The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
TRICK OR TREAT FUN
Great Swamp Conservancy: Halloween Fun Days continue today
CANASTOTA >> It was a packed house at the Great Swamp Conservancy’s Halloween Fun Days on Saturday as hordes of children took the opportunity to show off their costumes while they searched for their next trick or treat.
An annual event, Halloween Fun Days caters specifically to children who want to join in the holiday festivities but without the scariness sought by older generations. This year, the event is spread over the course of two days, running on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“I can’t believe the number of people who have come out today,” said volunteer Eleanor Jones.
All children who dressed up received a prize as they wound their way through various themed sections at the Halloween Fun Days. They could explore an underwater maze, investigate a bat cave, a frog pond, space station, or witch’s kitchen. There were also several craft stations where youngsters could create their own animal masks, pasta-skeletons, or bracelets.
Though it was a blustery, rainy day on Saturday, those in attendance had the opportunity to warm themselves up with burgers fresh off the grill, snacks and drinks at the Lady-Bug Cafe before venturing back outside to the barn, where there was a farmyard section and remote control mouses trick-or-treaters could operate.
It was standing room only
in the barn when it came time for smashing one of the day’s two piñatas. The likes of Beetlejuice, Elsa from “Frozen,” a Minion from “Despicable Me”, and an Army hero greeted children, while the conservancy’s Executive Director Rusty Patane starred as The Good Witch of the Great Swamp, delighting children with her theatrics as she gave them a guided tour of her witch kitchen, cackling along with the youngsters.
“I do enjoy interacting with the kids,” Patane said.
The Good Witch of the Great Swamp was a hit with parents as well.
“Hilarious,” first-time visitor Deanna LaFayette said of Patane’s performance. LaFayette traveled to Canastota from Sherrill, with three of her own children and a niece from Burlington, Vt. With her three children Beatrice, 10, Luke, 7, Isaac, 3, and niece Stella Jordan, 10, the event was just what LaFayette was looking for.
“I love the fact that it was non-scary,” she said. “It was just perfect for the little ones who want to have fun.”
In previous years, the Great Swamp would put on a scarier, haunted house event to celebrate Halloween that was more catered to older youths, but the board of directors made the decision to switch to a more family-friendly event roughly 10 years ago, Patane said. She directed credit for the success of the event to the roughly 25 volunteers, which included members of the GSC and the Canastota Boy Scout Troop 43.
“They all help make this great event possible,” Patane said.
All proceeds generated at the event benefit the Great Swamp Conservancy, a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1997 to help serve as a bridge between local landowners and government conservation initiatives such as the preservation and restoration of wetlands.