From stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us  Fri Sep 18 12:17:07 2009
From: stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us (stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us)
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:17:07 -0400
Subject: [Stonykillalmanac] 31st HARVEST FESTIVAL  AT STONY KILL FARM
Message-ID: <4AB37A43020000B60004A31B@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us>

Dear Friends:

HARVEST FESTIVAL AT STONY KILL FARM

	The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation?s
Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center will hold its 31st Annual
Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 3, from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM,
rain or shine.

	DEC staff will be at the festival with activities and
information. The Bureau of Recycling will conduct an environmental
button-making activity for children and present a new recycling
information display. Staff from the Hudson River Estuary Program will
lead a Hudson River beachcombing activity, Hudson River Fisheries staff
will conduct a fishing clinic, a forester will conduct a tree pruning
demonstration, and a forest ranger will show how to prepare a safe
campfire and use firefighting equipment.  An environmental conservation
officer will also be on hand to answer questions. There will also be
special appearances by Smokey Bear.

	Musical entertainment will be provided by Linda Richards, a
Hudson valley folk singer and environmental educator who has performed
with Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Tom Paxton. Linda?s sound system
will be powered by solar panels provided by the Beacon Sloop Club.
Hayrides will carry visitors back and forth between the farmstead, which
includes an 18th Century Tenant Farmhouse, and the historic Manor House,
built in 1842 by one of the oldest Dutch families in the region.
AmeriCorps interns from the Student Conservation Association and special
guests from the community will lead a variety of activities for
children, including a scavenger hunt, a tree ID game, and nature crafts.
Shane ?Whitefeather? Hobel of Mountain Scout Survival School will
demonstrate wilderness and native American skills. Ti Yogi Bowmen will
conduct an archery clinic, and the Mid-Hudson Gem and Mineral Society
will lead a rock and mineral ?dig? for kids.  ?Common Ground,?
the Community Supported Agriculture group based at Stony Kill Farm, will
provide information about their program, as well as children?s
activities. Stony Kill?s  barn will be open for guided tours, up close
and personal with cattle, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and pigs.

	Admission is free.  Food and refreshments will be available for
sale, including homemade soups and baked goods from the Verplanck Garden
Club, hot dogs and hamburgers from the Stony Kill Foundation, and
vegetarian chili from Randolph School. 

	Stony Kill Farm is owned and operated by the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation, and is located on State Route
9D, two miles north of the Beacon-Newburgh bridge. The Fall Harvest
Festival is co-sponsored by Stony Kill Foundation. For more information,
call Stony Kill Farm EEC at 845-831-8780, or visit us on the web at
www.dec.ny.gov.