Gowanda Small Town Times

Over the weekend of October 17 & 18 the annual Gowanda Scarecrow Contest was held. For 2026, the Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce took FallFest and the Scarecrow Contest back, moving it into October. All in all, there were 8 entries in the contest with the winners being as follows:

Taking First Place was this entry by the Gowanda Free Library.

Pictured above are the Second and Third Place winners. Respectively from left to right, these scarecrows were by Jesse’s Home & Gifts and Gowanda Shop’N Save.

After a postponement for a week due to stormy conditions, the 2026 Ducky Derby finally took place on August 30. After the race, the Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce posted the winners on their Facebook page.

Identified only by number in the post, the winners were as follows:
1st Place [$400] - 366
2nd Place [$300] - 212
3rd Place [$200] - 094
4th Place [$100] - 166
5th Place [$100] - 747
6th Place [$100] - 56
7th Place [$ 50] - 436
8th Place [$ 50] - 163
9th Place [$ 50] - 417
10th Place [$ 50] - 244

The Chamber also congratulated for their assistance in the event: the Gowanda volunteer fire department, the Neighborhood Watch, Jake with his animals and Michelle Lulas for her beautiful singing.

Due to persistent thunderstorms and bad creek conditions, the Ducky Derby, originally scheduled for August 23, was postponed to August 30. The announcement was made on the Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. Event times remain the same with festivities starting at noon and concluding with the race at 2 pm.

The Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the winners from the America 250 Parade.They have also put forth their appreciation to all who participated in the parade.

Parade winners include:

Fire Truck Division

Photo: Versailles Fire Company

* 1st Place: Versailles Fire Company
* 2nd Place: Collins Fire Company
* 3rd Place: Perrysburg Fire Company

Float Division

Photo: Countryside Baptist Church

* 1st Place: Countryside Baptist Church
* 2nd Place: Town of Persia
* 3rd Place: Ensering Hopes and Dreams

The Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the schedule for their annual Christmas In Gowanda event. That graphic can be seen below.