Broadway in Monticello, N.Y., turned into “Bagel Boulevard” on Sunday, Aug. 9, as thousands gathered for the 13th annual Bagel Festival, a day celebrating food, music, local businesses and community.
Organized primarily by the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce with Bold Gold Media and other sponsors, the festival brought together more than 150 vendors, nonprofit organizations, merchants, food trucks, performers and community groups along Broadway.
“It’s just so fantastic,” said Matthew Sush, president and CEO of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce. “So many people came to Broadway, Bagel Boulevard, for the Bagel Festival. There’s got to be 15,000 to 20,000 people here today.”
Broadway was “packed shoulder to shoulder,” Sush said, with stores open and visitors moving through the street fair.
“You can’t ask for a better day,” he said. “Beautiful weather. Everybody came out and had a great time and there were smiles on everyone’s faces, and there’s plenty of things to eat, plenty of things to do. I’m just happy everybody’s enjoying the day.”
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A celebration of community
While bagels remain at the heart of the festival, the event has grown into a broader celebration of Sullivan County.
For Monticello-based CHP Inspections, the festival offered an opportunity to connect with residents outside the company’s usual work.
“The Bagel Festival is a pretty cool opportunity for everybody to experience what the bagel is all about,” said Matthew Costa of CHP Inspections. He noted that much of the bagel’s history is connected to Sullivan County, including an original bagel machine displayed at the museum in Hurleyville.
“It’s a good opportunity for everybody to see what the community has,” Costa said.
For Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, participating was another way to connect with the local community while celebrating its own history. Sam Kathy, an intern with the organization, said the center is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
“It’s getting to be with the community and immersing ourselves in the community,” Kathy said. She also encouraged visitors to learn more about the history of Woodstock and visit the museum at the original 1969 festival site.
Bringing people together
For visitors, the festival was also an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family.
Daniela attended with her sister and friends. Her group of six heard about the festival through her sister, who comes every year.
“It’s just good to see a lot of people all together in the community,” Daniela said.
Another visitor, who grew up in the area but no longer lives locally, returned to see friends and family.
“To be a part of the community, to see friends and family,” she said of what brought her back. “I came home to visit friends and family and to be a part of Bagel Fest.”
She said her favorite part of the day was simply being around friends and family.
Food, arts and new experiences
The festival also gave local and regional organizations an opportunity to introduce themselves to the community.
For Prince Popover, this was the first year participating. Sebastian Geary said the company’s goal is “bringing popovers to the people” and serving them as fresh as possible.
“We want to bring them as fresh as possible to people’s plates,” Geary said.
The festival also featured the Regional Food Bank’s Great Bagel Challenge, a second music stage, a Plein Air Art Jam, children’s activities and an Any Make Any Model Car Show.
Nicole Sharp, marketing and communications manager for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, said the organization was participating for the second year.
“We just want everybody to know about us,” Sharp said. “We’re always looking for volunteers. We just want everybody to know that we really want to help our neighbors in need.”
The car show offered another way to bring people together. Jim Kehrley displayed a 1935 Packard and said he enjoys the festival because visitors who may not normally attend car shows stop to ask questions.
“They’ve never seen a Packard. What is it?” he said. “It’s a different style car show here. It’s really nice to come down here for this.”
Tom Matthews, president of the Any Make Any Model Car Club, said the club welcomes everything from classic cars to newer vehicles and uses proceeds from its shows to support charities.
“It’s the love of the older cars and stuff like that,” Matthews said. “The new and the old comes together, and it’s our whole transportation history. A lot of it’s forgotten.”
Looking beyond the festival
For Sush, the festival is ultimately about encouraging people to discover more of what Sullivan County has to offer.
The chamber has been organizing the event for decades, with this year marking its 13th Bagel Festival.
Sush said he hopes visitors leave with more than memories of food and entertainment.
“You want people to enjoy Sullivan County and see something else that they haven’t seen before,” he said.
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