Hundreds flock to 31st Autumn Festival

FINEVIEW — If you didn't make it to the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center's Autumn Festival on Saturday, you missed a good time.

Nearly 700 people attended Saturday's event at Wellesley Island State Park even before the day was half over, in part thanks to the sunny weather.

"It looks just like Dylan," said William J. Marchetti, Rochester, who was helping out his grandson, Dylan, build a scarecrow.

Dylan, 4, threw his winter cap on top of his scarecrow's head to earn some extra points from the judges of the festival's first scarecrow-making contest. First prize was $50.

Mr. Marchetti said he and his wife, Katherine, have taken their six children and eight grandchildren to the festival every year since the inaugural event in 1979.

"The people who put this event together are amazing," Mr. Marchetti said.

One of the organizers of the annual event is Kimbrie M. Cullen, the nature center's assistant director.

"We had some doozy weather in the past but this year is perfect," Ms. Cullen said.

She said the nature center invited several new vendors and musicians to its 31st annual Autumn Festival. This year, the festival had 40 volunteers, 27 vendors and several musical performers, including Tom Sieling, Monk Rowe and the Roots of Rock & Roll, the Fort Drum Dixieland Band, Rick Markert and Jack Caughery.

One of the most popular booths at the show belonged to the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park. Wendy Rily, an educator at the state zoo, spoke to the crowd about snakes as a northern water snake rested on her arm.

"In the wild, they are pretty aggressive," she said.

However, Mrs. Rily said, because zoo animals are used to people, they "probably" wouldn't bite.

The educators made three presentations throughout the day, showing a Blandings turtle, an eastern box turtle, a northern water snake and an African bald python to the crowd and letting people touch the animals if they dared.

Those who wanted to play it safe had plenty of unusual arts-and-crafts work to enjoy at Saturday's event.

"This is the first year I've been here and I'm enjoying it," said Wayne Brown, Tired Iron Sculptures, Heuvelton.

Mr. Brown said he makes sculptures with antique metal pieces that people find on farms, such as one of a kangaroo with a pump-handle tail.

"I like old iron," he said. "Sometimes, the pieces just tell me what they're going to be."

William Bentley, West Webster Workshop, Webster, also said he liked the crowd at the festival. On display at his booth was a handmade boat-shaped bookshelf, dog dishes, colorful cutting boards and other woodcrafts.

The festival was sponsored by the Friends of the Nature Center and the state Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation.