Salt Springs Celebration marks ‘Friends’ 20th year

The 12th Annual Salt Springs Celebration will take place August 30, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Salt Springs State Park in Franklin Township.

This year marks the 20th year of Friends of Salt Springs Park.

The ‘Friends’ board has written a history of those years to share their stories, describing who they are, what they’ve done, what they are doing now and why.

The history is filled with dozens of color photos to illustrate the transformation of Salt Springs from an unkempt yet beloved nook in the woods into a treasured destination for thousands of people each year.

Field, Forest, Falls Race

The official Celebration begins at 11 a.m. but in the early morning hours, the Field, Forest and Falls race is set to start at 8:30 a.m.

This race takes you through meadows, past the park’s namesake salt spring, through oldgrowth forests, past “Penny Rock” and along the gorge overlooking the park’s iconic waterfalls.

Choose between a 2.5 mile or a 5.5 mile loop. The race starts on a wide dirt road with a gradual climb before traversing a gate and picking up the Meadow Trail, which winds in and out of meadows and woods. The course will take a sharp right turn onto Silver Creek Trail and go down a steep, winding hill and then run through the woods above Silver Creek.

Look for old stone walls and trees twisted by tornadoes (on second thought, watch your feet!)
The path drops down into a field west of the barn, and shortcourse runners will circle the barn and finish.

Longcourse runners will ascend stairs to run in front of the Wheaton House (park office). There will be traffic and people here, so runners are urged to use caution. Cross the road and continue over the footbridge, past the salt spring and up more stairs to access the Hemlock Trail. This trail follows the east side of Fall Brook, climbing into oldgrowth hemlock forest. Run past Penny Rock on your left (look for the thousands of pennies pounded into the layers of rock) and look over the edge of the gorge on your right and see the falls.

There is an entry fee. Visit www.friendsofsaltspringspark.org for more information.

Celebration

The Celebration swings into high gear at 11 a.m. with exhibits, vendors and environmental education activities for all ages until 5 p.m.

The Ross Park Zoomobile will be on-hand, 1-4 p.m., with four to six touchable and nontouchable animals (a mix of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates).

Local vendors, products and non-profits will also be at the Celebration.

Among those, check out the cheese-making demonstrations by Laryssa Zahajkewycz; the wool felting and hat making by Denise Tarbox; and the Silver Needles Quilting Group exhibit and demonstration of techniques.
Environmental education activist include a scavenger hike, butterfly catching, stream stomp and other hands-on activities. Prizes for participation will be awarded to children.

The John F. McKeage collection will be on exhibit. Over his lifetime, Mr. McKeage built an extensive collection of country artifacts. The Friends were honored to receive a portion of his collection in the winter of 2008.

Many of the household items are on display in the Wheaton House fireplace room.

We’ve mounted a new display featuring farm and agricultural implements and tools in the dairy barn. Some were used with animals, some for farming, and some for building and fixing things.

Peruse the fine example representative of the simplicity, ingenuity, and reality of local rural life.

Music will be performed on the porch of the Wheaton House all afternoon and culminating in an open jam session at 4:15 p.m. where everyone is invited to bring your own instrument to play.

The performance line-up includes:

11 a.m.: John Gunn, a 19-year-old folk singer-songwriter just bursting onto the scene.
Noon: Kelly and Susan Pratt will pump it up with a mix of folk and Irish music.
1 p.m.: Brian Wahl brings the best of rock, bluegrass and reggae to our stage.
2 p.m.: Bob “Marley” Winterstein plays original and borrowed tunes on acoustic guitar.
3 p.m.: Jerry Grace plays acoustic guitar and home-grown songs.
There’s plenty more offered at the Celebration including food, animals and a silent auction.
Salt Springs Park is located along Silver Creek Rd., in Franklin Forks.
For information, visitwww.friendsofsaltspringspark.org