Visitors to the 46th annual Winter Living Celebration at Rogers Center were able to enjoy returning activities and demonstrations, such as an ice sculpture demonstration by Stan the Ice Man, horse-drawn wagon rides, and crosscut sawing with wood provided by the DEC (pictured). (Photo by Dustin Genter of 5th Dimension Photography)

SHERBURNE - The Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center hosted their 46th annual Winter Living Celebration on Saturday, and the event saw more than 700 attendees from across Central New York.

The event included old favorites such as an ice sculpture demonstration by Stan the Ice Man, crosscut sawing, horse-drawn wagon rides, the "become a human bird feeder" activity, ice rescue demonstrations by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and more.

Local organizations also set up in the Visitor Center to educate attendees on what they do and provide demonstrations and activities, including the Chenango Bird Club, the Chenango Historical Society, Trout Unlimited, the Otselic Valley Fishing and Heritage Association, the Chenango Greenway Conservancy, Intelligent Green Solutions, and the Bullthistle Hiking Club.

Also in the Visitor Center was Rogers Youth Programs Coordinator Jenni Larchar providing live music along with Tom Murphy.

This year's event also included some new features, such as a DEC K9 unit demonstration; slacklining; story times from the Hamilton, Guernsey, and Sherburne Libraries; activities with groundhog enthusiast Stephanie Crain; and activities from the 4-H Grow, Cook, Serve program.

"Everyone enjoyed themselves! We got a lot of positive feedback both at the event and after on various social media platforms," said Friends of Rogers Media and Marketing Coordinator Jeremy Fetzko. "Everyone enjoyed the traditional activities we have every year, like the horse-drawn wagon ride and ice sculpture demo, while loving the new additions like the DEC K9 unit demo and the slack line."

Additionally, hot food and drinks were provided by the Sherburne Rotary, and the Chenango Bird Club ran a bake sale, with all proceeds benefiting Friends of Rogers.

The Winter Living Celebration also brought along the debut of the Rogers Center's newly remodeled Bird Cabin, which is full of high-quality taxidermied birds. The cabin has been under renovation for nearly two years by the DEC, and received a floor-to-ceiling remodel.

Fetzko said visitors had a great reception to the new space.

"The other big hit of the event was the bird cabin. With such positivity from the public, we will be implementing it more into our events and activities going forward," he said.

Throughout the year, Friends of Rogers offers outdoor education programs for children and adults. Some activites include a story time and hike with Jenni Larchar every Wednesday morning, Monday Morning Ramble hikes with Rogers Environmental Educator Ellen Rathbone every Monday morning, nature trivia nights on each solstice and equinox, an annual Earth Day celebration, and more.

For more information on Friends of Rogers, visit FriendsofRogers.org or the Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center, Inc. Facebook page.