The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Schodack Island State Park Hosts Summerfest Saturday June 25

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Summer is officially here and we invite you to come celebrate with us! Search for bald eagles on our Eagle Hike, learn the basics of camping, and participate in our third annual Fishing Derby. The day will be filled with fun for the whole family! Summerfest kicks off at 10 am and ends at 4 pm on Saturday, June 25. There is a $6 entrance fee per vehicle to access the park.  [private]
We will also have a bounce house, face painting, and plenty more! Our food vendors will be TCBY frozen yogurt of East Greenbush and the Schodack Landing Fire Company.
The day’s events and times are as follows:
• 3rd annual Fishing Derby, 7 am to 2 pm. Participants of all levels of experience are welcome! A fishing license is not required for Saturday’s derby as it is part of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Free Fishing Weekend. There are plenty of prizes for the Derby, thanks to our sponsors Hudson River Bait & Tackle and Shooter’s Sporting Goods.  Meet at the boat launch.
• Bird Walk, 7 am and 3 pm. Join us as we search for song birds and possibly find the Cerulean Warbler, a species of Special Concern in NY. Bring your own binoculars if you have them; we will have a few sets to loan. Bird walks will be led by our SUNY Cobleskill intern, Brooke Morgan. Meet by the main bathrooms near the boat launch.
• Introduction to Geocaching, 11 am. Come learn about the GPS oriented treasure hunt taking place in our parks and historic sites in the Capital Region. We will have an introductory course activity and prizes!  Meet at the main park tent by the volleyball net.
• Guided Kayak Tour, 11 am. Explore the Schodack Creek by kayak.  You must bring your own kayak to this event.  Meet at the Canoe/Kayak launch on Schodack Creek
• Camping 101, 1 pm. Learn the basics of spending a night outdoors from our SUNY Cobleskill intern Conor Cubit. Learn how to set up a tent, build a fire, and of course, roast some marshmallows! This will be held at site 67 in our Creekside loop of the campground.
• History Hike, 1 pm. Learn about the ice house chimney here at Schodack Island State Park from Town Historian Diane Hutchenson. Dan Odell, President of our Friends group, will be leading a tour to the chimney. Meet at the main tent.
• Bald Eagle Hike, 2 pm. Of course when people think about our park they think about the bald eagles! This year a local “birder”, more like “eagler,” Drew Cashman will be leading a tour down our new Eagle Trail to show people one of our many active nests. This tour will meet at the Audubon Society table.
• Build-Your-Own-Boat Race, 3 pm. Use recycled materials to create a boat to race down by the boat launch. Meet at the Riverview Pavilion.
Schodack Island State Park is located just south of the Village of Castleton on Route 9J. For more information, please call the office at 518-732-0187. Please follow us on the Schodack Island State Park Facebook page for updates and more information.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.[/private]