Husky News

It might not feel much like winter, but the Rogers Environmental Education Center will host its 29th annual Winter Living Celebration this Saturday. The event is still on for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, but sponsors are advising visitors to leave their cross-country skis, snowshoes and ice skates home.

SHERBURNE — It might not feel much like winter, but the Rogers Environmental Education Center will host its 29th annual Winter Living Celebration this Saturday. The event is still on for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, but sponsors are advising visitors to leave their cross-country skis, snowshoes and ice skates home.

That's because there is absolutely no snow on the several hundred acres of property and no ice covering the waterways.

Still, based on previous years, the spring-like weather isn't expected to have any major effect on attendance. The activities are free, said Christina DeCesare, an environmental education assistant.

The event is billed by its organizers as the largest winter event of its type in Central New York. The Rogers Center is located off Route 80 one mile west of the Village of Sherburne in Chenango County, said Fred von Mechow, an environmental educator at the center.

Snow or no snow, the day's biggest annual attraction will go on as scheduled. The horse-drawn sleighs will be replaced by horse-drawn wagons taking visitors on hayride tours of the grounds, said Rogers Office Manager Darlene Miller. "Almost everything is on," Miller added.

Even the sled dog will arrive, ready to be petted by hundreds of children, even if it can't be harnessed to the sled. Trout Unlimited will demonstrate how to tie a fly or make a spinner jig for fishing and will assist youths with the materials to make the items.

Boy Scouts will camp overnight on the location and show visitors their camping skills during the daylight. Youths will have an opportunity to use flint to start fires, and the ever-popular cross-cut saw will be available for pairs of youngsters to learn what life was like long ago.

There will be music, storytelling, entertainment, and indoor and outdoor exhibits, according to DeCesare.

"We are kind of disappointed over the lack of snow, although it's a mixed bag," said Miller. "People come out for different reasons, and I am sure with good weather we will get a lot of people we might not see if it was winter and snowing."

A number of programs are scheduled, many of which annually draw large numbers to the Visitors Center, such as the Susquehanna String Band and Massachusetts storyteller and folk singer John Porcino. The string band, featuring banjo, guitar, fiddle and hammered dulcimer music, will perform 30-minute shows at 11:30 a.m. and 1 and 2:30 p.m.

The event annually draws large numbers from Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison and Otsego counties.

The center will accept people's Christmas trees free of decoration. Donated trees brought to the location are chipped and used on the center's numerous trails.

Source: Press & Sun-Bulletin