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20th Annual Cream Cheese
Festival Set for September 20th in Downtown Lowville
Published: September 10, 2025
at 06:00 p.m.
By: Press Release
from Lowville Cream Cheese Festival
Cream Cheese Festival to Return to Downtown Lowville
September 20th
 LOWVILLE, NY — The annual Cream
Cheese Festival will return to historic downtown Lowville, in the heart of
Lewis County, Saturday, Sept. 20. The free admission event — which will be
held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — celebrates Lowville
being home to the nation’s largest cream cheese plant, Kraft Heinz, which
produces Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Lowville native
Beth Hall, co-host of 7News This Morning on WWNY-TV-7 and FOX 28, will
again serve as emcee for this year’s event, kicking off festivities from
the Main Stage on North State Street. Musical entertainment for that stage,
coordinated by Jasyn Griffin, will again begin this year starting at 11
a.m. Opening ceremonies at the Main Stage will officially kick things off
at 12 p.m.
Festival chairman
Jeremiah S. Papineau said the committee is looking forward to the return of
this great community event.
“We’re once again
looking forward to this awesome event for the community,” said Mr.
Papineau. “We greatly appreciate the support of the community, our
sponsors, and not least of which, our amazing volunteers, really makes this
happen. An entirely volunteer-run event like this could not happen without
people giving so generously of their time, talents and resources. This is
what a small town is all about.”
This year's event
will include the unveiling of a giant cheesecake created by the local Kraft
Heinz facility, with free slices given out immediately following the
opening ceremonies at 12 p.m. The festival will again include delicious
food, great entertainment, a wide array of vendors, the traditional recipe
contest, and the Children’s Discovery Park, featuring attractions by
Adventures in Climbing in Veterans Memorial Park along Parkway Drive.
The Cream Cheese
Festival has attracted much attention since its inception in 2005 and has
brought much attention to Lewis County and brought many people to the
region, helping the local economy if even one day a year. When the record
was broken in 2013, the festival welcomed a representative from Guinness
World Records who certified the cheesecake made by the plant on Utica
Boulevard was indeed the world’s largest. The
massive creation weighed in at 6,900 pounds — more than 2,000 pounds
heavier than the prior mark of 4,703 set in 2009 by a Kraft Foods plant in
the country of Mexico.
Last year, after
having lost the record to a plant in Russia in 2017, the local plant
reclaimed the record with a 15,008-pound cheesecake – surpassing the 2017
record of 9,347 pounds.
“Kraft Heinz
proved they would not be outdone,” said Mr. Papineau. “They could’ve easily
gotten by with a 10,000-pound cheesecake but they nearly double the record
that was taken from them. It was an amazing show of determination and pride
for bringing this truly unique record back to the people here in the North
Country.”
In addition to
entertainment at the Main Stage on North State Street, musical
entertainment will be offered at the Veterans Stage next to American Legion
Post 162 on Parkway Drive as well as a stage in the Children’s Discovery
Park.
“We’ve got
stellar line-ups again for the Main Stage and Veterans Stage that Jasyn has
put together for us, offering something for everyone,” said Mr. Papineau.
“And, this year, thanks to Children’s Discovery Park coordinator Woody
Hoffman, we have live entertainment on that stage as well, provided by New
Life Christian Church.”
The Children’s
Discovery Park is the only portion of the festival that charges admission,
at a cost of $10 per child. Admission gives children and an
accompanying adult access to attractions provided by Adventures in
Climbing all day and choice of popcorn, cotton candy or snow-cone for the
child.
Mr. Papineau
added he and the committee are looking forward to another great year of the
festival.
“I always say
that I cannot emphasize enough how we have an amazing committee, all who
volunteer countless hours of their time to make this festival happen,” he
said. “We’re very fortunate to have these caring individuals continue this
tradition of offering a family-friendly event here in Lewis County.”
 Like last year, this year’s event will
not include the wacky contests it has held in the past. Originally, this
was due to additional safety precautions in response to the COVID-19
pandemic, but that continued last year due to a lack of a games coordinator. The festival still does not have a
games coordinator so this year’s event will again not include contests.
“While it again
saddens us to not be able to offer this attraction at the festival, as we
said last year, it’s the unfortunate reality that comes with this being an
entirely volunteer-run festival,” said Mr. Papineau. “We hope to bring back
this piece of the event in the future.”
Despite this, Mr.
Papineau said he believes people will continue to turn out for the vendors,
entertainment, food, the Children’s Discovery Park and, of course,
cheesecake.
RECIPE CONTEST
DETAILS
One of the most
popular events at the festival is its annual recipe contest.
