Grafton Lakes State Park to host 35th annual Winter Festival
CROPSEYVILLE, N.Y. » Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host the 35th annual Winter Festival on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020.
The Winter Fest will feature outdoor events along with indoor exhibits, food vendors, and family-friendly recreational activities. The event is free of charge and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Adults can join in a guided snowshoe or cross country ski outing, or borrow snowshoes for a free demo around the park. Fans of four-legged creatures will enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides, a guided morning walk for dogs, as well as a demonstration by the Parks K9 Unit.
For the kids, Winter Fest offers its popular snow bowling hill, snowshoe races, and a snowball toss, as well as sled rides with the charming Northland Newfoundlands.
Other outdoor offerings this year include free snowmobile rides, snow fort building, and an ice dive demonstration. Refreshments will be available in the main parking lot.
The Polar Plunge, benefitting Our Lady of the Snow Parish’s food pantry, kicks off the main events at 10:30 a.m. As always, the Plunge includes a playful prize for the silliest costume offered by the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park, so start planning your Jan. beach attire! To pre-register for the Plunge, you can call Ray Dozois for more information at 518- 663- 5648, or call the park office at 518-2791155.
Visitors who need to warm up can escape the cold by stopping inside to enjoy indoor exhibits in our new Welcome Center. Engaging and creative activities include kids’ nature crafts, a balloon artist, and a variety of regional community and conservation organizations whose displays will educate and entertain patrons.
For those who love wildlife, New York raptors and North American reptiles are this year’s live animal presentations at the Festival.
Note that this year’s Ice Fishing contest is being held on the weekend before, Saturday, Jan. 18. People are urged to call the park for more information: 518279-1155.
Grafton Lakes State Park is located off of Route 2, twelve miles east of Troy. People are asked to use the park’s main entrance on Grafton Lakes State Park Way for this year’s event and pick up event information at the ticket booth as you enter. There is no entrance fee for the Winter Festival.
For more information about this event, call the park at 518279-1155.