Spring Creek Day Family Festival
Spring Creek Day Family Festival 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Millbrook Marsh Nature Center
Noon - 5 pm
The Family Festival part of the Spring Creek Day Family Festival really took off in 2009, as small groups of young children and parents worked their way around the many hands-on nature activities at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center on a beautiful first Sunday in October.
Musical talent throughout the day included Murphy’s Junction, Karl Eric Leitzel, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, and Phase 2. Each brought a unique sound and an upbeat groove that energized and entertained the appreciative crowd.
According to Ieva Perkons, ClearWater’s Outreach & Event Coordinator, "We have been building relationships over the past few years with some great partners to really strengthen the educational value of Spring Creek Day."
Ongoing children’s activities from the Centre County Youth Service Bureau, the Penn State Science Lions, the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, the PSU Nano-Scale Science Materials Research Science & Engineering Center, Centre Grounds, PSU Integrated Pest Management, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, ClearWater Conservancy, bee keeper Richard Walker, and the Bald Eagle Archeological Society gave families a wealth of nature experiences. Of course the water rockets continued to be a big hit, too.
Lori Savage, a volunteer on the Spring Creek Day planning committee with Holly Fritchman and Sharon Goss sent a wonderful note to share with all of the volunteers following the event. "It was a great day! This Spring Creek Day will go down as one of the best days of my son Andy’s childhood, I’ve been told."
In addition to all of the hands-on children’s activities, we had 33 of the community’s conservation organizations and resource agencies signed up to exhibit, giving many groups a great opportunity to meet nature-oriented families and talk about their important work.
This was also the second year for a basket raffle fundraiser at Spring Creek Day to raise money to send more kids to the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center for field trips through ClearWater’s Connections program. Themed baskets were generously donated by several of our exhibitors, and we raised a just under $300 to pass along to our local schools through scholarships. With everyone’s help, we hope to expand this tradition and send even more students to Millbrook Marsh Nature Center in the future.
Special thanks to our 2010 Spring Creek Day sponsors: Hilton Garden Inn and Nittany Chem-Dry. Thanks also to our food donors: Sheetz, DQ Grill & Chill, Harner Farm, the Pepsi Bottling Group, and Giant and also to Webster’s Cafe for being on hand to sell their wonderful warm foods and beverages on a chilly autumn day.
Spring Creek Day Family Festival 2008
The 26th Annual Spring Creek Day was held on Sunday, September 28, 2008 at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. Download the event program here.
Although we started off the day with a wet morning, our spirits lifted and families ventured out as the sun made an appearance through most of the afternoon! Altogether nearly 500 people came out to celebrate nature, enjoy each other's company, and learn a little more about the environment. Many thanks to Ray Gephart's video production class at Bellefonte High School for this great video from Spring Creek Day 2008!
2008 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Music Schedule:
12:15 - 1 pm Phase 2
1:15 - 2 pm Ridge & Valley String Band
2:15 - 3 pm
Murphy's Junction
3:15 - 3:45 pm Karl Eric Leitzel
4:15 - 5:00 pm Tussey Mountain Moonshiners
Barn Talks:
1 - 1:30 pm Food Canning by Nancy & Lowell Krape
2 - 3 pm History of Spring Creek Canyon by Bob Hazelton
4 - 4:30 pm Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden by Dixie Witt of the Penn State Master Gardeners of Centre County
Activities:
Guided Discovery Walks through the Marsh by Millbrook Marsh Nature Center
Geo-caching Demonstrations: all day
Archeological Dig by Bald Eagle Archeological Society: 3 pm
Millbrook Marsh Scavenger Hunt: all day
Water Rockets: all day
Shaver's
Creek Turtle Show: 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm
Paper Cup Plantings: all day
Cookie Decorating: all day
Science Lions: all day
Face Painting: all day
Science Museum: all day
Macroinvertabrate Discovery: 3 pm and 4 pm
Insect Introduction: 1 pm
Read Aloud Nature Stories: ongoing with special gatherings at 2 pm and 3:30 pm
Fly Fishing and Tying Demonstrations by the kids from Millbrook Marsh Nature Center's Fly Fishing Camp: ongoing
On-Stage Activities:
1 - 1:15 pm Grant Presentation by Dominion Foundation
2 - 2:15 pm When it Rains it Drains: Stormwater Essay Contest Winners
3 - 3:15 pm Presentation of the Spring Creek Heritage Award
4 - 4:15 pm Basket Raffle
CONSERVATION EXHIBITS
Bald Eagle Archeological Society... Boy Scouts of America Troop 31... Centre County Conservation District ... Centre County Democrats... Centre County Historical Society ... Centre County League of Women Voters ... Centre County Pennsylvania Senior Environmental Corps... Centre County Solid Waste Authority... Centre Grounds Community Center... Centre Region Parks and Recreation... Centre Wildlife Care ... ClearWater Conservancy... Environmental Planning and Design... Macneal Maple Syrup... Millbrook Marsh Nature Center... Penn State Environmental Strategy Team ... Pennsylvania Mineralogical Society... Pennsylvania Native Plant Society... Ridge & Valley Outings Club... Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center... Sierra Club Moshannon Group... Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited ... Spring Creek Water Resources Monitoring Project... Spring Creek Watershed Commission... Spring Creek Watershed Community... State College Bird Club... State College Spikes... Tastefully Simple – Brandi Wagner... Tussey Mountain Outfitters... United Nations Association-USA Centre County Chapter... United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service
FOOD
Chicken Barbecue by The Company Grill
Hot Dogs from Sheetz
Pasta Salad from Harrison’s Wine Grill
Baked
Beans from Prospector’s Allegheny Rib Company
Ice Cream Treats from DQ Grill & Chill
Rolls from Gemelli Bakers
Apples from Harner Farm
Soda & Water from the Pepsi Bottling Group
There is no admission fee -- we simply want you to enjoy yourself while learning more about how you can make a difference!
Spring Creek Day 2008 was sponsored by
Hilton Garden Inn, Northwest Savings Bank
Nittany Chem Dry, Centre Region Parks & Recreation, Water's Edge Hydrology, and Tussey Mountain Outfitters.
To volunteer with the next Spring Creek Day planning committee or to become a corporate sponsor of Spring Creek Day 2010, please contact Ieva at 237-0400.