Third Annual West End Waterfront Rhiner Festival Expands to Three Days

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right this way… for Ithaca’s Third Annual West End Waterfront Rhiner Festival!  Presented by The History Center in Tompkins County and the Waterfront District Association of Ithaca, this year’s festival is expanding to including programming on Friday, Saturday and Sunday September 23 to 25, where visitors are invited to explore Ithaca’s Waterfront District and all of the splendor it has to offer.

This year’s festival is a celebration of the Wharton Studios legacy and the silent film industry which was once located on Ithaca’s waterfront.  Along with this theme, the lively, festive atmosphere will fill the area with over 25 activities, offering something for everyone to see and do.  Have your portrait painted along the waterfront, hop aboard a free lighthouse cruise on the MV Columbia, play 5 cent carnival games, and learn about Ithaca’s silent film history at the ‘Silent City Movie Hall.’  On Saturday, the public is invited to try and solve a mystery which unfolds in scenes throughout the day; one lucky sleuth will receive a very special prize. At night, Old Taughannock Blvd, aka: ‘Moonshine Island’ will come alive with speakeasy parties, music, vaudeville performances, costume parties, and games of chance.

Schedule Highlights: The festival will kick off on Friday at 5pm with a welcome party at the newly opened ‘Rhine House’ bar on Seneca Street. On Saturday, tour the Rhine diorama at Alternatives Bank, and celebrate the Rhine with a daylong street fair from noon to 6pm on Inlet Island, with live music, crafts, food, games, and a mystery street theatre taking place in 5 scenes throughout the day.  At dusk on Saturday, stroll along Ithaca’s waterfront to enjoy ‘Watermusic,’ featuring live music and performances in and around the Inlet.  Also a new feature of this year’s festival, on Saturday from 2pm to 10pm, the Tiohero Tour Boat will shuttle festival goers between Inlet Island and Steamboat Landing, where they can attend the 7^th Annual Farmer’s Ball from 5:30 to 10pm, followed by the 3^rd Annual Moonshine Island Speakeasy to take place at Castaway’s on Saturday night from 8pm to 1am. On Sunday, enjoy a leisurely day of brunch and antiques in the Rhine with special brunches at the Boatyard Grill, the MV Columbia Brunch Cruise and Kelly’s Dockside Café, followed by a special event to take place at Found in Ithaca from 10am to 6pm.

Mark your calendar and join us on September 23, 24^th and 25th, where history meets mystery, and anyone will have the chance to meet a silent film star when the cast and crew arrive on ‘Moonshine Island’ to film their latest production. Visi twww.ithacaswaterfront.com for more info.