by Erin Hogan
At 19 degrees with a slight breeze sneaking through, it wasn’t the warmest Winter Fest, but it was a gorgeous day regardless. The sun was shining upon Graftonites as they frolicked in the snow up at Grafton Lakes State Park. The day kicked off bright and early for the ice fishers who were out on the ice as early as 5:30 am trying to catch the first prize. The first events that were open to the public were ice skating on Long Pond, that was open all day. There were also dog sled presentations starting at 10 am. There were six huskies that a presenter showed to the public, and he answered many questions.
There were also exhibits down in the maintenance shop near the winter entrance. These exhibits were all nature or Grafton related. The Grafton Rescue Squad was there looking for volunteers and handing out “Vials of Life” (orange vials that you put all your health information in). There were exhibits from the Grafton Historical Society and from the Grafton Library. There were also wildlife exhibits from Wildlife Alive! featuring live owls. Albany Pinebush and 5 River Environmental Center presented reptile wildlife, and representatives from Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center were in attendance. Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park and Tamakoce Wilderness Program showed an exhibit. There was so much to see and experience in the Shop area, and there was good food to eat and warm up with.
Park Naturalist Liz Wagner said, “The Park would like to thank the local community, many of whom volunteered their time, knowledge and creativity. The Grafton Rescue Squad and Fire Department were on hand, along with the Grafton Community Library, Grafton Trailblazers, Dyken Pond, 4H, Grafton Historical Society and Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park. The Taconic Hiking Club led outings, and the Rensselear Plateau Alliance and Rensselaer Land Trust had display tables. Thirty locally-owned businesses sponsored the event, which made it possible for it to remain free of charge this year,” she said.
Back up by Long Pond, there were carriage rides through the wintry woods during the afternoon, pulled by Indian Creek Farm’s Percheron horses. The Northern Newfoundland Club returned with their fluffy friends to pull kids on sleds. At noon, a kids’ snowshoe race was held. There were a few kids who fell, but they were good sports and jumped right back up again and snowshoed on.
Polar Plunge
At one o’clock there was the big event – the Polar Plunge for Cystic Fibrosis! Twenty-five brave souls jumped into Long Pond as onlookers cheered – a couple of them dove in twice! Spectators lined the ice around the frigid water the plungers would jump into. The rule for the Polar Plunge is that you have to get completely under the water. The water was so cold, it could be seen starting to freeze again! Before the plunge, John Perry, who came all the way from Johnsonville to jump in, said that he was “nervous because I know the feeling; this is my second jump.” This extreme athlete learned a few things from his jump last year, such as not wearing sandals because they will freeze to your feet.
The contestants jumped into about chest deep water, and then they had to walk back to the beach and up to a men’s or women’s dressing room to change. Many changed right out on the ice – such as John Perry. After he jumped I asked him what motivated him to jump. “Well, crazy people do crazy things. Also, Cystic Fibrosis is a good cause to jump for,” he said.
The final big event of the day was the judging of the ice fishing results. The frozen fishermen eagerly awaited the results after a long day of sitting on the ice. 122 adults and 50 children participated, and $1,300 in prizes were given out. The grand prize winner was Paul Greenberg with a 24.5” pickerel. The fishing tournament was sponsored by the Homewaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Friends of the Grafton Lake State Park.
Liz Wagner said, “Winter Fest began 25 years ago to get folks out into the Park in the off-season, enjoying what the outdoors in Rensselaer County has to offer in winter. We succeeded in that again this year, with people out snowshoeing, ice fishing, throwing snowballs, skating, learning and enjoying the season.”
To anyone who missed Winter Fest, come on over! Wagner wants everyone to know that the Park is open all winter for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, skating and snowmobiling. It’s free every day, including for Winter Fest, so there’s no reason to stay home and hibernate!