Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host the 31st Annual Winter Festival and Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, January 23. The Winter Fest will feature outdoor events along with indoor exhibits, food vendors, and family-friendly and recreational activities. The event is on snow or no snow, and is free of charge. Main events run from 10 am to 4 pm.
[private]For the kids, Winter Fest offers fun to cure cabin fever. The park will have rides with the charming Northland Newfoundlands, horse drawn carriage outings in the park, and indoor hands-on activities ranging from nature jeopardy to kooky science experiments. The event will also have new live animal exhibitors and the chance to try ultimate frisbee on the beach. Adults can join in a guided snowshoe outing or hike, and if conditions permit, all ages can borrow snowshoes for a free demo around the park. Fans of four-legged creatures will enjoy a guided morning walk for dogs, as well as a chance to meet the tail-wagging canines from Rensselaer County Search & Rescue.
The 9th Annual Polar Plunge benefitting the food pantry for Our Lady of the Snow charges into Long Pond at 1 pm. Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will offer a playful prize for the silliest costume, so start planning your January beach attire! To pre-register for the Plunge, please call Maureen Cox for more information at 281-6575 or call the park office.
Visitors who need to warm up can savor some hot food while enjoying indoor exhibits. Live birds of prey, kids’ nature crafts, and a variety of regional community and conservation organizations will entertain and inform patrons. Face painters and Balloon Gal Jenny will give children winter-themed mementos along with their Winter Fest memories to take with them at the end of the day.
The annual ice fishing contest draws several hundred anglers and will run from 5:30 am to 3 pm on all the ponds in the park, ice conditions permitting. Participants can register starting at 5:30 am until 11 am the morning of the event at the park’s pole barn. A $10 entry fee for adults 16 and older is required to participate in the fishing tournament. All first place adult winners will receive a cash prize this year, awarded for the longest length catch of Trout, Walleye/Chain Pickerel and Yellow Perch. Children may enter at no charge and winning entries will receive gift certificates and other prizes. Please remember that all participants 16 and older must have a New York State fishing license to fish in the park at any time. If ice is inadequate, the ice fishing contest may be delayed to February 13. Please call the park to learn more.
Grafton Lakes State Park is located off of Route 2, twelve miles east of Troy, New York. For more information about the Winter Festival, please call the park at 518-279-1155. A full schedule of events will be available on Grafton Lakes’ website (www.nysparks.com/parks) and on www.facebook.com/GraftonLakesStatePark in January. [/private]