Ganondagan’s Winter Games – February 6, 2010

If you’re looking for a fun winter adventure on February 6, head out to Ganondagan State Historic Site for their Winter Games & Sports! This event is fun for the whole family and includes many winter activities done by the Seneca people throughout history that are still in practice today, such as dog sledding (enter the raffle for a chance to win a ride!), traditional maple sugaring, storytelling, toboggan making and more. 

This year’s event features a Seneca Snowshoe Race where you can compete in the Pro Run from 10 a..m. – 12 p.m., if you’re athletically and competitively inclined (it will be a timed competition) or the Fun Run from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Both Runs give you a chance to snowshoe around the Trail of Peace, shoot archery and try your hand at the Native game of snow snake.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is FREE and open to the public.  There is a fee to enter either of the runs, so if you’d like to try the Pro Run, register quickly! The fee for the Pro Run is $5 for kids $10 for adults and $15 for the family. If you want to try the Fun Run, it’s $3 for individuals and $5 for the entire family.

If you simply want to check out Ganondagan’s many beautiful trails on snowshoes, you can bring your own snowshoes or rent them for $3 for children and $5 for adults. There will also be food available for purchase. You can warm up in the heated food tent, step into the visitors center to watch a video or let the kids participate in children’s activities, or enjoy storytelling in the bark longhouse.

Ganondagan State Historic Site is located at 1488 State Rte. 444 in Victor, NY.

I hope to see you there!

P.S.  The music in the video isn’t Native American, but The Maple Leaf Rag goes with Maple Sugaring, right?

 

Edgerton Community Center’s Model Train Room

In case you missed this exhibit, every December, Edgerton Community Center opens its historic Model Train Exhibit to the public on Saturdays. This huge train room was the vision of Rochester’s Police Captain Henry H. Jenson who created it to give Rochester’s youth the skills necessary to build and maintain such an exhibit – skills that would later be transferable to become carpenters, painters, electricians, even set designers.

Although the exhibit was left to decay for a period of time, when Rochester model train lovers heard of its state of disrepair, they recently banded together, donating time, money and train equipment to return it to the gem it is today.

The Edgerton Model Train Room is an exciting exhibit for “children of all ages”, from 3 to 103, with tours given by very knowledgeable volunteers. Currently,  it is open exclusively on Saturdays throughout December and at other times by appointment. You can also rent space in the Edgerton Community Center for a party that includes a tour of the train room.

The Edgerton Community Center is located at 41 Backus Street in Rochester.  For information on a private group tour or to rent the space for a party, call (585) 428-6769.