10th Annual Lakefest Celebration and Annual Meeting

The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network celebrates its annual summer event, Lakefest, at Cass Park in Ithaca on Saturday August 18, 2007. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Lakefest, and we have a special family-oriented program planned that all will enjoy.

The public is invited to a free picnic lunch at noon, provided courtesy of Wells College and local grocery stores, topped off by desserts provided by the Watershed Network volunteers. While eating and chatting with others interested in the health and beauty of the watershed, you will be entertained by the mellow tunes of folk musicians from Canada, Second Wind.

Tom Knight's audience is entranced - Lakefest '06

Following lunch, there will be educational as well as fun-filled activities for young and old. Displays from local agencies interested in the environment, including the ever-popular interactive models of pollutants traveling through the soil, will be available all afternoon.

Kari Richards(right) helps youth learn how the movement of water and pollution above and below ground are connected.

Some entertainment is specially planned to engage the kids, including the Tom Knight puppet show, which has been a hit for 8 years now. Adjacent to Cass Park is Ithaca Children’s Garden, and a short program is being arranged for Lakefest attendees. The Ithaca Children's Garden is an innovative grassroots effort to create exciting, interactive garden-based experiences with children of all ages. Children can read stories about water to Jack, a trained Reading Education Assistance Dog. This will be Jack’s second year at Lakefest. Finally, the comedic group from Ithaca, Compost Theatre, will entertain and instruct us in composting. If you haven’t seen them before, you are in for a big treat.

Scattered throughout the afternoon, door prizes will be given out and the annual David Morehouse Award and awards for Lake Friendly Farms as well as volunteer recognition awards will be announced. The afternoon culminates with a short annual meeting. Last year's Lakefest provided hand-on educational activities relating to the Watershed by several of those organizations.

Cass Park is located in Ithaca, along Rte. 89. Signs for Lakefest will guide you to the park. Look for the balloons!