Families came out to the Beltzville State Park Fall Festival on Saturday despite the rain.

This event, in its third year, was held inside the EIC building but there were still plenty of activities for kids and families.

Diane Szwajkowski, president of the Friends of Beltzville, said,” We hold this event to raise awareness of the park and get children involved in nature. We want people to understand ‘Leave No Trace’ and help families enjoy all the park has to offer.”

Children had an opportunity to toss empty water buckets into a bin for a prize while learning about recycling. It was enlightening that a water bottle can take almost 500 years to disintegrate and Styrofoam never does.

Children, and a few parents, enjoyed painting pumpkins and making scarecrows by stuffing a sack with straw.

Benjamin Hawk from The Wildlife Conservancy brought a wood turtle named Laurel that everyone enjoyed meeting and learning about. Of course Smokey Bear made an appearance.

The “Salvage Crafters,” made up of members of the Friends group, had items they had made for sale, including painted jar candle holders and ornaments. Members of the group discover purposes for items “destined for the landfill.” A bake sale and park shirts were sold to raise funds for the Friends group.

One of the biggest hits at the festival was the water rescue Newfoundland dogs.

Six-year-old Oakley made two rescues this year at Tobyhanna State Park. He is one of two dogs in the United States trained by the elite Italian School of Water Rescue. Eight-month-old dog Kelby is participating in her one and a half year training. These dogs can pull up to 50 times their weight and swim for miles. Kate and George Abraham own and train the dogs.

“Eco Man” Richard McLaughlin entertained with his ad-lib songs on guitar. He asked someone to name an animal, something they do, such as sleep, and two words that rhyme with that (peep, creep) and along came a song.

Children had an opportunity to learn about the display animals in the EIC building, including an osprey, bear and several kinds of owls.

When talking about the barn owl, Nikica Chirikov, 9, said, “I know. It can turn its head 160 degrees Fahrenheit.” A few more math lessons and it will all make sense.

Waterways Conservation, which is law enforcement on the water at the state level, the state police and park rangers were also on hand to educate and answer questions.

Inga Foster, a volunteer with the park for 20 years, said she enjoys the event because she “likes to help people and I’m interested in keeping the park pristine.” Children and families had an opportunity to learn about the park and nature while having fun too.