5th Annual Summer Festival at Mine Kill State Park

Join park patrons from throughout New York State for a day of fun in the sun at Mine Kill State Park! The park is hosting its 5th annual Summer Festival on Saturday, July 19, 2014 from 10AM to 4PM at the Mine Kill pool complex.  This year’s activity lineup will feature amazing presenters, summertime games, environmental education programs and so much more! Admission to Summer Festival is just $3 for the vehicle entrance fee to the park.  

Summer Fest 2014 will boast dozens of activities and presenters for the entire family.  Volunteers can sign up for a tremendous opportunity to experience life as a New York State Forest Ranger when DEC Ranger Bill Henry conducts a Mock Search and Rescue (SAR) Operation at the park! Explore the Incident Command Post used by the DEC during a real SAR and learn the procedures to successfully find a lost hiker.  Take a walk inside the Mine Kill Nature Tent to learn all about invasive species that may be in your own backyard with the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP).  Learn more about the life and times of famous local naturalist, John Burroughs, with Diane Galusha from the Woodchuck Lodge.  Then enjoy a guided eagle hike with a park ranger along Mine Kill’s 8 miles of hiking trails including the nationally recognized Long Path.  Don’t forget to check out the brand new, permanent disc golf course at the park located just outside the pool complex.  Park staff will conduct a ribbon cutting and unveil the new 18-hole course the morning of Summer Fest.  Also, the entire family will love watching Ziggy and Razz the miniature horses perform unbelievable tricks.  

Kids will have an opportunity to jump in the Bounce House or take a shot at “The Flusher” for some prizes. 

There will also be plenty of arts and crafts, face painting, pie throwing and the 2nd annual Summer Fest Regatta across the Mine Kill pool.  Have you ever been geocaching? Meet Greg, a geocache expert, and learn all about this modern day treasure hunt using GPS units. Then participate in the amazingly popular 2014 Saratoga Region Geocache Challenge for a chance to win some incredible gear.    There will also be a kayak rescue demonstration performed by American Canoe Association certified instructors.  Kayak courses are now being offered on the Blenheim-Gilboa Reservoir on many occasions throughout the summer.  Check out the Mine Kill Facebook page for upcoming course dates and times.    

The Mine Kill State Park Summer Festival is proud to have several sponsors supporting this year’s event, including Stewart’s Shops which will be providing four different flavors of ice cream for free sundaes!!! Thank you Stewart’s! Creekside Sports of Schoharie, NY will be hosting a fantastic fly-tying workshop, so get ready to test your skills at fly-casting on the Blenheim-Gilboa Reservoir or Mine Kill Creek.  Bring your own rod and reel or borrow one from the park to sample a new lure at the park (valid NY State Fishing License required for everyone 16 and older).  

Great music will be provided throughout the day courtesy of Mr. Music DJ Services of Middleburgh.  Of course, take advantage of Mine Kill’s Olympic-size pool and dive tank to beat the heat in between Summer Fest activities.  Enjoy a sandwich, salad or other refreshments at the pool’s concessionaire.  Entrance fees for Summer Festival are just $3 per vehicle.  To jump in one of the three in-ground pools, the cost is only $2 for adults (13+) and $1 for seniors (62+) and children 6 to 12.  Kids 5 and under swim for free!      

Also before, during and after Mine Kill’s Summer Festival, don’t forget to stop by the Environmental Education Nature Tent located inside the pool complex.  The Nature Tent is geared toward kids of all ages and adults and will feature a different environmental theme each week in July, Tuesday through Friday, 11AM-3PM.  Beginning on July 8th-11th, learn all about many of the local inhabitants of the forest like the black bear, bald eagle, bats, bobcats and much more during Wildlife Week.    Beetle Buster week is from July 15th-18th and is sponsored by CRISP with lots of information about “unwanted guests” that may be in your own backyard.  Join Schoharie Area Wild and other presenters during Healthy Living Week from July 22nd-25th and finish up the Nature Tent series from July 29th-August 1st with Earth Week at the Mine Kill tent.  Please call the Mine Kill park office at (518) 827-8690 for more information about the 2014 Nature Tent.    

Mine Kill State Park is located in the scenic Schoharie Valley overlooking the Power Authority’s Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project.  The reservoir provides excellent fishing and boating opportunities. The eight miles of trails, including trails from the Park to the NYPA Visitor Center such as the nationally designated Long Path, are great for hiking, biking and birding.  Cascading 80 feet through a narrow gorge is the picturesque Mine Kill Falls for which the Park is named.  

For those who would like to extend their visit, nearby Max V. Shaul State Park is a small, quiet camping area with 30 wooded tent and trailer sites, picnic grounds, a state of the art playground and boat access along the Schoharie Creek.  In addition to the Max V. Shaul trails and fishing opportunities, campers have free access to Mine Kill State Park and receive discounts at a variety of local tourist attractions and businesses.  

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.