Golden Harvest Festival Kicks Off Fall in Central New York

Thursday, August 31, 2023

The popular Golden Harvest Festival returns to Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, New York on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10, 10am to 5pm. Celebrating its 45th year, the old-fashioned, country fair-style event has become a cherished family tradition in Central New York.

This year’s festival will include activities for all ages including nature games and crafts, face painting, balloon art, live birds of prey, puppet shows, free canoeing, whimsical scarecrows, and more! New features at the event include a Bubble Play area where children can create giant bubbles and a half-mile scavenger hunt through the Maize Maze. Over 85 artists and crafters will be exhibiting and vending during the festival offering a unique shopping experience. Throughout the day, an eclectic mix of live music and entertainment will perform on three stages, including: the original songs of Harmonic Dirt; roots and blues music performed by Los Blancos; the Americana sounds of Seth Rasmussen & The Rail Ramblers; the acoustic stylings of Harmonic Collective; Jeff the Magic Man; Catskill Puppet Theater; and the comedy and nail-biting circus stunts of Joshua J. Superstar. Audience members are encouraged to participate as contestants and judges in the festival’s signature Living Scarecrow, Wild Critter Call, and Pie Eating contests. Festivalgoers will have a variety of food vendors to choose from this year, including Beaver Lake’s famous homemade donuts. The complete schedule can be found at: www.GoldenHarvestFestival.com.

Festival admission (cash only) is: $5 for adults; $1 for children ages 6 – 17 years old; and free for children ages 5 and under. Free parking is available on site at Beaver Lake Nature Center or at the River Mall Plaza/TOPS Friendly Market parking lot located at 2265 Downer Street, Baldwinsville. Continuous free shuttle bus service is provided to/from the Nature Center.

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Golden Harvest Festival Kicks Off Fall in Central New York

Monday, August 28, 2017

The popular Golden Harvest Festival returns to Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, on Saturday, September 9, 10 am - 6 pm and Sunday, September 10, 10 am - 5 pm. Now in its 40th year, this old-fashioned, country fair-style event has something for everyone. Hands-on nature activities, horse-drawn hayrides, free canoeing, fresh doughnuts, live animal demonstrations, unique games, great shopping with local artists and crafters, with an eclectic mix of live music and entertainment rounding out the weekend. Audience participation has long been a mainstay of the program as visitors serve as both contestants and judges in the signature Living Scarecrow, Wild Critter Call, and Pie Eating contests. 

Highlighting the entertainment schedule are local favorites including the Zydeco sounds of Los Blancos, Dan Duggan on the Hammer Dulcimer, Magic of Virgil, and the Catskill Puppet Theater. New for 2017 Mike Powell, lacrosse star turned guitarist draws inspiration from Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, with his soulful, honest acoustic music. The complete schedule can be found at www.OnondagaCountyParks.com.

Admission is $5 for adults; $1 for children 6 -17 years old and 5 and under are free. Free parking is available on site or at the River Mall/Tops Market parking lot, at 2265 Downer Street, Baldwinsville, with continuous shuttle service to the Nature Center. This is a zero waste event.

Beaver Lake Nature Center, an Onondaga County Park, is located at 8477 East Mud Lake Road, 3 miles west of Baldwinsville off of Route 370. For more information, call the Nature Center at (315) 638-2519 or visit www.OnondagaCountyParks.com.

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