The popular Golden Harvest Festival returns to Beaver Lake Nature Center in from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. Now in its 39th year, this old-fashioned, country fair-style event has something for everyone. Hands-on nature activities, horse-drawn hayrides, free canoeing, fresh doughnuts, live animal demonstrations, unique games, great shopping with local artists and crafters, with an eclectic mix of live music and entertainment rounding out the weekend. Audience participation has long been a mainstay of the program as visitors serve as both contestants and judges in the signature Living Scarecrow, Wild Critter Call and Pie Eating contests.
Highlighting the entertainment schedule are local favorites including the Zydeco sounds of Los Blancos, Dan Duggan on the Hammer Dulcimer, The Magic of Chris Wheel and the Catskill Puppet Theater. New for 2016 is the band Sheralyn Jeanne, a CNY musician who play a mixture acoustic, folk, jazz, experimental and electronic music. The complete schedule can be found at OnondagaCountyParks.com.
Admission is $5 for adults; $1 for children 6 to 17 years old and 5 and under are free. Free parking is available on site or at the River Mall/Tops Market parking lot, at 2265 Downer St., Baldwinsville, with continuous shuttle service to the Nature Center.
Beaver Lake Nature Center, an Onondaga County park, is located at 8477 East Mud Lake Road, three miles west of Baldwinsville off of Route 370. For more information, call the nature center at 638-2519 or visit OnondagaCountyParks.com.
