Senior Christina Midgette and junior Amarah Streiff, both COVE volunteers, attended the fair and took charge of the face-painting station. In addition to their work with COVE, they are also members of the Colgate Women’s Basketball team, and found out about the event through their coaches.
“For us, it’s very important to give back to the community that supports us, so that’s a big part of it,” Streiff said. “It’s really great to see the community outside. It’s nice to see everybody’s familiar faces – professors, townspeople and business owners.”
Midgette also found her second time attending the event to be a positive experience.
“The event is really nice. Last year, we did the tattooing station. It’s a nice vibe with the music and everything,” Midgette said.
Kate Castle is the owner of Hedge Witch Farms, an organic farm and apiary located in Hubbardsville. It was the first time her small business was featured at the event.
“The Pie Walk is great exposure for the business, and honestly, it’s just a lot of fun to be a part of the community and do an event like this,” Castle said. “The Chamber has been really helpful in getting the word out about us. I’m also going to be at the Poolville Farmers’ Market in November. I will be at the farmer’s market in Hamilton next year.”
Ashley Proskine, the owner of Huff Brau, a restaurant located in Earlville, donated a pie and attended the event to enjoy a beautiful fall day.
“We are a part of the Chamber of Commerce and attend other events like this,” Proskine said. “We did Supper Under the Stars – I won an award for that recently. It’s a dinner put on by the Chamber of Commerce in the summer, and it’s open to the public.”
