Longer days, good friends, ice cream and fireflies… summer has begun in the Capital District, and The Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy is ready to make it official with its second Fairy Tales and Fireflies event on Thursday, June 20.
The evening is a summer celebration that takes place on a section of the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail in the Town of Bethlehem.
Kathy McCarthy, a Friends of the Rail Trail volunteer, said the event revolves around marking the beginning of summer, gathering with friends and taking in the beauty of the trail.
The idea of a summer festival came to McCarthy while walking on the trail one winter night.
“I was out walking on New Year’s Eve,” McCarthy said. “It was a very warm New Year’s Eve and it was kind of misty, and I thought, ‘Wow, you could have a really fun celebration here.’”
McCarthy said the Friends of the Rail Trail committee quickly agreed, and the first event drew about 300 people.
“It was so successful,” McCarthy said. “We were really amazed at how many people came out and participated.”
The event takes place on the section of the trail that runs between the intersection of Adams Street and Hudson Avenue and the Slingerlands Firehouse at the intersection of Kenwood and New Scotland avenues in Delmar.
“It’s something where you can leave your house, walk a few steps and be on the trail and enjoying the fair,” said Lea Montalto-Rook, development director at the Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy. “What we really want is for people to come out and enjoy themselves, not have to spend a lot of money and enjoy this great natural resource we have.”
McCarthy said there will be a different activity every few feet along the trail.
“We will have children’s crafts, we will have refreshments for sale, we have a few musicians, we have a group of Morris dancers and some Irish dancers, we have animal displays, Empire Service dogs, Critter Patrol, Ford’s Falconry and a lot of local businesses have jumped in as well,” she said. “It will be a combination of walking and enjoying the beauty of the trails and being able to stop and do something or watch something.”
Maps will be available, and children who have the maps stamped along the trail will receive coupons for Stewart’s ice cream.
McCarthy said the goal is to have something for people of all ages.
“We really wanted it to be something that everyone can enjoy,” she said. “You can walk along, stop, listen to some music, watch people dance or just enjoy the scenery.”
McCarthy said there is something magical about summertime on the trail.
“If you are there after dark, there are tons of fireflies,” she said. “It adds to the magic.”
Montalto-Rook said the secondary goal is to increase awareness of the Rail Trail as a recreational resource for locals and as a destination spot for regional visitors.
Once a busy railroad for travels to and from the country towns of Delmar, Slingerlands, Elsmere and Voorheesville and the bustling City of Albany, passenger service ended in the 1930s. The rails were removed in 2004, and in 2010 Albany County purchased the 9.1-mile railway to create the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail for recreational use. The portion of the trail from Delmar to Slingerlands opened in 2011.
Montalto-Rook hopes the event is the beginning of a tradition for years to come.
“We want to make it a recurring annual event that brings locals and regional guests to a local summer solstice fair where there are tables and displays from local businesses, local artists, animal exhibits, crafts for children and food where everyone can come out, get a little bit of exercise and enjoy the end of the school year and the beginning of summer and celebrate,” she said.
The free Fairy Tales and Fireflies event will take place on Thursday, June 20, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Parking is available at both ends of the trail, and in the municipal parking lot near Delmar’s Four Corners. For more information, visit mohawkhudson.org.