Frontier Festival debuts this weekend with Prayers From Maria

[gallery]SANDUSKY — Cedar Point's all-new Frontier Festival, a sunflower-inspired celebration of bounty, harvest and provisions of the Old West, kicks off this weekend and runs through June 30.In addition to food and beverage sampling, live music, artisan crafters and family activities, a new partnership is literally growing with Prayers From Maria, an organization that brings hope to children with cancer. Its mission features the sunflower as its symbol of strength and hope.Planting Hope with Prayers From MariaFounded in 2007, Prayers From Maria bears the namesake of 7-year-old Maria McNamara, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. During her own battle, Maria chose to pray for all children suffering from cancer, along with their families. Since her death in 2007, her parents Megan and Ed McNamara have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and money to fund childhood cancer research.Standing as a symbol of hope, the original "Maria's Field of Hope" in Avon, Ohio, a 60-acre field of sunflowers, has bloomed annually since 2013 in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. On Wednesday, Cedar Point helped to grow the movement with a second location: Maria's Field of Hope at Cedar Point.More than 160,000 sunflower seeds are being planted on eight acres of land next to Cedar Point's Express Hotel on Cedar Point Drive. In addition, the sunflower becomes the shining icon of the park's Frontier Festival, celebrating hope and harvest at this fully immersive Western street festival. The sunflower is featured throughout the activities, décor and merchandise.During the Frontier Festival, guests can learn more about Prayers From Maria, make donations and purchase Prayers From Maria merchandise with all proceeds going to the organization."Our efforts to help families in meaningful ways goes beyond our park gates," said Jason McClure, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. "The inspirational story of Maria's battle and her selflessness is something that we are so very happy to support."Megan McNamara, co-founder of Prayers From Maria, added, "Cedar Point is a special place that embraces being a kid and where special memories are made. We couldn't think of a better fit to expand our message of hope."The sunflower field is scheduled to be planted within the next 1 to 2 weeks with an estimated debut around the second to third week of August.Ed and Megan McNamara, parents of the the late Maria McNamara, speak to those attending the planting ceremony for Maria's Field of Hope at Cedar Point in Sandusky on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.A Festival of Cedar Point ProportionsThe new Frontier Festival will transcend all of Frontier Town from the Town Hall Museum to the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad's Frontier Station. Fit for guests with hearty appetites, the festival combines samplings of refreshing suds and ciders, wines, live music and dancing, hoedowns, kids' crafting and talented artisans.Some of the highlights include:— Food for the Frontier AppetiteThroughout Frontier Town, guests can sample everything from fire-roasted suckling pig to pulled pork sliders. Other highlights include bison chili with wild berry multi-grain boule, roasted pork belly with mustard-peach marmalade, smoked whole salmon with vinegar slaw and corn tortilla and sweet and sassy wings – all smoked and grilled on an open flame.Homemade desserts include wild strawberry shortcake, peaches and cream and layered blueberry crumb cake with fresh berries and sweet cream.Layered Blueberry Crumble Cake— Belly WashersFrontier Festival's signature drink is the Sunflower Spritz. Other non-alcoholic beverages include hand-crafted lemonades of classic lemon, blueberry, raspberry and jalapeno mint, with the option to add moonshine or vodka.— Dancing Boots Not RequiredGossip Gulch.The Gossip Gulch stage becomes the town square and becomes the center of all things music during Frontier Festival. Guests can partake in the Hubbub Hoedown where they'll learn line and square dancing, or enjoy bluegrass and classic country with a twangy twist as the Backwoods Pickers and Grand Ole Pickers take the stage.Additional special guest performers include Loop Rawlins, lasso-handling showman, and local musicians Matt Vanfossen and The Brothers Mogan.— Artisan SquareLocal artisans will offer unique homemade items near the Town Hall Museum. Guests can browse their collections and watch demonstrations.— Kids' Crafting and ActivitiesKids can explore the Flower Patch to pick a flowerpot to decorate, or color a sunflower scene, create their own paper bag cowboy boot and craft a yarn horseshoe for free. They can also compete in Snoopy's daily pie eating contest, win a real pie at the pie walk, participate in the balloon stampede or learn to lasso a cactus.— Sunflower CentralExclusive festival merchandise will be available, featuring the official festival t-shirt and pin, drinkware, specialty beef jerky and more. The General Store will feature an array of all things sunflower, including Prayers From Maria merchandise.— The Barn ArtistScott Hagan, known as "The Barn Artist," will transform the Cedar Creek Mine Ride wall into one of his custom creations, June 11-13.Frontier Festival runs Friday through Sunday, June 30. The event will begin at 4 p.m. each day with a "keg tapping" ceremony on the Gossip Gulch stage. Editor's note: Justin Dietz is a Register correspondent representing CPFoodBlog.com and @CPFoodBlog on Twitter.Representatives pour their sunflower seeds into the dirt during a planting ceremony for Maria's Field of Hope at Cedar Point in Sandusky on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.Merchandise that features Cedar Point's Frontier Festival and Maria's Field of Hope sits on display during a planting ceremony in Sandusky on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.A field of sunflowers adjacent to the Cedar Point Express Hotel at 1201 Cedar Point Drive will be planted in honor of Maria McNamara.A non-alcoholic Sunrise Spritz next to a layered blueberry crumble cake.