The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Grafton Lakes State Park’s 31st Annual Winter Festival-Update

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Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host the 31st Annual Winter Festival on Saturday, January 23.  The Winter Fest will feature outdoor events along with indoor exhibits, food vendors, and family-friendly and recreational activities. Join us for this free event, celebrating Winter. [private]Main events run from 10 am to 4 pm.  Only one portion of the event, the ice fishing contest, will be delayed due to unsafe ice conditions, but the park expects a great turnout for the wide array of other Winter Fest fun.
For the kids, Winter Fest offers a fun for 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 live animal exhibitors and the chance to try Frisbee golf on the beach.
Adults can join in a guided snowshoe outing or hike, and 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 will benefit the food pantry of Our Lady of the Snow Parish,  with participants jumping in for a good cause at 1 pm.
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 originally scheduled for January 23 has been rescheduled for February 13, which is a free fishing weekend where no licenses are required. The Park expects a big turnout as a result, and safer ice under anglers’ feet. 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 is available on Grafton Lakes’ website (www.nysparks.com/parks) and on www.facebook.com/GraftonLakesStatePark.[/private]