It's Festival Time
by KARL SCHEITHEIR Entertainment Editor

It's that time of year when Western New Yorkers shed their winter clothes, don shorts and T-shirts and go out and enjoy the warm weather at various events and festivals.

Let's face it, we need to celebrate after the October Surprise and the Sabres loss this past weekend.

June means a couple things to most people like the annual Allentown Art Festival ( June 9-10), Music Is Art Festival ( June 9-10) and the start of Shakespeare in the Park ( June 21-Aug. 19). But don't miss opportunities like the Gay Pride Parade (1 p.m. June 3) up Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo or the Parkside Garden Tour ( June 24), which takes you through private and public gardens in the historic neighborhood designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. If you haven't been out to the Amherst Museum to take in the Civil War Living Museum Weekend ( June 16-17) with battle re-enactments, check it out.

We really know how to celebrate heritage in WNY, too. Starting with celebrating everything Greek at the Hellenic Festival ( June 1-3) at the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Buffalo, moving on to the Irish with the annual Buffalo Feis ( June 1-3), held at the Agri-Center at the Fairgrounds in Hamburg, the annual Polish Heritage Festival ( June 8-10) also held at the Agri-Center, and the Juneteenth Festival ( June 16-17) at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Buffalo.

If music is more your thing, then get ready for Thursday in the Square, which starts May 31 at 5 p.m. with Umphrey's McGee. Other highlights include The Violent Femmes ( June 21), Joan Osborne ( June 28), the Sam Roberts Band ( July 5), Soul Asylum (Aug. 16), The Romantics (Sept. 6), and the final show with the Dropkick Murphys (Sept. 20).

I also look forward to June in Buffalo ( June 4-10) at the University at Buffalo that celebrates symphonic composers, M&T Bank's Plaza Event Series ( June 4-Aug. 24) in downtown Buffalo, the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival ( June 9-10 and 16-17) in East Aurora or the WNED Buffalo-Niagara Guitar Festival ( June 14-18) at various locations throughout Buffalo. Travel out to Lewiston and take in a free concert at Artpark's Tuesdays in the Park series, which opens at 6:30 p.m. June 5 with Molly Hatchet.

And what would a festival list be without food? Starting with a Taste of Alden & Firemen's Carnival ( June 21-23) at Alden Town Park and moving to the Taste of Buffalo ( July 7-8) on Main Street. Forget about it and eat at the Italian Heritage and Food Festival ( July 12-15), the Taste of Williamsville (Aug. 7), Taste of Lancaster (Aug. 4), the Eden Corn Festival (Aug. 2-5), Taste of Ellicottville (Aug. 11-12) and end the season with the National Chicken Wing Festival (Sept 1-2) at Dunn Tire Park. I remind you this is just an overview. Check out our Festival listings weekly on the Entertainment pages for your favorites or maybe some new options. Have fun in the sun!