Those wishing to
participate may pick up six free packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese at
Lowville Producers Cheese Store, 7396 Utica Blvd., Wednesday, Sept. 17, and
Thursday, Sept. 18, from 12 to 4 p.m. both days. Those picking up cream
cheese from the local Kraft Heinz facility must furnish a copy of their
recipe upon pick-up.
Entries will be
judged based on presentation, creativity and taste. Points in the judging
are weighted – the most points are awarded for the taste component, the
next highest points are awarded in creativity, and the fewest points are
awarded for presentation.
Entries must be
delivered to the recipe contest booth located inside the Lowville Fire Hall
between 8 and 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20. Parking is available in the
Lowville Free Library lot during drop-off hours, with access to the fire
hall available via the rear entry doorway on Parkway Drive.
Displays are
limited to a 2 ft. by 2 ft. area on the table and only the registration
number should be visible on an entry. Electrical outlets will be available
In addition, all
entries must be prepared with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and any recipe
submitted becomes the property of Kraft Heinz. Entries must be picked up by
2 p.m. the day of the contest. Kraft Heinz is not
responsible for any dish not picked up that day.
This year’s
contest will have both dessert and non-dessert categories with cash prizes
awarded.
Those wishing to
register for the recipe contest must send an email in advance to the Cream
Cheese Festival Committee to creamcheesefestival@gmail.com or
call 315-748-6361.
PARKING AND ROAD
CLOSURE DETAILS
Parking for the
festival will again be at the Lewis County Fairgrounds on the north stride
of the village, with shuttles running regularly throughout the day to
transport people to the north end and south end of the festival grounds.
Attendees will be able to park and take advantage of the shuttle service
offered by Birnie Bus and Lewis County Public Transportation.
“We’re very
grateful to our friends at the Lewis County Agricultural Society for
providing us the space for parking each year,” said Mr. Papineau, referring
to the owners of the Lewis County Fairgrounds.
Parking remains
free but donations to the Lewis County Agricultural Society will be
appreciated. The cost to ride the shuttle is $1 each way, with exact change
requested. Motorists should take note Parkway Drive and North State Street,
from the main intersection at Dayan Street and Shady Avenue to Bostwick
Street, will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20, to accommodate the festival. During that time,
motorists will be directed to a detour route.
BACKGROUND &
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Since its
inception in 2005, the Cream Cheese Festival has attracted much attention.
The popular travel website TripAdvisor listed the Cream Cheese Festival as
one of the top 10 wackiest summer festivals in 2011 and 2012. It has also
received a similar designation from The Weather Channel. The event has brought much attention to Lewis County and brought
many people to the region, helping the local economy if even one day a
year.
In 2013, Lowville
was recognized as home of the World’s Largest Cheesecake by Guinness World
Records. That year, the festival welcomed a representative from Guinness
World Records who certified the cheesecake made by the plant on Utica
Boulevard was indeed the world’s largest. The
massive creation weighed in at 6,900 pounds — more than 2,000 pounds
heavier than the prior mark of 4,703 pounds set in 2009 by a Kraft Foods
plant in the country of Mexico. In 2024, Lowville regained the record,
after having lost the record to a plant in Russia in 2017. The local plant
created a 15,008-pound cheesecake – surpassing the record of 9,347 pounds
created by the Russian plant.
Over the years,
the festival has expanded from downtown North State Street to Parkway Drive
and over to American Legion Post 162, which has taken on a larger role in
working with the festival each year. In fact, in addition to the Main Stage
on North State Street during the festival, the American Legion hosts its
own entertainment that day on the Veterans Stage, also coordinated by Jasyn
Griffin.
Each year,
through the coordination of American Legion Post 162 Commander C. Lee
Hinkleman, soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division volunteer in great
numbers.
“We are extremely
grateful each year for their volunteering and look forward to having them
back again this year,” said Mr. Papineau. “Their help demonstrates their
commitment to the community they live in and we’re very happy to have them
here.”
Mr. Papineau
added volunteers are always needed for this event and those interested
should reach out via email to the Cream Cheese Festival Committee. Those
interested in volunteering may complete a volunteer sign-up form online
at https://bit.ly/Cream-Cheese-Festival-Volunteer-Registration or
send an email to creamcheesefestival@gmail.com.
For more
information about the Cream Cheese Festival, visit www.creamcheesefestival.com or
contact committee chairman Jeremiah S. Papineau via email at creamcheesefestival@gmail.com or
call 315-748-6361.
Platinum sponsors
this year include Kraft Heinz, WWNY 7News, Tunes 92.5/Intrepid
Broadcasting, Naturally Lewis, the Lewis County Agricultural Society, the
Lowville Business Association and the Village of Lowville. Additional
sponsors may be found online at www.creamcheesefestival.com.
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