VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – The third time’s the charm, or so goes the old adage, but in East Syracuse last Saturday, it took just another try.
That Feb. 26 morning marked the first time in four years that snow had fallen upon Ellis Field Park for the village’s annual winter festival.
“It was actually a true winter fest this year,” said Keith Caiello, the assistant director of the East Syracuse parks and recreation department. “This is our first festival on the calendar too, so we were excited to get out here and see people’s faces again.”
The three-hour event saw about 100 local residents come and go in Caiello’s estimation. Some attendees sledded down snowbanks and practiced their ice skating underneath Cunningham Pavilion, while others built snowmen and shot snowballs from slingshots.
For the kids, there were stations for face painting and arts and crafts, and for anyone getting too cold, there were hand warmers on the ready and fire pits to gather around. At the welcome table, people guessed the numbers of marshmallows and pieces of candy in separate jars.
“I think it’s just great that they do all of this for families around here,” said Patricia Charboneau, who served as the principal of East Syracuse Elementary for 11 years. “Of course if it was warmer out, there might’ve been even more people here, but it’s a free and fun day for families to bring their kids and join in on the activities.”
The fourth annual festival also included wagon hayrides down the streets of East Syracuse as well as interaction with representatives of the village fire department, the DeWitt Police Department and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.
Creating a central focus of the festivities throughout the day, participating taste-testers paid $2 each for trays topped with samples scooped from eight competing macaroni and cheese recipes.
“The community spirit was pretty overwhelming today,” said Mayor Lorene Dadey. “I’m very appreciative of the volunteers, because without them, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”
It turned out, after a tally of votes, that Dadey’s husband, Pat, was the winner of the mac and cheese cook-off.
The proceeds from the contest went entirely to the East Syracuse Recreation Committee, a non-profit group that meets once a month to brainstorm plans for local fundraising.
