By Doug La Rocque
The thought of taking a brisk morning swim in Long Pond at Grafton Lakes State Park in a balmy 15 degrees is enough to make most people shiver, before even stepping foot in the water. But for more than 30 hearty souls, that is just how they spent their Saturday morning, January 26. It’s part of the Park’s Winterfest activities, that included a lot more than the annual Polar Plunge. The Plunge itself is a fundraiser for Our Lady of the Snow Parish Food Pantry. The event also features a silliest costume contest, the prize being a warm cuddly stuffed bear. A picture of this year’s winners appears on page 16.
The turnout for the all-day event was, as usual, very good. The major improvement this year was that the indoor displays and events were moved from the equipment garage to the new Welcome Center. These included face painting, live birds of prey, nature kid crafts, Uncharted Wild Reptiles and a refreshment stand run by the Grafton Youth Commission.
Outside were Northland Newfoundland Dog sled rides, snow bowling, snow sculpture and snowball throwing contests. The horse drawn carriage rides are always busy, and the NYS Police rescue and drive demos always draw a large crowd.
This was the 34th consecutive year for Winterfest, which seems to grow a little each time.
Congratulations to the Park staff and the volunteers who pull it all together each year.