Winter Wonderland at Winter Festival
SUSSEX — Temperatures dipped down below the freezing mark. Thick sheets of ice and snow covered the lakes and land for miles around. Most wildlife are hidden in dens or have gone to warmer climates for the winter. But what seems like a good idea to stay indoors and shun outside activity was to the contrary for all attending the 2013 Winter Festival at High Point State Park in Sussex County on Jan. 26.
There was a flurry of activity on the park grounds. Visitors from the tri-state area enjoyed cross country skiing, hiking and ice fishing. Friends of High Point State Park, a non-profit organization sponsored the free Winter Festival and organizes other events throughout the year.
The annual festival is a mix of fun and education instruction that emphasizes safety and survival techniques while experiencing the great outdoors. Guests had the choice of getting involved in activities outside or inside the Interpretive Center which featured a warm fire burning in the fireplace.
The Interpretive Center was filled for several hours with inquisitive adults and children participating in arts and crafts such as smearing pine cones with peanut butter for wildlife to consume. There was also a sing-a-long event and food and beverages were available courtesy of the Friends of High Point State Park.
Wantage resident, weather expert and William Patterson University graduate Nick Stefano was a special guest speaker and gave a lecture about weather related topics.
Friends of High Point State Park members Chris Panico and Mike Bender were hosting an interactive class of ice fishing out on Lake Marcia. The tandem were surrounded by a small band of visitors — the Weiss family of Milford, Penn. were among those out on the lake. Dawn, Reanna (11) and Sienna (6) Weiss and family friend Emily Occasio (11) tried their hand at fishing and drilling holes through the ice. Sienna Weiss said "I like this" while being assisted by instructor Panico in using an ice auger.
Mike Bender said he has been ice fishing since he was a youth and explained his techniques in catching a big one. Bender used tiny minnows to attract fish to his bait. "Why do I use a little fish as my bait?" Bender said. "Because big fish like to eat small fish, and I'm hoping a big fish comes along."
Bender also emphasized the importance of safety while on a frozen lake.
"No one should go out on a frozen lake by his or her self," Bender said. "If you are a child, get permission from your parents or an adult first. Just because the water has ice doesn't mean it is safe to walk on."
Bender also incorporated the tragedy about two young boys drowning in Budd Lake, earlier this month while out on a frozen lake.
The High Point Monument stands tall at 220-feet and rises 1,803 feet above sea level. The monument was built in honor of all war veterans. Construction was started in 1928 and completed in 1930. A panoramic view of wooded land of three states can be seen from the monument. Parts of the Delaware River in New York State, the ski resorts and farms in Vernon, N.J. and the area of Matamoras, Penn. can be taken in.
Despite the High Point Monument being closed for the winter season visitors have plenty to indulge in year round. The land which comprises the park today was once privately owned by a prominent family known as the Kusers. In 1922 the Kusers bestowed their entire country estate and private wildlife sanctuary as a gift to the people of New Jersey.