Local musician Wayne Holtz is hosting the “Fall Fun Fest” at the park on the corner of Broadway and Bloomingdale Avenue from noon to 6 p.m. For the free music event — potentially the first of its kind in the newly redesigned park — Holtz is flying in his musician friends from down South to put on a diverse lineup of blues, country, pop and rock ‘n’ roll.

Holtz is from Texas. For year’s, he’s spent summers here to visit family and escape the heat, and this year he decided to stick around for longer.

“It’s too darn hot in Texas,” Holtz said, contrasting that with Saranac Lake — which he calls “a summer snowglobe.”

In Texas, he created music and hosted hundreds of events, and he wanted to bring that here.

Nicky Diamonds (Provided photo — Dustin Speckman)

“Everyone here in town appreciates art, and I thought that I could show them some of the art from where I’m from,” Holtz said.

He’s worked with several of the musicians multiple times and said all the artists are good friends of his.

Jae Dani has been playing solo shows at the neighboring Bitters and Bones brewery and restaurant regularly for several years now. On Saturday, she’ll have her full band and be performing an eclectic mix of her original songs.

Nicky Diamonds, with a slide guitar, long hair and a big hat, is a country songwriter from San Antonio, Texas carrying a moody acoustic country and blues sound. He’s shared the stage with Alicia Keys and Willie Nelson, Holtz said.

Diamonds is currently on tour with Marley Hale, who is also coming up for the festival. Holtz said Hale “owns the stage with her striking folk sound.”

Wayne Holtz (Provided photo — José Villalobos)

Holtz said Nina Diaz is a “rock and roll veteran.” Diaz’s edgy and dreamy rock features her powerful voice and sharp guitars.

Holtz himself will end the show with his electric blending of deep baritone country vocals, a thumping pop beat, dancing and humor.

“I feel the most alive when I’m performing,” Holtz said. “I think it’s beautiful for people to see what’s possible in art and in life when it comes to confidence and expressing yourself.”

He feels it’s important to bring joy in a tumultuous world.

This festival is part of a larger community effort to turn the recently reimagined park between Bitters & Bones and The Rusty Nail into a community gathering place after it got a major investment through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant the village received in 2018.

“I’m really trying to utilize the space and take advantage of all the renovations they’ve been doing … how beautiful the park is and how it overlooks the town and the mountains,” Holtz said. “Just give people a way to understand what its there for and help them access the space.”

From his job at Bitters and Bones, he watched construction crews all summer working hard on creating and sprucing up the park.

“It’s there to be used and to be enjoyed,” Holtz said.

He said he’s had a beautiful time living here and seen many people contribute to the arts and culture of town, so he felt like people deserve a free fall concert.

The village Community Enhancement Fund is commissioning Tupper Lake-based blacksmith Dan King to craft a steel mural-sculpture hybrid to be installed on the back wall of the park’s ground floor, which will be lit up at night.

Bitters and Bones co-owner Johnny Williams said patrons kept asking them about what the next-door park will be. He wondered himself and decided to have a hand in finding its role in the community.

He applied for a Franklin County Frontier Destination Development Marketing Plan grant and got $10,000 in a 50/50 grant to hold concerts in the park every Saturday in the summer.

Holtz is funding part of the festival himself, with $2,500 in donations, $1,250 of which is from the DDMP grant.

Williams said he’s impressed when someone dedicates their time, effort and money to put on a free event for the community.

Holtz also hosts karaoke at Bitters and Bones every Wednesday evening.